the following is a media release by Singaporeans for Democracy (SFD):
–
Martyn See, Executive Secretary, Singaporeans For Democracy (SFD), today spent an hour and a half at the Cantonment Police Complex from 10am to 11.30am answering questions pertaining to an investigation under the Public Order Act 2009 for a private forum he organized on behalf of SFD on 24 September 2011.
The forum was held at private function room at the Public House, after the original venue administrator, Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI), cancelled the pre-paid booking by locking its venue and preventing entry to participants.
About 30 participants then proceeded to attend the talk at an alternate venue – Public House – after they were informed of the change at the site of the original venue.
The forum featured Members of Parliament, Tian Chua from Malaysia and Mu Sochua from Cambodia, ex-ISA detainee Vincent Cheng and blogger Alex Au.
Following a phone call on 3 October 2011, Mr See received a formal notice dated 5 October 2011 requesting him to present himself to appear in front of S. Vickneshwaran (Officer-In-Charge, General Investigation Squad 5, Central Police Division) to answer questions for the said investigation.
The nub of the questioning surrounded whether inviting participants through a Facebook events page and email was a private or public activity.
This is the second time Mr See has been investigated by the police. In 2005, See was placed under police probe for 15 months following the banning of his documentary ‘Singapore Rebel’. In 2009, See had to postpone a public forum on the Internal Security Act (ISA) after the original venue, Bestway Building, was visited by CID officers after the event was publicised on See’s blog. Police then called See to apply for a permit, to which See wrote to the Law Ministry requesting an explanation. The event was subsequently held at Quality Hotel without any permit application.
SFD emphasizes that the forum was organised as a private event and urge the police to cease investigations immediately.
Dr. James Gomez
Executive Director
Singaporeans For Democracy
–
TOC’s article on the event HERE.
More signs of neurosis from the people in power … getting edgy over nothing. If anything, it shows up the “stain in their hands that won’t go away”. Macbeth met his fate. Theirs await them.
1. Nice… act so fast on this.
But with TPL, you take your time.
Nice, you hypocritical clowns.
2. A private event investigated under the Public Order Act? Gimme a break!
How was anyone publicly endangered? Except by exposing the PAP for the intolerant leegime it is?
3. “The nub of the questioning surrounded whether inviting participants through a Facebook events page and email was a private or public activity.”
Trying to catch people on a technicality. Well done, PAP. Let’s show Singapore and the world how you wish to “engage” citizens.
With your fist and the full force of the law. Well done.
Singaporeans will remember this. Come 2016. The time couldn’t come sooner.
First, the terms of reference must be clearly written or stated.
If I send a FB or email invite for citizens to attend my pickle-tasting session at my house, is it a public or private event?
Second, if I send a FB invite for friends to watch a taped Al Jazzera documentary on Osama Bin Laden for a school project is it a public or private event?
What are the regulations? Can someone please enlighten?
These people could have organised this event without even being aware of the regulations or consequences, so can they be liable?
The law can indict based on human arbitration. But humans can’t escape karmic consequences. These too awaits them Bard.
Wondered why TPL never received a formal notice requiring to present herself to answer questions for breaching Elections rules.
Martyn See held a private forum and had to be subjected to police interogation.
The double standard’s is so obvious. It is pure intimidation so typical of Singapore’s brand of justice. A First World country with third world politicians in charge.
When people ask the Police to arrest loan shark criminals or handle assault cases, Police say they are not free.
But when it comes to “fixing” PAP’s political opponents, the Police suddenly so active. Do we have PAP Police Force or S’pore POlice Force?
basically, sdp members, present and former, cannot be trusted, ever.
I can tolerate no more. Down with dictators. How I wish we can fast forward the time to 2016, the year of real independence for Singapore, the year when the ruling party is thrown into the dustbins of history and become maggots of our historical past.
We must end the hypocrisy of this ruling party. The internet is the shining light of democracy and freedom. Through it, we will see the end of dictatorship.
One officer of the SPF said once the police work for the PAP Govt, not the citizens.
Now, would the Govt use the ISD to arrest those Forum participants, in a private room, for Public Disorder under this Act? And force them to confess their “crime” on TV, just like they did to the “Marxist Conspirators” of the 80s.
Hello! times have changed, the same method used a second time won’t work.
Lim kopi is a form of political intimidation, under LKY’s instructions again?
Would Martyn care to tell us what happen? Why is the police so interested in a private forum? What questions were asked? What is the follow up?
This seeme a case of wrongful detention of a person by the police. Surely, they should first establish if inviting people to a meeting by email and facebook renders it a public event. What emails and facebooks are is public knowledge, independent of swhat Martin had done by them. Only should they decide on the issue validly in the affirmative can they detain Martin for the period in which he was questioned. And the questioning should not be whether using those means constituted “publicity”, but on isssues such as how far he had breached the law, to decude say, whether to prosecute or give him a warning.
Wrongful detention of persons is like kidnapping, the penalty for which is death!
