News Pieces – Thoughts of Singapore business in Burma and rejection of PLU’s registration as a legal society

Sydney Morning Herald Tribune published “More Singapore business in Burma” by Mark Baker on 10 April 2004.

The article questions the implication of the partnerships between Quantas and Singapore businessman and companies who has commerical ties to Burma’s military regime. The article aims to find out if the airline will fly to Burma.

Under the pressure of the newspaper, Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon, said that they “will do the right thing” . On the other hand, the Singapore papers aka Straits Times is silent on the subject, which shows the kind of press we have.

Ang San Suu Kyi, the elected opposition leader, who has been detained under house arrest by the military regime, has called on the international community to boycott local tourism and investment. Unreported by the Singapore press and condemned by human rights groups, we are one of the most active foreign investors in Burma, and many of them are GLCs.

In the regional gay portal, Friade, an opinion piece by Paul Tan writes a well-thought out explanation on why the Registrar of societies is wrong in denying PLU the right to form a legal society.

The logic of denying the registration is that the majority of Singaporeans are basically “conservative”; and hence “unable to accept” an organisation like PLU, draws flake to the argument that all Singaporeans are equally important; as well as proving the hypocrisy and double standards of the Remaking Singapore campaign.  ¶ 5:18 pm