‘Shameful, nasty’: Singapore minister hits out at anti-India racism after Nepal floods
Singapore's Senior Minister K Shanmugam has condemned xenophobic online comments directed at Indians following a deadly disaster in Nepal. Authorities are investigating the remarks and seeking the removal of hate speech from social media platforms.
Why it matters
The government's swift response highlights the importance of maintaining social cohesion and addressing rising online racism in a multicultural society.
Singapore Senior Minister K Shanmugam has condemned racist and xenophobic online comments targeting India calling them “shameful, nasty, totally unacceptable”.Police are investigating the comments, which were posted online in connection with the China-Nepal disaster, Shanmugam said on Saturday.“The media tells me that they had to remove several comments because they were so nasty. I don’t know if all the comments are all made by Singaporeans. But, I will say this – the comments are shameful, nasty, totally unacceptable,” said Shanmugam, who is also Singapore’s home affairs minister and coordinating minister for national security.“I have asked police to look into these comments,” he added.Shanmugam said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information would also approach social media platforms to seek the removal of comments that violate their guidelines.The comments emerged amid discussions surrounding the devastating disaster in Nepal.Shanmugam cited several examples of racist remarks posted online about the missing Singaporeans,…
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in