Amnesty International Report 1998 - Singapore

(This report covers the period January-December 1997)

Civil suits were brought by government leaders against two members of an opposition party. At least 38 prisoners of conscience were held throughout the year for their conscientious objection to military service. One former prisoner of conscience continued to be subject to government orders restricting his freedom of expression and association. Criminal offenders continued to be sentenced to caning. At least eight death sentences were passed and at least 14 executions were reported.

Following elections in January the ruling People's Action Party (pap), headed by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, was returned to parliament with an overwhelming majority, winning 81 of the 83 seats.

In an apparently politically motivated move to restrict freedom of expression, government leaders lodged civil defamation suits against two members of the opposition Workers' Party, claiming large amounts of damages. The suits appeared to be designed to bankrupt the opposition members, thereby preventing them from participating in public life.

During the campaign preceding the January elections, senior pap members publicly accused opposition Workers' Party candidate Tang Liang Hong of being an "anti-Christian Chinese chauvinist", a serious charge given Singapore's sensitivity to issues of racial and religious harmony. Tang Liang Hong, who subsequently received death threats, filed two police reports against 11 members of the pap, accusing them of making false statements and of inciting religious groups against him. Following the elections, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew and nine other pap members lodged a series of civil suits against Tang Liang Hong claiming that he had defamed them through the police reports. In March the High Court found Tang Liang Hong – who had left Singapore in January following the death threats – liable for damages, and in May ordered him to pay a total of us$5.65 million. In November the Court of Appeal reduced the amount of damages to us$2.3 million.

In January Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong lodged a claim for us$130,000 damages against Workers' Party leader J.B. Jeyaretnam for allegedly defaming him during an election rally by saying the words, "finally, Mr Tang Liang Hong has just placed before me two reports he has made to police against, you know, Mr Goh Chok Tong and his people".

Ten other pap politicians, whose names had been listed in the police reports filed by Tang Liang Hong, also lodged claims for damages against J.B. Jeyaretnam. In August the High Court heard the case lodged by the Prime Minister and in September the court found J.B. Jeyaretnam liable for defamation and ordered him to pay us$13,000 in damages, plus 60 per cent of costs. An appeal by the Prime Minister for the award to be increased was pending at the end of the year. The related defamation cases lodged by 10 other pap members were also pending at the end of the year. J.B. Jeyaretnam faced possible bankruptcy and the subsequent loss of his parliamentary seat.

At least 38 conscientious objectors to military service were imprisoned during the year. They were prisoners of conscience. All were members of the Jehovah's Witnesses, a religious group which has been banned in Singapore since 1972. All refused to perform military service on religious grounds. There is no alternative civilian service for conscientious objectors to military service in Singapore. In September Bay Poh Heng was court-martialled and sentenced to two years' detention for refusing for the second time to comply with military orders. He had already served one year in prison for his objection to military service.

Government restriction orders against Chia Thye Poh, a former prisoner of conscience, continued to curtail his freedom of association and expression.

Caning, which constitutes a cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, remained mandatory for some 30 crimes, including attempted murder, rape, armed robbery, drug-trafficking, illegal immigration and vandalism. It remained an optional penalty for a number of other crimes, including extortion, kidnapping and causing grievous injury. In August Alan Loo Pei Xiang, aged 16, was sentenced to 24 strokes of the cane and a 15-year prison sentence for trafficking in cannabis. It was not known how many sentences were carried out during the year.

At least eight death sentences were reported to have been passed during the year for murder or drugs offences.

At least 14 executions by hanging were reported to have been carried out, the majority for drug-related offences. Despite the lack of official information, there were reliable indications that the real figure was much higher. In July an Indonesian national, La Abuhari bin La Ode Hamid, and Singaporean Abdul Raman bin Yusof were executed for trafficking in cannabis. Three other men, including two Thai nationals convicted of murder, were reported to have been executed on the same day.

Amnesty International observers attended the defamation trial of J.B. Jeyaretnam and the appeal hearing of Tang Liang Hong. In October the organization published a report, Singapore: J.B. Jeyaretnam – the use of defamation suits for political purposes. In its response to the report, the government maintained the legitimacy of defamation suits as a means for leaders to defend their reputation and integrity.

In January Amnesty International reiterated its concerns about the use of the death penalty in Singapore in a report, Against the tide: The death penalty in Southeast Asia.

Amnesty International continued to urge the government of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong to release all prisoners of conscience and to lift the restrictions on Chia Thye Poh. The organization also urged the authorities to end the punishment of caning, to commute all death sentences and publish statistics on the use of the death penalty.