Singapore opposition politician jailed for breaching public speaking ban

SINGAPORE, Nov. 24 Kyodo

Singaporean opposition politician Chee Soon Juan was jailed for five weeks on Thursday after he refused to pay a fine of S$5,000 (US$3,229) imposed by the Subordinate Court for speaking in public without permission from the police.

Chee, who is leader of the Singapore Democratic Party, was sent to jail along with two others -- party member Gandhi Ambalam and party supporter Yap Keng Ho.

They had been accused of breaching Singapore's rules on political speeches in public places when they were selling the party's newsletter on April 22 this year at an open space in the northern part of Singapore.

Ambalam was jailed for three weeks and Yap for 10 days after they too refused to pay fines of $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.

All three had earlier boycotted the trial.

A party statement said that they decided to boycott the trial because they claimed that they were not given the opportunity to cross-examine police witnesses about the government's policy of not granting permission to opposition politicians to make public speeches other than during election campaign rallies.

''Every hour, every day, every month that I spend in jail only strengthens my resolve to fight,'' Chee told the court before the judge announced the verdict on Thursday.

Chee was locked in a standoff with the police lasting several days during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meeting in September this year when he attempted a protest march despite the government's ban on public demonstrations.

He was a lecturer at the state-run National University of Singapore before becoming involved in politics.

He was bankrupted and barred from running in this year's general elections after failing to pay S$500,000 in libel damages to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong for certain remarks he made during the 2001 elections.

The party said on its website that it plans to hold vigils from Thursday until the end of the month outside the Queenstown Remand Prison in central Singapore in a show of protest against the imprisonment.

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