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.