Eastern Sun
{{Short description|Defunct daily newspaper in Singapore}}
{{pp-move-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Infobox newspaper
| name = Eastern Sun
| image =
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Eastern Sun editorial office after being vacated
| type = Daily newspaper
| owners = Aw Kow
| founder = Aw Kow
| foundation = {{birth date|1966|7|17}}
| ceased publication = {{End date and age|1971|5|16}}
}}
{{for|the national anthem|National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran}}{{Not to be confused with|Eastern Sunz}}
Eastern Sun was an English-language newspaper that ran from 1966 to 1971 in Singapore. In 1971, Eastern Sun was exposed for having ties to a communist agency in Hong Kong, China, and that they would be paid to not oppose the People's Republic of China on major issues and would remain neutral on minor ones.
History
Eastern Sun was founded in 1966{{Cite web |date=21 July 1966 |title=SPEECH BY THE MINISTER FOR CULTURE AT THE COCKTAIL PARTY FOR "EASTERN SUN" AT THE CHINESE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ON JULY 15, 1966. |url=https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/PressR19660715.pdf |access-date=26 October 2023 |website=nas.gov.sg}} by Aw Kow, the son of Tiger Balm founder Aw Boon Haw, using HK$3 million that he borrowed from a communist news agency based in Hong Kong.{{Cite news |last=Ong |first=Justin |last2=Zhang |first2=Lim Min |date=25 September 2019 |title=A history of foreign interference in Singapore |language=en |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/a-history-of-foreign-interference-in-singapore |access-date=26 October 2023 |issn=0585-3923}} In return, Aw had to repay the loan at a "ridiculously low rate interest of 0.1 percent per annum".{{Cite web |date=16 May 1971 |title=Sun affair. Govt tells all |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19710516-1.2.2?qt=eastern,%20sun&q=Eastern%20Sun |access-date=26 October 2023 |website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg}}
Soon after the newspaper started, they faced financial problems. From January 1967 to March 1968, communist officials gave Aw another HK$1.2 million, but with an added condition that he must appoint their representative as an adviser to the newspaper.{{Cite news |last=Zhang |first=Lim Min |date=5 November 2019 |title=Parliament: Barring foreigners from funding local papers |language=en |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/barring-foreigners-from-funding-local-papers |access-date=26 October 2023 |issn=0585-3923}}
In 1971, Eastern Sun and The Singapore Herald were both discovered to have been run using foreign funding and were accused by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on May 11 of having been involved in "black operations" through the biased news that they published.{{Cite web |date=13 May 1971 |title='Black operations' charge—reply by newspaper |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19710513-1.2.26 |access-date=26 October 2023 |website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg}} On 13 May 1971, Eastern Sun stated that they had been "unfairly lumped" with The Singapore Herald.
On 15 May 1971, the government released a statement saying that loans totaling HK$1.2 million had been made by a "Communist intelligence organization in Hong Kong" to Aw.{{Cite news |date=17 May 1971 |title=Paper in Singapore Ceases Publication; Red Link Charged |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/17/archives/paper-in-singapore-ceases-publication-red-link-charged.html |access-date=26 October 2023 |issn=0362-4331}} The government also stated that in all, Aw received up to HK$7.2 million in 1968.
On 18 May 1971, after these accusations, the Eastern Sun shut down due to their editor-in-chief, Sam Krishniah, and six other senior expatriate staff leaving the newspaper.{{Cite web |date=16 May 1971 |title=THE 'EASTERN SUN' EDITORIAL OFFICE. THE NEWSPAPER COMPANY IS … |url=https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/photographs/record-details/a50e67ff-1162-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad |access-date=26 October 2023 |website=nas.gov.sg}}{{Cite news |date=15 May 1971 |title=Eastern Sun editor and six other expats -quit |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19710515-1.2.7 |access-date=26 October 2023 |website=The Straits Times |pages=1 |via=NewspaperSG}}{{Cite news |last=Cheng Tong |first=Yap |date=17 May 1971 |title=Walk-out at the Sun |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19710517-1.2.4 |access-date=26 October 2023 |website=The Straits Times |pages=1 |via=NewspaperSG}}
Aftermath
The shutting down of Eastern Sun and The Singapore Herald, along with Nanyang Siang Pau, led to the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act 1974 to prevent foreign ownership of Singapore newspapers.{{Cite news |date=16 March 1974 |title=Newspapers: No foreign funds |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newnation19740316-1.2.10 |work=New Nation |pages=1 |via=NewspaperSG}}
In 2019, Minister of Home Affairs K. Shanmugam used the Eastern Sun and The Singapore Herald as examples in Parliament to explain the need of barring foreigners from controlling or funding Singapore newspapers.