Update 1 Sep 2021: PM Lee Hsien Loong awarded $370,000 in damages against TOC editor Terry Xu and writer
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was awarded a total of $370,000 in damages in his defamation suit against The Online Citizen (TOC) editor Terry Xu Yuanchen and his writer, Rubaashini Shunmuganathan.
In a judgment issued on Wednesday (1 September), Justice Audrey Lim also issued an injunction restraining Xu from further publishing or disseminating the false and defamatory allegations in TOC's 2019 article about 38 Oxley Road. The article was still accessible as of 2.30pm on Wednesday.
The article published on TOC’s website and Facebook page on 15 August 2019 was titled “PM Lee’s wife, Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members”. It was written by Rubaashini, whom Lee also sought aggravated damages against in a separate suit. He was awarded $160,000 for this suit against Ruubashini and Xu, who were found jointly liable. For the suit that was solely against Xu, Lee was awarded $210,000, comprising $160,000 in general damages and $50,000 in aggravated damages.
PM Lee awarded S$210,000 in damages after winning defamation suits against The Online Citizen editor and writer
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) and Mr Terry Xu, chief editor of The Online Citizen, arriving at the Supreme Court on Nov 30, 2021
The High Court on Wednesday (Sept 1) awarded Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a total of S$210,000 in damages, after he won two defamation lawsuits against the chief editor and a writer from sociopolitical site The Online Citizen (TOC).
The lawsuits stemmed from an article published in TOC in August 2019 about Mr Lee’s family home at 38 Oxley Road. In a 60-page judgement, Justice Audrey Lim found that the article was defamatory.
The judge also agreed that TOC’s editor Terry Xu had acted maliciously and recklessly in publishing the article, and so aggravated damages were warranted.
Singapore PM wins more defamation suits against bloggers
Singapore's high court ordered two bloggers to pay Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a combined S$210,000 ($155,994) in damages on Wednesday, over an article about the home of his late father and the city-state's modern-day founder, Lee Kuan Yew.
The premier sued writer Rubaashini Shunmuganathan and editor Xu Yuan Chen, also known as Terry Xu, over an August 2019 article on The Online Citizen (TOC) that included references to a Lee family disagreement about what to do with the property. Judge Audrey Lim said the article "impugned Lee's reputation and character" by alleging he was dishonest.
"This struck at the heart of Lee's personal integrity and could severely undermine his credibility, not just personally but also as the prime minister, and call into question his fitness to govern with integrity," Lim said in a written judgement.
Singapore PM Gets $156,000 in Blogger Defamation Suit
A Singapore court awarded Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong S$210,000 ($156,000) in combined damages in two defamation suits he brought against blogger Terry Xu and a second writer over an article published two years ago.
The High Court said in its judgment on Wednesday that Xu, the chief editor of The Online Citizen news blog “acted recklessly, with indifference to the truth and with ill-will” in publishing a story that caused adverse reactions on social media and “serious harm” to Lee’s reputation.
“The libel against Lee Hsien Loong is grave and serious,” the court judgment read. “The defamatory remarks do not merely attack his personal integrity, character and reputation, but that of the PM, and damage his moral authority to lead Singapore.”
High Court awards PM Lee $210,000 in damages in defamation suits against TOC editor Terry Xu and article author
Justice Lim ordered Mr Terry Xu to pay $210,000, comprising $160,000 in general damages and $50,000 in aggravated damages. PHOTO: ST FILE
The High Court has awarded Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a total of $210,000 in damages for two defamation suits he filed over an article published on The Online Citizen (TOC) website.
He had separately sued TOC chief editor Terry Xu and Ms Rubaashini Shunmuganathan, the Malaysian author of the article that was published on Aug 15, 2019.
The article, titled "PM Lee's wife Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members", had quoted a Facebook post by PM Lee's sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling, saying their father, founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, had been misled by PM Lee into believing the family house at 38 Oxley Road had been gazetted by the Government.
PM Lee sues TOC’s Terry Xu over alleged defamatory article
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is suing Terry Xu, Chief Editor of The Online Citizen (TOC), over an alleged defamatory article published last month.
The legal action comes a day after Xu said in a reply to PM Lee that he won’t comply with his demands to immediately remove the article and publicly apologise to him by Wednesday.
TOC said in a post on its Facebook page that a Writ of Summons along with a Statement of Claim has been served by Davinder Singh Chambers on behalf of PM Lee to Xu, on Thursday (5 September), 3.51pm at his house.
read more
PM Lee serves TOC editor in chief writ of summons, following his refusal to abide demands to take down article and issue apology
Following the refusal to take down an article published on TOC titled “PM Lee’s wife, Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members” and issue an apology for the post, a writ of summons was served by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to The Online Citizen‘s editor in chief Terry Xu on Thu (5 Sep) at the latter’s residence.
