TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Singaporean fined over Skype forum with Hong Kong activist

Jolovan Wham was convicted last month of breaking public order laws after he failed to apply for a police permit before inviting activist Joshua Wong to speak via video call to an audience.

News Desk (Agence France-Presse)
Singapore
Thu, February 21, 2019

Share This Article

Change Size

Singaporean fined over Skype forum with Hong Kong activist Singaporean activist Jolovan Wham arrives at the State Court in Singapore on February 21, 2019 to face sentence for organising alleged illegal protest. (AFP/Roslan Rahman)

A

Singaporean activist was Thursday fined for organising an illegal public discussion in the tightly-controlled city-state that featured a prominent Hong Kong democracy campaigner speaking via Skype.

Jolovan Wham was convicted last month of breaking public order laws after he failed to apply for a police permit before inviting activist Joshua Wong to speak via video call to an audience.

The 39-year-old was also found guilty of refusing to sign a written statement to police. On Thursday he was handed a fine of Sg$3,200 ($2,300).

Wham, who is currently out on bail, said he will appeal the sentence, but if that fails he said he will choose to serve a 16-day jail term rather than pay the fine. 

The activist, who is also an advocate for migrant workers' rights, had described the gathering in November 2016 as "a harmless and straightforward discussion about social movements".

Wong, who was among the leaders of massive pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2014, spoke to the audience about the role of civil disobedience and democracy in building social movements.

Organising a public assembly without a permit in Singapore is punishable by a fine of up to Sg$5,000. Repeat offenders can be fined up to Sg$10,000 or jailed for a maximum of six months or both.

Wealthy Singapore is regularly criticised by rights groups for its heavy-handed response to political dissent and freedom of expression.

In December, the editor of a Singaporean website was charged with defamation for publishing a letter alleging corruption among the country's leaders.

The same month, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sued a blogger for defamation after he shared an article on Facebook linking the leader to a corruption scandal in neighbouring Malaysia. Lee said the article was false and without basis.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.