Brutal, but effective

London-born Ye Ming Yuen was arrested, tried for drug offences and jailed for 20 years in singapore. Lucky to escape the death penalty, he faces 24 strokes of the cane.

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has made it clear that the UK ‘strongly opposes the use of corporal punishment’. singapore has been ranked as the second safest city in the world with many small businesses taking few security precautions when closing the shop at night so singapore policies work. Mr Hunt should turn the Government’s attention to the soaring crime figures at home.

CLARK CROSS, Linlithgow, West Lothian. I Felt sick at the idea of the barbaric punishment of caning. But then I started to think about the drugs and murders on our streets. Fear of what happens if you are caught must be an incentive not to do it. CLIVE BIRCHFIELD,

Woodley, Berks. IN the case of Ye Ming Yuen, are we in any position to condemn this sovereign state’s tough stance? drug--

taking and trafficking are almost non-existent there, due to the deterrence of the harsh punishment meted out, but is out of control in Britain, where convicted traffickers can look forward to a cushy life in jail. PAUL RICHARDS, Milton Keynes, Bucks. I HAVE visited Singapore and have long admired it for creating a safe oasis in a dangerous world. Visitors are made aware of its strict drug rules, so anyone who breaks the law knows the risk they are taking.

MARTIN KEATING, Falkirk, Stirlingshire.