Singapore: Falun Gong Practitioners Unreasonably Detained and Charged in Court for Protesting the Persecution

In order to support the July 20th anti-persecution hunger strike held in eleven countries in the Asia-Pacific area and three states in the Untied States, and also to condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s inhuman persecution of Falun Gong that has persisted for seven years, three Falun Gong practitioners in Singapore went to the Chinese Embassy in Singapore on the morning of 20th July, 2006 to protest by meditating. Around 11:00 a.m. the police arrested them and detained them at the Tanglin Police Station. The police charged them in court with "harassment by displaying insulting writing-with common intention." The police asked them to attend a hearing the following day (July 21st) at 9:00 a.m. at Singapore Subordinate Court.

At 10:45 a.m. on July 20th, 2006, Singaporean Falun Gong practitioners Ng Chye Huay and Erh Boon Tiong arrived outside the Chinese Embassy. After hanging a banner reading "July 20th Hunger Strike in Protest against the CCP’s Inhuman Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners; Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong in China," they started meditating in front of the banner opposite the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.

Falun Gong practitioner Ng Chye Huay and Er Boon Tiong mediate to protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore

A man took pictures of the two practitioners up close. Ng Chye Huay told the reporter that the man often took pictures of them, and she often saw him coming out from the Chinese Embassy.

Another Falun Gong practitioner, Chen Peiyu, joined the other two around 11:00 a.m. Around 11:20 a.m., two police cars came and forced the three practitioners to accompany them to the police station. The police pulled 72-year-old Chen Peiyu to the police car.

A staff member from the Chinese Embassy forcibly takes pictures of the two practitioners in close precinct

According to Chen Peiyu, two officers at the police station asked her, "Who took the banner there (to the Chinese Embassy)?" "Who told you to go there?" and "Why did you go there?" The officers repeatedly claimed that the content of the banner insulted the Chinese Embassy, harassed people passing by and violated the law in Singapore. Chen Peiyu questioned them, "We have been going to the Chinese Embassy to do the exercises almost every day for over a year, and we have also hung banners for quite some time there. The police come to the Chinese Embassy almost every day. Many police officers said we did not violate the law. Why do you say I have violated the law today?" The two officers did not respond. Chen Peiyu then said, "Falun Gong practitioners in many countries around the world are protesting in front of the Chinese Embassy. Why isn’t it allowed in Singapore?" Two officers said that Singapore is different from other countries. The two officers only repeated that the practitioners have violated the law by hanging a banner in front of the Chinese Embassy.

In the statement the police used to charge Chen Peiyu, there was an oral recording. Chen Peiyu said in the statement, "I went there (Chinese Embassy in Singapore) because I want to rescue Falun Gong practitioners in China. I have no other intention."

Erh Boon Tiong said in the oral recording, "I deny the charge. We have no intention of harassing anybody, but just to show the facts of the severe situation of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, to the extent of their organs being harvested for transplantation purpose on a large scale. This had been confirmed by a third party investigation team in Canada. So we are doing the right thing by telling people the state of crime in China. On that basis, I think we should be praised instead of being punished by the law in Singapore. As there is no media coverage of this issue in Singapore, we have no choice by doing that. Although the law here is full of restrictions, all that we do is simply out of justice and concern. Hopefully the charge against us can be withdrawn."