TRS founder wanted money from website to buy car and house

The man who started socio-political website, The Real Singapore (TRS), admitted to a friend that he was involved in the running of the site, a district court heard on Tuesday (April 5).

Yang Kaiheng, 27, is claiming trial to seven counts of sedition involving six articles posted on the website and one Facebook post. He claims his involvement with TRS only lasted a month in 2012.

On Tuesday (April 5), the prosecution called to the stand Mr K. Suresh Durai, who is in his 20s and had known Yang since their days at Yishun Junior College in 2006.

Mr Suresh (below) testified via a conditioned statement that he and Yang had entered an entrepreneurial competition in January 2013.

TNP PHOTO: BENJAMIN SEETOR

And in Yang's competition registration form, which was also tendered to the court as evidence, he had written that he started TRS with his wife, Ai Takagi, and continued to run it.

Yang also wrote that he was responsible for marketing and was focused on growing the market and audience numbers of TRS.

Mr Suresh also handed over a series of Facebook messaging chats he had with Yang.

In one chat in October 2012, Yang was seen telling Mr Suresh he earned about $4,000 to $5,000 a month from TRS through advertisement revenue.

Yang, however, said he wanted more.

"I want to buy car, bungalow," he had said.

The prosecution's case is that Yang had a continued, sustained and intimate role in running every aspect of TRS.

The trial continues.

Get the full story in our print edition (April 6).

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