Lifting of ban on “Singapore Rebel” ends 4 years ordeal for film-maker Martyn See
September 12th, 2009 | 
Author: From our Correspondent
After four long years, the ban is finally lifted for “Singapore Rebel”, a documentary made by film-maker Martyn See on opposition leader Dr Chee Soon Juan.
The Political Films Consultative Committee (PFCC), having reviewed the film, views ‘Singapore Rebel’ as a documentary film falling within the statutory exclusion set out in the Films Act and should therefore not be regarded as a party political film.
“Singapore Rebel” was submitted to the Singapore International Film Festival Short Competition in 2005 by Martyn See who withdrew it after a warning by Film Festival director Lesley Ho that the censors has deemed the film to be “objectionable” under the Films Act.
Three months later, Martyn sent the film to human rights film festivals in USA, New Zealand and Malaysia.
The Media Development Authority lodged a police report against Martyn See and he was called up for a police interview at Cantonment Police Complex in May.
It was only after 16 months of investigation, three interrogation sessions and 120 questions did the police finally decide to close their case against him. However, the ban against the film remains until today.
Writing about his ordeal on his blog, Martyn said:
“This whole episode has been rather surreal, but no less worrying (I still haven’t told my mother about it). It would have been out-of-whack in any First World nation, but it actually did happened in modern-day Singapore – the production of one short video featuring an opposition figure sparked off a ban, a police inquiry and much undue publicity for everyone involved.”
Martyn was not to be deterred by the threat of another round of police investigation when he went on to make a second new documentary in 2006 entitled “Zahari’s 17 years” on Singapore’s ex-ISD detainee Said Zahari, who spent a total of 17 years in detention without trial.
Zahari’s 17 Years remains banned under Section 35 of the Films Act though it has been watched by a few thousands people online.. Only the Minister has the authority to lift that ban.
Watch “Singapore Rebel” on Martyn’s blog here
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12 Responses to “Lifting of ban on “Singapore Rebel” ends 4 years ordeal for film-maker Martyn See”
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Congrats to Martyn See for his perseverance…Before I saw this film,I have always thought that Dr Chee was a raving lunatic for his outburst against GCT not so long ago…as painted by the MSM.
Thanks for showing his human side as well as how an opposition can get “fixed” when he/she goes against the ‘tide’.
Nice, election is certainly around the corner!
after election, they put the ban back.
Election is around the conner, so they? are trying all sort of way to demolish the image of the opposition.PAP now is a Panic & Perish Party everyone knows.Lunching the Book “Man in White” is to test the ground of fertilities. Within election time I can gurantee the Big Boys will take action again the party “SDP” made sure this party “Shut Down”. Wait & See
Does this mean they will also be unleashing more of their vids?
“let the thousand flowers bloom” it is common for PAP to relax political control slightly with harmless measures bef elections. but their fangs will show during and after elections.
so beware of their strategy to lure the snake out of the cave.
@ XiSd Tay on Sat, 12th Sep 2009 9:20 am …greetings..
Your comment…..Nice, election is certainly around the corner!..could prove suspiciously RIGHT.
MSM these days is filled with indoctrination-like pages and pages of “history” as if it is “relevant” of today’s realities and needs. NS boys are given 20% increases across all ranks for no explained reasons of TIMING of sudden enthusiasm of their welfare. Quotas for foreign workers from PRC tighten a little narrower.
Cynical minds might be forgiven to puzzle why in the background is Resilience Package and Job Credit – wonder resilence for what and whose “job” credit benefits after the election?. Neither SARS nor the Asian currency crisis provoked such a huge spending spree – all coming from our reserves. Cynical mind might ask why is this switching of savings from all “anonymous owners” in the citizenry’s pocket to the other pockets of employers and back to the pockets of citizenry – like a magician’s show.
But I don’t think it can repeated soon next year without self-expositions of the funnier side of flaws. The jokes in town might call the new one ICU survival package instead of Resilience Package.
Strangely enough even MSM noticed the falling star called the ever wonder Never DIE United States Dollar. Warren Buffet warned of its possible free fall over the cliff recently but MSM put a little light humour touch to it – a real bonus for US bound vacationers WITHOUT ASKING THE MORE PERTINENT QUESTION IF THERE IS ENOUGH HOLIDAY-MAKERS TO BENEFIT FROM A CRASHING US DOLLAR OR MAYBE TOO MANY RETRENCHED WORKERS WITH A LOTS OF FREE TIME AND RETRENCHMENT BENEFITS COULD WELL BENEFIT
FROM THE CRASHING UNCLE SAM’S DOLLAR AND LAUGHING WITH A BUNDLE OF JOY IN THE LAUGH OF A LIFE TIME.
http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=1&from=USD&to=SGD&submit=Convert
Just look at the chart. The US dollar is heading for maybe a free fall over the cliff.
My own thoughts is that election had better be sooner then later.
A crashing US Dollar could pull out a lot of US investments and the resilence package and job credit might disappear so fast down the steep side cliff with it taking along with it the election outcome.
And if they survive this election turmoil, it is their JOB CREDIT AND RESILIENCE PACKAGE for the next 5 years, not those of retrenched workers decimated by the crashed US Dollar. The pipeline of foreign investment from US could also dry up for next year.
Property speculators I suspect are in for A BIG FUN TIME OF UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES. Finance Minister Tharman warned of another recession next year for Singapore WITHOUT TELLING US WHY. He must have his reason/reasons.
We can keep guessing in the meantime. I just watch the US Dollar every day.
Fairplayplease, its obvious election is around the corner. These wayang reenacts itself years after year before each and every election.
