Sg cartoonist arrested for alleged sedition
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By Andrew Loh | SingaporeScene – 16 hours ago
Singapore police arrested Mr Leslie Chew, 37, the person behind the cartoon strip, Demon-cratic Singapore, on Friday morning, for alleged sedition.
He was held in custody and questioned over the weekend, and was released at 8.45pm on Sunday after posting bail of S$10,000.
The police confiscated his handphone, computer and hard disk. He was also asked to surrender his passport to the police at the Cantonment Police complex.
The charges relate to two of the comic strips on his Demon-cratic Facebook page. Mr Chew has produced more than 600 cartoons thus far, including those on the page.
The first cartoon, published on his Facebook page on 14 December last year, and titled “Demon-cratic Singapore Episode #438, Eliminating the thorn first...”, had also been the subject of a letter of demand from the Attorney General Chambers (AGC) last year.
The AGC, in a letter to Mr Chew on 17 December, said the cartoon “scandalises our Courts through allegations and imputations that are scurrilous and false."
However, it said it would not commence further legal proceedings against Chew if he posted an apology on the page, removed the cartoon and “all accompanying comments” related to the post, which has gathered over 600 likes, shares and comments since December.
Chew, however, decided not to comply because he said his work is fictional, and not related to any real events or persons, as stated on his Facebook page. On its page, which has 19,000 likes, Demon-cratic Singapore describes itself as a "100% fictional comic series about a country that does not exist".
In the second cartoon, Chew said the police questioned him about the population statistics in the cartoon, and its words – “Malay population… Deliberately suppressed by a racist government.”
Under Singapore's Sedition Act, among other things, it is an offence to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the Government; and to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore.
Anyone found guilty of the offence can be fined up to S$5,000 or jailed up to three years, or both.
Chew, however, denies any such intentions, again pointing to the disclaimer in each of his cartoons which says that the portrayals in them “are purely fictional”.
“I also explicitly stated that Demon-cratic Singapore is an entirely imaginary country and is not the Republic of Singapore,” Mr Chew says, referring to this page.
The latest arrest follows a spate of legal action by members of the Government against online commentators and sites.
In January, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong demanded writer and activist, Alex Au removed his blog posts about Action Information Management, the PAP-owned company embroiled in the controversy over the PAP-run town councils’ computer system.
And on 18 April, the AGC demanded an apology and the removal of posts from several websites which it alleged cast doubt on the judiciary's integrity.
Chew, who says that the police was “very professional” in the way they treated him, has been asked to report to the police on 30 April.
“Most fans know that Demon-cratic Singapore is fictional and are just for laughs,” said Chew.
“Even when there are new readers who thought otherwise, they are usually quickly reminded by other readers that everything on my Facebook page is fictional."
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By Benjamin Cheah TOC understands that lawyer Mr Choo Zheng Xi has been engaged to represent Mr Leslie Chew, artist of webcomic Demon-cratic Singapore, in court. Mr Choo said, “Leslie disagrees with the premise of the police investigations into his cartoons and hopes that the investigations will not result in a formal charge.� Mr Chew, 37, was arrested on Friday morning for alleged sedition. He was held over the weekend and released on Sunday evening at 8.45pm, after posting bail for $10000. The police confiscated his computer, hard disk and mobile phone, and he was also asked to surrender his passport at the Police Cantonment Complex. The charges relate to two comics posted on Facebook. The first, published in 14 December 2012 and titled ‘Eliminating the thorn first…’ was also the subject of a letter of demand from the Attorney General Chambers last year. The letter, dated 17 December, said the strip “scandalises our Courts through allegations and imputations that are scurrilous and false�. The AGC said it would not take further action against him if he posted an apology and removed the strip and accompanying comments. Mr Chew, however, maintained that his work is completely fictional and chose not to comply. The webcomic’s page describes itself as a “100% fictional comic series about a country that does not exist�. As for the second strip, Mr Chew recounted the police questioning him about the population statistics cited in the comic, and the words “Malay population…Deliberately suppressed by a racist government�. Under the Sedition Act, it is an offence to incite hatred, contempt or disaffection against the government or the administration of justice, or to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility against citizens of different races. Sedition is punishable by a fine of up to $5000, a three-year jail sentence, or both. After being released, Mr Chew published a comic describing his arrest and questioning. In it, he stated, “(S)omeone filed an official complaint that my fictional work on Demon-cratic Singapore is about the Republic of Singapore, despite all the reminders over this Facebook page that Demon-cratic Singapore is a fully fictitious country. Due to this complaint, the police has to bring me in for investigation.� As for the police who arrested and interviewed him, Mr Chew said, “All the police officers of the Republic of Singapore that I have come into contact with have treated me with courtesy and were mostly cordial in their approach.� Mr Chew added he would need to report to the police on 30 April.
