Stop suing journalists: RSF tells Singapore leaders
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Stop suing journalists: RSF tells Singapore leaders
AFP - Friday, March 26
SINGAPORE (AFP) - – Media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders has urged Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his father Lee Kuan Yew and other top officials to stop taking "libel actions" against journalists.
RSF secretary general Jean-Francois Julliard wrote an "open letter" to the Singapore leader Thursday asking for a meeting about the group's observations and proposals "for guaranteeing press freedom" in the affluent city-state.
His letter followed an apology and payment of damages by the New York Times Company to the Lees and former prime minister Goh Chok Tong over an allegedly defamatory article.
"A foreign news organisation has yet again been forced to apologise to you and your father and pay you a large sum of money for publishing an article you did not like," Julliard said.
He urged the government to "put a stop to the libel actions" being taken against journalists.
The New York Times Company on Wednesday issued an apology to the Lees and Goh over an article about political dynasties it published in February in its global edition, the International Herald Tribune (IHT).
The article, entitled "All In The Family", was written by Hong Kong-based columnist Philip Bowring.
Davinder Singh, a lawyer for the three men, said the New York Times Company and Bowring would pay damages totalling 160,000 Singapore dollars (114,000 US) to the leaders, who said their reputations had been sullied by the article.
An apology that appeared in the IHT's Wednesday edition said the article may have implied that the younger Lee did not get his job on merit.
Singapore's leaders have won hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages in defamation cases against critics and foreign publications.
The leaders have defended their actions as necessary to protect their reputations from unfounded attacks.
"Freedom of expression is not a source of political unrest. Quite the contrary," said Julliard, who proposed a meeting with the prime minister.
"We have no comment," the prime minister's press secretary Chen Huai Liang said in response to an AFP query.
Last year, Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review and its editor paid more than 400,000 dollars to settle a defamation suit filed by Prime Minister Lee and the elder Lee, the founding father of modern Singapore.
A Wall Street Journal senior editor was fined 10,000 Singapore dollars in March 2009 for contempt of court over three articles that were ruled to have insulted the city-state's judiciary.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100326/tap-singapore-media-politics-rsf-nytimes-06f3cb7.html -
Open letter to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong from Reporters without Borders
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I will check with Davinder Singh to decide if we want to sue RSF Sec Gen or not.
Maybe for another $200,000 from him will do just fine. Me hope to get a cut of 10% from it, $20,000 for a good friday, aint that bad after all.
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It is part of their passive income to accumulating their trillion bank account for their next five generation.
If people are sued for saying the inappropriate thing, then it become a norm for them.
No one can tell them what not to do.
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the problem is international court agree with them, they won many cases, and that set the precedences, therefore, any freedom fighter out there should ask the international court and not LKY and Sons pte Ltd, this is a wrong focus.
Again and again international court gives the verdict against the defender, and award LKY his rights. So, LKY will repeat his way doing thing. Therefore, the problem lies in the international court that advocate to freedom but yet award LKY his rights. I find this very awkward, just by refusing or dismiss the case of court, LKY can do nothing, and when he can do nothing, he cannot repeat his method of sueing, and this in turn, make journalism more free to advocate themselves to free press.
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although abused to hell by the MIW, RSF must remember their own responsibility of reporting the right things... because in other countries, they do report a very very very biased view and they get away with it... case in point = Fox News...
never take extremes as examples of norms
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norms is never an exciting events, it is the extremes that pull the strings of balance ya
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Originally posted by angel7030:
the problem is international court agree with them, they won many cases, and that set the precedences, therefore, any freedom fighter out there should ask the international court and not LKY and Sons pte Ltd, this is a wrong focus.
Again and again international court gives the verdict against the defender, and award LKY his rights. So, LKY will repeat his way doing thing. Therefore, the problem lies in the international court that advocate to freedom but yet award LKY his rights. I find this very awkward, just by refusing or dismiss the case of court, LKY can do nothing, and when he can do nothing, he cannot repeat his method of sueing, and this in turn, make journalism more free to advocate themselves to free press.
International court ??
Where did you get your info from ??
The PAP website ??
As far as I know, all the defamation cases won by the father and son team was held in a Singapore court.
They will not dare sue RSF for the letter because RSF is located in France and the European Union requires all cases to be heard in a EU court.
RSF are merely stating facts in their letter to Pinky.
No chance of the father and son winning the case.
They will probably end up having to pay costs for wrongful accusations.
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Originally posted by assolingam:
International court ??
Where did you get your info from ??
The PAP website ??
As far as I know, all the defamation cases won by the father and son team was held in a Singapore court.
They will not dare sue RSF for the letter because RSF is located in France and the European Union requires all cases to be heard in a EU court.
RSF was merely stating facts in their letter to Pinky.
No chance of the father and son winning the case.
They will probably end up having to pay costs for wrongful accusations.
Well, if it is singapore court, those international journals dun even need to foot a single cent, you need to get the right court to present your case, even our lighthouse dispute with malaysia goes into international tribunal, you must joking if a such cases are just merely solve at our court yard. But if those stupid journal editors are willing to pay so as to escape further harassment from LKY, then i hv no say, however, they can alway bring the case up to the international level.
There are many out of court agreement in between, for that matters, we do not know, simply said, if an editor admit his/her mistake, paying is another issue, LKY just want people to admit their mistake and apologise so that he views as alway right and righteous, money to him is secondary...anyway, he needs money meh??? what is $400000 to him?? he can draw out from GIC or treasure chest and put it under exordinary expenses. But why he needs it, everything is provided, from car to house to maid to servants to bodyguards to travelling all fully paid, by who??? u should know better...
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Originally posted by assolingam:
International court ??
Where did you get your info from ??
The PAP website ??
