by Hannah Koh
THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has expressed 'deep
concerns' about the flood of United States (US) cables released on
Sunday by whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks.
In a statement to the press, the MFA said that it was critical
to protect the confidentiality of diplomatic and official
correspondence, and slammed WikiLeaks' actions as 'damaging'.
'In particular, the selective release of documents, especially
when taken out of context, will only serve to sow confusion and
fail to provide a complete picture of the important issues that
were being discussed amongst leaders in the strictest of
confidentiality,' said the MFA.
According to AFP, a cable from Singapore revealed that Minister
Mentor (MM) Lee Kuan Yew called North Koreans 'psychopathic types,
with a 'flabby old chap' for a leader who prances around stadiums
seeking adulation', in reference to North Korean leader Kim Jong
Il.
The quote was taken from a classified document detailing a
conversation between MM Lee and US deputy secretary of state James
B. Steinberg in May last year.
Sunday's release of US cables, records of conversations and
diplomatic memos between world leaders by WikiLeaks has led to
condemnation by governments around the world.
