[1] These three appeals were with consent of parties, set down for hearing together At the outset counsel for appellant Ling Wah Press Sdn Bhd informed the court that he had received no instruction to proceed, and as no one from Ling Wah Press was present in court, the appeal was struck out with costs.

[2] Encik Karpal Singh for 1st appellant (Encik M G G Pillai) drew the attention of the court to a newspaper cutting where the Chief Justice when interviewed by the press two years earlier on 24 October 1996 had expressed his views that in libel cases persons of higher status would receive higher damages than those of lower status. He as