Bullying incident at Mee Toh School wrong and cannot be tolerated: Education Minister Ong Ye Kung

Minister's comments come after case involving Mee Toh School pupils goes viral
By Hariz Baharudin, The Straits Times, 12 Mar 2020

A case of bullying at Mee Toh School - that has gone viral on social media - involving Primary 5 pupils "is wrong and cannot be tolerated anywhere", said Education Minister Ong Ye Kung.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Mr Ong said that he was "dismayed and troubled" after finding out that a group of pupils at the school had picked on a Malay classmate and written her "nasty notes".

"This is bullying, (it) is wrong and cannot be tolerated anywhere, especially in schools," he said.

The case first came to light when Twitter user @4YSLZ posted last Friday that her sister's classmates had thrown some notes at her.

She uploaded photos of these notes, which had insults on them, such as "you are Dumbo the elephant" and "you look so ugly and you really turn me down, you make puke".

The Twitter user wrote: "My heart broke today. It was my sister's birthday yesterday and one of her classmates threw this to her face as a 'birthday present'."

The post has been shared more than 4,000 times.

According to the Twitter user, this is not the first case of bullying involving her sister. She said her sister's uniform had been scribbled on with markers in the past.

She alleged that her sister, who is one of "only a handful of Malays" in the school in Punggol, has also been called other names and has been cyber bullied.



In his post, Mr Ong said that the school will ensure that pupils understand the seriousness of their actions and will follow up with appropriate disciplinary actions.

The incident goes against "very fundamental values of what we stand for as a society", Mr Ong said.

"It does not matter whether the students might have done it out of mischief or that they are only Primary 5 students; the fact is that the victim felt that it was a racist act, and that makes it even more unacceptable," he added.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, a spokesman for Mee Toh said that the school has met the student's mother, and that it does not condone bullying, including racist remarks.

He added that "appropriate disciplinary actions" will be taken.

Children bully one another for various reasons, including differences in race, gender and physical appearance, according to Singapore Children's Society (SCS) chief executive Alfred Tan.

Clinical psychologist Carol Balhetchet told ST that bullying at such a young age can be traumatising to children, especially if they look and feel they are different from their peers.

"The last thing a child that age needs is an attack on their personality or their physical look, as it diminishes the self-confidence they are only starting to build," said Dr Balhetchet, who has worked with children for two decades.

Are online vigilantes going too far?: The lure of the shame game

Online vigilantes instigating others to go too far to exact revenge on alleged wrongdoers
By Calvin Yang, The Sunday Times, 22 Apr 2018

Self-styled online vigilantes, who attempt to execute social justice for perceived wrongdoing by digging up all they can on perpetrators and spreading the information online, are turning out to be instigators - spurring others to go too far to exact revenge on their targets.

The Sunday Times has found that victims - whether mistakenly targeted or not - often suffer depression or anxiety.

This comes even as experts warn of real-world ramifications for victims of such online witch-hunts. Some have lost their jobs, received death threats and left the country with their families to escape the relentless persecution.

One victim said he has been "punished enough" from having his photos plastered in online posts to being harassed at home.

In the latest episode of online vigilantism gone wrong, keyboard warriors took matters into their own hands, but ended up jumping to wrong conclusions.

About a week ago, a driver had his name dragged through the mud for reportedly refusing to pay the full cost of petrol wrongly pumped into his BMW at a Caltex petrol pump in Tampines. He claimed to have asked for only $10 worth of petrol, while the pump attendant thought he had wanted a full tank and so pumped $135's worth of fuel.

The attendant then told the cashier that he would bear the rest of the bill, according to a Facebook post on the matter. This led Caltex Singapore to assure the public that the attendant "did not bear any financial obligation" for the incident.

CSI GONE TOO FAR?

Even though the case was later established by the police as a misunderstanding, the damage had already been done.

Incensed by the driver's actions, online vigilantes trawled through various sites to dig up whatever details they could get on him. These included his mobile number, LinkedIn profile, usual parking spots, road tax details, company he worked at, and even photos of his family. Fearing for his family's safety, the driver - who said he had received "many nuisance calls, SMSes and WhatsApp messages" - lodged a police report. He has since switched off his phone and is on leave from work.

This is not the first time an online "investigation" has gone wrong.

Couple who bullied old man at Toa Payoh hawker centre arrested, charged in court and fined S$2,700

Hawker centre quarrel: Couple arrested for causing public nuisance
Arrest of couple in Toa Payoh hawker centre dispute reflects intense public interest in case: Lawyers
By Shaffiq Idris Alkhatib, The Straits Times, 27 Apr 2017

In a move that lawyers said reflected the intense public interest in the case, police have arrested a couple, believed to be the ones seen quarrelling with an older man in a hawker centre, for causing public nuisance.

