Amy Cheong Nows Makes Worldwide Headlines

[Mdm Tang]

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Amy Cheong 'racist' saga makes world headlines


http://www.tnp.sg/content/amy-cheong-racist-saga-makes-world-headlines


http://www.tnp.sg/content/ntuc-assistant-director-shocked-online-response-her-racist-remarks



Who would have thought that a Facebook status update would lead to one woman being talked about not just in Singapore but also outside our borders?

Ms Amy Cheong, who ls now in Perth, Australia, has been hogging headlines in local media for the past few days for posting racist comments on Facebook.

Now, her case has piqued the interest of foreign media, with reports on the saga appearing in BBC News, Malaysia's The Star, India's The Times of India and Perth's West Australian. .

An expert said that one reason for such international interest is that other countries would find it unusual that Singapore places so much emphasis on racial harmony.

Read the full report in The New Paper on Thursday (Oct 11).





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[Jah_rastafar_I]

How about the fact that other countries were amused that such a small comment on a FB page could actually cause her to be fired from her job and risk being arrested by the police while in other countries such an occurance would be laughed at away and racism would actually involve bodily harm and the threat of one's life.

 

[Kinana]

I also agree its much ado over nothing. Race remarks are all over the net and in everyday life even among Muslims towards others.
For a resilient society, there must be a right to offend. If we can't be tolerant towards insults, there will always be excuse for outrages.
Without different views and criticisms in society, we can never progress.

 

[soIsee]

I also agree its much ado over nothing. Race remarks are all over the net and in everyday life even among Muslims towards others.
For a resilient society, there must be a right to offend. If we can't be tolerant towards insults, there will always be excuse for outrages.
Without different views and criticisms in society, we can never progress.

Precisely, why idiots like you suddenly got to be more understanding that what your master did was way over board!

It not that other countries and definitely those more developed ones are interested in your 'need to preserve racial harmony' but they are definitely interested to know the true reasons why Sinkland which touts itself as a First World city with a cosmopolitian life style to attract the rich and famous HAS SUCH DRACONIAN PRACTICES as a Gov linked firm firing ppl from their jobs in less than 24 hours and still deem that this IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!

You and your Master have on one hand tried to build an image of a FIRST WORLD country with practices imitating the Western and more liberalise countries like tolerating Gays, having Casinos and have places like 'GARDEN ON THE BAY' etc!!!

But on the other, deep within the Cental executive control is nothing more than those in NORTH KOREA!

I hope the fall out would first have it's casualty with the fall guy being the infamous Zorro LIM!

 

[wendychan]

How about the fact that other countries were amused that such a small comment on a FB page could actually cause her to be fired from her job and risk being arrested by the police while in other countries such an occurance would be laughed at away and racism would actually involve bodily harm and the threat of one's life.

........................

 

[Rogue Trader]

The prostitute press edited this article. Note the last 2 paragraphs (spelling mistake included. must have been a hurry). So now the prostitutes are turning their guns towards Singaporeans. Wasn't Amy Tan one of PAP's precious FT? Why defend this racist and whack own countrymen instead?

Amy Cheong case gains international interest

The New Paper
Thursday, Oct 11, 2012

WHO would have thought that a single Facebook status update would lead to one woman being talked about, not just in Singapore, but outside our borders as well?

Amy Cheong's case has piqued the interest of Australian media, The Star in Malaysia and even Britain's BBC News.

Tthe current online vitriol over the Amy Cheong incident raises a pertinent question: Are Singaporeans not xenophobic and racist too?

Instances of foreigners in Singapore being treated rudely is not uncommon.


Get the full story from The New Paper.

 

[kopiuncle]

this global publicity is really wagging the dog's tail....i feel damned ashamed.

 

[Rogue Trader]

this global publicity is really wagging the dog's tail....i feel damned ashamed.

You? ashamed?

Parent beater can feel shame?

 

[soIsee]

The issue as to why foreigners have been treated rudely trace back to the evident fustrustion of the locals by the system in place by their rulers, that seemingly is seen taking the sides of the FTs in MOST INSTANCES!

 

[kopiuncle]

You? ashamed?

Parent beater can feel shame?

you also? i am very disappointed. i always consider you a very enlightened and very knowledgeable senior. sorry you are wrong brother.

 

[Scrooball (clone)]

Why didn't they report on Indians being racist to their own race with the caste system?

To be born a Hindu in India is to enter the caste system, one of the world's longest surviving forms of social stratification. Embedded in Indian culture for the past 1,500 years, the caste system follows a basic precept: All men are created unequal. The ranks in Hindu society come from a legend in which the main groupings, or varnas, emerge from a primordial being. From the mouth come the Brahmans—the priests and teachers. From the arms come the Kshatriyas—the rulers and soldiers. From the thighs come the Vaisyas—merchants and traders. From the feet come the Sudras—laborers. Each varna in turn contains hundreds of hereditary castes and subcastes with their own pecking orders.

