We heard Yang Kaiheng's voice for the first time on Wednesday afternoon, as he took the stand in his ongoing sedition trial for his own defence.

He only testified for about 10 minutes, after which his lawyer Choo Zheng Xi requested to stand down so Yang could spend time with his pregnant wife Ai Takagi, who experienced a medical emergency the day before. But during that time, he shed some light on the genesis of what would become The Real Singapore:

1. In 2011, during the General Election, he and Takagi started this page:

As you can see, it still bears information about TRS and their Facebook page as well as contact email, although they continued to use this page to promote and link to stories and pages on the TRS site. The last post to this page was in May 2015:

And it was in the days after that that TRS was ordered to shut down.

Here's what he testified:

"I started the website, I got the idea, I created the idea together with my wife (Ai Takagi). The website wasn't started itself just naturally, but it started off as a Facebook page. We were following the General Election in 2011, and we started a Facebook page (Petition to remove Tin Pei Ling as an MP) and then that Facebook page grew more popular and there was like 60,000 likes. (Editor's note: looks like this decreased over time to where it stands now at 43,250 likes)

Then, I... me and my then-girlfriend, we saw it as a useful avenue for them to eventually have a business venture because we can witness a large following on the Facebook page. And then, as there was a lack of media freedom in Singapore, we thought a website without any censorship and more freedom of speech would be a good business venture for us. And then, as the website started I was involved back in 2012."

2. He was involved in the design of the website at its beginnings

Asked what the extent of his involvement was in TRS's early days by Choo, Yang said he helped to decide what the look and feel of the website would be like — its logo, its headings, for instance — and he also approached friends "in the IT or start-up industry" for advice on website monetisation.

Here's what he said:

"I was initially involved in the designing of the website. I look at... I decided on where, which, what should the headings be on the website, how the website design should be, the logo of the website. And then I also knew quite a few friends who are in the IT or start-up industry and then they gave me ideas and points, things to research on involving, like, website advertising. They told me (things like) Google AdSense and Amazon e-payments are things that, platforms that websites can make money from. So I did research on Google AdSense, I did research on Amazon e-payments and a few other, and I suggested to Ai (Takagi) that Google AdSense is most probably the suitable platform for a website to generate revenue."

3. But that was about it, he says.

He went on to say that his involvement spanned "one to two months back in 2012, after the mid-year", after which he offered her ad-hoc assistance with the building and design of the TRS mobile app.

He explained that his third year of school (he was enrolled at University of Queensland from 2010 to 2014, studying environmental sciences) involved a lot of assignments that kept him busy, alongside responsibilities he had with the gaming society club he founded that Takagi joined — that's how they first met.

"And then after that my involvement is around only 1-2 months back in 2012, after the mid-year. After the designing of the website, the page took off. I did not write any articles on the website, and then I was busy with my schoolwork because I was in my third year and I founded a gaming club and I... actually my third school year, involved a lot of assignments and articles every week, and I failed a course... so I spent most of my time dealing with schoolwork and my club in the university. But my involvement proceeded on, I gave Ai (Takagi) ad-hoc kind of assistance on the mobile apps in particular which I recall, because I download a lot of news apps, so I gave her suggestions and feedback on the design and how the app should look like. And then my friend also told me about the websites which actually provide complimentary like services for website owners..."

4. He detailed Ai Takagi's work with the website, even how she went to conferences with Google in Australia.

Asked specifically if he had any role in writing or editing any of the articles on TRS, he said "None, your honour". Followed by this:

"My wife basically took on the running of the entire website. She publishes comments or contents, interesting contents. She liaised with advertisers such as Google — just for example, Google sent people down to meet her in Brisbane, and she was also invited to attend meetings and conferences conducted (by) Google in Sydney. And then... She was also involved in engaging, getting a team of editors that help (keep) the website running. She contacted these people and was basically the one who got the team together."

He also said the site only went live "a few months after" June 2012, when he and Takagi were still "designing, sourcing the advertisers, sourcing the website programmers".

Yang will retake the stand on Thursday morning as the trial against him continues. Takagi was last month sentenced to 10 months' jail after pleading guilty to four charges of sedition, and will begin her term on April 22.

Related articles:

Online chats reveal how ex-TRS operator Yang Kaiheng dealt with ex-business partner

TRS editor paid off almost all of 30-year mortgage in 11 months

The Real Singapore site operator Ai Takagi gets 10 months’ jail for sedition, to start April 22

The Real Singapore made AU$474,000 in Google ad revenue in 17 months from Dec. 2013 to April 2015

Here’s how TRS editor Ai Takagi ran one of S’pore’s most visited websites

Top photo by Jeanette Tan.

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