Singapore Police Question Five Over Racist Online Comments
2 sources across 2 countries · Hong Kong · Singapore · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- South China Morning Post
- The Straits Times
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
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Every outlet covering this story shares the same political lean; read with that in mind.
Singapore police have identified and interviewed five people, aged between 29 and 66, in connection with racist online comments regarding the Nepal floods and Singapore Airlines' investment in Air India. The police stated that investigations are ongoing to identify other responsible parties, noting that they take a serious view of conduct that may wound racial feelings or incite hostility between racial groups.
Senior Minister K. Shanmugam denounced the remarks as shameful and totally unacceptable. According to The Straits Times, the comments included racist stereotypes and references to black magic, curry, and prata. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong also issued statements calling for the rejection of hatred and prejudice, emphasizing that such views must not be normalized in Singapore.
Additional context provided by The Straits Times indicates that some comments questioned whether nine Singaporeans reported missing after the Nepal-Tibet floods were truly Singaporean. Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Alex Yam and Minister of State Dinesh Vasu Dash condemned these remarks as heartless and racist. The investigation also follows online attacks directed at Temasek CEO Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara and senior management following the Air India investment news.
How each side framed it
- Centre-right
- Outlets of this lean focused on the legal actions taken by police and the strong condemnations from high-ranking government officials.
Sources
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