Demon-cratic comic author caught

[Mustank]

Ah gong monitoring everything. MCF got some people also hiong one...i humchee. At most when go meetup with friends just kpkb over coffee or beer. Post on FB.... is really WU Ji

 

4 thing cannot play one:

1) religion

2) race

3) court

4) say people corrupt

 

you see the report

http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews...424-417955.html

 

13 1 0 A cartoon Mr Chew posted on the Demon-cratic page depicting his own arrest.

By Feng Zengkun

Singapolitics

Wednesday, Apr 24, 2013

SINGAPORE - Singaporean cartoonist Leslie Chew, 37, was arrested last Friday by the police after a complaint was filed against him about one of his cartoons, his lawyer said yesterday.

 

Mr Choo Zheng Xi, who is with law firm Peter Low LLC, said Mr Chew was held over the weekend and released on Sunday night after posting bail of $10,000. He will have to report to the police again on April 30.

 

Mr Choo said the police confiscated Mr Chew's mobile phone, computer and hard disk. They also asked the cartoonist to surrender his passport.

 

Mr Chew draws the cartoon strip, Demon-cratic Singapore, which is posted regularly on Facebook. According to a description on the strip's Facebook page, it is "a totally fictional comic with entirely fictional characters based on wholly fictional events in a fictional country".

 

Mr Choo said Mr Chew is being investigated for alleged sedition, in relation to a cartoon posted on March 27 regarding the Malay population. He added that Mr Chew was also questioned about a second cartoon which was not included in the complaint.

 

This was posted on Dec 14 last year, and was the subject of a letter sent by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) to Mr Chew three days later, said Mr Choo.

 

He said that in the letter, the AGC said the cartoon "scandalises our Courts through allegations and imputations that are scurrilous and false". He added the cartoonist had not yet been charged.

 

Late last night, a cartoon depicting Mr Chew's questioning by the police - whom he described as "very professional" - was uploaded on the Facebook page.

 

see, this mofo got 600 cartoons

but tio pork for 2

so if you wanna stir shiit, better dont anyhow touch the 4 shiit

some shiit just cant be stirred

Edited April 24, 2013 by Mustank

[Myxilplix]

Seems to me that our courts and judicial system are getting into alot of battles lately to "protect their reputation and not be undermined blah blah blah..".

 

That brings to mind the old saying: Where there is smoke, there is fire

[Felipe]

Aren't you familiar with the infamous IHT case from 1995?

 

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/18/world/si...f-contempt.html

 

An American academic and an American- owned newspaper were found guilty today of contempt of court in Singapore over an opinion article critical of what it called "intolerant regimes" in Asia that use "a compliant judiciary" to bankrupt opposition politicians.

 

Putting aside protests from the Clinton Administration, a Singapore judge ordered the academic, Christopher Lingle; the newspaper, The International Herald Tribune, and its publishers and Asia editor to pay fines and court costs that are expected to total tens of thousands of dollars.

 

While the Oct. 7 article by Mr. Lingle did not mention Singapore by name, Justice Goh Joon Seng said he had "no doubt" that the American was referring to Singapore in his passage about a compliant judiciary and that the reference had "scandalized the Singapore judiciary."

 

So, basically, their argument seems to be along the lines of: "You didn't name names, but I'm SURE you meant us, BUT what you say isn't true of us, so we'll sue you!"

 

Which, of course, begs the question - how can they be sure that anyone is referring to anyone in Sg without explicitly identifying the country, given that their main point of contention is that the allegations aren't true of Sg in the first place?

 

Damn power man, their logic.

So did Lingle pay?

[Felipe]

Well, if you think if it this way. We all agree our state is more of a hyrid democracy rather that the western way of democracy. So that how our system evolve. Sort of a semi-dictatorship where you can flourish and do watever you want as long as you don't disturb the Gahmen and it's policies.

 

Perfect? Far from it

Free? Yes as long as no Gahmen/politics involved.

Best system? Probably for now.

 

You want a full democratic system like those in Europe in SG? I feel it's not too far away.. When the general population are more westernise then we say. From the way I see the older generation's mentality, we are definately not ready for unrest paving way to the "true democracy" that was preach to us by the foreign sources.

