NMP Siew Kum Hong makes police report against netizens
By 938LIVE/TODAY | Posted: 18 May 2009 1834 hrs

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SINGAPORE: Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong has made a police report against netizens posting defamatory comments about him. He revealed this in his blog. He has also requested forums which hosted such remarks to take them down.

When contacted, Mr Siew refused further comment, saying the matter is now with the police.

The latest attacks have alleged or insinuated that he had asked for and is receiving foreign funding from a Swedish politician who allegedly funds the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) as well.

They have also alleged that he is involved or associated with the SDP and may be their representative or "mole" in Parliament.

Mr Siew has issued a strong rebuttal to these allegations on his blog. He said both of these allegations are untrue and false.

He considered them extremely defamatory and criminal in nature and goes beyond anything that a reasonable person could possibly perceive as being a valid or legitimate exercise of the right to free speech.

Mr Siew stressed that he did not at any time ask for and have not at any time been offered or accepted any sort of funding from any local or foreign entity.

He said the only sources of income or funding that he has are from his employer and the government in the form of his monthly NMP allowance.

He also said he is not involved or affiliated or associated, whether directly, indirectly or in any other way, with the SDP, and certainly not their representative or "mole" in Parliament.

The attacks on Mr Siew first started in the aftermath of the extraordinary general meeting of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE). They have culminated in a campaign to sabotage his re-application for a second term of NMP.

A week ago, netizens flooded the REACH portal with comments about why he should not be given a second NMP term.

REACH chairman Amy Khor confirmed that the feedback unit has received Mr Siew's request to take down defamatory comments about him.

As a general policy, while "always mindful that over-regulation could stifle participation and engagement of contributors", Dr Khor said that like other online platforms, REACH would not hesitate to remove postings "deemed sensitive or offensive".

As at 8pm on Monday, the discussion thread involving Mr Siew had almost 13,900 page views and more than 900 postings since it was initiated on May 1.

On one occasion last week, REACH administrators urged Netizens to refrain from personal attacks and offensive postings. After growing feedback from users and as the discussion "became heated", said Dr Khor, REACH had removed some of these postings.

Meanwhile, the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) has referred to the Law Society the issue of Mr Siew's role in the AWARE saga.

Earlier this month, corporate counsel Tongel Yeo had emailed the AGC and three other legal bodies, including the Law Society, to ask if Mr Siew had breached the Legal Profession Act by advising the AWARE "Old Guard".

When contacted, a Law Society spokesperson said that under the Act, it "cannot comment on any complaint or disciplinary matter".

- 938LIVE/TODAY