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Sun, 30 Sep 2007
IMLA NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2007
1. Afghanistan
2. Argentina
3. Azerbaijan
4. Canada
5. China
6. Brussels
7. Egypt
8. France
9. Haiti
10. India
11. Indonesia
12. Peru
13. Russia
14. Singapore
15. Sweden
16. Tajikistan
17. Thailand
18. Turkey
19. Uganda
20. UK
21. US
22. Yemen
23. Zimbabwe
24. Various/Useful Links
1. Afghanistan
Media law approval delayed as MPs differ The Upper House of Parliament or Meshrano Jirga partially approved the media law in 55 articles by adding two new articles the other day. Burhanullah Shinwari, second deputy chairman of the Upper House told journalists several articles of the draft law were amended by the House.
Source – Online
http://www.onlinene ws.com.pk/ details.php? id=117536
2. Argentina
Argentina's Highest Court Finds Government Guilty of Indirect Censorship - In a major victory for freedom of expression advocates, Argentina's Supreme Court ruled this week that a provincial government violated the free speech rights of a newspaper by withdrawing advertising in retaliation for critical coverage.
Argentina's Highest Court Finds Government Guilty of Indirect Censorship - In a major victory for freedom of expression advocates, Argentina's Supreme Court ruled this week that a provincial government violated the free speech rights of a newspaper by withdrawing advertising in retaliation for critical coverage.
Source – Justice Initiative 7.9.07
http://www.justicei nitiative. org/db/resource2 ?res_id=103846
Journalist sentenced in Salta, disqualified from practicing journalism - On 3 September 2007, journalist Sergio Poma, director of radio station FM Noticias 88.1 MHZ., was condemned to a one year suspended prison sentence and a year of professional disqualification. The judge Héctor Martínez’s ruling responds to a suit against the journalist filed by Salta’s provincial governor, Juan Carlos Romero, who claimed his “honour and good name” had been tarnished after Poma accused him of corruption in May 2004.
The judge also ordered the journalist to pay for the judgment to be published in both provincial newspapers and to be broadcasted through the local radio with the highest ratings. Poma stated that he will not comply with that order and his lawyers will file an appeal with the Court of Provincial Justice.
Salta’s Journalists’ Association (APES) and the Argentinean Journalists’ Forum (FOPEA) believe the sentence contradicts the Political Constitution and treaties signed by the State before the Inter – American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in favour of decriminalizing that kind of action.
It is not clear how the disqualification could be complied with, as belonging to a journalists’ association is not a requisite for practicing the profession.
It is worth pointing out that the governor's private secretary, Ángel Torres, has also sued the journalist for the same crimes and the case is being seen by the Supreme Court.
Source – IPYS
http://www.justicei nitiative. org/db/resource2 ?res_id=103846
Journalist sentenced in Salta, disqualified from practicing journalism - On 3 September 2007, journalist Sergio Poma, director of radio station FM Noticias 88.1 MHZ., was condemned to a one year suspended prison sentence and a year of professional disqualification. The judge Héctor Martínez’s ruling responds to a suit against the journalist filed by Salta’s provincial governor, Juan Carlos Romero, who claimed his “honour and good name” had been tarnished after Poma accused him of corruption in May 2004.
The judge also ordered the journalist to pay for the judgment to be published in both provincial newspapers and to be broadcasted through the local radio with the highest ratings. Poma stated that he will not comply with that order and his lawyers will file an appeal with the Court of Provincial Justice.
Salta’s Journalists’ Association (APES) and the Argentinean Journalists’ Forum (FOPEA) believe the sentence contradicts the Political Constitution and treaties signed by the State before the Inter – American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in favour of decriminalizing that kind of action.
It is not clear how the disqualification could be complied with, as belonging to a journalists’ association is not a requisite for practicing the profession.
It is worth pointing out that the governor's private secretary, Ángel Torres, has also sued the journalist for the same crimes and the case is being seen by the Supreme Court.
Source – IPYS
3. Azerbaijan
Supreme Court upholds editor's prison sentence - The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces the continued imprisonment of Eynulla Fatullayev, editor of the now-shuttered Russian-language weekly Realny Azerbaijan and the Azeri-language daily Gündalik Azarbaycan. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan upheld Fatullayev's 30-month prison sentence on charges of defaming Azerbaijanis in an article.
Source – IFEX 29.8.07
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/85855/
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/85855/
4. Canada
Lawyers ask judge to consider contempt ruling - Incensed at the number and content of media interviews a key witness has given, defence lawyers are attempting to bring contempt of court charges against the lead informant in an ongoing Toronto terrorism case.
Source – Globe and Mail 6.9.07
http://www.theglobe andmail.com/ servlet/story/ LAC.20070906. TERROR06/ TPStory/TPNation al/Ontario/
Lawyers ask judge to consider contempt ruling - Incensed at the number and content of media interviews a key witness has given, defence lawyers are attempting to bring contempt of court charges against the lead informant in an ongoing Toronto terrorism case.
Source – Globe and Mail 6.9.07
http://www.theglobe andmail.com/ servlet/story/ LAC.20070906. TERROR06/ TPStory/TPNation al/Ontario/
5. China
For China's censors, electronic offenders are the new frontier - Li Hua was outraged. The public high school where he had been teaching civics for six years was about to be swallowed up by a fancy private institution. The merger had been ordered by local officials, Li suspected, because they had a financial stake in the big new school and wanted to see it flourish.
Source – Washington Post 10.9.07
http://www.washingt onpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/ article/2007/ 09/09/AR20070909 01979.html
Source – Washington Post 10.9.07
http://www.washingt onpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/ article/2007/ 09/09/AR20070909 01979.html
New China law on disasters aims at transparency - Chinese officials will be legally obligated to provide accurate and timely information about public emergencies that occur in their regions under new legislation passed on Thursday. Under the Emergency Response Law, media organisations could also lose their business licences for publishing false reports, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Source – Reuters 30.8.07
http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSPEK277662._CH_.2400
6. EU/Brussels
Frattini considering EU plane passenger data-sharing system - EU Justice, Freedom, and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini said Wednesday that the European Union will move forward with plans to establish an EU-wide airline passenger data recording system despite privacy concerns because the threat posed by terror attacks remains high.
Source – Jurist 5.9.07
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/09/frattini-considering-eu-plane-passenger.php
7.Egypt
Rights groups accuse Egypt of limiting press freedoms after court jails editors - Amnesty International and Reporters without Borders on Friday accused Egypt of clamping down on freedom of the press after a court sentenced the editors of four tabloids for publishing criticisms of President Hosni Mubarak and the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP).
Source – Jurist 14.9.07
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/09/rights-groups-accuse-egypt-of.php
Rights groups accuse Egypt of limiting press freedoms after court jails editors - Amnesty International and Reporters without Borders on Friday accused Egypt of clamping down on freedom of the press after a court sentenced the editors of four tabloids for publishing criticisms of President Hosni Mubarak and the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP).
Source – Jurist 14.9.07
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/09/rights-groups-accuse-egypt-of.php
8. France
Judges conclude probe into Clearstream leaks, case could be dismissed - A probe into alleged violations of judicial secrets in the so-called Clearstream affair, which included an attempt to search the offices of the Paris-based satirical magazine "Le Canard Enchaîné" in May 2007, was concluded by two judges during the week of 27 August without anyone being charged, a judicial source has confirmed to Reporters Without Borders.
