Singapore objects to New York Times' editorial on riot in Little India

SINGAPORE has objected to a New York Times editorial headlined 'Singapore's angry migrant workers', on the Dec 8 riot in Little India, and the newspaper's repeated refusal to publish the republic's ambassador's response to it.

The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) on Tuesday released Ambassador to the United States Ashok Mirpuri's letter and criticised the Times in a hard-hitting statement.

'The New York Times, like any other newspaper, is entitled to express its own opinions. But when it suppresses rejoinders that express a contrary view, and show that the Times is mistaken, it gives the lie to its claim to champion freedom of speech and the truth,' the MCI statement said.

The editorial was published in The New York Times on Dec 28 and reprinted in its international edition on Dec 30. It linked the riot to foreign workers' frustration over wages and living conditions.