Displaying foreign flags is an offence. Really?

[Sammyboy RSS Feed]

An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

Police: Publicly displaying foreign flags is an offence

May 3rd, 2014 | Author: Editorial




Yesterday (2 May), a Facebook user, Kaypobird Arsenal, posted a question on
the Facebook page of the Singapore Police Force [Link].

Kaypobird Arsenal asked, “Hi, I would like to check with you that is it OK
for a person to display his/her country’s national flag in the public place of
Singapore?”

A few hours later, SPF replied that under the National Emblems (Control of
Display) Act, Chapter 196, it is an offence for any person to display in public
a national emblem which includes a flag of any state with exceptions provided
under Section 4 of the said Act.

The Facebook post and SPF’s reply:



Section 4 basically states the exceptions under the Act:


Exceptions

4. Nothing in section 3 shall apply to —

(a) the display of any national emblem of the state of which he is a
national by any of the following persons:

(i) any person duly accredited as a diplomatic representative of a foreign
power or as a consular representative of a foreign power to Singapore to whom an
exequatur or provisional or other authorisation has been granted by the
Government;

(ii) any person in the service of a Commonwealth Government or the government
of any British dependency or possession or of the Republic of Ireland and
officially recognised as representing that government in Singapore;

(iii) any person upon whom the immunities and privileges referred to in
Part II or Part III
of the Schedule to the International
Organisations (Immunities and Privileges) Act (Cap. 145) have been conferred
under that
Act; or

(b) the display of any national emblem on any ship or
aircraft.
At this point, Kaypobird Arsenal then brought up a blog post made by former
opposition candidate Goh Meng Seng:



In his blog (‘Inappropriate
Signage contravening Singapore Law‘), Mr Goh said he has written to the
Building and Control Authority of Singapore (BCA) to complain about
inappropriate signage used by various shops and hawker stalls run by
foreigners.

Mr Goh asked, “I really wonder why they (BCA) have approved such signage that
has contravened our law.”





It is not believed that BCA has given Mr Goh a satisfactory answer yet.

SPF has yet to reply to Kaypobird Arsenal on his second question about
foreign flags being displayed on shop signs.


Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com.