Anti-IMF protesters to shun Singapore for Indonesia
By Fayen Wong
SINGAPORE, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Over 2,000 activists who plan
protests at the IMF and World Bank conference in Singapore next
month said they will hold their rallies on a nearby Indonesian
island because of Singapore's ban on demonstrations.
Trade unionists, farmers and activists from Jubilee South, a
network of non-governmental organisations, plan to demonstrate on
Batam, less than an hour by boat from Singapore, participating in a
worldwide protest linking 350 activist groups in 74
countries.
"Since Singapore doesn't respect the rights of people to express
their views, we are moving the demonstrations to Batam, where there
is more democratic space," Lidya Nacpil, international coordinator
of Jubilee South, told Reuters on Wednesday.
The group is already in touch with Indonesia about logistics, she
said.
Anti-globalisation activists usually gather at similar
international summits, but Singapore will make no exceptions to its
ban on demonstrations and has said it will arrest lawbreakers and
cane vandals.
Public protests are rare in Singapore. Any public gathering of more
than four people requires a police permit and a person convicted of
unlawful assembly can be fined up to S$1,000 ($650).
Caning is commonly used as punishment for offences ranging from
vandalism to drugs. Offenders are strapped to an A-shaped wooden
frame and lashed across the bare buttocks by a professional caner
with a rattan rod.
In 1994, Singapore made international headlines when it caned
American teenager Michael Fay for spray-painting cars.
Singapore, which expects over 16,000 delegates and officials to
descend on the city-state for the Sept. 11-20 World Bank/IMF
meeting, has said outdoor protests are banned because they could be
exploited by terrorist groups to stage attacks.
The city-state has only conceded that it would allow indoor
protests within a designated area in the lobby of the conference
venue. The lobby area is smaller than a football field.
According to guidelines issued by the police, activist groups must
not move out of the designated areas, and are not allowed to use
sound amplification systems or burn items or behave in a manner
that would "provoke a breach of peace". Protesters must also be
properly attired at all times.
The World Bank has said outdoor protests should be allowed during
the conference, but Singapore police said they would not waive the
current rules.
"The Bank's preference for these meetings and all others has been
to seek space for civil society to protest peacefully outside. That
remains our preferred position," Peter Stephens, spokesman for
World Bank Singapore, said in a statement.
Some groups said they plan to organise indoor seminars.
"We still need to maximise our space and make ourselves heard, so
we will be organising seminars at hotels around the conference
centre to discuss issues such as agrarian reforms," said Indra
Lubis, a project assistant at La Via Campesina (The Peasant Way),
an international group which represents over 80 million farmers
worldwide.
"But frankly, it is not a very effective way to voice our concerns.
How are the delegates going to hear us when we are put in separate
rooms?"
Haha,I find this news very funny...They should try living here long
term...
But then again, though we can't protest etc...we've enjoyed the
peace and stability.
