Singapore's press 'opens old wounds'

THE ruling party's youth wing has accused the Singaporean media of trying to "rip open" old wounds by playing up a recent row, reports said yesterday.

United Malays National Organisation deputy youth chief Hishamuddin Hussein said this was evident from the "gross misreporting and misrepresentation" of recent remarks made by the UMNO youth chief, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, in Singapore.

Singapore's Straits Times had played up negative stories about Mr Zahid on the front page for three consecutive days, Mr Hishamuddin was reported as saying by the New Straits Times.

"The newspaper, in its reports, claimed that Zahid had apologised to Singaporean Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew and the people of Singapore. This is not true," he said.

UMNO was upset about the reports, which aimed to project UMNO Youth and its leader in a bad light, he said.

Singapore's Straits Times this month reported that Mr Zahid had conveyed his apologies to Singapore and Mr Lee for statements made by his group in the heat of a bilateral quarrel.

During a meeting with his Singapore counterpart, intended to close the books on the spat, Mr Zahid said he wanted to disown a statement calling for the sacking of Mr Lee from the Cabinet, it was reported.

The fracas was triggered by Mr Lee's disparaging remarks on crime in the southern Malaysian state of Johore.

He apologised after an uproar in Malaysia.