5/04/2015
TRS, one down, one to go
In the social media scene, there is practically only a handful of active websites for alternative news. Taking away the more colourful sites, there are really only two decent sites that gave a good spread of the news in the social media and are the places that netizens hungry for alternative views will gravitate to, the TR Emeritus or TRE and The Real Singapore or TRS.
Being a ground up news and views and opinion provider, an aggregator of what the people say, mainly individuals expressing themselves on events and happenings here, the posts are expected to be very colourful and varied, from rumour mongering, drumming, serious opinions and serious news. There will be the occasional fabrications of lies, of distorted news and the one sided news that the main media are also well known for.
The TRS has been ordered by the govt to be taken down and they did since last night. It was reported that their ‘licence to operate the site was suspended by the MDA’. This is news to me, the part about having a licence to operate a virtual site in virtual space. Would a site operating in the US or Europe but with contents about Singapore and frequented by Singaporeans and citizens of the world require to get a licence from the MDA?
The reason for the closing down of TRS, ‘they have published material that is “objectionable on the grounds of public interest, public order and national harmony”’. These motherhood clauses can mean anything under the sky and violating this regulation could see the editor in jail for up to 3 years or a fine of S$200,000. A couple, a 26 year old Singaporean, Yang Kaiheng and a 22 year old Australian, Ai Takagi, have been arrested and charged ‘with seven counts of sedition and one of failing to produce documents to a police officer’. They were alleged to have published articles that ‘promoted ill will and hostility between different races or classes here’. The more serious part according to MDA is, ‘deliberately fabricated articles and falsely attributed them to innocent parties’.
With the TRS down, the only popular website left is the TRE. Everyone is wondering how long would TRE survive given the sensitivity of the MDA and the coming general election. TRE is now the preferred site of choice for alternative news and will be watched like a hawk. If the TRE also goes under, there would hardly be any worthy alternative sites left for the social media enthusiasts to visit. It would literally mark the end of social media here.
Is this the end of the light touch policy and a new beginning to the end of social media?
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Is this the end of the light touch policy and a new beginning to the end of social media?
RB
But will these make the Sinkie opposition united, strong and ready to be govt?
If not, and despite PAP putting an end to the light touch policy, will the majority (aka 60%) dare to vote the PAP out next GE?
Majority sinkies will still vote the zoo PAP another five year term
The still warm luke warm
Water
Is not biking yet
Till major restructuring and loss of jobs go begging in streets then you will have a change
But have to grind the miseries for next five years
Did any garment withdraw the licences of those terrorist sites?
GE coming. PAPies taking no chances. Need to fix the opposition. PAPpy strategists in the cabinet already concluded that PAPies poor showing in GE2011 & losing the by-election is due to online activities & news.
As long as PAP knows anyone who is involved with posting or writing S'pore news on a website, PAPies want those people to register with MDA & get license. Somemore must pay money to get annual license.
TRE made a mistake by revealing the identity of 1 of their editor in S'pore. As he is based in S'pore and now PAPies know who he is & where he stays, he got no choice but to get MDA license. Even though TRE website is hosted overseas.
If TRE remained 100% anonymous, PAPies will have hard time tracking them down. And also cannot find the people to tekan or arrest. At most MDA will block TRE website in S'pore. But you can easily still use anonymous proxy to access.
How Not To Win BIG BIG!
With or without TRS or TRS or any
other social media web sites, I
think PAP is going to win BIG BIG
at the coming GE.
Just look around you, feel around
you and hear around you.
Everyday is a PAP day!
Everywhere you go, it is PAP!
How not to win BIG BIG!
Correct?
We shall see.
TRE started life as Temasek Review and ran fouled of copyright of the real Temasek. Hence the switch to TR Emeritus, no doubt inspired by that Emeritus senior minister.
Then we have The Real Singapore, which apparently are run by unReal Singaporeans - more aliens than Singapoliens running the site.
