S'pore's Lee to retract statement

S'pore's Lee to retract statement

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singaporean Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew yesterday said he was retracting a court document critical of a Malaysian state which triggered a diplomatic row between the two countries.

In a signed statement, the former prime minister said he had instructed his lawyer to ask a court to remove "the offending words" from an affidavit portraying the southern Malaysian state of Johor near Singapore as crime-ridden.

"I have already apologized unreservedly and repeat my unreserved apology in this signed statement," said the 73-year- old Lee.

The affidavit had been filed as part of a defamation suit against an opposition candidate, Tang Liang Hong, who had fled to Johor citing death threats after losing in the January general elections here.

Lee's statement caused outrage in Malaysia, whose cabinet is set to meet tomorrow and was expected to demand a retraction before Lee issued his statement Monday. Lee had apologized publicly on Thursday but failed to placate Kuala Lumpur.