Source – IFEX 5.9.07
http://www.ifex.org/en/layout/set/print/content/view/full/86049/
Judges conclude probe into Clearstream leaks, case could be dismissed - A probe into alleged violations of judicial secrets in the so-called Clearstream affair, which included an attempt to search the offices of the Paris-based satirical magazine "Le Canard Enchaîné" in May 2007, was concluded by two judges during the week of 27 August without anyone being charged, a judicial source has confirmed to Reporters Without Borders.
Source – IFEX 5.9.07
http://www.ifex.org/en/layout/set/print/content/view/full/86049/
9. Haiti
Two men get life for Jacques Roche murder in sign of justice finally moving into action - Reporters Without Borders welcomes the life sentences which a Port-au-Prince court yesterday passed on two men, Alby Joseph and Chéry Beaubrun, for the abduction and murder of Jacques Roche, the head of the Le Matin newspaper’s arts and culture pages. Roche was kidnapped on 10 July 2005 and was found dead four days later.
Source – Reporters Without Borders 4.9.07
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23500 (Haiti)
10. India
Mid-Day Editor held guilty of contempt of court – The Delhi High Court on Tuesday held the Editor, the Resident Editor, the Publisher and the cartoonist of English tabloid Mid-Day guilty in a contempt of court case for carrying a scandalous report and a cartoon of former Chief Justice of India Y.K. Sabharwal aimed at lowering the dignity of the Supreme Court in the eyes of the common man.
Source – The Hindu 13.9.07
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/13/stories/2007091352750300.htm
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23500 (Haiti)
10. India
Mid-Day Editor held guilty of contempt of court – The Delhi High Court on Tuesday held the Editor, the Resident Editor, the Publisher and the cartoonist of English tabloid Mid-Day guilty in a contempt of court case for carrying a scandalous report and a cartoon of former Chief Justice of India Y.K. Sabharwal aimed at lowering the dignity of the Supreme Court in the eyes of the common man.
Source – The Hindu 13.9.07
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/13/stories/2007091352750300.htm
High Court convicts 4 Mid Day journalists of contempt of court - The Delhi High Court on Tuesday convicted four senior journalists of Mid Day daily of contempt of court for “tarnishing the image of the Supreme Court” by publishing certain scandalous articles about former Chief Justice of India, YK Sabharwal.
Source – Hindustan Times
http://www.hindusta ntimes.com/ StoryPage/ StoryPage. aspx?id=ffeeea45 -5df7-48e3- b748-42c6b6a9565 0&&Headline= High+Court+ convicts+ 4+Mid+Day+ journalists+ of+contempt+ of+court
'Change contempt law to check trial by media' - Taking exception to the media interviewing witnesses and commenting on cases during trial, the Law Commission has recommended changes in the Contempt of Courts Act 1971 to protect the rights of the accused and ensure the proper conduct of trial.
Source – The Times of India 9.9.07
http://timesofindia .indiatimes. com/articleshow/ 2352074.cms
Media restrictions in Manipur are a step backward in resolving the armed conflict - The state government of Manipur has imposed a series of restrictions regarding ‘publication of objectionable materials’ by the media in the state through its notifications dated August 2 and 14, 2007. The restrictions were published as orders issued by the State Home Department.
Source – Asian Human Rights Commission 29.8.07
http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2006statements/1166/
Source – Hindustan Times
http://www.hindusta ntimes.com/ StoryPage/ StoryPage. aspx?id=ffeeea45 -5df7-48e3- b748-42c6b6a9565 0&&Headline= High+Court+ convicts+ 4+Mid+Day+ journalists+ of+contempt+ of+court
'Change contempt law to check trial by media' - Taking exception to the media interviewing witnesses and commenting on cases during trial, the Law Commission has recommended changes in the Contempt of Courts Act 1971 to protect the rights of the accused and ensure the proper conduct of trial.
Source – The Times of India 9.9.07
http://timesofindia .indiatimes. com/articleshow/ 2352074.cms
Media restrictions in Manipur are a step backward in resolving the armed conflict - The state government of Manipur has imposed a series of restrictions regarding ‘publication of objectionable materials’ by the media in the state through its notifications dated August 2 and 14, 2007. The restrictions were published as orders issued by the State Home Department.
Source – Asian Human Rights Commission 29.8.07
http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2006statements/1166/
11. Indonesia
Press Council condemns Telkom for releasing journalist's phone logs National News – The Indonesian Press Council condemned Friday state-owned telecommunication services provider PT Telkom for giving the text messaging records of a journalist to law enforcement official. Earlier this week, Jakarta Police summoned Tempo magazine journalist Metta Dharmasaputra for questioning concerning a tax fraud case after getting his text messaging records from PT Telkom.
Source – The Jakarta Post 15.9.07
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20070915.A06&irec=5
Suharto wins more than USD 100M libel case against ‘Time’ Magazine - Indonesia's highest court has ordered "Time" magazine to pay former President Suharto more than $100 million in damages for a story that accused him and his family of amassing billions during his rule, report the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).
Source – IFEX 18.9.07
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/86359/
Press Council condemns Telkom for releasing journalist's phone logs National News – The Indonesian Press Council condemned Friday state-owned telecommunication services provider PT Telkom for giving the text messaging records of a journalist to law enforcement official. Earlier this week, Jakarta Police summoned Tempo magazine journalist Metta Dharmasaputra for questioning concerning a tax fraud case after getting his text messaging records from PT Telkom.
Source – The Jakarta Post 15.9.07
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20070915.A06&irec=5
Suharto wins more than USD 100M libel case against ‘Time’ Magazine - Indonesia's highest court has ordered "Time" magazine to pay former President Suharto more than $100 million in damages for a story that accused him and his family of amassing billions during his rule, report the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).
Source – IFEX 18.9.07
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/86359/
Time magazine to fight US$106 million ruling by Indonesian court - JAKARTA (AP): Time magazine will fight an Indonesia court order to pay US$106 million for defaming former dictator Suharto by alleging his family amassed billions of dollars during his 32-year rule, a lawyer said Tuesday.Todung Mulya Lubis called the Aug. 31 decision "a serious blow" to press freedom and a setback for reform of Indonesia's judiciary.
Source – The Jakarta Post 12.9.07
http://www.thejakar tapost.com/ detailgeneral. asp?fileid= 20070911173651& irec=29
12. Peru
Material author of journalist’s murder detained - On 18 September 2007, the police detained Moises Julca Orillo, accused of being the material author of the murder of journalist Antonio De La Torre, killed in February 2004 in the town of Yungay, Ancash region, northeastern Peru.
Julca Orillo was stopped by police non-commissioned officer Carlos Ramirez Aguilar, who was on patrol in an urbanization of the settlement of Nuevo Chimbote, a port to the north of Lima in the Áncash region. The suspect attempted to escape on his motorbike but he crashed against the pavement, was captured and taken to the police station.
The police verified that an arrest warrant for the first degree murder of journalist De La Torre existed against him. The detainee was handed over to the judicial police of Santa's Superior Court of Justice at midnight on 19 September for his immediate transfer to Huaraz, the city where he will be tried.
In declarations to the website www.ojoajeno.com, Julca Orillo denied any participation in the journalist’s death and stated that he will be released shortly.