The writ of summons was sent with a statement of claim by Davinder Singh Chambers LLC on behalf of Mr Lee, which alleged that the article contained statements that are false and baseless, and that it was intended disparage and impugn PM Lee as well as his office as the Prime Minister. Mr Xu has eight days to enter an appearance to enter his defence against the claims made by Mr Lee.
In a letter from the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Chang Li Lin on behalf of Mr Lee dated 1 Sep, it was alleged that the article and the Facebook post in relation to the article contained “libellous” statements, such as that PM Lee was removed as an executor and trustee of the late Lee Kuan Yew’s will after the latter found out that “the 38 Oxley Road property had in fact not been gazetted”.
TOC replies to PM Lee, refuses to apologise and remove article on Lee family feud
The chief editor of The Online Citizen (TOC), Terry Xu, said on Wednesday (4 September) that he won’t be complying with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s demands for him to apologise by the same day and immediately remove the TOC article referencing the Lee family feud.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) wrote to Xu regarding the article’s “false allegations” about the feud and asked the online publication to immediately remove the article from TOC’s website and Facebook page. The PMO also demanded that Xu publicly issue a “full and unconditional apology” by Wednesday and an undertaking not to publish any similar allegations. Should Xu fail to do so, “PM Lee will have no choice but to hand the matter over to his lawyers to sue to enforce his full rights in law,” the PMO letter added.
In his reply to PM Lee posted on TOC’s Facebook page, Xu said, “Although I do fear that the cost stemming from the possible legal suit from you may be hefty, that is a price that I am willing to pay to not only uphold my principles, but also to uphold my obligations to Singapore and my fellow Singaporeans.” Xu said that the contents in the TOC article “are not defamatory”.
read more
The Online Citizen will not remove Facebook post over Oxley Road property
The Online Citizen (TOC) will not comply with a demand to remove an article and a Facebook post which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said contained "false allegations" against him with regard to the 38 Oxley Road property.
Chief editor Terry Xu revealed in a Facebook post yesterday that TOC had responded, as at 6pm yesterday, to the letter of demand sent from the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday.
Yesterday was the deadline given for Mr Xu to remove the article and post, and to publish a "full and unconditional" apology or face legal action.
read more
Singapore PM threatens online editor with libel
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (front C), arriving for the National Day Parade on August 9, 2019, is embroiled in a public row with his younger brother Lee Hsien Yang and sister Lee Wei Ling over the fate of a family house
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong threatened Sunday the editor of an online publication with libel for repeating "false" allegations related to a bitter feud in the city-state's founding family.
In a letter to Terry Xu, chief editor of The Online Citizen (TOC), Lee's press secretary demanded that the article on its website and Facebook page be taken down immediately.
The letter also asked TOC to issue a "full and unconditional apology" by Wednesday. Should Xu fail to comply, "PM Lee will have no choice but to hand the matter over to his lawyers to sue to enforce his full rights in law," said the letter signed by his press secretary.
read more
PM Lee demands The Online Citizen take down allegedly defamatory article or face legal action
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s spokesperson has issued a letter to sociopolitical website The Online Citizen (TOC), demanding that it remove an article containing “false” and “libellous” allegations and publish an apology.
In the letter sent to TOC chief editor Terry Xu at 6pm on Sunday (Sept 1) — a copy of which was made available to the media — Ms Chang Li Lin, the prime minister’s press secretary, took issue with an article titled, “PM Lee’s wife Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members”, which she called a “scurrilous” attack on PM Lee’s character and integrity. A link to the article, dated Aug 15, was also posted on TOC’s Facebook page.
The article and Facebook post repeated several false allegations that were levelled against PM Lee by his sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling, said Ms Chang.
read more
Time Magazine brings up Singapore’s press freedom rankings as it covers PM Lee’s warning to TOC
read more
Singapore's Prime Minister Threatens Website Editor With Libel
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has threatened to pursue libel charges against the editor of an online publication that ran allegations about the city-state’s founding family.
In a letter to Terry Xu, the Chief Editor of the Online Citizen, Lee’s press secretary requested the immediate removal of an article from the outlet’s website and Facebook page, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The letter also asked for a “full and unconditional apology” from the Online Citizen, a blogging platform that is known as one of the few alternative political news sources in Singapore.
read more
related:
"Can we love our Country and fear at the same time?”
Facebook gives way to Singapore’s ‘fake news’ law
POFMA fake news law invoked for first time
PM Lee: “POFMA would catch you!”
