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photo
by Reuters
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Singapore
arrests opposition members over protest
Reuters
15
Mar
08
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-32504320080315
Several
Singapore opposition party members were arrested on Saturday
after a rare protest outside the city-state's parliament house
led to a tense standoff with police.
About 20 protesters
wearing red T-shirts that said "Tak Boleh Tahan" -
which means "cannot take it" in Bahasa Malay - gathered
outside parliament house, holding placards and shouting slogans
decrying the rising cost of living in Singapore.
Protests
in Singapore are rare and an assembly of five or more people
requires a permit from the police.
Chee Soon Juan, leader
of the Singapore Democratic Party, and several protesters were
arrested outside a nearby shopping mall as they attempted to
stage a rally walk from parliament house.
"We want to
draw attention to these unbearable price hikes," said Chee
in front of the parliament house. "Our objective is to
continue to encourage Singaporeans to speak up."
Singapore's
annual inflation rate hit a 25-year high of 6.6 percent in
January with food prices rising 5.8 percent in that month from a
year earlier.
The police could not immediately confirm how
many people were arrested on Saturday or what they were charged
with.
According to a Reuters witness, about 10 plain
clothes police surrounded the protesters outside a shopping mall
and arrested them after a tense 15-minute standoff that drew
crowds of curious onlookers and tourists.
Singapore
defends its strict laws on public assembly citing the need for
public order and safety.
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