15 Falungong Activists Charged in Singapore

15 Falungong Activists Charged in Singapore

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ALL 15 Falungong activists arrested on New Year's Eve in Singapore were charged in a magistrate court Tuesday with illegal assembly and obstructing police officers from carrying out their duty.

Local reports said the nine men and six women, aged between 21 and 40, were taken to court in three vehicles and the two charges were read to each defendant.

No plea was taken and the case will be mentioned again on January 9, the reports added.

The 15 were among 60 members of the group who had gathered near a carpark at the MacRitchie Reservoir Sunday to hold a memorial service allegedly for dead Falungong members overseas.

The police arrested the 15 after they defied orders to disperse peacefully and even blocked the police officers from carrying out their duties.

The police handed the case to the Attorney-General's Chamber after the suspects had refused to accept bail arrangement offered by the police.

According to Singapore's law, the maximum penalty for obstructing a police officer is a jail term of three months and a 500-Singapore-dollar fine (US$295) and for unlawful assembly, it is three months' jail and a 5,000-Singapore-dollar (US$2,950) fine.