SINGAPORE, March 12 — Public support in Singapore for the mandatory death penalty for serious drug trafficking offences has risen, the country’s Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam reportedly said today.

According to Singapore’s CNA, Shanmugam was citing the Ministry of Home Affairs’ “Survey on Singapore Residents’ Attitudes Towards the Death Penalty”, a public perception study conducted in 2023 and updated with findings released last year.

He reportedly said nearly 77 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the mandatory death penalty is an appropriate punishment for trafficking a significant amount of drugs, up from 69 per cent in 2023.

He added that almost 87 per cent of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that the death penalty should be used for the most serious offences, including drug trafficking, compared with about 77 per cent in 2023.

Shanmugam was speaking at the Community Resilience Against Drug Abuse Roundtable in Singapore, where he also highlighted that annual drug abuser arrests have fallen from around 6,000 in the 1990s to roughly 3,000 in recent years.

He reportedly rejected claims that high public backing for capital punishment is the result of state “propaganda”, calling that “a lazy, infantile argument” and insisting that Singaporeans are well-informed and can judge policies based on outcomes.

According to report, Shanmugam said Singapore’s tough anti-drug stance is “based on evidence”, combining strict laws with rehabilitation, and the government would be prepared to change its position “if there is evidence to the contrary”.