The Wire

Several organisations have boycotted the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Civil Society Forum currently taking place in Singapore. The boycott has come about because many participants have been denied access to the country by Singaporean officials. More than 27 activists were told they would not be allowed in to the country because they were a threat to security. This was despite them all being officially accredited to attend. Civil Society groups have set up an alternative forum in the Indonesian free trade zone of Batam Island, which is a half hour ferry journey from Singapore. However Roberto Bissio, director of the Third World Network in Latin America, says that Singaporean authorities have also been stopping activists from accessing the island. Some have been detained and questioned for trying to catch a ferry that is commonly taken by locals every day. Mr Bissio spoke to The Wire on the phone from Singapore about the situation.