<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>NMP files police report over Internet claims
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Siew blasts allegations that he has foreign funding and is SDP mole </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Goh Chin Lian, Senior Political Correspondent
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Mr Siew says the attack crosses the line and is nothing short of character assassination.
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->NOMINATED MP Siew Kum Hong has made a police report over allegations on the Internet that he is receiving funding from a Swedish politician who allegedly also funds the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), and that he is the party's representative or 'mole' in Parliament.
In a post on his blog yesterday, the in-house counsel, 34, who is at the centre of an online storm over his application to seek a second term as a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP), said the allegations were untrue and false.
'They are vile, vicious and malicious attacks on me, and nothing short of character assassination. I consider them extremely defamatory and criminal in nature,' he said, without identifying those who made the allegations, or the sites in question.
But he said he has asked 'those forums that I am aware are currently hosting these falsehoods, to take them down'.
When contacted last night, he confirmed making the police report. It is now a police matter and he declined to make further comments.
In his posting, 'The line has been crossed', he said he did not ask for, nor was he offered or received funding from any local or foreign entity, including the Swedish politician, whom he did not name.
Mr Siew said his only sources of income were from his employer - a technology company - and from the Government in the form of his monthly NMP allowance.
He added: 'I am not involved or affiliated or associated, whether directly, indirectly or in any other way, with the SDP, and am certainly not their representative or 'mole' in Parliament.'
Mr Siew said that while he had not previously taken action against those who attacked him on the Internet, the latest salvo 'crosses the line and goes beyond any attacks that I am willing to countenance as being fair game for a public figure'.
In his posting, he said he did meet 'certain Swedish gentlemen' at their request. But this was no different from his meetings with other foreigners, whether from embassies or academia.
At these meetings, they discuss such matters as current affairs and the political situation here, talks which he said were to help foreigners get a better understanding of Singapore.
Mr Siew has attracted criticism and support online over his suitability for another term as NMP.
Critics have attacked him over his involvement in the recent leadership tussle at the Association of Women for Action and Research, and for his 2007 petition to Parliament to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, which makes it illegal for men to have sex with other men.
In his blog, Mr Siew said he continues to believe it is beneficial for Singaporeans to speak up for what they believe in.
And while he hopes that this will continue 'beyond the current discussions around the NMP re-nomination process and homosexuality, I also do believe - and have always believed - that rights and freedoms have limits'.
The latest attack, he said, 'goes beyond anything that a reasonable person could possibly perceive as being a valid or legitimate exercise of the right to free speech, and I certainly will not tolerate the latest rounds of character assassination from cowards hiding behind the perceived anonymity of the Internet'.
[email protected] <!-- end of for each --><!-- Current Ratings : start --><SCRIPT language=javascript> addRatingPortion() </SCRIPT>
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Siew blasts allegations that he has foreign funding and is SDP mole </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Goh Chin Lian, Senior Political Correspondent
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Mr Siew says the attack crosses the line and is nothing short of character assassination.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->NOMINATED MP Siew Kum Hong has made a police report over allegations on the Internet that he is receiving funding from a Swedish politician who allegedly also funds the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), and that he is the party's representative or 'mole' in Parliament.
In a post on his blog yesterday, the in-house counsel, 34, who is at the centre of an online storm over his application to seek a second term as a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP), said the allegations were untrue and false.
'They are vile, vicious and malicious attacks on me, and nothing short of character assassination. I consider them extremely defamatory and criminal in nature,' he said, without identifying those who made the allegations, or the sites in question.
But he said he has asked 'those forums that I am aware are currently hosting these falsehoods, to take them down'.
When contacted last night, he confirmed making the police report. It is now a police matter and he declined to make further comments.
In his posting, 'The line has been crossed', he said he did not ask for, nor was he offered or received funding from any local or foreign entity, including the Swedish politician, whom he did not name.
Mr Siew said his only sources of income were from his employer - a technology company - and from the Government in the form of his monthly NMP allowance.
He added: 'I am not involved or affiliated or associated, whether directly, indirectly or in any other way, with the SDP, and am certainly not their representative or 'mole' in Parliament.'
Mr Siew said that while he had not previously taken action against those who attacked him on the Internet, the latest salvo 'crosses the line and goes beyond any attacks that I am willing to countenance as being fair game for a public figure'.
In his posting, he said he did meet 'certain Swedish gentlemen' at their request. But this was no different from his meetings with other foreigners, whether from embassies or academia.
At these meetings, they discuss such matters as current affairs and the political situation here, talks which he said were to help foreigners get a better understanding of Singapore.
Mr Siew has attracted criticism and support online over his suitability for another term as NMP.
Critics have attacked him over his involvement in the recent leadership tussle at the Association of Women for Action and Research, and for his 2007 petition to Parliament to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, which makes it illegal for men to have sex with other men.
In his blog, Mr Siew said he continues to believe it is beneficial for Singaporeans to speak up for what they believe in.
And while he hopes that this will continue 'beyond the current discussions around the NMP re-nomination process and homosexuality, I also do believe - and have always believed - that rights and freedoms have limits'.
The latest attack, he said, 'goes beyond anything that a reasonable person could possibly perceive as being a valid or legitimate exercise of the right to free speech, and I certainly will not tolerate the latest rounds of character assassination from cowards hiding behind the perceived anonymity of the Internet'.
[email protected] <!-- end of for each --><!-- Current Ratings : start --><SCRIPT language=javascript> addRatingPortion() </SCRIPT>
