SG Human Rights

Agence France-Presse - 11/21/2007 7:14 AM

http://news.ph.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1109611

A rare series of protests during this week's summit of Asian leaders in Singapore does not signal an easing of the city-state's tight restrictions on public assembly, activists said Wednesday.

Partly because of rules that say any gathering of five or more people requires a police permit, few Singaporeans dare take to the streets like their counterparts in Bangkok, Jakarta or Manila where noisy rallies are common.

But since Sunday, four separate public protests have taken place here -- all of them over rights abuses in Myanmar and all coinciding with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and related meetings.

Isrizal, 32, who joined one of the protests, said he could not recall civil society groups in Singapore coming together on a single issue in such a manner before.

"It's a departure," he said.

Chee Siok Chin, of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), said protesters were "buoyed by the fact that the summit was being held here."

But Seah Chiang Nee, editor of the local political website littlespeck.com, said the number of demonstrations did not mark a step forward for free speech in the city-state.

"You're not going to get 2,000 NUS (National University of Singapore) students wearing headbands demonstrating in Orchard Road. That's not in their nature," said Seah, whose website contains political views that would not normally see print in the pro-government Singapore media.

The biggest protest this week drew more than three dozen Myanmar nationals, while another involved foreign university students.

"It would have made a difference if there were 50 or 60 locals taking part," he said.

Chee, whose party has no seats in parliament, admitted: "It may seem that there is a little bit of progress but no, there isn't."

The actions began Sunday when about 10 students released balloons outside a hotel to call for the release of Myanmar's detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

On Monday, nine foreign university students, all in red T-shirts, walked along the city-state's main Orchard Road tourist and shopping strip in groups of three.

They were far outnumbered by police, some with video cameras, who converged on them when they reached the edge of the protected zone near the summit site before they dispersed.

Police had said even one protester would not be allowed in the zone under special rules imposed ahead of the summit. Chee and another party member were bundled into unmarked police vans there Tuesday.

In the same area, also on Tuesday, police blocked four Singaporeans, including Isrizal, from delivering a giant greeting card bearing the image of Aung San Suu Kyi to ASEAN officials.

But police arranged for an ASEAN official to collect the card from the activists.

The largest demonstration, also just outside the restricted zone, involved about 40 Myanmar residents of Singapore. They lined up silently on Tuesday in rows of three behind a large banner and also carried smaller protest leaflets.

When about 20 police arrived and asked what the group was doing, they dispersed, but their demonstration was one of the largest seen in recent memory in Singapore.

Sinapan Samydorai, of the local rights group Think Centre, said authorities were more sensitive to actions by political figures.

"It is not about the number of people, five or 10 people, but they are worried about political expression," he said.

Singapore's leaders say tough laws against dissent and other political activity are necessary to ensure the stability which has helped the city-state achieve economic success.