Dear everyone,
We are featuring four articles and a video this weekend. To allow our readers easy access to them, here is a summary:
Singaporean activists mark World Press Freedom Day 2008
To mark World Press Freedom Day 2008, a group of Singaporean independent activists held a demonstration outside the Singapore Press Holdings’ News Centre building on May 3.
Youths call for right to vote at Youthquake forum
The Workers’ Party Youth Wing (YPYW) launched its inaugural YouthQuake forum series today on the topic “Should Singaporean Youths be Allowed to Vote at 18?” The public forum, targeted at youths, took place at the party’s headquarters in Syed Alwi Road.
James Gomes gives TOC exclusive update
James Gomes, an opposition candidate in the general elections in 2006, is in Singapore currently. TOC met up with him and asked him what he’s been up to. (Video) We apologise for the slight noise in the background in the video.
Homophobia Part 1: MDA censors the family
Writer Ng Yi Sheng gives his take on the Media Development Authority’s fine on Mediacorp for broadcasting a programme on Channel Five which Showed “an episode of a home and décor programme named Find and Design that happened to feature two men in a loving relationship, converting their game room into a nursery for their new adopted baby.”
Homophobia Part 2: Under attack from the police
Yi Sheng relates how the police raided a “gay sauna”, named One Seven, last Friday. “Though none of the clients were arrested, the 74 year-old owner, Sam was injured by the supervising officer and arrested and jailed overnight for allegedly having assaulted the officer, a charge that he denies.”
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TOC will also be featuring a write up by Gerald Giam on Viswa Sadasivan’s speech which included the issues of leadership in government and the local media.
Also, coming soon on TOC will be well-known psychotherapist Anthony Yeo’s article on the Mas Selamat issue and what needs to be done before Singaporeans can “move on”.
It’s an interesting week for TOC and hopefully also for you, our readers. Some of the articles contain, undoubtedly, controversial issues. It is our hope that everyone here will engage in civil and respectful discourse and avoid name-calling or profanities.
We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have responded to our call to join us. It is indeed very heartening and encouraging to see fellow Singaporeans offering to give us a hand.
We also thank those of you who have written in to us with words of support.
Lastly, TOC will be moving to a new site with a new layout soon – as we approach our 1,000,000th hit in the stats count. We’re looking at perhaps end of this week. So if you visit our site and find it looking different, don’t worry.
It’s just the new TOC. 🙂
Thanks, everyone!
Regards,
Andrew Loh
On behalf of the editorial team.
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