Straits Times
29 September 2009. By Elena Chong.
Former Reform Party committee member Balraj Naidu made a brief court appearance on Tuesday for an extradition hearing which was adjourned until next Monday.
The businessman was arrested at his home last week and brought to court on a warrant of arrest.
He is wanted by the US Government on two terrorism-related charges and brokering an arms deal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ellam (LTTE) .
No charge has been laid against him.
The request for his extradition was made around the middle of the year.
Family members of Mr Naidu were in court with his lawyer, who declined comment.
Source: Straits Times
Press Statement by the Reform Party
The Reform Party
18A Smith Street Singapore 058932 Tel: 6534 9641
30 September 2009.
This US extradition request came as a complete surprise to me. I have just now spoken to Mr Naidu’s lawyer and understand that the request relates to matters that are alleged to have occurred back in 2006. It therefore pre-dates the Reform Party and so The Reform Party has no knowledge of the case.
Mr Naidu had already stepped down from the CEC before this case came to light although he is still a member of The Party.
Our concern now is for his family and we are in discussions with his lawyer as to how we can best assist them through this difficult time and with finding legal representation in the U.S. should the extradition request proceed. Meanwhile, we note that this is an ongoing judicial process and I understand that it is in the very early stages and therefore any further comment on our part would be pure speculation and maybe prejudicial to him.
Regards,
Kenneth Jeyaretnam
SG. The Reform Party
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Wah ! fixing the opposition has started so soon. Mee Siam My Hum is very free now. I am sure KJ can capture at least a GRC as he has economics background and he can give a good debate in parliament. Cheers to RP, pap starts to worry now. They can’t afford to lose even a seat.
Wah…so fast fix already.Looks like GE within this year as can see all the PAP Grassroots going all out.Look at Georgie Yeo’s facebook page.
They start with the newest party as they know KJ got strong GRC team to take them on.But dunno where?
Please lah Gerrymander until so siow, pay the supporters and as usual Fix the opponents.
The PAP very ungentlemanly one.No wunder all policies and leaders of PAP no quality.
Thanks for your summary.
I think so too.Can’t believe they are that desperate to hide whatever is behind in their closets.Must be 50 years of cobwebs.Remember President Ong Teng Chiong?
I think it will take another 500 years to clear those PAP skeletons in all those dusty closets.
I say vote them all out.I thought take 1 GRC enough.I say Oppo go all out.Field anybody also guarantee more than 45-55% at this rate.
All my school friends at university are annoyed.They even tried to censor our questions to the minister.
Can these guys run our country or arentey ready to hand over to the foreigner?
RP is now becoming the biggest threat to the papees now so they (MIW) will make every effort to check on each and every background on all the RP candidates and shoot them down as many as possible. On the other hand, the RP are not allow to check on any of their papees MPs as the ole man has alerady made it a law as illegal to check on any of themselves, so how to track them down? unless the law is meant to everyone and not just to those MIW then you will see very much more dirty people being exposed. Real dirty politics . . . . tsk tsk tsk. Vote pap more and you people can seal the fate of your children.
It has once again proved MSM is the mouth piece for PAP.
MSM should also check out what happen to MM Lee’s wife, M-I-A for ages.
This month September, MSM did not even publish MM Lee birthday cos his wife is not there but instead he went for overseas trip at the expense of the tax payers.
Don’t keep ponking on opposition parties, MSM.
What goes around comes around. Ultimately, PAP will pay the price.
Yes, more fix on opp parties is coming their way. However, the more they fix, the more the things become broken. The more they buy supporter’s vote, the more their supporters grow tired of them knowing that the clowns are just “wolf in sheep’s clothing. Wolf pretending to be sheep as bait to attract more sheeps before group attack.”.
So we must be steadfast in our faith for opp parties and not sway by those nonsenses of the PIG (PAP Internet Garbage).
Comment No.19—-you are right–ST should do an article on the Phey fellow.
30 years later and still no idea where he is!!!!.
But being no.154 they probably will not.
