The lobby area on Level One of the convention centre has been designated for civil society organisations to express their views. They must first have to be registered and accredited with the IMF and World Bank. No gathering is allowed outside Suntec City.
Rules laid down on civil society activities during IMF meetings
Police, army train to deal with possible riots
| Government of Singapore restricts civil society participation in the IMF-WB Annual Meetings in September |
Civil society activities will be allowed in Suntec City, the venue of the IMF-World Bank meetings in September.
The Singapore Police say the lobby area on Level One of the convention centre has been designated for civil society organisations to express their views.
Those intending to get their voices heard will first have to be registered and accredited with the IMF and World Bank.
They also have to abide by very strict rules about their conduct.
Police will not hesitate to act against any misconduct.
Soh Wai Wah, Singapore Police Force's Chief-of-Staff, said: "The police will have to look into the matter. Our action can range from warning to arrest and prosecution and deportation. The action that we take will be proportionate to the demeanour of the culprits."
Although level one of Suntec City has been set aside for the gatherings, the size of the area has yet to be determined.
No gathering is allowed outside Suntec City.
Soh Wai Wah said: "Singapore is a small and compact place; any outdoor demonstration can cause major disruption to the lives and livelihood of Singaporeans. On top of that, in S2006, we have a situation where this is a high security event. We won't want to let any situation to create opportunities for the terrorists to exploit. We do not want to compromise security in any way by waiving our current rules on outdoor demonstrations."
The entire Police Force will be on alert, including some 23,000 national servicemen.
Other agencies will also play a part, including the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
Anyone identified with suspicious intent will be stopped from entering Singapore.
Sources and Relevant Links:
Channel NewsAsia Rules laid down on civil society activities during IMF meetings 28 July 2006
Channel NewsAsia Police, army train to deal with possible riots during IMF meetings28 July 2006
Think Centre Migrants say NO to WTO
Transnational Institute Why Today's Collapse of the Doha Round Negotiations is the Best Outcome for Developing Countries
Greenpeace USA and EU sink the WTO round in Cancun 14 September 2003
NewsMine Thousands protest against WTO in Hong Kong 11 December 2005
Focus on Global South 11 Released as Hong Kong Civil Society and Global Movements Pressure HK Government 11 January 2006
Focus on Global South Civil Society Groups Celebrate Collapse of Doha Round: The Best Outcome for World's Poor25 July 2006
