The Police have charged a 57-year-old woman with two offences of carrying out acts that are prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups, and an offence of public nuisance.
On 22 April 2021 at about 12.10pm, the Police were alerted to an online post showing a woman who had allegedly made derogatory remarks on 21 April 2021 against a group of passengers in a train based on a presumption that they were of Malay ethnicity.
In a separate video dated 11 May 2021, the woman purportedly spoke loudly in a train, claiming that she was not racist. She also made statements that alluded to the incident depicted in the online post.
Officers from Jurong Police Division had established the identity of the woman on 23 April 2021, and she had since been assisting with police investigations. Preliminary investigations found that the woman had allegedly shared multiple videos, alleging racism or harassment by persons of other races, on her social media account since 2016. In consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Police have charged her with a view to seeking an order from the court to remand her for psychiatric assessment.
The woman was charged in court on 18 June 2021 with:
- Two offences of carrying out acts that are prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups under Section 298A(b) of the Penal Code for (i) the incident on 21 April 2021 and (ii) the managing of the social media account that carried multiple videos alleging racism or harassment by persons of other races; and
- An offence of public nuisance under Section 290(b) of the Penal Code for the incident on 11 May 2021.
The offence of carrying out acts that are prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups under Section 298A(b) of the Penal Code carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, or with a fine, or both.
The offence of public nuisance under Section 290(b) of the Penal Code carries an imprisonment term of up to three months, or with a fine of up to $2,000, or both.
The Police will take strong action against those who commit acts that harm racial harmony in Singapore.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
18 June 2021 @ 8:09 PM