New Delhi: The prime minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, has condemned anti-Indian abuse in online discussions about the Nepal-Tibet floods and Singapore Airlines’ investment in Air India, warning that unchecked prejudice could divide the country. In a Facebook post on Sunday, he said legitimate public debate must not become a vehicle for hostility towards any community or foreigners.
Wong said racist remarks had targeted some of the nine Singaporeans missing in the flood disaster, while discussion of the airline investment had also attracted anti-Indian comments. Although those views did not reflect Singapore, he cautioned against treating them as inconsequential exchanges on social media.
He said tolerating such behaviour risked making prejudice routine and eroding trust between communities. His intervention followed discussions with cabinet colleagues and a public condemnation of the comments by the senior minister, K Shanmugam.
Shanmugam, who also holds the home affairs and coordinating minister for national security portfolios, said on Saturday that he had asked police to look into the posts. The ministry of digital development and information would also ask social media platforms to remove comments that breached their guidelines.
Describing the remarks as “shameful, nasty, totally unacceptable”, Shanmugam said he did not know whether all those responsible were Singaporeans. CNA said it had disabled comments on several posts about the disaster after persistent racist and offensive responses.
The airline controversy has also prompted a distinction between scrutiny of a business decision and attacks on an ethnic community. The opposition Workers’ Party MP, Kenneth Tiong, rejected racism on Saturday while defending his criticism of Singapore Airlines’ investment, saying his concerns were “purely commercial”.
Singapore Airlines became a shareholder in the enlarged Air India through the merger with Vistara, which was completed on November 12, 2024. The transaction gave the Singapore carrier a 25.1 per cent stake, extending its aviation partnership with the Tata group beyond their former joint venture.
Wong placed the latest abuse in the context of earlier episodes of racial and anti-foreigner sentiment, including during the Covid-19 pandemic and debates over the India–Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. He also recalled attempts to draw race and religion into politics during Singapore’s 2025 general election.
The senior minister and former prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, separately urged Singaporeans on September 6 to support one another across racial, linguistic and religious differences. Wong likewise called for an inclusive national identity, saying citizens could deny hateful views an audience even if they could not prevent every abusive post from appearing.