Indian-origin blogger fined for falsely accusing Singapore minister of making racial remarks on TikTok
An Indian-origin blogger in Singapore was reportedly fined SGD 6,000 (almost ₹4 lakh) for promoting disharmony between different racial groups in the country.
Manmeet Singh, 57, had in a post on TikTok accused Josephine Teo, Singapore's minister for digital development and information, of making racial remarks against Malays, mostly a Muslim community.
Manmeet Singh was arrested for the offence on February 4, 2025, and was released after being granted bail in the case later the same day, according to news agency PTI. He pleaded guilty to having knowingly promoted disharmony between racial groups.
Singh's lawyers told the court that the blogger, who makes content on socio-political issues on TikTok, was 'led on' by an unknown person.
Singh was allegedly sent a link by an unidentified person, which allegedly had the content that led to him making the video on Teo, according to Channel News Asia.
In his post, Manmeet Singh claimed that Teo had offensive statements against Malays, who comprise 15 per cent of the population of Singapore, the PTI report stated. The country's population is more than six million at present.
Manmeet Singh alleged that Teo had made the remarks when he was inquired about racial progress during an interview with Chinese media on Singapore's development. Teo is of Chinese descent.
However, Manmeet Singh, who had more than 9,000 followers when he made the post, did not verify the authenticity of the information before releasing the content, thus landing him in trouble. His lawyers submitted before the court that the blogger had removed the content as soon as he realised he had been 'led on' by someone, as per PTI.
Singh's post came to Teo's attention when her colleagues and a media reporter asked her about the video, following which the Singapore minister informed her press secretary about it.
Teo's press secretary then downloaded the video and lodged a police complaint regarding the content. Singh deleted his video later the same day and apologised to Teo, admitting that the claims he had made were false.
The blogger's counsels further said that he was 'racked with guilt' because of the matter, adding that he has deliberately avoided making videos on politicians since then.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Delhi govt mulls bringing back private liquor vends under new excise policy
Private players could make a comeback in Delhi's liquor shops. The Delhi BJP government, which is preparing a new excise policy, is considering reintroducing private liquor shops in the Capital — just as it was in the old excise regime before 2021. The government plans to implement the new policy by July 1 with an aim to increase revenue, curb corruption and bring transparency. According to sources, the government is likely to provide licences to private players to provide a good walk-in experience for customers. 'About 100-150 private liquor shops, mostly in malls and other premium locations, are being considered. The numbers will be finalised once the policy is ready. The modalities of how to issue the licence, whether through an e-auction or e-lottery, are currently being discussed. A meeting of a high-level committee set up to prepare the policy, which is headed by the Chief Secretary, was also held on Friday. Issues such as the number of shops, licensing, etc, were discussed,' sources said. Under the pre-2021 policy, both government and private liquor shops operated in Delhi. In November 2021, the government — the AAP was in power at the time — had exited the liquor business and handed things over to private vendors, with an aim to cut down corruption. The policy soon ran into controversy and investigations by multiple agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation. In 2022, the government scrapped this policy and brought back the old excise regime — but only liquor shops run by government corporations were allowed to operate. Almost all top AAP — including former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia — were jailed in the case. Currently, a major issue facing Delhi is the unavailability of popular and good quality brands of whisky, beer, vodka, gin, and several others. 'Some popular brands are not in Delhi as their parent company was blacklisted from selling liquor in the national capital following complaints of irregularities and court cases during the implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy… Less popular brands have entered the scene, which has pushed customers to neighbouring states… The government is planning to increase the availability of popular brands and is likely to reintroduce some that are currently not available in Delhi shops…,' said sources. Popular choices like Chivas Regal, Blenders Pride and Royal Stag, part of the Pernod Ricard brand, are not available in Delhi. Pernod Ricard India's application for an L-1 licence was rejected earlier. Benoy Babu, a regional manager at PRI, was a witness in the CBI's excise case. Babu was eventually arrested by the ED. Meanwhile, discussions on rationalising brand licence fees and retail margins are also underway, said sources, adding that excise duty and retail licensing are also likely to be increased under the new policy. 'The retail margin cap is Rs 50 for Indian-Made Foreign Liquor and Rs 100 for foreign liquor. This is on a per-bottle basis. Government-run shops have monopolised the retail business by pushing less popular brands at the range of Rs 400 to Rs 600, instead of stocking premium brands. Also, cheaper brands sell fast… Thus, discussions are on to rationalise these margins to increase revenue as well as make premium brands available for customers,' said sources. Industry sources said private retailers have started searching for properties in the city to set up shop. Currently, there are over 700 liquor shops in Delhi run by the four government corporations — Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, Delhi Consumer's Cooperative Whole-sale Store and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation. The Excise Department has asked the four corporations to carry out document validation online by June 30. Last week, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said several reforms will be incorporated into the new policy, including scientific testing of liquor quality, digitisation of the sale system, curbing illegal sales, and ensuring transparency in the licensing process. The high-level committee is also studying policies implemented in Delhi earlier and those in neighbouring states.
