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    When contacted, the sender of the email, Mr Tongel Yeo, 51, stressed that it was "not about Siew Kum Hong", but the wider question on the extent that corporate counsels could "represent to people that we are legal advisers". Mr Yeo, himself a corporate counsel who sits on the board of the charity group Methodist Welfare Services, said he had been a passive onlooker in the AWARE saga. He did not attend the extraordinary meeting on May 2, but read the subsequent newspaper reports. He said: "That's when I read that he was reported to have claimed he was a legal adviser and going to his website, it appears that's what he was doing – advising them." In response, Mr Siew, who is seeking a second NMP term, was confident he had not breached any regulations. Reiterating that he was "at all time, cognisant of the fact that I do not hold a practising certificate", Mr Siew said: "It was the members of the Old Guard of AWARE who described me as their legal adviser. I did not hold myself up as such." He did advise them "on a variety of matters, including my own views on the Constitution of AWARE". But he stressed: "I believe that all in-house counsels – and in fact, all trained lawyers – do from time to time, state their views of what the law in a specific situation would be, in the context and capacity other than being an advocate or solicitor." He added: "I hope this is not part of what seems to be an ongoing, orchestrated campaign to target me."

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    When contacted, the sender of the email, Mr Tongel Yeo, 51, stressed that it was "not about Siew Kum Hong", but the wider question on the extent that corporate counsels could "represent to people that we are legal advisers". Mr Yeo, himself a corporate counsel who sits on the board of the charity group Methodist Welfare Services, said he had been a passive onlooker in the AWARE saga. He did not attend the extraordinary meeting on May 2, but read the subsequent newspaper reports. He said: "That's when I read that he was reported to have claimed he was a legal adviser and going to his website, it appears that's what he was doing – advising them." In response, Mr Siew, who is seeking a second NMP term, was confident he had not breached any regulations. Reiterating that he was "at all time, cognisant of the fact that I do not hold a practising certificate", Mr Siew said: "It was the members of the Old Guard of AWARE who described me as their legal adviser. I did not hold myself up as such." He did advise them "on a variety of matters, including my own views on the Constitution of AWARE". But he stressed: "I believe that all in-house counsels – and in fact, all trained lawyers – do from time to time, state their views of what the law in a specific situation would be, in the context and capacity other than being an advocate or solicitor." He added: "I hope this is not part of what seems to be an ongoing, orchestrated campaign to target me."

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    Channel News Asia - Questions Over Siew Kum Hong's Role As AWARE 'Legal Adviser'

    Uploaded by

    kairin
    When contacted, the sender of the email, Mr Tongel Yeo, 51, stressed that it was "not about Siew Kum Hong", but the wider question on the extent that corporate counsels could "represent to people that we are legal advisers". Mr Yeo, himself a corporate counsel who sits on the board of the charity group Methodist Welfare Services, said he had been a passive onlooker in the AWARE saga. He did not attend the extraordinary meeting on May 2, but read the subsequent newspaper reports. He said: "That's when I read that he was reported to have claimed he was a legal adviser and going to his website, it appears that's what he was doing – advising them." In response, Mr Siew, who is seeking a second NMP term, was confident he had not breached any regulations. Reiterating that he was "at all time, cognisant of the fact that I do not hold a practising certificate", Mr Siew said: "It was the members of the Old Guard of AWARE who described me as their legal adviser. I did not hold myself up as such." He did advise them "on a variety of matters, including my own views on the Constitution of AWARE". But he stressed: "I believe that all in-house counsels – and in fact, all trained lawyers – do from time to time, state their views of what the law in a specific situation would be, in the context and capacity other than being an advocate or solicitor." He added: "I hope this is not part of what seems to be an ongoing, orchestrated campaign to target me."

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    of 1

    17/05/2009 channelnewsasia.

    com
    Sunday, May 17, 2009

    HOME Video Finance Features Weather Travel Discussion TV Shows CNA Live | About Us

    ASIA PACIFIC Home › ADVER TISEMENTS

    SINGAPORE SINGAPORE NEWS


    WORLD

    BUSINESS Questions over Siew Kum Hong's role as AWARE 'legal adviser'
    By L oh C hee Kong, T O D A Y | P os ted: 1 5 M ay 2 0 0 9 0 8 0 2 hrs

    SPORT
    SINGAPORE: After being accused on the Internet of
    TECHNOLOGY pushing the gay agenda, Nominated Member of
    Parliament (NMP) Siew Kum Hong now finds himself
    defending his professional conduct following his active
    ENTERTAINMENT
    role in the recent Association of Women for Action and
    Research (AWARE) saga.
    SPECIAL REPORTS
    TODAY has learnt of an email seeking clarification on
    whether Mr Siew – a non-practising lawyer – had
    contravened the Legal Profession Act by rendering pro-
    bono legal advisory work.

    It was sent to four bodies: The Attorney-General's


    7 Day News Archive
    C hambers (AGC ), the Law Society, the Singapore
    M | T | W| T | F | S | S
    C orporate C ounsel Association (SC C A) and the Photos 1 of 1
    Search Singapore Academy of Law.
    Siew Kum H ong - from T O D A Y

    Neither the AGC nor the Law Society, which govern the
    conduct of lawyers, was able to respond by press time.
    SC C A president Angeline Lee said her association was
    "looking into this matter". Related News

    C orporate counsels are not considered to be practising • Beatrice C hia: Dangerous? I'm
    lawyers, who need to renew their practising certificates flattered
    every year. Section 33 of the Legal Profession Act
    prohibits any person without such a certificate from • Three NMP hopefuls come under fire
    providing the services of an advocate or solicitor.
    • Analysis: Time to tweak NMP
    Offenders could be fined up to S$25,000, or jailed for a nomination process
    maximum of six months.
    • Media coverage "not sufficiently
    When contacted, the sender of the email, Mr Tongel Yeo, balanced" at times
    51, stressed that it was "not about Siew Kum Hong", but
    the wider question on the extent that corporate counsels • Government's position on
    could "represent to people that we are legal advisers". homosexuality unchanged

    Mr Yeo, himself a corporate counsel who sits on the board of the charity group Methodist Welfare
    Services, said he had been a passive onlooker in the AWARE saga. He did not attend the extraordinary
    meeting on May 2, but read the subsequent newspaper reports.

    He said: "That's when I read that he was reported to have claimed he was a legal adviser and going to
    his website, it appears that's what he was doing – advising them."

    In response, Mr Siew, who is seeking a second NMP term, was confident he had not breached any
    regulations.

    Reiterating that he was "at all time, cognisant of the fact that I do not hold a practising certificate", Mr
    Siew said: "It was the members of the Old Guard of AWARE who described me as their legal adviser. I
    did not hold myself up as such."

    He did advise them "on a variety of matters, including my own views on the C onstitution of AWARE".

    But he stressed: "I believe that all in-house counsels – and in fact, all trained lawyers – do from time
    to time, state their views of what the law in a specific situation would be, in the context and capacity
    other than being an advocate or solicitor."

    He added: "I hope this is not part of what seems to be an ongoing, orchestrated campaign to target
    me."

    While the legal bodies have not yet sought Mr Siew's response, he said he was considering writing to
    them to express his position.

    - TODAY/so

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