Singapore students protest university censorship
11 hours ago
SINGAPORE (AFP) — A group of students staged a rare protest in Singapore on Sunday against their university's censorship of a campus newspaper article.
Fronted by a black banner with the slogan "Responsible Press For Students," the four protesters made speeches in front of about 70 students at a park designated for limited free speech and demonstrations.
Protests are rare in tightly governed Singapore, which has been ruled by the People's Action Party (PAP) since 1959. Gatherings of five or more people without a police permit are illegal.
The rules on outdoor demonstrations were eased slightly last month, allowing rallies without a permit at Speakers' Corner, a space already allocated for limited free speech, but few have taken advantage of the new regulations.
The four were protesting against the decision by the Nanyang Technological University to pull the plug on a recent article about the visit in August of pro-democracy activist Chee Soon Juan to the campus.
"Let us again be reminded that this incident is not about Dr Chee's visit but rather about the censorship of the news... We are proposing responsible editorial independence," said Scott Teng, one of the protesters.
Teng said the article -- which was about his visit and said nothing about his political views -- was initially given the go-ahead for publication in the campus newspaper last month before being axed suddenly.
Teng told AFP the university had justified its decision by saying it did not want the campus newspaper "to be used as a platform for unsolicited guests to air their views."
"Saying students might risk being miseducated by reading this article misses the whole point of the matter," said Clarence Chua, a recent university graduate now working in the media industry who joined the protest.
"This event is called to stand up for media freedom."
Chee, one the few Singaporeans to have publicly spoken against the PAP, showed up to express his support for what the students.
"I am very encouraged," Chee said.
"For our students to take an interest and plan for something like this, I think it's a fantastic start," he said, adding he "did not have any other agenda other than to raise (political) awareness" when he visited the campus.
Chee, who is the secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party, has been jailed repeatedly for defying laws against protests in the past and refusing to pay fines.
He was one of 66 people who had as of Sunday signed a petition drafted by the protesters calling for publication of the article about his visit, Teng said.
Singapore's leaders say tough laws against dissent and other political activity are necessary to ensure the stability that has helped the city-state achieve economic success.
