Singapore, April 16: Singapore has warned foreign
demonstrators that they will not be allowed to disrupt an
Asia-Pacific summit in November due to be attended by US
President Barack Obama and other world leaders.
"They may try to instigate our citizens to break the law
through acts of civil disobedience, like staging street
protests and demonstrations," Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan
Seng told internal-security officials yesterday.
Wong, also a deputy prime minister, said the 21-member
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit "may attract
terrorist interest" because of the presence of heads of state
and government.
"This is why we have to be very firm during that period
with protestors and anarchists who may engage in acts of
violence, or deliberately cause law and order problems," he
said in remarks carried today on his ministry`s website.
Singapore on Monday tightened its already strict rules on
public assembly, placing more restrictions on protesters and
giving police the power to intervene to prevent a political
gathering from building up.
Previously, any political gathering of five or more
people outside a designated free-speech spot for citizens
required a permit.
Under the new rules, any political assembly, other than
in the designated area known as Speaker`s Corner, will require
a police permit, regardless of the number of people involved.
Bureau Report
