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.