2 activists arrested for speaking out on Burmese issue

January 12, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Breaking News 

Written by Ng E-Jay
12 Jan 2009, 1.30pm

Two activists, Seelan Palay and Chong Kai Xiong, were arrested at around 1pm for staging a protest outside the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Building over the non-renewals of Burmese work permits.

The activists, who were decked in red T-shirts, were holding placards.

The activists were arrested on grounds of trespassing.

More updates will be posted when available.

Press Statement: More Burmese facing expulsion from Singapore

Seelan Palay

Yet another two Burmese nationals working in Singapore have fallen victim to the Government for their support of the pro-democracy movement in their home country.

In the latest development, Singapore’s Manpower Ministry is refusing to renew the work permits of Mr Moe Kyaw Thu, 35 and Mr Win Kyaw, 38, who had both worked here for 11 years each. Moe is a construction supervisor and Win, a technical supervisor.

This drastic turn of events resulted from the two men’s involvement in highlighting human rights abuses by the Burmese military junta following its crackdown of the pro-democracy movement in Rangoon led by monks in September last year.

Moe in particular appealed to MOM reiterating that he has no police record of any kind and he has fully respected the laws of Singapore while working here.

Both men have participated in the activities of the Overseas Burmese Patriots (OBP), an advocacy group formed in Singapore after the military crackdown. The group was involved in organizing and conducting a series of public campaigns in Singapore against the Burmese regime.

One of the activities was when over 40 Burmese, assembled in groups of four, held a peaceful protest along Orchard Road on 20 Nov 07 during the ASEAN Summit in nearby Shangri-la Hotel.

Following the event, the group was accused by the Singapore Government of deliberately breaking local laws. Its members were given a police warning for their participation in the protest. But none of the Burmese activists were ever charged with any unlawful act while pursuing their political objectives.

The hands of the PAP Government first became apparent in September this year when three members of the OBP were expelled when their work permits or residence in Singapore came up for renewal.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng defended the Government’s action then, stating that the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority “considers this small group to be undesirable persons and rightly decided they should leave.”

In the ongoing saga, despite their employers wanting to retain them, Moe and Win have been ordered to leave Singapore by the end of January 2009.

“If they send me back, my family will suffer greatly. I’d have to spend the rest of my life in prison.” said Moe.

The latest expulsions go against the sympathy and support that Burmese pro-democracy activists receive throughout the world. The inhumane act of the Singapore Government is an indirect endorsement of the murderous Burmese junta.

seelanpalay@gmail.com

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Comments

4 Comments on 2 activists arrested for speaking out on Burmese issue

  1. talkcocking on Mon, 12th Jan 2009 3:03 pm

    2. Those who make peaceful evolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable.
    (John F. Kennedy)

  2. AnnA on Mon, 12th Jan 2009 3:17 pm

    3. I’ve read this with sadness knowing that these people will obviously be send to jail once they are back home. I wonder if they will be torture by the wardens there. Sending a healthy law abiding person to jail just because he was showing his resentment to his own govt. and merely showing his support to his fellow citizens.

    How cruel will our govt. be?? How long more does the govt. want to continue not feeling for others except for themselves and their pockets?

  3. Singa Crew on Mon, 12th Jan 2009 4:52 pm

    4. Ah… nostalgia…

    I remember this novel we had to read for our English Literature class so many years ago… What’s the title again… Ah yes! Animal Farm! I don’t know why but your breaking news story reminds me of that novel and there is this quote about how some animals are more equal than others.

    Perhaps like the animals in the story, our memories have gone hazy and it is time to take another look at the laws governing our country. Surely Article 12 does not just say ‘all persons are equal before the law’! We missed the next line ‘but some people are more equal’. Oh look! The ink’s still fresh!

    And that’s the only explanation I can come up with to make sense of a world gone crazy. Otherwise, how do you explain why 200 plus foreigners are allowed to protest outside the same building AND received aid from the authorities while 2 local boys were arrested for just holding placards?

    Crew

  4. robert on Wed, 14th Jan 2009 12:14 am

    5. We all myamese people know, these two myanmese activists will be jailed for life and suffered torture after they are sent back to myanmar, without renewing their work permit.Does it deserve for that punishment of their participation in peaceful demostration? Does MOM and MHA have humanitary simpathy even though they know …these WP holders will be physically torture by myanmar junta?

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