From the report:
Government leaders historically have used court proceedings, in particular defamation suits, against political opponents and critics
Law enforcement agencies, including the Internal Security Department and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Board, have extensive networks for gathering information and conducting surveillance and highly sophisticated capabilities to monitor telephone and other private conversations. No court warrants are required for such operations. The law permits government monitoring of Internet use.
While the ISA has not been invoked in recent years against political opponents of the government, political opposition and criticism remained restricted by the government’s authority to define these powers broadly.
Two companies, Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPH) and MediaCorp, own all general circulation newspapers in the four official languages—English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. MediaCorp is wholly owned by the government investment company.
Government-linked companies and organizations operated all domestic broadcast television channels and almost all radio stations.
Banned publications consisted primarily of sexually oriented materials but also included some religious and political publications.
The law permits government monitoring of Internet use, and the government closely monitored Internet activities such as blogs and podcasts as sources of political dissent, including before the May election. On April 3, MICA prohibited the use of podcasts and videocasts as campaign tools during the election period.
Most associations, societies, clubs, religious groups, and other organizations with more than 10 members are required to register with the government under the Societies Act. [...] The government has absolute discretion in applying criteria to register or dissolve societies.
The Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MRHA) gives the government the power to restrain leaders and members of religious groups and institutions from carrying out political activities, “exciting disaffection against” the government
Under the Societies Act, the government deregistered and banned meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1972 and in 1982 dissolved the Unification Church. While the government did not outlaw the profession or propagation of the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses and does not arrest members merely for being believers, the result of deregistration was to make meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses illegal. The community numbered approximately 2,000 in the country, and members of Jehovah’s Witnesses continued to refuse to perform national military service. The government also banned all written materials published by the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ publishing affiliates, the International Bible Students Association and the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. A person in possession of banned literature can be fined up to $1,140 (S$2,000), and for holding a meeting, the fine can be as high as $2,280 (S$4,000). In August one member of Jehovah’s Witnesses was charged with three counts of importation of banned literature. He was convicted on two counts and fined $3,420 (S$6,000).
The Films Act bans political films and recorded televised programs
Remind you of any other countries you know?
While the ISA has not been invoked in recent years against political opponents of the government
That's interesting.
Two companies, Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPH) and MediaCorp, own all general circulation newspapers
So two companies own the print media for a market of 5 million. In the US, it's more like four for 300 million people.
Government-linked companies and organizations operated all domestic broadcast television channels and almost all radio stations.
So, basically just like the UK.
Banned publications consisted primarily of sexually oriented materials but also included some religious and political publications.
Kind of the way Germany bans racialist publications or Scientologist publications?
On April 3, MICA prohibited the use of podcasts and videocasts as campaign tools during the election period.
Campaign laws limiting free speech? Good thing we don't have those, right Senator McCain?
Most associations, societies, clubs, religious groups, and other organizations with more than 10 members are required to register with the government under the Societies Act. [...] The government has absolute discretion in applying criteria to register or dissolve societies.
A law that is never enforced.
While the government did not outlaw the profession or propagation of the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses and does not arrest members merely for being believers, the result of deregistration was to make meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses illegal.
And yet the JWs exist and meet and grow in number in Singapore.
While no one can conscionably agree with this policy, this is a typical story for the JWs and is a repeat of their experiences in WWII and Korea in the United States. Singapore has required military service (like the US' peacetime draft in the 1950s), and JWs refuse - of course - to either do military service or alternative service in lieu of combat service.
So, basically, Singapore is guilty of all the things that the US government is currently guilty of - or of things that the US government was guilty of before the 1960s.