Unjustified attacks made against the police must be rebutted; Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam addresses criticism of police raid tactics on illegal brothels

Unjustified attacks do huge disservice to police: Shanmugam
By Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times, 11 Dec 2017

Unjustified attacks made against the police should be rebutted, as these do a huge disservice to the officers in blue who put their lives at risk to keep Singapore safe, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday.

"In many countries, unjustified attacks on police have eventually led to the weakening of law enforcement," he wrote in a Facebook post.

"We do not intend to let that happen in Singapore. And I believe that the vast majority of Singaporeans support our approach to maintaining law and order," he said.

In another post, Mr Shanmugam addressed online criticism of police tactics used during recent raids on illegal brothels near Rowell Road.

Speed and surprise are key elements during raids, and the police "cannot be expected to knock on the door, and wait for a response", Mr Shanmugam said.

"What do we expect - the gangsters (who might be present) will open the door, and politely admit to their actions? And even if gangsters are not present, we expect the women involved to be cooperative?" he added.

He explained that the police wear masks during such operations to hide their identities, as the syndicates behind these illegal brothels would retaliate, if they can.



He added that he had been quite puzzled by the criticism directed at the police, and "the deeply flawed, misplaced sympathies" for those in the vice trade.

Sharing further details of the case in his post, he said that there had been complaints about the sex workers in the area, with a syndicate seemingly in operation.

During the raid last Friday, more than 20 people - all foreigners - were arrested, including a 16-year-old male sex worker. One suspect injured himself while trying to escape.

Many of them were transgender sex workers, he said, adding that the police are concerned about human trafficking as well.

While the operations were ongoing, the police had noticed a woman filming a video, he added.

She later made a post online accusing the police of "wasting taxpayer money, terrorising women". The post has since been taken down.

In response, Mr Shanmugam said: "Would she prefer that police didn't do anything? (Would she) like the sex workers to continue soliciting for customers along the roads and bringing them into HDB estates among our families and children? What about the exploitation of underage youngsters?"

Singapore on Criminal Minds Beyond Borders is Beyond Stupid

Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders depiction of Singapore slammed as inaccurate, misleading
By Lydia Lam, The Straits Times, 18 Apr 2017

American television series Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders has drawn flak for its inaccurate and "stereotypical" portrayal of Singapore, after an episode set here was aired on April 12.

In the episode, titled Cinderella And The Dragon (S02E06), a group of investigators are on a case of two American flight attendants who have gone missing in Singapore.



In one scene, the characters discuss Geylang. Special Agent Clare Seger, played by American actress Alana de la Garza, says Geylang is "the dark side of paradise".

In her spiel, she says: "Officially it's known as the red-light district, but more accurately it's an overcrowded slum with a thriving underworld. In a country as affluent and educated as Singapore, employers have a hard time finding unskilled workers to do manual labour, so they get migrant workers from other countries to come do the menial jobs, but then that leaves the Ministry of Manpower with nowhere to put them, so a lot of times as a result they end up in government dormitories in Geylang."



Other inaccurate bits include a reference to Singapore Police Force as "Singapore PD".

"The country experiences fewer than 10 murders a year," one officer quips in the show.

"To keep crime low, Singapore's justice system is intentionally swift and severe," says Seger. "There's no such thing as trial by jury. Judges have been known to pass harsh sentences for foreigners who commit crimes."

"Isn't Singapore where that kid was caned for being drunk in public?" Mae Jarvis, played by actress Annie Funke, asks.

"Yeah. In 1993, an American college student was convicted of public intoxication and vandalism. He maintains to this day that he was coerced by Singapore Police into a false confession," answers her colleague.

This appears to reference the 1994 Michael P Fay caning, where the 18-year-old was sentenced to six strokes of the cane for theft and vandalism.



An article by "geek" community news site geekculture.co on Sunday (April 16) listed 20 mistakes in the episode.

The "misrepresentation" of Singapore irked netizens on various social media platforms, who pooh-poohed the episode for spreading misconceptions.

