Public Entertainments (Speakers’ Corner) (Exemption) Order 2000

Status:

Published in Subsidiary Legislation Supplement
on 10 Aug 2000

No. S 364

Public Entertainments Act

(Chapter 257)

Public Entertainments
(Speakers’ Corner) (Exemption) Order 2000

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 15 of the Public Entertainments Act, the Minister for Home Affairs hereby makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1. This Order may be cited as the Public Entertainments (Speakers’ Corner) (Exemption) Order 2000 and shall come into operation on 1st September 2000.

Definitions

2. In this Order, unless the context otherwise requires —

“designated place” means the Kreta Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post;

“public speaking” means any play-reading, recital, lecture, talk, address, debate or discussion, for which a licence is required under the Act;

“registration officer” means any police officer on duty at the designated place;

“Speakers’ Corner” means the area known as Hong Lim Park and delineated in the Schedule.

Exemption

3. Public speaking at the Speakers’ Corner by any person who is a citizen of Singapore is exempted from the provisions of the Act if the following conditions are complied with:

(a)

the person has been registered at the designated place in accordance with paragraph 4;

(b)

the public speaking takes place —

(i)	only on the date that is registered by the person under paragraph 4; and
(ii)	only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.;

(c)

the person does not deal with any matter —

(i)	which relates, directly or indirectly, to any religious belief or to religion generally; or
(ii)	which may cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different racial or religious groups in Singapore;

(d)

the person speaks only in any of the 4 official languages in Singapore, or any related dialect; and

(e)

no sound amplification device is used during the public speaking.

Registration

4.—(1) A citizen of Singapore who desires to be exempted under this Order shall provide in person to a registration officer at the designated place, not earlier than 30 days before the public speaking at the Speakers’ Corner —

(a)	the date of the public speaking; and
(b)	his identity card or passport, or any other valid documentary proof of his Singapore citizenship.

(2) The registration officer shall register the person referred to in sub-paragraph (1) unless the person has been suspended under paragraph 5.

Suspension

5.—(1) Where any person has failed to comply with any of the conditions of exemption specified in paragraph 3 or has contravened any other written law during any public speaking, the Licensing Officer may serve a notice to suspend him from registration under paragraph 4 for a period not exceeding 30 days from such date as may be specified in the notice.

(2) A notice of suspension under sub-paragraph (1) may be served on the person concerned by registered post or such other means as the Licensing Officer may determine.

(3) The person concerned may, within 14 days of being served with the notice of suspension, appeal in writing to the Minister whose decision shall be final.

(4) If the person concerned appeals to the Minister within the period specified in sub-paragraph (3), the suspension shall not take effect or continue in effect, as the case may be, unless it is confirmed by the Minister or the appeal is for any reason dismissed by the Minister.

Savings

6. Nothing in this Order shall be construed to limit or in any way affect the operation of any other written law.

Made this 10th day of August 2000.

PETER CHAN JER HING

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Home Affairs,
Singapore.

[PS/10/3/05; AG/LEG/SL/257/97/1 Vol. 1]

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