K Shanmugam to ‘Ah Lian’: POFMA is like a Torchlight
Singapore's fake news law passed
Singapore introduces anti-fake news law
Singapore PM sues online editor
Singapore PM threatens online editor with libel
PM Lee sues Blogger for sharing article
MDA tells The Online Citizen to register under Broadcasting Act
Mothership.sg To Register Under Broadcasting Act
Blogger asked to remove defamatory post about PM Lee
Why is Facebook in trouble?
The 'Dr Mahathir-Activists KL Meeting' Saga
States Times Review to shut down
Thumping of PJ Thum over ‘fake news’ hearing
Parliamentary committee on Fake News
Law to combat fake news to be introduced next year
Combating fake news in Singapore
Fakes and Frauds
Singapore public servants' computers no Internet from May 2017
The Online Citizen will not remove Facebook post over Oxley Road property
The Online Citizen (TOC) will not comply with a demand to remove an article and a Facebook post which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said contained "false allegations" against him with regard to the 38 Oxley Road property.
Chief editor Terry Xu revealed in a Facebook post yesterday that TOC had responded, as at 6pm yesterday, to the letter of demand sent from the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday.
Yesterday was the deadline given for Mr Xu to remove the article and post, and to publish a "full and unconditional" apology or face legal action.
Singapore PM threatens online editor with libel
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong threatened Sunday the editor of an online publication with libel for repeating "false" allegations related to a bitter feud in the city-state's founding family.
In a letter to Terry Xu, chief editor of The Online Citizen (TOC), Lee's press secretary demanded that the article on its website and Facebook page be taken down immediately.
The letter also asked TOC to issue a "full and unconditional apology" by Wednesday. Should Xu fail to comply, "PM Lee will have no choice but to hand the matter over to his lawyers to sue to enforce his full rights in law," said the letter signed by his press secretary.
read more
PM Lee demands The Online Citizen take down allegedly defamatory article or face legal action
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s spokesperson has issued a letter to sociopolitical website The Online Citizen (TOC), demanding that it remove an article containing “false” and “libellous” allegations and publish an apology.
In the letter sent to TOC chief editor Terry Xu at 6pm on Sunday (Sept 1) — a copy of which was made available to the media — Ms Chang Li Lin, the prime minister’s press secretary, took issue with an article titled, “PM Lee’s wife Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members”, which she called a “scurrilous” attack on PM Lee’s character and integrity. A link to the article, dated Aug 15, was also posted on TOC’s Facebook page.
The article and Facebook post repeated several false allegations that were levelled against PM Lee by his sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling, said Ms Chang.
read more
Time Magazine brings up Singapore’s press freedom rankings as it covers PM Lee’s warning to TOC
Time Magazine covered the warning letter and highlighted Singapore’s low press freedom rankings, the new anti-fake news law and TOC editor Terry Xu’s earlier criminal defamation case in an article published yesterday (2 Sept).
The article, written by Time Magazine’s Amy Gunia, stated: “Wealthy Singapore places strict limitations on civil liberties and freedom of speech, and public figures have previously been accused of using criminal defamation suits to silence critics.”
Noting that Mr Xu has been charged with criminal defamation over a separate article published on TOC, the publication pointed out that Singapore is ranked 151st out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders’ 2019 World Press Freedom Index and highlighted that this low ranking puts Singapore below Myanmar and the UAE.
Singapore's Prime Minister Threatens Website Editor With Libel
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has threatened to pursue libel charges against the editor of an online publication that ran allegations about the city-state’s founding family.
In a letter to Terry Xu, the Chief Editor of the Online Citizen, Lee’s press secretary requested the immediate removal of an article from the outlet’s website and Facebook page, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The letter also asked for a “full and unconditional apology” from the Online Citizen, a blogging platform that is known as one of the few alternative political news sources in Singapore.
read more
related:
"Can we love our Country and fear at the same time?”
Facebook gives way to Singapore’s ‘fake news’ law
POFMA fake news law invoked for first time
PM Lee: “POFMA would catch you!”
K Shanmugam to ‘Ah Lian’: POFMA is like a Torchlight
Singapore's fake news law passed
Singapore introduces anti-fake news law
Singapore PM sues online editor
Singapore PM threatens online editor with libel
PM Lee sues Blogger for sharing article
MDA tells The Online Citizen to register under Broadcasting Act
Mothership.sg To Register Under Broadcasting Act
Blogger asked to remove defamatory post about PM Lee
Why is Facebook in trouble?
The 'Dr Mahathir-Activists KL Meeting' Saga
States Times Review to shut down
Thumping of PJ Thum over ‘fake news’ hearing
Parliamentary committee on Fake News
Law to combat fake news to be introduced next year
Combating fake news in Singapore
Fakes and Frauds
Singapore public servants' computers no Internet from May 2017
