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SINGAPORE: Former Nominated Member of Parliament Professor Thio Li-ann has cancelled her trip to New York University.
It was revealed in a media statement published online by the Dean of NYU's School of Law, Mr Richard Revesz.
In it, he said Professor Thio was disappointed by the atmosphere of hostility by members of NYU's community towards her views and the low enrolments in her classes.
She was scheduled to teach a course on Human Rights in Asia and conduct a seminar on Constitutionalism in Asia as a Global Visiting Professor.
But since her appointment, Mr Revesz said the institution has received many letters of objection which have been circulated online.
Still, Mr Revesz said the institution had never thought of revoking Ms Thio's appointment as that would eviscerate the concept of academic freedom and chill student-faculty debate.
He said that Ms Thio's appointment, first recommended in December 2007, was made based on her published scholarship and not on views she had expressed as a legislator.
He said the school's Global Appointments Committee was not aware of Ms Thio's speech made in Singapore's Parliament against the decriminalisation of consensual sex acts between men.
Still, Mr Revesz said he sharply disgreed with Ms Thio's 2007 remarks made in Singapore's Parliament and he did find Ms Thio's responses to those who objected to her appointment, offensive and hurtful. However, he said the entire episode served as a good learning experience. - CNA/vm
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