SINGAPORE, June 27 — Three members from the opposition party Peoples Voice (PV) were demonstrating against politicians from another party around Pasir Ris MRT Station earlier this week when they were stopped by police, the police said today.
In response to TODAY’s queries, a police spokesperson said that on Thursday at about 7pm, officers responded to a report and found the three men standing together around the MRT station.
One of them was holding a placard with a photo collage of politicians from another party, along with a PV flag.
While the police did not specify which politicians were depicted on the placard, TODAY understands that they were from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).
“Their actions thus amounted to a public demonstration, which requires a police permit,” the police spokesperson added, saying that the members had four other placards with the same photo collage.
The officers called for an ambulance when one of the members claimed he had a medical condition, but he was not taken away after being examined. The officers then advised the trio to put the placard away.
In a Facebook post yesterday, PV chief Lim Tean said that the members had been detained by police officers for more than two hours.
“No charges, no legal reasons cited,” Lim added.
The police rebutted this, saying that the officers “did not inform them that there was no offence disclosed”.
“Political parties and their members can, however, continue with their usual meet-and-greet sessions, which have been going on even before the Covid-19 crisis, subject to the prevailing safe distancing measures,” the police spokesperson added.
Another PV party member, Prabu Ramachandran, had said in a video streamed live on Facebook on Thursday evening that the three members — not including himself — were conducting outreach at Pasir Ris MRT Station that evening.
The MRT station is located within Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency, which PV will be contesting in the upcoming general election (GE).
TODAY has reached out to Lim for comments.
Separately, PV conducted a mini walkabout around Pioneer MRT Station today, located in the Pioneer Single Member Constituency (SMC).
Lim, who was present with Ramachandran and some volunteers, formally introduced their first candidate for the GE — activist Gilbert Goh.
Goh is currently set to contest in Pioneer SMC, which the Progress Singapore Party, led by Dr Tan Cheng Bock, also plans to run in. ― TODAY
