Petition for clemency of Yong Vui Kong denied

Dec 19 update: Read here out about the “This Christmas, Remember Yong” campaign and petition drive.
Dec 13 update: Read my post here on the Coffee Shop murder case of 1989.
Dec 12 update: Reform Party press release on the death penalty.
Dec 11 update: A TOC facebook post reports Vui Kong’s appeal hearing is set for March [...]

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The Fajar Generation…in their own words

This book is available at Select Books. Watch this video of a speech delivered at the book launch by Dr Lim Hock Siew, Singapore’s second-longest held political prisoner. Read reports of the launch here, here and here.

The Fajar Generation: The University Socialist Club and the Politics of Postwar Malaya and Singapore
‘The University Socialist Club (USC) [...]

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Twilight (no not the movie!)

I love twilight. Love looking at it. Shot this photo just now about 7.30pm, standing along the corridor just outside the door to my house…

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Asia Sentinel loses a Singapore correspondent

Asia Sentinel Loses a Singapore Correspondent
Ben Bland, Asia Sentinel, 24 Nov 2009
When I moved from London to Singapore last October to set up as a freelance journalist, I finally got to meet the two officials from the Ministry of Information who had helped me secure an employment visa.
Over a cup of coffee at their office [...]

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CPJ condemns Singapore government’s refusal to renew journalist’s work visa and application to cover APEC

Singapore refuses to renew foreign journalist’s visa
Committee to Protect Journalists

New York, November 19, 2009—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Singapore government’s refusal to renew British freelance journalist Benjamin Bland’s work visa and his application to cover the recently concluded Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit meeting. Bland was reporting on the summit for [...]

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{Video} SDP’s Let’s Talk with Dr Wong Wee Nam

We speak with Dr Wong Wee Nam in this installment of Let’s Talk. Dr Wong was an opposition candidate and continues to write on politics and political issues in Singapore. In this interview, he talks about the climate of fear in Singapore. – yourSDP.org

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Amnesty International: Defamation case threatens press freedom

Singapore: Defamation case threatens press freedom
Amnesty International Press Release
Nov 18, 2009
The Singaporean parliament should enact new legislation protecting freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today, after a magazine and its editor agreed to pay S$405,000 (Approximately US$290,000) following a fine by the country’s highest court for alleged defamation.
The Dow Jones Company-owned Far Eastern Economic Review [...]

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FEER ordered to pay 6-figure “damages” to LEEs

Magazine to pay six-figure damages to Singapore leaders
AFP, 17 Nov 2009
A magazine and its editor have been ordered to pay Singapore’s prime minister and his father over 400,000 dollars (290,000 US) for defamation, court documents showed Tuesday.
The High Court ordered the Review Publishing Company, publisher of the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER), and editor Hugo [...]

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{Video} Speech by Dr Lim Hock Siew, Singapore’s 2nd longest-held political prisoner

Thanks to Martyn See for the video. See his blog post here. Original video link at youtube here. The book that was launched is titled The Fajar Generation: The University Socialist Club and the Politics of Postwar Malaya and Singapore. Read about the book here. It is available at Select Books.
From [...]

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Human Rights Watch: Obama should press Asian leaders on rights

Obama Should Press Asian Leaders on Rights
HRW, 12 Nov 2009
Prioritize Burma, Free Speech, and Accountability at ASEAN-US Summit
(New York) – US President Barack Obama should urge Asian leaders at the first ASEAN-US summit to unite in addressing the region’s most pressing human rights concerns, Human Rights Watch said today.
Human Rights Watch called on Obama, in [...]

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