A fifth group describes the people who are achuta, or untouchable. The primordial being does not claim them. Untouchables are outcasts—people considered too impure, too polluted, to rank as worthy beings. Prejudice defines their lives, particularly in the rural areas, where nearly three-quarters of India's people live. Untouchables are shunned, insulted, banned from temples and higher caste homes, made to eat and drink from separate utensils in public places, and, in extreme but not uncommon cases, are raped, burned, lynched, and gunned down.

 

[kopiuncle]

I still don't get it! Why this small little dot with one fb posting has attracted world attention. I think Singapore will soon send a man to the moon liao. Majulah Singapura!!!

 

[greedy and cunning]

storm in aaaaaaaaaa teacup.

ahhhhhhh boring.

 

[yaosiu]

Where got world headlines?

Only HK and OZ. The rest are reported by state propaganda machineries.

 

[Scrooball (clone)]

Even Steven Lim has to say something about this

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5NiJt39vaao" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[roadrunner]

..Now, her case has piqued the interest of foreign media, with reports on the saga appearing in BBC News, Malaysia's The Star, India's The Times of India and Perth's West Australian.

it's what the media calls "a slow news day" so they pick up on smaller news item for broadcast, it's very much a legacy of how newsroom reporting has evolved since the first Gulf War when the developing war was televised on rolling news feed on multiple channels, so now on a very slow news day, they just pick up on smaller news item like the Amy Cheong to fill in the gap.

 

[PTADER]

How about the fact that other countries were amused that such a small comment on a FB page could actually cause her to be fired from her job and risk being arrested by the police while in other countries such an occurance would be laughed at away and racism would actually involve bodily harm and the threat of one's life.

Name the countries where such racial vilification "will be laughed away" and that "racism would actually involve bodily harm and the threat of one's life".

Young brainless clown. Don't spout rubbish.

 

[PTADER]

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/15088384/wa-woman-in-racism-storm/

WA woman in racism storm

Rhianna King, The West AustralianUpdated October 11, 2012, 2:24 am



Amy Cheong, fled Singapore after an outcry over a Facebook post about Malay weddings.



A Perth woman at the centre of a racism storm in Singapore has fled to WA after she was sacked over a Facebook post that sparked a public outcry.

University of WA graduate Amy Cheong, 37, caused outrage across the South-East Asian republic on Sunday by posting a comment about Malay weddings, which are often held in public spaces beneath housing blocks in Singapore.

Apparently frustrated by the noise from a wedding, she wrote: "How many f…ing (sic) days do Malay weddings at void decks go for? Pay for a real wedding you a……, maybe then the divorce rate won't be so high. How can society allow people to get married for 50 bucks?"

The post went viral within hours, leading to Facebook groups calling for Ms Cheong to be sacked, YouTube videos accusing her of racism against the Malay community and a barrage of malicious online posts.

Ms Cheong, a Malaysian-born Australian citizen, was sacked on Monday from her job as assistant director of Singapore's National Trade Union Congress for Membership Partnership and Alliance.

She issued a long apology, but Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said it had come too late and the damage was done. He condemned the comments as unacceptable and offensive to Malay Muslims.

"It sharply reminds us how easily a few thoughtless words can undermine our racial and religious harmony," he said.

Ms Cheong told state media on Tuesday she was leaving for Perth because of threats to her and her family and to "ease the tension".

In her apology, Ms Cheong wrote: "I am terribly sorry to all who were affected emotionally, mentally and in all other aspects. I am aware of the pain I've caused through my insensitive remarks on social media.

"There was no racism intended in my post. I was trying to rest and the noise was affecting me greatly, however, I do understand this is not a valid reason to post what I did."

Her boss, Lim Swee Say, said firing Ms Cheong was a difficult decision and urged Singaporeans to "spare a thought for Amy and the pain she is going through".

He said the NTUC "would not accept … any words or actions taken by staff that are racially offensive".

It is understood she had been working for the union for a year, but had been living in Singapore for 10 years after moving from Perth, where she grew up.

Singaporean local Ryan Soh, a sales consultant, said the comments had come at a sensitive time in Singapore.
"The Government is trying hard to create a picture of racial harmony because we have a lot of races here, Chinese, Indians and Malays," he said. "It is a balancing act and when these comments came, they touched a lot of raw nerves."

 

[PTADER]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...ong-in-hot-water/story-e6frg6so-1226493129274


Angry Facebook post puts union official Amy Cheong in hot water

by: Rowan Callick, Asia-Pacific editor
From:The Australian
October 11, 201212:00AM


AS Australia is convulsed by social media campaigns and revelations of gruesome messages and posts, Singapore - the Mr Clean of the region - is having its own far milder Peter Slipper moment.

