http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKTRE…
Singapore says new law will prevent meeting disruption
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore passed a
law affecting freedom of assembly on Monday it said would help
prevent the sort of disruption of international meetings that
caused the cancellation of a summit in Thailand last weekend.
An opposition member of parliament, however, said the rules
would tighten restrictions on Singaporeans’ rights.
Singapore is due to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit in November.
Law Minister K Shanmugam and other government lawmakers told
parliament the Public Order Bill, introduced last month, was needed
to prevent trouble at such conferences.
“The backdrop of current events in Thailand, with the
international leaders having to leave the conference by helicopter
hurriedly, showed very tellingly the need for this legislation,” he
said.
Bangkok called off the summit of leaders from Southeast and East
Asian countries on Saturday after anti-government protesters
swarmed into the meeting’s venue in the beach resort of
Pattaya.
Shanmugam said the government would do everything it could to
make hosting APEC, an annual gathering of
leaders from 21 economies, including such economic heavy-hitters as
the United States, Japan, China and Russia, a success.
“Singapore cannot afford the luxury of having this meeting
disrupted,” said Shanmugam.
The law loosens some rules applying to indoor gatherings, but
allows police to order a person to leave an area if they determine
he is about to break the law.
All outdoor activities that are cause-related will need a police
permit, no matter how many people are involved. That is a change
from the current law requiring a permit for gatherings of five or
more people.
The bill allows police to stop people from filming law
enforcement if it could put officers in danger. The bill cited live
media coverage of Indian police trying to rescue hostages in the
Mumbai attacks last November as posing risks to the officers.
Legislator Sylvia Lim of the opposition Workers’ Party told
parliament the government was taking advantage of political
struggle in Thailand to “justify the implementation of draconian
laws to inhibit the basic rights of Singaporeans further.”
“As long as this government respects and upholds democracy, the
problems now we are seeing in Thailand will not happen here,” said
Lim, one of the three parliamentarians to vote against the
bill.
“But if the government wants to tinkle with individual freedom
and democracy to an oppressive level it will actually become the
source of public order problems.”
(Reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Jerry Norton)
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