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Singapore's leaders defamed by Hong Kong magazine : court

CENWEN

Alfrescian
Loyal
AFP - Wednesday, September 24

SINGAPORE, Sept 24, 2008 (AFP) - A banned Hong Kong-based magazine and its editor defamed Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew and his son, the city-state's High Court has ruled, in the latest legal ruling against government critics.

Justice Woo Bih Li, in a decision obtained Wednesday by AFP, ruled that the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) defamed the elder Lee and his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The Lees sued the magazine's editor Hugo Restall and Hong Kong-based Review Publishing, its owners, alleging defamation in a 2006 article based on an interview with Chee Soon Juan, an opposition party leader.

The article entitled "Singapore's 'Martyr,' Chee Soon Juan," described the Singapore Democratic Party secretary general's battle against the ruling People's Action Party and its leaders.

In the article, Restall also touched on Singapore officials' success in libel suits against critics.
Dismissing objections by the defendants' lawyers, Woo issued his decision by summary judgment, meaning no trial was held.
The magazine's lawyer, Peter Low, refused comment when contacted by AFP.
Damages will be assessed later.

Singaporean leaders have won hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages in defamation cases against critics and foreign publications, which they say are necessary to protect their reputations from unfounded attacks.
The city-state banned distribution of FEER in September 2006, saying it had failed to comply with media regulations.
 

The_Latest_H

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The fact that they decided to sue in Singapore and not in HK, nor in New York, shows how cowardly they are.

Besides FEER can refuse to pay; they have no local office in Singapore. Their magazines were distributed via a agency, who imported the magazines from HK.

So since FEER HQ is in HK, and their parent companies are in HK and New York, they don't need to pay a single dime at all.

I await and see how the Singapore courts can justify to the HK and NY district courts that FEER has to pay. Most likely than not, LKY will not even have the balls to tell the courts to communicate with the HK counterparts.
 

one2unite

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The fact that they decided to sue in Singapore and not in HK, nor in New York, shows how cowardly they are.

QUOTE]

Anything goes in Lee's kangaroo courts. The case, if it can be called as one, was heard in chambers, away from public glare! It shows the Lee regime is really afraid of public scrutiny and opinion even in its own compliant judiciary!!
 

Porfirio Rubirosa

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I don't think LKY is really interested in the damages aspect per se. This is just his typical legal device to once again send a message to his foreign press nemisis.

The fact that they decided to sue in Singapore and not in HK, nor in New York, shows how cowardly they are.

Besides FEER can refuse to pay; they have no local office in Singapore. Their magazines were distributed via a agency, who imported the magazines from HK.

So since FEER HQ is in HK, and their parent companies are in HK and New York, they don't need to pay a single dime at all.

I await and see how the Singapore courts can justify to the HK and NY district courts that FEER has to pay. Most likely than not, LKY will not even have the balls to tell the courts to communicate with the HK counterparts.
 

chinkangkor

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Isn't the answer obvious? the US, the West The UN has never tried to stop them. Zimbabwe, Burma, Tibet are more pressing humn rights issues.

How about criticisms from independent international agencies such as International Commission of Jurist, IBA etc?
 

lockeliberal

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Dear Porifirio

Honestly when LKY bids us Adieu, I believe that Dr Chee would mourn his passing because of the demise of his personification of evil. My own view is that the demise of LKY will lead to factions from the PAP striking out or a Team B alternative which will render the WP SDP NSP and RP to the margins



Locke
 

The_Latest_H

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Dear Porifirio

Honestly when LKY bids us Adieu, I believe that Dr Chee would mourn his passing because of the demise of his personification of evil. My own view is that the demise of LKY will lead to factions from the PAP striking out or a Team B alternative which will render the WP SDP NSP and RP to the margins



Locke

I would believe the former has a higher chance of happening; the latter would depend on the readiness of the opposition party leaders.

But I always believe that an opposition leader with economical knowledge would have the edge when LKY dies. If the leader's a viable alternative, who knows the game and the people, and how are ordinary people are going through, he would have an edge against a government which is increasingly out of touch and privately unpopular.
 
A

Alu862

Guest
So you agree that their criticisms and obervations are valid and accurate?

Life goes on with or without their criticisms. Unless suddenly Ban Ki Moon or the next US President sees that Signaporeans are suffering as bad as the Burmese, Tibetans, people of Zimbabwe (we have high inflation, Zimbabwe has had hyperinflation for so long) and decided to call a security council meeting to impose sanctions. Then? Imposing sactions hurt the people. Or if you're lucky enough, the US may invade Singapore--Operation Singapore Freedom--which would be just as bad as the US invading Israel
 
A

Alu862

Guest
Dear Porifirio

Honestly when LKY bids us Adieu, I believe that Dr Chee would mourn his passing because of the demise of his personification of evil. My own view is that the demise of LKY will lead to factions from the PAP striking out or a Team B alternative which will render the WP SDP NSP and RP to the margins



Locke

Look at the factions in Singapore. Does it not remind you of Germany in the 1920s where there had to be a coalition government--which failed?
 

chinkangkor

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Life goes on with or without their criticisms. Unless suddenly Ban Ki Moon or the next US President sees that Signaporeans are suffering as bad as the Burmese, Tibetans, people of Zimbabwe (we have high inflation, Zimbabwe has had hyperinflation for so long) and decided to call a security council meeting to impose sanctions. Then? Imposing sactions hurt the people. Or if you're lucky enough, the US may invade Singapore--Operation Singapore Freedom--which would be just as bad as the US invading Israel

S'pore is a member of the UN and therefore has an obligation to comply with international standards, sooner or later.
 

The_Latest_H

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Look at the factions in Singapore. Does it not remind you of Germany in the 1920s where there had to be a coalition government--which failed?

Well, I don't think our parties are at a level just yet. But as long as we don't build them up, they will not grow. And as long as the parties themselves don't response, we won't go anywhere.

You need two hands to clap. You don't throw a bone and expect the parties will turn it into gold.
 
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Alu862

Guest
S'pore is a member of the UN and therefore has an obligation to comply with international standards, sooner or later.

The UN is also an imperfect tool. Singapore is not a sigantory to man so called standard treaties (as are other first world nations) hence there is no obligation to comply. But of course the UN can act to impose negative resolutions on member nations--if the P5 agree to it. And would that happen to Singapore in the immediate future?
 
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Alu862

Guest
Same goes for the US. East Asian nations are important to the US, most of all Singapore. The US has criticised even Malaysia, an important partner in SEA but has not said ANYTHING bad about Singapore officially. For get the State deparment report.
 
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