Amnesty International annual report on Singapore

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This report covers the period January to December 1998

AN opposition party leader continued to face civil defamation suits brought by government leaders, in apparent violation of his right to freedom of expression. At least 36 prisoners of conscience were held throughout the year for their conscientious objection to military service. A former prisoner of conscience continued to have his rights to freedom of expression and association restricted. Criminal offenders continued to be sentenced to caning. At least five people were sentenced to death and at least 28 executions were reported.

There was continued concern that civil defamation suits were being misused by government leaders to curb the right to freedom of expression and the right to participate freely in public life of their political opponents. In late 1997 Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had appealed against the level of damages awarded against J.B. Jeyaretnam, leader of the opposition Workers' Party. The damages had been awarded in a civil defamation suit brought by the Prime Minister against J.B. Jeyaretnam for referring at a public election rally in January 1997 to reports filed with the police alleging that the Prime Minister and other members of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) had made false statements about Tang Liang Hong, a Workers' Party candidate, and thereby incited religious groups against him (see Amnesty International Report 1998). In July the Court of Appeal increased the damages from US$13,000 to US$59,000 and ordered J.B. Jeyaretnam to pay full costs. In August the Prime Minister issued a statutory demand for full payment of damages within 21 days, but later agreed to accept payment in five equal instalments and to adjourn bankruptcy proceedings against J.B. Jeyaretnam. The issue of the costs of the Prime Minister's suit and the hearing of seven related civil defamation suits brought against J.B. Jeyaretnam by other members of the pap were pending at the end of the year. J.B. Jeyaretnam continued to face possible bankruptcy and the subsequent loss of his parliamentary seat.

At least 36 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 (see Amnesty International Reports 1996 to 1998).

Chia Thye Poh, a former opposition member of parliament and prisoner of conscience who had been detained without trial between 1966 and 1989 under the Internal Security Act (ISA), continued to have his freedom of expression and association restricted by government orders issued under the ISA (see Amnesty International Report 1998). The orders prohibited him from participating in any organization or making public statements without official permission, and from freely associating or communicating with detainees formerly held under security legislation. In November the restriction orders expired and were not renewed. The government stated that if Chia Thye Poh 'reinvolved' himself in activities which they regarded as prejudicial to Singapore's security, he would be 'dealt with firmly under the law'.

Caning, which constitutes cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, remained mandatory for some 30 crimes, including attempted murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking, illegal immigration and vandalism. It can also be imposed for a number of other crimes, including extortion, kidnapping and causing grievous injury. In June the anti-drug laws were amended to stipulate a mandatory prison sentence of between five and seven years and between three and six strokes of the cane for drug abusers who had been admitted at least twice to drug rehabilitation centres. Subsequent offences may carry longer prison sentences and a larger number of strokes of the cane. In September, ostensibly in an attempt to curb an influx of undocumented migrant workers from neighbouring countries, the authorities increased the penalties for immigration offences to longer prison sentences plus caning. In October Paramasivan Patti Thevar, a Malaysian national, was sentenced to four years in prison and 18 strokes of the cane for smuggling six illegal immigrants into the country. It was not known how many sentences of caning were carried out during the year.

At least five death sentences were reported to have been passed during the year for murder or drug offences. The true figure was almost certainly higher. At least 28 executions by hanging were reported to have been carried out, the majority for drug-related offences. In a rare move in May, President Ong Teng Cheong granted clemency to Mathavakannan Kalimuthu who had been sentenced to death for murder. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. His alleged accomplices, Asogan Ramesh and Selva Kumar, were executed the same month. In June the scope of the death penalty was expanded to include a mandatory death sentence for those convicted of trafficking, manufacturing or importing more than 250 grams of the drug crystal methamphetamine, also known as 'ice'.

An Amnesty International observer attended the appeal hearing in the case of J.B. Jeyaretnam in July. The organization criticized the use of civil defamation suits by the ruling PAP as politically motivated and aimed primarily at curbing dissenting voices and deterring their participation in public life.

Amnesty International continued to urge the government of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong to release all prisoners of conscience. In November the organization noted the lifting of restriction orders against Chia Thye Poh, expressed the belief that the move was long overdue, and again called for the ISA to be amended so that it no longer allowed for the arrest and detention without trial of those who peacefully express political or religious beliefs. The organization also urged the authorities to end the punishment of caning, to commute all death sentences and to publish statistics on the use of the death penalty.