(Clearwisdom.net) News was released in Singapore media on May 28, 2006 that the former head of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) 610 Office Li Lanqing, invited by Lee Kuan Yee, would be conferred an honorary doctorate by the National University of Singapore. After that, there occurred a series of incidents in Singapore from an attempt to repatriate Falun Gong practitioners, to the banning of Falun Gong practitioners from holding truth clarification activities in front of the Chinese Embassy, to charging Falun Gong practitioners in court for the third time.
In conjunction with nine practitioners' appearing in court on July 14, the major Chinese and English media in Singapore including The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao (Chinese daily), Lianhe Wanbao (Chinese daily) and My Newspaper (Wo Bao) published a series of slanderous articles which were obviously directed by high level authorities. These articles were then republished and trumped up by the CCP's mouthpiece in China, which had an extremely bad influence.
The articles especially targeted Ms. Huang Chay Hua, who has been persisting in her protest in front of the Chinese Embassy daily in the past year.
Ms. Huang pointed out that she was alone doing the exercise at the time of her arrest, while behind her there hung a banner with a message protesting Li Lanqing.
The CCP's persecution of Falun Gong is doomed to failure. Falun Gong practitioners are not wrong to clarify the truth. We hope the Singapore government will attach importance to morality, justice and conscience, withdraw the charges against Falun Gong practitioners and no longer curry favor with the CCP. Only by doing so, can Singapore have a bright future.
The following series of incidents have happened since May 28, 2006:
On June 2, 2006, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Nie Ge who held dual legal status of residence, suddenly had her work permit canceled, and was taken to the police station and detained for eight hours.
On June 14, 2006, The Immigration and Checkpoint Authorities (ICA) notified Chinese practitioner, Ms. Yang, that she must leave Singapore within three days. She was staying in Singapore with legal status at the time. On June 15, with help from international human rights organizations, she was allowed to leave Singapore.
On July 10, 2006, the ICA decided not to consider the practitioner's appeal for an extended stay, and demanded her to leave Singapore no later than the next day. The same day, nine practitioners received subpoenas from the police, requiring them to appear in court on July 14. The charge was assembly without permit. The reason for the charge was that the above mentioned practitioners distributed flyers exposing the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong and supporting five million withdrawals from the CCP and its affiliated organizations in downtown areas on October 22nd and 23rd last year. During the activities, practitioners were peaceful and harmonious, without having any conflict with either passersby or the police.
The date for appearing in court on the subpoena was originally on July 4th (The first day of Li Lanqing's Seal Cutting Exhibition), and later was changed to July 14th.
On July 12, 2006, Ms. Huang Chay Hua went alone to the front of the Chinese Embassy as usual to do the exercises. She carried a small banner on her back. Soon more than a dozen plainclothes police came to the site, took her to the police car and then to the Tanglin Police Station. The police told Ms. Huang she was being investigated on the charge of "Malicious Harassment," because the content of the banner was protesting Li Lanqing for persecuting Falun Gong. Ms. Huang was later bailed out and returned home.
On July 14, the nine practitioners appeared in court and all pleaded not guilty. The court gave eight of the practitioners a one week extension until July 21st to be back in court. Another practitioner was given a three week extension until August 4th.