Emad Mekay | ipsnews.net
WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (IPS) – Concern is brewing among advocacy groups and civil society organisations that monitor the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, a staple of protests during the annual meetings of the two organisations, after Singapore threatened a crackdown on some of their activities.
A number of international civil society groups are drafting a letter to the government of Singapore to dissuade the country from vows that its chief security official made against their activities.
Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng had reportedly said that certain civil society actions may “attract severe punishment, including caning and imprisonment” in this southeast Asian country where a political gathering of more than four people requires a security permit.
Activists interpreted this as a more or less veiled threat towards civil society organisations and wrote a letter to be sent to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, possibly later this week, asking him to roll back the warning and allow full access to the groups during the Sept. 19-20 meetings.
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