S'pore mulls 'Speakers' Corner'

S'pore mulls 'Speakers' Corner'

SINGAPORE (AP): Tightly controlled Singapore may get a venue
to express ideas similar to London's "Speakers' Corner," leaders
have hinted -- but Singaporeans disagree on whether it would
really mean more freedom of speech.

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, in an interview published last
week, said the government may within months designate a public
place for people to spout their opinions, comparable to Speakers'
Corner in London's Hyde Park.

Though the original Speakers' Corner may now be little more
than a historical curio for tourists, the matter is taken more
seriously in Singapore.

The modern city-state is known for its strict controls on
political speech. The media is carefully regulated. In past
years, leaders have won a number of defamation suits against
critics.