PM Lee, MM Lee awarded 6—figure sums in libel case
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Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, October 14
SINGAPORE: The High Court has awarded six—figure sums to both Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in their libel case against the Singapore Democratic Party and its leaders.
Justice Belinda Ang said she came to the conclusion that a fair and reasonable figure for damages was S$500,000 for Mr Lee Hsien Loong and S$450,000 to Mr Lee Kuan Yew for defamatory remarks which appeared in an SDP publication during the 2006 General Election.
After taking into account the S$170,000 which each plaintiff had earlier received in settlement from six other defendants, she awarded damages of S$330,000 to be paid to Prime Minister Lee and S$280,000 to Minister Mentor Lee.
Justice Ang said the amount was commensurate with and proportionate to the gravity of the libel and the "egregious behaviour" of the defendants Chee Soon Juan and Chee Siok Chin.
Justice Ang said defendants Chee Soon Juan and Chee Siok Chin had played to the gallery.
She ordered them to pay aggravated damages, saying they had attempted to establish the truth of the libel under the pretext of cross—examining the plaintiffs.
She added the plaintiffs had been "subjected to insulting behaviour and more than unpleasant cross—examination, which increased their sense of having been ridiculed and humiliated".
— CNA/ir
Monday, 13 October 2008
Singapore Democrats
High Court Judge Belinda Ang has ordered the Singapore Democrats to pay Mr Lee Kuan Yew $280,000 and Mr Lee Hsien Loong $330,000 in damages.
The Lees sued the SDP and its executive members in 2006 over an article published in the party's newspaper The New Democrat which discussed the NKF scandal and the Government's handling of the matter.Ministers Khaw Boon Wan and Lim Hng Kiang had praised NKF despite warning flags being repeatedly raised about the operations handled by Mr T T Durai and his staff members. Mr Durai and his Chariman, Mr Richard Yong, were subsequently convicted of various criminal offences.
Judge Ang had awarded the case to the Lees in a summary judgment that meant that the defendants could not bring the matter to an open trial. This left the Lees to proceed to assessing the amount of damages to be paid to them.
At this hearing, the defendants comprising of the party, Dr Chee Soon Juan, and Ms Chee Siok Chin (the rest of the executive members apologised and did not contest the case) pressed the point that the Lees were not worth the damages they claimed because their reputations were forced upon society through dictatorial means.
During the hearing, the Lees wanted the cross-examination to be limited to two hours each even though three days had been set aside. Judge Ang agreed.
Mr Lee Kuan Yew also wanted the hearing to go on through the lunch hour. Again Judge Ang agreed. Mr Lee also had an entourage of bodyguards who accompanied him into the courtroom which Judge Ang allowed.
The defendants protested against these decisions. Judge Ang held the defendants in contempt of court and sent Dr Chee and Ms Chee to prison for 12 and 10 days respectively.
Incidentally, Mr Gopalan Nair is currently serving a three-month prison sentence when he was found guilty by another High Court Judge , Mr Kan Ting Chiu, for insulting Judge Ang.
In a letter to the defendants sent today, the Supreme Court informed the defendants that they could collect the judgment at a cost of $385. The SDP has not collected the judgment but has learnt that the amounts awarded total $610,000.
Dr Chee has already been made a bankrupt from a previous lawsuit taken by Messrs Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong. He was also sued in 1993 by PAP MP Dr S Vasoo and two other university officials after he was dismissed from the National University of Singapore where he lectured.
Ms Chee Siok Chin was also made bankrupt after she was unable to meet payments demanded by the AG's Chambers over a case which she and other activists took against the Minister for Home Affairs and Police Commissioner over a protest in 2005.
The police threatened to arrest the protesters even though there were only four of them. The law says that only five or more persons constituted an illegal assembly.
The Lees will now have to apply for a bankruptcy petition against the defendants and can then make SDP bankrupt and de-register the party.
The Singapore Democrats stand firm in our conviction to continue to speak up for Singaporeans no matter what happens. The punitive actions taken by the PAP cannot deter us from our cause to bring democracy and justice to our nation.The two versions, both CNA and SDP's, are copied above for your reference.
By the way, I think this is quite absurd. I don't think the Bush administration sues every single American for telling others that George W. Bush is a corrupt president. This is the prohibition of freedom of speech in it's simplest term.
