Singapore News Alternative: human rights

Showing posts with label human rights. Show all posts

Singapore Government Escalating Restrictions on Internet Expression: HRW Report 2014

Human Rights Watch, 21 Jan 2014
Singapore’s increased restrictions on news websites and other critical speech underscored the downward trend in free expression rights in the city-state, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2014.
“The Singaporean government’s disdain for free expression is readily apparent from the punitive new media controls on increasingly popular online news websites,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Over the past year, bloggers, cartoonists, and web editors have felt the brunt of the authorities’ efforts to maintain control over information.” Full story

Related:
Human Rights Watch World Report 2014

Human rights activists blast Singapore government for failing to recognise the rights of 53 South Asian rioters by deporting them without trial

Australia Network News, 19 Dec 2013
Activists are criticising Singapore for planning to deport dozens of South Asian labourers involved in a rare riot without giving them their day in court.
Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean said the deportation of the 52 Indians and one Bangladeshi, as well as criminal charges filed against 28 other Indians, would "send a strong signal" that Singapore would not "tolerate actions by anyone which threaten law and order."
"Singapore's shock at the deplorable violence that took place is understandable," Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said.
"Ensuring the rights of defendants will strengthen, rather than weaken, the support of the international community for Singapore's handling of this situation," he said.
"In this vein, a question worth asking is why were so many migrant workers deported without a judicial proceeding?" Full story

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Activists demand Singapore extend due process following migrant riots - The China Post

Singapore Attorney General’s Chambers charging blogger Alex Au with contempt of court again

Bloomberg, 26 Nov 2013
Singapore blogger Alex Au Wai Pang faces possible contempt of court action for writing and posting articles that the Attorney General’s Chambers said “scandalize” the country’s judiciary.
An Oct. 5 article insinuates there was a plan to manipulate hearing dates on a challenge to the constitutionality of Singapore’s ban on homosexual sex, according to papers filed by the attorney general’s office in the Singapore High Court.
Au is also in contempt by publishing a second article where he alleged the court made an “erroneous” decision in an employment complaint where a gay man claimed he was unfairly treated, the attorney general’s office said in its court filings. Au intends to contest the contempt accusations, his lawyer Choo Zhengxi said today after a hearing on whether the government’s lawyers can proceed with their case. Full story

Singapore PM Lee vows not to "take sides" on Sri Lanka's alleged human rights abuses

Xinhua, 17 Nov 2013
Singapore vowed not to "take sides " on Sri Lanka's human rights issue, the official news portal reported Sunday.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa that more time is needed to heal wound after a prolonged war ended.
"We are observers and don't take sides," said Lee.
Sri Lanka has been under intense scrutiny over alleged human rights abuses during the last phase of the three-decade conflict with the Tamil Tiger rebels which ended in 2009. Full story

Human Rights Watch urges Singapore to end caning

Bangkok Post, 29 Aug 2013
Singapore was Thursday urged to end the use of judicial corporal punishment after a security guard was sentenced to three months in jail and three strokes of the cane for spray-painting the word "Democracy" on a war memorial.
"Mohamad Yusop exercised his right to free speech and expressed his political views about the failings of Singapore democracy, but writing on a public monument was the wrong place to share those opinions,'' said Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division.
"But equally wrong is Singapore's rights abuse in using corporal punishment against him, and the decision to imprison him for three months for an action that merited nothing more than a heavy fine. Full story

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Singapore urged to scrap caning after graffiti sentencing - theSundaily

Dr Vincent Wijeysingha quits SDP to focus on human rights

South China Morning Post, 30 Aug 2013
Singapore's first openly gay politician has announced that he is quitting politics to focus on promoting gay rights and other human rights issues.
Vincent Wijeysingha, who came out as gay last month, issued a statement on Facebook on Wednesday saying he was resigning from the opposition Singapore Democratic Party.
Party chairman Jufrie Mahmood said in a statement he was disappointed to see Wijeysingha leave but fully supported his decision. Full story

End ‘Scandalizing the Judiciary’ Prosecutions: Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch, 7 Aug 2013
(New York) – Singapore’s Attorney General’s Chambers should cease using contempt of court charges to muzzle critics of the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should revoke the antiquated contempt offense that permits prison sentences and fines for “scandalizing the judiciary.”
“Singaporean authorities must be incredibly thin-skinned to charge a political cartoonist with contempt of court, getting their way with threats of possible prison time and fines,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director. “The government should lighten up, and promote the internationally recognized right to free expression by removing contempt by ‘scandalizing the judiciary.’” Full story

S'pore AGC begins legal proceedings against "Demon-cratic Singapore" cartoonist Leslie Chew

