Study Visit from Laos Ministry of Justice

A delegation from the Laos Ministry of Justice paid a visit to the Law Society on Wednesday, 26 April 2000, at 3pm. The delegation was headed by His Excellency Mr Keyoun Nhotsayviboun, the Chairman of the Legal Committee (4th and Current Legislative), and consisted of the Vice-Minister of Justice, Mr Ket Kiettissak and the Vice-President of the Supreme Court, Mr Davone Vangvichit, amongst others. They were welcomed by our President, Mr Palakri shnan, Mr Chandra Mohan (Chairman, International Relations Committee), Mr Naresh Mahtani (Chief Executive Officer, Law Society) and members of the Council, International Relations Committee and the Secretariat of the Law Society.

The Laotian delegation was on a fact-finding mission, studying the Singapore legal system in order to draw lessons on how our legal system has been instrumental in making Singapore a successful business centre, as well as a safe and progressive country to live and work in. The delegation was particularly interested in the fact that compliance with the law was a norm in Singapore, and there was a lively exchange of ideas as to the reasons behind this.

In addition, the delegation was also keen to study the organisation and functions of the Law Society. In the course of the discussion, both the delegation and our members learnt much about the respective legal systems as well as the areas where opportunities lie for mutual co-operation and benefit. In particular, our members were intrigued to discover that as a legacy of the Civil Law System ( which Laos had inherited from the French), out of a cohort of 1, 000 ‘ jurists’ graduating per year from their Law School, there are only 20 practising lawyers in Laos, serving a population of 5 million people!

Kweh Soon Han  
Kweh Lee & Partners

Visit by Vietnamese Law Officials

On Tuesday, 9 May 2000, the Law Society played host to a delegation of official s from Vietnam. Our guests included Mr Ha Hung Cuong, Vice Minister of Justice; Mr Hoang Tho Khiem, Director, Civil Judgment Enforcement Administration Department; Mr Vu Van Quy, Deputy Director of Personnel and Training Department; Mr Nguyen Anh Thai, Legal Expert, of Local People’s Courts Administration Department; Mr Duong Trung Thuy, Head, Administration Bureau, Office of Ministry; Mdm Duong Bach Long, Researcher, Law Research Institute, and Mr Nguyen Khanh Ngoc, Legal Expert, Department of International Law and Co-operation. Not to be outdone, our home side fielded an illustrious team led by Mr Palakrishnan, President, Mr Goh Phai Cheng SC, Vice-President, Mr Naresh Mahtani, Chief Executive Officer and other members of the Council and the International Relations Committee (IRC).

After our guests were shown around the premises, they settled into the conference room and were introduced to the workings and set-up of the Law Society and also the legal system in Singapore. Questions came fast and furious (as fast as was possible considering that communication was entirely through the use of an interpreter). Mr Cuong explained that Vietnam is in the process of refining their legal system (amongst other things) and thus needed to learn from other jurisdictions like Singapore, on matters regarding the respective roles of lawyers, the courts and the Law Society and how they interact within the provisions of the law. He further explained that they were on a study mission and Singapore was one of the various jurisdictions they were visiting to glean some insight into how other countries run their justice system. Mr Goh and Mr Palakrishnan proved adept at handling the questions as our guests appeared to be satisfied and happy at the end of the two-hour session.

Perhaps their satisfaction was enhanced by the fact that a simple but delicious meal was provided for them to taste a sampling of local dishes. Judging from the fact that almost everyone took generous helpings, it was a good way to end a satisfying session of feeding of mind and body.

Anthony Soh  
Azman Soh & Murugaiyan

Criminal Law Practice Dialogue Session

A group of about 40 criminal law practitioners attended the lively dialogue session on criminal practice issues held by the Criminal Practice Committee (CPC) on 15 April 2000 at The Grand Plaza Hotel.

Mr Edmond Pereira and Mr Wee Pan Lee, the Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively of the CPC, commenced the session with an overview of the objectives of the dialogue session and recapitulated the objectives of the committee.

Practitioners were updated about the proposed video conferencing for Pre-trial Conferences (PTCs). The Law Society informed the courts that members will continue to attend the PTCs whilst the Judiciary and the Attorney-General’s Chambers continue to work out certain administrative procedures.

On the issue of trial dates, some practitioners suggested that the CPC ask the courts to reopen the window period of two months for counsel to take trial dates as it would help to eliminate problems of counsel being double fixed, amongst other difficulties.

The Chairman shared his view that whilst the courts are generally accommodating, there may be some exceptions. He suggested that counsel explain to the court why he is unable to take a given trial date and require a later hearing date.

Mitigation pleas were also discussed. Practitioners were informed that The Law Society has written to the courts and requested that the statement of facts (SOF) must first be given to counsel to enable counsel to draft and submit a written mitigation.