Read the first para – ‘ This US extradition request came as a complete surprise to me. I have just now spoken to Mr Naidu’s lawyer and understand that the request relates to matters that are alleged to have occurred back in 2006. It therefore pre-dates the Reform Party and so The Reform Party has no knowledge of the case.’
You can do better than to start with a disclaimer in your first public statement on your own member. Least you could do is to stand by your man. LTK would never do this to WP members. RP is just fixing themselves up.
blackfeline,
but then what will you say in KJ’s shoe since our “dear” government will surely use the excuse and media to discredit the RP big time by claiming that opp party is putting danger to the nation by harbouring and defending suspected terrorist (though the member may not one) while the USA is performing investigation. Perception is reality, and I very sure that the gov will spare no effort to use this opportunity to eradicate RP by using the Terrorist boogeyman again, and forbid even KJ from even stepping into politics. In other hands, the bird is killed before it can even fly. Since this case is critical, won’t that make sense to make a statement to do some damage control to avoid implication on the party itself while the investigation is still pending on the member ?
Yes, you can say that Low generally will not do that but when it comes to terrorist matter under USA investigation, who can say for sure especially if the investigators claim that they have more info on the case. I don’t think this is a matter of protecting members at all cost but more about doing the right thing to uncover the truth while investigation is pending.
blackfeline,
at least KJ did not say “This was a lapse, what to do, it’s happened.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDSDdKFpRQc
Since after 911, US has been hotly pursuing anyone remotely suspected for terrorism and there had been innocent victims jailed and tortured at Guantanamo and vindicated years later because they were truly innocent. This is a real case that happened to some men in the UK who went there for holidays.
If (I really mean IF) the govt of Spore were to inform the US something to the effect of a suspected terrorist in our country who is plotting something in the US, do you think the US will not be interested? They don’t take any chances. Sorry but I find it too cynical that a suspected terrorist is found from the up and coming RP, at the critical time of nearing election, by a foreign country like US. This time the PAPs know that the wayang has got to have a limit. If the SG govt wanted the opp man for terrorism charges, the penny would be dropped.
I am sharing this because I hate to see innocent people going to jail, the whole family suffers too, think of the children and parents, and all for some elites to stay in power to enrich themselves. Its wrong, wrong, wrong!
One more thing, why do you think the ST is so bold to claim that he is wanted for the CHARGES when he is not even charged yet? Its because they (the Govt) already knows that the pooe man cannot escape. They WILL INCRIMINATE him with some form of evidence supplied by ISA or the police or even the high court judge of Spore. It is sooo easy for the PAPs to do it because everything is under their control.
Like someone says it is called PAP smear but of a different kind!
When I mentioned in ‘the show of Unity ‘ for the opposition, one of my sentence was to beware of PAP/KGB tactics. Here it happens again without fail to the opposition.
Shit Times is quick to draw the gun on Reform Party and publicised the issue for everyone to know. Need we say more.
PAP really hit below the belt. Yes! everytime a new opposition candidate or party is of some potential, something has to happen. It is sad that Kenneth did not check his members a little more carefully to play into the hands of the gangster tactics of PAP.
Always the smear mechanism.
This incident will not affect our strong perception of the new Reform Party. As when PAP smeared James Gomez in the last election, calling him a liar, but Worker’s Party
secured 44% vote from Aljunied GRC under Sylvia Lim. We have the greatest belief that Aljunied GRC can be taken over by the opposition without PAP using underhand means to change the boundary of the ward, time and again before the election.
Let us cast our right vote for more opposition into parliament to stop PAP’s obsolute
rule. 50 years is enough, enough, enough. Anywhere, all the ministers have made
millions from the poor citizens of Singapore.
The Godfather (PAPa) has done it again! When the West was going after Communism, 21 yrs ago, some students were rounded up as plotting Communism and Tan Wah Piow was exiled.
Now the West is hot on their heels after Terrorists, look what trouble the opp guy got into? Terrorist charges! Why not round up some socialist opp people (lotsa them) and charge them with plotting Communism? Because he knows it is not the ‘in thing’.
