PAP's new normal at work: International human rights lawyer refused entry

Bob Amsterdam refused entry into Singapore

[My Comment] What is the ground for such a refusal of entry? Is Bob Amsterdam a threat to Singapore's national security? Or is he a threat to PAP's hold on power? 

The government's action in such a case must be in the interest of the people and the nation, not in the interest of the governing political party.

We still need a far stronger opposition presence in parliament. Vote Workers' Party, Hougang!

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Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Singapore Democrats (source)  International human rights lawyer, Bob Amsterdam, was detained and turned back at Changi Airport when he visited Singapore on Sunday 20 May 2012. Mr Amsterdam is acting for Dr Chee Soon Juan on the international stage and assisting him in on-going legal matters as many of Dr Chee's prosecutions involve international customary law. He is also the legal counsel for the SDP. Mr Amsterdam is doing this on a pro-bono basis. He runs his law firm Amsterdam & Partners which has offices in Toronto and London, taking on a wide range of cases from sovereign wealth funds to human rights. When he arrived at the airport, his passport was impounded at Customs and he was placed under detention. He was then put on a return flight. He was not given a reason for the refusal of his entry into Singapore. Mr Amsterdam was visiting Singapore to discuss with Dr Chee legal matters regarding the denial of human rights in the country as they relate to the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Government continues to prohibit Dr Chee from traveling outside of Singapore because he was made a bankrupt by former prime ministers Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Goh Chok Tong. In 2009, Mr Amsterdam published a White Paper titled The Repression of Political Freedoms in Singapore: The Case of Opposition Leader Dr. Chee Soon Juan in which he reviews how the Singapore Government has monopolized the state’s apparatus to its own benefit. The result has been the denial of democratic rights and freedoms and the muzzling of domestic and international media.  ***************************************************** Related:  As Yale's Blunder Deepens, Singapore Bares its Teeth, Jim Sleeper, June 5, 2012 (here)