Here’s what TT said just a few days ago:
“…we must not forget that we all share the same goal, namely serving the people. Hence all sides must take a long-term, national perspective, put society’s interests above their own… Only by getting our politics right and keeping it constructive and responsible will Singapore make progress.”
Let us now see if the police and judiciary act and interpret laws according to the good of Singaporeans, or the good of one party.
There are no laws and precedents for cases of new media like this (web conferencing, skype, etc) in relation to “public order”.
The PAP either has to invent new restrictive laws (while dressing it up as something to protect citizens in general) or allow PAP lawyers to creatively interpret existing laws to cover such cases, of course with full blessings of the judiciary, who may well supply them with the “right” arguments too.
Singapore is going to the dogs with this old-style intimidation of the PAP.
nowadays it seem that the whole wide world includin kampuchea/vietcong hav adopt to modern days governorships..
even myammer military governors also eased up..
singapoor owever seem to be goin backwards in the name of modern democractic laws…
what can martyn see really do? start a v-days revolutions? SFD already do it in a hotel private room rather than in honglim park…
let them be ,even to the xtend of havin a marajuna smokin party/orzy…
singapoor polis force..you shamed the blue uniform code of ethic…
Dragon Lee is “at it again”.
Fear of “losing” gripe sets in.
Too bad, we r globalised now & with internet , what happens here & within is “no longer” a secret to the other Worlds.
The irony is – most of the Ppl in SPF belongs to the enthic minorities grp.
Another SDP publicity stunt, whats new..
I think they are always asking for trouble, putting themselves in a position to be persecuted and then trying to win the public’s sympathy…
i am not fooled.. i would rather sympathise with SPP and WP holding their MPS in void decks then lawless activities the SDP and Chee Soon Juan tries to do
Public Order Act itself needs to be revamped. It is too subjective. A distinction needs to be made between public interest and public order offence.
The subjective interpretation of what constitute a disorder needs to be made to prevent abuse for political purpose of staying entrenched in political power.
Clearly a double standard. When PAP members violated any rulings or laws, they are not expeditiously been investigated, whereas, oppositions are taken to task quickly. This will divide society further.
Even our police force has lost its moral authority. They don’t follow on TPL and so free to start using bulling tactics of human rights group. Shame on them.
If the public know who the shri guy is, when see him on the streets may walk over to him and say hello?
Document clearly all events that happened then ask foreigners for their views how they feel if their country like this also.
I mean we dont know how they think.
There should be more of these forums, and in a bigger scale. We want to know more truths , and parents should bring their kids along to inspire them to have an enquiring mind, to balance the brainwashing they receive from public schools.
The PM & the President just only called upon Singaporeans to build up an all-inclusive society but how to be inclusive if the PAP govt is so suspicious of the people’s activities ?
So are both of them really sincere or merely talking cock ? When will our PM be able to stand on his own feet and be a MAN instead of still being perceived as his papa’s boi ?
The SPF should be renamed the SPPF -Singapore Political Police Force!
Taxpayers should demand that its members be paid by the PAP and not from govt’s coffers.
@anon
The SPF should be renamed the SPPF -Singapore Political Police Force!
Taxpayers should demand that its members be paid by the PAP and not from govt’s coffers.
………………..
This kind of police is not people’s police. The policemen who dare to slap Ms Tang Fong Har or carry out such anti-people activities will themselves be guilty of crimes against the people and the state. Silence of people against repression or overzealous policemen does not mean consent.
This should be an agenda item for the parliamentarians to clarify the law. It is not the police to discriminate Singaporeans and to interpret the laws.
LKY himself has demurred on GCT’s arrest of the 16 Marxist conspirators.
He did not so much as to assert that the 16 alleged Marxist detainees were dangerous Marxist communists deserving to be detained under SDA for security threats against the state.
How sure are the SPF that they have interpreted correctly the “security threats” of these 16 detainees.
If SPF cannot come out clean then they themselves will be subject to inquiry by a properly convened parliamentary proceeding if not UN Human Right council.
Silence of the people does not mean consent if policemen are to act on their own interpretations which turn out to be wrong in the detention of these 16.
the pigs has not learned anything from
the election
all the bull shit,
wow lau eh! singaporeans nowsdays so garang already dare to attend such gatherings. Kudos!
times have certainly changed.
singapore will be changing soon.
lau kok kok must …..
……up lorry soon?
What the PM and the President mean by an all inclusive society is that all Sinkies are brainwashed to be on the same side with PAP. All opponents to be totally annihilated.
I have just watched the freedom & democracy video at the top right. The problem in Sg is far deeper than freedom & democracy. Singaporeans cannot do good for the masses less it invites popularity guarded jealously by the Lees.
People, please take a good look at Mr Vincent Cheng. Does he look like a terrorist? Does he look & sound evil and violent? People of Singapore, this is a man who tried to help the marginalised people of his time. I reckon he got into trouble because he unwittingly gained the respect & popularity of people.
