Singapore seeks IHT report

Singapore seeks IHT report

SINGAPORE (Reuter): Former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and his son, Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, are seeking damages from the International Herald Tribune newspaper for an article that alleged nepotism, a lawyer said on yesterday.

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong is doing the same, he said.

The newspaper printed an apology on Wednesday for suggesting that Lee Hsien Loong got his job purely because of his father, now a senior minister.

Lawyers were now working on the issues of costs and damages and the case would go to court if there was no agreement, said Tan Kok Quan who is representing both Lees.

Tan said the three officials wrote to the IHT on Aug. 5 demanding a retraction and apology, plus costs and damages, for the Aug. 2 article.

The IHT's lawyer K. Shanmugam said: "The parties are now dealing with issues of damages and costs." Both declined to state the amount claimed as damages.