A protest to “Deport Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa” was held on July 16 (Saturday) at Hong Lim Park.
As it turned out, while there were two speakers, there was only one person in the audience.
Online, around 20 people watched the livestream of the event.
The speakers were Prabu Ramachandran, 34, who had organised the event, and blogger Leong Sze Hian, 68.
Both men had formerly contested for the General Election as part of the Peoples Voice (PV).
“I thought that someone ought to speak about this, about the message that we are sending to the rest of the world and the international community by having Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa here.
He is unwanted. He is a politically exposed person. Unlike what has been said, he is not just another Sri Lankan with a passport. Why are we taking him in?” The Straits Times quotes Mr Prabu as saying.
As for Mr Leong, along with Mr Prabu, he called for the bank account details of the former Sri Lankan President to be made public.
Mr Rajapaksa fled his country last week amid widespread protests over economic mismanagement. News reports and photos of his presidential palace and offices being stormed by protesters were widely circulated.
He flew into the Maldives on Wednesday (July 13). On July 14, he landed in Singapore. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “In response to media queries, it is confirmed that Mr Rajapaksa has been allowed entry into Singapore on a private visit.
He has not asked for asylum, and neither has he been granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum,” reported Yahoo News Singapore on Thursday afternoon.
Shortly after arriving in Singapore, he tendered his resignation via email, the Sri Lankan parliamentary speaker’s office told AFP.
Mr Prabu said that “people who were interested did not turn up as they were under the impression that the event was illegal.”
He added that he had been reminded by NParks, which approved the protest, that no foreigners are allowed to participate.
“Facts are the event was legal, as there was no foreigners participation. Neither Leong Sze Hian or myself are being investigated by police, NParks, or any other government agencies,” he wrote in a July 17 post.
Netizens said they were unsurprised that the protest drew a low turnout.
“Sri Lanka is for the Sri Lankans to settle its domestic political situations,” opined one.
One called it a “minor issue for Singapore.”
Another wrote that ST even helped spread the protesters’ message further.
“Still need Mic meh? Might as well sit down together and talk,” wrote another commenter.
However, some gave the organizer credit for “trying.”
/TISG