&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Singapore probes ‘shameful, nasty’ anti-India racist remarks after Nepal floods")
Senior minister and former Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday slammed the racist and hateful remarks targeting Singapore’s Indian community after the Nepal flood tragedy as “deeply troubling” and urged Singaporeans to reject hatred and stand together during difficult times.
Lee’s remarks come amid an online debate in Singapore over racist and xenophobic content targeting Indians.
Earlier, Singaporean authorities had ordered social media platforms to restrict access to 14 posts that allegedly portrayed Indians as “taking over” the country and fuelling anti-Indian sentiment.
Lee said the response to a tragedy should be one of “compassion and solidarity”, and not of racial hatred. He emphasised that Singaporeans should support one another regardless of race, language or religion.
‘Race and religion will always be a fault line in society’
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Lee said Singapore would remain vulnerable to attempts to exploit racial and religious differences.
Trending Stories
)
The Early Spring is proof not everyone can talk about their real feelings, and it is perfectly OK
)
UN votes to ‘correct the map’ as India backs fairer world view
)
Nigerian Navy discovers 99,000 litres of suspected stolen, illegally refined products as it intensifies anti-crude oil theft operations
)
Who is Aditi Paudel? 17-year-old becomes Japan's first literacy ambassador
)
Bengaluru: Officials find 40 kg expired chilli at chairman's club
)
Jaishankar rejects trade link to ending Ukraine war
)
Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill three, injure 23 despite truce
)
Alpine glacier was covered with sheep wool sheets to prevent melting. It worked
)
South Korea mulls deploying military assets to Strait of Hormuz
)
World's fifth-largest economy, British army can't afford to train
)
Breaking | Vance takes the podium: First White House briefing since Leavitt's exit
)
Taiwan raises 'concerns' over China's missile test
)
BRICS 2026: $1 trillion sovereign capital set to converge in Delhi for first iBRICS Summit
)
What is Iran's Pickaxe Mountain that Trump has again threatened to bomb?
)
UN votes to correct world map that visually shrank Africa for 450 years
)
Former NewJeans member Danielle launches YouTube channel, hints at new solo journey
)
Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy creates history with 350 not out in South Africa
)
Brendan Fraser’s transformation fuels The Mummy 4 excitement as fans welcome back Rick O’Connell
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Krishna Janmashtami 2026: From Dhaniya Panjiri to Makhana Kheer- 5 best sweet dishes perfect for celebrating Lord Krishna’s birth
)
Donald Trump plans to travel to Ireland on Qatari-donated jet amid security concerns
)
Nazi-looted art to return to Jewish heirs
)
Eight killed in Kerala’s Thrissur after car rams into lorry parked on highway
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why Russian fighter jets use bulky, low-pressure tyres compared to US jets
)
FBI-wanted fraud accused arrested in Jalandhar over $600,000 scam
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why US tanks weigh over 20 tons more than Russian tanks
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (September 4, 2026): GDN, Dhamaal 4, Jagamae Sangeetham- Watch 6 new movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Killing the Himalayas slowly: Human urine is melting a glacier on Mount Everest
“Human beings are not race-blind, and race and religion will always be a fault line in society,” he said, while noting that Singapore had made sustained efforts to build interracial tolerance and respect.
“When incidents like this happen, leaders must speak up with force and conviction,” he said, calling for the condemnation of attempts to manipulate racial emotions.
Lee also recalled previous instances when Singapore’s leaders had spoken out against attempts to inflame racial or religious tensions. He cited his 2021 National Day Rally remarks on anti-Indian sentiment during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s intervention during the 2025 general election over attempts to use religion to influence Muslim voters.
Lee said such incidents underline the importance of Singapore’s National Pledge and the need for citizens to uphold its ideals of unity and harmony.
Police investigating racist and xenophobic comments
Lee also referred to remarks made by Senior Minister K. Shanmugam on Saturday, when the latter said that police were investigating racist and xenophobic comments linked to the Nepal floods and Singapore Airlines’ investment in Air India.
Shanmugam described some of the online comments as “shameful, nasty and totally unacceptable”. Some posts reportedly used racist stereotypes involving snakes, curry, and black magic.
Authorities need to call out such behaviour before it becomes normalised and damages public discourse and social harmony, Shanmugam added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information is expected to ask social media platforms to remove comments that breach Singapore’s guidelines.
Comments on Singaporeans missing after Nepal floods trigger row
The latest controversy follows calls from Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, Dinesh Vasu Dash and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP, Alex Yam, for compassion towards Singaporeans missing after the Nepal-Tibet disaster.
Both had criticised comments questioning whether the nine Singaporeans reported missing after the Aug 26 disaster were “really Singaporean”.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was in contact with the affected families, while the Singapore High Commission in New Delhi sent a crisis response team to Nepal to provide consular assistance.
“These people should be unmasked and dealt with, rather than be allowed to hide behind online anonymity,” Senior Minister K Shanmugam said on Saturday.
“Singaporeans are generous, across all races. And it is important that we don’t allow a minority to poison the entire well,” Shanmugan added.
