Singapore Police Detain Five Individuals for Racist Comments Targeting Flood Victims

Singaporean authorities have detained and questioned five individuals aged between 29 and 66 for making racist remarks related to flood victims in the Nepal-Tibet border region. Singapore’s Home Minister K. Shanmugam described these comments as “shameful, disgusting, and completely unacceptable,” and has ordered an investigation. The Ministry of Digital Development and Information has directed social media platforms to remove hateful content promptly. Kathmandu, 24 Bhadra.

The five individuals were targeted by Singapore police following the emergence of xenophobic and racist online comments aimed at flood-affected communities along the Nepal-Tibet border. Minister K. Shanmugam, who also serves as the National Security Coordination Minister, condemned these social media remarks as “shameful, disgusting, and completely unacceptable,” instructing law enforcement to conduct a thorough probe.

Singapore police confirmed the identification and questioning of five suspects aged between 29 and 66. Amidst sensitive times in which over a thousand lives were lost in Nepal’s flood and landslide disaster, and some Singaporean citizens remain unaccounted for, online users targeted Singapore residents of Indian origin with hateful comments. According to Minister Shanmugam, such remarks included statements like “No, they’re not ours,” and “I only see Indian faces here. Stop the rescue efforts.”

The Ministry of Digital Development and Information has mandated social media platforms to promptly remove offensive content that violates community standards. The Singapore Police Force has emphasized that actions damaging ethnic sentiments or fostering hostility among ethnic groups are taken seriously, with investigations ongoing to identify any further involvement. Minister Shanmugam reminded that as a multiracial and multi-religious nation, Singapore’s foundation would be weakened by ethnic divisions.

“If we divide ourselves on ethnic or religious grounds, we will lose the unity that makes Singapore strong,” he stated. “Initially, a small group makes these hateful remarks, and eventually they become normalized and ingrained in politics and society. This must never be tolerated under any circumstance.”