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It would seem, from how things transpired, that Dr Ng and/or Mindef had only based its statement of acceptance of the apology on Singapore’s mainstream media reports.
Isn’t there a telephone they (Dr Ng and Mindef) could pick up, so to speak, and confirm the apology with the Indonesian side before they issued the statement of acceptance?
Diplomacy through the media is not a good thing to do – as we can see from Dr Ng having to say that he “accepts” the “apology” on “face value”, even though the Indonesians insist they did not apologise.
We could also perhaps spare CNA or the ST from criticisms in this incident, as it is probable that the general was the one who reneged on his words.
But the ST did get it wrong – in another incident last December which prompted a rather curt reaction from another country.
When the Little India riot first broke on 8 December, the Straits Times reported that a Bangladeshi national had been killed in an accident. As it turned out, it was not true.
It prompted the Bangladeshi High Commission to issue a statement to dispel the false or wrong report which, it said, “was not based on facts.”
The person killed was Mr Sakthivel Kumaravelu, an Indian national.
Incidentally, the ST (and other local mainstream media outlets) had also wrongly identified an Indian national as the so-called “Good Samaritan” who tried to stop the rioters during the riot.
Last week, the ST reported that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said that he was “considering a coalition government.” Evidently, the ST was basing its report on an interview PM Lee had had with the Financial Times.
It was quite unusual for PM Lee to say that, given how he and his party have always preferred and indeed insisted on a one-party government.
- http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2014/04/getting-it-wrong/
Isn’t there a telephone they (Dr Ng and Mindef) could pick up, so to speak, and confirm the apology with the Indonesian side before they issued the statement of acceptance?
Diplomacy through the media is not a good thing to do – as we can see from Dr Ng having to say that he “accepts” the “apology” on “face value”, even though the Indonesians insist they did not apologise.
We could also perhaps spare CNA or the ST from criticisms in this incident, as it is probable that the general was the one who reneged on his words.
But the ST did get it wrong – in another incident last December which prompted a rather curt reaction from another country.
When the Little India riot first broke on 8 December, the Straits Times reported that a Bangladeshi national had been killed in an accident. As it turned out, it was not true.
It prompted the Bangladeshi High Commission to issue a statement to dispel the false or wrong report which, it said, “was not based on facts.”
The person killed was Mr Sakthivel Kumaravelu, an Indian national.
Incidentally, the ST (and other local mainstream media outlets) had also wrongly identified an Indian national as the so-called “Good Samaritan” who tried to stop the rioters during the riot.
Last week, the ST reported that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said that he was “considering a coalition government.” Evidently, the ST was basing its report on an interview PM Lee had had with the Financial Times.
It was quite unusual for PM Lee to say that, given how he and his party have always preferred and indeed insisted on a one-party government.
- http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2014/04/getting-it-wrong/