Singapore showdown

Here's a follow-up report from the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) to the recent suspension of Singaporean blogger Lee Kin Mun, popularly known as "Mr. Brown."

"A showdown may be looming in Singaporean cyberspace," SEAPA posted in its blog last July 11, "with the censure of a popular blogger sparking a rare protest in the city state, and the government insisting that the suspension of his column from a state-owned paper is merely consistent with the country’s notorious policies for managing public discourse."

SEAPA continued: "The Agence France Press says supporters of Mr. Brown – whose real name is Lee Kin Mun — gathered at a busy subway station on July 9 ‘for a silent protest at the suspension of his weekly newspaper column after the government criticised his latest satirical piece about high living costs.’ There were at least 30 supporters who turned up at Singapore’s City Hall dressed in brown attire, it was reported from a country where any assembly of at least five people legally needs a police permit.

The Singapore Democratic Party has lambasted the suspension of Lee’s column from the state-owned newspaper. In a statement, the SDP said Singaporean authorities are clearly applying the country’s notoriously uncompromising and intolerant anti-speech laws on new media. ‘The wrapper may change but the package remains decidedly antiquated,’ the SDP said.

A showdown in Singapore’s cyberspace may be looming, however.

The government is defending its position that the mainstream media holds itself to a higher standard than articles posted on Internet chat rooms, reports blogger Singapore Rebel."

Read more of SEAPA's post here. Check out Lee Kin Mun's site here. His photo and website appears on the left.