Besides, what is a mere $600k to them anyway?
The main purpose of this is to completely eradicate Chee Soon Juan and his gang of friends, simply put.
If you read the TODAY newspaper, you would've noticed that this paragraph was not even featured in the first few pages. In fact, it was squeezed off into one small corner and details were little.
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Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison. -Henry David Thoreau
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HereÅ› one good way to make PAP a hero while be tyrannical to SDP.
Since they like to make SDP pay, they might as well set up an Endowment Fund 100% financed by SDP´s compensation to PAP.
This Endowment Fund can be used to provide financial aid to the poor in Singapore.
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Since it is a defamation suit against the Lees, which is also our govt and our country at stake, we should also get a fair share of the award. More so when we voted PAP as the ruling party.
Yo, PAP, give me my share leh!! award is about $1,000,000, so divide by 3 millions people exculding the PR, FT and FW, I should get 0.30Cents, or everyone of us, so to speak. How can the Lees take it all, daylight robbery lor
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i think that csj guy numbed to this already. pap must try diffirent things.
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Curse the damned despots for stiffling free speech in Singapore and persecuting dissidents... any wonder the mother, wife cannot peacefully die... any wonder the son suffered from cancer of the anus?
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Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:
Curse the damned despots for stiffling free speech in Singapore and persecuting dissidents... any wonder the mother, wife cannot peacefully die... any wonder the son suffered from cancer of the anus?
The comment on the protagonist's anus was quite interesting, I must say.
Whoever put that idea in your head must be an intriguing person.
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Haha, stupid clowns making baseless accusations and paying for it.
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Sue people to protect the Lees reputation..
or to hide the Lees mistakes they had made?
but whatever it is..
Pay & Pay for the win!
Cant do anything lar in Singapore.
Everything kena control..
Oppositions cant stand up and show their capability because the Pay & Pay doesnt allow em'..
I hope Singapore have Political Debate..
Confirm i watch!
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suck mroe money.. suck more.. retribution is coming soon
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Originally posted by Vendettus:
The comment on the protagonist's anus was quite interesting, I must say.
Whoever put that idea in your head must be an intriguing person.
"- Singapore Politics
In 1990, LHL was appointed Deputy Prime Minister with responsibilities .... Prior to the diagnosis, the doctors found three small polyps in BG Lee's rectum. ...
singaporegovt.blogspot.com/2005/12/who-is-our-prime-minister-really-is.html - 107k
- Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew on his son's cancer
By Bertha Henson)
"Three weeks before they left for South Africa, the doctors found three small polyps in BG Lee's rectum. He had earlier complained of bleeding. The doctors said that they were benign, and left the operation to a convenient time."
Who really knows? In Singapore, there is the official secrets act....
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...so now we wait and see what the granchildren get...
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You complain complain complain, do something about it lah. You only say say say, in the end i bet you still vote for PAP
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So sad..... SDP kena destory by CSJ..... Really felt sad for Mr Chaim, to see his former party gone
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a party that "betrayed" him? nah... he's happy cos' he's not involved... lol
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Chee's not going to pay up anyway. And for what end?
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Originally posted by LazerLordz:
Chee's not going to pay up anyway.
Oh shit - how are the old man and Junior going to pay to keep the old bat alive now? Are they going to have to go on Medisave and pull the plug on her because it's a drain on public funds?
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Haven't CSJ been bankrupted yet?
If CSJ is bankrupted, he will be free to say anything he like (cause no matter how many more times the Lee going to sue him, he doesn't have any money to pay anyway).
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Originally posted by LazerLordz:
Chee's not going to pay up anyway. And for what end?
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Originally posted by 333225520:
Haven't CSJ been bankrupted yet?
If CSJ is bankrupted, he will be free to say anything he like (cause no matter how many more times the Lee going to sue him, he doesn't have any money to pay anyway).
They have to murder him to shut him up....
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What the old despot achieved is for more curses to fall on himself and his son and family....
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LKY is taking every breath he can muster to destroy every fomidable opposition members before the next election. He will lose if he give the opposition a level playing field. He can't take any chances.
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formidable opposition?
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Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:
They have to murder him to shut him up....
They have to hire my service.
