1 reply to this topic

[Hongyun]

Well, apparently, I was out of topic from another thread on food terrorism... So, i thought maybe we can share some of the weird/funny laws that you might have heard of, be it your Country or others.

Hongyun Posted Aug 16 2006, 10:17 PM

And Singapore's not a "fine" Country for nothing. There is a FINE for almost everything! From littering to possession of chewing gums to smoking in certain areas, etc... On top of these fines are the very strict laws that we have. Like Death Sentence for possession of a certain amount of drugs, canning to those graffiti-ers etc... I briefly remembered some foreigners being charged in our country for scratching a car and drug possession.

Singapore is a very small island to being with and there is no where to run. So, by using the scare tactic like strict laws from the government, it really scares the hell out of people from trying to do something funny. Thus, the reduced crime rates and terrorism here.

Although it helps with the crimes rate here, on the other hand, having fines everywhere also showed something about our people, ya? It means we are not pro-active enough to stop littering, spit anywhere, or stick chewing gums onto seats by ourselves, and had to be stopped by the fines imposed by our govenment. thumbdown.gif And that, I think is kinda sad. Hell, Singaporeans are even encouraged by government to SMILE... Yes, we don't smile much... OK, I should stop here now. Steering too far away from the topic liao.

Charles.C Posted Aug 18 2006, 02:55 PM

PS I was going to add to yr other thread an example of a (unique?) warning I once saw in a lift in Singapore concerning a fine for uncontrolled urin...n but didn’t wish to derail the thread Simon-style. Not to mention the one for throwing things out of upper floor windows. Mind you, the seafood market was the cleanest I've seen in Asia.PS I was going to add to yr other thread an example of a (unique?) warning I once saw in a lift in Singapore concerning a fine for uncontrolled urin...n but didn’t wish to derail the thread Simon-style. Not to mention the one for throwing things out of upper floor windows. Mind you, the seafood market was the cleanest I've seen in Asia.

Why yes, there used to be signs everywhere near the lifts. In the past, one might stumbled upon puddles of water, usually smelly urine in the lifts, thus the sign. But i dont see them anymore now. When was the last time you visited Singapore? As for the seafood market, I've not been to other countries, so can't really compare.

So, how about the others? Do you have any funny laws that you might want to share? Or some laws that you heard from somewhere and want to clarify?

Edited by Hongyun, 23 August 2006 - 03:01 PM.

[Simon]

From a BBC Article: http://news.bbc.co.u...don/4527223.stm

• It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour
• Until 1976 cab drivers were required by law to carry a bale of hay to feed a horse
• It is still illegal for cabbies to carry rabid dogs or corpses and by law they must ask all passengers if they have small pox or the plague
• Royal Navy ships entering the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London
• A law introduced in 1307 ensures that the head of any dead whale found on the British coast becomes the property of the king and the tail belongs to the queen - should she need the bones for her corset
• Until 1835 anyone who carried a trade in the City of London had to be a freeman - a title still taken up by some 1,800 people every year
• As a freeman of the City of London you are allowed to take a flock of sheep across London Bridge without being charged a toll and drive geese down Cheapside; you also have immunity from press ganging, can get married in St Pauls and will not be arrested if found drunk and disorderly
• In 1797, a law was passed preventing people from wearing a top hat after London haberdasher John Hetherington showed off his creation round the city. The sight of his hat caused quite a stir "people booed, several women fainted and a small boy got his arm broken", when a crowd formed around Mr Hetherington. The haberdasher was arrested and charged with breach of the King's peace in particular "appearing on the public highway wearing upon his head a tall structure having a shining lustre and calculated to frighten timid people". He was found guilty and fined £50
• It is still an offence to beat or shake any carpet rug or mat in any street in the Metropolitan Police District, although you are allowed to shake a doormat before 8am
• Londoners are not allowed to keep a pigsty in the front of their homes

The Law Commission, in central London, is responsible for sifting out the aging laws of England in an attempt to bring the whole system up-to-date. Every few years the commission's team of law reformers read through lists of statutes and make a note of the most weird and wonderful, but more importantly the archaic. John Saunders, head of the Statute Law Revision group, described his team as the "undertaker" of the law.

"We pore through the statute book, pulling out any laws or statutes that are obsolete and outdated, and add them to a Repeal Bill," he said.

"These Repeals Bills are passed by Parliament every few years, each one getting rid of hundreds of pages of law.

"This sounds like a lot, but when you consider that every year around 3,000 pages are being added to the law books, it sometimes feels like the labours of Sisyphus (the man condemned by the Gods to push a boulder up a mountain for all eternity) to even keep on an even keel."