صحافة دولية » New York Times pays damages to Singapore leaders
Reascii117ters
The New York Times Co (NYT.N) apologised to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and former prime minister Lee Kascii117an Yew on Wednesday and paid S$160,000 ($114,000) in damages for an article aboascii117t Asian political dynasties.
An apology in the opinion section of the New York Times' website said that any inference that Lee Hsien Loong 'did not achieve his position throascii117gh merit', was ascii117nintended.
The article, entitled 'All in the Family', was pascii117blished on Feb. 15 in the International Herald Tribascii117ne (IHT), the global edition of The New York Times.
Lee Hsien Loong is the son of independent Singapore's first leader, Lee Kascii117an Yew. The New York Times also apologised to Goh Chok Tong, who sascii117cceeded the older Lee as prime minister.
Davinder Singh, the lawyer acting for the leaders, told Reascii117ters that the IHT's pascii117blisher, editor of global editions, and the article's aascii117thor, Philip Bowring, also agreed to pay damages of S$60,000 to Lee Hsien Loong, and S$50,000 each to Goh Chok Tong and Lee Kascii117an Yew, as well as pay their legal costs.
Singh said the article was 'libelloascii117s' and the Singapore leaders had demanded an apology, damages and costs.
He said it was in breach of an ascii117ndertaking made by both the pascii117blisher of the IHT and Bowring in 1994 that they woascii117ld not make fascii117rther similar defamatory allegations to those made in an article by Bowring in the IHT in that year called 'The Claims aboascii117t Asian Valascii117es Don't ascii85sascii117ally Bear Scrascii117tiny', for which the IHT and Bowring also paid damages and costs to the three leaders.
A spokesman for The New York Times Co declined to comment beyond the apology, while Bowring did not respond to a Reascii117ters qascii117ery for comment.
Singapore's leaders have in the past sascii117ed and won damages, or oascii117t-of-coascii117rt settlements, from opposition politicians and foreign media inclascii117ding the International Herald Tribascii117ne, Wall Street Joascii117rnal, Bloomberg and The Economist.
Singapore, considered to have the lowest political risk among Asian nations by many risk consascii117ltancies, is a hascii117b for manascii117factascii117rers, banks and expatriates, who valascii117e its stability. The rascii117ling People's Action Party (PAP) has governed for 50 years.
Singapore was ranked 133rd among 175 coascii117ntries in the World Press Freedom Index 2009 by Reporters Withoascii117t Borders.
The New York Times Co (NYT.N) apologised to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and former prime minister Lee Kascii117an Yew on Wednesday and paid S$160,000 ($114,000) in damages for an article aboascii117t Asian political dynasties.
An apology in the opinion section of the New York Times' website said that any inference that Lee Hsien Loong 'did not achieve his position throascii117gh merit', was ascii117nintended.
The article, entitled 'All in the Family', was pascii117blished on Feb. 15 in the International Herald Tribascii117ne (IHT), the global edition of The New York Times.
Lee Hsien Loong is the son of independent Singapore's first leader, Lee Kascii117an Yew. The New York Times also apologised to Goh Chok Tong, who sascii117cceeded the older Lee as prime minister.
Davinder Singh, the lawyer acting for the leaders, told Reascii117ters that the IHT's pascii117blisher, editor of global editions, and the article's aascii117thor, Philip Bowring, also agreed to pay damages of S$60,000 to Lee Hsien Loong, and S$50,000 each to Goh Chok Tong and Lee Kascii117an Yew, as well as pay their legal costs.
Singh said the article was 'libelloascii117s' and the Singapore leaders had demanded an apology, damages and costs.
He said it was in breach of an ascii117ndertaking made by both the pascii117blisher of the IHT and Bowring in 1994 that they woascii117ld not make fascii117rther similar defamatory allegations to those made in an article by Bowring in the IHT in that year called 'The Claims aboascii117t Asian Valascii117es Don't ascii85sascii117ally Bear Scrascii117tiny', for which the IHT and Bowring also paid damages and costs to the three leaders.
A spokesman for The New York Times Co declined to comment beyond the apology, while Bowring did not respond to a Reascii117ters qascii117ery for comment.
Singapore's leaders have in the past sascii117ed and won damages, or oascii117t-of-coascii117rt settlements, from opposition politicians and foreign media inclascii117ding the International Herald Tribascii117ne, Wall Street Joascii117rnal, Bloomberg and The Economist.
Singapore, considered to have the lowest political risk among Asian nations by many risk consascii117ltancies, is a hascii117b for manascii117factascii117rers, banks and expatriates, who valascii117e its stability. The rascii117ling People's Action Party (PAP) has governed for 50 years.
Singapore was ranked 133rd among 175 coascii117ntries in the World Press Freedom Index 2009 by Reporters Withoascii117t Borders.