BTW Tan Wah Piow is a now a leading human rights lawyer in London. Was he dangerous? You decide.
The ‘West’ should be replaced by the ‘West’ followed by the World’ in my above post.
Lets not miss the point. It is not about what is the truth or whether PAP is the mafia behind this is besides the point. It is the way it has been handled. It is just disappointing and disheartening to see a leader taking a position to distance himself from his very own member. Will this kind of leader ever step up for his member when it comes to the crunch during election and other situation like a smear campaign. I am not going to war with such a leader knowing there is no one behind or beside me on the frontline. It is simply scary and uncertain to know he will play you out and just think for himself. Once thought this was some hope, I can see that it would turn out to be another self-driven, self-centric leadership. What hope is there ?
KJ did the right thing…we are behind u 100% ! Do not be distracted . We have hope in u and your team!
i say…there’s more than one way to skin a “copycat”…hit it hard with a baseball bat from behind…
Like someone already said; selling arms to the Burmese Junta is oh so legal while dabbling in the same business with the Tamil Tigers is not. May I also add that the Burmese junta is still very much well, alive and kicking while the Tamil Tigers had its head blown off recently. So who poses the more danger; or rather; who continues to pose a danger?
This brings to mind another issue: that of ‘Communism’. Chia Thye Poh is still very much considered a communist threat, while opening the National doors to communist dwellers from China, Vietnam, Russia etc does not pose any security threat to Singapore.
Either this stupid government still thinks Singaporeans are in deep slumber, or it thinks we are as stupid as them.
As for the msm; there is no doubt they think Singaporeans are stupid, that’s why they continue to feed us these sort of slanted news and treating us like the stupid people they think we are.
Are we going to prove them right or are we going to do something about it? This sort of news can only mean one thing – election time is here!
And you know what? Even if there is a bunch of new Singapore citizens who are as Chinese and as Communist as they are, I will still vote for them. Like I have said so earlier, this election is not about which alternative we want in parliament, but about what we want to tell this government.
Our vote is our last chance, and it now remains the only way we can talk to this government. They have become so deaf that they can only hear themselves speaking; so blind that they can only see themselves patting each other’s backs; and so unfeeling that they continue to cloister themselves in their own aircon rooms while on the outside, the community burns and weeps.
The truth is “He is wanted by the US Government on two terrorism-related charges and brokering an arms deal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ellam (LTTE) .”
Can anybody ask WHY US Government choose him and not PAP MP????
There are alot of people in Guantanomo arrested for terrorrism by the US but still not charged and convicted.
7) Jon on September 30th, 2009 9.30 am – Looking at the Oppo’s ’skeletons’, I wonder what kind of skeletons are in the PAP’s 50 year-old closet. Anyone wants to have a look? Would the self-righteous Straits Times kindly take a peek, and report back?
If the PAP dare to declare in the Straits Times that “we have no skeletons in our closet at all – please prove us wrong if you can”, they will get my vote in the next election.
[i]Daniel on October 1st, 2009 12.56 am blackfeline,
but then what will you say in KJ’s shoe since our “dear” government will surely use the excuse and media to discredit the RP big time by claiming that opp party is putting danger to the nation by harbouring and defending suspected terrorist (though the member may not one) while the USA is performing investigation.[/i]
ahmad matter the former mp from aljunied or whatever was also investigated by united nation for undertable milk distributions so to speak
do our 154th media published any of that?
united nation case whoa! somewhere representin the singapore government in that capacity…
so who is worst?
this kachangputech minature buisneeman or a united nation member officiate and actin on behalf in the name of singapore?
[i]blackfeline on October 1st, 2009 7.16 am Lets not miss the point. It is not about what is the truth or whether PAP is the mafia behind this is besides the point. It is the way it has been handled. It is just disappointing and disheartening to see a leader taking a position to distance himself from his very own member.[/i]
well said indeed
i give you a standin ovation CLAP CLAP CLAP….
now regardin the ahmad matter united nation case…
what is the leader and singapore government goin to do about it?
sweepin under the carpet again?
