Everytime see his name on the news its always for the same old thing....
SINGAPORE (AFP) - - A Singapore opposition leader and six other activists have been charged over protests during the IMF-World Bank annual meetings almost two years ago in the city-state, one of them said Friday.
Chee Soon Juan, the secretary general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), and his sister and fellow party member Chee Siok Chin have been charged along with five others, Chee Siok Chin told AFP.
The charges were read when the accused appeared in court Thursday, she said.
They related to the distribution of flyers ahead of the 2006 International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings and to a public march conducted without a permit during the meetings, she told AFP.
Under Singapore law, any public protest of at least five people without a permit is deemed illegal.
Chee's applications for a permit during the meetings were denied and he engaged in a three-day standoff with police who stopped him from marching to the conference venue after he delivered a speech at Speakers' Corner, a government-designated free speech area.
Asked for comment about the charges, police on Friday referred inquiries to the courts, where nobody was immediately available for comment.
Chee Soon Juan is one of the few Singaporeans who have publicly spoken against the ruling People's Action Party. He has been jailed repeatedly for defying laws against protests and refusing to pay fines.
His party has no seats in parliament.
