TOC defamation trial: Article needed 'creative writing', editor Terry Xu told writer
Mr Xu confirmed during cross-examination by PM Lee's lawyer, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh that he asked a Malaysian writer to use creative writing in the article about prime minister Lee Hsien.
SINGAPORE - The editor of The Online Citizen, Mr Terry Xu, last year told his writer Rubaashini Shunmuganathan to include some "Creative writing" in her article that allegedly defamed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
He also confirmed that he had instructed Ms Rubaashini, a Malaysian, to write the article titled "PM Lee's wife, Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members".
The points included allegations by PM Lee's siblings, Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling, on how PM Lee had misled their father, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, into thinking that his house at 38 Oxley Road had been gazetted by the Government.
Mr Xu replied that he had mostly based the claims on statements made by Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee in their joint public statements, as well as in Facebook posts by Dr Lee.
Mr Singh put it to Mr Xu that this was "Where the creativity came in" and that these claims went beyond merely repeating the allegations that PM Lee's siblings had put out.
