Political Links: What's buzzing online in political news (June 30)

Tributes and messages from Singaporeans mourning the passing of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. June 30 was the 100th day of his death. ST FILE

The ST Political Desk's round-up of what's buzzing online in political news.

100 Days since the death of Mr Lee Kuan Yew

Tuesday was the 100th day of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's death, which MP Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade GRC) marked with an online tribute on Facebook. In it, the NTUC Fairprice chief executive recounted the late Mr Lee's visit to the first NTUC Fairprice store - which Mr Lee launched in Toa Payoh in 1973 - in recent years. During those visits, Mr Lee showed his concern about the cost of living and its impact on Singaporeans, said Mr Seah.

Mr Lee passed away on March 23, at the age of 91. According to some Buddhist traditions, mourning lasts for 100 days for the family. On Sunday, grassroots leaders at Ang Mo Kio GRC organised an event to mark the 100th day of his passing. Read the Straits Times story here.

Tuesday was also the day that the committee which is conceptualising the Founders' Memorial, which will honour Mr Lee and Singapore's first generation of political leaders, met for the first time. The group, with 15 members, will tap on the public for ideas over the next 18 months via a website to be launched in the next two months, and also through focus group discussions. Read the Straits Times story here.

Amos Yee's support from regional and other activists



A human rights group in Penang was scheduled to host a rally on Tuesday to protest against Amos Yee's detention, and to also serve as a reminder to Singapore that it is a party to the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child. Student groups in Hong Kong such as Scholarism and the student unions of the University of Hong Kong and Lingnan University, gathered outside the Singaporean consulate in Admiralty on Tuesday afternoon with a petition calling for Yee's immediate release.

These are the latest organisations to show support for the teen, who has been made a posterboy for human rights in the region by his supporters. Last Friday, about 60 people demonstrated outside the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei, calling for Yee to be released. Earlier that same week, the Bangkok-based Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for Yee' immediate release, and urged the Government to review his conviction.

The 16-year-old, who was found guilty last month of uploading an obscene image and making remarks intended to hurt the feelings of Christians in a video, is currently in remand at the Institute of Mental Health to undergo psychiatric examination to see if he is suitable for a Mandatory Treatment Order.

On Monday, the Singapore Democratic Party cited cases of youths and younger adults and their brush with the law in recent months. The writer assessed these as being cases of young Singaporeans crying out for change and argues that the more the such prosecutions there are, the more defiant society will become.

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