Ex-US football player faces caning in Singapore

[RamboLiberal]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle/AP


A former Florida State University football player may become the first American in 16 years to be caned in Singapore after he overstayed his visa, his lawyer said Thursday.

Kamari Charlton, who was a reserve tight end for Florida State from 1992 to 1996, was arrested Sept. 1 when he attempted to leave the city-state 169 days after his 90-day social visit pass expired, attorney M. Ravi said.

Charlton, who was born in the Bahamas and owns a construction company there, was in Singapore while his wife received medical care for pregnancy complications, Ravi said. It was not clear why Charlton and his wife chose Singapore for medical treatment.

Staying in Singapore more than 90 days after the end of a visa is punishable with a maximum jail term of six months and at least three cane strokes.





Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/10/21/international/i044631D49.DTL

[bluestateguy]

1. Gee this really is like 1994 again

Republicans ascendant and the Michael Fay case all over again too.

[burning rain]

10. I remember Michael Fay.

As I recall, he defaced someone's Mercedes.

[derby378]

2. This is surreal...

You try to leave our country, so we're gonna cane you for trying to leave?

I know, I know, he stayed way past the visa's expiration date. If he were caught while trying to stay in Singapore, however, I could understand the rationale a bit better, even if I deplore the use of caning as part of the penalty.

[Downwinder]

4. Same thing we do. Arrest people going back to Mexico.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2010-10-21/news/grinding-justice-operation-streamline-costs-millions-tramples-the-constitution-treats-migrants-like-cattle-and-doesn-t-work/

[Kolesar]

23. a mega-million-dollar boondoggle that fattens the Border Patrol's budget and enriches private corps

yuk

[Mad_Dem_X]

28. Caning seems pretty extreme for what he did.

Punishing someone for trying to leave?

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tunkamerica]

7. I think you mean c'est pool. or c'est piscine.

...or cesspool

[Turborama]

12. Have you been to Singapore? I have several times and it is anything but a cesspool

(which is what you obviously meant)

And I'm certain any Singaporeans, or any other DUers who have been to Singapore, would agree.

[Kolesar]

22. The Lee government confiscated the entire $400,000 budget of the Democratic Party

It is a one party state. You have to be in the Lee family to be President.

[Turborama]

24. I didn't know about that little nugget of history

Have you got a link?

[Kolesar]

25. I read it a year or so ago when I was perusing Singaporean news and blogs

Singapore also fined the Wall Street Journal when the WSJ reported that the Singapore judiciary was corrupt. That story was in the WSJ.

Now, the WSJ won't print anything negative about Singapore. But they will put it online

[Turborama]

31. That's really ironic

Considering that Singapore has been rated as one of the least corrupt countries in the world and it was a Murdoch paper accusing them of being corrupt.

Singapore ranked world's 3rd least-corrupt country (2009)
http://www.webcitation.org/5lNuOECiW

Singapore has moved up a notch to third place
http://www.webcitation.org/5lNuEvvco

Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer

In addition to the CPI, Singapore was also included in TI's Global Corruption Barometer (or the Barometer), a yearly public opinion survey, in 2004 and 2005. The survey was carried out to assess the public's perceptions and experience of corruption in a country. In Singapore a total of about 500 respondents took part in the survey. Participants of the survey were asked to grade the degree of corruption, on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being not at all corrupt and 5 extremely corrupt), for 15 keys political, social and economical institutions/sectors in a country and also the country's corruption outlook in the next three years. Notably, the survey outcome revealed that Singapore residents, compared to residents in other countries, perceived very little corruption in the various institutions and sectors in the country.

More: http://app.cpib.gov.sg/cpib_new/user/default.aspx?pgID=147

[Kolesar]

32. Citizens can be arrested for standing on a sidewalk holding placards

...that criticize the government.

[Turborama]

33. Singapore's Constitution: Freedom of Speech, Assembly and Association

I thought we were discussing corruption but I just looked this up to try and verify if what you said is correct.

Freedom of speech, assembly and association

14. —(1) Subject to clauses (2) and (3) —

(a) every citizen of Singapore has the right to freedom of speech and expression;
(b) all citizens of Singapore have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms; and
(c) all citizens of Singapore have the right to form associations.