The Hindu
28 minutes ago
- The Hindu
FATF report links dual-use cargo seized by India in 2020 to Pakistan missile agency
A dual-use equipment seized by India from a Pakistan-bound merchant vessel in 2020 is linked to Islamabad's National Development Complex, which is involved in the country's missile development programme, a new report by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global anti-terror financing watchdog, has said. The report listed the case under a section on the misuse of the maritime and shipping sectors, including to transport a range of commodities, including dual-use equipment. 'In 2020, Indian Customs authorities seized an Asian-flagged ship bound for Pakistan. During an investigation, Indian authorities confirmed that documents mis-declared the shipment's dual-use items,' the FATF report said. 'Indian investigators certified the items for shipment to be 'autoclaves', which are used for sensitive high-energy materials, and for insulation and chemical coating of missile motors,' the report said. It said these sensitive items are included in dual-use export control lists of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). The bill of lading of the seized cargo provided evidence of the 'link between the importer and the National Development Complex, which is involved in the development of long-range ballistic missiles', it said. The export of equipment such as autoclaves without formal approval from various authorities is a violation of the existing law, the FATF said. Pakistan's National Development Complex (NDC) has played a crucial role in the development of Pakistan's missile programme. India seized the dual-use equipment from merchant vessel Da Cui Yun at Kandla port in Gujarat on February 3, 2020. Loopholes The report noted significant vulnerabilities in the global financial system in countering the financing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). "Despite the grave threat posed by proliferation financing, only 16 per cent of countries assessed by the FATF and its global network have demonstrated high or substantial effectiveness" in a process that evaluates the implementation of targeted financial sanctions under the United Nations Security Council resolutions on proliferation. The report said that unless the public and private sectors urgently bolster technical compliance and effectiveness, those seeking to finance WMD proliferation will continue to exploit weaknesses in the existing controls. The report provided a detailed analysis of the evolving methods and techniques used to evade proliferation financing-related sanctions. 'Illicit actors are employing increasingly sophisticated methods to evade sanctions and circumvent export controls,' it said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
2 Nepalese among 4 held for cyber fraud
1 2 Jaipur: Four men, including two Nepalese nationals and two Delhi residents, were arrested from a city hotel for their involvement in a cyber fraud operation with links to Chinese cybercriminals. The gang is believed to have facilitated fraudulent transactions worth Rs 24.4 crore, with complaints registered on the national cybercrime reporting portal from several states, including Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. Police identified the accused as Lal Dorge Tamang and Suaj Tamang from Nepal, and Pawan Jain and Abbu Shahma from Delhi. The arrests were made following an FIR lodged earlier in 2025. Twelve mobile phones, one laptop, and three cheque books were recovered from the suspects during the operation. According to DCP (Crime) Kundan Kanwaria, the racket was led by Lal Dorge Tamang, a resident of Sindhupalchowk in Nepal. He created a well-organised network that supported Chinese cybercriminals by supplying them with mule bank accounts. These accounts were used to route illicit funds, and the accused managed them through social media platforms and encrypted messaging apps like Telegram. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The gang's modus operandi involved renting bank accounts from individuals in exchange for a commission. The account holders were instructed to install a suspicious APK file on their phones. Once installed, the app gave Chinese handlers remote access to the devices, allowing them to control the bank accounts and conduct transactions from afar. The commissions were paid in USDT, a cryptocurrency commonly used in illegal online operations. The suspects earned between 2 to 5 percent per transaction, with Lal Dorge receiving 4 to 5 percent from the Chinese operators. He, in turn, passed on 2 to 2.5 percent to the mule account holders. Police received a tip-off about suspicious individuals staying at Hotel Sanjay Palace near Polo Victory in Jaipur. Upon investigation, they found that these individuals were involved in procuring and renting out bank accounts to cybercriminal groups based in China. The investigation also revealed that Pawan Jain, a resident of Rohini North in Delhi, was in regular contact with a woman named Sushma, believed to be the mastermind behind the gang. Sushma, currently based in Dubai, served as the key link between the Chinese groups and their Indian and Nepalese associates.
