British author arrested in S’pore over book
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British author arrested in S’pore over book
By Angela Lim – July 19th, 2010Britain’s Foreign Office is seeking more information on the arrest of one of its citizens, a veteran author, in Singapore.
Alan Shadrake, 75, was arrested on Sunday on charges of criminal defamation and contempt of court, barely a day after he launched a book on the death penalty in the city-state. He remains in police custody pending an investigation.
A statement obtained by Yahoo! Singapore also confirmed that the British High Commission in Singapore is in touch with the author.
“We can confirm that we have been informed about the detention of Mr Alan Shadrake on 18 July 2010 and are providing consular assistance,” said a spokesperson in an emailed statement.
Shadrake’s arrest comes after the Media Development Authority lodged a report the eve of his book launch, the Singapore police said in a statement. Mr Shadrake has also been served with an application by the attorney-general for “an order of committal for contempt of court”, it said.
News of the author’s arrest has made headlines in newspapers across the world, including in England, India, Canada and Australia.
In an email to Reuters on July 3, Shadrake called himself a “British freelance journalist and author” who planned to launch his latest book “Once A Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock” in the city-state on Saturday.
His book, which was released for sale at Kinokuniya’s Ngee Ann City store last month but which has since been taken off the shelves, alleges double standards in Singapore’s use of the death penalty.
According to The Straits Times, the 219-page book was filled with accounts of high-profile cases in Singapore involving the use of the death penalty. It also included interviews with Darshan Singh, the long-time chief executioner at Singapore’s Changi Prison, who has since retired.
Shadrake, who has written articles for London’s Daily Telegraph and other newspapers, told AFP after the book’s Singapore launch on Saturday that he had expected trouble, but felt that the authorities were not going to take action.
“If they do anything, it’ll just draw more attention to it all, and they have no defence,” he had said.
-Yahoo! News
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what are they going to do with a 75 yr old man?
How does the govt intend to demonstrate moral authority of capital punishment by arresting a 75 yr old man who wrote a book?
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Originally posted by Arapahoe:
what are they going to do with a 75 yr old man?
How does the govt intend to demonstrate moral authority of capital punishment by arresting a 75 yr old man who wrote a book?
they have to take good care of him lest he die in detention.
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Originally posted by Clivebenss:
they have to take good care of him lest he die in detention.
Then sg will be in super big trouble.... He is British citizen. I doubt LKY can do much on him. British PM will be under heavy pressure from UK public to save him. -
important point is that he is 75 yrs old.......SG sure kena if they dare to touch him...... he suay suay fall down in detention only SG also kena liao
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Welcome to singapore!!!
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Originally posted by Arapahoe:
what are they going to do with a 75 yr old man?
How does the govt intend to demonstrate moral authority of capital punishment by arresting a 75 yr old man who wrote a book?
Chee Soon Juan is a bankrupt but the govt is still sueing him..
This 75 year old man is going to suffer the same fate as him
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i think british SAS will break old man outa prison.................or wet works.
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News of the author’s arrest has made headlines in newspapers across the world, including in England, India, Canada and Australia.
How come the new never "spread" to US and New Zealand!
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SG is strange... it's just a book...
Let it be...
Nw instead of the good publicity we need, bad stuff will be drummed up and make us infamous for jailing a author for writing a book...
Do what CHN is doin, ask them to quietly withdraw[like Zhao Ziyang's memoirs] or simply buy up all the publications like what the IDR police did for TEMPO[alleged did, unconfirmed] -
Add on, human rights groups will gather and denouce this detention...
If it reaches the EU... whoaaa... BIG SHOWDOWN...
Y are authorities here picking on people to bully instead of tackling important issues like increase in prices of virtually everything!? -
75 years old... -
Singapore too much, treating an old man poorly.
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If I were UK, i'll make a lot of noise right about now. Threaten sanctions and such blah blah blah.
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I am against death penalty. But luckily I din publish a book.
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talk about caring the elderly.
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I think death penalty should only be given to those who murdered others. The reason for me thinking this is that if the person can kill another person, he/she will have no problems killing another time or the third time or more. So they deserves to be removed from society. However, for anything else, like peddling drugs, I think death penalty is too much. Besides, you can't always blame the seller, if someone purchase drugs then they deserves to be punished. I mean if someone wants to purchase a knife to do bad things, then maybe you want to punish the person who sells the knife to that person too?
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What i don't understand is that since when an opinon of a law become an issue of "contempt of court" ?
I mean if the old guy post on Youtude or across all social media. Around the World will sees it ......My point is you can't stop debate on this topics in the age of internet.
Arresting the man make him a 1 man "Crusade" against an "authoritarin regime" is that what Singapore want to show case to the world......That we can't even debate and defend openly on this topics? considering the "Elite" and "Talent folks" we hired in the government....!!
All we did was "Ka Chen" lock him up....!!!! and say it is "contempt of court" who are they trying to convince? "Singaporean" or the "World outside"
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British author Alan Shadrake out on police bail
By Mustafa Shafawi | Posted: 20 July 2010 1014 hrsSINGAPORE: Singapore Police said they released British national Alan Shadrake on police bail on Tuesday morning.
He is required to remain in Singapore to assist the police in its investigations.
The police said Mr Shadrake must seek its permission if he wants to leave the country.
A Home Affairs Ministry spokesman said the Briton is now under investigation for criminal defamation.
He is also the subject of contempt of court proceedings initiated by the Attorney-General's Chambers.
The spokesman said "his anti-death penalty views are not the issue in these investigations; it is his violation of the laws of Singapore which are."
The spokesman added that anyone - Singaporean or otherwise - who breaks the law regardless of the cause he touts, will be taken to task.
He said Mr Shadrake is no exception - he cannot expect to commit offences and then assume that he will be exempted from being held accountable under the law.
Mr Shadrake was arrested at his hotel a day after the launch of his book "Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock", in which he alleged double standards in Singapore's use of the death penalty. - CNA/vm