Singapore’s mighty Lees sue for defamation, yet again (and win, yet again)

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, have filed a defamation suit against the publisher and editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review, just two days after winning another libel case against democrat oppositionist Chee Soon Juan. Citing court records, Reuters is reporting that the powerful Lees — notorious for their intolerance of criticism and for keeping international media on a short leash in the city-state — filed the libel suit against Hong Kong-based Review Publishing Company Ltd and FEER editor Hugo Restall on Aug. 22 for an article published in July on opposition politician Chee Soon Juan.
The article — titled, ‘Singapore’s Martyr: Chee Soon Juan’ — “criticised the Singapore government’s handling of a pay-and-perks scandal at the country’s largest charity,” Reuters says.
Meanwhile, Chee himself on September 12 was found guilty of defaming the Singaporean leaders. The leader of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)–like FEER–is no stranger to defamation suits in Singapore. He was found guilty of defamation in 2001 for comments against Lee Kuan Yew and former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong as he campaigned for a seat in parliament. Earlier this year he was declared bankrupt and effectively suspended from politics for his inability to pay around US$300,000 in damages to the two leaders.
On Tuesday, Singapore’s High Court ruled that Chee and his sister had defamed the Lees in yet another incident. No damages have yet been set for this separate case.