'Life without drugs is possible': Singapore commemorates second Drug Victims Remembrance Day
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam speaking at the Drug Victims Remembrance Day Observance Ceremony on May 16.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Eriko Lim
PUBLISHED ONMay 16, 2025 10:55 AMByHoon Jeng JeeAt 17, he was a gang leader and lived a life of violence and drugs.
For a decade, he went in and out of prison for a series of crimes including drug abuse and extortion.
Now 46, Kim Whye Kee is an artist and volunteers in the community.
He discovered an unexpected passion for pottery during the final months of his incarceration and pursued a degree in Fine Arts at LASALLE College of the Arts after his release in 2008.
In 2016, Kim founded Qi Pottery, specialising in tea wares, and has amassed over 11,000 followers on his Instagram page.
Today, he volunteers with the Industrial and Services Co-operative Society Limited, offering mentorship to individuals facing drug-related struggles.
"I decided to change when I started to give back."
"Life without drugs is possible, it is actually powerful," Kim said at this year's Drug Victims Remembrance Day Observance Ceremony on Friday (May 16).
It falls on the third Friday of May and is an initiative by the Inter-Ministry Committee.
First observed in 2024, the day serves as a reminder of the extensive consequences of drugs on drug abusers and the loved ones around them.
Over 300 people attended this year's Observance Ceremony held at Suntec City Convention and Exhibition Centre.
An exhibition is also being held at Suntec City Level 1 Atrium until Sunday (May 18).
The exhibition includes three immersive room sets featuring snippets from the campaign films by the Central Narcotics Bureau.
Centred around the life of John, a fictional drug victim, the sets recreate precious memories from his life and features audio narration from John's loved ones.
Stepping into the sets, visitors can listen to the victims' pain and reflect on how drugs overshadows life's most joyful moments.
There was also a digital candle display where participants could light up the virtual candles by shining their phone's torch as a sign of solidarity.
A mural by four students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts was also displayed to remember the victims of drug abuse and their struggles.
Speaking at the event, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said that more than half of the new drug abusers arrested in the last two years were below 30 years old. He added that the youngest abuser arrested last year was 13 years old.
"These should be lives full of promise and opportunity, instead of lives full of addiction and struggle," he said.
Shanmugam then led invited guests to light digital candles and observe a moment of silence for the lives lost to drugs.
On Thursday (May 15), he announced that Singapore will be part of the Asia-Pacific Confederation against Drugs, a new regional coalition of non-governmental organisations that tackle drug trafficking and drug abuse.
"The fight against drugs has to transcend borders," he said.
"I hope our Remembrance Day will inspire similar reflections on the harms of drugs in your countries."
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