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Singapore to Further Restrict the Internet

As part of a wide-sweeping penal code review, Singapore has announced that it intends to tighten its national laws relating to the internet. Many Singaporeans, both in the city-state itself and those living abroad, use the internet to obtain alternative news reports and opinions about the goings-on in their country. The media in Singapore is government restricted and officials are now contemplating a move to expand sections of the penal code to cover offences committed over the internet.

The South East Asian Press Alliance and the watchdog organization, Reporters Without Frontiers have expressed concern over the fact that the Singaporean government could fine, or even imprison, people who use the internet for defamation or ?public mischief?. Users might also be limited to the content of video and audio documents that are sent over the internet. Bloggers, in particular, would be the target of these new amendments.

In a bid to ensure that Singaporeans living abroad don?t speak badly about their country of birth, the government is even considering changing its penal code which would make it an offence for people outside the country to abet an offence inside Singapore?s borders. There have been reports of websites having to close down, even though there were being operated from outside the country, for criticizing certain government policies. Even members of parliament have been forced to remove videos of themselves giving election speeches from their own websites, after they were charged for ?speaking in public without a permit?.