Parliament Speech 12 Nov : Second Reading of the Geneva Conventions (Amendment) Bill

12 Nov 2007

By Khaw Boon Wan

Venue: Parliament

Geneva Conventions (Amendment) Bill

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time.

2 In times of armed conflict, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 lay down basic humanitarian rules to be observed by all parties. One such rule is to recognise certain universal symbols which confer protection on authorised emergency relief agencies. These include military medical services and the international relief organizations.

3 Under the Geneva Conventions, the Red Cross and the Swiss flag, which is the Red Cross with colors reversed, were the original protected symbols. But while the original intention of the Red Cross was to be a universally-recognized neutral emblem, several Islamic countries had objected to its usage. As a result, Red Cross societies were not recognized in these states. In order to enable emergency relief efforts in these states, the Red Crescent and the Red Lion and Sun emblems were created and added to the Geneva Conventions. But these new emblems were themselves viewed by others as possessing religious connotations.

4 Given these difficulties, the Geneva Conventions introduced another emblem, the Red Crystal. It was designed to be easily recognized and devoid of religious connotations, such that it can be accepted by all countries, regardless of religious orientation.  A new protocol, the Third Additional Protocol (APIII) to the Geneva Conventions, was introduced in 2005 to recognize the Red Crystal as an additional universal symbol.

5 Singapore subscribes to the Geneva Conventions and has signed the APIII. To date, 87 countries have signed the APIII and 19 have ratified it. To play our part as an international citizen, my ministry therefore proposes that Singapore’s Geneva Conventions Act be amended and ratified to extend legal protection to all these emblems.

6 Let me now take this house through the amendments.

7 First, the use of any of these emblems, including colourable imitations, will not be allowed in Singapore from now onwards unless approval is given by the Ministry of Health.  Organisations and businesses, which currently use trademark symbols similar to these distinctive emblems for their products or services, will be given a grace period of up to a year to take the necessary measures to comply with the Act.

8 Second, the maximum penalty for misuse of any of the emblems will be increased from $1,000 to $10,000.

9 Third, the amended Act will allow for the appointment of public officers as Inspectors to investigate offences in relation to the misuse of the emblems.

10 These amendments are necessary to ensure that the distinctive emblems are readily recognised and respected in Singapore as trusted symbols of protection and humanitarian aid.

11 My Ministry will work with the Singapore Red Cross Society to educate the general public, businesses and other organisations on the importance of respecting these distinctive emblems.

12 Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.

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