This is a serious problem in Sg, Singaporeans cannot be too popular with the masses unless you belong to PAP. People like Vincent Cheng was made an eg so that no one should do good for the masses and let PAP has their way.
Quite disappointed and sad with our police.
They had basically become the dogs of PAP and being used for her political purposes and clamps downs on all activities THEY deem danger to PAP.
STINKS ! ! !
1 contry 2 laws.
there must be clear seperation of public institutions n political interest. i make no apologies that pigs r not singapore n singapore was never pigs.
any change?
george yeo, what reform? another of the many empty n broken promises of pigs.
The dogs are itching again.
Not afraid of death? You go make that crazy family angry of course they use ISD to lock u up lah. Singapore is communist country leh like China.U dare try and they will imprison u for no reason. PAP can say anything they wan and justify it.Even if they say moon is square u also “lan lan”
Any grievance whether political or not, deserves to be expressed not only within the family but also let known openly to the public, to enable any wrong, if any, to be righted. This is what we as a society is all about.
paranoid people always make a fool of themselves.
It so sad that resources are being wasted to please the political masters. I wonder what is the self-esteem of the policemen who have to conduct these investigations. They have no choice but to follow orders from above. Many of these policemen might have joined the police force bacause they wanted to they wanted to serve the people by protecting them from crime and injustice. They mighted have wanted to gain honour by catching criminals but instead now they have become servant to their masters instead of public servants. I guess this is one reason many have quit the civil service or even Singapore disillusioned.
i am still waiting for the SPF to arrest the first ever truly PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION to be organised by the govt’s most endeared FTs some day soon.
by the way,how come no one came to arrest those PRC WORKERS at a ‘PUBLIC’ road outside a ‘private’ landed house at THOMSON recently?
does that count for ‘illegal’ public gathering?
A veritable goon army. Instead of fixing the country’s problems, he fixes his opponents. This is the real purpose of the ISA.
After 5 decades and hundreds of years in total of detentions, they have not an iota of evidence to show. Amazing investigating skills they got.
Dr. Wong Wee Nam made a very good point when he highlighted in his recent blog that in order for the ‘Marxist Conspiracy’ to be legitimate, there must be a corresponding ‘Marxist Organisation or Country’ behind the whole conspiracy.
So LKY pray tell us was it China or Russia, or it only existed in someone’s evil mind ?
Don’t forget LKY even gave advises to the Communist leaders of China on how to stand firm on its tough autocratic style of governing and not to ‘bend to international pressure’. So who is the real big Communist leader here? Only fools will be taken in by such bullsh*t.
Does anyone honestly believe that a few church workers (Vincent Cheng et al) could transform Sg into a ‘Marxist Society’? Which Sg’rean will readily give up all his material possession to the state to share among everyone, with no one being richer than the other? Do we seriously think Sg’reans will support a movement that will transform Sg into a North Korea?
If the answer is NO, then… why was the use of the ISA resorted to?
Bullies can do whatever they like, be it, threats, coercion, bribe or by force.
SPORE POLICE ARE MADE UP OF BUFFOONS,
KANGAROOS, STOOGES, PUPPETS, LAH
LOCALS ARE REAL DAFT……….
BORDERS ON “STUPID”,
REAL SELFISH COWARDS OF ALL COLORS
Honestly speaking, is hard to understand why this people like to organise this sort forum in public place. You should know sure get into trouble. Then why do it? To we all public mind, you actually know you will break the law but you insist testing our law. How to expect public support you when police invite you go drink coffee? There are many things do in Singapore, if you too free go play tennis, meet friends to chat, visit zoo, drive round island, so many things do, why go give trouble to yourselves?
A daft simpleton, beyond salvation, honestly speaking…
PM Lee Hsien Loong must have regretted he ever promised to abolish ISA once the Malaysian counterpart decided to do so.
Judging from all these posts from papies underground online agents, it looks quite like going to break this promise.
International investors can tell how reliable or trustworthy a government is by looking into the way leaders keep their own words of honour.
Shanmugam tried to distance PAP and Cabinet from such policing, saying the AGO independently decides on such invesitigations and prosecutions.
Even if so, what is governance? Is he saying he has been irresponsible at his job as Law Minister?
Surely it is government responsibility to make laws, and in so doing demarcate the boundaries of their interpretation and enforcement, via their discussions in parliament when making them, and their reactions to debates in parliament and media, etc?
True, he doesn’t give particular instructions as to whom and what the police should investigate. But he oversees and exerts policies, and via his silicences over, and therefore seeming condoning of sorts of policing and investigating, endorses them.
What can a forum do to unseat the invincible PAP??? Are they scared of 30 “marxist conspirators”??? Who are their Paymasters?? Karl Marx, Che Guavara? Mao Tse Tung, or Lenin? Are they going to hide in Jurong Bird Park and use guerilla warfare?
Why not bulldoze their arsenal and burn down their headquarters?? Confiscate their weapons and display their evil plans to bomb SingPower.
Hey, lock Martyn See in maximum security for organising a revolt to capture Caldecott Hill.