Chee Soon Juan – Behind The Man

“Sacked Singapore lecturer sued for defamation.”
– Reuters News, 24 April 1993

 Chee caught taping conversation and denying it
“The NUS Head of Department of Social Work and Psychology disclosed that during a meeting on Dec 7 last year, the sacked neuropsychology lecturer secretly recorded their conversation.

And he had lied when he denied doing so after Dr Vasoo noticed the tape-recorder and confronted him about it.”
– Straits Times, 3 April 1993

 Chee admits to taping conversation

“When contacted last night, Dr Chee admitted that he had tried taping the Dec 7 conversation. He did it to protect himself against possible future action to throw him out of his job, he said.”
– Straits Times, 3 April 1993

Staged a hunger strike to protest situation

“Chee Soon Juan last night said he was going on a hunger strike from 6am today to protest against his dismissal from the National University of Singapore.”
 – Straits Times, 5 April 1993

 Call by public for Chee to take legal action against NUS

“There is a big question mark over why Dr Chee refuses to challenge the university’s action in court. Does he not have faith in the system in which he wants to be a player?”
– Straits Times, 7 April 1993

“If he feels so strongly that he was wrongfully dismissed, why can’t he take legal action against his employer? He should show the public some facts.”
– Straits Times, 8 April 1993

Chee will not take legal action against NUS

“”I will not go to the courts and that is as far as I can say.”
– Straits Times, 5 April 1993

 Chiam See Tong called for Chee to stop hunger strike
“SDP secretary general Chiam See Tong said on Monday night that the party fully supported Chee in what had been a personal decision, but believed his point had been made.”
– Reuters News, 6 April 1993

 Chee drinks glucose water while on hunger strike
“He had said he would take only plain water when he began his protest on Monday. He began taking water with glucose yesterday, but denied emphatically that it meant that he was taking a source of food with his drinks.”
– Straits Times, 7 April 1993

 Chee faces defamation lawsuits

“Chee Soon Juan, 30, assistant secretary general of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), said he had received a letter from lawyers for S Vasoo, his former department head at the National University of Singapore (NUS), claiming defamation and seeking a public apology and damages.”
– Reuters News, 24 April 1993

He resigned as the party’s leader during a CEC meeting on May 17, when he was out-voted on a motion by him to censure Dr Chee for going on a hunger strike.”
– Straits Times, 28 June 1993

 Chiam seeks to be discharged from being Chee’s lawyer

MR CHIAM See Tong no longer wants to represent fellow party member Dr Chee Soon Juan in the two defamation suits filed against the sacked university lecturer.”
– Straits Times, 30 June 1993

 Chiam cricitises Chee for decisions on research funds and hunger strike

“MR CHIAM See Tong, in a reversal of his earlier position, yesterday criticised his former party deputy, Dr Chee Soon Juan, for using his university research funds to send his wife’s PhD thesis to an American university.

He said that if he were Dr Chee, he would have checked with the university first before using the money.”
– Straits Times, 17 July 1993

“Mr Chiam slammed the hunger strike as something that should not have been carried out, as hunger strikes had little place in modern Singapore. Many members of the public had approached him to criticise Dr Chee’s move as “stupid” and “childish”, he added.”
– Straits Times, 17 July 1993

 Chee no longer assistant to Chiam
“DR CHEE Soon Juan is no longer serving Mr Chiam See Tong as his parliamentary legislative assistant (LA).

A Parliament spokesman yesterday confirmed that this took effect on July 1.

It is not known whether the Potong Pasir MP, Mr Chiam, terminated Dr Chee’s services or whether Dr Chee tendered his resignation.” – Straits Times, 23 July 1993

SDP holds disciplinary inquiry
“Following the disciplinary action, the CEC can either decide to demote, suspend or sack Mr Chiam.

Under the party’s constitution, if Mr Chiam is sacked from the party, he loses his parliamentary seat of Potong Pasir.”
– Straits Times, 7 August 1993

SDP sacks Chiam
“Singapore’s longest-serving opposition member of parliament, Chiam See Tong, has been expelled from the party he founded for breaching discipline and refusing to accept collective leadership, party officials said on Saturday.

Officials of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) said its Central Executive Council (CEC) had expelled Chiam, the party’s former secretary-general, on Friday.”
– Reuters News, 21 August 1993

Chiam does not accept sacking decision
“”The CEC has no legal authority to sack me from the party while the authority of the leadership is being questioned by the cadres,” said Mr Chiam, who resigned as party chief in May after a squabble with CEC members, and has since criticised the leaders in public.”
– Business Times, 21 August 1993

Chiam wins court order to keep seat in parliament for now
“CHIAM SEE TONG yesterday successfully obtained a court order against the Singapore Democratic Party’s central executive committee (CEC), in effect freezing the party sacking he received last Friday and thereby keeping his seat in Parliament.”
– Business Times, 26 August 1993

27 cadre members elect Chiam as head of new ‘CEC’

“TWENTY-SEVEN cadre members of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) members voted last night at a special meeting to dissolve the party’s “collective leadership” and to elect a new CEC with Mr Chiam See Tong as its chairman.

In a dramatic turn of events, they also passed a unanimous resolution to “retract” Mr Chiam’s expulsion from the party.”
– Straits Times, 29 August 1993

Chiam challenges explusion from SDP
“THE High Court has set aside five days, from Nov 15, to hear Mr Chiam See Tong’s legal suit challenging his expulsion from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).”
– Straits Times, 9 September 1993

He also said that the move to evict the party did not come as a surprise to him as the landlord had previously expressed reservations about renting the premises to an opposition party.
–  Straits Times, 20 January 1994

“SDP told to pay Chiam $33,948, or 1/3 of costs”
–  Straits Times, 23 February 1994

Chee drops defence in defamation suit

“OPPOSITION politician Chee Soon Juan has abandoned his defence in a                 defamation suit brought against him by his former boss and an MP for                 Tanjong Pagar GRC, Dr S. Vasoo.

His decision to do so is, in effect, an admission that he has defamed Dr Vasoo.”
–  Straits Times, 18 February 1994

SDP to pay costs to Chiam
“THE High Court yesterday fixed the costs in Mr Chiam See Tong’s recent   successful suit against the Singapore Democratic Party at $101,845,                 including disbursements.”
–  Straits Times, 23 February 1994