(2) Parliament may by law impose —

(a) on the rights conferred by clause (1) (a), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof, friendly relations with other countries, public order or morality and restrictions designed to protect the privileges of Parliament or to provide against contempt of court, defamation or incitement to any offence;
(b) on the right conferred by clause (1) (b), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof or public order; and
(c) on the right conferred by clause (1) (c), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof, public order or morality.

(3) Restrictions on the right to form associations conferred by clause (1) (c) may also be imposed by any law relating to labour or education

From: http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/non_version/cgi-bin/cgi_getdata.pl?actno=1999-REVED-CONST&doctitle=CONSTITUTION%20OF%20THE%20REPUBLIC%20OF%20SINGAPORE%0a&date=latest&method=part&segid=931158659-000271#931158659-000271

[The Northerner]

5. Really? I just can't believe the Singaporean gov't would cane someone over something like this.

[Chulanowa]

6. Singapore is a heavy-handed authoritarian state

Howevery they also happen to have embraced free-market capitalism, so that makes them "the good guys"

[Turborama]

13. The people of Singapore are generally very proud of where they live and happy with their lifestyle

Which is what matters most, at the end of the day.

[Chulanowa]

14. Cattle are happy with the feedlot, too

Doesn't mean things couldn't be better for the beleaguered bovines, does it?

[Turborama]

15. Have you been to Singapore? BTW Singaporeans are humans, not animals.

You can only tell if people are happy when you visit/experience where they live and have met and spoken to them in person.

[rpannier]

16. Yes, I've been to Singapore and it is a heavy handed authoritarian state

It is safer and it is cleaner than most countries on this side of the world
But the Japanese have proven, you don't have to have ruthless laws in order to get positive results

[Turborama]

18. They have a lot of strict laws there but that hasn't turned it into a miserable place

According to the "Happy Planet Index" Singapore rose significantly in the ranks between 2006 and 2009 (from 131 to 49) and Japan dropped off the charts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Planet_Index

Suicide and poverty are on the rise in Japan.

Suicides cost Japan economy $30bn
Study shows medical bills for the depressed and lost incomes of those who took their lives contributed to figure.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/09/2010986265671845.html

Around 20 million people, or 16 per cent of the populace, are said to be living in poverty.
Last Modified: 10 Sep 2010 09:30 GMT
Japan's economy has been stagnant for over two decades and poverty has begun to slowly chip away at a once-dominant middle-class population. An estimated 20 million people, or 16 per cent of the population, are said to be living in poverty, and single parents make up about 59 per cent of them.

Al Jazeera's Divya Gopalan reports: http://english.aljazeera.net/video/asia-pacific/2010/09/201091072514593125.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Japan

[Chulanowa]

27. It's called "analogy"

People are happy in places without public glute mutilation, too. You're not making much of an argument.

[Turborama]

30. You can only tell if people are happy when you visit/experience where they live

and have met and spoken to them in person.

That is my argument.

Your analogy comparing Singaporeans to cattle sucks.

Have you ever been outside of the US?

[Chulanowa]

35. I never said they weren't happy

I said that I'm certain they could be happier.

Read the words I type, and not hte ones you make up in your own head, kay?

[DeltaLitProf]

17. Spoken like Big Brother himself.

Tell me, have you met Winston Smith yet?

[Turborama]

19. You don't know me, I don't know you

Let's keep it that way.

[Turborama]

21. By the way, they were "globalized" long before that phrase became commonly used

Read here for more details (PDF): http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN025535.pdf

And here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore#Economy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Singapore

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_rankings_of_Singapore

If you want to experience a true "melting pot" in Asia, Singapore is the place to visit.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Turborama]

11. You're expressing a wish for the ethnic cleansing of Singapore by Tsunami?

WTF?

Seriously...

What.

The.

Fuck?!?

[Eryemil]

26. Singapore is a backwards, authoritarian pit when it comes to human rights

Much worse than my country of birth, Cuba, in some aspects. The only reason you don't hear as much about it is because it is an economically successful capitalist state.

[RZM]

9. Michael Fay was mildly amusing and guess this is too

Police states usually aren't that funny, but when caning the buttocks is involved, smiles tend to be . . . 'cracked' . . .

:hide:

[herbm]

20. The punishment doesn't bother me as much as the fact he was arrested leaving.

[hughee99]

34. That was my first thought as well...

they catch the man leaving after overstaying his visa, and could potentially punish him by FORCING him to stay (at state expense, this time) for several more months?

[Blue_Tires]

29. so does the wife get the cane as well?