Singapore chickens out on protest
2010-06-10 10:04
Singapore - A US animal rights activist said he was prevented by police on Thursday from staging a one-man protest in a chicken suit at a KFC outlet in Singapore.
Basse, a Manila-based campaigner for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), said he was whisked away in a police car after he arrived by taxi outside the restaurant in a working-class district.
"I am now in my hotel room. I am under functional house arrest. I will stay in my hotel room under police surveillance until I leave tomorrow (Friday)," 24-year-old Edward Basse told AFP.
Police in Singapore, which has some of the world's toughest restrictions on protests, had no immediate comment.
"It took a long time, the questioning, perhaps a couple of hours. I was scared, but that is what I have to do for the chickens," Basse said.
"They confiscated my bags and the chicken costume, as well as the poster," he added, saying he did not expect to be charged and would leave Singapore voluntarily.
‘KFC’s cruel practices’
In Singapore, protests are only allowed at a designated public park located on the fringe of the business district. Otherwise, any public demonstration or march needs a police permit.
"I was scared but they treated me fairly okay," Basse said of his stay with the police.
"I am here now (safe) in my room, but what I went through is nothing compared to (the treatment of) the chickens."
Jason Baker, Peta's regional director based in Hong Kong, said Basse was a vegetarian outraged by KFC's allegedly cruel practices against chickens.
"He made a decision that a voice needs to be given to the animals that KFC abuses," said Baker.
Its amazing how efficient the SPF can be especially for protester and people from the opposition parties.
Note Edward Basse was “whisked away in a police car after he arrived by taxi”.
Either someone tip off the police about Edward checking in the hotel with a chicken suit so he was being trailed by the police or KFC called the police when the spotted a human size chicken. No matter I got to say the police appeared faster the superman in this case.
I called the police regarding some illegal teen gathering in the middle of the night making hell lots of noise and it took them 40min and 3 calls later for a police car to appear.
Wonder if I told them there is some opposition parties member in the group will they appear within 10 secs?
