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Jolovan Wham and other activists conduct a silent protest on Singapore's MRT
to commemorate 30 years since the detention of 22 activists under the under
the Internal Security Act in 1987. Wham now faces charges of organising public
assembly without a police permit and vandalism. Source: Human Rights Watch
By Max Walden | 22nd December 2017 | @maxwalden
“KILL the chicken to scare the monkeys” is a Chinese idiom, referring to punish
one person as an example to others. It is a phrase commonly used as an analogy
for the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party.
It is also, ironically, the title of a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report about
“severe” political repression in Singapore – an ethnically Chinese-majority city-
state which has long styled itself as a liberal anti-Beijing.
Released at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last week – because
it would have violated Singaporean legislation that prohibits foreigners
participating in “cause-related gatherings” without a police permit – the report
details comprehensive restrictions on what Singaporeans are allowed to say,
perform, read or watch.