Martyn See is a Singaporean filmmaker and the current Executive Secretary of Singaporeans for Democracy

Singaporeans for Democracy

Singaporeans for Democracy is a Singapore based Human Rights and political Non-governmental organization formed in 2010 by activist-academic Dr James Gomez and several seasoned socio-political activists...

.

Life and Career

Martyn See has a lengthy career of being a feature editor for films, some of which include Mee Pok Man (1994, Eric Khoo) That One No Enough (2000, Jack Neo) I Do I Do (2005, Wen Hui, Jack Neo) Singapore Gaga (2005,Tan Pin Pin) Just Follow Law (2007, Jack Neo), Money No Enough 2 (2008, Jack Neo). Since 2004, Martyn is prominently known for making the 26-minute documentary film Singapore Rebel, about Dr. Chee Soon Juan

Chee Soon Juan

Chee Soon Juan, PhD is a politician and political activist from Singapore. He is currently the leader of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party ....

, the leader of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party

Singapore Democratic Party

The Singapore Democratic Party is an opposition political party in Singapore.The party was founded in 1980 by Chiam See Tong, who as Secretary-General became the party's first Member of Parliament in 1984 when he was elected as MP for Potong Pasir...

 (SDP).

In March 2005, government movie censors ordered the withdrawal of his film from the Singapore International Film Festival

Singapore International Film Festival

The Singapore International Film Festival was launched in 1987. The festival is an annual film event, held around April/May each year, and screens about 300 films from over 45 countries...

. See was put under police investigation by the Singapore government, and threatened with prosecution under the Films Act, requiring him to surrender his video camera, taped footage of the documentary and materials related to the production. See could face up to two years in jail or a fine of up to S$100,000.

In 2006, Martyn See made a new 49 minute documentary entitled Zahari's 17 Years on Singapore's ex-political prisoner Said Zahari

Said Zahari

Said Zahari was a one time editor-in-chief of the Malay-language newspaper Utusan Melayu and an advocate of unbiased press freedom. Although he currently resides in Malaysia with his family, he has insisted on retaining his Singapore citizenship....

, who spent a total of 17 years in detention without trial as as result of Operation Coldstore

Operation Coldstore

Operation Coldstore was a security operation launched in Singapore on 2 February 1963 in which at least 111 anti-government left-wing activists were arrested and detained, including key members of the opposition political party Barisan Sosialis...

. The film has been banned by the Singapore Government.

On 14 July 2010, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts

Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts

The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts is a ministry of the Government of Singapore...

 banned his latest film, 'Dr Lim Hock Siew' about Dr Lim Hock Siew's similar plight.

External links

• A Copy of Martyn See's Banned Documentary about Lim Hock Siew
• Martyn See's blog
• Amnesty International description of Singapore Rebel issue
• Singapore Rebel on Google Video
  Google Video
  Google Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...
  
  
• Zahari's 17 years on Google Video
  Google Video
  Google Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...
  
  
• Interview with Martyn See by The Online Citizen
• Speech Acts – Censorship and Documentary Filmmaking in Singapore