From black ops to bots - countering hostile meddling by foreign actors
How real is the threat of foreign interference and will recent or proposed laws in several countries be effective against it? As Singapore's Parliament considers the proposed Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act, The Straits Times looks at the landscape in the Republic and elsewhere.
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Justin Ong, Lim Min Zhang
In the 1960s, a series of meetings and secret negotiations with Chinese communist intelligence services led to Singaporean businessman and Tiger Balm family scion Aw Kow receiving a loan of over HK$6 million to start an English-language daily here.
The catch? The newspaper, named Eastern Sun, had to follow principles laid down by the officials from China - such as not opposing the state on major issues - as part of a long-term political objective of gaining control of Singapore's press.