Source – IPYS 19.9.07
Source – The Jakarta Post 12.9.07
http://www.thejakar tapost.com/ detailgeneral. asp?fileid= 20070911173651& irec=29
12. Peru
Material author of journalist’s murder detained - On 18 September 2007, the police detained Moises Julca Orillo, accused of being the material author of the murder of journalist Antonio De La Torre, killed in February 2004 in the town of Yungay, Ancash region, northeastern Peru.
Julca Orillo was stopped by police non-commissioned officer Carlos Ramirez Aguilar, who was on patrol in an urbanization of the settlement of Nuevo Chimbote, a port to the north of Lima in the Áncash region. The suspect attempted to escape on his motorbike but he crashed against the pavement, was captured and taken to the police station.
The police verified that an arrest warrant for the first degree murder of journalist De La Torre existed against him. The detainee was handed over to the judicial police of Santa's Superior Court of Justice at midnight on 19 September for his immediate transfer to Huaraz, the city where he will be tried.
In declarations to the website www.ojoajeno.com, Julca Orillo denied any participation in the journalist’s death and stated that he will be released shortly.
Source – IPYS 19.9.07
Mayor burns copies of newspaper in main square - On 4 September 2007, the mayor of the town of Wari, Edwars Vizcarra Zorrilla, and a group of locals burnt several copies of the newspaper La Primera, edited by journalist Robin Hood Ipanaqué Hidalgo, during a protest that took place in the Main Square. The town of Wari is located in the Ancash region, northwestern Perú.
According to the newspaper’s editor, the mayor's attitude is a response to accusations published by his paper about alleged corruption committed by Vizcarra and his officials. The mayor, however, denied the accusations and stated that the newspaper’s investigations are hindering his work in the council.
Source – IPYS
According to the newspaper’s editor, the mayor's attitude is a response to accusations published by his paper about alleged corruption committed by Vizcarra and his officials. The mayor, however, denied the accusations and stated that the newspaper’s investigations are hindering his work in the council.
Source – IPYS
13. Russia
Politkovskaya case requires a vigorous and independent investigation, says OSCE media freedom representative - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, commended recent reports of progress in the cases of murdered journalists Anna Politkovskaya and Igor Domnikov, but warned that violence against journalists can end only if those ultimately responsible are identified and prosecuted without political interference.
Source – OSCE 10.9.07
http://www.osce. org/item/ 26149.html
In a benchmark verdict, Russian court convicts 5 in reporter’s murder - A court in Russia’s west-central republic of Tatarstan has convicted five members of a criminal gang in the 2000 murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist Igor Domnikov, the newspaper reported today. The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed this important development, but urged authorities to vigorously prosecute the masterminds of the crime.
Source – CPJ 30.8.07
http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/europe/russia30aug07na.html
Source – OSCE 10.9.07
http://www.osce. org/item/ 26149.html
In a benchmark verdict, Russian court convicts 5 in reporter’s murder - A court in Russia’s west-central republic of Tatarstan has convicted five members of a criminal gang in the 2000 murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist Igor Domnikov, the newspaper reported today. The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed this important development, but urged authorities to vigorously prosecute the masterminds of the crime.
Source – CPJ 30.8.07
http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/europe/russia30aug07na.html
Russia names new lead prosecutor in Politkovskaya killing probe - Russia has appointed a new lead prosecutor to investigate the October 2006 killing of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, according to a statement from the Prosecutor General's office onTuesday.
Source – Jurist 4.9.07
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/09/russia-names-new-lead-prosecutor-in.php
14. Singapore
Teacher told to remove posting regarding his sexuality - George Hwang, IMLA member from Singapore reports
“that Otto Fong, a teacher at Raffles Institution, the oldest school in Singapore, has been made to take down his posting on his sexuality on his blog. The blog is attached.
In this case, I believe the fact that he has been an exemplary teacher (there were articles written about him and his teaching methods etc in the papers before) and the level headedness of the headmaster have saved him from being sacked. Please find attached the Ministry of Education's statement.
Regards,
George
Breaking news...
Response from MOE:
As teachers are in a unique position of authority and are often seen as role models by their students, MOE does not condone any open espousal of homosexual values by teachers in any form, in or out of the classroom.
The Ministry would carefully consider whether a person who espouses homosexual values is suitable to continue in the teaching service, depending on the circumstances of each case. In particular, we would need to be mindful of stakeholders' views, especially whether parents would be comfortable with placing their children under this person's authority and influence
In the case of RI, the school has spoken to the teacher concerned and the teacher has agreed to take down his blog in the best interest of the students. The Ministry supports the action taken by the school on this matter."
15. Sweden
Free expression advocates rally around cartoonist - The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontieres, RSF) have strongly condemned a US$150,000 bounty on a Swedish artist who drew the Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog.
Source – IFEX 18.9.07
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/86361
16. Tajikistan
OSCE media freedom representative calls on Tajikistan to protect free flow of information on Internet - Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, today called on Tajikistan to bring its legislation in line with its OSCE commitments by revoking recent criminal code amendments...
Source – OSCE 21.9.07
http://www.osce.org/item/26360.html
17. Thailand
Google reportedly agrees to filter YouTube website - News reports in Thailand and the international press are saying that Google-owned YouTube has agreed to cooperate with Thai authorities in filtering sensitive content on its website, paving the way for the lifting of a Thai ban on the popular video-sharing website.
Source – IFEX 31.8.07
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/85959/
Teacher told to remove posting regarding his sexuality - George Hwang, IMLA member from Singapore reports
“that Otto Fong, a teacher at Raffles Institution, the oldest school in Singapore, has been made to take down his posting on his sexuality on his blog. The blog is attached.
In this case, I believe the fact that he has been an exemplary teacher (there were articles written about him and his teaching methods etc in the papers before) and the level headedness of the headmaster have saved him from being sacked. Please find attached the Ministry of Education's statement.
Regards,
George
Breaking news...
Response from MOE:
As teachers are in a unique position of authority and are often seen as role models by their students, MOE does not condone any open espousal of homosexual values by teachers in any form, in or out of the classroom.
The Ministry would carefully consider whether a person who espouses homosexual values is suitable to continue in the teaching service, depending on the circumstances of each case. In particular, we would need to be mindful of stakeholders' views, especially whether parents would be comfortable with placing their children under this person's authority and influence
In the case of RI, the school has spoken to the teacher concerned and the teacher has agreed to take down his blog in the best interest of the students. The Ministry supports the action taken by the school on this matter."
15. Sweden
Free expression advocates rally around cartoonist - The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontieres, RSF) have strongly condemned a US$150,000 bounty on a Swedish artist who drew the Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog.
Source – IFEX 18.9.07
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/86361
16. Tajikistan
OSCE media freedom representative calls on Tajikistan to protect free flow of information on Internet - Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, today called on Tajikistan to bring its legislation in line with its OSCE commitments by revoking recent criminal code amendments...
Source – OSCE 21.9.07
http://www.osce.org/item/26360.html
17. Thailand
Google reportedly agrees to filter YouTube website - News reports in Thailand and the international press are saying that Google-owned YouTube has agreed to cooperate with Thai authorities in filtering sensitive content on its website, paving the way for the lifting of a Thai ban on the popular video-sharing website.
Source – IFEX 31.8.07
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/85959/
18. Turkey
Gündem Newspaper Closed for a Month - The Istanbul 12th Heavy Penal Court has decreed that the "Gündem" newspaper will be closed for 30 days as a punishment for publishing two articles by PKK leader Murat Karayilan, entitled "Let us become populist, let us win" and "Self-criticism not in words but in practice".
