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Singaporeans support Hong Kong protests against controversial extradition bill, survey shows
- More than three quarters of 1,000 Singaporeans polled backed the demonstrations, which analysts say reflects close ties with Hong Kong
- But the results are seen as the island nation identifying with the public’s need to speak about concerns collectively, rather than following suit with protests
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Why you can trust SCMP
Over three-quarters of 1,000 Singaporeans surveyed in June said they supported Hong Kong’s ongoing protests against a controversial extradition bill – a result political analysts suggested was a reflection of the close-knit ties between the “twin cities”.
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Still, the observers said the strong support level did not necessarily mean Hong Kong-style street politics would soon spring up in the strictly governed Lion City.
Singapore media have been covering the protests extensively, and the results of the poll – conducted by independent pollster Blackbox Research – are in sharp contrast to the reactions of commentators such as Singaporean ex-newspaper editor Leslie Fong.
In a piece for the South China Morning Post, Fong said “thoughtful Singaporeans” were “deeply saddened” by events that were unfolding in Hong Kong, and in an op-ed for The Straits Times, that Singaporeans were watching “in sadness and bewilderment” the television footage of the July 1 storming of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council building by protesters.
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To a four-choice question on their views regarding Hongkongers’ concerns about the extradition bill, a quarter of respondents said they strongly supported those concerns, while slightly over half said they somewhat supported them.
Four per cent said they strongly opposed the protests, and the remaining 20 per cent said they were somewhat opposed.
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