Filipino activists held, turned back by Singapore
marissa d. de guzman
8:45am
Dear all--
If you have been following the recent developments in the Singapore/Batam
events surrounding the IMF/WB meetings, you will notice that this is a
clear case of what we are trying to document in our research on Political
Space for Advocacy in the SEA Region. Members of civil society have been
banned from entering Singapore and there are reports that about 22 were
deported as of yesterday.
Will keep you posted...
All the best,
Marissa
---
http://globalnation.inq7.net/news/news/view_article.php?article_id=20764
Filipino activists held, turned back by Singapore
By Veronica Uy
INQ7.net
Posted date: September 13, 2006
TWO Filipino activists on their way to attend the International People's
Forum (IPF) from September 14 to 18 in Batam, Indonesia were detained
overnight by Singapore authorities before being turned back and told to
return the Philippines, INQ7.net learned Wednesday.
Lidy Nacpil said Jubilee South and IPF secretariat members Bobby Diciembre
and Chona Ramos were held by immigration officials at Changi airport from
Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning.
Diciembre is also media officer of the Freedom from Debt Coalition while
Ramos also belongs to the Global Call to Action against Poverty Asia.
“Their cell phones were confiscated and returned to them only when they
boarded a flight back to Manila at 7 a.m. today (Wednesday). We learned of
their plight only upon return of their cell phones when they called us,”
Nacpil said in an e-mail to her colleagues at FDC and forwarded to
INQ7.net.
In a phone interview from the airport, Diciembre said he and Ramos were
“refused entry to Singapore as (they) were ineligible for the issuance of
a pass.”
He said the order was signed in behalf of the Singapore Immigration and
Checkpoints Authority controller by a Muhammad Rajaie.
“Nag-‘piano’ at nagpa-picture na ako (I already had my fingerprints and
picture taken),” he said.
“Until we boarded the plane bound for Manila, there was no clear
explanation from Singapore police and immigration authorities on why they
refused our entry. We wanted to know what violations we've committed based
on their new immigration rules. But nobody among them answered. They just
told us to write the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to inquire,”
Diciembre added.
Nacpil said the names of Diciembre and Ramos “had not been included in the
list of 28 that we know of who have been banned from entry into Singapore.
This confirms that the list is actually much longer.”
FDC vice president Wilson Fortaleza explained that the Batam activity is
separate from the scheduled dialogue of the International Monetary Fund
and World Bank (IMF-WB) in Singapore.
“The IPF is sponsored by social movements worldwide, with expected
participation of representatives from central Asia, Latin America, and
southeast Asia,” he said.
FDC president Princess Nemenzo, who was invited to be a resource person,
had been told by IMF-WB representatives that she could not attend the
dialogue with about 700 to 1,000 representatives from civil society
organizations.
--
Marissa D. de Guzman
Research/Information & Communications Officer
SEACA/South East Asian Committee for Advocacy
#29D Mayaman Street
UP Village, Diliman
Quezon City 1101 PHILIPPINES
Tel +63 2 920 6228
Fax +63 2 920 6202
Mobile +63 917 885 2413
Email mdeg...@seaca.net
URL http://www.seaca.net
Edna Estifania A. Co
--
Dr. Edna Estifania A. Co
Department of Political Science
School of Social Sciences
Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights Quezon City
Philippines 1108
Tel. 00 (63 2) 426-6001 local 5250/5252
Tel/Fax 00 (63 2) 4260906