Thursday, November 25, 2010

Suppressing dissent in Singapore: The Case of Chee Soon Juan

Dr Chee Soon Juan (born 1962, PhD University of Georgia 1990), was a lecturer in neuropsychology at the National University of Singapore when he joined an opposition political party in Singapore in 1992.

Being intelligent, well-educated, articulate, young, and ethnically Chinese, he probably posed an unprecedented threat to the Singapore governing elite.

His Department Head at the National University of Singapore (NUS), S. Vasoo, was a PAP (the ruling party) MP.

In 1993, Dr Chee was sacked by NUS for using Singapore $226 (US$ 137) of his research fund to mail his wife's dissertation.

Even granting that Dr Chee erred (which he disputed), this is the most grossly disproportionate punishment that I have ever heard of in academia anywhere in the whole world.  Can anyone doubt the real motive behind the sacking?

The litany of legal proceedings against Dr Chee, as detailed below, began then.

Quoting from East meets West: human rights and democracy in East Asia by Daniel A. Bell (p274):




SUMMARY CHRONOLOGY OF DR CHEE’S
CONVICTIONS AND ACCUSATIONS


(Source: Annex B, http://www.robertamsterdam.com/2009.Nov04.Repression_of_political_freedoms_in_Singapore.CheeSoonJuan.pdf )

1  Date, charge, punishment

1993, defamation, ordered to pay US$350,000 in damages

1996, contempt of Parliament, fined US$17,000 by Parliament

1999, speaking in public without a permit, jailed 7 days

1999, speaking in public without a permit, jailed 12 days

1999, selling books, fined US$400

2002, attempting to hold a rally on May Day, jailed 5 weeks

2003, speaking on Muslim schoolgirls’ head scarves, fined US$2,000

2006, defamation, ordered to pay US$350,000 in damages

2006, contempt of court, jailed 8 days

2006, attempting to leave country without permit, jailed 3 weeks

2007, speaking without a permit, jailed 5 weeks

2008, defamation, ordered to pay US$400,000 in damages

2008, contempt of court, jailed 12 days


2 On-going trials

participating in the assembly with 18 others outside
Parliament House on 15 March 2008

participating in a procession with 18 others outside
Funan Centre on 15 March 2008

attempting to participate in a procession at
Speakers' Corner during the WB-IMF
meeting on 16 September 2006

speaking in public without a permit
during SDP’s newspaper sale at Blk 269
Queens Street
on 12 April 2006

speaking in public without a permit
during SDP's newspaper sale at Blk 269
Queens Street
on 16 November 2005

participating in an assembly without
permit at the entrance of City Hall MRT,
Raffles City Shopping Centre on 10
September 2006

3 Awaiting trial or appeal

speaking in public without a permit
during SDP's newspaper sale at Blk 105
Yishun Ring Road
on 16 April 2006

speaking in public without a permit
during SDP's newspaper sale at Blk 260
Bangkit Road
on 15 April 2006

speaking in public without a permit
during SDP's newspaper sale at Blk 19
Marsiling Lane
on 9 April 2006

speaking in public without a permit
during SDP's newspaper sale at Blk 494
Jurong West Street 42
on 13 November 2005

4 Current police investigations

distributing fliers at Toa Payoh Central on
National Day; assembly without a permit
on 9 August 2008

holding a vigil outside of Central Police
Station at Cantonment Road;
Participating in an assembly without a permit
on 3 June 2008

holding a one-man protest against Burma at the
Istana Park; providing
public entertainment without a license
on 15 October 2007

participating in a protest against Burma
outside the Istana; public assembly
without a permit; public procession
without a permit
on 8 October 2007

participating in the Burma petition-signing
campaign outside the Burmese Embassy;
holding an assembly without a permit
on 30 September 2007

distributing fliers at Orchard Road
outside Takashimaya Shopping Centre;
participating in an assembly without
permit
on 31 March 2007

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