Caning case sparks S'pore book, play<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (Agencies): American teenager Michael Fay's
\ncontroversial caning -- expected to be the subject of books and
\npossibly made-for-television movies in the United States -- is
\nfeatured in a book and a play now in the works here, Singapore's
\nSunday Times reported.<\/p>\n
It said Straits Times journalist Asad Latif, who wrote several
\ncommentaries on the case, is writing the yet untitled book of 100
\nto 120 pages. He is now negotiating with a publisher.<\/p>\n
Fay received four strokes of the cane on May 5 as part of a
\nsentence for vandalism. The caning drew protests from several
\nU.S. commentators and President Bill Clinton.<\/p>\n
Latif said so much information came in on the case he was
\nunable to incorporate it all in his reports. \"The book fleshes
\nout the whole case,\" the Sunday Times quoted him as saying.<\/p>\n
\"It is not a behind-the-scenes book. It's more of a between-
\nthe-lines book.\"<\/p>\n
The play, whose author declined to be named, will use the Fay
\ncase to look at racial feelings of its main characters -- an
\nAmerican, a Briton and four Singaporeans.<\/p>\n
\"Another thing I wanted to explore was to remind people that
\nthis is a severe punishment. If they knew someone who was
\nflogged, what would their feelings be?\", the Sunday Times quotes
\nthe author as saying.<\/p>\n
A proposal for the play has drawn attention from a local
\nfilmmaker, who is discussing a possible production.<\/p>\n
Both Singapore and foreign media reports have speculated that
\nFay and his family would be able to choose from lucrative U.S.
\nand Western offers if they decide to sell his story.<\/p>\n
One article said \"offers of money for (Fay's) story are
\npouring in from television shows, publishers and other quarters\".
\nBut Fay's mother, Randy Chan, told Reuters a few days before he
\nwas caned that \"it's not an avalanche of offers,\" and that they
\nwere more vague feelers.<\/p>\n
\"I plan to write a book, more for my own therapy\" than to make
\nmoney, she said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, amid the storm over Singapore's
\ncaning of an American teenager for vandalism, a daily here
\nreported yesterday that more than half of the respondents to a
\nsurvey it conducted wanted Malaysia to also whip vandals.<\/p>\n
The Sunday Star launched its Mischief Poll to ask Malaysians
\nwhether the four-month jail and four strokes of a rattan cane
\nimposed on American Michael Fay early this month by Singapore was
\njustified and should be considered by Kuala Lumpur for its
\nvandals.<\/p>\n
The paper said of the 679 respondents 52 percent felt there
\nshould be mandatory whipping of vandals as in Singapore, while
\nonly a few voiced concern that it should only be applied for more
\nserious and violent acts of vandalism.<\/p>\n
Twenty-two percent had asked for a minimum jail term for
\nvandals.<\/p>\n
But the daily said most of those surveyed were teenagers,
\nadding that 33 percent had confessed to committing vandalism at
\none time or another.<\/p>\n
\"I see the seriousness of it now but it was just a fun thing
\nto do,\" the paper quoted one reformed vandal, who used to steal
\nroads signs, as saying.<\/p>",
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