Universal Periodic Review: UN praises Singapore's social policies

Member states laud its efforts to improve care for vulnerable groups like the elderly, disabled
By Kok Xing Hui, The Straits Times, 29 Jan 2016

United Nations member states have praised Singapore's social policies as well as its strategies to foster racial and religious tolerance.

At Singapore's second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday, a "significant majority" welcomed its efforts to improve care for the elderly, the disabled and other vulnerable groups, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

They also commended its ratification of UN conventions on disabled rights and human trafficking.

Grateful to Ambassador Chan Heng Chee who led Singapore's delegation for our 2nd Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the...
Posted by Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday, January 28, 2016

The UPR looks at human rights in each of the 193 UN member states every 4-1/2 years. Some 113 states spoke at the 3-1/2-hour session.

However, some called for Singapore to abolish the death penalty, caning, detention without trial and section 377A of the Penal Code which criminalises sex between men.

A Singapore delegation, led by Ambassador-at-Large Chan Heng Chee, explained the nation's "pragmatic" stance on such issues.

The death penalty, for example, deters the most serious crimes like murder and drug trafficking.

"No civilised society glorifies the taking of life," said the delegation. "The question is whether, in very limited circumstances, it is legitimate to have capital punishment so that the larger interest of society is served."

Singapore accedes to the United Nations Trafficking in Persons Protocol

Singapore accedes to trafficking protocol
Inking of UN pact represents commitment to tackling the crime, says MHA senior director
By Kok Xing Hui and Aw Cheng Wei, The Straits Times, 30 Sep 2015

Singapore has acceded to international standards of prosecuting and convicting human traffickers under the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (UN TIP Protocol).

According to a statement by the Singapore Inter-Agency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons released yesterday, outgoing Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam signed the accession agreement to the protocol, in force since 2000 and which has 117 signatories. This makes the treaty binding on the country.

On Monday, the document was deposited by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Chee Wee Kiong at the UN Treaty Event in New York and received by Mr Santiago Villalpando, chief of the UN Treaty Section.

Singapore has on occasion contested its ranking in the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report released by the United States.

In the latest report out in July, Singapore retained - for the fifth year - its Tier 2 position on a four-tier ranking. This means the country, which enacted trafficking-specific laws in March, has not fully complied with US laws on human trafficking but is making "significant efforts" to do so.

Man charged under new anti-human trafficking law

By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2015

A 24-YEAR-OLD Singaporean man has become the first person here to be charged under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, which went into force last month.

According to court documents, Muhammad Khairulanwar Rohmat allegedly recruited a 15-year-old with the purpose of exploiting her.

The girl cannot be named because of a gag order.

The offence reportedly took place on April 15 between 3.30pm and 5.30pm at a Starbucks cafe in Orchard Road. At about 4.30pm, he allegedly had consensual sex with her in a men's toilet in Cuppage Plaza.

For this offence, he faces a second charge of having sex with a minor under the Penal Code.

Yesterday, Khairulanwar appeared in court dressed in a black T-shirt. He was calm and silent as the charges were read to him. He was remanded for a week for further investigations.

The case will be heard again next Wednesday.

Under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, anyone who recruits, transports, transfers, harbours or receives a child for the purpose of exploitation, whether here or abroad, is guilty of an offence.

First-time offenders can be fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to 10 years and caned a maximum of six strokes.

For sexually penetrating a minor, he could be jailed for up to 10 years, fined, or both.

The new Prevention of Human Trafficking Act began as a Private Member's Bill proposed by MP Christopher de Souza in 2013. He was given the go-ahead from the Ministry of Home Affairs to table it in Parliament, which was done last October and, after a series of heated debates, the Bill was passed into law last November.

Signs of a more compassionate Singapore

Statutes to protect the vulnerable must be rigorously enforced and updated where necessary
By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 16 Nov 2014

Singapore is known the world over for its pragmatism and pursuit of economic excellence. Yet, even as many admire the city-state's fabled cleanliness, efficiency and low crime rates, there have been complaints about a compassion deficit.

