Censorship In Singapore

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“Authority” means the Media Development Authority of Singapore established under the Media Development Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 172);
“broadcasting apparatus” means any apparatus capable of or designed or constructed for the reception of any broadcasting service and specified in the First Schedule;
“broadcasting apparatus licence” means a licence granted under section 20 in respect of broadcasting apparatus, and “broadcasting apparatus licensee” shall be construed accordingly;
“broadcasting licence” means a licence granted under section 8 or 9 for the provision of a licensable broadcasting service, and “broadcasting licensee” shall be construed accordingly;
“broadcasting service” means a service whereby signs or signals transmitted, whether or not encrypted, comprise —
(a) any programme capable of being received, or received and displayed, as visual images, whether moving or still;
(b) any sound programme for reception; or
(c) any programme, being a combination of both visual image (whether moving or still) and sound for reception or reception and display,
by persons having equipment appropriate for receiving, or receiving and displaying, as the case may be, that service, irrespective of the means of delivery of that service;
“Chairman” means the Chairman of the Authority and includes any temporary Chairman of the Authority;
“chief executive” means the chief executive of the Authority appointed under section 28 of the Media Development Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 172) and includes any person acting in that capacity;
“class licence” means a licence determined under section 9 to be applicable to certain licensable broadcasting services, and “class licensee” shall be construed accordingly;
“Code of Practice” means a Code of Practice issued under this Act;
“debenture” includes debenture stock;
“dwelling-house” includes a hotel, inn, boarding house or other similar establishment;
“encrypted” means treated electronically or otherwise for the purpose of preventing intelligible reception;
“free-to-air broadcasting service” means a licensable broadcasting service made available for reception in not less than 2 dwelling-houses by broadcasting apparatus commonly available to the public without payment of a subscription fee;
“free-to-air licence” means a broadcasting licence granted under this Act for the operation of a free-to-air broadcasting service, and “free-to-air licensee” shall be construed accordingly;
“Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore” means the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore established under section 3 of the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 137A);
“licence” means a licence granted under any provision of this Act, and “licensee” shall be construed accordingly;
” behalf of the Government.
WHO ENFORCES THE MEDIA LAWS
The Minister may, after consultation with a person to whom this section applies, give to that person such directions as he thinks fit as to the exercise by that person of its functions under this Act.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), if it appears to the Minister to be requisite or expedient to do so —
(a) on the occurrence of any public emergency, in the public interest or in the interests of public security, national defence or relations with the government of another country; or
(b) in order —
(i) to discharge or facilitate the discharge of an obligation binding on the Government by virtue of its being a member of an international organisation or a party to an international agreement;
(ii) to attain or facilitate the attainment of any other object the attainment of which is in the opinion of the Minister requisite or expedient in view of the Government being a member of such an organisation or a party to such an agreement; or
(iii) to enable the Government to become a member of such an organisation or a party to such an agreement,
the Minister may, after consultation with a person to whom this section applies, give such directions to that person as are necessary in the circumstances of the case.
(3) Any directions given under subsection (1) or (2) may include provisions for —
(a) the prohibition or regulation of any broadcasting service;
(b) the taking of, the control of or the use for official purposes of, all or any system and equipment used in the provision of any broadcasting service; and
(c) the stopping, delaying and censoring of messages and the carrying out of any other purposes which the Minister thinks necessary.
(4) A person to whom this section applies shall give immediate effect to any directions given to him under subsection (1) or (2) notwithstanding any other duty imposed on him by or under this Act.
(5) A person to whom this section applies shall not disclose any directions given to him under subsection (1) or (2) if the Minister notifies him that the Minister is of the opinion that the disclosure of the directions is against the public interest.
(6) The Minister may —
(a) pay compensation for any damage caused to a licensee by reason of its compliance with the directions of the Minister under subsection (3) (b); or
(b) make grants to licensees for defraying or contributing towards any losses which they may sustain by reason of their compliance with the directions of the Minister under any other provisions of this section.
(7) Any sums required by the Minister for paying compensation or making grants under subsection (6) shall be paid out of the Consolidated Fund.
(8) This section shall apply to the Authority and to any person who is a licensee.
(9) If any doubt arises as to the existence of a public emergency or as to whether any act done under this section was in the public interest or in the interests of public security, national defence or relations with the government of another country, a certificate signed by the Minister shall be conclusive evidence of the matters stated therein.

What Kind of Penalties ??????
Apr 25, 2008
SINGAPORE (AFP) — A Singapore television channel has been fined 15,000 Singapore dollars (11,200 US) for promoting a gay lifestyle, the media regulator said.
MediaCorp TV Channel 5 was fined for an episode of a home decor series, “Find and Design”, which contained several scenes of a gay couple with their baby, the Media Development Authority said in a statement issued late Thursday.
In the episode concerned MDA said the host of the show helped a gay couple transform their room into a new nursery for their adopted baby and congratulated and acknowledged them as a family unit.
The episode, which aired in January, “normalises their gay lifestyle and unconventional family setup”, MDA said.
This was in breach of the code governing programmes which are available free over the air, it said. The code disallows programmes that promote, justify or glamorise gay lifestyles.
Singapore, Southeast Asia’s most advanced economy, maintains strict censorship laws.
Earlier this month, MDA fined a cable television operator 10,000 dollars for broadcasting an advertisement featuring lesbian kissing.
As part of major revisions of the Penal Code approved by parliament last year, Singapore legalised oral and anal sex between heterosexual couples but retained a law that criminalises intercourse between gay men.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong favoured the retention of the law, saying Singapore remains a conservative society — with the traditional family as its main building block — and homosexuals cannot set the tone for the mainstream.
Abolishing the law could “send the wrong signal” and push gay activists to ask for more concessions, such as same-sex marriage and parenting, Lee said.