LATEST: The 5 SDP members (including Jeffrey George who was taping the whole event on his video camera) were released at 9.28pm on $1,000 bail each. TOC understands that they have been charged under the Prohibition of assemblies and procession – Istana – Section 5 (2) Cap 184.
At about 1.30pm today (Oct 8), police arrested 4 members of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party for protesting against the Singapore government’s involvement with the Burmese junta.
The 4 were Mr Gandhi Ambalam, Dr Chee Soon Juan, Ms Chee Siok Chin and Mr John Tan.
Holding aloft placards with the words “No Arms, No Deals, With The Junta” and a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi, the four stood on the opposite side of the Istana. Swiftly, the police came and gave them warning that what they were doing was illegal and advised them to disperse.
The four declined. Shortly after, 2 police vans arrived and the officers proceeded to arrest the four, one by one – starting with Dr Chee Soon Juan.
Burmese ambassador refused to receive signed petition
Earlier in the day, at 11 am, the SDP members were at the Burmese embassy at St Martin’s Drive to deliver a petition to the Burmese ambassador. The petition had been signed by more than 1,200 people in the past 8 days.
In it, the petition called for the Burmese government to release Aung San Suu Kyi, to enter into dialogue with opposition parties and to restore democracy to Burma.
Mr Ambalam spoke to an embassy staff member and told him that they were there to deliver the petition and requested to see the ambassador. The embassy staff replied that the ambassador declines to receive the petition personally and that he would deliver it to him.
The SDP members, after some insistence, relented and agreed. However, when Mr Ambalam started to read the petition out loud, the staff member refused to listen further and turned and walked back into the embassy, without the petition.
The SDP delegation then spoke with the embassy security guard and asked if he would request the ambassador to come to the gates and receive the petition. The guard went into the embassy while everyone waited. After about 7 or 8 minutes, he returned and confirmed that the ambassador would not be coming out. The guard then offered to deliver the petition to the ambassador instead.
The SDP agreed and Dr Chee read out the entire petition. He then put the petition, along with the stack of signatures, into an envelope and handed it to the guard.
Istana
After a delay of about an hour because of the heavy downpour, the SDP members proceeded to the Istana gates at about 1pm. There they spoke with an officer of the Istana and requested to see the private secretary of the Prime Minister in order to hand over a letter to him for the PM.
They were told that the private secretary was not available at the moment and would only be so at about 2pm. The SDP delegation said they would wait. They then unveiled the placards which they had brought along with them and stood at the side of the Istana gates.
A police officer told them that they could not do this and requested that they moved elsewhere to wait for the private secretary. The SDP members agreed and walked to the opposite side of the Istana, across the road.
There they again stood in a line and held up their placards.
Swiftly, a plainclothes police officer warned them that what they were doing was unlawful and asked them to disperse. He also told them that they would be arrested if they refused to do so.
2 police vans had by now arrived on the scene.
When the four SDP members continued to stand there with their placards, the police officers proceeded to arrest them one by one, starting with Dr Chee Soon Juan, Ms Chee, Mr Gandhi and then Mr John Tan.
Read also: Protecting the sacred cows behind electric fences.
Watch this frightful documentary. I recall what LKY said about how he would shoot to maintain order in Tiananmen – now we know why the junta must always be there – like the PAP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UqQaizM15Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2goTVC5g3M&mode=user&search=
I hope that PAP realises the limits they can play with our CPF, and pray for a change internally, within the 80 PAP members. If and when that happens, then I agree with LKY that a regime change is not necessary, but for that to happen, PAP has to change within. For one, I would like to see a repeal of the recently endorsed law – that OUR CPF monies be released to us at 55 years od as was told to us 40 years ago – not 62, not 65 nor 67. It is not for Ho Ching to plunder in the latest sexy stocks.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/305505/1/.html
If not me, who?
If not now, when?
As much as the Chee siblings and SDP has been portrayed as stupid irresponsible trouble-makers to Singapore, they have done their part in creating more active citizens. Their action at the Burma Embassy and the Istana speaks volume of their courage in going against the grain of the rulers: “Either you are with me, or you must be stupid!”
Though there are rumours going around that CSJ may have been planted by PAP to do a good-cop-bad-cop charade, I’d like to think that CSJ is above that. To go in and out of jail with family, wife and kids missing you is too much a price to pay.
I think freedom is another word for having nothing left to lose. He may have reached the stage of freedom from fear. To be pushed into a corner, to be called a cheat, a liar and to be continuously run down is not a comfortable place to be. With the responses to his actions, I’m not surprised that the fear factor has migrated to the other side. In fact, CSJ is awakening more people to the sophisticated ways that the ruling party has been controlling our lives – CPIB, NS, CPF, HDB and what-have-you!
His latest arrest is another milestone in showing the double standard that is prevalent in Singapore. Fortunately, with the help of blogsphere, active Singaporeans, in their own little way, can and will “build a democratic society based on justice and equality.”
To “My CPF”, I’d say, “Yes, they shifted the goalposts too many times, and I wish I had all my savings at 55 too! Now I’m writing in protest of the Compulsory Annuity and further delay of retirement payout. I resent the way they consume my childrens’ CPF through Compulsory Annuity.
FeedMeToTheFish
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/10/20071019-11.html#
Bush expresses thanks to Singapore.
See Singapore is right.
Maybe.
Together with the whole thing which appears to be developing throughout this particular area, a significant percentage of points of view happen to be fairly radical. Nonetheless, I appologize, because I can not subscribe to your entire suggestion, all be it refreshing none the less. It appears to me that your remarks are actually not entirely rationalized and in simple fact you are yourself not even completely confident of the argument. In any event I did appreciate reading it.