Source – Bianet 11.9.07
http://www.bianet. org/english/ kategori/ english/101692/ gundem-newspaper -closed-for- a-month
Source – Bianet 11.9.07
http://www.bianet. org/english/ kategori/ english/101692/ gundem-newspaper -closed-for- a-month
Authorities block another website following complaint by religious leader; others unblocked - The judiciary in Turkey has again blocked access to a website because of the content of one item on the site. Following the blocking of the alternative dictionary website "Eksisözlük" and the website Antoloji.com, access to the website WordPress.com has now also been blocked, following a complaint by religious sect leader Adnan Oktar.
Source – IFEX
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/85905/
Source – IFEX
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/85905/
19. Uganda
Homsexuality debate ignites crackdown on free expression - The Uganda Broadcasting Council (UBC) has suspended a popular Capital FM radio presenter for hosting gay activists who used "foul language" on air, effectively silencing a renewed debate on gay and lesbian rights, reports
Kenya-based IFEX member the Media Institute.
Source – IFEX 30.8.07
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/85917/
Homsexuality debate ignites crackdown on free expression - The Uganda Broadcasting Council (UBC) has suspended a popular Capital FM radio presenter for hosting gay activists who used "foul language" on air, effectively silencing a renewed debate on gay and lesbian rights, reports
Kenya-based IFEX member the Media Institute.
Source – IFEX 30.8.07
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/85917/
20. UK
Religious hatred: a crime from October, but exemptions are wide - The Racial and Religious Hatred Act comes into force in October, carrying a threat of prison terms for a person who tries to stir up religious hatred. However, its free speech exemptions are so wide that convictions could be difficult, a lawyer said. The new law creates an offence of using threatening words or behaviour to stir up religious hatred.
Source – Out Law 12.9.07
http://www.out-law.com//default.aspx?page=8464
A call for Net neutrality debate in U.K. - The time has come for the United Kingdom to join the growing debate surrounding Net neutrality, the president of the British Computer Society told ZDNet UK. Professor Nigel Shadbolt said late last week that, because so much of the Internet's content is derived from the U.S., the U.K. and Europe would be affected by any Net neutrality-related decisions made across the Atlantic.
Source – Cnet News 17.9.07
http://www.news.com/2100-1028_3-6208405.html
http://www.out-law.com//default.aspx?page=8464
A call for Net neutrality debate in U.K. - The time has come for the United Kingdom to join the growing debate surrounding Net neutrality, the president of the British Computer Society told ZDNet UK. Professor Nigel Shadbolt said late last week that, because so much of the Internet's content is derived from the U.S., the U.K. and Europe would be affected by any Net neutrality-related decisions made across the Atlantic.
Source – Cnet News 17.9.07
http://www.news.com/2100-1028_3-6208405.html
Religious hatred: a crime from October, but exemptions are wide - The Racial and Religious Hatred Act comes into force in October, carrying a threat of prison terms for a person who tries to stir up religious hatred. However, its free speech exemptions are so wide that convictions could be difficult, a lawyer said. The new law creates an offence of using threatening words or behaviour to stir up religious hatred.
Source – Out Law 12.9.07
http://www.out-law.com//default.aspx?page=8464
A call for Net neutrality debate in U.K. - The time has come for the United Kingdom to join the growing debate surrounding Net neutrality, the president of the British Computer Society told ZDNet UK. Professor Nigel Shadbolt said late last week that, because so much of the Internet's content is derived from the U.S., the U.K. and Europe would be affected by any Net neutrality-related decisions made across the Atlantic.
Source – Cnet News 17.9.07
http://www.news.com/2100-1028_3-6208405.html
http://www.out-law.com//default.aspx?page=8464
A call for Net neutrality debate in U.K. - The time has come for the United Kingdom to join the growing debate surrounding Net neutrality, the president of the British Computer Society told ZDNet UK. Professor Nigel Shadbolt said late last week that, because so much of the Internet's content is derived from the U.S., the U.K. and Europe would be affected by any Net neutrality-related decisions made across the Atlantic.
Source – Cnet News 17.9.07
http://www.news.com/2100-1028_3-6208405.html
The Press Complaints Commission has upheld a complaint against FHM - It was made by a married couple who complained that the magazine had published a topless photograph of their daughter taken when she was fourteen. It had been published without her, or their, consent. The magazine indicated that the photo was one of over a thousand submitted every week from, or on behalf of, women posing topless or in lingerie.
Source – Society of Editors 11.9.07
http://www.societyo feditors. co.uk/page- view.php? page_id=1& parent_page_ id=0&news_ id=229&numbertop rintfrom= 1
Media Trio Fined for Contempt - Both the Daily Record and Scottish Sun newspapers - along with stv - have each been fined £1750 for contempt of court, the first time the newspapers have been found guilty of such a charge in nine years and the first time ever for stv. It follows a court case, in May, involving Celtic footballer, Derek Riordan.
Source – All Media Scotland 10.9.07
http://www.allmedia scotland. com/articles/ 1790/10092007/ media_trio_ fined_for_ contempt
Source – Society of Editors 11.9.07
http://www.societyo feditors. co.uk/page- view.php? page_id=1& parent_page_ id=0&news_ id=229&numbertop rintfrom= 1
Media Trio Fined for Contempt - Both the Daily Record and Scottish Sun newspapers - along with stv - have each been fined £1750 for contempt of court, the first time the newspapers have been found guilty of such a charge in nine years and the first time ever for stv. It follows a court case, in May, involving Celtic footballer, Derek Riordan.
Source – All Media Scotland 10.9.07
http://www.allmedia scotland. com/articles/ 1790/10092007/ media_trio_ fined_for_ contempt
21. US
Google pushes for international Internet privacy guidelines – Google called for new international laws to protect personal information online at a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) conference Friday, urging that an international body such as the UN or the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Source – Jurist 14.9.07
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/09/google-pushes-for-international.php
Source – Jurist 14.9.07
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/09/google-pushes-for-international.php
No contempt charge for TV newsman - An Orleans Parish judge Friday decided not to hold a television news reporter in contempt of court for possibly violating a gag order in a high-profile murder case. Criminal District Court Judge Arthur Hunter scrapped the trial of Tyrone Wells two weeks ago, after WDSU-TV reported that the defendant may plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence in the 2003 killing of popular Gentilly merchant Jose Vazquez, Jr.
Source – Nola.com 14.9.07
http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/09/no_contempt_charge_for_tv_news.html
http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/09/no_contempt_charge_for_tv_news.html
Prince sues internet sites for breaching his copyright - He gave away his last album free with a newspaper, but Prince has now taken a stance to defend the rights of the artist by launching a legal action against internet sites that he claims have infringed his copyright. The singer has announced he is taking the action to protect copyright "not just for himself, but for all artists in the digital age".
Source – The Independent 14.9.07
http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article2961321.ece
US federal government secrecy on the rise: report - US government secrecy increased in 2006, according to the Secrecy Report Card 2007, released over the weekend by OpenTheGovernment. org [advocacy website]. The report cited an increased reliance on national security letters (NSL) and more frequent assertions of the state secrets privilege.