A video clip of the incident had been posted online, sparking negative reactions.



In a statement, police said officers arrested a 46-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman on Tuesday. They had allegedly used offensive language and force against a 76-year-old man at a hawker centre in Toa Payoh Lorong 8.

Police received reports about the case on Sunday and the couple's identities were established through follow-up investigations.

Investigations are still ongoing.



Lawyers told The Straits Times yesterday that arrests for causing public nuisance are not common.

Mr Raphael Louis from Ray Louis Law said officers could have arrested the couple because the case had attracted a lot of public attention - most of it negative.

"Moreover, the case was between a relatively young couple and an elderly man, who is a vulnerable victim," he added.

Another lawyer, Mr Rajan Supramaniam from Hilborne Law, shared his view. He said: "Causing public nuisance is not a serious offence. However, there has been a lot of public interest in this case and so a warrant was issued for the couple to be arrested after the police conducted their investigation."

Mr Supramaniam said a person convicted of causing public nuisance has performed an act that has annoyed the public or disrupted the public peace. This includes using vulgar language and shouting in public.

Mr Louis said the police will likely consult the Attorney-General's Chambers, which will then decide if the couple should be charged in court.

The online video, lasting a minute or so, showed a woman and an elderly man exchanging words over a table at the hawker centre.

Her companion is later seen walking into the scene and, as he does so, knocking into the older man, who falls against the tabletop.

A woman claiming to be the old man's daughter has hit out at the couple's treatment of her father.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, Ms Caroline Ng said she learnt about the April 21 incident after reading several online posts and watching a video of it.

She wrote: "No words can express my outrage and disgust... What I find unbelievable is for the entire two days, my dad never for once mentioned a word of it."

Those convicted of being a public nuisance can be fined up to $1,000.

Workers’ Party first to jump on the 'alternative facts' bandwagon

Recent case about falsehoods, not harassment, says Government
Rebutting WP, Govt says it doesn't intend to amend law to protect itself from harassment
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 23 Jan 2017

The Law Ministry said yesterday that the Workers' Party (WP) had misrepresented the Government's position on a law that provides protection against harassment and false statements, after the opposition party suggested that the Government would be changing the law to protect itself from harassment.

In a sharp response, the ministry said: "The Government has never said that it needed protection from harassment. Nor does the Government intend to amend POHA (Protection from Harassment Act) to protect itself from harassment."

The ministry added: "The Government needs to take steps to protect the public and Singapore's institutions from the very real dangers posed by the spread of false information. The Government will not shy away from this, whatever may be said wrongly about its intentions and objectives.

The exchange comes on the back of a recent split decision by the Court of Appeal, which ruled 2-1 that government agencies cannot invoke POHA.

The decision arose in a case in which the Attorney-General had sought a court order under POHA against a doctor and The Online Citizen (TOC) website for spreading allegations about the Ministry of Defence. The order asked that the allegations cannot be published without a note that they were false.

Responding to the court's decision, the Ministry of Law said last Monday: "The Government will study the judgment, and consider what further steps it should take to correct the deliberate spreading of falsehoods."

Cyber bullying linked to self-harm among the young in Singapore: Study

If youngster harms himself, his computer may hold key
By Yuen Sin, The Straits Times, 11 Mar 2016

Cyber bullying is linked to self-harm among children and teenagers in Singapore, newly released research suggests.

The Singapore Children's Society (SCS) and Institute of Mental Health studied data involving more than 3,000 students aged between 12 and 17 in 2014, in a survey on cyber bullying and Internet addiction.

Among other things, participants were asked if they had ever hurt themselves deliberately, for example, by cutting themselves.

The findings of the study, which were released to The Straits Times last week, concluded: "Being involved in cyber bullying - whether as a victim or as those who are both bullies and victims of bullying - was associated with a higher level of reported self-harm, than reported by those not involved in cyber bullying."

But the researchers added that cyber bullying does not necessarily lead to self-harm, as it could be that youngsters who already do so have characteristics that make them vulnerable to online or offline bullying.

Psychologists and youth counsellors said youngsters could be more prone to self-harm in the event of trauma or distress because of hyper-sensitivity and a tendency to hide their emotions from adults.

Psychologist Daniel Koh, from Insights Mind Centre, said online hostility could fuel such trauma.

He said: "Negative comments on social media have the power to reinforce whatever negative thoughts a person might have, which makes it more difficult to cope. They may not be able to deal with the situation in a positive manner and hence are responding to the distress by self-harming." He said he has come across five cases of depression caused by cyber bullying in the past year.

"There could be more of such cases, but it's just that they tend to go unreported. If the depression is not detected, it may lead to more serious cases of self-harm or even suicide," said Mr Koh.

