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At
the Istana, four protesters are three too many
"Free
Burma", and don't forget Singapore
Friends
greeting the SDP leaders when they were released last night
outside Tanglin Police station
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...to another
09
Oct 07
The heavens opened up and the rain tried to wash
away the filth in and around the Istana. Radio sets crackled when
we appeared on the foyer of Plaza Singapura, enroute to the
presidential palace.
Plainclothes officers from the
Tanglin Police Division were all over, trying their darnedest to
blend in with the black and yellow of Café Cartel and
leaves of the Istana Park across the road.
ASP Deep Singh
of the St Martin's Drive fame was seated not far away, directing
the operation. His colleague ASP Rani, the I-am-warning-you
specialist, was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't far away
though.
Another wing of the PAP was milling around us,
complete with cameras and reporters' notepads. It likes to call
itself the "media" but Reporters Without Borders would
beg to differ.
Earlier, one of the journalist look-alikes
or bootlickers, as the late David Marshall called them, asked Dr
Chee Soon Juan at the Burmese embassy, "Do you feel
snubbed?"
She was referring to the Burmese officials
refusing to accept the petition from us. There was a impish grin
on her face that told us what the angle of her story would be.
(See here).
The
downpour turned into a drizzle one hour later and the SDP team
decided to make our way to the Istana. A security personnel in
civilian clothes greeted us and offered to take the
petition.
"Is the Prime Minister's principal private
secretary around? We'd prefer to hand it to him," we
replied.
"He's out for lunch and won't be back till
two."
"That's okay, we'll wait," we said
and moved to the side of the Istana entrance and held up our
placards: NO ARMS, NO DEALS WITH THE JUNTA. FREE BURMA.
"You're
not allowed to do that here," our security officer told us.
That being the case, we decided to conduct our protest on
the opposite side of the road. As we took up position and
displayed the message, a few passers-by from across the road gave
us the thumbs-up. A Caucasian lady later gave Ms Chee Siok Chin
the V-for-victory sign.
The protesters were in place, the
placards aloft, and people were passing and reading our message.
And yet something was missing…what was it?
That's
it! ASP Rani.
So where was he? Right on cue, the
mustachioed officer popped up from behind one of the bushes and
strode up to administer his familiar admonition: "You are
warned that you are committing an offence by being here. Under
the Miscellaneous Offences Act Illegal Assembly and Processions
Istana Order, more than two persons assembled in the gazetted
area is an offence."
That's a new one. Anywhere else
in Singapore, five or more persons gathered in a public place
constitutes an unlawful assembly (PAP-related groups and
expatriate women excepted). But outside the Istana, even Tonto is
not welcome.
"So where is it around here that is not
within the gazetted area?" Dr Chee enquired.
"I
am warning you that by being here you are committing an offence.
Leave immediately or you will be arrested!" Mr Rani ignored
the query.
"Thank you. We heard you the first
time."
The ASP stomped away only to return with a
petite uniformed lady officer to make the arrests.
The
PAP has learned well from a previous occasion when more than 10
of the PAP's finest in uniform hauled Dr Chee and Mr Ambalam away
in 2002 for attempting to hold PAP (People Against Poverty) rally
at the same location.
It was a PR disaster as the world
caught one of the first glimpses of the police-state that
Singapore really was. A lone policewoman softened the effect.
Perhaps Mr Lee Kuan Yew didn't really quite mean it when
he said he didn't care what the world thought of what his regime
did in Singapore.
As the protesters were bundled into the
van, ASP Rani turned to SDP assistant teasurer Mr Jeffrey George
who was standing at a distance videotaping the goings-on. A
message came through the radio to arrest him as well.
What
reason did the police have to arrest Mr George when there were
several other photographers and videographers present?
But
then again, since when did the police ever have to justify their
actions when in came to cracking down on dissent?
In
truth, it was the video-camera and its contents that the
Government wanted. Now the SDP cannot YouTube the scene of Mr
Secretary 1 of the Burmese embassy and the action outside the
Istana.
More worryingly, the police can now delete the
recordings of the day's happenings on our camera.
In any event, the
SDP protesters spent the afternoon in the lock-up. We were
feeling energized and determined to overcoming the authoritarian
rule in Singapore. We were already discussing our next step.
At
9:30 pm, we were released and told to report back in two weeks on
22 Oct 07 to be formally charged. We look forward to the
appointment.
The behaviour of the Singapore Government
must be exposed not just for its despotic rule, but also for its
involvement with the Burmese generals.
So is the arrest
and seizing of our video-camera going to stop us? Not by a long
shot.
SDP's
Press Statement
This statement was supposed to be
handed out yesterday. Unfortunately, the protesters were arrested
before they could do so.
The
Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has repeatedly called for the
PAP Government to answer questions about its dealings in Burma
and with the military regime there.
In particular,
Singaporeans have the right to know:
¡ñ
Whether Temasek Holdings or any
other Government-linked Company (GLCs) is selling, transshipping
or making available in any way arms, ammunition and military
equipment to the Burmese military rulers
¡ñ
Whether any of the GLCs or
other Singaporean companies continue to invest in businesses
linked with Burmese druglords such as Lo Hsing Han and his son,
Steven Law.
¡ñ
How many Singaporean companies
continue to operate commercial entities in Burma.
¡ñ
What is being done to the money
from Burma that is being laundered in Singapore.
Given the
present crisis in Burma, it is unconscionable that the Singapore
Government, while saying all the right words about the Burmese
repression, continues to operate with a business-as-usual
attitude.
We, as citizens of Singapore, have the right to
demand answers from the Government which has to account to the
people.
Presently, the Government of Singapore Corporation
(GIC) uses $160 billion (US$100 billion) of the people's money
for investments while Temasek Holdings handles another $160
billion of public funds to do business.
Yet, these
institutions operate in virtual secrecy and do not account to the
Singaporean people. They are controlled by three individuals of
the Lee family:
1. Lee Kuan Yew, Minister Mentor and
Chairman of GIC
2. Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew's son,
Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Deputy Chairman of GIC
3.
Ho Ching, wife of Lee Hsien Loong and chief of Temasek
Holdings
For more information see:
Singapore's
Blood
Money:
http://www.singapore-window.org/1020naus.htm
Burma-Singapore
Axis: Globalising the heroin
trade:
http://www.singapore-window.org/804caq9.htm
Of
web, cash and cronies:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/web-of-cash-power-and-cronies/2007/09/28/1190486569946.html
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