Dalai Lama calls for abolition of death penalty
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Sat Apr 9, 8:54 AM ET South Asia - AFP
First, it was the Vatican. Now, it's the Dalai Lama. High time for capital punishment to go the way of the dodo.
TOKYO (AFP) - Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama called for the abolition of the death penalty and a revamp of centuries of academic-centered thinking on education to build a more "warm-hearted" world.
On the second day of a visit to Japan which has been condemned by China, the Dalai Lama told a crowd of hundreds in Tokyo that criminals should be treated with "compassion, not anger."
"Criminals, people who commit crimes, usually society rejects these people," the Buddhist monk said in a sumo wrestling arena rearranged for his address on Saturday.
"They are also part of society. Give them some form of punishment to say they were wrong, but show them they are part of society and can change. Show them compassion," he said.
The Dalai Lama did not mention any countries in his appeal. Japan is the only major industrialized country other than the United States to practice the death penalty and has wide public support for executions.
China, which has ruled Tibet since 1951, carried out about 90 percent of the legally sanctioned executions in the world last year, according to Amnesty International.
China executed 28-year-old Tibetan activist Lobsang Dhondup in 2003 over a bombing that killed one person but amid an international outcry a Chinese court commuted the death sentence of monk Tenzin Deleg in the same case.
The Dalai Lama, taking questions from an audience concerned that Japanese youth were turning wayward, urged schools to change their focus.
"It is not sufficient for education to be just about academics," the 1989 Nobel Peace laureate said.
"There is so much emphasis on the brain. This is good but we should be equally concerned about being warm-hearted," he said.
"In the past few centuries there has been a neglecting of these qualities in education," he said. "We should try to introduce these qualities as part of education the world over."
The Dalai Lama's lecture was the first of five he will deliver on his 11-day tour of Japan.
It is his 10th visit to Japan -- or 14th including airport transits -- but he has not met a sitting Japanese prime minister since 1980.
China protested the latest visit, even though Japanese officials have no plans to see the Tibetan spiritual leader. -
i'm a firm believer of captital punishment, and people who give me theories of abolishing capital punishment, i will only tell them to Fuck spiderOriginally posted by iveco:First, it was the Vatican. Now, it's the Dalai Lama. High time for capital punishment to go the way of the dodo. -
Only a Nazi will think just like you. Capital punishment is meant for Adolph Hitler and his ilk, not for modern democrats.Originally posted by oldbreadstinks:i'm a firm believer of captital punishment, and people who give me theories of abolishing capital punishment, i will only tell them to Fuck spider -
captial punishment is necessary for the safety of the common citizens. look at the crime rate in US. there are many convicts who kill again after their release from prison.Originally posted by iveco:Only a Nazi will think just like you. Capital punishment is meant for Adolph Hitler and his ilk, not for modern democrats. -
Different story in Scandinavian countries. Their crime rate is lower than ours. Anyway, some people have been cleared of all charges after 30 years due to administrative errors or fresh evidence that proves they are clean.Originally posted by dragg:captial punishment is necessary for the safety of the common citizens. look at the crime rate in US. there are many convicts who kill again after their release from prison. -
but what does that have to do with capital punishment? it is not like none of them are guilty.Originally posted by iveco:Different story in Scandinavian countries. Their crime rate is lower than ours. Anyway, some people have been cleared of all charges after 30 years due to administrative errors or fresh evidence that proves they are clean. -
USA has no capital punishment so crime rates are high.Originally posted by iveco:Different story in Scandinavian countries. Their crime rate is lower than ours. Anyway, some people have been cleared of all charges after 30 years due to administrative errors or fresh evidence that proves they are clean.
Scandinavian countries also have no capital punishment but crime rates are low. In certain countries, like Singapore, capital punishment has certainly contributed to lower crime rate, especially drug trafficking. Abolishing capital punishment certainly will not help bring down crime rates further.
What else are there in the Scandanavian system, education, police organisation, social system, .... that may be the necessary pre-conditions for abolishing capital punishment?
It is too simplistic to say that abolishing capital punishment will bring down crime rate. It is rather shallow to equate countries with capital punishments to the Nazis. -
If I'm not wrong, the state of Texas has the highest execution rate. Yet their favourite son who now controls the White House claims to speak for human rights. His behaviour, as you have seen, is otherwise.Originally posted by sgdiehard:USA has no capital punishment so crime rates are high.
Scandinavian countries also have no capital punishment but crime rates are low. In certain countries, like Singapore, capital punishment has certainly contributed to lower crime rate, especially drug trafficking. Abolishing capital punishment certainly will not help bring down crime rates further.
What else are there in the Scandanavian system, education, police organisation, social system, .... that may be the necessary pre-conditions for abolishing capital punishment?
Despite having lethal injection, many parts of the US are comparable to Malaysia in terms of safety. Can you explain this phenomenon? -
maybe we should get the discussion back to basics. what is the purpose of capital punishment? to put crime rate in check?
RIGHT, maybe to the government
WRONG, to the citizens
capital punishments for killers are necessary so that convicts dont come out and kill again. -
I'd rather the convicted killers spend the rest of their lives behind bars, tormented to insanity by the spirits of their victims. That is a worse fate than anything else.Originally posted by dragg:capital punishments for killers are necessary so that convicts dont come out and kill again.
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poor education?Originally posted by iveco:If I'm not wrong, the state of Texas has the highest execution rate. Yet their favourite son who now controls the White House claims to speak for human rights. His behaviour, as you have seen, is otherwise.
