The heavy-handed response of Singapore authorities to any hint of dissent during this week's IMF-World Bank meeting is nothing out of the ordinary, says an activist taken in for questioning last week.
Seelan Palay, a 21-year-old student, was one of three people questioned by police last Wednesday night in response to an e-mail exchange regarding plans to hand out leaflets around the conference.
The student said the flyers contained nothing more than a summary of the standard complaints against the actions of the IMF.
Mr Palay, Clement Tan, 18, and an unidentified 28-year-old were questioned by police for up to six hours on Wednesday night.
Mr Palay said they never planned to do anything more than hand out leaflets, but he was not surprised at the action.
'They suggested I not go ahead with [the leaflets] or I would be arrested,' he said yesterday.
