Divisive Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan – who has just been named as Singapore’s first celebrity anti-drugs ambassador – says he supports the death penalty for some offenders.
The international movie star made the comments during an interview with BBC last week.
Both China and Singapore have the death penalty for drug offences.
Last year, Chan’s 32-year-old son Jacyee was arrested and spent six months in prison in China after authorities found marijuana in his home. He also admitted he had been using the drug for eight years.
Jackie Chan said in the interview that he was “ashamed and shocked” about his son’s deeds, adding that some youngsters may think taking drugs such as marijuana is “like a cigarette”, but not in his family.
“If you say okay in the beginning, at the end, [taking drugs] is a bad result.
“I’m more concentrated on him [Jaycee] now…I found out he’s still a boy”.
He added, “On some issues, I support death penalty…when you’re hurting thousands and thousands of young children, I think these kinds of people are useless”.
While admitting he doesn’t know when the death penalty should be applied because “I’m not a judge”, Chan, who answered in a mix of Mandarin and English, said “a harsh punishment is right”.
Photo: BBC screengrab
