Singapore probes racist online remarks against Indians amid flood crisis
Singapore authorities have launched an investigation into racist and xenophobic online remarks targeting people of Indian origin, following incidents linked to recent events, Senior Minister K Shanmugam said on Monday.
The offending comments surfaced in response to the August 26 flash floods in Tibet and Nepal, in which nine Singaporeans are missing, as well as around Singapore Airlines' investment in Air India. Shanmugam told the media that some social media posts that emerged after the tragedy suggested the missing were "not our own," and singled out a post that used a derogatory term for Indians.
Shanmugam said police were investigating the "shameful" and "totally unacceptable" comments. Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs also highlighted about 20 racist comments, most of which appeared in the comments sections of local news outlets' social media pages, some using slurs like "CECA faces," a reference to the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement signed between India and Singapore in 2005, which has long been a point of contention for those opposed to immigration.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the country must never allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normalised. Speaking at an event, he said, "We can and should have robust debates. But we should never use seemingly legitimate arguments as a cover to fuel prejudice against any community or hostility towards foreigners," according to Channel News Asia.
In a Facebook post, Wong said an "uglier side" had emerged in online discussions about the two matters. While such views do not represent Singapore, he said they should not be dismissed as "harmless online chatter." "If such behaviour goes unchecked, it can become normalised, deepen mistrust between communities, and pull us apart," he wrote, adding that he had discussed the developments with Cabinet colleagues, which is why Shanmugam had spoken out.
The incident highlights Singapore's delicate social fabric. The city-state has a population of over six million, comprising roughly 75 per cent Chinese, 15 per cent Malay, about nine per cent Indian, and the rest from other countries. With a low local birth rate, Singapore relies on foreign talent to sustain its high-performance economy, which has been affected by global uncertainties, a diplomatic observer told PTI.
Wong noted that similar tensions had arisen before. Anti-foreigner and racial sentiments were stirred during the COVID-19 pandemic and surfaced during debates over the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. Such sentiments also emerged during the 2025 general election, when Wong spoke out against attempts to bring race and religion into politics.
"There will always be people who seek to exploit our differences," Wong said. While it is impossible to prevent every hateful comment from appearing online, he said Singaporeans could choose how to respond. "We can reject such views and refuse to give them more space or legitimacy... Singapore has held together because we have consistently rejected attempts to divide us along racial or religious lines, and chosen instead to recognise one another as fellow Singaporeans," he said.
The nine Singaporeans unaccounted for after the floods have been identified as Rengarajan Prabu, Shalinny Deavy Elan Sozan, Subramaniam Diraviam, Rajesvaran Ayyavoo, Estee Loeh, Ghosh Aditi, Ng Kit Kuen, Shubakshi Rawla, and Sumit Rawla, according to The Straits Times. Their families are awaiting news as authorities continue search and rescue operations.
