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🇸🇬 Singapore /Crime & Justice

Police investigate ‘shameful’ racist comments about Nepal-Tibet disaster and Air India, says Shanmugam

From CNA · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Singapore police are investigating racist and xenophobic online comments about the Nepal-Tibet disaster and Singapore Airlines’ investment in Air India, Senior Minister K Shanmugam said.
  • Shanmugam said Singapore’s digital ministry would ask platforms to remove comments that breach guidelines, while nine Singaporeans remained missing after devastating floods in Nepal.
  • He condemned racist attacks against Air India and Temasek executives, saying more than S$3 million had been raised for Nepal relief by Singaporeans across racial groups.

Singapore’s senior minister has called racist online reactions to the Nepal-Tibet disaster and Singapore Airlines’ investment in Air India “shameful, nasty, totally unacceptable,” as police investigate the comments.

These comments are shameful, nasty, totally unacceptable.

· K ShanmugamSingapore’s senior minister condemned racist and xenophobic comments linked to the disaster and Air India.

K Shanmugam, who is also home affairs minister and coordinating minister for national security, said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information would ask social media platforms to remove posts that violated their guidelines. He spoke after media outlets removed several comments because they were considered exceptionally offensive.

Nine Singaporeans remain missing after devastating floods caused widespread destruction in Nepal. Shanmugam cited several online remarks targeting the missing Singaporeans, including “No they are not our own” and “I only see Indian faces here. Skip. Rescue cut.” Another post referred to “ABNN,” a derogatory term for Indians. Shanmugam said such comments continued to circulate even as more than a thousand people had died and Singaporeans remained unaccounted for.

No they are not our own

· Unidentified online commenterOne of the racist comments cited by Shanmugam about missing Singaporeans.

CNA said its moderation policy blocks users who post hate speech, racist or offensive comments on its social media pages. It also shut comments on several posts about the disaster after the comments became widespread and persistent. Member of Parliament Alex Yam described the remarks as “not just racist” but “downright heartless.”

I only see Indian faces here. Skip. Rescue cut.

· Unidentified online commenterAnother racist comment cited by Shanmugam.

Shanmugam said the Air India investment had triggered a fresh wave of what he called “anti-Indian, racist ranting,” including references to snakes, curry, prata and black magic. An online mob also targeted Temasek’s chief executive, Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara, over his Indian ethnicity. Shanmugam said the attacks ignored the fact that Pillay was “as Singaporean as any of us.” He added that more than S$3 million raised by the Singapore Red Cross for Nepal relief showed that most Singaporeans remained generous across racial lines.

Singaporeans are generous, across all races. And it is important that we don't allow a minority to poison the entire well.

· K ShanmugamShanmugam contrasted the online abuse with donations raised for Nepal relief.
About this summary

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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