The Lion City is rich, safe and successful. But, alas, mourn critics, it does not have much of a heart. Its justice system has long been known to be more punitive than protective.

All that is beginning to change quietly.

This year has turned out to be a landmark year for new and upcoming laws that are tempered with compassion.

Earlier this month, Parliament passed the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act to better protect men, women and children who are forced, tricked or lured into sex or servitude. The law increases penalties for sex trafficking and, significantly, outlaws labour trafficking for the first time.

In Singapore, the vast majority, if not all, victims of trafficking are low-wage foreign workers from impoverished Asian nations lured here by the promise of a better life.

During a debate in Parliament two weeks ago, People's Action Party backbencher Janil Puthucheary summed up the feelings of many when he pointed out that the new law was not about pragmatism or economic utility, but about what is morally right. "It speaks to our aspirations about wanting to be a better society," he said.

Indeed, the moral strength of a nation depends not just on how good life is for the majority, but also on how it protects the voiceless, vulnerable minorities. Several laws announced or passed this year aim to do just that.

The week before Parliament passed the law against trafficking, Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing announced that Singapore will have a law next year to better protect vulnerable adults, such as sick or frail older people who may be abused in the privacy of their own homes.

In August, Parliament passed the Family Justice Act which, among other things, aims to ensure that children do not end up being bruised or broken by brutal divorce battles when their parents split up.

Parliament Highlights - 3 Nov 2014

Human-trafficking law passed after debate
By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2014

A LANDMARK law to fight human trafficking was passed yesterday, but not before a 2 1/2-hour debate on whether it went far enough to protect victims of modern-day slavery and deter offenders.

Still, the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act was lauded as timely and necessary by all seven MPs who spoke on it. They praised backbencher Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) for initiating the Private Member's Bill - only the fourth of its kind since independence.

"The intention is that this (law) will dismantle syndicates and prevent the exploitation of innocent women, men, girls and boys," said Mr de Souza.

First-time offenders face up to 10 years in jail, a maximum fine of $100,000, plus the possibility of up to six strokes of the cane, with repeat offenders facing heavier punishments.

But several MPs questioned whether it will serve as enough of a deterrent. Dr Janil Puthucheary (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) said that a recently passed law to clamp down on online betting included fines of as much as $300,000 to $500,000, and that he backed calls for harsher penalties.

Workers' Party Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam highlighted that in California, human trafficking carries a fine of up to US$1.5 million (S$1.93 million) and a jail term of 15 years to life. Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio GRC) also called for stiffer penalties when victims are children.

But Mr de Souza said the penalties were benchmarked against those of similar crimes here and in overseas jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong, where sex trafficking-related offences carry a maximum of 10 years' jail.

Several MPs also said the Act did not go far enough in legislating for the victims' welfare, including immunity from prosecutions and the right to work while cases were being investigated.

Mr Alex Yam (Chua Chu Kang GRC), calling for the Bill to be "humanised", said: "There are 11 sections... in relation to enforcement and yet only two sections... for victim protection and assistance." The two sections provide for counselling and shelter for victims.

In the lead-up to yesterday's debate, several non-government organisations criticised the Bill for falling short on victim care. But by making the Bill more "victim- centric", such as mandating the right to work, labour MP Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) said that could open "a Pandora's box with many coming forward to make false claims in the hope of finding alternative employment".

Instead, he stressed the "need to assess each case on its facts and merits, followed with the exercise of discretion and empathy, as opposed to preferring a 'one-size- fits-all' approach" when it comes to the treatment of victims.

Mr de Souza said he understood the members' concerns but "one should not look at simple arithmetic to see how much or how many parts of the Bill are allocated to victim enforcement, prevention and so on".

What is important is that the law "protects the most vulnerable of the vulnerable - the innocent who often do not have a voice, and who are caught in a merciless web of exploitation".

Khaw lauds MPs' work on animal welfare Bill

Inclusive committee, which took over two years, sought views widely
By David Ee, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2014

NEW legislation to strengthen animal welfare here will not only give more bite to protection of animals, but it will also make parliamentary history.

