Police scores first win.
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Every government's fantasy come true.Originally posted by Hellraiza:I have brought forward the idea of ERP gantries as tracking devices here a long time ago, as well as EZ-link card readers...add that to the video cameras on the buses and taxis...and we're totally covered.
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This incident will send a strong message to potiental protestors on the possible action which will be taken.
Psychological warning.
Very powerful wor. -
even world bank chief and IMF members are calling singapore govt to allow protesters.
these protesters are not here overthrow the PAP. just protect some chickens.
take it easy lah. -
Who's to say it isn't already a reality?Originally posted by charlize:Every government's fantasy come true. -
The Singapore Government must surely be outsmarting themselves this time, especially when the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund organisations have made it a point to engage all 'activist groups' as one should in a Civil Society.
The true extent of Singapore's claim to 'First World Status' will be measured with the manner in which the Government conduct its relationship with all parties - as expected in a Civilised Society.
Singapore snub stings IMF and World Bank
Steven Weisman and Wayne Arnold
September 11, 2006
THE World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, two organisations that repeatedly praise the role of "civil society" activist groups in poor countries, have protested against a decision by Singapore to bar representatives of several such groups at their meeting with the leaders of poor countries next week.
The action by Singapore was taken out of fear of protests and violence, according to the Singapore police. But several of those barred were invited by both the World Bank and IMF to attend the meetings, as part of an effort in recent years to reach out to non-government organisations.
"We believe that all individuals who have been accredited to the annual meetings should be allowed to attend," the two organisations said last Friday. "We strongly urge the Singapore Government to act swiftly and reverse their decision on entry and access to the meetings for these representatives."
Singapore generally has a low tolerance for political protests and unruly behaviour, sometimes invoking extremely punitive laws against foreigners. The Government previously banned outdoor protests at the meeting.
Accordingly, several groups have organised protests on the nearby island of Batam, a part of Indonesia, but it was not clear whether Indonesia would let them take place.
Leaders of the bank and the fund are due to meet with scores of finance ministers this week.
The move by Singapore was especially embarrassing for the bank's president, Paul Wolfowitz, who has made his appeals for proper governance a cornerstone of his 15 months at the bank and called on poor countries around the world to strengthen the role of NGOs.
The annual meetings have been a focus of protests over the years by dissidents demonstrating against trade, environmental and economic policies of the richest countries. Such protests have nearly shut down some meetings, but in recent years the protests have been peaceful.
Both the World Bank and IMF have tried to quiet the rebellion by inviting groups to their meeting. For this week's session, they have accredited nearly 500 representatives from more than 45 countries, they said on Friday.
Among the individuals barred from Singapore was Antonio Tricarico, coordinator of an Italian group, Campaign to Reform the World Bank.
"It's completely astonishing," he said, "in particular because the World Bank welcomed us to go and even our government cleared our participation."
The Singapore police said in a statement that the annual meetings of the bank and the fund would "attract the attention of many, not least those who may want to use the ready platform and presence of the international media to stage events that will pose a security threat to Singapore".
NEW YORK TIMES -
Haha, the island we live on is no different from Alcatraz...people should sooon realise that. every movement is being watched, 24/7 someone is watching. One wrong move, and splat...u're dead
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Is Sg Gov sick??? or they hve no other better things 2 do???Originally posted by SpecOps87:Haha, the island we live on is no different from Alcatraz...people should sooon realise that. every movement is being watched, 24/7 someone is watching. One wrong move, and splat...u're dead
Why so many singaporeans are migrating, I think the above is one of the reason. -
It was reported that the Singapore Police had managed to trace the whereabout of the foreign protestors through the mobile phone messages sent.
Did the Singapore Police breach the Telecoms Privacy by monitoring the mobile phone messaging system ?
Is the Police above the Law ? -
They are not above the law, they ARE the law...Originally posted by Atobe:
It was reported that the Singapore Police had managed to trace the whereabout of the foreign protestors through the mobile phone messages sent.
Did the Singapore Police breach the Telecoms Privacy by monitoring the mobile phone messaging system ?
Is the Police above the Law ? -
S'pore is a police country!!!!Originally posted by Hellraiza:They are not above the law, they ARE the law...