 

(ok I exceed my lunch break liao...I showhand...have fun discussing guys :) )

Its not just abt being ready, but to prevent absolute power which may lead to tyranny. I don't think we r ready for multiple parties, but a dual party system is long overdue. I dont agree we r hybrid. U either r, or u r not. Hybrid is just a convenient excuse for parties to exert power

[Latio2005A]

So did Lingle pay?

 

 

U say leh?

Edited April 24, 2013 by Latio2005A

[Wyfitms]

the way i see it, this leslie chew comic strip is not seditious. because his comic strip will not incite hatred for particular race or religion. if anything, the malays will be happy they have someone speaking up for them.

 

however, he is inciting hatred against the govt and he is disrespectful of government and their policies. is that sedition?

 

my goodness, that is far worse than sedition! This chew fella really has it coming!

[Felipe]

well, apparently, they did

 

The AGC, in a letter to Mr Chew on 17 December, said the cartoon

[Acemundo]

my goodness, that is far worse than sedition! This chew fella really has it coming!

 

to be fair, i think there are no statute on inciting feelings against govt? so much so they have to charge him under crime of "contempt of judiciary"

[Felipe]

U say leh?

No idea, i would think foreigners can ignore overseas court decisions?

[Acemundo]

No idea, i would think foreigners can ignore overseas court decisions?

i cant' remmeber was it the case with IHT or WSJ.

 

one of them paid up, the other refused to and so refused to have their papers circulated in singapore.

[Felipe]

my goodness, that is far worse than sedition! This chew fella really has it coming!

But election rally all those speakers tell ppl about govts faults. Isnt it the same thing?

[Meganut]

wah his cartoon post is really offensive.... no wonder kena pok

Edited April 24, 2013 by Meganut

[Altivo]

Below are some of the foreign publications which crossed swords with the govtn before.

 

Time weekly magazine -- Its circulation was reduced, from 18,000 copies to 9000 copies per week as from October 19, 1986, and to 2,000 copies per week as from January 1, 1987. Restriction lifted 9 months later.

 

Asian Wall Street Journal - AWSJ was gazetted, its circulation reduced from 5100 copies to 400 copies a day, which were ordered to be distributed in priority among 143 listed libraries, thus "continuing public access to the newspaper." Dow Jones Inc later apologise and restriction was lifted - an event the New York Times headlined in these words: "Dow Jones Threw in the Towel."

 

Asiaweek - The magazine, a regional weekly, wholly owned by Time Inc, was next. Its resident correspondent, Lisa Beyer, provided splendid coverage of the 1987 security dragnet, code-named Operation Spectrum, in which 22 young Roman Catholic church and social activists and professionals were detained, without trial, under the internal security law, accused of being members of a dangerous Marxist conspiracy bent on subverting the PAP government by force, and replacing it with a Marxist state. The magazine was gazetted, and its circulation reduced from 10,000 copies to 500 copies per week. Asiaweek repented, and made overtures of peace. In the result, its circulation was raised to 5,000 copies, but not before its resident correspondent was transferred out to Hong Kong, as a quid pro quo. Lisa Beyer, however, chose to resign. The circulation was raised to 7500 copies weekly per issue.

 

Far Eastern Economic Review (Review) - The Review, a weekly news publication in the Dow Jones Inc stable of news publications -- was gazetted, and its circulation restricted, as a result of a feisty coverage of the same security exercise Operation Spectrum, in which an article, New Light on Detentions, gave offence. Its circulation was reduced from 9000 copies to 500 copies per issue per week. In addition, the prime minister commenced a personal action for defamation against the Review, its editor, the reporter, and all those connected with its publication.

 

The Economist The reputable British weekly magazine published an article, Psst -- Wanna See a Statistic? on the prosecution of the (Singapore) Business Times editor and others under the Official Secrets Act for publishing `flash' GDP estimates -- early calculations of the most recent economic growth -- before they were officially released. And wondered why so much fuss was made over the GDP figures, and that "other actions taken by Goh Chok Tong, the current prime minister, suggested that little [in Singapore] has changed." Offended by what it considered the mocking tone of the article, the government sent a letter in reply through its high commissioner in London. The Economist published it, but omitted one sentence in that letter. Considering it crucial, however, the government insisted on its inclusion: a dispute arose, leading to an "extraordinary" exchange of correspondence, which became increasingly shrill and menacing, revolving around the government's insistence on its right of an unedited reply.

