The prime minister responded swiftly. His press secretary, James Fu, addressed a detailed letter to Time ’s editors, pointing out several facts that he alleged were incorrect. Time acknowledged one mistake and agreed to publish a redacted version of the letter. After six weeks of negotiations, with Fu demanding that the letter be printed in full, and Time invoking editorial privilege and space constraints, the Ministry of Information finally took action.

On October 15, 1986, the government announced in the Gazette—an action known as “gazetting”—that Time was “engaging in domestic politics,” and capped the magazine’s circulation at 9,000 copies. By January 1, 1987, the magazine’s circulation would be further reduced to just 2,000 copies. ^[26] Prior to the restriction, Singapore was Time ’s fastest growing Asian market, with a circulation of 18,000. Within a day, Time gave in. The editors agreed to publish Fu’s letter in full, though the circulation restriction remained in effect for nine months until it was lifted in July 1987. ^[27]