Was anti-death penalty activist harassed?

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Tuesday, 20 July 2010

Singapore Democrats

Last Thursday, a Indian man visited Ms Rachel Zeng's home in the evening. Ms Zeng was not home at that time. The man asked Ms Zeng's parents for her mobilephone number, saying that he wanted her to sign an insurance form. Her parents declined.

When Ms Zeng returned home later that evening, she spotted an Indian man standing at the lift lobby staircase, balancing an opened laptop on one hand and talking on his cellphone with the other. She was with Mr Seelan Palay at that time. Both Ms Zeng and Mr Seelan are actively involved in the anti-death penalty campaign in Singapore.

The moment he saw Ms Zeng, the stranger started to react in an awkard manner, gesticulating frantically.

The two activists went up the elevator but decided to come back down awhile later. When he saw them again, he immediately took out his cellphone to make a call. He started to walk around the block, casting glances to make sure that his spotters couldn't see him.

He then sat down by the walkway, placing himself at a spot when he could look up at Ms Zeng's flat. He remained there for some time.

The two went to a coffeeshop where they called their friends to relate the strange happenings. After about 30 minutes they went back to Ms Zeng's block and saw the man at the same spot. When he saw them, he cursed and walked away before getting on his phone again.

The following evening Ms Zeng spotted another man, this time a Chinese, also with a mini-laptop opened on his palm at the same spot she saw the first man the night before. This time, the stranger was less nervous. He smiled at Ms Zeng. As she entered the lift to go up to her flat, the man came to the lift door as it was closing and waved to her.

Rachel (sitting) and Seelan organising the book lauch

Rachel (sitting) and Seelan organising the book lauch

Did the incidents have anything to do with the fact that Ms Zeng was the organiser for Mr Alan Shadrake's book launch that was held on 17 Jul 10? Mr Shadrake was arrested and is being investigated for criminal defamation and contempt of court. Bookstores have been ordered not to sell the book Once A Jolly Hangman.

Ms Zeng thinks so. "I'm suspicious because it came just two days before Alan's book launch which I have been organising," she tells the SDP website. "The first guy may have been just a weird stranger who just happened to be there. But there was this second guy who was carrying the same laptop and waved to me. How coincidental is that? That's when I think they were trying to send me a message."

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Comments (14)

Mon 19 Jul 2010 7:25 PM | BryanT - Harassment.... by loan shark!

Of course it is harassment!

Come on, you guys don't recognise a loan-shark runner when you one? :)

Mon 19 Jul 2010 8:03 PM | AhKow - Harassment....by BryanT

Hmm...Maybe it is BryanT!

Mon 19 Jul 2010 8:29 PM | maxchew - It's called KASI-TAKUT

That's what it's called in Police parlance....just to tell Ms Rachel Zeng that she's now under surveillance by the authorities....likely ISD or Police Intelligence Div. Additionally, to frighten her family members also, hoping they will "force" her to abandon her activism.

Trust me, I was in the SPF for 25 years.

Mon 19 Jul 2010 8:38 PM | Kai Xiong

Maybe not BryanT, but experienced activists recognise PAP lapdogs far faster than anyone else ;)

Oh, and cyberspace anonymity is no barrier at all ;)

Mon 19 Jul 2010 10:01 PM | Robox

Yes, it's both harassment as well as surveillance!

How do I know? Because I myself have been the object of such action.

Rachel is quoted as saying, "The first guy may have been just a weird stranger who just happened to be there." I can assure her that he was defintely not. (I hope she had also shared notes with her family about the first man in terms of how she could have confirmed that he was surveilling her, such as what he was wearing or any other characteristics that can identify him.)

I hope every Singaporean who commits to challenging the PAP government, especially on what the PAP government deems 'controversial' - rightwing opposition party memebers need not apply seeing that they are actually colluding with the PAP - will come around to expecting this to be the case when they do so.

Mon 19 Jul 2010 10:50 PM | Seelan Palay - BryanT's stupidity on public display

The "BryanT" who tries so hard to prove his assumption that he's "smarter" than everyone else has put his stupidity on public display with his first comment.

I actually laughed out, not because he's funny, but because he made such a complete fool out of himself.

Mon 19 Jul 2010 10:56 PM | Tan Tai Wei

Believable that they had been indeed "harrassed".

It's common amongst "leaders" who suffer from this streak of dictatorship (a paychiatric condition, like Hitler's} that they assume they must be absolutely right, and so whoever oppose them on any matter at all must not be sincere but act on ulterior motives, such as "conspiracy" with foreigners to undermine us, for instance.

And so we send ISD after them, since they are overstaffed in any case, and need some "work" to do to justify their salary!

Mon 19 Jul 2010 11:16 PM | Tan Tai Wei

Seelan,
What BryanT seems to say is that ISD would degenerate to such level as to use even loan sharks' tactics!

Tue 20 Jul 2010 12:30 AM | Jufrie - He's no fool

BryanT is no fool - far from being one. He is more a tool than a fool.
I don't want to be such a bore. But what I've been saying is worth repeating.
BryanT will say anything and do everything for his master - even selling his own mother for a song.

Tue 20 Jul 2010 12:37 AM | quantum - Please make a documentary

Mr Seelan, you have your iphone right? I heard they can take very clear videos. Then you can post the video here, instead of just writing. A video is better than a thousand words.

Tue 20 Jul 2010 2:02 AM | | ngejay - We should express outrage

We should express outrage at the harassment of one of our activists.

This is a police state, and my next blog posting will make that clear.

Tue 20 Jul 2010 4:35 AM | | ngejay - Ignore BryanT

BryanT is using a classic textbook propaganda technique.

A lady activist has been harassed. So he purposely uses a very provoking remark to tempt people into over-reacting. Then he will go to facebook and TOC and say that SDP supporters are uncouth.

BryanT: this propaganda technique was invented a century ago and has become very old. Time to go for reskilling, retooling, so that you can upturn the downturn.

Tue 20 Jul 2010 11:16 AM | tencents

Rachel - you should have just confronted the man, called the Police to arrest him and see through that he is charged for stalking. It's every citizen's role to report every suspicious person or activity isn't it.

Tue 20 Jul 2010 12:39 PM | quantum - The book will be available in the library

Title Once a jolly hangman : Singapore justice in the dock / Alan Shadrake.
Author Shadrake, Alan.
Publisher Petaling Jaya, Selangor : Strategic Information and Research Development Centre, 2010.
Physical Description xvi, 219 p., [12] p. of plates : ill. ; 23 cm.
Other Contributors Strategic Info Research Development.
Search by Subjects Justice, Administration of Singapore.
Law Political aspects Singapore.
Singapore Politics and government.
Where to find it
Branch Location Date Call Number Status
Lee Kong Chian Reference Library RSING 23-06-10 English 347.5957 SHA In Process
Lee Kong Chian Reference Library RSING 23-06-10 English 347.5957 SHA In Process

http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/cgi-bin/cw_cgi?fullRecord+18264+3002+13604821+1+0