Singapore High Court rejects politician Tang's legal bid

Singapore High Court rejects politician Tang's legal bid

SINGAPORE (Reuter): The Singapore High Court yesterday
dismissed an opposition politician's application to strike out
defamation suits filed by the prime minister, two ministers and
other ruling party members.

The ruling permits the suits to go ahead.

Legal sources said the court also dismissed an application by
Tang Liang Hong's lawyers for an extension to file his defense,
and ordered Tang to pay the cost for yesterday's application.

Tang, a defeated Workers' Party candidate in a hotly contested
constituency in Singapore's general election on Jan. 2, is
currently out of the country.

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew and
six other leaders of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) filed
defamation suits against Tang for calling them liars during the
election campaign.

"It is a very serious thing ... because if he is right and I
am a liar, I should step down immediately. You cannot have a
cheat and a liar as a prime minister," Goh said at a rally during
the campaign, explaining his legal actions against Tang.

The remarks at issue were carried in an interview with the
Straits Times daily newspaper, where Tang was quoted as saying
PAP leaders had concocted lies about him.

Tang was criticized repeatedly during the election campaign by
Goh and other members of the PAP as an extremist with views they
said could threaten the harmony of multi-racial Singapore.

Among other charges, Goh said Tang told a seminar that
Chinese-educated Singaporeans "were carrying the sedan chair for
others" when they "should be sitting in the sedan chair".

Race is a sensitive issue in Singapore, which suffered race
riots in the 1960s between the majority ethnic Chinese and
minority Malays.

When contacted, Tang told Reuters he would contest all claims
made by the ministers in their suits. He said his lawyers would
file his defense.

"I would not stand being bullied. I will fight whatever I
can," he said.

Tang added he would offer his properties in Singapore and
Malaysia for sale, including his bungalow home, to raise funds of
up to S$5 million (US$3.5 million) for his defense.

Tang left Singapore soon after the election, saying he and his
family had received death threats. He has reportedly been in
Malaysia and Hong Kong, and told Reuters earlier he was in
London.