 

The Economist was gazetted, but at the same time the government expressed the hope that the official letter in reply would be published by the magazine, thus making it unnecessary to reduce the size of its circulation. When the letter was finally printed, another variation on the theme may be seen: the circulation was capped -- not reduced -- at its current level of 7,500 copies per issue. On January 15, 1994, the Economist was de-gazetted, and the ceiling of 7500 copies removed. The government, however, required it to apply for a permit to operate as an offshore newspaper, post a bond of US$125,000, and appoint a local representative to accept service of legal documents in any future legal actions.

 

The International Herald Tribune - This Paris-based newspaper -- jointly owned by the New York Times and the Washington Post -- has a worldwide circulation of about 190,000 copies per issue, about 40,000 copies circulate in Asia, out of which 7,000 copies in Singapore. On October 7, 1994, it published an op-ed essay, The Smoke Over Parts of Asia Obscures Some Profound Concerns, by American political economist, Professor Christopher Lingle, as a rejoinder to an article by Singapore's permanent secretary to the ministry of foreign affairs. It contained a statement:

 

"Intolerant regimes in the region reveal considerable ingenuity in suppressing dissent. Some techniques lack finesse: crushing unarmed students with tanks or imprisoning dissidents. Others are more subtle: relying upon a compliant judiciary to bankrupt opposition politicians, or buying out enough of the opposition to take control "democratically."

 

Singapore was not mentioned, specifically. But the Singapore government contended that the article, and the last sentence of the paragraph in particular, had scandalised Singapore's judiciary and impugned its integrity and reputation.

 

Informed of the prime minister's displeasure, the newspaper quickly offered "unreserved" apologies to him and to the Singapore judiciary. Notwithstanding, the government commenced contempt of court proceedings against the newspaper and all persons concerned, followed by a personal action for libel by the prime minister himself, who alleged that the offending passage could be "understood as suggesting that he had sought to suppress political activity in Singapore by bankrupting opposition politicians through court actions in which he had relied on a compliant judiciary to find in his favour without regard to the merits of the case." He won his case, hands down, and was awarded substantial damages and costs. Indeed, Lee revealed at the trial that he had previously commenced more than a dozen legal suits against persons, all of whom were politicians, but had won each and every case on its relative merits, and not because of a compliant judiciary.

 

Lee sued the International Herald Tribune for libel again, and won, and was awarded substantial damages and costs. In this action, his son, Lee Hsien Loong, and Goh Chok Tong, the current prime minister, were co-plaintiffs. On this occasion, the newspaper had published an op-ed essay, The Claims about Asian Values Don't Usually Bear Scrutiny, by a former editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review, which stated, inter alia, that "dynastic politics is evident in Communist China already, as in Singapore, despite official commitments to bureaucratic meritocracy." The article also referred to a "battle between the corporatist needs of the state and the interests of the families who operate it."

 

Once again, the newspaper abjectly apologised, accepting Lee's interpretation without demur that "the implication of nepotism" in the article was "unfounded." The apologies, however, did not save it from a judicial hearing which ordered record damages plus legal costs to Lee, his son, and prime minister Goh Chok Tong. Interestingly, the International Herald Tribune was not gazetted, nor its circulation restricted or capped.

 

 

[Acemundo]

all these because of high almighty reputation that can crumble like toufu

Edited April 24, 2013 by Acemundo

[Kb27]

How many think highly of SG judiciary ?

Or maybe you can't think bad of them, in case you get sued.

[Walkingtree]

As a elected MP, the person is expected not to make fun of racial matters regardless it's premeditated or not. In fact, even if we call it a slip of the tongue, it still shows his lack of regard for such a sensitive issue. This applies to both ruling and alternate MPs I guess.

Jason Neo, or whatever his name, was not an MP leh....

[Ngck]

free advertisement for the comic...

[Bigbadguy]

Never write actual name, never say who. how to know the comic is saying who. only those guilty will feel offended

Its just like saying "mo mo ren" in Chinese.