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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Aware moves to Suntec after police veto</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Wong Kim Hoh, Senior Writer
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE police have stepped in to stop the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) from holding its extraordinary general meeting at the Singapore Expo in Changi on Saturday.
So the meeting, shaping up to be a clash between supporters of the former and new leaders of the women's group, will now be held at Suntec City's Exhibition Hall 402 instead.
It was the second change of venue announced by Aware in two days, and the latest twist in a month-long series of events since a group of newcomers grabbed the leadership.
The change also came amid a growing online buzz that Aware's meeting would coincide with a large Christian conference at the Singapore Expo.
The police said last night that it advised Singapore Expo not to allow Aware's application to hold its meeting there. A spokesman said: 'The police have taken this step because of the strong possibility that a coming together of members and supporters of the opposing camps at the same venue may result in law and order problems.
'There have been reports of death threats, intimidation and harassment over the last two weeks. There are also reports that both groups are mobilising their supporters for the meeting.'
The police said the Expo management was understood to have offered Aware another venue - at the Changi Exhibition Centre - but Aware announced last night that it will go to Suntec City.
Aware spokesman Lois Ng, a member of the new leadership, said its event organiser, Ape Communications, had only said that there were problems with the booking. Aware only learnt yesterday afternoon that the venue had been withdrawn 'for law and order reasons'.
Aware had about 300 members when its March 28 annual general meeting saw a large group of new members showing up and electing a team of unknowns into power. A group of 160 members led by the former leaders has called for the EGM and hopes to table a vote of no confidence in the new committee.
The weeks since the AGM have seen the old and new leadership clashing repeatedly over the way the newcomers seized power, and charges by the new team that Aware had been promoting lesbianism and homosexuality.
With both sides and their supporters rallying people to join the organisation and attend Saturday's meeting, Aware's membership is believed to have surged.
Yesterday the police revealed that they had learnt that former leaders of Aware had also wanted to book space for a meeting at the Singapore Expo on Saturday.
The police advised the venue's management to turn that down as well.
Former Aware vice-president Margaret Thomas confirmed that the old guard had applied to book three small conference rooms which could hold 500 people.
'We're anticipating many supporters and we wanted a place where we could direct them to, no matter what the outcome. We understand that emotions could be raised and we wanted to help keep order,' she said.
Meanwhile, The Straits Times learnt of other misgivings expressed over the Expo as a venue. Netizens and supporters of the old guard had pointed out that a two-day Christian conference, Transformation 2009, was also being held there.
They were concerned that people attending the conference would swamp the Aware meeting and outnumber supporters of the old guard hugely.
The Christian conference is being organised by LoveSingapore, an inter-church organisation founded by Pastor Lawrence Khong from the Faith Community Baptist Church.
Its committee members are pastors from different churches, including Pastor Derek Hong from the Church of Our Saviour in Margaret Drive, where several of Aware's leaders worship.
But Pastor Khong said yesterday that his conference had nothing to do with Aware or the ongoing dispute.
He described LoveSingapore as an 'organisation of loosely tied churches of all denominations which share different opinions on different issues'.
For now, Saturday's showdown is planned for Suntec's Exhibition Hall 402 which can accommodate 2,000 people. The meeting is scheduled to run from 2pm to 5pm, with registration of participants starting at noon, Aware said.
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Wong Kim Hoh, Senior Writer
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE police have stepped in to stop the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) from holding its extraordinary general meeting at the Singapore Expo in Changi on Saturday.
So the meeting, shaping up to be a clash between supporters of the former and new leaders of the women's group, will now be held at Suntec City's Exhibition Hall 402 instead.
It was the second change of venue announced by Aware in two days, and the latest twist in a month-long series of events since a group of newcomers grabbed the leadership.
The change also came amid a growing online buzz that Aware's meeting would coincide with a large Christian conference at the Singapore Expo.
The police said last night that it advised Singapore Expo not to allow Aware's application to hold its meeting there. A spokesman said: 'The police have taken this step because of the strong possibility that a coming together of members and supporters of the opposing camps at the same venue may result in law and order problems.
'There have been reports of death threats, intimidation and harassment over the last two weeks. There are also reports that both groups are mobilising their supporters for the meeting.'
The police said the Expo management was understood to have offered Aware another venue - at the Changi Exhibition Centre - but Aware announced last night that it will go to Suntec City.
Aware spokesman Lois Ng, a member of the new leadership, said its event organiser, Ape Communications, had only said that there were problems with the booking. Aware only learnt yesterday afternoon that the venue had been withdrawn 'for law and order reasons'.
Aware had about 300 members when its March 28 annual general meeting saw a large group of new members showing up and electing a team of unknowns into power. A group of 160 members led by the former leaders has called for the EGM and hopes to table a vote of no confidence in the new committee.
The weeks since the AGM have seen the old and new leadership clashing repeatedly over the way the newcomers seized power, and charges by the new team that Aware had been promoting lesbianism and homosexuality.
With both sides and their supporters rallying people to join the organisation and attend Saturday's meeting, Aware's membership is believed to have surged.
Yesterday the police revealed that they had learnt that former leaders of Aware had also wanted to book space for a meeting at the Singapore Expo on Saturday.
The police advised the venue's management to turn that down as well.
Former Aware vice-president Margaret Thomas confirmed that the old guard had applied to book three small conference rooms which could hold 500 people.
'We're anticipating many supporters and we wanted a place where we could direct them to, no matter what the outcome. We understand that emotions could be raised and we wanted to help keep order,' she said.
Meanwhile, The Straits Times learnt of other misgivings expressed over the Expo as a venue. Netizens and supporters of the old guard had pointed out that a two-day Christian conference, Transformation 2009, was also being held there.
They were concerned that people attending the conference would swamp the Aware meeting and outnumber supporters of the old guard hugely.
The Christian conference is being organised by LoveSingapore, an inter-church organisation founded by Pastor Lawrence Khong from the Faith Community Baptist Church.
Its committee members are pastors from different churches, including Pastor Derek Hong from the Church of Our Saviour in Margaret Drive, where several of Aware's leaders worship.
But Pastor Khong said yesterday that his conference had nothing to do with Aware or the ongoing dispute.
He described LoveSingapore as an 'organisation of loosely tied churches of all denominations which share different opinions on different issues'.
For now, Saturday's showdown is planned for Suntec's Exhibition Hall 402 which can accommodate 2,000 people. The meeting is scheduled to run from 2pm to 5pm, with registration of participants starting at noon, Aware said.
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