Amendments to abolish the death penalty in next parliamentary sitting

KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has decided to table the amendments to abolish the death penalty at the coming parliamentary sitting, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Liew Vui Keong.
He said there were still a few issues to be resolved but the government has decided the go ahead with it.
He said the Attorney-General Tommy Thomas had said that his side is ready for it to be tabled.
"We will have to inform the Pardons Board to look into the applications made by those on death row.
"They will have to decide whether to set them free or make them serve a prison sentence," Liew said.
He said they also have to study what to do with those who have committed heinous crimes.
He said the courts had previously been given the choice of how to sentence those who have committed drug related offences.
Liew said after the abolishment, it will only be prison sentences.
The minister said the Cabinet has also decided to set up three committees to look into the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
He said the steering committee will meet once in two months, the technical committee once a month and the working committee once in two weeks.
The steering committee will be headed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, while other members include Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal (Sabah Chief Minister); Datuk Dr Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari (Sarawak CM); Liew; Finance Minister, Lim Guan Eng; Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali; Gobind Singh and others.