Singapore police arrest opposition lawmaker for holding rally

Asian Political News, May 6, 2002

SINGAPORE, May 1 Kyodo

Singapore police on Wednesday arrested opposition politician Chee Soon Juan for defying police orders by staging a May Day rally outside the presidential palace.

Chee, chief of the Singapore Democratic Party, and another party member Gandhi Ambalam were arrested outside the presidential palace, the Istana, in downtown Singapore after going ahead with the ''people against poverty'' rally. They were taken to a police station for questioning.

Witnesses said only about 20 members of the public turned up for the event, joining some 10 members of the party and about six people from nongovernmental human rights groups.

Chee was arrested as he was speaking to a group of reporters just after noon, they said.

The party said the rally had been planned for workers to come together to publicly commemorate Labor Day, a national holiday in Singapore.

It had urged Singaporeans to go to the main entrance of the Istana at noon on Wednesday to take part in an exhibition and rally.

The party also wanted to campaign against the government's proposal to raise the consumption tax from the current 3% to 5% next year and cut the wages of older workers.

Singapore bans people from making speeches or staging protest demonstrations on streets and other open-air public places without approval from the police. Such approvals are rarely given.

The Public Entertainments Licensing Unit had turned down Chee's application for a license due to concern it could trigger law and order problems.

Chee had been warned by the police repeatedly over the past two days not to proceed with the rally and to hold the event indoors, or at Speakers' Corner, a park where people are allowed to make public speeches.