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humour is dying out in Sg.
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"they" loves to pick on small fries....
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easy targets.
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kill chicken scare monkey.
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monkey tricks.
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Singapore education ought to embark on only analyses positivity, joys, love and bliss in all public writings and arts as well as a tinge of fictional sarcastic quotes. Otherwise, singapore has no much fun loving and all would be like bookworms.
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. Buddha”
“Be vigilant; guard your mind against negative thoughts.”
“It is in a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that leads him to evil ways.”
“All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain”
“Words do not express thoughts very well; every thing immediately becomes a little different, a little distorted, a little foolish. And yet it also pleases me and seems right that what is of value and wisdom of one man seems nonsense to another.”
― Gautama Buddha
In the end, Nothing remains without change as nothing remains, without change :)
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U dun see them going for the masses but aimming those indiviual high value targets...
They dun dare stike at the body but make strikes at the heads...
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Originally posted by ^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~:
They dun dare stike at the body but make strikes at the heads...
kill chicken scare monkey.
PAP is also afraid of the masses.
Harry Lee Kuan Yew is wary of the Singapore masses. He is from peranakan minority group.
Majority of Singapore masses are not peranakans.
He can never be secure in his mind.
That is why periodically, must kill a chicken to scare monkey.
But I am not afraid of Harry Lee Kuan Yew. why?
The reason is simple. I am a hokkien. I am in majority.
Harry Lee Kuan Yew is a peranakan. He is in minority.
He has to fake himself as chinese to control Singapore, brainwash people to believe that he is chinese.
But for people who know the truth about Harry Lee Kuan Yew, what is there to be afraid of?
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sometimes when you wanna put humor in the art you have to be very specific and subjective also. when you draw fine its creativity but when you know the humor will lean on the political side of our ccountry then you have to present it in a more subjective manner. like indirectly targeting specific people problematic ones in our gabrament, instead of targeting the whole democrativ system in our contury.
leave the speeches when we have chance for legal gatherings at hong lim park.
when tis election time, we all do our best can already.
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Originally posted by isntitobviousstoptokinrot:
sometimes when you wanna put humor in the art you have to be very specific and subjective also. when you draw fine its creativity but when you know the humor will lean on the political side of our ccountry then you have to present it in a more subjective manner. like indirectly targeting specific people problematic ones in our gabrament, instead of targeting the whole democrativ system in our contury.
leave the speeches when we have chance for legal gatherings at hong lim park.
when tis election time, we all do our best can already.
I think this time he hit the coffin nail with respect to the 14 Dec strip -
Originally posted by isntitobviousstoptokinrot:
sometimes when you wanna put humor in the art you have to be very specific and subjective also.
Yes, I think he was too direct. He shouldn't have used "Singapore" in his comics.
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Originally posted by SevenEleven:
I think this time he hit the coffin nail with respect to the 14 Dec stripWhat was it about?
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Originally posted by Dalforce 1941:
Yes, I think he was too direct. He shouldn't have used "Singapore" in his comics.
let's face it. whether he used Singapore or not, the strips is abt the happening in the sg political scene. -
Originally posted by SevenEleven:
I think this time he hit the coffin nail with respect to the 14 Dec stripthe old man still haressing youngsters. haiz..
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Originally posted by SevenEleven:
let's face it. whether he used Singapore or not, the strips is abt the happening in the sg political scene.That's why there was no need to be so direct. Everyone knows it is about PAP government.
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Originally posted by Clivebenss:
the old man still haressing youngsters. haiz..
nah......he's waiting his time. It was the habit passed on -
Originally posted by SevenEleven:
nah......he's waiting his time. It was the habit passed onsame genes.
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Originally posted by Clivebenss:
same genes.
my honesty is going to get me in trouble someday -
Originally posted by SevenEleven:
nah......he's waiting his time. It was the habit passed on
wah waiting time still drawing salary, can consolidte an convert to hell notes arh? -
Originally posted by SevenEleven:
my honesty is going to get me in trouble somedaytroubles are the genes.
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What is the story about actually?