Statement by Community Action Network (CAN) on the actions by the police against Roy Ngerng and Teo Soh Lung’s alleged violation of the Parliamentary Election Act during the recent Bukit Batok By-election. (read here)
Community Action Network (CAN) calls for an end to the harassment of Roy Ngerng and Teo Soh Lung, who are under investigation following police reports filed by the Elections Department alleging that they had breached Cooling-Off Day rules during the Bukit Batok by-election.
Ngerng and Teo have both been subjected to long interviews in police headquarters this morning. The police then proceeded to search both their homes for over two hours. During the search, they were not allowed to make any phone calls.
The Elections Department’s own website states that the Cooling-Off Day rules do not apply to the “transmission of personal political views by individuals to other individuals, on a non-commercial basis, using the Internet, telephone or electronic means”. Ngerng and Teo’s posts on their personal Facebook pages fall under this exception.
This is police harassment; as Singaporean citizens Teo and Ngerng are entitled to share their personal opinions on political issues. This should not be treated as suspicious, much less a crime warranting long interrogations and searches.