Wonder if there are/were people who help to market United States made arms(weapons) and got wanted by the US Authority.
Helped them(American Arms Makers) make money and became wanted by US Authority for felony, jokers.
patriot
No worry, whatever happen here is pale in comparison to the PAP Party. The PAP gov is constantly monitor by the USA over the weapon sale to Junta and money-laundering. The stupid thing that the gov will do is to blow up the issue using ShittyTimes and the whole matter backfire.
So I doubt the old fart is stupid enough to character-assassinate RP publicly.
51 comments on the Temasek article and 74 comments on the RP issue. I guess the timing was exactly right to divert attention from Temasek to the opposition.Going by the reaction in TOC, it must be spot on. Come on, look at the critical issues. Its a extradiction request and not a guilty verdict. Do not fall prey to such divertionary tactics.
Headline : Reform party member…………..
First liine : Former Reform party……………
If it were some other party it would probaly read differently?
Tsk tsk tsk…. case of bad reporting or 154th?
It backfires.Now RP becomes in the news and it is more popular now. Hope RP can contest against Mah Boh Tan. This guy said Hdb flats are affordable. !!! Ya true affordable to loan 30 or more years. After 30 years, Cpf is zero, it is your own funeral. Don’t go and seek help from our backdoor MPs.
If you want to know the TRUTH about Reform Party just ask Ng Teck Siong, ex-chairman who was bullied and ousted from the party.
Chua Sai Hoong aka Ah Mui on September 30th, 2009 10.58 am
Thanks very much for sharing this link. This is a precious weapon for slaughtering the superficial PAP integrity.
At 79) Ui.
No worries there are plentyful of time to watch this wayang.
This Ape-man have step on a land-mines.
He must learn a lot of lesson.
The times is not ripe yet.
We’re waiting to see how he’s going to build this Party!
Friend From London.
You are correct. It IS about the way it has been handled. Just that ‘it’ should be referring to ST.
1. With any negative news that is related to an opposition member, ST will without fail, features the person’s affiliation to the said opposition party. This was the case even when it was a family affair when the opposition member himself is not directly involved.
2. The title say “Reform Party man”, and then in the text, then it adds ‘FORMER Reform Party man. If it is former, why not also highlight in the title?
3. We are now in the third quarter of the year, and the request was made in the MIDDLE of the year. Why the delay? Is something (e.g election) happening soon?
I think we should stop talking about this immediately. This is their strategy. To break group dynamic or potential group dynamic that is being developed. The more you harp on it, the more discontent you become.
FRAMING to NORMING to PERFORMING
FRAMING – They Create a situation for you i.e issue
NORMING – You guys discuss, talk and biker about it and it becomes the norm
PERFORMING – VOILA! after a while you actually believe it or create doubt among you
If you don’t stop now, nothing positive will come out of it.
Good advise, Passerby.
- THE END -
Passerby, this is not an opposition website, this is a news website so I don’t think anyone should dictate whether or not we should refrain from discussing or criticizing RP.
sigh, sarcasm is lost on this lot
78) Ui on October 1st, 2009 1.35 pm
“If you want to know the TRUTH about Reform Party just ask Ng Teck Siong, ex-chairman who was bullied and ousted from the party.”
- If you want to know the TRUTH about PAP, just ask our former president Mr Ong Teng Cheong, ex-PAP man, who was for the people, supported by the people. Unfortunately, you need a medium!
- In both cases, until we hear both sides of the story, we should not be judge & jury.
Whatever it is, cant stop my disappointment. Maybe i had high hopes. But for a new party and a new leader, i really would have expected him to tell the press that wait, it is under investigation, and we will stand by our member through this period. Why distance himself even before the member even got convicted ? This is one leader just thinking for himself. JBJ would probably have fought his way and protected his man, like a good fighter he was. Cant say the same about this guy now. As a hedge fund manager, you can make the kiling at all cost. This is not about yourself and money. it is about people !
This ST report conveniently omitted to mention how the US first knew about this man. What had he done? Surely this would be the first question a journalist would ask, not which party aliance, where is he arrested etc.