Online vitriol gives rise to dismay among politicians

By Ng Jing Yng, TODAY, 25 Aug 2015

To politicians, social media these days is a double-edged sword. While it is a valuable tool for engagement, retiring People’s Action Party Member of Parliament (MP) Ellen Lee is among those who have rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty, only to be disappointed by how falsehoods circulated online can undo years of good work by not only themselves, but also those before them.

Ms Lee, who entered politics in 2006, cited the Central Provident Fund (CPF) as an example. She said while many accept that the CPF system is largely beneficial to Singaporeans, opinions were being swayed online by lies. “Those who try to reason will be flamed and regarded as pro-government,” she said. People are just receiving information online whether it is true or not, she lamented.

Announcing her decision to step down earlier this month, Ms Lee said then that the atmosphere for politicians had changed. Speaking to TODAY, she stressed that her frustration with cyberspace did not contribute to her decision to leave politics.

Nevertheless, she said she had been on the receiving end of some criticism online. She tried to track the source of these negative comments on Facebook, but found that some had been posted via fake accounts, she added.

Veteran PAP MP Inderjit Singh, who has also announced his retirement, said he had encountered his fair share of online vitriol, including people who use vulgarities. Nevertheless, he felt that these experiences were a minority. He added that he does not respond to every single criticism. Instead, he would try to determine if the ground sentiment corroborates with the feedback online.

Like Ms Lee, he said it is important for more of those who have been silent to speak up, so the discourse online would be more balanced.

PAP MP Alvin Yeo, who is stepping down after two terms, said that even though he does not have a Facebook account, his friends would notify him of negative online comments about him. To him, it is important to discern what is genuine feedback and to stay focused on his work as a politician.

Following the announcement that Mr Lui Tuck Yew will step down as Transport Minister, some of his Cabinet colleagues spoke out against the vilification and mocking of him online.

Not only have politicians from the ruling party borne the brunt of online attacks. With people posting negative comments on the Facebook page of Mr Desmond Lim’s company, the online harassment of the Singapore Democratic Alliance chairman has become so bad that he said on Facebook last week that if the situation continues, it might lead him to quit his job or leave politics.

Since an edited version of one of his old campaign videos went viral earlier this month, Mr Lim has been ridiculed for his command of English. While he accepts that there will be detractors, there is no need to make him lose his livelihood and affect his family, he told TODAY. “Is this the way we want politics to be? Who else will dare step forward to contest?” he asked.

NSP's Steve Chia hounded out of politics by online trolls

NSP decides not to contest MacPherson
Party suffers another blow with Steve Chia pulling out from race and resigning
By Lim Yan Liang and Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 24 Aug 2015

The National Solidarity Party (NSP) seems to have made another U-turn, this time reversing its controversial decision to contest the MacPherson single-seat ward at the coming polls.

This about-face, a second by the NSP since Wednesday, threatens to throw the party - which had set out earlier to unite the opposition - into disarray before the next elections widely expected to be held next month.

The party is still without a secretary-general after acting chief Hazel Poa quit last Wednesday over its central executive committee's decision to renege on an opposition-wide pact to avoid three-cornered fights by steering clear of MacPherson single-member constituency (SMC). The NSP now appears to have also lost a potential candidate for the polls.

This after council member Steve Chia took to social media yesterday to declare that he will not be contesting MacPherson SMC or any other constituency in the coming general election.

His premature withdrawal appears to stem from online flak he drew after the NSP said last Wednesday that it would contest MacPherson afterall. This even though it had said a week earlier that it would bow out of the ward and leave the Workers' Party (WP) to contest against Ms Tin Pei Ling of the People's Action Party (PAP).

The SMC was recently carved out from Marine Parade GRC.

Shortly after the announcement, Mr Chia - a former Non-Constituency MP and NSP secretary-general - started dropping hints on Facebook that he would be fielded in the ward. He may have also been singled out for criticism because it was widely believed that he was a key player behind the internal powerplays that led to his party's shocking U-turn last Wednesday on MacPherson and Ms Poa's resignation in protest against the move.



In a post on his Facebook page titled "The Trolls have won", Mr Chia blamed online criticism for his decision to pull out of MacPherson even before he was officially unveiled as the party's candidate.

"With this notice I am announcing that I will not be standing for this coming #GE2015 and will not be contesting in #MacPhersonSMC anymore," he said in the post.

Facebook and Media Literacy Council join hands to prevent cyber bullying

By Jalelah Abu Baker, The Straits Times, 9 Feb 2015

Facebook and the Media Literacy Council on Monday launched a site for the prevention of cyber bullying.

