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  Today Online 9 Sep 06
Protesters, ready to strip, told to pack up, go home
Sheralyn Tay sheralyn@newstoday.com.sg

Channel NewsAsia 8 Sep 06
Three PETA activists deported from Singapore over planned protest

SINGAPORE : Three animal rights activists with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have been deported.

They had planned to hold a demonstration outside a KFC restaurant along Rochor Road. There was no demonstration.

PETA's executive director Jason Baker, an American, and 20-year-old Canadian Ashley Fruno had planned to hold a naked demonstration outside the KFC restaurant - wearing just a banner - to protest against what they called the fast food chain's abusive treatment of chickens.

In a statement, police said they received a call on Thursday afternoon about suspicious behaviour. When they arrived, they found two banners in the woman's possession. Police said she was reported to have cooped herself in a chicken cage clad in a yellow bikini in Bangkok and went topless outside a KFC outlet in Canada.

Separately, police on Friday received another call about a Filipino woman, Astudilo Sonia Gueverra, behaving suspiciously in Bencoolen Street.

Based on their profile and records, police assessed they would all be participating as PETA activists in an anti-KFC campaign without a permit. Immigration authorities had cancelled their Social Visit Passes and they were asked to leave Singapore by Friday.

At least two of them were believed to have left the country on a flight on Friday at about 3pm.

The police statement added it would not allow any individuals or groups whose presence may compromise its security arrangements for the IMF/World Bank meetings. - CNA /ls

Today Online 9 Sep 06
Protesters, ready to strip, told to pack up, go home
Sheralyn Tay sheralyn@newstoday.com.sg

A PLAN by animal rights activists to hold a "naked" protest was met with stark firmness by the Singapore police, just days before the IMF-World Bank meetings are due to start on Monday.

Sending a strong message to any would-be unauthorised protesters, the authorities detained and deported three activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta).

Peta had earlier sent out a media release stating they planned to hold a "naked" protest outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet along Victoria Street, with their members covered with a banner.

Police said they received a call on Thursday that two persons were behaving suspiciously at the junction of Bencoolen Street and Middle Road. Arriving, they interviewed American Jason Baker, in his 30s, and Canadian Ashley Fruno, in her 20s. A search of their possessions turned up two banners emblazoned with the words, "Naked truth: KFC tortured chicks" and "Stop animal abuse, turn your back on KFC".

A Filipino woman was also detained at Burlington Square on Friday. All three had their social visit passes cancelled and they were asked to leave the country by Friday.

Speaking to Today over the phone from her hotel on Friday, before their flight out, Ms Fruno — who made the news in Bangkok on Monday when she sat inside a small cage outside a KFC outlet wearing only a yellow bikini, and had gone topless outside an outlet in Canada — said: "I come from a country where protests are quite common, so I was quite surprised. I didn't expect to be tracked down beforehand."

She clarified that the protest would have been tasteful as the three would have been properly covered by the banner and wearing tube-tops and shorts.

According to Peta, the 850 million chickens killed annually for KFC are "tortured" by, among other things, having their throats slit while they are still conscious and being scalded to death in defeathering tanks.

Mr Baker, 34, Peta's Asia-Pacific director told Today that the police were "really nice about it, they even gave us our banner back" — so he was shocked at having been deported.

While Peta has protested in Singapore some six times previously, this was the first time they have been asked to leave, he said.

In 2004, Mr Baker was detained and released without charge for protesting outside a KFC outlet at Far East Plaza.

Said the police in a statement on Friday: "We will not allow any individual or groups whose presence in Singapore may compromise the security arrangements we have in place for the IMF/World Bank meetings."
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