We are Kelly and Bronwyn, close friends of Van. We have visited him on death row in Singapore on numerous occasions. Van is like a brother to Kelly, a best friend to Bronwyn. This is our personal plea to ask you to Reach Out and help save Van's life.

This campaign stems from a genuine and true relationship between Van and his mother, Kim. The last time she visited Van, He reached out to his mother, placed his hand on the glass trying to Reach Out to her and said, "You hold my hand." and Kim replied, "I hold you forever!". Kim placed her hand to meet his on the other side of the glass. She relives that moment with tears everyday.

Despite traveling many miles to be close to him, friends and family are still separated by the glass. Smeared with fingerprints, the glass that divides us becomes a barrier to an integral part of kinship and friendship - human touch.

Upon each visit, Van instinctively puts his hand on the glass to Reach Out trying to touch us. We naturally put our hands on the other side of the glass to meet his.

When we visit we sit as close to the glass as possible. In one letter he told us "Our last visit...We were so close...It was unfortunate you weren't able to sit against the glass longer. But one second was enough to last forever in our memory."

Van has fully admitted his guilt. He has expressed clearly that he accepts responsibility for his actions and is completely remorseful for his wrongdoing. Even as close friends, we know that his offence requires imprisonment. However, not execution.

His assistance to the Australian Federal Police since his imprisonment is important because all sensible justice systems give lower level prisoners a lesser sentence if they help authorities against more senior criminals. The laws of Singapore and Australia allow for this. We, however, believe that his assistance, deep sorrow and remorse have gone unnoticed in Singapore.

Van has spent the last 3 years not knowing if his life will end at the end of a rope. The Singapore government believes our friend should be punished by death, declaring that they will not forgive someone who has repented.

This is a case where the penalty far outweighs the crime, and it ignores the conduct after the crime - that is, his help to the police. we are not asking for special treatment. The Constitution allows for a lesser penalty in these circumstances.

In one of his letter to us, Van wrote about his friend who was about to be executed in the next few days, "It breaks my heart because there is only so much I can do for him. My priority will be him and making sure he'll have all the support he can get."

For a young man whose greatest strength now is that he never fails to Reach Out to others in need, he does not deserve to die. The President of Singapore has the power to save Van's life.

By tracing your hand, you will be making a direct request to the President to spare Van's life. If spared, van would spend most of his adult years in prison, however he will have a life and continue to share the love he gives and receives.

Trace your hand on coloured paper and write your message of support to Van inside your hand - we will display them all in a public mural. Your hand will Reach Out and carry your support directly to the President. In life we learn and we all make mistakes.

Please find the mercy and humanity to help us to save our brother, our dear friend. Please Reach Out now to help us save Van.

Send your hand to:  Kelly Ng and Bronwyn Lew
                            The Reach Out campaign
                            c/o Howells, 205 William St.
                            Melbourne 3000 - AUSTRALIA

Visitors stop to read the Reach Out
Campaign's plea for help saving Van

A visitor offering his hand to help

One of Van's close friends explains
to visitors his story and asks for help

Thousands of helping hands to save
Nguyen Tuong Van's life

TV reporters interviewing Bronwyn

The State Library of Victoria, where
the Reach Out Campaign organisers
publicly display all the helping hands
to save Nguyen Tuong Van's life.