In a blog post yesterday, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan praised the work of the MPs behind the rare Private Member's Bill tabled on Oct 7, hailing it as a "a big step forward" for both people and animals.

Post by Khaw Boon Wan.

The Bill, tabled by MPs Yeo Guat Kwang, Alex Yam, Gan Thiam Poh, Edwin Tong and Vikram Nair, was the fruit of more than two years of hard work and is set to be one of two such Bills to be passed in two decades.

Private Member's Bills are introduced by MPs who are not Cabinet ministers.

The last time one was passed in Parliament was in 1994, when then Nominated MP Walter Woon tabled the Maintenance of Parents Bill.

"In our Parliament's history, there have not been many Private Member's Bills. On Ministry of National Development (MND) matters, there has been none," said Mr Khaw.

Mr Christopher de Souza, an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, also tabled a Private Member's Bill on Oct 7 to combat human trafficking, with support from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Parliament Highlights - 7 Oct 2014

Bill on remote gambling passed

All bets are off on unauthorised websites
Iswaran explains exemptions as Remote Gambling Act is passed
By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 8 Oct 2014

THE new Remote Gambling Act that allows for a tightly regulated form of online gambling here does not relax Singapore's stance against the vice, said Second Home Affairs Minister S. Iswaran yesterday.

Speaking in Parliament on the legislation, which was passed after a vigorous three-hour debate, he made it clear the Act "neither condones nor encourages gambling". He also rejected calls from opposition MPs - Mr Png Eng Huat (Hougang), Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied GRC) and Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong - for it to be sent to a Select Committee to gather more feedback.

Ten Members of Parliament spoke in support of the broad intent of the new Act, which makes it illegal for gamblers to go online for a flutter on unauthorised websites from next year.

But a number of them expressed reservations over a section of the Act, which allows Singapore-based operators to apply for an online-gambling licence.

People's Action Party MPs Denise Phua (Moulmein-Kallang GRC) and Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) said allowing any exemption sends a mixed signal.

Ms Phua urged Singapore to "take a bold step and reject gambling, whether remote or on-site". She said allowing an exempt operator seems to signal that "remote gambling is fine as long as it is under a state licence".

Mr Iswaran responded by emphasising that the new regime is "prohibitive" given that it introduces new laws to restrict nearly all forms of online gaming. It is also consistent with the country's approach towards terrestrial gambling. Mr Iswaran explained how exemptions were granted to Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club in the 1960s when triads and underground gambling operators were looking to get a slice of the action.

"It (the exemption) is there as part of an ecosystem that seeks to minimise the law and order concerns, and social consequences that we are concerned about," he said. A complete ban will drive all activity underground and make it harder to mitigate these social concerns, he argued.

Singapore responds to US Trafficking in Persons Report 2014

'Progress made' to fight trafficking
By Walter Sim, The Sunday Times, 22 Jun 2014

Singapore has made significant progress to combat human trafficking and is working to improve further, a government taskforce said yesterday.

The Singapore Inter-agency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons was responding to criticism from the United States that not enough is being done, especially against labour trafficking.

The taskforce said it is helping Mr Christopher de Souza, a Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, on a Private Member's Bill against human trafficking, expected to be tabled in Parliament this year.

This would "empower agencies with the necessary powers and levers to deal with trafficking in persons more effectively", said the taskforce, which is spearheaded by the Home Affairs and Manpower ministries.

Singapore does not have dedicated laws against human trafficking, but outlaws sex trafficking of women and children through other legislation.

The annual Trafficking In Persons report, released by the US government last Friday, placed Singapore in Tier 2 of its four-tier ranking for the fourth year. This means Singapore has not fully complied with minimum standards to curb trafficking, but has made significant strides.

MP Christopher de Souza defends Bill on human trafficking

He highlights 'practical difficulties', assures added protection to victims
By Hoe Pei Shan, The Straits Times, 16 Apr 2014

MEMBER of Parliament Christopher de Souza has defended his proposed Bill to tackle human trafficking here, saying it is "actually very generous to the victim".

