Singapore (AsiaNews) The government of Singapore has terminated a Chinese woman's work permit because of her membership in the Falun Gong movement, this according to a press release by the Falun Dafa Research Centre. Presently, she is in Malaysia.
Ms Nie Ge was granted a work permit till May 2008 after she was hired by a Singapore hotel. But without any advance notice on June 2 she was told that Singapore's Ministry of Manpower had cancelled her work permit.
When she went to the Ministry with her employer's representative to find out why she lost her permit, she was simply told that her work permit had been terminated and that she had to leave the country within seven days, all without any explanation or reason.
Her employer requested she surrender her passport and other documents. After she refused saying she wanted to talk to people she could trust and who could understand English, the hotel called in the police, which held Ms Nie for eight hours.
According to the Falun Dafa Research Centre the authorities' actions are due to the woman's membership in Falun Gong. They back their claim by pointing out that in the past the Singapore government targeted other Falun Gong members.
For instance, after having his scholarship cancelled, his permanent residency application refused, Zhang Zhaopei, who was studying in Singapore, had his employment pass application turned down last year as well. Now, he and his wife live in Canada.
Similarly, a judge threatened to deport Ms Cheng Lujin, who has a valid Singapore permanent residency certificate, for distributing pamphlets denouncing the persecution of Falun Gong to tourists from mainland China.