Thursday, July 14, 2005
Wealthy charity drops libel suit
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Wealthy charity drops libel suit
By Fayen Wong
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's richest charity has dropped a libel suit against a local media group after revelations about its chief's half a million dollar salary, first class travel and gold-plated office bathroom fittings.
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and its CEO T.T. Durai filed a suit against the city-state's main media company, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), for an article which said a S$990 ($536) gold-plated tap had been installed and later replaced in a private bathroom his office suite.
NKF had said the article damaged the charity's reputation by implying that public donations were misused.
The 36-year-old organization, which counts on donations from the public to subsidise treatments for kidney and cancer patients, has built up reserves of S$220 million -- sufficient funds to treat its existing patients for another 30 years without additional donations.
At the start of the trial Monday, Durai was forced in court to reveal his annual salary of S$600,000 ($354,000) and his travel on first class tickets when he flew overseas.
After two days of scathing media reports, NKF abruptly dropped the suit late Tuesday after Durai conceded in court during questioning that neither himself nor the NKF was defamed in the article.
Officials from the NKF could not immediately be reached for comment.
Durai's handsome salary, along with reports of the NKF's fleet of eight cars with chauffeurs for company use has made front-page headlines and stirred an outrage in Singapore -- drawing a flurry of vitriolic protests from the public who felt the charity group had misused public donations.
CHARITY BUILDING VANDALISED
The NKF saw its S$21 million building attacked Wednesday as vandals daubed words such as "Liar" and "Cheat" on its walls.
An online petition calling for Durai to step down from the board has gathered over 11,000 signatures since it was created two days ago.
"Cut the act! That's blood and sweat dripping from your golden tap," wrote Peter See Keng Siong on the petition, found on www.petitiononline.com/nkfs/petition.html.
Another petitioner, Christopher Lim wrote: "I always thought the NKF to be a non-profit organization, and now I hear that your CEO gets paid, with funds from donors!"
Local media reported that thousands have canceled their monthly contributions to the foundation.
Established in 1969, the NKF which regularly holds television donation drives which often sees celebrities performing precarious acts, says it is the largest not-for-profit dialysis provider in the world and benefits over 260,000 Singaporeans every year.
"We made dialysis affordable," the NKF says on its Website.
"Whatever the public read about the court proceedings is only one side of the story," NKF spokeswoman Michelle Ang was quoted as saying in Singapore's New Paper.
"We really hope they won't forget what the NKF has achieved in the provision of dialysis and in helping kidney patients over the years," she said.
Wealthy charity drops libel suit
By Fayen Wong
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's richest charity has dropped a libel suit against a local media group after revelations about its chief's half a million dollar salary, first class travel and gold-plated office bathroom fittings.
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and its CEO T.T. Durai filed a suit against the city-state's main media company, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), for an article which said a S$990 ($536) gold-plated tap had been installed and later replaced in a private bathroom his office suite.
NKF had said the article damaged the charity's reputation by implying that public donations were misused.
The 36-year-old organization, which counts on donations from the public to subsidise treatments for kidney and cancer patients, has built up reserves of S$220 million -- sufficient funds to treat its existing patients for another 30 years without additional donations.
At the start of the trial Monday, Durai was forced in court to reveal his annual salary of S$600,000 ($354,000) and his travel on first class tickets when he flew overseas.
After two days of scathing media reports, NKF abruptly dropped the suit late Tuesday after Durai conceded in court during questioning that neither himself nor the NKF was defamed in the article.
Officials from the NKF could not immediately be reached for comment.
Durai's handsome salary, along with reports of the NKF's fleet of eight cars with chauffeurs for company use has made front-page headlines and stirred an outrage in Singapore -- drawing a flurry of vitriolic protests from the public who felt the charity group had misused public donations.
CHARITY BUILDING VANDALISED
The NKF saw its S$21 million building attacked Wednesday as vandals daubed words such as "Liar" and "Cheat" on its walls.
An online petition calling for Durai to step down from the board has gathered over 11,000 signatures since it was created two days ago.
"Cut the act! That's blood and sweat dripping from your golden tap," wrote Peter See Keng Siong on the petition, found on www.petitiononline.com/nkfs/petition.html.
Another petitioner, Christopher Lim wrote: "I always thought the NKF to be a non-profit organization, and now I hear that your CEO gets paid, with funds from donors!"
Local media reported that thousands have canceled their monthly contributions to the foundation.
Established in 1969, the NKF which regularly holds television donation drives which often sees celebrities performing precarious acts, says it is the largest not-for-profit dialysis provider in the world and benefits over 260,000 Singaporeans every year.
"We made dialysis affordable," the NKF says on its Website.
"Whatever the public read about the court proceedings is only one side of the story," NKF spokeswoman Michelle Ang was quoted as saying in Singapore's New Paper.
"We really hope they won't forget what the NKF has achieved in the provision of dialysis and in helping kidney patients over the years," she said.
