[FYI] (Fwd) FC: Singapore may block overseas political sites that do

["Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>]

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Tue, 04 Sep 2001 10:34:21 -0400
To:             	politech@politechbot.com
From:           	Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Subject:        	FC: Singapore may block overseas political sites that don't
 	register
Send reply to:  	declan@well.com

Background on Singapore's
political-websites-must-register-with-government rules:
http://www.politechbot.com/cgi-bin/politech.cgi?name=singapore

Thanks to D.R. for forwarding the below.

-Declan

*********

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,1870,67711,00.html

SEPT 1, 2001

Foreign websites that refuse to register 'can be blocked'
Such sites can be screened out the way porn sites are, say experts By
Tan Tarn How FOREIGN websites that will not comply with requests to
register in Singapore as political websites are beyond the reach of
Singapore law, experts say. But the Government can block such websites
the same way it screens out pornographic sites, they added. Lawyer Sin
Boon Ann, an MP for Tampines GRC, told The Straits Times: 'From a
legal point, it's quite difficult to compel them to register.' Being
hosted on computers overseas means they operate outside Singapore's
jurisdiction. 'Our legislative theory is still on the basis of
territorial supremacy,' he said. Mr Amolat Singh, a lawyer in private
practice, agreed: 'I don't think the Government will be able to go
after them.' But Internet-law expert Stanley Lai, of the law firm Lee
& Lee, said the Government can go after the operators of
foreign-hosted websites if they are Singapore citizens. They may be
fined up to $20,000 and jailed for up to two years for refusing to
register, he said. The issue came up in Parliament last month when
Information and the Arts Minister Lee Yock Suan reaffirmed that the
Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA) can require a political website
to register under the regulator's licensing rules, even if the website
is overseas. [...]




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