SINGAPORE, Sept 9 — Police are investigating online remarks linked to the Nepal floods and discussions about Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) investment in Air India, and have interviewed five people identified through recent reports.
In a statement to media cited by CNA, police said they received reports about comments posted in connection with both matters and have begun interviewing those involved.
“We will continue to investigate and identify those responsible for these online comments,” police said.
Police added that they take a serious view of conduct that may wound racial feelings or incite hostility between racial groups.
Senior Minister K Shanmugam had earlier criticised racist and xenophobic remarks circulating online, calling them “shameful, nasty” and “totally unacceptable.”
He highlighted examples such as “No they are not our own,” “I only see Indian faces here. Skip. Rescue cut,” and “All ABNNs look the same, how to AI?”, noting that “ABNN” is a derogatory term for Indians.
Shanmugam said more than a thousand people had died and Singaporeans remained unaccounted for, yet racist comments continued to appear online.
He also pointed to “anti‑Indian, racist ranting” triggered by discussions about SIA’s investment in Air India, including “references to snakes, curry, prata, black magic.”
The Ministry of Digital Development and Information will ask social media platforms to remove comments that breach guidelines.
“The media tells me that they had to remove several comments because they were so nasty,” Shanmugam said, adding that he did not know if all the remarks were made by Singaporeans.
Police said investigations are ongoing and they are unable to comment on individual cases.
