http://news.sg.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2856516
Singapore activists protest tribute to Myanmar PM
Singaporean activists Wednesday denounced their government's decision to honour visiting Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein by naming a new orchid strain after him.
The premier was given the tribute at the National Orchid Garden, one of the city-state's tourist attractions, but three demonstrators went to the nearby Myanmar embassy to register their objections.
Foreign dignitaries are routinely brought to the garden for a flower-naming ceremony but the activists said the general did not deserve to have an orchid -- "Dendrobium Thein Sein" -- named after him because of his government's record.
"As Singaporeans we want to register our disapproval over the naming of Singapore's national flower, the orchid, after a leader of the despotic military junta of Burma," said a group calling itself Singaporeans for Burmese Democracy.
Burma is the former name of Myanmar, which has been under military rule since 1962 and has resisted international pressure to improve its human rights record and to introduce democratic reforms.
"We feel that it is more fitting for the orchid flower to be honoured in the name of (opposition leader) Aung San Suu Kyi, the rightful leader of Burma," the statement added.
An AFP reporter said Thein Sein signed a symbolic "birth certificate" officially naming the orchid, one of many new strains constantly developed in Singapore.
An official press release from the National Parks Board described it as a "robust hybrid" whose sepals "curl backward and are greenish-yellow flushed with brown."
After the ceremony, three local activists went to the Myanmar embassy and unfurled a banner saying "Long Live Aung San Suu Kyi" before leaving eight orchids dedicated to her, one of them told AFP.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, won general elections in Myanmar in 1990 but the junta never allowed it to take office. She has been under house arrest for most of the past 19 years.
Singapore has also named orchids after former South African President Nelson Mandela, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, among others.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Latest updates at Singapore News Alternative:
1. The GIC-Sands Link: Jeff Schwartz
2. Spore forecasts 10% contraction of economy
3. Spore watch heist suspect extradited
4. The second shockwave
5. Defense, extradition pacts betw Indonesia & Spore frozen
Latest videos added:
1. Peter Schiff Vblog Report - 19 Mar 09
2. China spending $700 mil in subsidies to rural areas
3. Interview with Jalan Besar residents on CDC 8 months bonuses
4. US prints more money to fight recession
.
Singapore activists protest tribute to Myanmar PM
Singaporean activists Wednesday denounced their government's decision to honour visiting Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein by naming a new orchid strain after him.
The premier was given the tribute at the National Orchid Garden, one of the city-state's tourist attractions, but three demonstrators went to the nearby Myanmar embassy to register their objections.
Foreign dignitaries are routinely brought to the garden for a flower-naming ceremony but the activists said the general did not deserve to have an orchid -- "Dendrobium Thein Sein" -- named after him because of his government's record.
"As Singaporeans we want to register our disapproval over the naming of Singapore's national flower, the orchid, after a leader of the despotic military junta of Burma," said a group calling itself Singaporeans for Burmese Democracy.
Burma is the former name of Myanmar, which has been under military rule since 1962 and has resisted international pressure to improve its human rights record and to introduce democratic reforms.
"We feel that it is more fitting for the orchid flower to be honoured in the name of (opposition leader) Aung San Suu Kyi, the rightful leader of Burma," the statement added.
An AFP reporter said Thein Sein signed a symbolic "birth certificate" officially naming the orchid, one of many new strains constantly developed in Singapore.
An official press release from the National Parks Board described it as a "robust hybrid" whose sepals "curl backward and are greenish-yellow flushed with brown."
After the ceremony, three local activists went to the Myanmar embassy and unfurled a banner saying "Long Live Aung San Suu Kyi" before leaving eight orchids dedicated to her, one of them told AFP.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, won general elections in Myanmar in 1990 but the junta never allowed it to take office. She has been under house arrest for most of the past 19 years.
Singapore has also named orchids after former South African President Nelson Mandela, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, among others.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Latest updates at Singapore News Alternative:
1. The GIC-Sands Link: Jeff Schwartz
2. Spore forecasts 10% contraction of economy
3. Spore watch heist suspect extradited
4. The second shockwave
5. Defense, extradition pacts betw Indonesia & Spore frozen
Latest videos added:
1. Peter Schiff Vblog Report - 19 Mar 09
2. China spending $700 mil in subsidies to rural areas
3. Interview with Jalan Besar residents on CDC 8 months bonuses
4. US prints more money to fight recession
.
