The United Nations have dedicated this year's theme to upholding the ideal of “Equality: Reducing inequalities and advancing human rights”... The past two years since the pandemic broke out have exacerbated existing inequalities; whatever is left of our fundamental freedoms were also severely threatened... In our 2015 commentary, Think Centre highlighted the extensive and lingering presence of repressive draconian laws... it would have been unimaginable to think the situation could worsen.... the introduction of POFMA and FICA... only reflect the adversarial and suspicious attitudes and lack of faith in the citizenry by the incumbent political leaders...
Keep Reading →Think Centre is gravely concerned over the recent news of a Singaporean man, Cher Wei Hon, reportedly sentenced to death in Vietnam... Drug trafficking remains a serious problem in the ASEAN region. However, it is manifestly clear that the death penalty remains a poor solution to the problem. We urge countries like Singapore and Vietnam to seek a better path through collaboration and developing a better understanding of the social root causes driving drug consumption.
Keep Reading →Despite it being his own decision in discharging his appointed legal counsels, it does not in any way undermine the gravely alarming fact that he went to trial against a charge with a mandatory death sentence without full representation by legal counsel.
Keep Reading →Jolovan is an active and valued member of Singapore's civil society. He has laboured for years in service of improving the conditions of migrant workers in Singapore and has also fought for the rights of Singaporeans by working on issues such as free speech, freedom of assembly, detention without trial, opposition to the death penalty and other civil liberties. Peaceful assemblies and protests should never be a crime. The Singapore Government in its response to the recommendations made during the second UPR cycle said “Our laws allow our citizens to enjoy the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly while protecting the larger public interests of preserving public order and security” (A/HRC/32/17/Add.1, Para. 49). The prosecution of Jolovan Wham clearly indicates the gap between official rhetoric and the present ground reality.
Keep Reading →Our island state was founded more than 50 years ago on the basis of “one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality, so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation”. .. Half a century later, these very ideals have been eroded to the point where the livelihood of citizens are threatened ... wealth inequality has not improved in the last 5 years and income growth has slowed across the board except for the wealthiest. No matter how much assistance the government gives, there will always remain a segment of the population that cannot catch up. This is when social expenditure of the government must increase. .. The current exploitative nature of work is unsustainable where its workers clocked 2,371.2 hours in 2016, the longest in the world. .. It is ironic that the hardworking and old Singaporean workers cannot afford to retire even after a lifetime contributing to the nation’s economy. .. what then is the social contract of Singaporeans with regard to its employers and government?
Keep Reading →Think Centre condemns the imminent execution of Prabagaran Srivijayan scheduled for 14th July 2017. Prior to his arrest, Prabagaran was a 24-year-old young migrant worker who crossed the border daily from Johor (Malaysia) to work in Singapore in order to support his family... The presumption of guilt in such cases, which violates the right to a fair trial in international human rights law, also means that those who maintain their innocence like Prabagaran will never fit into the criteria. We are concerned that clemency pleas may not be heard by the entire cabinet, and based only on the recommendations of standing/ad hoc committees whose constituents are unknown to the public. ...many executions are carried out in secret, raising questions about the government claims about the efficacy of the death penalty in deterring crimes.
Keep Reading →We, the undersigned organisations, condemn the shameful execution of a Nigerian national, Chijioke Stephen Obioha, and a Malaysian national, Devendran a/l Supramaniam in Singapore on 18 November 2016, which runs counter to global trends towards abolition of capital punishment. We remain appalled that Singapore continues to execute people in contravention of international law and standards. We would like to express our regret and share in the disappointment of the families of the executed men. We oppose the use of capital punishment in all circumstances, as a violation of human rights which can never be justified under the flawed assumption that it has a unique deterrent effect.
Keep Reading →We are alarmed that Singapore has rejected nearly half of the 236 recommendations it received. This sets a negative precedence regionally and globally for the UPR process and is a disturbing indication of the country’s unwillingness to cooperate with international human rights processes.
Keep Reading →Without an independent way of verifying the government’s claims about compliance, it is critical that a national human rights institution be established immediately in accordance with the Paris Principles. Prolonged detentions without judicial review under the Internal Security Act and the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act continue with no transparency over the numbers being detained. Executions often take place without adequate warning given to the prisoners or their families. We regret that the government rejected the 25 recommendations that called for the abolition of the death penalty and corporal punishment.
Keep Reading →Forum-Asia and its member, Think Centre are gravely concerned about the legal harassment of two online activists, Roy Ngerng and Teo Soh Lung. They are currently under police investigation for allegedly breaching the election law by posting election related content on their Facebook account the day before the polling on 6 May 2016, widely known as ‘Cooling-off Day’. The investigation of the two bloggers is a clear attempt of the Singaporean Government to create a climate of fear, and to silence any critics, especially in online spaces. We call on the Singaporean Government to immediately cease the investigations of Roy Ngerng and Teo Soh Lung, to return their assets and to respect their right to freedom of expression. We further demand the Singaporean Government to fully implement their adopted recommendations from the first cycle of the UPR, and accept all pending recommendations from the second cycle of the UPR, including the ratification of core human rights treaties, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Stop harassing online activists and allow the freedom of expression.
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