3 held for racist remarks

[Shin Orochi]

Singapore
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Feb 3, 2010

3 held for racist remarks

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Three Chinese youths aged between 17 and 18 years have been arrested for posting racist remarks on 'Facebook', a popular social networking website. -- PHOTO: AP

THREE Chinese youths aged between 17 and 18 years have been arrested for posting racist remarks on 'Facebook', a popular social networking website.

Following a report lodged on Jan 30, police conducted extensive enquiries and managed to establish the identity of the suspects. All three were arrested on Jan and have since been released on bail. Investigations are on-going, said police in a statement on Wednesday night. Under the Sedition Act, anyone found guilty of promoting feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore can be fined up to $5,000 or jailed up to three years, or both, if convicted.

Commander of Bedok Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police, Teo Chun Ching said: 'Police take a very stern view of acts that could threaten the social harmony in Singapore. The Internet may be a convenient medium to express one's views but members of the public should bear in mind that they are no less accountable for their actions online.'

 

[boundThunter]

Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police?

Is there really a rank like that

 

[CENWEN]

Online joke turns nasty

Feb 5, 2010

Online joke turns nasty
Offended by the racist postings of three youths, he reported the incident

<!-- by line --> By Chua Hian Hou

The Internet is a convenient medium of expression but one is still accountable for actions online, said police. -- ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: WANG HUI FEN

<!-- story content : start --> WHEN full-time national serviceman Prhabagaran joined a Facebook discussion on the things parents do to frighten their children into behaving, he expected to be amused. Instead, he was offended to find remarks being made about Indians. He felt some of the comments were racist, and made a police report on Jan 31. On Wednesday, police said three Chinese youths aged between 17 and 18 had been arrested for sedition and were out on bail while investigations continued. They are believed to have been involved in the postings on the Facebook discussion site, which drew more than 2,000 members in two weeks.

An avid Facebook user, Mr Prhabagaran told The Straits Times that he found a Jan 29 post by someone calling himself Desmond Tan especially offensive for the things said about Indians. Mr Prhabagaran, who uses the moniker 'Prab Nathan' online, said: 'It started to hit me that what could have started as a joke had become mindless, point-blank racism.' He and other members - including those with Chinese names - ticked off 'Desmond Tan' and others who had put up offensive posts, but to no avail.

Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.
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Additional reporting by Zeslene Mao, Luke Vijay & Karen Zainal

 

[Ginchiyo Tachibana]

3 youths won't be charged

Singapore
Feb 12, 2010

RACIST FACEBOOK POSTINGS
3 youths won't be charged

<!-- by line --> By Chua Hian Hou , Technology Correspondent
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THE three youths arrested last week over racist activities on social networking site Facebook have been punished, but they will not face criminal sanctions as their offences do not merit such draconian action. In a statement, the Police said that the unnamed teen who started the racist group has been placed on the Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports' (MCYS) Guidance Programme. According to the MCYS website, the programme started in 1997 is for first-time offenders that commit minor offences, offering them an 'opportunity ... to make amends and resolve against re-offending in the future.'

The youth will undergo a 'voluntary six-month programme that focuses on counselling and rehabilitation with the active involvement of parents ... If the juvenile completes the Guidance Programme successfully, he will not be charged by the Police' but issued with a caution instead. The two youths who acted as administrators for the group, 17-year-old Sam Soo Siu Weng and 18-year-old Goh Jun Yi, have also been let off with a caution. The Straits Times understands that a caution is less serious than an official Police warning. Those cautioned will not be considered to have a criminal record, although it does become part of their history and can be taken into account if the they are found to have committed similar offences in future, like say, setting up racist blogs.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.