Jeyaretnam will be expelled from parliament if he loses an appeal on July 23 against a bankruptcy order.

He has offered to pay off the S$175,513 (US$95,900) debt in three instalments over 18 months, but has received no response from the eight claimants.

Jeyaretnam, a colourful opposition figurehead who provides Singapore politics with a rare dissenting voice, said Canadian barrister Howard Rubin would act as an observer for Amnesty International and Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada.

Rubin will attend the July 23 hearing and another two days later when Jeyaretnam appeals against the refusal to dismiss a defamation action against him by Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding leader and now senior minister.

Amnesty International has often voiced concern at the government's use of civil defamation suits to silence opponents.

In its 2000 report on Singapore, the rights organisation "expressed concern at the high level of damages which appeared to be designed to bankrupt J.B. Jeyaretnam, thereby disqualifying him from parliament and curtailing his participation in public life."

The 76-year-old lawyer, a thorn in the side of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) since 1981 when he broke its 16-year monopoly on power, has been subjected to lawsuits, fines and jail throughout his political career.

He has paid more than $1.6 million in damages and costs so far and still owes more than $500,000.

Earlier this year he was declared bankrupt after missing a scheduled payment by 24 hours under a previous time-payment deal with the eight claimants in a defamation suit.

The eight were members of the organising committee of the Tamil Language Week and were defamed in an article in the Workers' Party newsletter, The Hammer, about an Indian community event which they organised.

Jeyaretnam was then secretary general of the party.