Two sites on the cross-hairs of MDA (aka Media Demolition Authority) - TRE and TRS. One down, and one more to go - a matter of time.
The moral of the story is - don't named your websites starting with TR - they are Truly Risky.
Whatever it is, so long as the contents have TR short for Terrible Reveals or Revelation, You are due for demolition.
TRE and many Others including My Singapore News will be news and then no news.
@ trying to force square peg into round hole, RB:
>> alternative news
No such thing.
>> news and views and opinion provider
"Views" and "Opinion" are not news. Why attempt to conflate them?
News is based on FACT. Not opinion or views. There are no "alternative facts", as there is no "alternate objectivity".
The TRE, TRS, this site and the plethora of similar sites deal primarily in opinion and views, generally products of wild and obviously biased personal opinion which care little for the facts and plenty for individual EGO, and the belief that "imagination is always right". The noise level is high, the signal level depressingly low.
These sites as well as the narcissistic social media---with its "Ooh look at me, ain't I cool?" architecture of selfies and currency of "likes"---are not good sites for news, and neither are they good sites for "feeling the ground" based on online opinion. Social media and opinion blogs are products for the Chattering Classes to "express" themselves and show the world their Dunning-Kruger effects ☻ ☻ ☻
Added to the Dunnig-Kruger effect, online opinion is a double-edged sword: people are either unashamedly honest, or unforgivably dishonest, because of the solo nature of the posts, and the FACT that they are not fact or content checked by a 2nd or 3rd party before posting. All you do is click the mouse, and your embarrassing selfie or factually wrong post is launched into cyberspace where it remains FOREVER.
For e.g.: Those of you who want to see the TRS website just before it was taken down can use any number of cached services. Here is the Google Cache version
>> The reason for the closing down of TRS, ‘they have published material that is “objectionable on the grounds of public interest, public order and national harmony”’.
The obvious reason for this law is that of POLITICAL CONTROL. As long as most of the citizens believe that the govt should regulate what you can say---aka govt is the "Thought Police" for the purposes of ---Social Engineering, then really BAD LAWS like the one cited will remain on the books as:
The Control-Freak Sheeple Get The Oppressive Government They Deserve.
Will the day come where our highly "educated" population (people and the govt they elect into office) come to realise that ☛
the idea that one is 'in control' is a FUCKING ILLUSION ‽ ☚
My own answer is not optimistic. People of Singapore (the majority) apparently have NO PROBLEM allowing their govt (the minority) using Anti Sedition Legislation against bloggers and social media.
They don't realise how serious this is, and the eventual BAD CONSEQUENCES which is inevitable.
At the moment Singapore has a "benign dictatorship". What do you think will happen to what is left of your freedom and liberty if a HARDCORE dictatorship seizes control of the state? Their job will be really easy, because the laws to fuck you royally are in place, firmly ensconced not just into the law, but into the cultural fabric itself. i.e. people believe it is "normal" or "desirable" for the govt to silence dissent and curtail freedom of expression.
Matilah, Singapura ‼︎
The reign (TR) of terror has begun..all socio political websites shaking n quivering on their keyboards. Are these the new Marxists ? Intent on breaching society's homogeneity n rice bowl of SPH? Let's string these keyboard warriors up...let's call them names...heck!! Let's stone them...let there be law n order n only read all the news the government deem worthy of printing...goodbye RB...hehe
haha, things are getting scary.
★ Real World Free Speech Example ★ (happening right now!)
Sold out: How free speech can be very popular in certain cultures.