“Working with our U.S. Government counterterrorism team, S/CT takes a leading role in developing coordinated strategies to defeat terrorists abroad and in securing the COOPERATION OF INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS (my caps, referring to FOREIGN GOVTS). ~http://www.state.gov/s/ct/
Its who you know, not what you have done. This man is doomed!
number 87 …u r barking up the wrong tree…in any case….nobody is paying attention to your rubbish…we are supporting KJ..all the way….he’s the living legacy from his late father…and we have hope in him! I suggest u go sweep the floor with your tail! Enuff of your nonsense !
Sinkapore is sinking deep & fast because the present captain has abandoned ship. We need KJ to the rescue!
They can said people, people cannot said them lah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
monkeyman!!!!!
The emergence of a new party is always a threat to PAP. Reform Party with KJ at the helm and son of JBJ, (prosecuted by LKY for years.) KJ’s credentials are impressive. Can hold his own to the crony ministers who ride the smooth boat because of GRC and voted in or walked over. Hardly know the ground.
History repeats itself. LKY will be fixing the son KJ due to no fault of his that
a member of Reform Party is just suspected of arms deal with the Tamil Tigers.
Nothing is concrete yet and Shit Times propagated the issue with velocity. What a mouthpiece for PAP.
The more PAP tries to discredit the opposition, the more we citizens know what is
going on. Nothing will change. The only change is to vote PAP out of the government
gradually.
What I would like to read in the Straits Times:
Reporters from the Straits Times this morning asked PM Lee Hsien Loong on the whereabouts of Phey Yew Kok, a fugitive from the law for the past 30 years.
I bet you a million dollars the reply would be something like this:
I will Phey Yew a million dollars if you can find him for us. In the meantime, stop talking Kok.
A piece of news like this will definitely be reported promptly because it is regarding someone from the opposition party. People in the ruling party get away with racism based on eugenics, existing ministers who worked with and believed in socialists and socialism during pre-independence years get away with the betrayal of the people they once worked with, governmentally invested companies get away with selling arms and cluster bombs to foreign buyers… so many of those and much more went unreported and some under published. They are obviously fixing the opposition here.
JBJ is a legend and an inspiration. His speeches in parliament were that of a true opposition, we don’t get to see that nowadays in parliament do we? :)
No doubt, KJ is his son, I feel that they are two different men. IMO, it is not wise (and not fair to KJ too) to presume, assume or expect KJ to be who JBJ was. Only time and action will tell and show us KJ’s way of politics, his beliefs and how he will go about trying to bring change to things that obviously need changing here.
Yes, i do hope he is as much of a fighter. Issue is he has not shown it. Like father like son. i am waiting and thats why i harbour hopes. But there are also exceptions. JBJ did it for all opposition by opening a pathway. i am not sure he could top that but await to see as to what else he could do. so far whethe it is RP or him, nothing. His first official response is a disappointment and missed the opportunity to address these issues. Worst, if he intended to leave us to do the talkng and bring them up here. He needs to build his street cred, Cambridge degree doesnt count in fights.
Opposition parties generally , for past 50 years , have been short of members.
By welcoming members, this presented a great opportunity for sabotage.
members can come in with all sorts of background stories and sabo the party.
assassination by the lowest form of being.
who sabo? the member lor. i am saying not someone duress’d him to do so.
Either join the established ones or form a new one.
or wait for fat lady to sing the humming song.
Join as a volunteer first, and observe with your big eyes
Observe whether there is a climate of fear within the party whereby their members are too tame, in front of their leaders, and out-spoken, behind the leaders and online forums, only.
Whether the leaders show respect to the members, e.g shouting at them during the party’s activities like the members own the the leader a living.
Observe whether the leader always have the habit of shoot down all ideas that demoralize the members.
Observe whether the leader always send the right-hand man spying the walkabout groups, internal discussion and any function and activity.
Observe whether the leader prefer to thrust his love pets rather than the cec members.
KJ for PM? He has not even showed his worth as a party member communicating with Singaporeans during walkabouts. So please, hold your horses.