During feedback, practitioners expressed that they needed increased cooperation from the police with regards to the release of first information reports (FIRs).

In relation to the Singapore criminal justice system, it was suggested that a comparative study with the systems of other Commonwealth countries be made for a Singapore model and also that the Singapore Bar should strive to establish a system of international standards worthy of international respect and recognition.

In the context of raising the standards of our criminal justice system, it was noted that dialogue sessions between the police and the CPC should be initiated to address issues relating to police investigation.

Concern was also expressed for unrepresented accused persons, who plead guilty even when they do not fully understand the charges preferred against them, particularly those who do not understand English.

The session concluded with the Chairman’s encouragement to members to come forth with their views and feedback.

The Chairman also urged criminal law practitioners to conduct themselves with the level of professionalism which would command the respect of the public.

Sarah Lee  
Media & Publications Officer

 Law Games 2000 — Selangor: 28 to 30 April 2000

The traditional Law Games between lawyers from Malaysia and Singapore were held this year in Selangor, together with the inaugural Quadrangle Games involving the legal practitioners from Singapore, West Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

The Malaysians won the Law Games series with a score of 8.5 points to Singapore’s 5.5 points. The Malaysians also won the Quadrangle Games, with Singapore finishing a close second. Singapore emerged winner in cricket, table tennis, tennis, veteran’s soccer, ladies’ soccer and the mini marathon.

The ladies’ soccer team showed skill and determination in the game they played in the heavy rain, dominating the game and winning with a single goal — a coolly taken penalty late in the match. Our netball team created quite a sensation, with their ‘state of the art’ Reebok sponsored outfits. Looking good and having a fierce fighting spirit were, however, not enough and our ladies lost to the Malaysian team, which included a shooter who was at least 6 inches taller than our tallest player!

Our cricket team won convincingly and was only 9 runs away from the all time record margin of 90 runs. The table tennis team did us proud by winning the game against the West Malaysians, as well as against teams from Sabah and Sarawak.

Special mention has to be given to the mini marathon team, which was only assembled on the day before the race from among those who happened to be at the Eastin Hotel (where the games participants were housed). The team, boosted by the performance of our star woman runner (who crossed the finishing tape and even had time to get ‘ toweled down’ before the next runner came into the stadium) won on points, beating the favourites — the West Malaysians who eventually took second place.

Competition between the bowlers was keen and intense. The Singapore female bowlers were placed 1st, 3rd and 4th in the singles event.

However, the Malaysian team managed to win the overall title despite the strong performance of our team. Our tennis team successfully defended their title against the Malaysians, winning by a margin of 4–3. Singapore raced to a 4–0 lead before easing up and allowing Malaysia to win the last 3 matches. In the veteran’s soccer game, our team (despite having to wake up at an unearthly hour for preparations and travel to the match venue) won convincingly with 2 second-half goals.

The Selangor lawyers proved to be excellent hosts for the games. There was much goodwill and laughter during the games. The sporting facilities were excellent and there was a carnival atmosphere at most of the game venues — there was even a clown act for the children on Sunday at the Matsushita Sports Complex.

The final match of the Games was the premier soccer match between Malaysia and Singapore. Held at a fine stadium complete with floor lights which came on when natural light became too dim, the match provided a succinct summary of the whole series. However, a heavy downpour made playing conditions difficult and our team struggled to find their best form. The sizeable crowd of supporters were in good voice and spirits, cheering the team on. Those in the stands thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and the good-natured heckling led by the President of The Law Society himself.

On the field, our gallant players, young and not so young, showed enthusiasm and determination and were equal to the Malaysians in every way. A fierce free kick aided by the muddy slippery conditions finally broke our resistance, the game ended with a score of: 1–0 to the Malaysians. Our players fought back and the second half was competitive and exciting. We even gave away a penalty kick, which the goalkeeper did magnificently to palm away to keep the score at 1–0. We came close to scoring on a number of occasions and with some luck would have equalised. Our team gave all they could and did us proud, but the Malaysians were just a shade better and ran out winners at the final whistle. Just as in the overall series, we put up a great challenge and came close but lost out narrowly in the end.

Everyone involved in the Games had an enjoyable time, and started talking about the next games. We would like to thank our sponsors: Singapore Pools Private Limited, Paulaner Brauhuas-The German Micro Brewery & Restaurant, Cleanex Maintenance Services Pte Ltd, Fuji Xerox Singapore Pte Ltd, Westin Stamford & Westin Plaza Hotels and Secom (Singapore) Pte Ltd, as well as the judges and law firms who contributed generously towards the event.

Tan Woon Tiang  
Tan Kok Quan Partnership