Speedy
2006-11-24 00:32:28 UTC
Poor Dr Chee, you have been going in and out of jail so many
times....all because of your belief in true democracy in this little
place. You gave up a high paying job whereby you can live comfortably.
You are liike a little ant fighting against a huge giant --- do you
think you can ever win this game? Well, i think not unless you have a
million little ants behind you.
Singapore jails opposition leader over public speaking
Koh Gui Qing
Reuters
23 Nov 06
A Singapore court jailed an opposition leader for five weeks on
Thursday over his failure to pay a fine for speaking in public without
a permit.
Chee Soon Juan, one of Singapore's most vocal opposition politicians
and leader of the tiny Singapore Democratic Party, committed the
speaking offence on April 22, two weeks before the country's general
election.
The court initially fined him S$5,000 and because he refused to pay, he
and two of his supporters were jailed.
"Every hour, every day, every month that I spend in jail only
strengthens my resolve to fight," the 44-year-old Chee told the court
before the verdict was read.
Chee hugged his wife and three young children before police led him
away.
A vocal campaigner for human rights and free speech, Chee was jailed
for eight days in March for questioning the independence of Singapore's
judiciary. He was jailed for five weeks in 2002, and 12 days and one
week in 1999 for speaking in public without permit.
Chee grabbed world headlines in September, when he and a small group of
supporters spent four days in a public park as Singapore police blocked
them from holding a protest march during the IMF-World Bank annual
meeting in Singapore.
SDP supporters Yap Keng Ho and Gandhi Ambalam were fined S$2,000 and
S$3,000 respectively. As they also refused to pay, they will be jailed
for 10 days and three weeks respectively.
Singapore has been criticised by human rights groups such as Amnesty
International for its tight controls on political expression, and the
use of defamation lawsuits by Singapore's leaders to silence and
bankrupt opposition politicians.
The city-state has been ruled by the People's Action Party (PAP) since
independence in 1965. Its Public Entertainments and Meetings Act (PEMA)
prohibits public speaking unless speakers have been licenced by the
government.
"The PEMA has been used by the PAP to prosecute and deter legitimate
political activity," Chee told the court.
Chee -- declared bankrupt in February after failing to make libel
payments of S$500,000 ($322,000) to former Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew
and Goh Chok Tong -- said he had "absolutely no remorse" for his
actions, and vowed to continue fighting for democracy in the
city-state.
The SDP did not win any parliament seats in the May election, but won
23 percent of the votes in the wards that it contested.
Chee and his sister, Chee Siok Chin -- also a senior member of the SDP
-- are also facing a defamation lawsuit launched by Prime Minister Lee
Hsien Loong and his father Lee Kuan Yew over an article in the SDP's
newsletter.
Chee Siok Chin told Reuters that a group of SDP supporters will hold
vigils outside the Queenstown Remand Prison to protest against the
imprisonment.
An acerbic critic of the Singapore government, Chee has had several
run-ins with the PAP. In 1993, months after he ran in a by-election for
the SDP, Chee was sacked from his job as a lecturer at the National
University of Singapore, which accused him of improperly using S$226
(US$137) for postage.
When Chee said the evidence was fabricated, he was sued for defamation
by his former department head -- a PAP member of parliament -- and
ordered to pay $200,000 plus court costs
times....all because of your belief in true democracy in this little
place. You gave up a high paying job whereby you can live comfortably.
You are liike a little ant fighting against a huge giant --- do you
think you can ever win this game? Well, i think not unless you have a
million little ants behind you.
Singapore jails opposition leader over public speaking
Koh Gui Qing
Reuters
23 Nov 06
A Singapore court jailed an opposition leader for five weeks on
Thursday over his failure to pay a fine for speaking in public without
a permit.
Chee Soon Juan, one of Singapore's most vocal opposition politicians
and leader of the tiny Singapore Democratic Party, committed the
speaking offence on April 22, two weeks before the country's general
election.
The court initially fined him S$5,000 and because he refused to pay, he
and two of his supporters were jailed.
"Every hour, every day, every month that I spend in jail only
strengthens my resolve to fight," the 44-year-old Chee told the court
before the verdict was read.
Chee hugged his wife and three young children before police led him
away.
A vocal campaigner for human rights and free speech, Chee was jailed
for eight days in March for questioning the independence of Singapore's
judiciary. He was jailed for five weeks in 2002, and 12 days and one
week in 1999 for speaking in public without permit.
Chee grabbed world headlines in September, when he and a small group of
supporters spent four days in a public park as Singapore police blocked
them from holding a protest march during the IMF-World Bank annual
meeting in Singapore.
SDP supporters Yap Keng Ho and Gandhi Ambalam were fined S$2,000 and
S$3,000 respectively. As they also refused to pay, they will be jailed
for 10 days and three weeks respectively.
Singapore has been criticised by human rights groups such as Amnesty
International for its tight controls on political expression, and the
use of defamation lawsuits by Singapore's leaders to silence and
bankrupt opposition politicians.
The city-state has been ruled by the People's Action Party (PAP) since
independence in 1965. Its Public Entertainments and Meetings Act (PEMA)
prohibits public speaking unless speakers have been licenced by the
government.
"The PEMA has been used by the PAP to prosecute and deter legitimate
political activity," Chee told the court.
Chee -- declared bankrupt in February after failing to make libel
payments of S$500,000 ($322,000) to former Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew
and Goh Chok Tong -- said he had "absolutely no remorse" for his
actions, and vowed to continue fighting for democracy in the
city-state.
The SDP did not win any parliament seats in the May election, but won
23 percent of the votes in the wards that it contested.
Chee and his sister, Chee Siok Chin -- also a senior member of the SDP
-- are also facing a defamation lawsuit launched by Prime Minister Lee
Hsien Loong and his father Lee Kuan Yew over an article in the SDP's
newsletter.
Chee Siok Chin told Reuters that a group of SDP supporters will hold
vigils outside the Queenstown Remand Prison to protest against the
imprisonment.
An acerbic critic of the Singapore government, Chee has had several
run-ins with the PAP. In 1993, months after he ran in a by-election for
the SDP, Chee was sacked from his job as a lecturer at the National
University of Singapore, which accused him of improperly using S$226
(US$137) for postage.
When Chee said the evidence was fabricated, he was sued for defamation
by his former department head -- a PAP member of parliament -- and
ordered to pay $200,000 plus court costs