S'pore plans new rules for foreign media

S'pore plans new rules for foreign media

SINGAPORE (AP): The government will introduce a new bill that lets authorities limit foreign media broadcasters who are deemed to be interfering in the country's politics, a Cabinet official said on Friday.

Information and Arts Minister Lee Yock Suan told Parliament he will introduce legislation that would give authorities "the power to declare any foreign broadcasting service to be engaging in the domestic politics of Singapore" and limit the "distribution" of the offending broadcaster.

He gave no further details, but said the government's aim "is not to ban information, but to restrict subscriber and advertising revenue to an errant channel."

In 1999, then-Information and Arts Minister George Yeo warned Parliament that candidates might try to lobby or pay foreign broadcasters for air time before general elections. Foreign media must be subject to the same election laws as local TV and radio broadcasters, Yeo said.

During election campaigns, political parties are allowed broadcasting time on Singapore TV in proportion to their number of candidates.

There are currently three opposition members in the country's 93-seat parliament, which has long been dominated by the ruling People's Action Party.

Singapore's government has a history of sparring with foreign media, who have often criticized the city-state's leaders as authoritarian.

Top leaders have, in past years, successfully sued foreign news publications for defamation. Several foreign newspapers and magazines have had their distribution limited in Singapore after they refused to print the Singapore government's full responses to critical reports.

Singapore's leaders claim their tight restrictions on the media help maintain the order and stability that have made Singapore one of Asia's richest nations.