September 11, 2006

Mr. Anand Sharma and Mr. E Ahamed

Ministers of State for External Affairs

Shastri Bhavan,

New Delhi

Subject:  Human Rights violation by Singapore Government.

Dear Minister Anand Sharma and Minister E Ahamed:

I am an Indian citizen working with a non-governmental policy research organization called Focus on the Global South (Focus).  Focus has offices in Mumbai, Bangkok and Manila, and our main area of work is research and publications on development policy.  I am a senior researcher with Focus and I coordinate the organisation’s work on finance and development issues.

I had applied for and received accreditation from the World Bank to attend the World Bank – International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings that will be held from September 19-20.  Based on the accreditation, I was also granted a visa to enter Singapore.

On September 8, I received an email from World Bank- IMF staff informing me that they received a communication from Mr. Goh Chye Boon, Co-Chair of the Organising Committee for the Singapore 2006 Annual Meetings, in which, the Singapore Government has apparently objected to my attendance at the Annual Meetings "based on security and law and order considerations." Further, that I may be stopped at Singapore government checkpoints if I go to Singapore, and even if I am allowed entry into Singapore, I may not be allowed access into the Annual Meetings Venue.  There are at least 19 other accredited persons from Italy, UK and Indonesia to whose participation the Singapore Government has also objected.

I am shocked and outraged by these events.  I have participated in international meetings and conferences for almost fifteen years now and have never experienced such arbitrary and unjustified discrimination.   The Singapore Government has not provided any acceptable explanation for raising such objections and for blocking my participation in the Annual Meetings.  They have not even notified me or any of the other 19 people that they will not allow us to enter Singapore.  According the World Bank’s own admission, the Singapore Government is violating the Memorandum of Understanding it signed with the World Bank-IMF that as the host country of the Annual Meetings, it will facilitate the entry of all parties accredited to the Annual Meetings in order to participate in the official events.

I am writing to request that you urgently take this matter up with the World Bank, IMF and the Singapore Government.  The Singapore Government’s actions amount to a violation of basic human rights, especially since they do not offer any basis or evidence for raising the above objections.  India is one of the largest clients of the World Bank and poised to enter into various economic agreements with Singapore.  If citizens of countries that borrow from the World Bank are blocked from participating in its official meetings in such a random manner, it bodes ill for future cooperation.  Further, as the largest democracy in the world today, I assume that India must be committed to upholding the practice of democracy within the country as well as abroad.

I urge the Indian Government to lodge a formal protest with the Singapore Government, World Bank and IMF, and insist that the Singapore Government rescind this arbitrary “black-list” and honour its Memorandum of Understanding with the World Bank and IMF regarding facilitating participation in Annual Meeting events.

I can be reached through our office in Mumbai (please see details below).  I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Shalmali Guttal

Focus on the Global South - India

A - 201, Kailash Apartments

Juhu Church Road, Juhu

Mumbai - 400 049

INDIA

Tel: 0091-22-5582 1141, 5582 1151

Fax: 0091-22-2625 4347

Mobile:  (+91) 9886020362

CC: Office of the Prime Minister; Foreign Secretary; Ministry of Finance –Department of Economic Affairs