He was responding to civil society groups, which in an open letter yesterday, lamented the "serious limitations" of the planned legislation, highlighting three key issues: The Bill on the Prevention of Human Trafficking fails to clearly define who is a victim of sex trafficking. It also does not appear to address "exploitative practices", such as poor living and working conditions of migrant workers.

Third, the proposed measures to protect victims fall short as they do not include "finding alternative employment or arranging a temporary stay visa", wrote Association of Women for Action and Research executive director Corinna Lim on behalf of several other groups and activists.

Mr de Souza, who is an MP for the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, told The Straits Times that he appreciated the intention behind the letter. But he added that since proving trafficking cases could take as long as two years, "hard-wiring extreme rights may present practical difficulties". But "we will pull out the stops if it is a case of genuine trafficking".

He is "exploring parallel guidelines to assist helpless victims" beyond counselling and temporary shelters, which are part of the proposed Bill.

He said additional protection and rehabilitation measures could be provided without having to be legislated. These could be overseen by the Ministry of Social and Family Development, for instance.

Mr de Souza also explained that the Bill will address situations in which victims are deceived into providing services beyond what they had originally agreed to, such as women hired for waitressing but tricked into prostitution.

The Bill will also stick to definitions of trafficking which are internationally accepted.

Taking aim at human trafficking

Singapore is taking a big step in its fight against those who trick, threaten and transport vulnerable workers with the drafting of a dedicated law. What gaps must it address?
By Radha Basu, The Straits Times, 22 Mar 2014

FOR about a year, Erica Lazaro (not her real name), 23, was a dancer-cum-model in a Manila pub. On some nights, she danced sensually to English and Tagalog songs. On others, she was part of a fashion show so customers would stay and buy more drinks.

It was showtime rather than sleaze, and the money was good - the equivalent of $500 a month. Still, like millions of her compatriots, she dreamed of working abroad to earn even more.

When a former colleague working in Singapore said the same job there paid at least double the money, she leapt at the chance.

Her friend introduced her to an employment agent who told her she would dance and serve drinks at a Singapore pub for a basic $800 a month. In addition, she would get half the money for all drinks she got customers to buy. "They told me I could easily earn $1,000 or more each month."

But she would have to pay $3,800 in agent fees, including the airfare, to be deducted from her salary in instalments. This would take less than four months to pay.

What she insists she was not told then was that, unlike in Manila, she would also need to have paid sex with clients.

A performing artiste's work permit was processed quickly. In two weeks, she was on a plane to Changi Airport, traversing a well-worn migrant route and brimming with hope.

But within a day of arriving in late March 2012, Ms Lazaro was told that she had to sell $200 worth of drinks a night at the Arab Street pub where she worked. If she did not meet the "quota", she would be fined. She would also be fined if she gained weight, refused to wear a G-string or fell sick.

When she failed to sell enough drinks, her Singaporean boss began pressuring her to go out with clients and sell her body.

She says she refused initially and wanted to return home.

"But he said I could not leave without repaying my debts," the soft-spoken woman told Insight in an interview last week.

The way she tells it, her passport was confiscated and during the day, she was locked up in an apartment in the Marine Parade area with nine colleagues, and allowed only one meal a day.

Finally, Ms Lazaro gave in, and had paid sex with strangers.

"I had no choice," she says, adding that in five months of work, she did not get a single cent. Her employer kept all the money. "No one told me in Manila that my job would involve prostitution or that my debts would keep multiplying. Or I would never have come."

People like Ms Lazaro who were deceived or forced into labour or the sex trade here will soon get more protection under a proposed Private Member's Bill against human trafficking.

Public consultations on what the law should include began here this week and will continue until April 18.

The Bill is being proposed by Member of Parliament Christopher de Souza and is backed by the Government.

