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Caning punishment in Singapore "not appropriate": U.S.

22 October 2010 00:53 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The U.S. State Department said on Thursday that caning in Singapore is "not an appropriate form of punishment" as an American citizen may face such penalty due to immigration violation in the Southeast Asian country, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

"This is something we’ve made clear in our human rights report and also something we’ve conveyed to the government of Singapore in our bilateral discussions," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

Kamari Charlton, an American businessman and a former football player for Florida State University, may become the first U.S. citizen to be caned in Singapore in 16 years after he overstayed his visa. An American citizen received the same punishment in 1994 for vandalism.

"He (Charlton) has not been convicted, and in fact the case is still in pre-trial status," Toner said, adding the U.S. embassy in Singapore is closely monitoring it.

"It’s our hope that a resolution can be reached in the case," he said.