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MDA Allows Local Tertiary Institutions To Show Film on Exiled Chinese Communists

SINGAPORE & JOHOR BARU – The Media Development Authority is giving leeway to institutions of higher learning to show films that are restricted or not allowed, including To Singapore With Love.

It also said it has accepted a request from the Yale-NUS College to screen the film on Singapore’s political exiles, for classroom teaching and discussion only.

The 70-minute documentary, by local film-maker Tan Pin Pin, 44, received a “Not Allowed for All Ratings (NAR)” classification from the MDA last Thursday.

That was because the film’s contents “undermine national security” and distort the legitimate actions of security agencies as acts that victimise innocent individuals, the MDA had said.

Films classified as NAR are not allowed for public exhibition or distribution.

In its most recent statement on Friday, MDA said it “recognises that lecturers and students of media or related courses at tertiary institutions may require access to a wider variety of films, including films that are classified R21 or NAR.

“Some leeway is provided to these institutions to screen films for educational purposes, on condition that these films have either been previously classified by the MDA, or prior approval has been sought from the MDA before the films are acquired.”

Also on Friday, more than 350 Singaporeans crossed the Causeway to Johor Baru to catch Tan’s film, which was showing as part of an annual Freedom Film Festival.

The film has already been shown in Petaling Jaya and will go to Kuantan and Penang next.

In total, more than 410 people attended, with at least 20 on the waitlist. This was almost triple the number of participants that organisers were anticipating.

Organisers had to book an extra, larger room to accommodate viewers.

The documentary film includes interviews with nine political exiles who fled Singapore and now live in Britain and Thailand. Most were members or supporters of the Communist Party of Malaya, according to the MDA.

It has been touring the international film circuit for about a year, and will make its way to the Philippines and London in the next few weeks.

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/singaporeans-arrive-johor-baru-screening-documentary-sin#9

September 21, 2014
Banned Film Showing Life Story of Chinese Communists Shown in JB

Government had made it clear that it would allow former members of the Communist Party of Malaya to return if they agreed to be interviewed on their past activities to resolve their cases.

Source: http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/jb-screening-political-exiles-film-draws-many-sporeans

JOHOR BARU — More than 400 people — a vast majority came from Singapore, including students, working professionals and retirees — turned up yesterday at a Johor Baru hotel for the screening of a documentary on Singapore political exiles that has been disallowed for public screening in the Republic.

The film, To Singapore, With Love, directed by film-maker Tan Pin Pin and featuring interviews with Singapore student leaders and activists now living in Thailand, the United Kingdom and Malaysia after having fled the Republic between the 1960s and 1980s, was shown as part of Malaysia’s Freedom Film Festival.

Organisers said about 350 members of the audience were from Singapore. Among these, about 150 had arrived on four chartered buses.

Interest in the film increased after the Media Development Authority (MDA) earlier this month classified it as Not Allowed for All Ratings (NAR), saying its contents undermined national security “because the legitimate actions of security agencies to protect the national security and stability of Singapore are presented in a distorted way as acts that victimised innocent individuals”.

The film was screened in two function rooms in the11@Century Hotel, and several people who turned up for the screening said they had come to learn more about Singapore’s history. Freelance graphic designer Sim Xin Feng, 21, said she wanted to know more about Singapore and why the film was classified as NAR. Student Wong Xinyuan, 20, who is studying liberal arts in Germany, said she had some prior knowledge about the political exiles and “wanted to know what they think”.

Some relatives of the exiles were also among the audience, said Mr Lim Jialiang, who had organised the bus charters with three friends. Mr Lim, 24, said he had to turn away about 200 people and that he MDA was heartened but not surprised by the response.

Ms Tan took questions from the audience after the screening and said she had put together the 70-minute documentary — which features, among others, student leader-turned-political exile Tan Wah Piow and Dr Ang Swee Chai, whose husband was the late student activist and lawyer Francis Khoo — from about 15 hours of footage. She said she had posed three questions to the exiles: When and why they left Singapore, and what they had done with themselves since. She reiterated her disappointment with the MDA’s rating and when asked what she had learnt from making the film, said: “I suppose when something moves you, you just have to follow your instincts.”