Need for a single law

HUMAN trafficking occurs when vulnerable men, women and children are forced, tricked or coerced into commercial sex or servitude, in cities or countries other than where they grew up. It is a significant transnational crime.

"We need a standalone law to plant a legal flag that human trafficking is a serious crime and will not be condoned in Singapore," says Mr de Souza.

Singapore already has legal provisions against some elements of human trafficking, but these are spread across disparate laws, he points out.

Treat migrant workers well because it's right to do so

In her opening remarks at an event organised last Saturday by migrant workers' group Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, or HOME, Professor Chan Heng Chee spoke on better protection of the welfare of workers. Here is an edited excerpt.

The Straits Times, 25 Nov 2013

JUST this month, People's Action Party MP Christopher de Souza announced in Parliament that he would introduce a Private Member's Bill on human trafficking and work with the Singapore Interagency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons. He said he wanted to "strongly and potently" address the issue and to criminalise the trafficking of people and minors for purposes of sexual exploitation, forced incarceration, slave labour and forced organ trafficking. I applaud him for his initiative.

To deal with the migrant workers' human rights, three parties have responsibilities. The hosting or receiving country has a definite responsibility by providing the guidelines through regulations and laws for the protection of the migrant workers' welfare. In Singapore, we have increasingly through law and requirements sought to improve the conditions and situation for the migrant workers.

Today, there are 211,000 foreign domestic workers (FDWs) in our city-state. We have required that FDWs must be at least of a minimum age of 23 and have eight years of formal education (they must provide proof) which means they are older and less vulnerable. There is a Settling-In Programme and the Employers Orientation Programme. From December 2012, we introduced a Safety Agreement between the employers and the FDWs. This covers the cleaning of exteriors of windows as many accidents are a result of this.

A mandatory rest day has been introduced but employers may compensate their FDWs if there is a mutual agreement. Medical insurance is required. Although domestic workers are not covered by the Employment Act, FDWs can lodge a complaint with the Ministry of Manpower and they will arrange a meeting between the employer and FDW. In cases of abuse, the cases, if reported, will be heard in court and penalties for the employers include fines and imprisonment. FDWs can only be employed for domestic chores at the residential addresses of their employment. Penalties for illegal deployment are a stiff $5,000 fine and permanent barring from employing FDWs.

In the end, laws and regulations are only one part of the answer. We cannot have a whole slew of laws regulating every behaviour. I believe Singaporeans would like to move to a situation of less regulation, not more regulation.

On the matter of foreign workers' rights, I believe greater emphasis must be placed on ourselves, on each individual. If we get this right, the treatment of FDWs would not be an issue.

It is our moral duty as human beings to treat others with dignity and respect. This applies to peer as well as subordinate, Singaporean and foreign. We should spread this awareness and talk about these values.

Parliament Highlights - 11 Nov 2013

MP gets go-ahead to table law on human trafficking
Push for 'potent' deterrent in rare Private Member's Bill
By Andrea Ong, The Straits Times, 12 Nov 2013

THE Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday gave the green light for Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) to table a rare Private Member's Bill on combating human trafficking.

Mr de Souza, a lawyer, had asked in Parliament if the ministry would be open to working with him on his proposed Bill, which would help in "strongly, potently" deterring traffickers.

He argued the need for dedicated legislation to show Singapore means business in cracking down on traffickers, just as it has done for drugs through the "highly effective" Misuse of Drugs Act.

Responding, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli said the Government supported Mr de Souza's initiative.

He will ask the Inter-Agency Task Force on Trafficking in Persons to work closely with Mr de Souza, who intends to consult various parties in developing and improving the Bill next year.

The task force, set up in 2010, had confirmed the need for a dedicated law in its review of domestic legislation, said Mr Masagos.

Such a law will have a framework to deal with all types of offences, equip agencies with levers for various criminal methods, and reflect Singapore's commitment to fighting trafficking to the world while aligning itself with international standards, he said. It is an "essential progression" in the fight against human trafficking, he added.

The task force said in a statement last night that it will "fully support" Mr de Souza in his work and co-develop the Bill with him.