Source – Jurist 4.9.07
http://jurist. law.pitt. edu/paperchase/ 2007/09/us- federal-governme nt-secrecy- on-rise.php
California appeals violent video game law ruling - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Wednesday filed an appeal of last month's US District Court decision ruling that a 2005 law banning the sale of violent video games to minors was unconstitutional.
Source – Jurist 6.9.07
http://jurist. law.pitt. edu/paperchase/ 2007/09/californ ia-appeals- violent-video- game.php
Prison inmates sue to stop purge of unapproved religious books from chapel libraries - Several inmates of a federal penitentiary in New York have filed a lawsuit challenging a decision by the US Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to remove religious and spiritual books from prison chapel libraries, according to the New York Times on Monday.
Source – Jurist 10.9.07
http://jurist. law.pitt. edu/paperchase/ 2007/09/us- prison-inmates- sue-to-stop- pull-of.php
Federal judge slams government response to FOIA requests on surveillance program - A federal judge on Wednesday orderedthe Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of Legal Counsel, and the office of the Attorney General to submit more information to the court in support of their motion for summary judgment in a consolidated lawsuit seeking the release of documents related to the government's domestic surveillance program.
Source – Jurist 6.9.07
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/09/federal-judge-slams-government-response.php
http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article2961321.ece
US federal government secrecy on the rise: report - US government secrecy increased in 2006, according to the Secrecy Report Card 2007, released over the weekend by OpenTheGovernment. org [advocacy website]. The report cited an increased reliance on national security letters (NSL) and more frequent assertions of the state secrets privilege.
Source – Jurist 4.9.07
http://jurist. law.pitt. edu/paperchase/ 2007/09/us- federal-governme nt-secrecy- on-rise.php
California appeals violent video game law ruling - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Wednesday filed an appeal of last month's US District Court decision ruling that a 2005 law banning the sale of violent video games to minors was unconstitutional.
Source – Jurist 6.9.07
http://jurist. law.pitt. edu/paperchase/ 2007/09/californ ia-appeals- violent-video- game.php
Prison inmates sue to stop purge of unapproved religious books from chapel libraries - Several inmates of a federal penitentiary in New York have filed a lawsuit challenging a decision by the US Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to remove religious and spiritual books from prison chapel libraries, according to the New York Times on Monday.
Source – Jurist 10.9.07
http://jurist. law.pitt. edu/paperchase/ 2007/09/us- prison-inmates- sue-to-stop- pull-of.php
Federal judge slams government response to FOIA requests on surveillance program - A federal judge on Wednesday orderedthe Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of Legal Counsel, and the office of the Attorney General to submit more information to the court in support of their motion for summary judgment in a consolidated lawsuit seeking the release of documents related to the government's domestic surveillance program.
Source – Jurist 6.9.07
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/09/federal-judge-slams-government-response.php
22. Yemen
Letter to President Saleh about threats to press freedom - Reporters Without Borders wrote to President Ali Abdullah Saleh today voicing concern about a decline in press freedom in Yemen that has been highlighted by a physical attack on Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani, a human rights activist and editor of the newspaper Al-Shura, on 27 August.
Source – Reporters Without Borders 4.9.07
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23524
Letter to President Saleh about threats to press freedom - Reporters Without Borders wrote to President Ali Abdullah Saleh today voicing concern about a decline in press freedom in Yemen that has been highlighted by a physical attack on Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani, a human rights activist and editor of the newspaper Al-Shura, on 27 August.
Source – Reporters Without Borders 4.9.07
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23524
23. Zimbabwe
Gukurahundi in Zimbabwe - Driton Qeriqi, IMLA member from Kosovo, tells us about an event organized in Prishtina by the NGO Central Station for Modern Art. The Kosovo NGO organised a protest and poetry reading in support of democracy and media freedom in Zimbabwe . At the event, works by Zimbabwean poets Chenjarai Hove, Chirikure Chirikure and Dambudzo Marchera were read. Their poems appear in the book Gukurahundi in Zimbabwe . This is a book on Matebeleland terror
Source – Sokwanele
http://www.sokwanel e.com/thisiszimb abwe/archives/ 576 .
24. Various/Useful links
a) Conference on New Media and the Press Freedom Dimension
http://www.wan-press.org/article12826.html
b) Transparency & Silence the Open Society Justice Initiative's groundbreaking comparative survey of access to information laws and practices in 14 countries, is now available in Spanish.http://www.justiceinitiative.org/db/resource2?res_id=103818.
c) See Article 16 of UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by General Assembly on 13 September after 20 yearshttp://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/Declaration_IPs_31August.pdf
d) Case - When Does The Public Interest Require FOI Fees To Be Waived?http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?article_id=52238
e) A Global Survey of Media Independence (Freedom of the Press) will be released on 15 September 2007.
http://www.amazon. co.uk/gp/ product/07425558 1X/ref=pe_ pe_3421_7300211_ pe_snp_81X
f) Dialogue Forum on Internet Rights”, to be held in Rome on 27 September 2007.http://www.dfirital y2007.it/
g) PCC Code of Practice indispensable to good journalists in the digital age says PCC Chairman http://www.pcc. org.uk/news/ index.html? article=NDcxMw= =
h) Call for bi-lingual French/English Consultant on Freedom of Information for Cameroon - 45 days
I am pleased to forward to you the following request for a bilingual consultant on FOI to work in Yaounde Cameroon for 45 days.
Regrettably, the hiring organization cannot pay for airt ickets to Yaounde, but perhaps this will nevertheless be of interest to some colleagues who would like to spend time in Cameroon. Best, Sandy
Dear colleagues,
Please find attached a call for a consultant towards the realisation of a Review and Report on Laws and Policies Concerning Access to Information and Open Government in Cameroon. The study shall be undertaken for the Yaoundé-based association Citizens Governance Initiatives (CGI). The consultant must be based in Yaoundé, as we do not provide international air tickets.
Please kindly forward the present offer to any person you think might be interested.
Thank you. Agnes Ebo'o.
Agnes Ebo'o agnesmarcelle@ yahoo.com
Interested candidates should send detailed curriculum vitae, including list of publications, as well as expected honoraria to Ms Agnes EBO’O at the following address, on or before 30th September 2007: agnesmarcelle@ yahoo.com
e) The Stanhope Center is looking for experts
The Stanhope Center is part of a consortium that has been short-listed for a European Union media development project -- Communications multiplier activities in the ENPI Region: Training & Network Building ENPI East and South region -- described below. We are looking for key experts as well as non-key short-term experts who would want to be part of our consultancy pool. Please note that this project is completely dependent upon funding.
For more detailed information about the tender, please see:
http://ec.europa. eu/europeaid/ tender/data/ d70/AOF77970. htm
We would like to invite you to be part of the Stanhope Centre consulting pool of experts that would be called upon during the life of the project. We apologize for the short notice, but if you would like to be part of the Stanhope pool, please email me your resume as well as the completed EuropeAid CV Format attached to this email by Monday, September 17, 2007. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions or need further information.
About the ENPI project:
We are looking for candidates that can offer strategic vision and help design, develop and implement a training, capacity building and networking project for journalists and media professionals, including journalism schools, from the countries beneficiary of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument
- ENPI (Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Moldova, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, The Russian Federation, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine).
The main objectives are as follows:
. Provide training to a maximum number of journalists, editors, producers, and other media professionals, from the beneficiary countries, to develop the professional skills required to report on EU affairs (minimum of 200 trainees, each trainee participating at least in 5 trainings).
