Blogger Han Hui Hui seeks to reopen court case

Angered by assertions from Singapore's Council of Private Education (CPE) that she initiated an offer to settle their dispute, blogger Han Hui Hui is seeking its agreement to proceed with her court application for a declaration that a government body cannot sue an individual.

Han, 21, said earlier this year she faced threats of legal action from the CPE over emails she had sent out to the media alleging that the latter had lied to reporters.

These were among other emails she had written previously criticising certain practices by lecturers and staff in Shelton College International, a private educational institution she studied in.

She later took her case to the courts to seek a declaration that the CPE, being a government body, does not have the right to sue for defamation, or to threaten to sue for defamation, under common law.

However, the application was dropped after the statutory board approached her with an offer to settle their dispute, and undertook not to commence legal proceedings against her.

The CPE later maintained, however, that it was Han who first reached out to them to settle the matter, and not them.

According to a letter sent on Monday by Han's lawyer M Ravi to CPE's counsel at Allen & Gledhill, she "wishes to proceed with the matter by applying to Court to have the matter restored for hearing", as she disagreed with CPE's position that she initiated a resolution to the dispute between them.

Read more about the case here.