Singapore Rebel

Directed by Martyn See
RunTime: 46 min


This is the film Singapore's censorship board doesn't want people to see. It's the story of opposition politician Chee Soon Juan, who has been imprisoned twice for championing democratic change in the city state.


The censors declared it a "party political film" and it was pulled from April 2005's Singapore International Film Festival line-up after the director was warned he could face two years in jail if the screening went ahead.


Dr. Chee Soon Juan, born 1962, is the Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). Chee is a neuropsychologist and received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 1990. He joined SDP in 1992 and became the Secretary-General of SDP, replacing founder Chiam See Tong who left to join the Singapore People's Party. Chee has been convicted and imprisoned several times. Chee lost a defamation lawsuit filed by PAP leaders in 2001. Chee was declared bankrupt in 2006 when he failed to pay the damages. He was in jail for contempt of court. He has since been released.


He participated in many international organisations such as World Movement for Democracy and the Forum of Democratic Leaders in the Asia Pacific. He was the recipient of the Defender of Democracy Award 2003 given by the Parliamentarians for Global Action.