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| Activist Roy Ngerng |
Singapore: Government Again Uses Strong-arm Tactics Against Citizen Blogger
26 May 2014 4:11 pm, by FORUM-ASIA
For Immediate Release
(Bangkok,
26 May 2014): The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development
(FORUM-ASIA) expressed its regret at the Prime Minister of Singapore’s
threat to pursue legal action against blogger Roy Ngerng, which it views
as the latest attempt to undermine freedom of expression in the
country. The regional human rights group called on the Prime Minister to
withdraw his threat of legal action against the blogger.
In response to a blog-post that allegedly constituted libel, the
Prime Minister’s lawyers sent a Letter of Demand demanding an apology,
removal of the post and payment for damages or face a defamation
lawsuit. The blogger subsequently took down the post and issued a letter
of apology on 23 May 2014 (Friday). The Prime Minister has however
rejected the offer for no damages and given Mr. Ngerng until 26 May 2014
(Monday) to make an offer of costs and damages, failing which legal
proceedings would be commenced. News reports today also reveal that the
Prime Minister further demanded the removal of four
additional blog posts and a YouTube video, including a written agreement
to not publish anything to “further aggravate the injury and distress
caused”
This
followed a series of timeworn and strong-arm tactics employed by the
Singapore government against legitimate public criticism. More recently,
blogger Alex Au, socio-political blog editor Richard Wan as well as
cartoonist Leslie Chew have similarly been subjected to punitive legal
threats and actions for blog/website posts. Coupled with the restrictive
licensing regime of online news sites instituted in 2013 these
incidents represent a serious and growing attempt to undermine the
democratizing potential of freedom of expression online in Singapore.
“The
threat and application of libel laws only serve to discourage critical
debate and reporting on matters of serious and valid public interest.
While injury to reputation of individuals is a valid concern, public
officials and bodies must have a higher threshold of scrutiny and
criticism,” stressed John Liu, FORUM-ASIA’s South & East Asia
Programme Manager.
FORUM-ASIA
noted that the communication of information and ideas about public or
political issues between citizens, public officials and elected
representatives is essential, and that legal action is absolutely
unnecessary especially if there are less restrictive and accessible
means of protecting reputation interest, such as in an open dialogue,
which Mr. Ngerng has extended to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister
however ignored this request.
The
regional human rights group also asserted that the threat of legal
action against the exercise of the right to freedom of expression in
Singapore’s tightly-controlled media environment is not only repressive,
but creates a chilling effect on the rest of society which curtails
robust debate and fosters even more self-censorship.
“Freedom
of expression is a necessary condition for the realization of the
principles of transparency and accountability, which lie at the heart of
Mr. Ngerng’s posts. The Prime Minister must withdraw his threat of
legal action against Mr. Ngerng and desist from demanding damages to be
paid. We further call for the repeal of all laws that restrict the
exercise of the fundamental right to freedom of expression in
Singapore,” asserted Evelyn Balais-Serrano, FORUM-ASIA’s Executive
Director.
[Kieran James' note: It
is a terrible thing for a rich Prime Minister to sue a poor ordinary
citizen. The PAP does not deserve your support at least in relation to this issue. This
article was first published at the following link: http://www.forum-asia.org/?p=17027.
The article is reproduced here with the kind written permission of Mr
John Liu, South & East Asia Programme Manager, FORUM-ASIA.]
About FORUM-ASIA:
The
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is a regional
human rights group with 47 member organisations in 16 countries across
Asia. With offices in Bangkok, Jakarta and Geneva, FORUM-ASIA addresses
key areas of human rights violations in the region, including freedoms
of expression, assembly and association, human rights defenders, and
democratisation.
For inquiries, please contact:
+66802828610.
·Evelyn Balais-Serrano, Executive Director, FORUM-ASIA,
evelyn@forum-asia.org, +66922627971.
Read Kieran James' interview with Roy Ngerng at the following link:
http://joochiatroadonline.blogspot.com/2013/10/interview-my-interviw-with-activist-roy.html
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