XIN MSN News, 25 Jul 2013
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) has started legal proceedings in the High Court against Leslie Chew Peng Ee for contempt of court by scandalising the judiciary of Singapore.
AGC said the action is in connection with Leslie Chew's publication of various comics as part of the "Demon-cratic Singapore" series on Facebook.
If the court decides that an offence has been committed, it will set out the punishment to be imposed, which can be a jail term, a fine, or both. Full story

UN Human Rights Council may act against countries like Singapore for LGBT discrimination

GlobalPost.com 28 Apr 2013
Seventy-six countries continue to criminalise same-sex relations. The Singapore High Court recently upheld an anti-homosexuality law, while the president of Senegal has declared homosexuality to be incompatible with the country's cultural values.
Against this continuing violence and discrimination, states will gather here in Geneva next month for the 23rd session of the UN’s Human Rights Council, the world’s most important human rights body. High on the Council’s agenda is how to respond to violence and discrimination against LGBT people.
The Council’s 2011 resolution expresses “grave concern” about violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, a statement that should be entirely uncontroversial. However, 19 of the 47 members of the Council — almost all African or members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation — voted against the text. Full story

Drop ‘strike’-related charges against Chinese migrant bus drivers: Amnesty International

Amnesty International, 7 Feb 2013
Four Chinese migrant bus drivers could face up to a year in prison and steep fines for allegedly instigating a strike unless the Singapore authorities immediately drop the charges against them, Amnesty International said ahead of a pre-trial hearing for the men on 8 February.
“These four men are facing jail time and steep fines merely for conducting peaceful industrial action in the privacy of their dormitories, as well as exercising their rights to freedom of association and assembly – all of which are protected under international human and labour rights law,” said Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Deputy Director.
“These basic and fundamental rights must be upheld for all living in Singapore, including migrant workers.
“The Singaporean authorities must immediately drop the charges against the four bus drivers and launch an independent investigation into reports of ill-treatment during their arrest and interrogation.” Full story

OPINION; Singapore govt to create its own Great Firewall like China?

CNET Asia, 5 Feb 2013
At the "Singapore Perspectives 2013" conference held at Shangri-la Hotel on January 28, shortly after losing a by-election, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said many things. Some of the things he said which interested me most, was not reported in the Straits Times, the biggest English newspaper here. Which was stupid, because everybody learns about the omissions from other online sources anyway, and it further erodes the credibility of a valuable propaganda tool for the government.
Replying to a question on why there is a need to moderate social space, he said, "We don't believe the community in the social space, especially online, moderates itself. It doesn't happen anywhere in the world." Full story

Singapore: Running in Place on Human Rights

Human Rights Watch, 1 Feb 2013
Singapore continued its strict controls on free association, expression, assembly, and other basic rights in 2012, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
In its 665-page report, Human Rights Watch assessed progress on human rights during the past year in more than 90 countries, including an analysis of the aftermath of the Arab Spring.
In Singapore, the slight relaxation of mandatory death penalty laws and curbs on an opposition party leader did little to relieve the severe restrictions the government imposes on civil society, Human Rights Watch said. Full story

More than 400 mark anniversary of political arrests

Yahoo! News Singapore, 2 Feb 2013

More than 400 people, young and old, gathered at Hong Lim Park on Saturday afternoon to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Operation Coldstore, a round of mass political arrests under the Internal Security Act (ISA) that took place on the same day in 1963.
Organised by a group of former Operation Coldstore detainees and volunteers, the event, titled “We Remember”, saw five former detainees from the Coldstore detention period, as well as Operation Spectrum detainee Teo Soh Lung, share their experiences in incarceration.
For organiser and former detainee Tan Kok Fang, 72, the commemoration of the day that changed his life and that of more than a hundred others is of great importance. Full story

Singapore refuses entry to Australian human right activist

WAtoday.com.au, 17 Dec 2012
AN AUSTRALIAN doctor and human rights activist has been deported from Singapore.
Brian Senewiratne, 81, was on his way to Malaysia, where he was to give two talks about the situation in Sri Lanka, and the factors influencing Sri Lankans to seek asylum.
He landed in Singapore on Friday and planned to travel by road to the Malaysian city of Johor Bahru, but was refused entry to Singapore.
After being kept in an interview room at the airport for four hours, he was escorted by an armed guard to a flight which returned him to Brisbane late on Friday night. Full story

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Singapore urged to drop charges against strike drivers - BBC News

