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A National University of Singapore (NUS) Christian student group has been asked to stop its operations within the campus until an internal investigation is completed.
This comes after the group, the Singapore Campus Crusade for Christ, made insensitive remarks regarding Buddhism and Islam via their website and flyers.
See previous report here.
The university's Dean of Students from the Office of Student Affairs, Associate Professor Tan Teck Koon told inSing that the decision was made as the group had breached its code of student conduct and that the decision was not prompted by any external agency.
He added, "The students involved have apologised. We have counselled the students and they have assured us that this will not happen again."
The university has also advised the group to take down its official Facebook page and website.
A check on the website showed a public apology from the group on its front page which read:
"We would like to apologise for the distress caused by a flyer developed by one of our student groups. The flyer was one of several used by NUS CCC for internal publicity of available mission trips.
We appeal for your kind understanding that it was never our intention to cause hurt to any individual or religious group. We will be reviewing the publicity process for gaps that need to be plugged as soon as we can."
According to You & The Law, a layman's guide to different areas of the law in Singapore published by the Singapore Association of Women Lawyers:
"Defamation occurs when the words you say or write lower the reputation of the other person in the eyes of reasonable persons in general. The same principles of law apply for defamation on the internet, e.g. on blogs, in emails, on forums, or via online 'chats'. Defamation can also be from caricatures, cartoons, captions, letters to the forum page, faxes and in speeches.
If a person succeeds in establishing that the words are defamatory of him, that the words identify him and that the words were published to third parties, then he has succeeded in showing a case of defamation against the other party. Then, unless the other party can show that he has a defence he will be liable to pay the person damages or compensation if he is sued."
This comes after the group, the Singapore Campus Crusade for Christ, made insensitive remarks regarding Buddhism and Islam via their website and flyers.
See previous report here.
The university's Dean of Students from the Office of Student Affairs, Associate Professor Tan Teck Koon told inSing that the decision was made as the group had breached its code of student conduct and that the decision was not prompted by any external agency.
He added, "The students involved have apologised. We have counselled the students and they have assured us that this will not happen again."
The university has also advised the group to take down its official Facebook page and website.
A check on the website showed a public apology from the group on its front page which read:
"We would like to apologise for the distress caused by a flyer developed by one of our student groups. The flyer was one of several used by NUS CCC for internal publicity of available mission trips.
We appeal for your kind understanding that it was never our intention to cause hurt to any individual or religious group. We will be reviewing the publicity process for gaps that need to be plugged as soon as we can."
According to You & The Law, a layman's guide to different areas of the law in Singapore published by the Singapore Association of Women Lawyers:
"Defamation occurs when the words you say or write lower the reputation of the other person in the eyes of reasonable persons in general. The same principles of law apply for defamation on the internet, e.g. on blogs, in emails, on forums, or via online 'chats'. Defamation can also be from caricatures, cartoons, captions, letters to the forum page, faxes and in speeches.
If a person succeeds in establishing that the words are defamatory of him, that the words identify him and that the words were published to third parties, then he has succeeded in showing a case of defamation against the other party. Then, unless the other party can show that he has a defence he will be liable to pay the person damages or compensation if he is sued."