Singapore sees wave of anti-Indian posts amid Nepal floods, PM's office steps in

The Singapore government has ordered action after a swarm of anti-Indian posts surfaced over the Nepal floods and SIA-AI deal. The government said unchecked online abuse could deepen mistrust and damage Singapore's multiracial harmony.

In Short

• Singapore govt called abusive posts on Indians shameful, nasty and unacceptable
• Nine Singaporeans are missing in Nepal; they get mocked for their Indan ethnicity
• Slurs on Indian origins also came for Singapore Airlines' invesments in Air India

The Singapore government has vowed to act against a wave of racist and xenophobic abuse targeting Indians online over the Nepal-Tibet floods and investment of Singapore Airlines (SIA) in Air India. Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam have both warned that allowing such rhetoric to go unchecked could normalise racial prejudice and threaten the city-state's carefully maintained multiracial harmony.

PM Wong on Sunday (September 6) said that Singapore "must never allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normalised", after online discussions about the two issues took what he called "an uglier side".

The Singapore Prime Minister's remarks came a day after Home Minister Shanmugam, who is of Indian origin, said police were investigating the "shameful, nasty, totally unacceptable" racist and xenophobic comments.

The remarks of the PM and the home minister came in response to the wave of hate-filled comments on Indians being posted online after the August 26 flash floods in Nepal, in which nine Singaporeans were among the missing, and reports that Air India has sought about $1.5 billion from its shareholders, one of which is SIA.

Shanmugam cited several examples of online remarks directed at the missing Singaporeans, including "No they are not our own" and comments suggesting that rescue efforts should be withheld because those affected appeared Indian. He noted that "ABNN", used in one of the comments, is a derogatory term for Indians.

MUST NEVER ALLOW PREJUDICE AGAINST ANY COMMUNITY: SINGAPORE PM

Singapore PM Wong on Sunday said that Singapore "must never allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normalised".

"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," Wong said, according to Singapore-based broadcaster Channel NewsAsia (CNA).

The Prime Minister said racist comments had emerged in discussions about some of the nine Singaporeans still missing after devastating floods in Nepal, while questions surrounding SIA's investment in Air India were accompanied by anti-Indian abuse.

Wong stressed that such views did not represent Singapore as a whole, but warned that they could not simply be dismissed as harmless online chatter.

"If such behaviour goes unchecked, it can become normalised, deepen mistrust between communities, and pull us apart," he said, adding that he had discussed the developments with Cabinet colleagues.

SINGAPORE'S INDIAN ORIGIN HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER ORDER PROBE

PM Wong's remarks came a day after Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said that the police were investigating the "shameful, nasty, totally unacceptable" racist and xenophobic comments.

Shanmugam, who is also Singapore's Coordinating Minister for National Security, told reporters on Saturday (September 5) that he had asked police to look into the posts. The Ministry of Digital Development and Information will also ask social media platforms to remove comments that violate their guidelines, Singapore-based broadcaster CNA reported.

The comments appeared even as the Nepal floods left more than a thousand people dead and nine Singaporeans unaccounted for.

Singapore has a population of more than six million, with ethnic Chinese making up about 75%, Malays around 15% and Indians about 9%, alongside other communities.

TROLLS TARGET SIA INVESTMENT IN AI, QUESTION FUNDRAISING

Another wave of abuse emerged around the investment of Singapore Airlines (SIA) in Air India. Questions over Air India's fundraising and SIA's participation were accompanied by what Shanmugam called "anti-Indian, racist ranting".

He said online posts had included references to "snakes, curry, prata, black magic" and other racial stereotypes. The backlash also extended to Temasek, a majority shareholder of SIA, and its CEO Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara.

Shanmugam said some online users had alleged that CEO Pillay, who is of Indian ethnicity, would favour Air India because of his background. The Singapore's Minister of Home Affairs rejected that argument as racist and libellous, stressing that Pillay is "as Singaporean as any of us".

The minister warned that allowing ethnicity to become a basis for attacking people over corporate or government decisions could have consequences well beyond the Air India deal.

"If we allow this, in future, everyone can be attacked for their decisions based on their ethnicities," he said. Shanmugam also added that those responsible should be identified and dealt with rather than being allowed to hide behind online anonymity.

Singapore's media has also taken steps to contain the abuse. CNA's social-media moderation policy blocks users who post hate speech, racist or offensive comments. The broadcaster said it had removed several comments and, in some posts concerning the Nepal-Tibet disaster, disabled comments altogether because of the volume and persistence of offensive material.

RACIST ATTACKS ON INDIAN ETHNICITY, NOT NEW IN SINGAPORE

Former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called for Singaporean leaders to speak "with force and conviction" when incidents of racial hatred emerge.

Lee in a Facebook post on Sunday recalled similar anti-Indian sentiment during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020), saying fear surrounding the virus had morphed into hostility towards Indians. Lee, who served as the PM of Singapore for 20 years, also referred to the 2025 General Election, when Wong had to confront attempts to use religion to influence Muslim voters against the government.

He urged Singaporeans to reject hatred and stand with those mourning the victims of the Nepal disaster, regardless of race, language or religion.

The Singapore government's response to both episodes reflects a broader policy. Singapore treats racial and religious harmony not merely as a social ideal but as a core element of national stability. For PM Wong and his Cabinet, the challenge is therefore not simply to remove offensive comments. It is to prevent online prejudice against a community, Indians in this case, from becoming accepted as part of Singapore's public conversation.

- Ends