Singapore upholds death penalty for Australian

CANBERRA - Australians are refusing to give up the fight to save the life of a young drug trafficker on death row after Singapore said it would push ahead with his execution.

The federal government believes Nguyen Tuong Van could be put to death in about four weeks.

Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo sent letters to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and his Labour counterpart Kevin Rudd today, rejecting the government's most recent appeal for clemency for Nguyen.

The 25-year-old Melbourne salesman was caught with 396 grams of heroin strapped to his body and in his hand luggage at Changi airport in 2002.

Mr Downer vowed to continue working on the case, but remained pessimistic that Singaporean authorities would have a change of heart.

He indicated that he was working with the attorney-general and the prime minister on whether Nguyen could provide useful information in future drugs cases, which may provide a legal avenue for appeal.

"That really is our last hope, that we can find some legal basis on which to appeal yet again to the Singapore government," Mr Downer said.

"When we've finished some of this legal work, we'll no doubt get back to them with those conclusions.

"We'll leave no stone unturned but we remain very pessimistic about this case."

Mr Rudd also pledged to continue his efforts.

"This is a young Australian man whose life is at stake here," he said.

"I don't intend to give up on this kid.

"The Singaporean government needs to be mindful of the full length and breath of our bilateral relationship with Singapore in making decisions of this nature."

The government says threatening Australia's relationship with Singapore would serve no useful purpose.

Mr Yeo said the decision to persist with the death sentence was not made lightly and took account of Nguyen's sad personal circumstances and his potential value as a witness.

"In advising the president, the cabinet carefully considered all relevant factors," he said in his letter to Mr Downer.

"Due to the seriousness of the offence and the need to hold firm our national position against drug trafficking, we are unable to change our decision.

"Mr Nguyen imported almost 400 grams of pure heroin which would have supplied more than 26,000 doses to drug addicts."

Nguyen told police soon after his arrest he had carried the drugs on behalf of a Sydney-based drug syndicate in a bid to pay off legal fees owed by his twin brother.

Nguyen and his brother were born in a transit camp in Malaysia after their mother fled Vietnam in 1980.

The family emigrated to Australia shortly after.

Australia has redoubled efforts to save him after Singapore last month rejected a plea for clemency.

Nguyen's lawyer, Lex Lasry QC, who made his own appeal to Singapore's High Commissioner this week, urged supporters to continue the fight for clemency.

"We ask them over the next few weeks to change gear ... push harder, argue more strongly, make contact with the Singapore High Commission, ring talkback radio, speak to friends and make sure that people understand the injustice that's occurring here," Mr Lasry told reporters.

Although disappointed, Mr Lasry said he planned to keep pursuing other avenues to save his client.

"There are some other things to be responded to by the Singapore government, and we will continue to put the case that they should change their mind," he said.

"We will keep doing things and I hope (the Australian government) will until it becomes pointless, and we are not at that stage yet."

Nguyen's family received another blow today when it emerged that Queen Elizabeth could not intervene in the case without the approval of the British government.

Nguyen's mother wrote to the Queen in a desperate attempt to rally support for her son.

- AAP