Singaporean Speaker's Corner is censored

In the tightly controlled city state of Singapore, free speech comes with strings attached.

In the tightly controlled city state of Singapore, free speech comes with strings attached.

The authorities have decided to introduce a "Speaker's Corner", but orators will first have to register with police and could face a criminal investigation if they speak too freely. Ho Peng Kee, a Home Affairs minister, said people must register their intention to speak at a police station and produce documents proving they were Singaporeans. Their names would be kept on record for five years, he added. Mr Ho said: "If a person says something that is against the law, if he libels, if he says something that intimidates people, then of course there must be an investigation."

Singapore's tiny political opposition has ridiculed the notion of a Speaker's Corner, expected to be set up in August, as so many restrictions will apply.

Singapore's Internal Security Act, which allows detention without trial for anyone deemed a threat to national security, is also expected to be something of a disincentive to the expression of radical views.