BBC News, 6 Dec 2012
A human rights group wants Singapore to drop the charges against four Chinese bus drivers accused of instigating a strike at transport firm SMRT.
They were charged after 171 drivers, all of whom were recruited from China, abstained from work last week over pay.
Singapore has already jailed one bus driver for six weeks and deported 29 others for staging the strike.
Strikes are illegal in Singapore for workers in essential services, unless the employer is given 14 days' notice.
However, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that none of the conditions for a sector to be deemed essential "can reasonably apply to the situation of the Chinese bus drivers in Singapore". Full story

Related:
Rights group chides Singapore over Chinese bus drivers - Reuters

OPINION: Singapore must stop ill-treating migrant workers

China Daily, 6 Dec 2012
The Singaporean government in 2010 ratified the International Labour Organization's International Labour Standards Convention No. 144, which is about tripartite consultation. We hope the convention is able to help protect the rights and interests of workers, including migrant workers, in Singapore.
Some people are known to exclaim that Singapore has not witnessed a strike for 26 years. Does it mean workers' interests and rights have been sacrificed for 26 years?
While sentencing driver Bao Fengshan, the judge said the verdict should be a warning to others. Singapore cannot sacrifice the rights of its workers to maintain its "no-strike record". The legal remedies for workers in Singapore may be limited and not effective, but the calm response of the Chinese workers has invited highly disproportionate punishment.
Even according to some Singapore media reports, "nearly 80 percent of Singaporeans" felt that SMRT should "bear some responsibility for not managing the grievances of its bus drivers." Full story

Human Rights Watch calls for charges to be dropped against Chinese bus drivers

HRW.org, 5 Dec 2012
Singapore authorities should immediately drop charges against four migrant Chinese bus drivers who face trial on December 6, 2012, for leading a two-day work stoppage. The criminal case against the drivers, who work for the public transport company SMRT, implicates the rights to freedom of association and assembly, as well as the right to strike.
“Singapore defies basic labor rights by criminalizing migrant workers for a work stoppage and threatening them with prison terms, fines, and deportation,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “It then adds insult to injury by justifying nationality-based discrimination in pay and working conditions, and restricting foreign workers’ rights to form or lead a union to do something about it.” Full story

OPINION: SMRT bus driver strike: Were they really treated fairly?

Yahoo! News Singapore, 4 Dec 2012
Workers rights are indivisible. We cannot ask for concessions on our own behalf but ignore or deny them to others because they happen to come from a different country. To use another hackneyed phrase, we are in this together. I can’t drive my own bus to work powered by petrol I processed myself on a road I laid myself. I can’t build my own office building or office furniture. I don’t cook my own food in the canteen or wash up the tableware.
If, as fellow workers, joint participants in this enterprise we call society, we cannot see this elementary truth, we have a lot of learning yet to do. But do it we must, because make no mistake about it, our government will have no hesitation in dealing with us in the same way it has dealt with the Chinese bus drivers. None whatsoever. Do not rest content that the PAP carries a torch for the Singaporean worker; it does not.
We cannot let these Chinese workers take the rap for asking only for fair employment. And we cannot agree to their punishment when all the processes that exist in our name denied them the basic right to have their grievances heard. Full story

Singaporean opposition leaders challenge Yale-NUS

Yale Daily News, 3 Dec 2012
Singaporean opposition leaders challenged the establishment of Yale-NUS at a panel discussion in Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall Friday afternoon.
Chee, whose speech elicited a prolonged applause from the audience, said his worst fears were realized when he found out the Singaporean government would restrict political activity on the Yale-NUS campus, and urged Yale not to be complicit with the ruling party’s oppressive policies toward the Singaporean people. In October, Yale-NUS administrators announced that branches of existing political parties in Singapore as well as organizations “promoting racial or religious strife” would be prohibited on the college’s campus in accordance with the nation’s laws.
Jeyaretnam said he thinks healthy political debate cannot exist in a society that is not free. In Singapore, he said, all national media and bloggers who attempt to circumvent state control are frequently threatened with defamation suits by the government, which he added are facts that Yale-NUS President Pericles Lewis has overlooked. Full story

Gay couple file challenge to Singapore law that criminalizes gay sex

The Washington Post, 30 Nov 2012
A gay couple filed a constitutional challenge in a Singapore court on Friday aimed at repealing a long-standing law that criminalizes gay sex.
Gay activists say the government has become more tolerant toward gays and lesbians in recent years, but that under Singapore law, gay sex is deemed “an act of gross indecency,” punishable by a maximum of two years in jail.
The couple, Gary Lim and Kenneth Chee, filed their challenge with Singapore’s High Court. Chee said they did so not because of any immediate fears, but because “I know that section 377A labels me a criminal.” Full story

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