Singapore student forced to shut down blog

last SG · 2005-05-08T11:38:44+00:00

There is no need to imagine. Freedom of speech is alive and well in the UK. It is not unrestricted of course, but imo it is alive and well. I agree with you...

LazerLordz SG

The blog was hosted on a University Account in the USA, therefore US jurisdiction should take place, because any malice or slander if any, was uttered on US soil.However, such a lawsuit would be thrown out of the US courts immediately because simply put, there will be no case against either ASTAR or Philip Yeo.

His institute backed him in his blogging, because it is a Constitutional Right to Free Speech in the United States.To attempt to throw the SG lawbook at someone who said his words in the United States on a US based server and having committed no crime under American law is just plain stupid and idiotic, not to mention reflective of kindergarten games..

Research my balls.What sort of R&D institute muzzles its students with the threat of litigation action?Runs totally to the spirit of innovation and creativity..now hypocrisy seems to be a better catch-phrase..

Ever wonder why SG never had any PSC scholars who takes up Political Science and Journalism at Berkeley?Can the agencies ever hope to take them on?Hmm..

[email protected] SG

why shut it down? freedom of expression right?

instead i'd like to see him lose his scholarship.

timothytsgsg SG

I think he shd just stay in US and quit his scholarship anyway. Since the damn system is flawed, why continue in it?

If he has the money and can afford the consequences, I'd rather he quitted. Philip Yeo is a goddamn idiot anyway. And also, since he's in the US and his Uni supported him- as someone here has stated, any defamation suit cannot harm him.

In effect, the US consitution also protects him.

lwflee SG

Ah...It gets more and more interesting.

While imo, defamation laws in the US are some of the most liberal in the world, i would have been tempted to take the actions the blogger took. After all, he is a student and we know that students gererally live off baked beans and sausages...

I would like to see him meet the threats of legal action head on though. Anyone know if Legal aid is available for defending defamtion actions in the US? What about singapore (I presume not)?

dragg SG

why do you call philip yeo an idiot? you know him?

shade343 SG

Oh my, did you just defame somebody in this post? Laughing

Werewolf SG

He would be coming back to sg right? After his scholarship? so that means he can be sued, yes?

Even if he cannot be sued, they'll probably take his scholarship away and get him to pay back the money due. That is probably a big factor....
Not just losing scholarship....

I think....

LazerLordz SG

I think the courts would have to see if his words constituted slander with a malicious intent or was he just stating his opinions.

There's a line drawn between intentional slander and the expression of one's belief..and in civil cases like that, i think the federal, or the state circuit courts would prolly lean to the latter.

LazerLordz SG

Legally speaking, the action was committed in the States, which is important when you determine the location of the said individual.Can you sue a man who has broken no laws abroad,when he was in US, in a SG court, for an alleged local offence committed in America?Sounds implausible anyway..Moreover,I don not think we have any jurisdiction over anything done in the States.

Being a Singapore citizen should not automatically make him a criminal..just like if I were to own a gun in America, where it is legal..can the local courts prosecute me on arrival for a retroactive crime of possession of a deadly firearm which did not even take place on SG soil?

lwflee SG

Actually, i think we are concerned with libel, instead of slander. Genrally, Libel is written while slander is spoken.

LazerLordz SG

My bad. Very Happy

EXCO SG

I believe that the author is liable from legal action taken by the person the remark was directed at, no matter where the person might be.

Saying that the person is in another country when he made the comment, and thus protected by that country's laws is not correct. In that case, people who are overseas are free to shoot their mouths off knowing that they can get away with everything.

The point that was omitted was that the comment was directed at a Singaporean entity. That makes is posible for that entity to sue using Singapore laws.

No sense.

BaByBoY SG

i tink correct or not is a very personal issue here rite??

for some, they might feel it`s ok u know?
anyway i tot blogs are all expressions of personal opinion
someone ever told me ` a blog is just an online diary that can be read by other ppl`

so the credibility is not there rite??
then why would philip yeo wanna do such a bo liao thing to sue a blog that so called had `no credit ` to it.. not that the blog was registered for political use??

in my sense, i call for philip yeo to be over the board
my stand is with the student
it aint wrong to state`fact` and `opinions`
it`s entirely up to the reader to face the accuracy of the posts in the blog..

sueing a person for defamation on a blog is a great mockery in itself
i had a great luff at A*STAR for it`s childish acts

the Bear SG

this whole fiasco is going to hurt IN2015 Laughing

dragg SG

i dont think philip yeo sued anyone. he just asked to speak with the 2 guys.

lwflee SG

He didn't, but according to the blogger, it was certainly more than "asking to speak to someone"; they were threats of litigation.

Also, would it not be logical that one is subjected to the laws of the ocuntry one is in or is alleged to have done something illegal? (eg. Lee Kwan Yew v Devan Nair was certainly not litigated in Singapore and Singapore law was certainly not in issue - LKY did not succeed by the way lol ) In this case, although the person threatening litigation is in SIngapore, the allegedly defamatory words were written and in the US. But then could it be argued that because he gave consent to the interview to be published in a singapore newspaper, he might be liable in singapore?

sigh I am totally ignorant of the intricacies of international law and this is giving me a headache. Any student/practitioner of international law out there willing to have a go?

LazerLordz SG

Lee Kuan Yew versus Devan Nair was fought in a Canadian court of law, and the case was thrown out because the defendant was resident in Canada, so the jurisdiction would be Canadian.

For this case, perhaps SG might have some say until an actual lawsuit is filed, then the argument might take on a new dimension because unlike Mr Nair, the blogger is a citizen of SG, but was resident in America when he blogged.

The stuff just gets deeper and deeper..if only his words were just construed as his own opinions and be respected and left as such..Sigh.

lwflee SG

Hey, why is "country" censored?!

I hope he doesn't come back to Singapore! Then problem solved! He can then give us internet users the lowdown on A*STAR's and Mr. Yeo's competence (or lack thereof).

Smile

Bad move by Mr Yeo, i think. His strategy backfired!

macjoe SG

I think the local courts will deem the dispute a personal quabble and
ignore it.

It's like a Singaporean staying overseas and writing graffiti on a foreign university wall (not a foreign mass media) on someone Y and some Singaporeans here decide to go take a look and even comment further. Y in Singapore sent someone to copy and use it as evidence against the writer.

If there is an offence committed, where was it committed, the local courts would ask first. Here or abroad?

Obviously, it was abroad and whose jurisdiction is that? Certainly not local courts. And if foreign courts, what offence was committed?

Shocked

dragg SG

i noticed many of you are very particular about freedom of speech.

freedom of speech is hardly a free-for-all. we must be responsible for what we say or write, especially if it concerns someone's reputation. i am not writing to defend anyone in particular.

lets say if someone has written something negative about you somewhere (blog, papers etc) wouldnt you want to seek redress? or do you choose to keep quiet?

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