S'pore rejects U.S. reports

S'pore rejects U.S. reports

SINGAPORE (AP): Singapore's foreign minister criticized the U.S. State Department Report on human rights yesterday, saying its complaints about the city-state's judiciary and political system were "unsubstantiated and unwarranted".

Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar also challenged a recent report by the U.S. Trade Representative, which said Singapore's enforcement measures were inadequate to deal with an upsurge in pirated software, video and music CDs, and CD-ROMs.

Jayakumar's comments were in the form of written responses to questions from parliamentarians and he took no questions from the 93-member assembly, which includes three opposition members and nine independents appointed by the majority party.

The U.S. State Department had accused the Singapore government -- dominated for more than 30 years by the People's Action Party -- of using legal procedures such as defamation suits and tax evasion charges to intimidate opponents and stifle political debate.