Singapore's Chee meets Taiwan opposition leader

Singapore's Chee meets Taiwan opposition leader

SINGAPORE (Reuters): Prominent Taiwanese opposition leader and legislator Shih Ming-teh met Singapore opposition politician Chee Soon Juan after Chee's release from jail on Monday in what both said was a show of solidarity.

"We don't mean to interfere with the affairs here, we only want to show our goodwill and encouragement to our friends, especially Dr. Chee," Shih said in a news conference after a brief meeting with Chee, adding he considered Chee a "good friend".

Shih is a member of Taiwan's legislature and a well-known figure in the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party.

Chee, who walked out of prison on Monday after a week in jail for violating a law against speaking in public without a permit, had said earlier on Monday that he would continue his free speech campaign despite the threat of another spell in a Singapore jail.

Chee was found guilty last week of breaking Singapore's strict public speaking laws by giving an unlicensed speech on Dec. 29, 1998. He was fined S$1,400 (US$830) under the Public Entertainments Act.

Chee, who leads the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), said the law violated his constitutional right to free speech. He refused to pay the fine and opted for seven days' jail instead.

His campaign has sparked fresh debate on free speech restrictions in the tiny city-state.

The government says the permit law is a procedural matter necessary to maintain public order and does not substantively affect the right to free speech. It also says there are ample outlets for people in Singapore to express their views.

Chee was due in court again on Tuesday to face a second charge for a similar offense. Legal experts say if found guilty he could face a stiffer sentence as a repeat offender.

Under Singapore law if he is fined more than S$2,000, he would be barred from standing for election for five years.

Chee said he would represent himself on Tuesday. He added he would be willing to pay the price of another prison sentence.

Chee told the news briefing that although he was in prison for "only a week" compared with Shih's 25 years, he found that the prison process "brutalizes the spirit."

"For someone who stands up for his rights of free speech, to have to go to prison and be treated as a common criminal is not something anybody would want to experience."

Chee said he was not mistreated, was kept in a bare single cell on his own, slept on a mat on the floor and spent his time reading the Bible and books by authors such as Bertrand Russell and Paul Taylor.

"I spent most of the time reading...I read philosophy and science, whatever I thought could keep me going. My daily sustenance was the Bible."

He said he was "pleasantly surprised" by Shih's visit, adding "Mr. Shih is testimony that Asians are not concerned with just the pocket book issues but also the political issues."

SDP vice chairman Gandhi Ambalam told reporters that apart from Shih, the SDP had also received messages of support from opposition parties and figures in Malaysia and Hong Kong, as well as the nine-party Conference of Asian Liberals and Democrats.