Singapore law requires a medical officer to be present during caning. In response to continuing protests, the president of the Singapore Medical Association (SMA), Tan Kok Soo, recently defended the role of doctors as participants at corporal punishment. Amnesty International believes that caning is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and that medical participation in it is a violation of medical ethics. It is calling on the SMA to object publicly to medical participation at canings and to amend the SMA code of ethics.
