bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

A Singaporean activist found guilty of defaming the prime minister in a high-profile case broke down under intense questioning yesterday as he told the court he just wanted to speak up for the people of the city-state.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sued Roy Ngerng in May last year over a blog post that accused the 63-year-old leader of misusing money from the state pension scheme, the Central Provident Fund (CPF), a sensitive issue for officials in the city-state known to have the least corrupt government in Asia.
The defamation suit is the first brought by a Singapore leader against an online critic, but international human rights groups have repeatedly accused Singapore's leaders of using financially ruinous libel actions to silence opponents.
"Let us be honest, we all know I am being persecuted," Ngerng, 34, said as he broke down for a second time on the last day of hearings to determine the level of damages to be awarded to Lee.
"We all know that just because I spoke against the CPF I am being persecuted.
"I do not hate the prime minister and I sincerely apologise to him, but we need to speak up for the people," he said, after which the judge called for a break.
He repeatedly apologised for defaming Lee, but Lee's lawyer, Davinder Singh, portrayed his apologies as insincere and tore through Ngerng's affidavit seeking minimal or no damages.
Ngerng has already admitted that he defamed Lee and has offered to pay S$5,000 (HK$29,000) in compensation.
Lee has not asked for a specific amount, but the typical minimum value of damage claims for defamation in the High Court is S$250,000.
The judge gave both parties until August 31 to give their written submissions before he sets the amount of damages.
 


Activist sued by Singapore's PM for defamation breaks down in court

Singapore's blogger Roy Ngerng says he is being persecuted for criticism of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Photo: Xinhua

News

Asia

Southeast Asia