Malaysia Star, 4 Jun 2011That was in the 70s when Lee Kuan Yew saw himself besieged by enemies everywhere, real or imagined.
Newspapers which flouted his regulations could have their press cards withheld.
Without it, reporters could not, among other things, attend government press conferences.
I think the ban was eventually lifted when the authorities realised that press briefings were useful only if the press came – the more reporters the better. Full story
