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Singapore jails opposition leader
A Singapore court jailed an opposition leader for five weeks yesterday over his failure to pay a fine for speaking in public without a permit.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:00 November 24, 2006
Singapore: A Singapore court jailed an opposition leader for five weeks yesterday over his failure to pay a fine for speaking in public without a permit.
Chee Soon Juan, one of Singapore's most vocal opposition politicians and leader of the tiny Singapore Democratic Party, committed the speaking offence on April 22, two weeks before the country's general election.
The court initially fined him S$5,000 (Dh11,832) and because he refused to pay, he and two of his supporters were jailed.
"Every hour, every day, every month that I spend in jail only strengthens my resolve to fight," the 44-year-old Chee told the court before the verdict was read.
Chee hugged his wife and three young children before police led him away.
A vocal campaigner for human rights and free speech, Chee was jailed for eight days in March for questioning the independence of Singapore's judiciary.
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