Singapore politician-police standoff continues
Sebastian Tong
Reuters
17 Sep 06
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1375212006
A downtown stand-off between Singapore police and an opposition
politician over the right to hold a protest march entered its
second day on Sunday, after the overnight encirclement of Chee Soon
Juan and several supporters.
Chee, who heads the tiny Singapore Democratic Party, had planned to
hold a rally in a city park on Saturday, followed by a protest
march to parliament past the convention centre where thousands of
financial big shots, bankers and journalists are attending the
IMF-World Bank meetings.
But Chee, his sister Chee Siok Chin, and five supporters, were
never allowed to leave the park. About 30 police formed human
barricades around the Chees, at times linking arms and pressing in
close to them to prevent their movement.
"They are physically preventing us from walking to the parliament.
But they won't arrest me," Chee said. "We need to send a message to
be firm, to continue to insist on freedom of speech."
Chee had wanted to protest about the city-state's restrictions on
freedom of speech and its widening income gap. Under Singapore law,
public gatherings of more than four people require a police
permit.
Throughout the night, changing shifts of police kept guard over
Chee and his sister on a corner of Hong Lim park, close to
Singapore's Speakers' Corner.
Supporters brought the Chees and the other activists food and
water, and the pair slept briefly on the pavement. Puzzled
passers-by, among them party-goers on their way home, the odd
cyclist and early-morning joggers, stopped to stare or chat.
Area Cordoned Off
British tourist Christopher Osborn, 27, who saw the stand-off as he
walked by on Saturday, decided to stay the entire night.
"I'm astounded by the police preventing the legitimate movement of
people. The manner in which they are implementing it would be
classified as intimidation. There's a disproportionate reaction and
it shows another side to Singapore," he said.
While U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and other Group of
Seven finance ministers and central bankers discussed the Chinese
yuan at the convention centre on Saturday, the Singapore police
were busy interviewing those people who had gathered at the park to
find out who they were and why they were there.
About 200 people, including media, had gathered for the
rally.
Police with video cameras filmed Chee, his supporters and
journalists present for several hours. Several plainclothes
policemen and women mingled among the reporters and
supporters.
"Police are at the scene and are engaging Chee Soon Juan and his
associates. We advise them not to commit any offence or pose a
threat to public order," a police spokeswoman said on
Saturday.
Soon after Chee arrived at the park with his supporters on Saturday
morning, police cordoned off the area. Speaking through
loudhailers, they told the crowd of supporters and journalists not
to participate in the protest march as this would be breaking the
law.
As Chee Siok Chin tried to walk to a nearby public toilet, police
stopped her. Only after much argument was she allowed to use a
bathroom -- in the nearby police station.
Chee, an acerbic critic of the government, has had several run-ins
with Singapore's leaders. On Tuesday, the High Court ruled that
Chee and his sister had defamed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and
his father, Lee Kuan Yew. No damages have been announced yet.
