THE TEMASEK REVIEW

Dear readers,

If you haven’t noticed, there is a complete news blackout on DBS Hong Kong’s offer to fully compensate minibond holders which was reported by the South China Morning post and China Daily on 10 October 2008 this Friday.

Just to be very sure, we flipped through the Strait Times, Lianhe Zaobao, TODAY and Channel News Asia’s website thrice, watched the World and Asia News of CNA consecutively for two days and there is still no mention of what happened in Hong Kong.

Instead, the mainstream media carries reports from the Asia-Pacific region on:

- North Korea being removed from terror list by U.S: Who cares a damn ?

- Troubled Kashmir gets first train service: Huh ? Does anybody knows where is Kashmir ?

- Hong Kong finds melamine in two cadbury products: Finally Hong Kong is in the news, but this is not what we are interested in !

- Thousands rally in Bali over anti-porn bill: Only of interest to Ah Peks who keep mistresses in Batam lah. Wait…does the bill apply to Batam too ?

- China scientists break panda’s genetic code: Can you believe it ? An entire minute in the Channel 8 news at 6.30pm was devoted to this !!! Wow, are we being taught how pandas are having sex in order to boost our libido ? Well continue watching the video below if you are really so interested to know why pandas have black eyes…..zzz….zzz….

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdTQ7Kpp-_s&hl=en&fs=1]

Had we not revealed the Hong Kongers’ protest against DBS and its subsequent capitulation to the investors by agreeing to reimburse them completely, many Singaporeans will still be kept in the dark !

Listen for yourself the audio podcast of South China Morning Post on DBS Hong Kong’s being the FIRST institution in Hong Kong to offer compensation to Hong Kong investors who bought minibonds from them:

http://wayangparty.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/south-china-morning-post-audio-broadcast-on-dbs-hk-offering-compensation-to-minibond-investors/

Watch how the Hong Kongers protest against DBS which is obviously more garang than our “picnic outing” at Hong Lim Park last Saturday:

http://wayangparty.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/dbs-first-to-repay-bonds/

This is absolutely preposterous !!!

Doesn’t the mainstream media know that the news of what happened to the Hong Kong investors will be of great interest to Singaporeans, especially local investors who have suffered heavy losses from purchase of the Lehman investment products ?

Doesn’t the government feel that Singaporeans ought to know that DBS Hong Kong has agreed to compensate the investors there while it is still dragging its feet here ?

Is the media protecting the interests of the ordinary Singaporean or DBS ?

It is obvious that this piece of important news is deliberately blacked out so as to prevent Singaporeans from exerting greater pressure on the DBS here to follow the example of DBS Hong Kong.

There will be a terrible furore and outcry if the 10,000 affected Singaporeans know that their Hong Kong counterparts have been offered compensation and refund already.

Anybody with a modicum of common sense will ask: Why are Hong Kongers and Singaporeans treated so diffferently ? What’s more, the bank is a Singapore bank !

What can we do about this ? Let’s spread this news blackout through the entire blogosphere. Forward this link to everybody you know. Once the news is disseminated, DBS will have no choice but to respond.

To all those who haven’t realized the importance of a free media, we hope now you had learnt a lesson from this fiasco. A free press is a pivotal pillar of every democratic society to keep a check on the government.

When the media is being subjugated to the will of the executive, the people will suffer. The interest of those in power will be protected at the expense of the man in the street who do not have access to free and complete information.

In Singapore, only the blogosphere offers a credible alternative source of information to the mainstream media. The question is: how do we get this out to the Ah Peks and Ah Mahs in the HDB heartlands who are still being brainwashed by the state media everyday ?

Do not hesitate now. Let us join hands to advocate for a free press that is fair, objective and independent in servitude of the people rather than their pay-masters.

Join the Fellowship to bypass the information blockade imposed by the state media. If you do not have a blog, you can help us by forwarding this link www.wayangparty.wordpress.com to everybody you know.

THE EDITORIAL TEAM
WAYANGPARTY CLUB

EDITORS’ note: We will be providing you with daily news summary from CNA and Channel 8 from 9pm onwards for busy readers who may miss the news. Keep a lookout on our blog.

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