Li Shengwu has published in full the letters the Attorney General's Chambers sent him on Aug. 8 and his response to them on Aug. 18.
Li wrote in a Facebook post on Monday, Aug. 21, that "the AGC privately revised its demands to me", but "my uncle PM Lee Hsien Loong's press secretary was aware of these revised demands, and disclosed them on 18 August".
In response to this turn of events, Li released both letters as Google docs (see below) into the public domain.
PM Lee's press secretary
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's press secretary is Chang Li Lin.
The Aug. 18 response from Chang that Li highlighted was reported in a Reuters article, "Lee Kuan Yew's grandson left Singapore because friends feared he would be detained". The article was based on an exclusive interview they did with Li.
In her response, seen by Mothership, Chang rebutted the suggestion that there was a cult of personality surrounding the late Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore and highlighted the next step the AGC was taking against Li for a previous Facebook post he made suggesting "that the Singapore government is very litigious and has a pliant court system".
AGC's demands
The AGC was demanding that Li apologise for his post, even though he amended the wording of the post and kept it private throughout.
Li's contention is that the meaning of his post was taken out of context and the AGC has not pursued the matter with other publishers that gave the post more exposure in public.
As Li failed to accede to the requests of the AGC, the latter decided that action against him will be taken.
Here is part of Chang's first reply to Reuters:
"There is no cult of LKY. Mr Lee Kuan Yew was the founding father of Singapore. His vision of what Singapore can be, and what imperatives govern Singapore’s survival, remain relevant and valid. Singaporeans are grateful to Mr Lee and the other founding leaders, and wish to honour their memory. That is natural and healthy.
The PAP forms the democratically elected government of Singapore. Anyone dissatisfied with the PAP’s performance can contest elections and try to convince voters that they can do better. Opposition parties regularly do so."
And here is Chang's second reply to Reuters:
"The Attorney-General’s Chambers (“AGC”) have applied to the High Court for permission to start committal proceedings against Mr Li Shengwu for contempt of court. This is a well-established legal process. Clear laws and procedures apply to all cases of contempt, including this case involving Mr Li. The courts will decide on the merits of the case.
AGC has told Mr Li that if he apologised for his comments, then the proceedings against him will be withdrawn. Mr Li has not done so.
Your points on detention/interrogation are not accurate, in this case."
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And here are the two letters exchanged between the AGC and Li, published in full:
AGC's letter to Li, Aug. 8
Li's letter to AGC, Aug. 18
Top photo via Li Shengwu's Facebook page
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