A dedicated law paves the way for appropriate penalties that reflect the severity of offences, it said.

Mr de Souza has prepared a draft of the Bill, tentatively titled the "Prevention of Human Trafficking Act".

It seeks to criminalise the trafficking of persons, especially minors, for such purposes as sexual exploitation, forced incarceration, slave labour and organ trafficking.

Parliament Highlights - 16 Sep 2013

Parliament pays birthday tribute to Lee Kuan Yew
Mr Lee’s accomplishments for S’pore are 'astonishing and without peer', says Leader of the House Ng Eng Hen
TODAY, 16 Sep 2013

Leader of the House Ng Eng Hen paid tribute in Parliament to former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s achievements — to a standing ovation from the House — which he described as “astonishing and without peer”.

Mr Lee, Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, turns 90 today.

Noting that Mr Lee — who was in Parliament when Dr Ng delivered the tribute — has been a member of the country’s legislature for 58 years, Dr Ng said: “For length of service alone, 58 years is a remarkable record.

“But it is what Mr Lee has accomplished for Singapore over that lifetime of service and struggle that is astonishing and without peer,” he continued.

Citing playwright William Shakespeare, Dr Ng said Singapore “was not born into greatness, but hardship and poverty”. It was Mr Lee’s “singular mission and dedication” that steered the Republic to independence and transformed Singapore into a “modern and thriving metropolis”.

Said Dr Ng: “In lifting an entire nation, and improving countless lives of Singaporeans of several generations, Mr Lee Kuan Yew has left a lasting legacy for all of us, and achieved greatness.”

US human trafficking report 'continues to present inaccuracies': Singapore

Findings did not take into account domestic law or context, say officials

By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 25 Jun 2013

THE Singapore authorities yesterday criticised a United States report on human trafficking, saying it "continues to present inaccuracies and misrepresentations" about the Republic.

The Singapore Inter-agency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) released a statement saying the US Department of State's report did not take into account Singapore's laws or its domestic context, which is different from the US.

The Republic was placed in "Tier 2" of a four-tier category system in which "Tier 1" represents countries "whose governments fully comply with minimum international standards of protecting migrant workers from forced labour or other forms of trafficking in people".

"Tier 2" countries do not fully comply with minimum international standards but are making "significant efforts" in the area.

The US report, released earlier this month, charged among other things that child sex trafficking occurs in Singapore.

It also said that the Government investigated more than 400 leads, "yet it only substantiated 21 trafficking cases during the year".

The taskforce said it will address the "inaccuracies" in a subsequent statement. Set up in 2010 and co-chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Manpower, it said the report "generally captured Singapore's key TIP efforts" and stressed that the Government remains fully committed in fighting human trafficking.

The statement added that last year a National Plan of Action was launched to combat human trafficking. It included securing a budget to fund TIP initiatives, strengthening inter-agency coordination and increasing awareness of trafficking among government officials, workers and the public.

The taskforce has also boosted the number of frontline officers and stepped up training.

It called on the US to adopt "a more objective methodology to report countries' TIP efforts in future editions of the TIP report".

S'pore slams US report on human rights

MFA criticises 'hypocritical' report which contains 'gross inaccuracies'

By Elgin Toh, The Straits Times, 21 Jun 2013

THE Singapore Government has slammed the United States State Department's annual human rights report on Singapore, saying it was "hypocritical" and contained "gross inaccuracies and misrepresentations".

While the criticisms levelled at Singapore have been rebutted in detail "year after year", the US has chosen to ignore "even factual clarifications", thereby compromising the report's objectivity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a stern statement yesterday.

The MFA also turned on the US' own human rights record, noting how the superpower "has been the subject of both domestic and international criticism regarding various allegations of egregious human rights violations".

It did not cite any examples.

The US, however, has come under fire for its continued detention of 166 enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - an arrangement Amnesty International has called "the gulag of our time".

Singapore's latest rebuttal comes two months after the US released its yearly assessment of human rights practices for about 195 countries around the world.