As far as I know, all the defamation cases won by the father and son team was held in a Singapore court.
They will not dare sue RSF for the letter because RSF is located in France and the European Union requires all cases to be heard in a EU court.
RSF was merely stating facts in their letter to Pinky.
No chance of the father and son winning the case.
They will probably end up having to pay costs for wrongful accusations.
They are not in favour to go international court. They have no control over international court.
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Singapore court so powderful ah. Even in Hong Kong (China) they scared.
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If they don't sue foreign press, then they have nothing to do.
Really.
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Once LKY and his son dies they will not be able to sue people anymore
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actually anyone can sue anyone. its just that they are rich, so they can afford. so if u got the money, you can sue anyone you wish.
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well, the miw own s'pore court. and thus every lawsuit are fought on 'homeground'. bao jia
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They will only stop when LKY dies.
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Actually what angel said does make sense. Ultimately it is the courts, and the judges, who decide on the outcomes of the case. You think just because they sue they will win meh?
IHT is quite an influential leh...they also got money...if they wanna fight sure can contest the decision what...
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It seems that every lawsuit that LKY and his son fights they will win
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Because "defamation" is really hard for the defendants.....they are sure to lose.....
So all those magazines and publications.....they are hard to win in a lawsuit....
Singapore's leaders moreover can hire top lawyers who are skilled....
And the courts........well....shall we say.......ahem.....
However, I do believe Singapore should close the door for foreign intervention.
Otherwise, foreign countries can pull their strings through indirect proxies.....set the agenda and do some sabotages.....
Singapore is a small country so it should cherish its independence and sovereingty.
Any movement towards greater press freedom should be pushed from the inside and from the local roots.
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When someone anyhow guess something bad about PAP ministers and then write about it, then they will kena. They will be asked to prove it in the court via defamation suit.
If give chance, then all others will have a field day. You know how people already always quick to critise Singapore. Many do so inaccurately. But accuse people that is a different matter. Say LKY stupid, not problem, say he kelong, you better prove it.
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Asking people to not sue you, is akin to ask people not to defend themselves.
They should approach the issue from another angle: CHANGE the rules set by the international courts, or PLAY by the rules. asking people to not use an existing rule to their own advantage sounds really immature.
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Originally posted by mancha:
When someone anyhow guess something bad about PAP ministers and then write about it, then they will kena. They will be asked to prove it in the court via defamation suit.
If give chance, then all others will have a field day. You know how people already always quick to critise Singapore. Many do so inaccurately. But accuse people that is a different matter. Say LKY stupid, not problem, say he kelong, you better prove it.
Did you say Guess ??
No need to guess.
Here's the reason why the International Herald Tribune was sued by the father and son team recently.
"The libellous article contained only one sentence about Singapore stating the fact that PM Lee is the son of MM Lee:
“The list of Asian countries with governments headed by the offspring or spouses of former leaders is striking: Pakistan has Prime Minister Asif Ali Zardari, widower of Benazir Bhutto, herself the daughter of the executed former leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bangladesh has Sheikh Hasina, daughter of the murdered first prime minister, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman . In Malaysia, Prime Minister Najib Razak is the son of the second prime minister, Abdul Razak. Singapore’s Lee Hsien Loong is Lee Kuan Yew’s son. In Kim Il-sung’s son Kim Jong-il commands party, army and country and waiting in the wings is his son Kim Jong-un.”
Just 9 words in an article in the newspaper and IHT kena sued for $S 160,000.00.
What is your personal take on it ??
How ??
Is LKY the real father of LHL or not ??
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Originally posted by angel7030:
Well, if it is singapore court, those international journals dun even need to foot a single cent, you need to get the right court to present your case, even our lighthouse dispute with malaysia goes into international tribunal, you must joking if a such cases are just merely solve at our court yard. But if those stupid journal editors are willing to pay so as to escape further harassment from LKY, then i hv no say, however, they can alway bring the case up to the international level.
There are many out of court agreement in between, for that matters, we do not know, simply said, if an editor admit his/her mistake, paying is another issue, LKY just want people to admit their mistake and apologise so that he views as alway right and righteous, money to him is secondary...anyway, he needs money meh??? what is $400000 to him?? he can draw out from GIC or treasure chest and put it under exordinary expenses. But why he needs it, everything is provided, from car to house to maid to servants to bodyguards to travelling all fully paid, by who??? u should know better...
You need to take black sausage in yummy curry to clear your head.
They have NEVER lost a case when the defamation suit is heard in a Singapore Court.
And NEVER won a case in an International Court...
..because they don't dare sue for defamation in a foreign court.
** Devan Nair invited LKY to sue him in Canada + Francis Seow asked to be sued in USA. Both challenges were ignored and not taken up.
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Originally posted by assolingam:
Did you say Guess ??
No need to guess.
Here's the reason why the International Herald Tribune was sued by the father and son team recently.
"The libellous article contained only one sentence about Singapore stating the fact that PM Lee is the son of MM Lee:
“The list of Asian countries with governments headed by the offspring or spouses of former leaders is striking: Pakistan has Prime Minister Asif Ali Zardari, widower of Benazir Bhutto, herself the daughter of the executed former leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bangladesh has Sheikh Hasina, daughter of the murdered first prime minister, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman . In Malaysia, Prime Minister Najib Razak is the son of the second prime minister, Abdul Razak. Singapore’s Lee Hsien Loong is Lee Kuan Yew’s son. In Kim Il-sung’s son Kim Jong-il commands party, army and country and waiting in the wings is his son Kim Jong-un.”
Just 9 words in an article in the newspaper and IHT kena sued for $S 160,000.00.
What is your personal take on it ??
How ??
Is LKY the real father of LHL or not ??
Appalling! It's only the Lees.
Let's hear it from the boys skythewood and mancha.