Protest Singapore style: 3 marchers, 19 media, 1,000 police
-
Protest Singapore style: 3 marchers, 19 media, 1,000 police
Stephanie Phang
Bloomberg
19 Nov 07
A planned protest in Singapore against Asian leaders' "tacit'' approval of Myanmar's fatal crackdown on demonstrations fizzled today when only three students braved the city-state's tough laws against marches.
The three protesters were followed by 19 reporters and photographers in an area of the city surrounded by 1,000 armed police and soldiers. The protest was planned to coincide with a meeting of leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Myanmar.
Singapore, where a protest gathering of more than four people needs to be approved by police, is hosting the 13th Asean leaders' summit. City authorities have banned protests against Mynamar.
"A lot of people wanted to come, but they were afraid of the repercussions,'' said Daniel Babiak, a student from the National University of Singapore. The university also called them to warn them about Singapore's laws, he said.
The three students, wearing red T-shirts and holding candles, were protesting against Asean's lack of response against the Myanmar junta's September crackdown on its largest anti-government demonstrations, which killed more than 100 people, according to the United Nations.
Asean leaders have rebuffed calls for sanctions against Myanmar over the violence.
Singapore, which has restricted public assembly since communal violence killed 36 people in the 1960s, said it can't make exceptions for overseas visitors protesting at the meetings.
Tough Penalties
Singapore metes out fines for petty crimes such as littering and has a reputation for tough punishments. Demonstrators can be jailed.
More than a decade ago, Singapore's caning of American teenager Michael Fay on vandalism charges strained relations with then U.S. President Bill Clinton.
The three students, who were heading toward the Shangri-La hotel, where the leaders are meeting, were stopped by security officials and warned before they could reach the venue. The three held a candlelight vigil at a corner near the hotel instead.
http://www.singaporedemocrat.org/articleburmaprotest61.html -
Frankly western media have a damn way of misleading readers !!!
I thak the example - Stephanie Phang of Bloomberg news - her statement -
3 marchers , 19 media , 1000 police !!!
She mislead readers to think that 3 marchers and 19 media are surrounded by 1000 plice !!! How come no photo of that 1000 police around ? Show me that 1000 police !!!
How she count the 1000 police - easy - count the protection party of the asian leaders + usually stationary guard at hotel & factilities + traffic control + standby riot .... of course got 1000 !!!
this is how misleading western media is - playing with word and counting -
why be so uptight about the number of police Stephanie mentioned? If you question about it, then we have questions about how the damn PAP comes up with silly figures on whatever report they published.Originally posted by storywolf:Frankly western media have a damn way of misleading readers !!!
I thak the example - Stephanie Phang of Bloomberg news - her statement -
3 marchers , 19 media , 1000 police !!!
She mislead readers to think that 3 marchers and 19 media are surrounded by 1000 plice !!! How come no photo of that 1000 police around ? Show me that 1000 police !!!
How she count the 1000 police - easy - count the protection party of the asian leaders + usually stationary guard at hotel & factilities + traffic control + standby riot .... of course got 1000 !!!
this is how misleading western media is - playing with word and counting
As long as the protest is harmless, please be kind to live and let live. -
1,000 police? The number's kinda small. Make it more than 2,000 police spread out among the affected venues and a 500-metre perimetre around the Shangri-La Hotel where the 40th anniversary summit is taking place, the Raffles City Convention Centre site of a gala dinner , the Asian Civilizations Museum where a reception will be held...and the Istana.
There were altogether 9 activists in small groups of 3 each. The picture shows two cops monitoring the activists while they themselves are being watched.
-
9 harmless students can cause security and safety of the delegates concern,
-
It's just freaking ridiculous! Overkill!
-
Singapore is no more then 600 PLUS square kilometer, with a population of about 4.6 Million.
What is the strength of the Singapore Police Force - including the Special Units and Gurkhas - and the budget used to maintain and equip such a force ?
It will be interesting to know the expenditure on the Singapore Police Force vis-a-vis the same spent on similar country size with near similar population.
It will not be a surprise if Singapore's wealth has resulted in an over expenditure to equip the police with the best that money can buy to protect the Ruling Cult from any possible trouble created by frustrated citizens that will one day scream - ''enough is enough''.
How clever, taking the majority of the citizen's monies, to suppress the effort of the majority of the Citizes to revolt against the ruling minority ? -
This has been done throughout the history of mankind.
How clever, taking the majority of the citizen's monies, to suppress the effort of the majority of the Citizes to revolt against the ruling minority ?
As long as citizens have no arms, the tiny ruling elite can compell the majority to obey since the elite can use the arms which they control to force the people to kowtow. -
wat a shame...
-
we shld have brought in our elite CDOs
-
This is not journalism. Probably does not have what it takes to be a respected journalist so need to distort to get readers.Originally posted by storywolf:Frankly western media have a damn way of misleading readers !!!
I thak the example - Stephanie Phang of Bloomberg news - her statement -
3 marchers , 19 media , 1000 police !!!
She mislead readers to think that 3 marchers and 19 media are surrounded by 1000 plice !!! How come no photo of that 1000 police around ? Show me that 1000 police !!!
How she count the 1000 police - easy - count the protection party of the asian leaders + usually stationary guard at hotel & factilities + traffic control + standby riot .... of course got 1000 !!!
this is how misleading western media is - playing with word and counting
And Michael Fay - Singapore did him a service what! Now, whatever misdeeds he does, he always blames it on being cained in Singapore. If he never got cained, nobody would know who he is and he got no-one but himself to bitch about his problems. Ah, but if I recall, when in Singapore, he blamed his parents for the way he acted. What's so great about Michael Fay that need to mention him in the report like he is some kind of hero or victim?! Really, Stephanie Phang is no journalist! -
1,000 police = the whole security detail for the goddamned summit...
sensationalist news... welcome to the free press
-
I suspect SDP and their fellowsheep are feeding distorted news to the world media just to get attention.
was there only 3 protestors?
-
Waste of resources.
-
Darn it all, it's an allegory.
-
I think you shouldn't cast baseless aspersions on Stephanie Phang's reporting without doing your homework. That was a Bloomberg article, not a SDP piece. The article was talking about Pia Muzzaffar and the other NUS students protesting on the 19th.Originally posted by Gazelle:I suspect SDP and their fellowsheep are feeding distorted news to the world media just to get attention.
was there only 3 protestors?
Your image above is of yesterday's Burmese picket line.
Open your bloody eyes can? -
Even the Chinese media does that as well, the western media aren't the only ones who bend the truth.Originally posted by storywolf:Frankly western media have a damn way of misleading readers !!!
I thak the example - Stephanie Phang of Bloomberg news - her statement -
3 marchers , 19 media , 1000 police !!!
She mislead readers to think that 3 marchers and 19 media are surrounded by 1000 plice !!! How come no photo of that 1000 police around ? Show me that 1000 police !!!
How she count the 1000 police - easy - count the protection party of the asian leaders + usually stationary guard at hotel & factilities + traffic control + standby riot .... of course got 1000 !!!
this is how misleading western media is - playing with word and counting -
It's allegorical and metaphorical.
What's so hard to understand about that?
It's Bloomberg for goodness sake, not your daily Wanbao or Football Weekly. -
Brilliant sniffing out crap dug out from some pile.Originally posted by Gazelle:I suspect SDP and their fellowsheep are feeding distorted news to the world media just to get attention.
was there only 3 protestors?
Did the Myanmar students in Singapore join the SDP ?
Since when was red associated with the SDP ?
Have you been sniffing to hard on the red crap from your favorite fabric taken from someone's unfortunate sister ? -
i thank the police force for the well being of events n security