About: Gazetting of a socio-political blog, lawyers’ demands to withdraw articles and issue apologies, police investigations for making questionable remarks. The online world appears to be a dangerous place for anyone to venture in to. But the online world is the most open 'public square' Singaporeans have for public discourse. Short of saying nothing, how can we be safely engaged in the socio-political issues in Singapore?
Organised by: National Solidarity Party in collaboration with publichouse.sg
Date: 10 November 2012 (Saturday)
Time: 2.30 - 5.30pm
Venue: RELC International Hotel, 30 Orange Grove Road ( off Orchard Road ), Singapore 258352 (Link: http://goo.gl/maps/6Rdyz)
Topics:
Extent and limits of freedom of expression and speech under the Singapore constitution
Non- legal constraints in navigating the online world
Lessons from past prosecutions and the defamation laws in Singapore
Smart engagement without getting into unwanted trouble
Speakers' profile:
Dr Jack Tsen-Ta Lee is an assistant professor of law at the School of Law, Singapore Management University (SMU). He graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1995 and practised for about six years as a litigator, before completing an LLM at University College London in 2003 on a British Chevening Scholarship. In 2012, he was conferred a PhD for research into the interpretation of bills of rights by the University ofBirmingham. He joined SMU in 2008 where he teaches and researches constitutional and administrative law, and also has an interest in the law of cultural property and heritage. He was a 2009 Lee Foundation Fellow for Research Excellence, and won the School of Law’s Most Promising Teacher Award for 2010–2011. He is presently a member of the Law Society of Singapore’s Public and International Law Committee.
Peter Cuthbert Low is the past president of the Singapore Law Society, and is a litigation lawyer. His areas of practice includes defamation law. And, over the years, he has represented clients in high-profile defamation lawsuits including those taken out by Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Hsien Loong and other PAP leaders against defendants such as the Far Eastern Economic Review and opposition politicians Tang Liang Hong and Dr Chee Soon Juan. He was also appointed counsel for the Law Society’s prosecution of blogger Gopalan Nair for posting inappropriate statements concerning the Singapore judiciary.
Cherian George is an associate professor at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, where he researches media and censorship, among other issues. He is also a member of the Media Literacy Council.
Choo Zheng Xi is a litigation lawyer. He co-founded socio-politico website The Online Citizen in 2006. Zheng Xi specializes in criminal defence litigation and writes extensively on issues relating to law reform and public policy.
Moderator's Profile:
Ravi Philemon is a blogivist - an activist with a blog. He has championed several social causes, including the call for parity in public transportation for persons with disability, and for appropriate shelter for the homeless. He is one of the founders of the socio-political discussion platform, 'onlineloffline'. Ravi Philemon is also a member of National Solidarity Party.
Other information: Admission free. Donation will be collected to defray cost of organising event.