The MDA issued the rating last week after the National University of Singapore Museum submitted it for classification, with plans to screen it at an event, along with two other films by Ms Tan. The authority also said the individuals in the film had given distorted and untruthful accounts of how they had come to leave and remain outside Singapore. It added that the

September 21, 2014
Malaysian Woman Shares Life Story on Being Married to ISIS Fighter

KUALA LUMPUR: A 26-year-old doctor from Malaysia who claimed she has travelled to Syria to join the jihadist movement revealed the realities of being married to an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) fighter on social media accounts, which have since gone viral.

In a report by Buzzfeed, the woman known as Shams, has been using the moniker ‘Bird of Jannah’ to share her experience of joining the insurgents since she left home in February 2014.

Sham, who also blogs at ‘Diary Of A Muhajirah’, said that she thought it was her duty tohijrahor pilgrimage to join the fight in Syria since she is a doctor.

In her posts, Shams indicated that she flew to Turkey and then crossed the Syrian border, all done without the knowledge of her family.

Although upset at first, her parents eventually supported her decision, Shams revealed.

“I never spoke to them before I made thehijrah. I told them only after I have reached Turkey. They were quite upset at first but then they are very supportive and happy,” she responded to a question on social networking website, ask.fm. The account has been deactivated.

After two months in Syria, Shams revealed that she had entered in an arranged marriage with an Isis insurgent from Morocco, who both agreed to be married without having met each other.

“I made little steps. I was trembling. Nervous. Scared. My emotions were mixed. Upon seeing me, he gave salam and introduced himself, so did I. Then, it was a long awkward silence. A few minutes later, I flipped my Niqab. He looked at me, our eyes catches each others’. I had palpitation that is faster than the speed of light,” she said in a blog post.

“He smiled. And he asked a question that I shall never forget for the rest of my life.

“Can we get married today? After Asr?”

Deep inside my heart shouted, no. But I have no idea why I answered “Yes”.

Shams further revealed that she had called her father on the same day to obtain his consent for marriage.

“On the same day, after Asr prayer, my friend, her husband, an English speaking brother and I went to the nearest internet cafe and made call to my father. Again, I spoke about this matter to him and I could hear my mother was shouting in joy at the back.

“Later, I passed the phone to the English speaking brother for him to take the consent from my father, as my father is mywali.”

In her postings, Shams also shared the harsh realities of being married to an insurgent and the loathing fear of losing her husband each time he heads out for the ‘battlefield’.

She relayed a story of a friend named Umm Habiba, who lost her husband in ajihad. Instead of grieving, the widow was happy and celebrated her husband’s death because it means that that he has ‘become asyahid.

“We entered the house where I saw almost 20 sisters. Nobody cried. Everyone was smiling. The house smells good. The kids seemed happy and there were plenty of foods strewn on the floor. I was astonished, puzzled.

Shams described the widow as joyful, wore nice clothes and had makeup and jewelleries on when she visited her.

“Umm Habiba..” I hugged her. The tears began to flow on my cheeks. I cried like a baby. She took her hand and wiped my tears and hold my cheeks. She said something that amazed me.

“Umm al Baraa ya Habibty. My husband is a He is In sha Allāh in the garden of Jannah, married to Hoor-al Ayn. Today is the day of celebration. Today is the day of joy. No one shall cry! Especially you. You’re a new bride, you should always smile,” she said in another one of her blog post.

“I pulled Habiba closer to me and asked her how she’s doing. She said she’s happy because her mother told her that the father has bought a house in paradise and waiting for them.”

A week and a half into the marriage, it was Sham’s fear turned a reality. Her husband, Abu al Baraa was preparing himself to leave home for a militant operation.

“Jihadis my first wife, and you’re my second. I hope you understand” he told Shams.

Shams, who is now pregnant, admitted that it was tough being the wife of an insurgent and sometimes post poetry on her Facebook page, begging her husband to not leave her ‘too soon’.

The doctor, in her Twitter postings, has also defended Isis for carrying out killings on Western journalists and aid workers.

Her Facebook account has been taken down on several occasions – as it went against Facebook’s policy that do not permit ‘terrorist groups’ to use the social networking site.

In August, Special Branch (Operations/Counter Terrorism division) assistant director-general Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay confirmed reports of Malaysian women who travelled to Syria for certain purposes.