The report called Singapore's Internal Security Act (ISA) a form of "arbitrary arrest", although it added that the law has in recent years been used against alleged terrorists, not political opponents.

Other human rights "problems" it noted include caning as a form of criminal punishment, as well as restrictions on free assembly, union rights and opposition activity.

The MFA, zooming in on the report's mention of the ISA, said its criticism of the law represented the application of a "double standard" by the US.

"The US, in its own fight against terrorism, has at the highest level publicly articulated that certain trade-offs between rights and security are necessary and worthy," it said.

The MFA added that the repeating of inaccuracies and misrepresentations about Singapore shows the US is more interested in "imposing its own ideology, rather than making a genuine attempt to understand human rights practices as they actually exist".

Promoting and protecting human rights was something Singapore took seriously, it said, but "human rights cannot be considered in isolation from the circumstances of the society in which they are embedded".

No warnings issued to HOME, says ministry

TODAY, 29 Sep 2012

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has refuted the allegation that it had warned the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) over the group's efforts in assisting some Chinese workers in a wage dispute with their employer, Panasonic.

The MOM was responding to a Facebook post dated Sept 23 by HOME Executive Director Jolovan Wham, where Mr Wham said HOME had been told it would be held responsible if the workers were to go on strike.

He cited the Panasonic case as an example of "intimidation and pressure" by the Government on civil society. 

In a Facebook post yesterday, the MOM said it "had heard that individuals were agitating the workers to carry out some form of collective action".

"The MOM had then checked with HOME to find out more about the situation, speaking with HOME's President Bridget Lew Tan," the ministry said. "No warnings were issued in this conversation."

On the Panasonic case, the MOM said it had been working with the affected workers since last month, contrary to Mr Wham's claims.

Among other things, the MOM had found that the workers' claims of excessive recruitment fees against their Employment Agency were "unsubstantiated".

Apart from the possible breaches of overtime laws, which "require time to investigate and close", the MOM said all other allegations of employment irregularities have been resolved.

"We recognise and appreciate the tireless efforts of non-governmental organisations," said the MOM. "However, publicising unfounded accusations is counter-productive."

* MOM Clarifies Investigation Outcome Involving Employment Agency and Workers from Panasonic Singapore -10 Oct 2012

Trafficking in Persons Report 2012: Singapore's Response

Govt rebuts US report on human trafficking

Panel clarifies 'errors' in paper saying S'pore fell short of global standards

By Amelia Tan, The Straits Times, 14 Jul 2012

A GOVERNMENT panel has given a point-for-point rebuttal of what it said were 'inaccuracies' in a recent United States report on human trafficking here.

The US State Department report published last month had concluded that Singapore still fell short of international standards to fight human trafficking.

Singapore's inter-agency task force on human trafficking said the US report had reflected the 'significant' progress made here on the problem, but it also contained 'several inaccuracies and misrepresentations' that needed to be clarified.

The Singapore panel, whose response was 3 1/2 pages long, comprises representatives from the Singapore Police Force and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, and is co-chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Singapore at Tier 2 in US Trafficking in Persons Report

'Significant efforts' made to stop trafficking
US report, which puts S'pore in Tier 2, is 'balanced' despite some 'inaccuracies', says Govt
TODAY, 21 Jun 2012

While the United States State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report this year contains some "inaccuracies and misrepresentations", it is a "balanced report", the Singapore Government said yesterday.

The TIP report released yesterday placed Singapore in Tier 2 - same as last year - meaning that, while the Singapore Government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, it is making "significant efforts" to do so. 

The Singapore Inter-Agency Taskforce on TIP did not elaborate on what the inaccuracies and misrepresentations were. In a statement last night, it said it welcomed US efforts in highlighting "this important global issue" but remained of the view that the US has to adopt a more objective methodology in future editions of the report.

"This will ensure that a consistent, transparent and measurable standard is applied to all countries and a better understanding of the different legal structures and domestic contexts of countries ranked in the report is taken into account," the taskforce added.