Law & Order

This year’s International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia witnessed a significant moment in the history of LGBTQ rights as Taiwan’s parliamentarians pass Asia’s first same-sex marriage legislation today (17 May), despite strong opposition from the public as seen in the results of a referendum last Nov. Results of the referendum revealed that more than 70 per cent of people …

Three militants inspired by the Islamic State group have been arrested in Malaysia, accused of planning attacks on non-Muslim places of worship in the country and neighbouring Indonesia, police said Thursday. The suspects are thought to have links to a wider IS-inspired cell, some of whose members were detained last week in Malaysia. Malaysia and Indonesia, both Muslim-majority countries, are …

Singapore Police Force (SPF) warned member of the public of scams involving fake Lazada campaigns offering prizes. The Police stated that it has received at least 14 reports of scams since January 2019. According to the police, the victims were contacted by the scammers on Instagram with the total amount cheated was at least S$14,000. In these case, scammers would …

A minimum suspension of one year and even expulsion for “severe offences” are among stiffer sanctions recommended by the National University of Singapore (NUS)’s review committee on sexual misconduct. Local media reported that the committee’s chairperson Kay Kuok announced the proposals via an e-mail circular to students and staff on Wed (15 May). The recommendations were made in the wake …

Debate is still swirling around the Singapore government’s proposed fake news law, the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) – even more so this week as parliament sits down for a second reading for the bill. Since it was introduced last month (1 April), the government has consistently defended the bill against strong criticism on several fronts. Human …

Nearly a 20 per cent decrease in the crime rate in Johor Bahru has been observed in the first half of this year, according to Johor deputy police chief Mohd Kamarudin Md Din. Bernama reported Mr Kamarudin as saying on Sun (12 May) that 761 crime cases were recorded between 1 Jan to 7 May this year, in contrast to …

More than 9,080 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized and three Chinese nationals, aged between 31 and 36, were arrested in the largest haul of duty-unpaid cigarettes in 2019 from two related operations conducted in Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2 and Defu Lane 10 on 7 May 2019. Singapore Customs stated in its press release on Friday (10 May) that …

Nearly a month after Nicholas Lim Jun Kai’s voyeuristic offence of filming fellow NUS undergraduate Monica Baey in the bathroom of her student hall of residence came to light in the public eye last month, a 26-year-old male student was arrested by the Police on Sat (11 May) for allegedly committing a similar offence. The Straits Times reported the Police …

Contrary to arguments perpetuated by advocates of the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill (POFMA), which has now been passed in Parliament, the judiciary remains the most suitable initial and final arbiter in deciding on matters involving alleged online falsehoods compared to Ministers and the Executive under POFMA, said Workers’ Party secretary-general Pritam Singh. Speaking in response to People’s …

Technology giant Google said Thursday Singapore’s new law against “fake news” could hurt innovation, a crucial element in the high-tech sector which the government is developing as an economic growth driver. Parliament late Wednesday passed legislation that gives government ministers powers to order social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to put warnings next to posts authorities deem to …