However, there is no proof that they are involved with ISIS by offering sexual jihad orJihad Al-Nikahto date.

According to a Malaysian Insider report last month, senior intelligence officials confirmed that three Malaysian women have journeyed to the Middle East to join up with Isis forces.

Source: http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/we-shall-meet-in-jannah-malaysian-woman-reveals-married-life-with-isis-militant-44247

September 20, 2014
Singapore Writes to Indonesia Expressing “Deep Concern” Over Worsening Haze Situation

SINGAPORE – Air quality in the Republic has worsened, prompting authorities to write to Indonesia expressing “deep concern” over the situation.

A thin veil of grey hung over most areas of Singapore on Friday while the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) – a measure of air quality here – hovered between the high end of the moderate range and the low end of the unhealthy band from the early hours.

At 2pm, the 24-hour PSI across Singapore was in the range of 95 to 103. A reading above 100 refers to unhealthy air quality, in which prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical activity should be reduced.

At moderate levels between 50 and 100, normal activities can still be carried out.

– See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/environment/story/singapore-writes-indonesia-express-concern-over-haze-20140919#sthash.O7M9Od2O.dpuf

September 19, 2014
Dr Mahathir: Malaysia Could Become Singapore if Chinese Community Continues to Support DAP

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed warned today that Malaysia could become like Singapore if the Chinese community here continues to support DAP’s alleged dream of complete political and economic dominance in Malaysia.

The former prime minister claimed that nothing good will come of Chinese dominance in politics or the economy — as has happened in neighbouring Singapore — as Malaysia is a multi-cultural society mostly made up of the Malays.

“In the 13th General Election, the DAP dangled before the eyes of the Chinese that this time (kali ini) they can grab both political and economic dominance,” he said in his latest posting on his blog, chedet.cc.

“They point to the Perak model where when Pakatan won the head of Government was a Malay but he was totally subservient to the DAP (Chinese).

“When the Pakatan Government with Nizar of PAS as the MB was brought down, the DAP told the Chinese that they had lost a Chinese Government. The Chinese in Perak have since become anti-BN,” he added.

He was referring to Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, the PAS leader who helmed Perak for 10 months in 2008 in a DAP-dominated government before a series of defections led to Barisan Nasional’s (BN) return to power in the silver state.

Dr Mahathir claimed that the DAP is taking advantage of the fact that the Malays today are divided between Umno and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners PKR and PAS, which gives DAP all the leverage it needs.

Explaining, he said the split support among the Malays would mean that all three Malay-based parties — Umno, PKR and PAS — would need to rely on Chinese support to win an election.

In such a situation, he alleged that DAP would not need to be directly in charge as they would have already worked out an arrangement with their PR partners where they would have their prime minister of choice under their thumb.

“Physically holding office is not necessary. If the Prime Minister is totally under the control of the DAP then it would become a Chinese dominated Government,” he said, adding that the DAP could very well see their so-called vision come true as soon as the next national polls if the trend of declining support for the ruling BN coalition continues.

Dr Mahathir insisted that the power-sharing formula now practised by BN — especially with the recent decision by MCA to rejoin the Cabinet after initially refusing to do so due to their poor outing in last year’s general election — is still the best way forward for the country.

He stressed that the DAP’s alleged plan to dominate the country’s politics and economy would only perpetuate a culture where each race will only look out for its own interests above the collective interests of the nation.

“Forget the idea of dominating all fields, of dominating both politics and economics. Go back to the idea of sharing. It will not be forever. It will be only for the duration when the Malays through their numbers dominate politics and the Chinese through their business acumen and money dominate the economy.

“Once the Malays and other indigenous people gain a fair share of the economic wealth of this country, they will lose their fear of Chinese domination. At that stage the Chinese share of political power would be enhanced.

“It may take years but that is as much as we can expect for as long as we insist on being identified by our racial origins,” he said.

BN is currently in a straight tussle with PKR in the Kajang state by-election this March 27. The ruling pact has put MCA vice-president Chew Mei Fun as their candidate against PKR president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Source: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/dr-m-malaysia-will-be-like-singapore-if-pakatan-takes-power

September 19, 2014