IMF/World Bank meetings

[Retro Rick]

I like the last sentence. 

[Alaska]

singapore flags are already burnt in London out the embassy

[Fire76]

Thursday September 14, 11:29 PM   
UPDATE 2-S'pore, World Bank tussle over activist blacklist
By Geert De Clercq
 
SINGAPORE, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Singapore said on Thursday it might admit some of the 27 civil rights activists it barred from an IMF-World Bank meeting, but the bank rejected the government's softer stance as being insufficient.

Singapore had originally blocked the activists from attending the Sept. 11-20 meetings on the grounds they posed a threat to security and public order.

But in an apparent attempt to placate the monetary chiefs, who along with the European Union have criticised the city-state's tight security, Singapore said on Thursday it was willing to reconsider the ban on the activists.

"The IMF/WB have asked the government to allow in the 27 activists. The government has responded that if these activists travel to Singapore, we will assess at the point of entry whether they pose a security or safety risk," the Singapore 2006 Organising Committee said in a statement.

"If we judge the risk to be acceptable for that particular activist, we are prepared to allow him or her in. However, we cannot guarantee that all 27 activists will be admitted to Singapore," it said.

The statement was issued shortly after World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

"This statement is not a sufficient response to give the individuals in question the assurance that they would be granted access," a World Bank official told Reuters.

"We have accredited these individuals based on clearance by their respective governments and we believe they should be able to participate in our meetings."

Wolfowitz had said earlier that he hoped the ban on the activists was not a case of censorship, adding that it might be in breach of a 2003 agreement with the city-state.

But the Singapore 2006 committee said the memorandum of understanding signed between IMF/WB and the Singapore government "obliges Singapore to take all necessary measures for the safe passage of all persons in and out of Singapore".

It said the government takes this duty seriously in view of the international security environment.

Antonio Tricarico of Italy's Reform the World Bank said that according to the list, Singapore's objection to his accreditation was based on security and law and order considerations.

"Technically, that means terrorism. This is absurd," he told Reuters. Tricarico is the first person on the blacklist, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

Earlier, Singapore police said they had detained three Singaporeans who were planning to distribute flyers criticising the IMF and World Bank and had seized their computers.

Police spokesman Mohamed Razif said they were investigating the men under legislation stating that anyone possessing materials which contain "any incitement to violence or counselling disobedience to the law" would be jailed for up to three years or fined, or both.

On Wednesday, Singapore deported two Filipino activists who had been planning to join anti-IMF protests. (Additional reporting by Wee Sui Lee)

 

[Fire76]

Wednesday September 13, 3:45 PM   
Indonesia's Batam a world away for IMF protesters
By Wee Sui Lee
 
BATAM, Indonesia, Sept 13 (Reuters) - They are only a 40-minute ferry ride apart, but there is a world of difference between Indonesia's Batam island and neighbouring Singapore.

Singapore is hosting this month's annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, a conference and sideshow that attract thousands of suited, briefcase-carrying financiers and money managers from around the globe.

Batam, meanwhile, is gearing up for the arrival of up to 1,000 anti-globalisation activists who will be participating in a protest summit starting on Friday.

The protest is being held in Batam because Singapore has refused to relax a longstanding ban on public demonstrations. Batam, an island with an anything-goes tropical feel, is as close as they'll get.

Last week, Indonesian police said they would not ban a rally, but added they would not give organisers a "letter of recommendation" that would allow police to secure a venue and provide protection for participants.

"The outcome of our discussions in Batam will be conveyed to the meeting in Singapore," said Dian Kartika Sari, deputy director of the Jakarta-based International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID). But Karen Showalter of Bank Information Center, an NGO advocating transparency at the World Bank and IMF, said some groups are not going to Batam because "of rumours they are not going to be allowed."

"Two weeks ago we were expecting 700 but with recent developments, that number will probably drop," Showalter told Reuters in Jakarta.

VERY DIFFERENT

Just 12 miles (20 kms) south of Singapore, Batam, which has an area of about 415 square kilometers, is very different from the gleaming city-state.

Many of its 520,000 people still live in tin-roofed shacks, the streets are lined by rubbish, and most buildings could do with a lick of paint.

But the island is a popular destination for many Singaporeans, drawn by the numerous golf courses, sandy beaches, cheap restaurants and shops -- and, in some cases, by its red light district and cheap alcohol.

Figures for passenger traffic between Batam and Singapore were not available, but Singapore's Regional Ferry Terminal said more than 6 million passengers cross over to Batam, and Karimun, another island in the Indonesian Riau Islands, every year.

Although Batam has long been groomed as an industrial zone to attract foreign investment, many businesses have left in recent years due to legal uncertainty, bureaucracy and corruption.

But several electronics companies still have assembly plants there, including Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. and Siemens AG. Batam is also home to shipyards owned by Singapore companies such as Technics Oil & Gas and Jaya Holdings.

In July, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met in Batam to sign an agreement to develop Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in Batam and two other islands in the Riau archipelago, Bintan and Karimun.

The two countries want to attract more investment to the Riau islands using incentives such as lower labour costs.

Relations between Singapore and Batam have been prickly at times, as Indonesia opposed the shipping of sand to Singapore. The city-state has used sand from the Riau islands for its some of its land reclamation projects. (Additional reporting by Ahmad Pathoni and Koh Gui Qing)