Singapore leaders raise pressure on activist Tang

Singapore leaders raise pressure on activist Tang

SINGAPORE (Reuter): Singapore's political leadership has increased the pressure on opposition politician Tang Liang Hong with more suits for defamation.

Legal notices in the Straits Times newspaper yesterday announced fresh suits against Workers' Party activist Tang by the city-state's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

One notice charged that Tang slandered Lee in the hearing of Ahmad Osman, a Straits Times journalist, on Jan. 23, and then libeled the former prime minister in an article written by Ahmad in the newspaper on Jan. 24.

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong took action against Tang on Thursday over the same article.

A second notice made similar claims against Tang over remarks to Straits Times reporter Brendan Pereira on Jan. 10 and an article in the newspaper on Jan. 11.

Lee's claims bring to nine the number of suits for defamation against Tang by Singapore's political leadership since the country's general election on Jan. 2, in which the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) won 81 of 83 parliamentary seats.

Tang was an unsuccessful candidate in a hotly contested constituency in the poll and left Singapore after the election saying he had received death threats.

He is currently in London and was unavailable for comment on Friday but has said he intends to fight the lawsuits and eventually return to Singapore.

Tang is being sued separately for defamation by Lee, Goh and nine other members of the PAP, for comments he had made during the election campaign.

As in some previous suits, Tang's wife, Teo Siew Har, was cited as a co-defendant in the writs. She was not mentioned in either Straits Times articles and has shunned media attention.

Teo was prevented from leaving Singapore for Malaysia on Monday. The Home Affairs Ministry later said the tax authorities thought she may have been involved in the administration of Tang's tax matters, which were being investigated.