Caning case sparks S'pore book, play

Caning case sparks S'pore book, play

SINGAPORE (Agencies): American teenager Michael Fay's controversial caning -- expected to be the subject of books and possibly made-for-television movies in the United States -- is featured in a book and a play now in the works here, Singapore's Sunday Times reported.

It said Straits Times journalist Asad Latif, who wrote several commentaries on the case, is writing the yet untitled book of 100 to 120 pages. He is now negotiating with a publisher.

Fay received four strokes of the cane on May 5 as part of a sentence for vandalism. The caning drew protests from several U.S. commentators and President Bill Clinton.

Latif said so much information came in on the case he was unable to incorporate it all in his reports. "The book fleshes out the whole case," the Sunday Times quoted him as saying.

"It is not a behind-the-scenes book. It's more of a between- the-lines book."

The play, whose author declined to be named, will use the Fay case to look at racial feelings of its main characters -- an American, a Briton and four Singaporeans.

"Another thing I wanted to explore was to remind people that this is a severe punishment. If they knew someone who was flogged, what would their feelings be?", the Sunday Times quotes the author as saying.

A proposal for the play has drawn attention from a local filmmaker, who is discussing a possible production.

Both Singapore and foreign media reports have speculated that Fay and his family would be able to choose from lucrative U.S. and Western offers if they decide to sell his story.

One article said "offers of money for (Fay's) story are pouring in from television shows, publishers and other quarters". But Fay's mother, Randy Chan, told Reuters a few days before he was caned that "it's not an avalanche of offers," and that they were more vague feelers.

"I plan to write a book, more for my own therapy" than to make money, she said.

Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, amid the storm over Singapore's caning of an American teenager for vandalism, a daily here reported yesterday that more than half of the respondents to a survey it conducted wanted Malaysia to also whip vandals.

The Sunday Star launched its Mischief Poll to ask Malaysians whether the four-month jail and four strokes of a rattan cane imposed on American Michael Fay early this month by Singapore was justified and should be considered by Kuala Lumpur for its vandals.

The paper said of the 679 respondents 52 percent felt there should be mandatory whipping of vandals as in Singapore, while only a few voiced concern that it should only be applied for more serious and violent acts of vandalism.

Twenty-two percent had asked for a minimum jail term for vandals.

But the daily said most of those surveyed were teenagers, adding that 33 percent had confessed to committing vandalism at one time or another.

"I see the seriousness of it now but it was just a fun thing to do," the paper quoted one reformed vandal, who used to steal roads signs, as saying.