SINGAPORE fails to meet international standards for political and human rights and there are concerns about the independence of its judiciary, an association of lawyers said.

The International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute had identified a number of areas in which Singapore fell far short of international norms, said the association's executive director Mr Mark Ellis.

'In particular, democratic debate and media comment are extremely restricted and government officials have initiated numerous successful defamation suits against both political and media critics,' he said in a statement issued late on Tuesday in London.

The group has published a 72-page report on the issue, which comes several months after it held its annual convention in Singapore. The association represents 30,000 lawyers globally.

At the convention last October, Singapore's founding father SM Lee Kuan Yew said the city-state's citizens were free to read whatever they wanted.

He said Singapore was built on the rule of law and did not tolerate corruption, in contrast to the surrounding region, where 'money politics' was a way of life.

That meant defamation action may be taken against those who impute dishonesty among government officials, in order to clear any doubts, he said.