Chee
to appeal free speech conviction
Reuters. March 4, 1999.
SINGAPORE opposition politician Chee
Soon Juan will appeal a sentence for speaking in public without a permit,
which bars him from running for parliament for five years, his party said
on Thursday.
Chee was fined Singapore $2500 (US$1445) by a court last month for giving an unlicensed speech. He opted for 12 days in jail rather than pay the fine, the second time he had chosen jail over a fine for breaking the Public Entertainments Act.
Party official Wong Hong Toy was found guilty of assisting Chee. He was fined S$2400 and also opted for 12 days in jail.
Singapore law bars offenders from parliamentary elections if they are fined more than S$2000.
Both men would appeal their sentences, and the SDP wants a British Queen's Counsel to argue their case before Singapore's high court.
A Queen's Counsel is a senior lawyer. Their participation in cases is allowed by Singapore courts, which operate on the basis of British law, if the issues likely to be raised are sufficiently complex.
Chee had argued his constitutional right to free speech was violated by the Public Entertainments Act, which requires permits for public speaking.
The government says the permit law is a procedural matter necessary to maintain public law and order and does not substantively affect the right to free speech. It also says there are ample outlets for people in Singapore to express their views.
Chee and Wong began serving their sentences on February 23 and are due for release from jail at the weekend.
Chee, 36, became a father earlier this week when his wife, Huang Chih Mei, gave birth to a daughter, the couple's first child.