Shitty Times will roll out history, sing greatness of the PaPies, how this how that without PaP cannot and would not be, all the shit propoganda about gahment this good, that good.
Its all part of the wayang which among those of us in or were in the system knows too well.
Mark my words, all these wayang means the carrot is out for the taking and Sinkaporeans, being short on memory will fall time and time again for it.
@ XiSd Tay on Sun, 13th Sep 2009 8:46 am…greetings….
Yes, the signs are obvious. As you said …the “wayang” show re-enacts again. Just read contributor’s comments on this TR the extent of “promotion” behind the MIW when they are NOT even the author/publisher of financial gains and how fast they stock up public library. I will bet the printing press would have been really “busy” getting it out. Tharman warned of possible recession next year without any reason why his crystal ball – months away – is so confident of correct prediction to be of public news. Property developers are cashing in now – selling hot cakes before the weather gets cold yet the high end of the property market has not had any real orgasm at all. Only the lowest “affordable” range gets all those horny attention.
I can’t believe what I see – ONLY NEW DEVELOPMENT brick and mortar (not existing properties) and stocks are in such great NARROW demand. It is a BUBBLE and the Men in White must know election must be round the corner.
The weblink of currency changes tells an OMINIOUS story. XisdTay, if you use that link to cross check OTHER CURRENCIES AGAINST THE US DOLLARS, you would be shock to find that US DOLLAR FELL EVEN FASTER AGAINST THE EURO, YEN, AUST $,CANADIAN LOONIE.
And the most frightening bit is against the Chinese RMB it HARDLY MOVED.
From 2009 peak to current, you will find the relative decline of US dollar against these currencies as
US$ to Sing$ = 8.4%
US$ to Euro = 13%
US$ to Yen = 14%
US$ to Aust $ = 27.5%
US$ to Can $ = 16%
US$ to Chinese RMB = 1 %
What is the implications?? Against the Sing $, (perhaps because of the weak state of this economy), US$ has not fallen as much as the much stronger Australian economy. But against thise basket of currencies above, it has MORE ROOM TO FALL ESPECIALLY WHEN US DOLLAR CONTINUES TO FALL GLOBALLY AND FALLING STEEPLY IN THE LAST FEW DAYS.
My simple calculation has it that if the US$ fell 15% from its peak of around 1US$=S$1.52 level, the exchange rate for S$ would decline to S$1.29 – NOT A FAR FETCHED POSSIBILITY. AND THAT IS ONLY THE AVERAGE FALL OF US DOLLAR TO ALL THE OTHER MAJOR CURRENCIES I LISTED ABOVE!!!
In historic times over the last 110 years, which major currency has dropped 15% in a year. Few. Check it out if anyone don’t believe me. As this exchange rate, how attractive is US investment in Singapore as a manufacturing base for its global competitiveness? EU, Canada, Australia and Japan is NOT competing against Singapore – their currency appreciate has NO positive impact on us BUT THE PRESSURE WILL BE US SHIFTING ITS MANUFACTURING BASE INTO China.
What happen to SMEs here?? You guess for employment if US dollar fell to S$1.29 or even lower in a few months? can Singapore do anything about this??? Some $20.3 billion so-called Resilence Package and Job Credit will show up as JOB DEBITS for many Singaporeans and PRs as well.
And what happen to property sector which is a bubble to sustain this place looking good (looking only)?? With jobless Singaporeans and fleeing PRs also jobless too??
My bet on your even money is election within 6 months BEFORE THE much hoped for RESILIENCE PACKAGE EXPIRES. After that, it will be all SH$T coming out!!!
A lot of property speculators will DIE in bankruptcy. Only fools thinks they can order the “mess” in the world economy. It is the other way around!!
And the RMB, not much changed. If RMB rises higher, would they buy US Treasury to earn a few percent of interest return and lose 15% on currency appreciation? I bet NOT.
The Chinese will buy into Australian and Canadian mining investments. Australia is literally CHINA’S QUARRY for all metals for its manufacturing operations – current and future. THAT IS WHY THE AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR IS SO FU%KING STRONG.
Since China failed to clinch the RIO deal, it has now turned its attention to buying smaller Australian mining companies and projects from iron ore to rare earth to uranium.
HAD CHIP GOODYEAR BEEN AROUND AND BOUGHT FOR US BILLIONS OF AUSTRALIAN MINING INVESTMENTS, WE WOULD MAKE MAYBE HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS BY NOW AND IF US DOLLAR CONTINUES TO FALL ( commodity prices moving in opposite direction as it is denominated in US dollar international trade terms) WE WOULD MAKE A HEAVENLY AMOUNT IN CAPITAL GAIN PLUS EXCHANGE RATE APPRECIATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS AS WELL.
Now, looks like we are laughing ourselves stupid again.
Yes, election may just around the corner, and the Pappies are having erection and orgasm to show that they still have it !
No need to worry about the OUTCOME of the next election I think. The US Dollar again tumbled against most major currencies and Singapore dollar continues its uptrend. All indication is still on trend and on continued track for a BIG tumbling fall soon.
When the manufacturing sector collapse from the weight of MNCs pulling out, we will see the rising tide of unemployment hongbaos for votes in gratitude of the Resilience Package and Job Credit (turned into shocking JOB DEBITS).
Of course, no one likes to see this happen but US is under economic pressure it could NOT sustain. We will see how smart the MIW will prove in this trying circumstances of WE AND ONLY WE KNOW IT ALL AND HAS ALL THE ANSWERS.
Hint. we are now told it is not like answer to an examination question…an endless journey of terrifying discovery (just like the mass migration influx teaser) of how shocking the situation might turn out to be.
Fasten your seat belts, fellow Singaporeans