Despite having lethal injection, many parts of the US are comparable to Malaysia in terms of safety. Can you explain this phenomenon? -
religion and politics should never mix
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They were never meant to mix. Once these two get together, you have a deadly brew that only causes innocent people to suffer.Originally posted by mistyblue:religion and politics should never mix -
Originally posted by mistyblue:religion and politics should never mix
people who view themselves as rational tend to have this viewOriginally posted by iveco:They were never meant to mix. Once these two get together, you have a deadly brew that only causes innocent people to suffer.
while people who believes strongly in their religion believes otherwise
so? who's correct? -
No one.
It depends on the balance.
Where it is skewed such as the islamic laws having an overbearing influence on the politics, then it is of course very bad. Where its pure politics, everything would be judged rationally and there would also be no such thing as mercy. There is no escape that politics do have a little bit of whatever religion the current leader bring in... look carefully at the local politics, there is a bit of religious influence.. but not too strong. If you ask me. Its a balance. -
Capital punishment is a very serious punishment and in my opinion is only warranted in cases of murder.
I do not approve of our current system in which even drug traffickers are given the mandatory death sentence. Granted that drug trafficking is a very lucrative business and a very harsh punishment is needed as a deterrent otherwise there will be no end to the drug problem. However, death as the punishment seems to be out of proportion to the harm that drug trafficking brings upon society. Life imprisonment with mandatory caning seems to me to be a better (and fairer) alternative. Or at the very least, have a system in which the judge will be able to decide between death and life imprisonment.. Death for the mastermind, life imprisonment for the drug runners for instance.
Btw to claify what someone mentioned earlier, the United States of America, which has been most vocal in promoting their brand of 'human rights', is the ONLY developed country to still practice capital punishment. Not all American states do so, however.. several states have abolished the capital punishment altogether. -
It only shows that capital punishment is not the only factor for higher crime rate, and abolishing it will certainly not reduce the crime rate. I don't think much about the american, especially bush and all their talks about human rights. What can we learn from the Scandinavian?Originally posted by iveco:If I'm not wrong, the state of Texas has the highest execution rate. Yet their favourite son who now controls the White House claims to speak for human rights. His behaviour, as you have seen, is otherwise.
Despite having lethal injection, many parts of the US are comparable to Malaysia in terms of safety. Can you explain this phenomenon? -
life imprisonment is definitely not an alternative. imagine the cost involved in feeding these people for life. the prison will also be crowded with drug traffickersOriginally posted by cornyfish2000:Capital punishment is a very serious punishment and in my opinion is only warranted in cases of murder.
I do not approve of our current system in which even drug traffickers are given the mandatory death sentence. Granted that drug trafficking is a very lucrative business and a very harsh punishment is needed as a deterrent otherwise there will be no end to the drug problem. However, death as the punishment seems to be out of proportion to the harm that drug trafficking brings upon society. Life imprisonment with mandatory caning seems to me to be a better (and fairer) alternative. Or at the very least, have a system in which the judge will be able to decide between death and life imprisonment.. Death for the mastermind, life imprisonment for the drug runners for instance.
Btw to claify what someone mentioned earlier, the United States of America, which has been most vocal in promoting their brand of 'human rights', is the ONLY developed country to still practice capital punishment. Not all American states do so, however.. several states have abolished the capital punishment altogether. -
Sure, until they create their mini-paradise in prison, enjoying women, food, cable tv and bodyguards.Originally posted by iveco:I'd rather the convicted killers spend the rest of their lives behind bars, tormented to insanity by the spirits of their victims. That is a worse fate than anything else.
Those who deserve to die, should. -
There are some prisons in the US and Mexico, which get thier inmates to be productive and self-suffcient by getting them to work on public projects ,recycle materials,etc thus generating income for the prison and making the prison run without the need for government or taxpayer funds
life imprisonment is definitely not an alternative. imagine the cost involved in feeding these people for life. the prison will also be crowded with drug traffickers -
In that case, people convicted of petty offences can do a certain amount of community service instead. Let the jails be reserved for more dangerous offenders.Originally posted by dragg:life imprisonment is definitely not an alternative. imagine the cost involved in feeding these people for life. the prison will also be crowded with drug traffickers
I have an idea. Let those serving long sentences take over the Banglas who work on the construction sites.Originally posted by SilentAssassin:Sure, until they create their mini-paradise in prison, enjoying women, food, cable tv and bodyguards.
Those who deserve to die, should. -
and how many convicts do not kill again after their release?Originally posted by dragg:captial punishment is necessary for the safety of the common citizens. look at the crime rate in US. there are many convicts who kill again after their release from prison.
WHen examining data, we msut always be objective. -
When you have pure politics, you have a Neo-nazi state or a New Soviet Union.Originally posted by mistyblue:No one.
It depends on the balance.
Where it is skewed such as the islamic laws having an overbearing influence on the politics, then it is of course very bad. Where its pure politics, everything would be judged rationally and there would also be no such thing as mercy. There is no escape that politics do have a little bit of whatever religion the current leader bring in... look carefully at the local politics, there is a bit of religious influence.. but not too strong. If you ask me. Its a balance.
We should neither have pure relgiion or pure politics, but a mixture of both to ensure both check each other. We should neither have theocracy or communalism. -
hmmm.. u do have a point here. Looking from the perspective of the taxpayer, it is really unfair to pay tens of thousands for the food and lodgings of hardcore criminals who have done nothing but harm to society.Originally posted by dragg:life imprisonment is definitely not an alternative. imagine the cost involved in feeding these people for life. the prison will also be crowded with drug traffickers -
If you folks know about Schappelle Corby, here are some articles on her. Do you think she is guilty of drug charges? I leave it up to you to decide.Originally posted by dragg:but what does that have to do with capital punishment? it is not like none of them are guilty.
