Many years ago a world first may have been set when the government of the country of Singapore made chewing gum an illegal and banned substance.
Yesterday Singapore may have set another world first when it sent two bloggers to jail for racial blogging.
Charged under Singapores Sedition Act, for posting racist remarks on the internet, one recieved a 1 month jail term, while the other received a day in jail and a S$5000 fine.
One of the English language daily-online newspapers, has three articles in its Saturday 8 Oct edition. You can read them here, here and and here.
I post this dairy for Kossack awareness. Perhaps a good read of the Patriot Act is in order :)
Some quotes from the newpaper articles below the fold:
Let's hear it from Judge Magus...
"Young Singaporeans may have short memories: Race and religion are sensitive issues," he said. "They must realise that callous and reckless remarks on racial or religious subjects have the potential to cause social disorder, whatever the medium or forum on which they are expressed."
[snip]...
BLOGGER Benjamin Koh Song Huat spent his first night in a prison cell on Friday after becoming one of the first persons to be convicted under the Sedition Act.
"It was the first time I had seen that word -- sedition," Koh told Today in an exclusive interview hours before he was sentenced. "I didn't know what it meant until my lawyer explained it to me."
[snip] ...back to the judge...
Bloggers who "still have similar offending remarks" on their blogs should remove them "immediately", the judge warned: "One cannot hide behind the anonymity of cyberspace to pen diatribes against another race or religion. The right to propagate an opinion on the Internet is not, and cannot, be an unfettered right."
...I post this dairy not with the idea of discussing Singapore laws, but to raise awareness in the Kos world to consider if current US laws could be applied to bring about similar prosecutions.