Journos pressed to cancel luncheon with Megawati<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (AP): The Singapore Foreign Correspondents
\nAssociation (FCA) said yesterday it had acceded to a request from
\nthe government to withdraw an invitation for Indonesia's Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri to speak at a luncheon in Singapore.<\/p>\n
It was the first time the Singapore government has objected to
\na guest, said Darren McDermott, the FCA's executive committee
\nmember in charge of speakers.<\/p>\n
With two members out of town last month, the committee voted
\n4-3 to accede to the request from K.U. Menon, acting head of the
\nMedia Division of the Ministry of Information and the Arts, the
\nAssociated Press learned from several sources who spoke on
\ncondition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
In a statement faxed yesterday to FCA members, the committee
\ndid not name Menon, but said a high-ranking official \"conveyed a
\nformal request that the FCA withdraw the invitation.\"<\/p>\n
\"The committee subsequently considered the government's
\nrequest and the various issues involved, and voted not to hold
\nthe lecture as originally planned,\" said the statement.<\/p>\n
Megawati, daughter of Indonesia's first president, declined to
\ncomment when reached by the AP in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
She was ousted last year as chairperson of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party in a government supported congress.<\/p>\n
Asked if the incident would have a chilling effect on the
\nFCA's choice of speakers, McDermott said, \"No, I don't think so.
\nI think we'll continue to search for interesting and dynamic
\nspeakers and deal with any problems that... may arise as they
\ndo. But we're not going to censor ourselves from inviting people
\nbecause of this.\"<\/p>\n
At a meeting with the executive committee, the official was
\nasked \"whether there was an implied threat... to our positions
\nhere as reporters... and he said, 'No,\"' said McDermott.<\/p>\n
\"He said he felt the government saw it as a sensitive issue,
\nand while reporters based in Singapore are free to call her or
\nvisit her for an interview, her coming here to give a public
\nspeech might be seen as problematic,\" McDermott added.<\/p>\n
The FCA statement said, \"Through an intermediary, Mrs.
\nMegawati approached the FCA early this year and expressed
\nwillingness to speak to the FCA as part of our regular luncheon
\nseries, which has previously featured numerous local and
\ninternational political figures. The executive committee agreed
\nthat she would make an interesting speaker, and invited her to
\nspeak at a luncheon.\"<\/p>\n
The speech was tentatively set for August, but no venue had
\nbeen reserved or announcement made.<\/p>\n
The government official, Menon, was out of town, and his
\nassistant, Woong Wee Jai, said he needed to consult before saying
\nwhy the government asked the correspondents to withdraw their
\ninvitation to Megawati.<\/p>\n
It is believed that she wanted to speak in Singapore because
\nof the high number of international journalists based here.<\/p>\n
The Singapore government, which promotes the city-state as a
\nregional media and communications base, is a member, with
\nIndonesia, of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which
\nhas a policy of non-interference in members internal affairs.<\/p>",
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