Charities threaten to disrupt Singapore World Bank talks

The high profile meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were in disarray yesterday after the world's leading charities threatened to pull out of the event in protest at heavy-handed policing by the Singapore government.

Oxfam and at least 15 other pressure groups are furious that the authorities have banned 28 activists from entering the country and deported two others.

The police have also forbidden any public protests, insisting that any demonstration takes places in a fenced area inside the convention centre that measures just 10 metres by five metres.

Earlier this year they warned they were prepared to "cane or imprison" protesters who committed violent crimes.

The Washington-based bodies hold their annual meetings outside the US once every three years.

The next in 2009 is due to be hosted by Turkey.

The issue has triggered a high level row between the World Bank, which seeks to relieve global poverty, and the Singapore government.

Paul Wolfowitz, the Bank's president, will today use a face-to-face meeting with the prime minister, Lee Hsien Hoong, to demand that they let in all of the 487 activists that had been given official accreditation.

Kevin Kellems, a senior adviser to Mt Wolfowitz, said the government's action was a "breach" of a formal agreement between the two bodies signed in 2003.

"These individuals have been cleared by their respective home governments and should not have been excluded from our annual meetings, "he said.

"We continue to urge the Government of Singapore to let them participate. We work with these representatives of civil society and we value their role - even when we disagree with what they say."

But several of the charities blamed the World Bank for allowing Singapore to host the event given its record on human rights.

It also warned of a repeat at the 2009 meetings in Istanbul.

Martin Powell at the UK's World Development Movement, who was of the 28 banned from entering Singapore, said the issue was wider than just the individuals involved.

"The key issue is that the World Bank and the IMF knew about Singapore's appalling record on dissent and public assembly and they ignored warnings as this is not the first time this has happened," he said.

He called on the British government to make a public statement condemning to actions and to take it up with the Singapore government.

"The Bank and IMF are allowing Singapore to get away with this. They are sending the message to other countries that they can ignore civil society.

"This underlines their lack of commitment to accountability and transparency. The Bank should not hold meetings in Turkey if they cannot guarantee access for civil society participation."

Max Lawson, a policy adviser at Oxfam, said it was joining 14 other bodies including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth International in pulling out of a programme of 40 public meetings they had set up with the World Bank.

"We have decided to cancel the two events to support the boycott," he said.

"The Singapore government should have allowed in those who were accredited." Olivia McDonald, a senior policy officer at Christian Aid, said it was poised to join the boycott.

"I get the feeling that having it Singapore is about the businesses and the banks and if there's not the same access for civil society groups that leaves a real question mark hanging over the validity of the meetings."

However she said Christian Aid was torn by the fact that a boycott would also punish small Asian groups that would not benefit from the planned events.

The World Bank defended its decision to hold the meetings in Singapore pointing to the memorandum of understanding signed by its deputy finance minister that committed the government to allow in anyone approved by the IMF or the Bank.

- INDEPENDENT