Southeast Asian leaders flounder in the face of online criticism
Analysts say regional governments have little idea how to cope with dissent, so turn to libel suits and draconian laws to silence bloggers
Political leaders in Southeast Asia are spooked by escalating online dissent and have no clue what to do except implement draconian legislation or file lawsuits, according to analysts.
In Thailand, the junta behind the latest coup d'etat monitors social media to weed out troublesome bloggers, while in Vietnam, laws implemented last year can see critics fined for saying anything negative online about the regime.
Malaysia's prime minister is suing an acclaimed independent news website, and his counterpart in Singapore is taking similar action against a young blogger.
Described as a David vs Goliath case, the lawsuit in Singapore is grabbing headlines. It is the first time a Singaporean leader has hauled a blogger to court for defamatory online comments.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's lawyer says the blogger, 33-year-old Roy Ngerng, had made statements accusing Lee of "criminal misappropriation" of the Central Provident Fund (CPF), the state pension fund.
The [solution] may actually be more transparency
Around 2,000 people gathered yesterday at a park designated for protests, a large turnout for the city-state.