Comparable with PRC that why our sg gov likes them very much!!! welcoming them with open arms and legs as well!!! -
Originally posted by Hellraiza:They are not above the law, they ARE the law...
They are ? ..... it must be a joke, as there exist a separate police unit - similar to the SAF Military Police - to ensure that the Singapore Police will follow the Law.
A separate Police Unit to check on the regular Police Force - now I wonder who will check on this separate Police Unit ?
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"S'pore Govt afraid of democracy"
Agence France-Presse
10 Sep 06
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=20134
Singapore's uncompromising clampdown on free speech has tarnished efforts to showcase itself as a modern Asian financial center during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank (IMF-WB) meetings, activists say.
The city-state is going all-out to exploit the presence of the global financial elite to highlight its claim to being a "First World" economy.
But a ban on protests and the blacklisting of "undesirable" foreign activists has soured the atmosphere ahead of the Sept. 19 to 20 meetings and related events starting this week.
World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz told the BBC over the weekend that Singapore made a "bad" decision when it blocked activists invited to the event as part of an established dialogue process.
"I hope Singapore's authorities will change their minds and allow the people in that we have accredited, as originally agreed," he said.
"We may not always agree with what they (the activists) have to say, but it is very important to have that discussion," Wolfowitz was quoted as saying.
Lidy Nacpil, international director of Jubilee South, a non-government group campaigning for greater debt relief for poor countries, said "what this shows is that the Singapore government is afraid of democracy."
"Our activities are not even directed at the Singapore government but at the IMF and World Bank," she told Agence France-Presse by telephone from Manila.
Both lending institutions have for years engaged "civil society" groups critical of their policies in a frank dialogue.
But Singapore, citing security reasons including fear of terrorist attacks, has refused to waive a longstanding ban on outdoor protests despite an appeal from the World Bank.
Police have also banned a number of overseas activists from entering the country during the meetings. Local press reports said about 20 names are believed to be on the blacklist.
With demonstrations forbidden here, foreign activists decided to hold protests and an anti-globalization conference in the nearby Indonesian island of Batam, which is 45 minutes away by ferry from Singapore.
Critics say Singapore has merely reinforced its image as an authoritarian state despite its phenomenal economic progress.
Nacpil blamed the IMF-WB for picking Singapore to host the meetings despite knowing its track record as far as protests are concerned.
Sameer Dossani, executive director of the activist 50 Years is Enough Network, said: "If the Bank is interested in accountability and preventing corruption, why are they holding their meetings in a police state that has openly said it plans to cane protestors?"
While a recent World Bank survey ranked Singapore as the easiest place to do business, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) gave it dismal marks for press freedom.
Singapore placed 140th out of 167 countries in RSF's 2005 World Press Freedom Index, ranking below countries like Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Russia, Sudan and Yemen.
Yet it is also Singapore's reputation as an oasis of political and economic stability in often volatile Southeast Asia that has made it a key destination for foreign investment.
A low crime rate, a clean environment and an efficient and reputedly incorruptible bureaucracy have also won worldwide admiration.
"By now, people know what the image of Singapore is, and they realize we are who we are," said Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
"We're one of the most disciplined societies in the world because the environment we live in is special," he was quoted as saying in the local newspaper Today. -
Originally posted by Atobe:
quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
They are ? ..... it must be a joke, as there exist a [b]separate police unit - similar to the SAF Military Police - to ensure that the Singapore Police will follow the Law.
A separate Police Unit to check on the regular Police Force - now I wonder who will check on this separate Police Unit ?
[/b]
haha.... -
The LAW & By Laws here can morph according to THEIR needs.Originally posted by Atobe:
It was reported that the Singapore Police had managed to trace the whereabout of the foreign protestors through the mobile phone messages sent.
Did the Singapore Police breach the Telecoms Privacy by monitoring the mobile phone messaging system ?
Is the Police above the Law ?
And I need not mention who THEY are! -
EHHHH I WANTED TO SAY THAT OOOOOOOOOONE!!!Originally posted by SingaporeMacross:quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
haha....
Nevermind, i shall provide the English translation.
"Who watches the Watchers?"