The correct function of govt is to SECURE the rights of peaceful individuals to exercise their FREE SPEECH. ✔︎
When the govt (police) get it "right", it is fucking SWEEEET! ✔︎
The brave woman behind the Muhamed Art exhibit and Contest. A fan of Ayn Rand (like yours truly)...surprise, surprise! ✔︎
If these 2 buggers had protested peacefully outside the exhibition they would have had their rights of free speech protected by the cops. ✔︎ ✔︎
However, the 2 geniuses decided to open fire (The all too familiar "Allah Akhbar!" shout heard before the shots) at people who were exercising their free speech, and as a result they are now in "paradise" ;-) ✘ ✘ ✘
Will Singapore ever get to the stage where the police will actually PROTECT the individual's right to free speech---ESPECIALLY WHEN that "speech" is derisive, divisive, hateful, dissentful and "offensive"?
Not anytime soon. IMO, NEVER (how's that for pessimism?) ✘ ✘ ✘
Can you tahan to have your precious feelings hurt and your ego bruised?
Obviously not, pussy-assed motherfuckers :-)
'News is based on FACT. Not opinion or views. There are no "alternative facts", as there is no "alternate objectivity".'
Are you that stupid? News is based on Fact? Whose news and whose fact?
When are you going to grow up and stop sputttng your rubbish here?
News are based on facts. But what comes out of those facts are subject to such spinning that some of these facts are not recognizable after those spin doctors have done their work.
Fact - candidates and politicians are not allowed within 200m of a polling centre during elections.
Fact - some politicians are found inside the polling station,
News - if you are inside the polling station, then you are not within 200m.
Now, was that news, opinion (legal or otherwise), view, editorial or fictional facts?
They want Singaporeans to be like robots.
They want us to believe everything we read in the Straits Times only.
Then after we become robots.
They say Singaporeans are like robots ... got no talent.
Then they say Singaporeans have to be replaced by Alien talents.
Vote wisely in GE 2015.
For the sake of your children.
Election coming. Sinkies must hear only the good news from one official source.
This is expected. Next, we may not be able to enjoy our daily dose of 'ang tau tng'.
Nothing is free. Somewhere, somehow, at some point in time, someone paying the price. Rather than depending on media (alternative or main) and crying loud when 'free' speech is restricted, the mass population should start using their brains and formed their own observations, conclusions, opinions. Unfortunately, mass population somewhat very lazy to use their brains but want to be leaded by the media.
I have long stopped believing what the media tell us. I can't say they're lying, that will open the door to lawsuit. So I'll suggest that all of us consider slowly and carefully what they tell us.
They want us to believe that Real Sp is run by foreigners. I wonder. Is it possible (or even more likely?) that those people named are fronting for many Singaporeans who are afraid of being persecuted? I don't know what is true and what is false, so don't sue me. Think for yourself and make your own judgement.
They want us to believe that Real Sp published articles that are false. On the other hand, our intellect tells us that independent news sites provide access to private individuals to publish their private articles. There are also strong rumours that our govt pays agents to disrupt and sabotage troublesome websites. Put 2-and-2 together and make your own conclusions. It would be delightful if TRE's famous CSI could investigate the source of the fake news that landed up in Real Sp website. Sorry, that's jumping the gun - it would be delightful if it turns out that the fake news were planted by criminals paid by Singapore taxpayers!
So there you have it, two accusations: 1) they are foreigners, 2) they put out fake news. Is it true? Don't sue me, just asking.
You can see that compared to Amos, I'm a coward ("don't sue me"). Love that kid.
Hi RB, speed. Please be very careful what you post. Do not step on sensitive toes or your site will also kena hantam. Writing things that people do not want to hear might get you into hot soup. It would be a shame if we have to drink Red Bean soup. This is my advice to you from afar.
"Armies cannot stop an idea whose time has come."
Victor Hugo
So what is this idea in Singapore?
The idea that PAP is on the side of Singaporeans or the idea that PAP is on the side of Aliens?
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo
I believe the shutting of TRS site will make PAP win more votes in the next GE.
In fact I will not be surprised if those WP MPs will also be charged in court later over the AHPETC Town Council financial issue, duly convicted and perhaps even disqualified from contesting in the next GE.
Hence it will not be that far fetched to imagine PAP even making a clean sweep by winning 100% of the seats in the next GE.
