By Kor Kian Beng
The High Court on Thursday allowed a Government's appeal and convicted five opposition figures for taking part in a street procession in 2007. --PHOTO: AFP
THE High Court on Thursday allowed a Government's appeal and convicted five opposition figures for taking part in a street procession in 2007.
It ordered trial judge John Ng to record the conviction and to hear the mitigation submissions for sentencing later.
The District Judge had cleared the five after a 20-day trial, of walking without a valid permit from Hong Lim Park to the Queenstown Remand Prison on Sept 16, 2007 because he did not consider what they had done a procession..
Three of the five are Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leaders: chairman Gandhi Ambalam, assistant secretary-general John Tan; and central executive committee member Chee Siok Chin. The other two are SDP supporters Yap Keng Ho and Chong Kai Xiong.
Judge Ng, in his verdict on Oct 6 last year, had noted various dictionary meanings of the word 'procession', such as a group of people moving together; as part of an event like a wedding; and moving in a formal way, in orderly succession and regular formation.
The SDP five had walked mainly on pedestrian pathways, and made ad-hoc stops for toilet breaks and to give out pamphlets. They walked 'casually', sometimes singly, sometimes in pairs or smaller groups, and therefore did not constitute a 'procession'.
Judge Ng also said the walk 'did not cause inconvenience to the public, affect traffic flow or make noise which disturbed the public peace'. This, he noted, 'fortified' his view that the law had not been broken as it was meant to relate to offences against public order and nuisance.
The Government appealed against the acquittal.
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_509268.html :oIo:
The High Court on Thursday allowed a Government's appeal and convicted five opposition figures for taking part in a street procession in 2007. --PHOTO: AFP
THE High Court on Thursday allowed a Government's appeal and convicted five opposition figures for taking part in a street procession in 2007.
It ordered trial judge John Ng to record the conviction and to hear the mitigation submissions for sentencing later.
The District Judge had cleared the five after a 20-day trial, of walking without a valid permit from Hong Lim Park to the Queenstown Remand Prison on Sept 16, 2007 because he did not consider what they had done a procession..
Three of the five are Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leaders: chairman Gandhi Ambalam, assistant secretary-general John Tan; and central executive committee member Chee Siok Chin. The other two are SDP supporters Yap Keng Ho and Chong Kai Xiong.
Judge Ng, in his verdict on Oct 6 last year, had noted various dictionary meanings of the word 'procession', such as a group of people moving together; as part of an event like a wedding; and moving in a formal way, in orderly succession and regular formation.
The SDP five had walked mainly on pedestrian pathways, and made ad-hoc stops for toilet breaks and to give out pamphlets. They walked 'casually', sometimes singly, sometimes in pairs or smaller groups, and therefore did not constitute a 'procession'.
Judge Ng also said the walk 'did not cause inconvenience to the public, affect traffic flow or make noise which disturbed the public peace'. This, he noted, 'fortified' his view that the law had not been broken as it was meant to relate to offences against public order and nuisance.
The Government appealed against the acquittal.
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_509268.html :oIo:
