The article headlined 'Activist denied trial in defamation case faces bankruptcy' (South China Morning Post, August 20) wrongly suggests that Dr Chee Soon Juan was denied a fair trial. During the general elections in Singapore in 2001, Dr Chee apologised at his election rally for falsely defaming Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew by accusing them of dishonesty and being unfit for office. He did this twice, once before a demand for an apology was made, and again in the form demanded by the lawyers that included an undertaking to pay damages and costs. Dr Chee did not fulfil this agreement. Mr Goh and Mr Lee sued to enforce his promise. They applied for summary judgment of their claims against Dr Chee in accordance with his undertaking to pay damages and costs, a common procedure in jurisdictions like England and Hong Kong, when it is clear that there is no defence. Dr Chee chose to represent himself. He had initially applied for a QC to defend him. When the court refused to admit the QC, he decided not to appeal although he was told he could. Dr Chee argued that his apologies were made under duress and therefore unenforceable. In court, he kept changing his story on what the duress was. He admitted his first set of apologies, on October 29 and 30, 2001, had been given voluntarily, but claimed his second apology on October 31, was not 'sincere and genuine', because it had been issued under an alleged threat from Mr Lee (according to a November 1 newspaper report), that if he did not apologise, there would be action against his (Dr Chee's) running mates. Dr Chee claimed he had 'no choice' but to issue the second apology as he did not want to risk 'jeopardising their future'. But he had made the second apology on October 31, before the newspaper report of November 1 that reported the alleged threat. When this lie was pointed out, Dr Chee, in the words of the judgment, 'back-pedalled' and claimed the threat had been made by Mr Goh on October 30. This contradicted Dr Chee's sworn evidence that Mr Lee made the alleged threat. In yet another change, Dr Chee said his own party candidate, Dr Vincent Yeo, had threatened to pull out of the elections if Dr Chee did not apologise. That would have destroyed Dr Chee's own electoral chances since Dr Yeo was a member of his team of candidates. The court found that Dr Chee's claim was 'hopelessly flawed and manifestly untenable', and that he had failed to show a 'real or bona fide' defence. TOH HOCK GHIM Consul-General Republic of Singapore