SINGAPORE - Three judges - T. Sasitharan, Romen Bose and Robin Hemley - of this year's Singapore Literature Prize (Non-fiction Category), have resigned, following the National Library Board's (NLB) decision to remove and destroy several children's books in its collection because they contain homosexual themes.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the three said they could not, in good conscience, continue as judges, given the close links and associations between the National Book Development Council, which awards the prizes, and the library board.

The statement said: "We condemn in the strongest terms NLB's decision to remove and destroy these books, given that it is responsible for the dissemination of information rather than its destruction. The fact that the board has not even considered restricting access to the publications but has moved directly to pulping them is very disconcerting."