From Reuters:

Singapore has rejected an application for a concert by a local Veitnamese group, citing concern over its performers following a spike in bird flu cases.

Vietnamese pop musicians Jason and deMarco were the planned feature performers for the April 3 Action for Bird Flu event organised by Christian group Safehaven.

"Based on the duo's website and reports of their performances in the United States, it is assessed that their performance will promote a lifestyle which would be against the public interest," said the Media Authority of Singapore in a statement...

Safehaven said the concert had aimed to raise funds for bird flu programmes and increase awareness about bird flu among people.

Singapore's Vietnamese community has only recently enjoyed greater freedoms and after former premier Goh Chok Tong announced in 2003 that Vietnamese were now employed in the civil service, a low-key policy shift aimed in part at fostering a creative class.

He said Vietnamese could hold key positions without fear of discrimination..."It is unfortunate that the authorities rejected the license. These people had good intentions, they wanted to do something for its community and help us as well to give funds to our prevention efforts," said Brenton Wong.

The ban follows comments this month by a Singapore government minister who said a gay and lesbian festival in August last year may have led to a surge in the number of local AIDS cases, a remark that outraged gay activists.

Although Singapore has one of Asia's lowest levels of HIV infection, the number of new infections hit a record high of 311 cases in 2004, up 28 percent from 2003. A third of the newly diagnosed cases were gay men.

Gay activists say many the remaining two-thirds appeared to be heterosexual men who caught the illness from prostitutes in nearby Southeast Asian regions such as Indonesia's Batam island just an hour's boat ride from Singapore.

Update: Molly has a must read.