| The Straits Times
December 9, 2004
It's no go for planned Christmas 'gay party'
Police rejects licence, saying event is likely
to be a gay party and is against public interest
By Tanya Fong
A CHRISTMAS party, organised for the past two years
by local subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based gay online
portal, has had its licence application for this year's
party turned down.
Police rejected the application for the SnowBall.04 indoor
party, which was to be held at the Warehouse disco on
Havelock Road over Christmas weekend, saying 'the event
is likely to be organised as a gay party which is contrary
to public interest'.
The application was put up by Jungle Media, the same
company that organised Nation.04 in August.
Jungle Media is a Singapore subsidiary of Hong Kong-based
fridae. com - the largest online gay portal in the region.
In a statement to the media, the police said they had
approved parties such as Nation.04 after receiving assurance
that the events would not be 'organised as gay parties'.
However, they said they noticed people of the same
gender 'seen openly kissing and intimately touching
each other' during the party.
The police also said some patrons were using toilets
meant for the opposite sex, 'suggesting that most of
the patrons were probably gays or lesbians and that
the event was almost exclusively for them'.
These 'openly gay acts' at the Nation.04 ball also
provoked several complaints from other patrons.
Said the police: 'The police recognise that there are
some Singaporeans with gay tendencies. While the police
do not discriminate against them on this basis, we recognise
that Singapore is still, by and large, a conservative
and traditional society.'
They have promised to scrutinise applications for any
similar events in the future.
The police Public Entertainment Licence Unit (Pelu)
has granted licences for the last three Nation parties,
which were held in parallel to the National Day holiday
celebrations. This year's SnowBall, usually held in
December, would have been the third.
Chief executive officer of fridae. com Stuart Koe said
it was shocked by the rejection as it has 'had a very
congenial working relationship with Pelu and various
police jurisdictions' for all their past events.
Mr Koe said: 'Our events are known to be extremely
professionally organised and have earned both domestic,
as well as international acclaim. Nation.04 attracted
8,000 participants.
'In a study commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board,
Nation.04 was estimated to have generated $10 million
in tourism revenue.'
In response to the rejection, Mr Koe e-mailed an appeal
letter to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last night,
asking the authorities to reconsider their decision.
The letter was also copied to Home Affairs Minister
Wong Kan Seng, the police and the Attorney-General Chan
Sek Keong. |