Anyway, what do you all think? Is banning protests the EASY WAY OUT to deal with this situation? Have u ever heard of people having to REGISTER themselves and APPLY FOR PERMITS to protest? Only in Singapore man, only in Singapore... some of these protestors don't take too kindly to have what they can or cannot say controlled by the government, and end up doing something to prove a point. I can only hope nothing serious happens during the next two weeks... -
As all the world says there is no freedom of expression in Spore!!!!
Only the Fts hve all the rights 2 prortest openly w/o prosecution In sinkgapore,Great PRC PDMMs!!!!! -
Typical Reponse of those in power...you can either shut up or ship out. Haha, beware the international storm of criticisms. Think of the way that foreigners will view the tourism industry after this...there's a Hokkien saying for this "Kiang Ju Ho, Mai Kei Kiang" Think it will apply to the army of pencil pushers and policy makers. Frankly...its been in my mind for quite some time that Politics is nothing but Stupidity in Suits.
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I think, the way they do things defames themselves - no one needs to say anything to defame them.
They are doing it to themselves..... -
Singapore says activist ban from IMF is its "right"
By Sebastian Tong
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SINGAPORE, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Singapore on Monday defended its move to prevent 28 activists from attending this month's International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank meetings, saying that they pose a threat to its security.
The IMF and World Bank issued a joint statement on Friday urging Singapore to allow accredited activists to attend the high-profile event, while World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and non-governmental groups have slammed Singapore's decision.
On Monday, Singapore police said the list of banned activists included people who had disrupted World Trade Organisation ministerial conferences in Seattle in 1999 and in Cancun in 2003.
"No country in the world offers foreigners the unfettered right of entry," police chief of staff Soh Wai Wah told a media briefing.
In Singapore, a public gathering of more than four people requires a police permit. The last time a public demonstration took place in Singapore was in the late 1980s.
Soh said that while the World Bank and IMF had the right to accredit civil groups, Singapore had to ensure the safety of some 16,000 delegates who include central bankers such as Europe's Jean-Claude Trichet and the U.S. Federal Reserve's Ben Bernanke.
The police said they had objected to only a handful of the 508 activists that the IMF and World Bank had accredited. One of those barred had been responsible for breaking into World Bank headquarters to steal documents and for taking over a consulate in San Francisco, the police said, without naming the individual.
Activist Walden Bello, one of those on the blacklist,told Reuters that the police may have been referring to him.
Bello said he had published a book in 1981 based on leaked documents from the World Bank and had also staged a sit-in in the Philippines consulate in San Francisco in 1978 to protest against the regime of former Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos.
"What crime would a 60-year-old person pose to national security?" said Bello, executive director of Philippines-based Focus on the Global South.
VOLLEYBALL COURT PROTEST
While Singapore sees the IMF-World Bank meetings as an opportunity to show off its economy and its ability to host world class events, it has insisted it will not change its existing rules to allow demonstrations by foreign protest groups.
Now, the dispute over protests has cast an unwelcome spotlight on Singapore's political restrictions and curbs on freedom of expression.
"There will be opportunities for the civil society organisations to make their views heard," Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng told local media on Sunday.
Singapore has designated an area for protesters within the convention centre where the meetings will take place.
The 50-square-metre space, smaller than a volleyball court, is near booths where activists can fill out forms if they want to apply for a permit to protest outside the cordoned area -- but still inside the conference centre.
The police said such applications are usually processed within five days. Outdoor protests are banned during the meetings, as the police said these could be used by terrorist groups to stage attacks.
Activists have said they plan to protest on the nearby Indonesian island of Batam instead.
Separately, police told the press conference that they were investigating opposition politician Chee Soon Juan for distributing leaflets publicising a protest march on Sept. 16. -
Exactly. They should be after pervs and robbers, not animal welfare campaigners.Originally posted by dragg:they should spend more time on the real criminals. -
Singapore according to the vision of PM Lee aspires to be a global and cosmopolitan society.Originally posted by SpecOps87:Singapore says activist ban from IMF is its "right"
By Sebastian Tong
ADVERTISEMENT
SINGAPORE, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Singapore on Monday defended its move to prevent 28 activists from attending this month's International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank meetings, saying that they pose a threat to its security.
