Singapore : Singapore Senior Minister K Shanmugam has announced that law enforcement agencies are investigating "shameful" racist and xenophobic online commentary directed at the Nepal-Tibet disaster, alongside Singapore Airlines' (SIA) financial involvement in Air India.
Speaking to Channel NewsAsia, a Singapore-based multinational news channel, on Saturday, Shanmugam stated that the Ministry of Digital Development and Information will direct social media platforms to delete remarks violating established community standards.
“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,” added Shanmugam, who also holds portfolios as home affairs minister and coordinating minister for national security. “I have asked police to look into these comments.”
Reports concerning Air India pursuing additional equity contributions from shareholders, including SIA, have triggered a fresh surge of anti-Indian and racist online diatribes featuring derogatory stereotypes, according to the Senior Minister.
Furthermore, an online mob has targeted various stakeholders, including the chief executive officer and senior management of Temasek, solely based on their ethnic backgrounds. Temasek functions as the majority owner of Singapore Airlines, while Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara serves as Temasek's CEO.
"It has been said that because the CEO is of Indian ethnicity, he would favour Air India. In the eyes of these people, the CEO's sin is that he is of Indian ethnicity, even though he is as Singaporean as any of us ... That is nasty and libellous," Shanmugam said.
Highlighting that factual accuracy is disregarded by such digital factions in favour of raw prejudice, the Senior Minister stressed that individuals hiding behind internet anonymity should be exposed and addressed rather than permitted to undermine the social fabric.
Addressing reporters, Shanmugam emphasised that Singapore remains vulnerable to underlying racial biases, prompting authorities to enforce stringent measures safeguarding the nation's multicultural and multi-religious identity.
“I've decided to call out these people because you see what is happening in other countries. First, a minority says these nasty things; slowly it becomes normalised; then it becomes mainstream, and political and community leaders will say it," Shanmugam added, noting that public discourse risks degradation and rising physical hostility if left unchecked.
Noting that hostile rhetoric targeting Indians within Singapore has increased recently, with certain instances amplified by external sources, the Senior Minister reiterated the necessity of preserving national unity and rejecting divisiveness.
"We are a very small multiracial, multi-ethnic country. If we are divided along racial or religious lines, we will lose the unity that has made Singapore strong. There will be feelings of ill-will, suspicion, and we will all suffer. We should not tolerate this. This is not who we are as Singaporeans," Shanmugam said.
A media report released last month indicated that Air India is seeking roughly USD 1.5 billion in additional backing from parent entities Tata Sons and SIA, following a record-breaking annual financial loss.