. Support journalists in using their newly acquired skills and knowledge in their job, by developing a complementary program for their media editors/managers/ owners (minimum 50).
. Develop a sustainable network of trained journalists and other media specialists, across the beneficiary countries (including making use of and building on the existing network of alumni of previous journalist training programmes and visits undertaken by the EU).
Ensure sustainability of the network after the project has been completed.
Again, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. In the meantime, please also see the attached overview of the expertise needs and list of qualifications (attached to this newsletter)
Best regards,
Julien Mailland
+33.6.61.77. 84.53 (CET)
i) An open letter from Otto Fong in the Raffles InstitutionSee attachment and item about Singapore in the news section above
j) European Young Bar Association International Weekend 2007 (in London)See attachments for registration form and further details
k) Fong in RI
http://www.amazon. co.uk/gp/ product/07425558 1X/ref=pe_ pe_3421_7300211_ pe_snp_81X
f) Dialogue Forum on Internet Rights”, to be held in Rome on 27 September 2007.http://www.dfirital y2007.it/
g) PCC Code of Practice indispensable to good journalists in the digital age says PCC Chairman http://www.pcc. org.uk/news/ index.html? article=NDcxMw= =
h) Call for bi-lingual French/English Consultant on Freedom of Information for Cameroon - 45 days
I am pleased to forward to you the following request for a bilingual consultant on FOI to work in Yaounde Cameroon for 45 days.
Regrettably, the hiring organization cannot pay for airt ickets to Yaounde, but perhaps this will nevertheless be of interest to some colleagues who would like to spend time in Cameroon. Best, Sandy
Dear colleagues,
Please find attached a call for a consultant towards the realisation of a Review and Report on Laws and Policies Concerning Access to Information and Open Government in Cameroon. The study shall be undertaken for the Yaoundé-based association Citizens Governance Initiatives (CGI). The consultant must be based in Yaoundé, as we do not provide international air tickets.
Please kindly forward the present offer to any person you think might be interested.
Thank you. Agnes Ebo'o.
Agnes Ebo'o agnesmarcelle@ yahoo.com
Interested candidates should send detailed curriculum vitae, including list of publications, as well as expected honoraria to Ms Agnes EBO’O at the following address, on or before 30th September 2007: agnesmarcelle@ yahoo.com
e) The Stanhope Center is looking for experts
The Stanhope Center is part of a consortium that has been short-listed for a European Union media development project -- Communications multiplier activities in the ENPI Region: Training & Network Building ENPI East and South region -- described below. We are looking for key experts as well as non-key short-term experts who would want to be part of our consultancy pool. Please note that this project is completely dependent upon funding.
For more detailed information about the tender, please see:
http://ec.europa. eu/europeaid/ tender/data/ d70/AOF77970. htm
We would like to invite you to be part of the Stanhope Centre consulting pool of experts that would be called upon during the life of the project. We apologize for the short notice, but if you would like to be part of the Stanhope pool, please email me your resume as well as the completed EuropeAid CV Format attached to this email by Monday, September 17, 2007. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions or need further information.
About the ENPI project:
We are looking for candidates that can offer strategic vision and help design, develop and implement a training, capacity building and networking project for journalists and media professionals, including journalism schools, from the countries beneficiary of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument
- ENPI (Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Moldova, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, The Russian Federation, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine).
The main objectives are as follows:
. Provide training to a maximum number of journalists, editors, producers, and other media professionals, from the beneficiary countries, to develop the professional skills required to report on EU affairs (minimum of 200 trainees, each trainee participating at least in 5 trainings).
. Support journalists in using their newly acquired skills and knowledge in their job, by developing a complementary program for their media editors/managers/ owners (minimum 50).
. Develop a sustainable network of trained journalists and other media specialists, across the beneficiary countries (including making use of and building on the existing network of alumni of previous journalist training programmes and visits undertaken by the EU).
Ensure sustainability of the network after the project has been completed.
Again, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. In the meantime, please also see the attached overview of the expertise needs and list of qualifications (attached to this newsletter)
Best regards,
Julien Mailland
+33.6.61.77. 84.53 (CET)
i) An open letter from Otto Fong in the Raffles InstitutionSee attachment and item about Singapore in the news section above
j) European Young Bar Association International Weekend 2007 (in London)See attachments for registration form and further details
k) Fong in RI
A letter to all my friends and colleagues. 8th September 2007.
Friday, September 7, 2007
I am Otto Fong. I have been teaching Science in Raffles Institution for the last eight years.
Being a teacher has been the most rewarding part of my professional life thus far. My students continue to amaze me daily with their wit, maturity, independent thinking and leadership. It is very fulfilling that I am a part of an institution that moulds the future generation of Singapore’s leaders.
Leaders are people who can rise above the tide of popular opinion, people who are guided by the conviction of rightness and justice and in being so guided, lead others towards that right path.
Recent events leading to my action
Recent events have made me decide to write this open letter. In April this year, Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew – one of the school’s greatest alumni – called homosexuality a “genetic variation”, questioning the validity of criminalising gay sex. In July, MP Baey Yam Keng expressed support for the repeal of Section 377A of the penal code (which criminalises gay sex acts). In August, Malaysian columnist and ordained pastor Oyoung Wenfeng released his inspiring new Mandarin book “Tong Gen Sheng”, encouraging gay men and women to come out of the closet.
A few evenings later, I attended a forum organised by People Like Us on gay teachers and students. A few brave twenty-something guys asked, “Why has there been so little guidance available to me as a gay teenager?” It was a question that I had asked myself often, growing up.
When I became a teacher in 1999, I looked back on the good guidance my own teachers gave me as a template, and tried to be a better teacher to my students. Besides teaching them Science, I spent considerable effort in imparting good social values: give up your seats to the needy, save the handicapped parking lot for those in wheelchairs and their caretakers, respect people regardless of profession or social status.
How hate is perpetuated
Yet, in the eight years I have taught, I have done little for that small group of students who are gay. When the religious group Focus on the Family masqueraded as sex guidance counselors and gave a talk full of misinformation about homosexuality to our students, I was furious but kept my mouth shut.
When my niece returned from school saying, “Gays are disgusting!” I knew she learnt that hatred from a classmate, who had in turn absorbed that hatred from a parent. I knew that this hatred has been perpetrated for generations. But hatred grew out of fear, and hatred, as a line in a movie goes, “leads to the Dark Side.” This is the same environment of hatred I grew up in, as a gay teenager and student.
Until Section 377A* is repealed, there will be precious little the Ministry of Education can do to help these students. As a teacher, I am bound by my professional duty to follow the directives of my superiors.
While these events helped crystallize my decision to come out of the closet, my motivation remains deeply personal.
My family and I
As far back as primary six, I have been aware of my attraction towards classmates of the same sex. For those who argued about nurturing factors of the family, my brother and sister grew up under the same parents and remained heterosexuals despite growing up with me in close proximity.
As a teenager, I was very quick to sense society’s aversion towards the ‘sissies’ in my classes. I worked hard to distance myself from them. While I was successful in modifying my outward behavior, my sexual orientation remained unchanged. My denial gnawed at me, and the suppression of my true self resulted in self-destructive behavior during my overseas university years.
Fortunately, my American fraternity mates were supportive. I began to see a counselor who helped me accept myself for who and what I am.