Amy Cheong, 37, who was assistant director of membership at the National Trades Union Congress, was prevented from sleeping last Saturday night because of the row from a wedding taking place in the "void deck" - the empty space for common use - at the bottom of her apartment block. She posted an exasperated comment on Facebook asking how many (expletive deleted) days did Malay weddings go on for in void decks. Such weddings, she said, "should be banned".

She went on: "(Expletive)!!! Pay for a real wedding u (expletive), maybe then the divorce rate won't be so high! How can society allow ppl to get married for 50 bucks?"

Unlike Mr Slipper, who remains a member of parliament despite quitting as Speaker, Ms Cheong was sacked first thing on Monday morning.

Her boss, NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say, a minister without portfolio in the cabinet, said this was "one of the most difficult decisions" he had made. "If we use social media as a tool to divide us, none of us is going to be better off," he said.

Ethnic Chinese comprise about 75 per cent of the population, Malays 13 per cent and Indians 9 per cent.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is visiting Australia and who opened a Facebook account in April - following opposition electoral gains last year widely attributed to social media - wrote a post supporting the sacking of Ms Cheong. "Several of you wrote to me through Facebook about the person who posted offensive comments about Malay weddings on her Facebook page," he said. "I was shocked to hear about this. The comments were just wrong and totally unacceptable. Let us treat this incident for what it is: an isolated case that does not reflect the strength of race relations in Singapore.

"But it sharply reminds us how easily a few thoughtless words can cause grave offence to many, and undermine our racial and religious harmony."

Mr Lee wrote a commentary in The Wall Street Journal Asia last week in which he expressed concern about "some of the nasty views expressed online, especially anonymously".

He wrote: "We should feel free to express our thoughts and opinions. But let us always be courteous and respectful in our comments and postings."

Law Minister Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam went further in attacking Ms Cheong: "Her comments reflect a deep-seated racist attitude coupled with contempt for those who are less well off, or who wish to spend less.

"There are deep fault-lines in our society, based on race and religion."

Lionel Jerome de Souza, secretary of the Inter-Racial and Confidence Circle, a government agency, has filed a report to the police urging them to take action against Ms Cheong, who has apologised for her post.

 

[PTADER]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19880128

Singapore PM urges 'respect' after Facebook rant Mr Lee said the incident did not reflect on race relations in Singapore Continue reading the main story

Are Singapore's poor better off?


Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called for ''respect'' after a resident's racially-charged rant on Facebook caused outrage.

''Let us be mindful of what we say, online and in person,'' Mr Lee said in a post on his Facebook page.

He was responding to public reaction after a woman's comments lashing out at Malays holding weddings in spaces under public housing flats.

The woman has since been fired from her job and issued a public apology.

Amy Cheong made the comments on her Facebook account on Sunday.

One of her posts was laden with expletives and included insensitive remarks directed at the minority Malay community.

Her posts - which have since been deleted - went viral, with more than 10,000 comments and shares, and screenshots distributed on other online forums and blogs.

Ms Cheong was fired from her job on Monday morning and a local newspaper reported that she had left for Australia.

'Zero tolerance'

While Mr Lee said he was ''shocked'' to learn of the remarks, he emphasised the incident was ''an isolated case that did not reflect the strength of race relations in Singapore''.

''But it sharply reminds us how easily a few thoughtless words can cause grave offence to many, and undermine our racial and religious harmony,'' he said.

Singapore is an ethnically diverse country, with the majority Chinese making up about 75% of the community, Malays, Indians and people of mixed ethnicities making up much of the remainder.

The South East Asian nation was plagued by ethnic tension and conflicts in its early history in the 1960s.

Several other ministers have also posted their reactions to the incident on their Facebook pages.

Ms Cheong, meanwhile, has issued a public apology, saying that the noise from the wedding - in a common space known as a void deck underneath government-built housing often used for celebrations by different ethnic groups - had caused her to lash out.

"There was no racism intended in my post. I was trying to rest and the noise was affecting me greatly,'' she told a local newspaper, The New Paper.

''I've always been very blunt and vocal, but what I said had nothing to do with race.''

Ms Cheong, formerly an assistant director in the membership department of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) - the trade union centre in Singapore, was sacked on Monday morning.

''We will not accept and have zero tolerance towards any words used or actions taken by our staff that are racially offensive,'' Lim Swee Say, NTUC's secretary general, who is also a cabinet minister, said in a statement.

A police report has also been filed against Ms Cheong. A police spokesman told the BBC the matter was being investigated.

This is not the first such incident in Singapore. In the most recent case, two teenagers were arrested in June for posting racist remarks on Facebook.