The IMF and World Bank issued a joint statement on Friday urging Singapore to allow accredited activists to attend the high-profile event, while World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and non-governmental groups have slammed Singapore's decision.
On Monday, Singapore police said the list of banned activists included people who had disrupted World Trade Organisation ministerial conferences in Seattle in 1999 and in Cancun in 2003.
"No country in the world offers foreigners the unfettered right of entry," police chief of staff Soh Wai Wah told a media briefing.
In Singapore, a public gathering of more than four people requires a police permit. The last time a public demonstration took place in Singapore was in the late 1980s.
Soh said that while the World Bank and IMF had the right to accredit civil groups, Singapore had to ensure the safety of some 16,000 delegates who include central bankers such as Europe's Jean-Claude Trichet and the U.S. Federal Reserve's Ben Bernanke.
The police said they had objected to only a handful of the 508 activists that the IMF and World Bank had accredited. One of those barred had been responsible for breaking into World Bank headquarters to steal documents and for taking over a consulate in San Francisco, the police said, without naming the individual.
Activist Walden Bello, one of those on the blacklist,told Reuters that the police may have been referring to him.
Bello said he had published a book in 1981 based on leaked documents from the World Bank and had also staged a sit-in in the Philippines consulate in San Francisco in 1978 to protest against the regime of former Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos.
"What crime would a 60-year-old person pose to national security?" said Bello, executive director of Philippines-based Focus on the Global South.
VOLLEYBALL COURT PROTEST
While Singapore sees the IMF-World Bank meetings as an opportunity to show off its economy and its ability to host world class events, it has insisted it will not change its existing rules to allow demonstrations by foreign protest groups.
Now, the dispute over protests has cast an unwelcome spotlight on Singapore's political restrictions and curbs on freedom of expression.
"There will be opportunities for the civil society organisations to make their views heard," Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng told local media on Sunday.
Singapore has designated an area for protesters within the convention centre where the meetings will take place.
The 50-square-metre space, smaller than a volleyball court, is near booths where activists can fill out forms if they want to apply for a permit to protest outside the cordoned area -- but still inside the conference centre.
The police said such applications are usually processed within five days. Outdoor protests are banned during the meetings, as the police said these could be used by terrorist groups to stage attacks.
Activists have said they plan to protest on the nearby Indonesian island of Batam instead.
Separately, police told the press conference that they were investigating opposition politician Chee Soon Juan for distributing leaflets publicising a protest march on Sept. 16.
If so, then Singapore should over the past 2 years have put into place some plans to liberalise past tight control on intellectual space and freedoms beginning with allowing non-violent civil groups to have a say in policies affecting the respective rights of citizens.
If PM Lee did not even begin to see what a cosmopolitan city is all about how could he sincerely hope to realise his vision of building a cosmopolitan society.
Or is it that cosmopolitan society is one of clean streets, and policing and spanking skyscrapers. -
Maybe his vision is one where everybody agrees with whatever the government says.Originally posted by robertteh:Singapore according to the vision of PM Lee aspires to be a global and cosmopolitan society.
If so, then Singapore should over the past 2 years have put into place some plans to liberalise past tight control on intellectual space and freedoms beginning with allowing non-violent civil groups to have a say in policies affecting the respective rights of citizens.
If PM Lee did not even begin to see what a cosmopolitan city is all about how could he sincerely hope to realise his vision of building a cosmopolitan society.
Or is it that cosmopolitan society is one of clean streets, and policing and spanking skyscrapers.
Just maybe. -
Or is it only propaganda and slogan. ..Originally posted by charlize:Maybe his vision is one where everybody agrees with whatever the government says.
Just maybe. -
Let's all say.. Mee Siam Mai HumOriginally posted by charlize:Maybe his vision is one where everybody agrees with whatever the government says.
Just maybe.
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you have a choice. ai hum or mai hum.
A cosmopolitan Disneyland with the death penalty more likely. If his vision for a cosmopolitan Singapore is one with greater exoticism in terms of rubbish on the kerbside and congestion, not to mention more shiny buildings without an improvement in civil society to inhabit and work in such places, I'm opting out of his vision.
More McWorld than Kway Teow Republic.