Returning to Singapore, I came out to my family. My father, mother, brother and sister, out of love for their son and brother, walked the long road to acceptance. It was not easy for them, but they loved me before I came out, and they love me after. When I finally settled down with my longtime companion (we have been together for more than nine years), my entire family made sure my nieces and nephews included us in their lives. I loved my family too much to keep them in the dark, to deny them the chance to really know me. And they loved me too much to let some old prejudice tear our family apart.
I kept my sexual orientation a secret at work, and only a handful of my colleagues knew about me.
I don’t want to be a bonsai tree
Not counting my childhood, I have spent more than twenty years in the professional closet. I am nearing my fourth decade on Earth. While I have had some successes in life, I am not content to be just average. As I have often told my students, “Why be average when you can be your best?”
Do you know what a bonsai tree is? A bonsai tree is an imitation of a real tree. It is kept in a small pot with limited nutrients, trimmed constantly to fit someone else’s whim. It looks like a real tree, except it can’t do many things a real tree can. It cannot provide shelter, it cannot find food on its own; its life and death are totally reliant on its owner. It is the plant version of the 3-inch Chinese bound foot for women: useless and painful.
Being in the closet, pretending to be straight, trimming our true selves to suit the whims and expectations of others, is just like being a human bonsai tree. By staying in the closet, we cannot even hope to be average, much less above and beyond average.
I felt that in order to reach my fullest potential as a useful human being, I must first fully accept myself, and face the world honestly. I have lived long enough to know that what I am is not a disease, an aberration or a mental illness.
Hate is not a religious value
Many people have cited many ‘reasons’ for hating homosexuals, just as many people tried to justify their views that the Earth was flat, that the darker skinned should always be inferior, and that women should subjugate their lives to men. The teachings of the world’s great religious traditions offer many words of wisdom, but the interpretations of their human followers are not infallible. As Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount (yes, a personal Bible was given to me by a great lady and I honored her by reading the book), we must love our neighbors as ourselves. It is a simple teaching, but one that’s rarely followed by those who seek to oppress people different from themselves. The path to enlightenment always faces stubborn resistance. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you...”
There are some people who are using homosexuality to advance their personal ambitions vis a vis religion. They claim that the homosexual ‘agenda’ is to make the whole world gay and threaten the stability of the family. Yet, let us examine the evidence: Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the first countries to legalise gay marriage, are more stable than ever – their population has not been converted by gays and their heterosexual divorce rates have even decreased since gays have been afforded legal rights. (William N. Eskridge, Jr and Darren R. Spedale, Oxford University Press, 2006).
The only agenda gay people have is to be able to live with the same rights and dignity as our heterosexual brothers and sisters. Our very vocal opponents are the ones actively preying on innocent people, recruiting them to their cause by spreading fear and misinformation. I hope thinking people will quickly see that it is this small group of vocal objectionists who have a more dangerous agenda, that their fight with gay people has nothing to do with what’s right or wrong, but is merely a litmus test of their political influence. For peace and prosperity to continue, Singapore must always uphold secularism, where each different segment of the population respects the beliefs and rights of the others.
Can a country with no natural resources afford to drive away its own citizens?
There is a very pragmatic reason that you should support the rights and dignity of gay Singaporeans: in this globally-competitive era, Singapore needs her gay sons and daughters, just as we need our Singaporean Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, immigrants, men and women, old folks and young. Most importantly, we need those gay sons and daughters because those gay sons and daughters are Singaporean Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, immigrants, men and women, old folks and young. Can a country without natural resources continue to flourish when it starts to drive away its own children?
As I said before, leaders are people who are guided by the conviction of rightness and justice and in being so guided, lead others towards that right path.
I am still a teacher. My main purpose and joy is to teach our youngest citizens, the same ones who will be the leaders of our nation tomorrow. But, I feel I am shortchanging both society and myself by staying in the closet. I must be true to myself. If my colleagues and students, both gay and straight, see that being true to one’s own self has great value, perhaps we can produce a new generation who is truly courageous. A new generation of young people who are proud to be themselves, no matter what difference they have from their classmates. Then I will have succeeded in providing them a better education than I had the opportunity to receive during my years in school.
So here’s what I am, and I am a friend in need at the moment
So here it is: I, Otto Fong, have always been and always will be a gay man. When you ask about my spouse, I will say he is a man. I am as proud being gay as you are proud being straight. I am not, as some people like to label gays, a pedophile, a child molester, a pervert or sexual deviant. I did not choose to be gay, just like heterosexuals did not choose to be straight. I am not going to hell (not for being gay anyway).
I am not going back in the closet. When you ask me who I am, I will answer: I am a son, a brother, a long-time companion, an uncle, a teacher, a classmate, a colleague, a part of your community, a HDB dweller, a Singaporean. And I am also gay.
I would like to enjoy the respect that all other Singaporeans enjoy. I will not let the closet bind my feet, because I am made to sprint. I am not interested in being a bonsai tree, my DNA is programmed to climb higher. My heart aspires to reach my fullest potential as a human being.
I hope, dear friends and colleagues, that you look back and remember what I am, and see that I am not someone you fear. I am essentially the same person – flawed, imperfect, but brought up properly by two loving parents to lead a productive, beneficial and meaningful life. My friends and family love me for who I am, and I hope you can too. I come out to you with as much hope and trepidation as when I first come out to my mother and father. Your support and understanding are very important to me at this moment.
Thank you, may you prosper in health and soul.
Yours sincerely,
Otto Fong
8th Sept 2007
* Section 377A is a law that allows certain sexual acts between consensual heterosexual adults but forbids the same sexual acts between consensual homosexual adults.
Being a teacher has been the most rewarding part of my professional life thus far. My students continue to amaze me daily with their wit, maturity, independent thinking and leadership. It is very fulfilling that I am a part of an institution that moulds the future generation of Singapore’s leaders.
Leaders are people who can rise above the tide of popular opinion, people who are guided by the conviction of rightness and justice and in being so guided, lead others towards that right path.
Recent events leading to my action
Recent events have made me decide to write this open letter. In April this year, Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew – one of the school’s greatest alumni – called homosexuality a “genetic variation”, questioning the validity of criminalising gay sex. In July, MP Baey Yam Keng expressed support for the repeal of Section 377A of the penal code (which criminalises gay sex acts). In August, Malaysian columnist and ordained pastor Oyoung Wenfeng released his inspiring new Mandarin book “Tong Gen Sheng”, encouraging gay men and women to come out of the closet.
A few evenings later, I attended a forum organised by People Like Us on gay teachers and students. A few brave twenty-something guys asked, “Why has there been so little guidance available to me as a gay teenager?” It was a question that I had asked myself often, growing up.
When I became a teacher in 1999, I looked back on the good guidance my own teachers gave me as a template, and tried to be a better teacher to my students. Besides teaching them Science, I spent considerable effort in imparting good social values: give up your seats to the needy, save the handicapped parking lot for those in wheelchairs and their caretakers, respect people regardless of profession or social status.
How hate is perpetuated
Yet, in the eight years I have taught, I have done little for that small group of students who are gay. When the religious group Focus on the Family masqueraded as sex guidance counselors and gave a talk full of misinformation about homosexuality to our students, I was furious but kept my mouth shut.
When my niece returned from school saying, “Gays are disgusting!” I knew she learnt that hatred from a classmate, who had in turn absorbed that hatred from a parent. I knew that this hatred has been perpetrated for generations. But hatred grew out of fear, and hatred, as a line in a movie goes, “leads to the Dark Side.” This is the same environment of hatred I grew up in, as a gay teenager and student.
