User:Andylkl/Sandbox2

Laws in Singapore are generally strict and aimed at instilling a self-disciplined society with restrictions and harsh punishments, for example caning and execution. Even the idea has been poked fun at by its citizens by using the saying "Singapore is a fine country", whereas the "fine" actually refers to a monetary fine.

Currently, pornography, oral sex (except as a precursor to regular intercourse), and anal sex are illegal in Singapore. Magazines, movies and TV shows have to undergo government censorship before being released to the general public and sales of several kinds of newspapers and magazines has been banned or restricted. Various minor offences could lead to heavy fines and caning while conviction of first-degree murder and drug trafficking cases instantly leads to the death penalty.

History[edit]

For most of the 19th century the criminal law which was applied in the three Straits Settlement of Singapore, Penang and Malacca was that of England, in so far as local circumstances were permitted. There was little doubt that English common law crimes were recognised in these territories at the time. Certain problems, such as the application of certain Indian Acts, however, arose in 1871 and the Straits Settlements Penal Code was passed. It came into operation on 16 September 1872. The Code is practically a re-enactment of the Indian Penal Code.

The original Code, as amended on numerous occasions, presently states the law of Singapore. The most recent amendment was made by the Penal Code (Amendment) Act 1984 which came into effect on 31 August 1984. The effect of this amendment was that minimum penalties were provided for certain offences. The last major amendment of the Code prior to 1984 took place in 1973 when punishments for certain offences were enhanced.

Prior to 1870 the law relating to Criminal Procedure in force in Singapore was mainly found in the Indian Act XVI of 1852. As a consequence of the passing of the Straits Settlements Penal Code in 1871, the Criminal Procedure Ordinance V of 1870 was passed which replaced the Criminal Procedure Act XVI of 1852 but continued the English system of Criminal Procedure and made it applicable to the Penal Code. This was found impracticable as the Penal Code did away with the division of crimes into felonies and misdemeanours and the Criminal Procedure Ordinance VI of 1873 was passed accordingly. The Ordinance VI of 1873 marked the passage of the English Criminal Law in favour of the Indian. The Ordinance did away with indictments and instituted charges for all criminal offences; it abolished the Grand Jury and Special and Common Juries.

A new Code of Criminal Procedure was enacted in 1902. The present Code was passed by the Legislative Council on 28 January 1955. It repeals and re-enacts with the amendments the previous Code. All offences under the Penal Code are inquired into and tried according to the Criminal Procedure Code. Source: Electric Law Library

Examples of current laws[edit]

Here are some examples of laws currently in effect:

Miscellaneous rules[edit]

The sale of chewing gum was forbidden for 12 years until May 2004, where the sale of chewing gum for medical purposes from a pharmacist only was approved by the government, gum sold as candy still remains prohibited. However, those who buy chewing gum must present identification and have a doctor's prescription. If the pharmacist does not take the name of the buyer, they could face a SGD 3,000 fine.
Heavy fines and Corrective Work Order are levied on people who spit or litter in public areas.
Eating and drinking on public transit also carry heavy fines.
Car ownership is curbed through a government scheme in which car owners must bid for a Certificate of Entitlement (COE).

Rules for crime[edit]

From 1991-2004, 400 people have been hanged in Singapore, mostly for drug trafficking, the highest execution rate in the world relative to population.

Narcotics laws are very strict, anyone caught with more than or equal to 13 g (0.5 ounces) of heroin, 28 g (1 ounce) of morphine or 480 g (17 ounces) of cannabis faces mandatory capital punishment.
Sex deemed by the government to be "against the order of nature", including oral sex (except as a precursor to conventional intercourse) and anal sex is illegal, though this is rarely (if ever) enforced.
Caning is mandatory for approximately 30 offenses, including violence against another person, the threat of violence, rape, robbery, as well as non-violent crimes such as vandalism, drug trafficking, and violation of immigration laws.

Rules for the media[edit]

Two major companies, SPH Holdings and MediaCorp, which both have been merged recently, have a virtual monopoly of the media industry. They are also said to have close links to the ruling party and helps the government in effectively implementing the rules.

Censorship[edit]

Tough censorship (by Western views) include:

The circulation or sales of some foreign newspapers and magazines, such as the Asian Wall Street Journal and the Far Eastern Economic Review being restricted. Malaysian newspapers are also not allowed to be sold in Singapore (and vice versa).
Pornography in any material is banned while depiction of sex and nudity are restricted. All adult magazines such as Playboy are included, and until recently, Cosmopolitan Magazine was only permitted to be sold in Singapore. If elements of sex or nudity were allowed in a movie or publication, it must be relevant to the context. Movies containing nudity, sex or high levels of violence are usually categorised as Restricted 21 (R21) or are banned.
Private ownership of satellite dishes is not allowed, though international TV broadcasts (such as CNN, BBC, etc) are available by cable.
Certain political material and material which may disturb religious and racial harmony is not allowed.

Internet censorship[edit]

Internet services provided by the three major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are not restricted in any forms at the moment.

The Ministry of Education, Singapore, does however block access to pornographic and similar objectionable internet sites on its proxy servers.

Notable offenders[edit]

An American teenager, Michael Fay, aroused passionate media interest from the United States after he was caught vandalising Singaporean cars in 1994. There was a formal request by the American government not to carry out the sentence, which was caning. Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew called American practices "soft" and denied the appeal, although the number of strokes given was lessened. Fay was caned and interest in the incident has fallen since.

Soon after the Michael Fay issue,

in 2004, Chief Justice Yong Pung How sentenced a 25-year-old former policeman, Annis Abdullah, to jail for 12 months for receiving oral sex from a teenage girl. In his statement he said that despite growing permissiveness in some countries there were "certain offences that are so repulsive in Asian culture".

Recent developments[edit]

In recent years, the Singaporean government has relaxed some of the stricter laws. For example, bungy jumping is no longer illegal. Film censorship has also been relaxed. There are also signs that the government is considering relaxing a number of laws concerning sex.

It is of note that while some archaic laws do remain from British common law, the judicary usually does not deliberately enforce these laws. For instance, while possession of pornography is illegal, no known checks have been made. However,

Capital punishment[edit]

Singapore is believed to possess the highest per capita rate of executions in the world, according to Amnesty International. The Singapore government has released figures giving a breakdown of the numbers of executions that have taken place over the past five years. Executions by hanging occur every Friday morning in Changi prison; relatives are informed of the date of the execution four days before it is scheduled to take place, seven to fourteen days beforehand in the case of foreigners as is detailed in the Singapore government's response to Amnesty International on the subject.

Summary[edit]

In the group matches, Indonesia, coached by former Thailand coach Peter Withe, emerged as the Group A winners with ten points, 17 goals scored and non conceded. They were the hot favourites to win the 2004 Tiger Cup after bundling out the hosts Vietnam with an unexpexted 3-0 victory. Less than a day after the match had ended, the Vietnam Football Federation requested the resignation from its national coach Edson Tavares, despite his requests to stay on until the last match. Singapore, led by Radojko Avramovic pipped out the hosts by just a single point and remained to be the only team in the championship to not lose a single match.

Following the tournament motto "Anything can happen", Myanmar, under coach Ivan Kolev emerged as the surprise packages, holding defending champions Thailand to a draw and beating Malaysia on their own turf. Thailand

Track listing[edit]

"Mea Culpa part II (Radio Edit)"
"Mea Culpa part II (Violent US Remix)"
"Mea Culpa part II (Extended Trance Mix)"
"Mea Culpa part II (Meditation Mix)"
Introit: Benedicta sit sancta Trinitas"