Singapore's state prosecution arm has demanded an apology from
several websites over posts which it said cast doubt on the
judiciary's integrity in a case involving a China
national.
The websites and Facebook pages involved had suggested that a
Singapore court had been lenient to Yuan Zhenghua, 31, who hijacked
a taxi last year and crashed it into the driveway of Changi
Airport's budget terminal, killing a Malaysian airport worker.
Yuan, a technician, was sentenced by a district court to 25 months
in jail Monday.
Singaporeans took to Internet websites and Facebook pages to
criticise the verdict, prompting the Attorney-General's Chambers
(AGC) to issue letters asking for an apology and that the postings
be taken down.
A spokesman for the AGC told AFP the online comments and postings
had accused the court of bias in favour of the China national.
"These comments include allegations that the courts did not wish to
offend the People's Republic of China, that Singaporeans would get
heavier sentences in comparison, that the judge lacked integrity,
and that leniency was shown," the spokesman said.
"These and similar comments pose a real risk that public confidence
in the administration of justice would be undermined."
The spokesman added that the online
comments ignored the fact that the court took into account Yuan's
"psychotic disorder" in its decision.
While the AGC did not identify the websites involved, the
administrators of Facebook page "EDMW loves Singapore" put up an
apology for committing an "act of contempt of court" in its posts
about Yuan and said it had taken them down.
Some bloggers voiced dismay with the
apology demand, citing it as an example of an attempt by the
government to clamp down on rising online dissent. =>
Rubbish! Freedom of speech doesnt entitle one to make lousy
assumptions and so sway opinions.
"Our public institutions and public officials should accept and
allow a wider threshold for criticisms from the public, including
those online," Andrew Loh, a socio-political blogger, told AFP.
The government says attacks on the judiciary will undermine public
confidence in the institution.
In July last year, the AGC also sent a letter to prominent
Singaporean blogger Alex Au after he alleged in a post that the
city-state's courts are biased in favour of the well-connected.
In 2010, a Singapore court jailed British author Alan Shadrake for
six weeks for publishing a book critical of the city-state's
administration of the death penalty.