Until Section 377A* is repealed, there will be precious little the Ministry of Education can do to help these students. As a teacher, I am bound by my professional duty to follow the directives of my superiors.
While these events helped crystallize my decision to come out of the closet, my motivation remains deeply personal.
My family and I
As far back as primary six, I have been aware of my attraction towards classmates of the same sex. For those who argued about nurturing factors of the family, my brother and sister grew up under the same parents and remained heterosexuals despite growing up with me in close proximity.
As a teenager, I was very quick to sense society’s aversion towards the ‘sissies’ in my classes. I worked hard to distance myself from them. While I was successful in modifying my outward behavior, my sexual orientation remained unchanged. My denial gnawed at me, and the suppression of my true self resulted in self-destructive behavior during my overseas university years.
Fortunately, my American fraternity mates were supportive. I began to see a counselor who helped me accept myself for who and what I am.
Returning to Singapore, I came out to my family. My father, mother, brother and sister, out of love for their son and brother, walked the long road to acceptance. It was not easy for them, but they loved me before I came out, and they love me after. When I finally settled down with my longtime companion (we have been together for more than nine years), my entire family made sure my nieces and nephews included us in their lives. I loved my family too much to keep them in the dark, to deny them the chance to really know me. And they loved me too much to let some old prejudice tear our family apart.
I kept my sexual orientation a secret at work, and only a handful of my colleagues knew about me.
I don’t want to be a bonsai tree
Not counting my childhood, I have spent more than twenty years in the professional closet. I am nearing my fourth decade on Earth. While I have had some successes in life, I am not content to be just average. As I have often told my students, “Why be average when you can be your best?”
Do you know what a bonsai tree is? A bonsai tree is an imitation of a real tree. It is kept in a small pot with limited nutrients, trimmed constantly to fit someone else’s whim. It looks like a real tree, except it can’t do many things a real tree can. It cannot provide shelter, it cannot find food on its own; its life and death are totally reliant on its owner. It is the plant version of the 3-inch Chinese bound foot for women: useless and painful.
Being in the closet, pretending to be straight, trimming our true selves to suit the whims and expectations of others, is just like being a human bonsai tree. By staying in the closet, we cannot even hope to be average, much less above and beyond average.
I felt that in order to reach my fullest potential as a useful human being, I must first fully accept myself, and face the world honestly. I have lived long enough to know that what I am is not a disease, an aberration or a mental illness.
Hate is not a religious value
Many people have cited many ‘reasons’ for hating homosexuals, just as many people tried to justify their views that the Earth was flat, that the darker skinned should always be inferior, and that women should subjugate their lives to men. The teachings of the world’s great religious traditions offer many words of wisdom, but the interpretations of their human followers are not infallible. As Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount (yes, a personal Bible was given to me by a great lady and I honored her by reading the book), we must love our neighbors as ourselves. It is a simple teaching, but one that’s rarely followed by those who seek to oppress people different from themselves. The path to enlightenment always faces stubborn resistance. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you...”
There are some people who are using homosexuality to advance their personal ambitions vis a vis religion. They claim that the homosexual ‘agenda’ is to make the whole world gay and threaten the stability of the family. Yet, let us examine the evidence: Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the first countries to legalise gay marriage, are more stable than ever – their population has not been converted by gays and their heterosexual divorce rates have even decreased since gays have been afforded legal rights. (William N. Eskridge, Jr and Darren R. Spedale, Oxford University Press, 2006).
The only agenda gay people have is to be able to live with the same rights and dignity as our heterosexual brothers and sisters. Our very vocal opponents are the ones actively preying on innocent people, recruiting them to their cause by spreading fear and misinformation. I hope thinking people will quickly see that it is this small group of vocal objectionists who have a more dangerous agenda, that their fight with gay people has nothing to do with what’s right or wrong, but is merely a litmus test of their political influence. For peace and prosperity to continue, Singapore must always uphold secularism, where each different segment of the population respects the beliefs and rights of the others.
Can a country with no natural resources afford to drive away its own citizens?
There is a very pragmatic reason that you should support the rights and dignity of gay Singaporeans: in this globally-competitive era, Singapore needs her gay sons and daughters, just as we need our Singaporean Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, immigrants, men and women, old folks and young. Most importantly, we need those gay sons and daughters because those gay sons and daughters are Singaporean Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, immigrants, men and women, old folks and young. Can a country without natural resources continue to flourish when it starts to drive away its own children?
As I said before, leaders are people who are guided by the conviction of rightness and justice and in being so guided, lead others towards that right path.
I am still a teacher. My main purpose and joy is to teach our youngest citizens, the same ones who will be the leaders of our nation tomorrow. But, I feel I am shortchanging both society and myself by staying in the closet. I must be true to myself. If my colleagues and students, both gay and straight, see that being true to one’s own self has great value, perhaps we can produce a new generation who is truly courageous. A new generation of young people who are proud to be themselves, no matter what difference they have from their classmates. Then I will have succeeded in providing them a better education than I had the opportunity to receive during my years in school.
So here’s what I am, and I am a friend in need at the moment
So here it is: I, Otto Fong, have always been and always will be a gay man. When you ask about my spouse, I will say he is a man. I am as proud being gay as you are proud being straight. I am not, as some people like to label gays, a pedophile, a child molester, a pervert or sexual deviant. I did not choose to be gay, just like heterosexuals did not choose to be straight. I am not going to hell (not for being gay anyway).
I am not going back in the closet. When you ask me who I am, I will answer: I am a son, a brother, a long-time companion, an uncle, a teacher, a classmate, a colleague, a part of your community, a HDB dweller, a Singaporean. And I am also gay.
I would like to enjoy the respect that all other Singaporeans enjoy. I will not let the closet bind my feet, because I am made to sprint. I am not interested in being a bonsai tree, my DNA is programmed to climb higher. My heart aspires to reach my fullest potential as a human being.
I hope, dear friends and colleagues, that you look back and remember what I am, and see that I am not someone you fear. I am essentially the same person – flawed, imperfect, but brought up properly by two loving parents to lead a productive, beneficial and meaningful life. My friends and family love me for who I am, and I hope you can too. I come out to you with as much hope and trepidation as when I first come out to my mother and father. Your support and understanding are very important to me at this moment.
Thank you, may you prosper in health and soul.
Yours sincerely,
Otto Fong
8th Sept 2007
* Section 377A is a law that allows certain sexual acts between consensual heterosexual adults but forbids the same sexual acts between consensual homosexual adults.
l) Andrei Richter, IMLA member from Moscow, has published “Post-Soviet Perspective on Censorship and Freedom of the Media” (2007) in English http://www.medialaw.ru/e_pages/publications/post-soviet.htm
m) Benjamin Fernandez Bogado, IMLA member from Asuncion, Paraguay, will be a Visiting Scholar 2007-8 at Harvard University’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies http://www.drclas.harvard.edu/scholars/2007-2008
m) Benjamin Fernandez Bogado, IMLA member from Asuncion, Paraguay, will be a Visiting Scholar 2007-8 at Harvard University’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies http://www.drclas.harvard.edu/scholars/2007-2008
Posted: Sep 30 2007, 16:39 (/newsletter_September_2007) [ Return to top ]
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