More activists have been forced to leave Singa-pore ahead of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings next week.

International groups said three more people - two Filipinos and an American - were deported from the city-state yesterday. This follows news on Monday that 28 activists had been blacklisted and prevented from attending the global financial summit or connected meetings.

The moves have upset international civic groups, who called yesterday for the World Bank and IMF to discuss the Singapore government's ban on activists.

Lidy Nacpil, from Jubilee South, a global network of people's organisations and communities concerned with debts levels in developing countries, voiced concern yesterday about the blacklisting of activists by Singapore. She feared the number would rise further.

"I challenge the Bank and the Fund [IMF] to show responsibility or make a comment as the blacklisted people were accredited by the World Bank to attend its meeting," she said at a media workshop on "Unpacking the International Financial Institutes" in Jakarta.

The workshop was organised by the Bank Information Centre (BIC), a Washington-based non-profit organisation that advocates transparency and accountability in World Bank and IMF operations, as well as other regional development banks.

Two of the three activists deported yesterday were Bobby Diciembre and Chona Ramos, secretariat members of International People's Forum (IPF). They were detained at the Changi Airport by immigration officials for 15 hours before being deported back to Manila.

Nacpil said the pair were on their way to attend an IPF meeting organised in Indonesia's Batam, a province in Riau Island less than an hour from Singapore by ferry.

"We could not contact them since their arrival into Singapore on Tuesday afternoon. But we received news this morning that the Singapore authorities made sure they got on their flight back to Manila. Their cell phones were confiscated while they were detained," Nacpil said.

An American social activist from San Francisco was also forced to immediately get a ferry to Batam after arriving at Changi airport yesterday. According to Nacpil, immigration officials even paid for her taxi from the airport to the harbour.

Many activists say it's hard to believe that the World Bank and IMF had nothing to do with the bans.

"They know that Singapore is a country that is very strict [about visitors], but they still made it their venue," said Red Constantino of Greenpeace International.

Nacpil did not expect the outcome of the IPF meet to bring good tidings for the social sector. But she said the Batam meet was a good chance for activists to voice out concerns about lending programmes by the two institutions that have caused a negative impact on people, communities or the environment.

Pennapa Hongthong

The Nation

Jakarta