What do u think?
I think PAP will win 101% of the votes in GE 2015.
A new world record will be set as PAP becomes the most supported political party in the entire history of democracy.
redbean
To avoid being shut down by Yakult; in future, I suggest you put in a Pro PAP slant in your writing.
See my sarcastic, pro PAP post @ May 04, 2015 6:45 p.m.
No party/ wannabe party can win an election or even make a significant dent, through its supporters contributing to the "noise level" on online blogs and social media. IMO wishful thinking is the prevalent form of thinking by people who write articles on blogs and forums---lots of opinion and keyboard strokes, but little to ZERO action and ZERO organisation IRL (In Real Life) directed toward specific goals, carefully planned and consistently measured for workability and performance.
And I don't consider attempts at mobracacy gab fests by the chattering classes at Hong Lim Park
organised". If anyone does, they have very low standards ;-)
So far, no one has mentioned "free press", the Fourth Estate---the cultural institution whose role it is to distill the publics' opinions on the govt and the govt's performance; to hold the elected and non elected authorities feet to the fire; to cause the govt to feel "uncomfortable" and put them in "awkward positions" when the need arises, i.e. when the The People are UNHAPPY with how their govt is running things.
If there was a true free press there won't be so much need for people to vent online and mostly lose themselves to their negative emotions and stray from the facts.
You can't have a free press without free speech, and you can't have free speech without a free press. It is an ALL OR NOTHING deal.
Nothing will change, until The Culture CHANGES. Without physical action in the physical world, nothing will move, nor change.
It is POINTLESS talking about freedom of speech online and in the social media when the fucking press is controlled and OWNED by the govt. Also, if you need to apply for a license to publish, you ain't got any freedom of expression.
Got Thought Police? 🚔
RB: "Is this the end of the light touch policy and a new beginning to the end of social media?"
This is the Dawn of a New Era. Things have to get worst before they get better.
More and more draconian and knuckle duster methods must be used before the lame, cowardly, sheepish and stubbornly daft Sinkies realy really feel the pain and danger of having a one-party dominated Parliament with Total Control of Every Single Aspects of Society and the Millions of Lives of the People.
More and more Foreign Talons and Foreign Fake Degrees Holders must pour in to invade, infest and infect the Peaceful, Safe and Taken-For-Granted Environment, before the Numbed Neutral and Idiotic Pro-PAPPET Supporters turn 180 degrees and charge with Full Stream against their Newly Discovered Traitors.
Just curious, Was there any Light Touch in the first place?
Don't ever trust any politician who says one thing but does the opposite. This kind of politician is far worst than the corrupted politicians in China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia combined.
They conned yew until yew don't even realise it.
Leave my comment? I'll pass. I'm too old to be slapped in broad daylight, even older to spend time in SG jail.
Cowards deserved to be treated like slaves.
I am actually pro PAP. I am pro all parties as long as they are pro Singapore and pro Singaporeans.
I will not be a traitor to my country and people. No amount of money can buy me to do things against my country and people.
I write about policies that are bizarre and I don't agree with. I say again, I support all political parties that are for Singapoeans.
It is NOT WRONG to be against a political party and politician that act against the interests of the people and the country.
In fact it is the duty of the citizens to rid of anyone that betrays their fellow countrymen and or acts against the interest of his country.
Anon 5:07,
You made good sense. Never rule out any possibility.
The closing down of TRS is like zipping up the lips of the people. And what are the people doing?
Nothing. Sheeple.
Seems like govt shot itself in the foot today: the MSM (CNA, TODAY, etc) today revealed the new site "The strait times Review", this made news on alternative websites like TOC, who then mentioned 2 more alternative sites I hadn't heard of.
So, lost one, but got 3 new ones!
Thanks TODAY et al!
Hi straycat, nice to have you back.
Ya, now I know there is a new site called Straits Times Review.
Thanks.
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