SINGAPORE TIGHTENS CONTROLS ON PUBLIC ASSEMBLIES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SINGAPORE 000313

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS - M. COPPOLA
NEW DELHI FOR J. EHRENDREICH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2019
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SN
SUBJECT: SINGAPORE TIGHTENS CONTROLS ON PUBLIC ASSEMBLIES

REF: 08 SINGAPORE 937

Classified By: CDA Daniel Shields for reason 1.4(d)

Summary and Comment
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1. (C) Summary: Apparently in preparation for Singapore's
hosting of the APEC Leaders Meeting this year, the government
submitted a new Public Order Bill to Parliament on March 23,
to be debated in mid-April. The bill proposes a new
regulatory scheme for public assemblies and processions, new
"move on" powers for the police, and new security rules for
special events. An assembly or procession in a public place
will require a police permit, even if it involves just one
person. Nominated Member of Parliament Siew Kum Hong
(protect) called this a "Chee Soon Juan" law aimed at
stopping the Singapore Democratic Party leader or other
activists from staging small-scale demonstrations that are
not clearly prohibited by the existing law, which bans public
assemblies of five or more persons without a permit. The
police will receive broad new powers to issue "move on"
orders and will be able to prohibit the filming of law
enforcement activities. The Minister for Home Affairs will
acquire a new power to designate "special events," such as
those at risk for terrorism, requiring heightened security
measures. End Summary.


2. (C) Comment: Singapore's Constitution guarantees
citizens the right to assemble peaceably but also allows
Parliament to infringe that right for the sake of security or
public order. Although the GOS pays lip service to the right
of assembly, the Public Order Bill will entrench the
government's power to ban public demonstrations by defining
even one-person events as "public assemblies." The police's
new powers will allow them to order people arbitrarily out of
public places, and the bill also seems to target the practice
of citizens filming arrests for later posting on YouTube.
The immediate goal is apparently to shut down, before they
can begin, any potential demonstrations around events like
the upcoming APEC Leaders Meeting. The Public Order Bill
expands the GOS's already sweeping powers to infringe the
constitutional rights of citizens in the name of public
order, with no genuine accountability for public officials'
use or abuse of those powers. In doing so, it showcases the
GOS's obsessive need to control conduct that poses even a
trivial threat to public order - or to the long hegemony of
the ruling party. End Comment.

Government Submits New Public Order Bill to Parliament
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3. (U) The GOS submitted a new Public Order Bill to
Parliament on March 23. The proposed law will do three
things: (i) replace the existing law governing public
assemblies and processions with a new and, in some ways, more
restrictive permit scheme; (ii) give police new "move along"
powers and the authority to prohibit filming of law
enforcement activity; and (iii) enable the Minister for Home
Affairs to invoke more stringent security rules during
"special events," such as Singapore's hosting of APEC
meetings throughout 2009. Parliament will debate the Public
Order Bill at its next sitting, which is due to begin April

13.

Motives: APEC, Terrorism - and Those Annoying Protesters
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4. (U) Previewing the Public Order Bill earlier this year,
Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng assured the local
press that the legislation would be in place for the APEC
Leaders Meeting in November. Wong cited past public protests
by Falun Gong members and Burmese dissidents in Singapore and
told journalists, "They make a show of breaking the law; the
police watch and do nothing and can only follow up with
investigation after the show is over when they pack up and
leave. This cannot go on." He added that Singapore's
current "piecemeal" public order laws were not designed for
today's world of "suicide bombers and anarchistic fanatics."

One-Person Public "Assemblies": A Threat to Public Order?
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5. (U) The Public Order Bill requires a police permit for
any public assembly or procession intended to demonstrate
support for or opposition to the views or actions of any
person, group, or government, to publicize a cause or
campaign, or to mark or commemorate any event. The bill
defines a public assembly or procession to include events

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staged by one or more persons. This is a substantial change
from the existing rules, which apply to assemblies or
processions of five or more persons. Those who organize or
participate in a public assembly or procession without a
permit will incur substantial fines, and repeat offenses by
organizers will be punishable by up to six months in prison.
The Home Affairs minister will be able to designate certain
public places as "unrestricted," and therefore exempt from
the permit requirement, and others as "prohibited," for which
permits will not be available without a special exemption.
The bill's explanatory statement signals that the existing
Speakers' Corner (see reftel) will be designated an
"unrestricted" area.


6. (C) Nominated Member of Parliament Siew Kum Hong
(protect),an independent who is often critical of policies
favored by the ruling People's Action Party (PAP),told
PolOff this is a "Chee Soon Juan" law designed to criminalize
small public demonstrations or marches by the Singapore
Democratic Party leader or other activists. The existing
law, which bans only assemblies or processions by five or
more persons, cannot be used against one- or two-person
protests. Siew plans to speak against the new bill in debate
and to cast a symbolic "nay" vote when the PAP-dominated
Parliament passes it.

Move On . . . and Put Away That Camera!
--------------


7. (SBU) The Public Order Bill gives the police broad powers
over public spaces. The police may order a person to leave a
public place and not return for up to 24 hours if the police
"reasonably suspect" that the person is interfering with a
trade or business, being disorderly or offensive to others,
disrupting the conduct of an event, or committing or "just
about to commit" an offense. (Note: The "move on"
provisions appear to be based closely on similar rules
adopted by the Australian state of Queensland in 2006. End
Note.) The bill also authorizes the police to prohibit
filming of law enforcement activities, if the police believe
that the filming prejudices a law enforcement operation or
endangers the safety of an officer. (Comment: These
conditions seem unlikely to restrain the police from using
the power indiscriminately in practice. End Comment) The
police will also be able to search persons and premises for
such films and seize the films, all without warrant. Failure
to obey a police "move on" order, or an order to stop filming
law enforcement activities or to surrender a film already
made, will subject the offender to a fine up to S$20,000
(US$13,333) and up to a year in prison.

New Security Rules for "Special Events"
--------------


8. (U) The final innovation of the Public Order Bill is its
section on "Special Events Security." The Minister for Home
Affairs will be able to declare an event a "special event"
based on the potential for disruption, the need to protect
attendees, or the risk of terrorism. The declaration will
trigger police powers to control public entry into and exit
from the event area, conduct security screenings, inspect
personal property, and confiscate prohibited items. Although
the GOS has not yet indicated how it will use these powers,
they appear likely to come into play for large public events
like the Formula One Grand Prix in September or high-profile
official events like the APEC Leaders Meeting.

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http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm
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