The site, called the Bullying Prevention Centre, provides resources for teens, parents, and teachers in Singapore, was launched here after its success in the United States and Britain. Its launch comes in time for the Safer Internet Day on Tuesday, a global initiative that invites everyone - young people, parents, teachers, educators, industry and safety organizations - to come together to focus on what can be done to "create a better Internet together".

Post by Media Literacy Council.

The site gives people being bullied information on what they can do when they experience something upsetting, recommendations to adults who want to help, as well as guidance to the person accused of bullying on why they have upset someone and how they can make it better, said Facebook and the Media Literacy Council.

Specific actions, including links to Facebook's reporting tools, are listed for each audience. Facebook will also direct anyone who reports bullying via Facebook's reporting tools to the Bullying Prevention Centre.

Professor Tan Cheng Han, Chairman of the Media Literacy Council, said: "The Internet is just like the real world but consequences are often magnified in the online world. It is our collective responsibility to make the world, Internet or otherwise, better."

MINDEF rejects claims it stole idea for mobile first-aid vehicle

It will refer matter to AGC; start-up stands by claim and will defend itself
By Feng Zengkun, The Straits Times, 21 Jan 2015

THE Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) yesterday hit back at claims that it stole the idea for a mobile first-aid vehicle from a Singapore start-up and infringed the firm's patent. It added that it took the allegations very seriously and will refer the matter to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC).

In a lengthy post on its Cyberpioneer Facebook page, MINDEF said it could not have infringed the patent for the vehicle since it was not valid in the first place. It pointed out that in January last year, a court had declared the patent invalid and revoked it.

This was after MobileStats Technologies abandoned its defence to MINDEF's counterclaim that the patent was invalid.



MINDEF said yesterday: "Just as there are many smartphone designs and manufacturers who do not infringe each other's patents, there are also many ways to design and produce military equipment." It added: "We are disappointed that the owner of MobileStats has disrespected the court's decision, and continues to make false and unsubstantiated accusations against MINDEF."

Protection from Harassment Act 2014 now in force

Quicker, easier ways to get legal recourse for harassment
By Kimberly Spykerman, Channel NewsAsia, 15 Jan 2015

The Protection from Harassment Act 2014, which was introduced to strengthen harassment laws here and was passed by Parliament on Mar 13 last year, is now in force.

A range of civil remedies and criminal sanctions is available to better protect people from harassment and related anti-social behaviour - both online and in the physical world, according to the joint press release by the Ministry of Law and Ministry of Home Affairs.

The State Courts received 79 Magistrate's Complaints for harassment between Nov 15, 2014 and Jan 7, 2015. Most of them were for causing alarm and distress.

The remaining complaints comprised causing fear or provocation of violence, and unlawful stalking. The courts could see these numbers go up as the process to file applications under the Act is made less intimidating for the public.

Under civil remedies, victims may apply directly to the Court for a Protection Order, which will direct the harasser to stop, as well as stop the spread of harassing communication by others who republish the communication.

First, the victim applies to the State Courts for a Protection Order. In urgent cases, the Court may grant a temporary Expedited Protection Order on the spot, the release stated. The perpetrator will have to be informed. Both parties will have to attend a court hearing - where a judge then decides whether to grant the Protection Order.

The legal fees in a fairly straightforward case involving a Protection Order is also relatively cheaper, at S$300 to S$500, compared to costs associated with long, drawn out legal proceedings. Victims who require financial help can also seek help from the Legal Aid Bureau.

Since November 2014, there have been 13 applications for Protection Orders under Originating Summons. Three have been granted, while the remaining cases are ongoing.

Signs of a more compassionate Singapore

Statutes to protect the vulnerable must be rigorously enforced and updated where necessary
By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 16 Nov 2014

Singapore is known the world over for its pragmatism and pursuit of economic excellence. Yet, even as many admire the city-state's fabled cleanliness, efficiency and low crime rates, there have been complaints about a compassion deficit.

The Lion City is rich, safe and successful. But, alas, mourn critics, it does not have much of a heart. Its justice system has long been known to be more punitive than protective.

All that is beginning to change quietly.

This year has turned out to be a landmark year for new and upcoming laws that are tempered with compassion.

Earlier this month, Parliament passed the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act to better protect men, women and children who are forced, tricked or lured into sex or servitude. The law increases penalties for sex trafficking and, significantly, outlaws labour trafficking for the first time.

In Singapore, the vast majority, if not all, victims of trafficking are low-wage foreign workers from impoverished Asian nations lured here by the promise of a better life.

During a debate in Parliament two weeks ago, People's Action Party backbencher Janil Puthucheary summed up the feelings of many when he pointed out that the new law was not about pragmatism or economic utility, but about what is morally right. "It speaks to our aspirations about wanting to be a better society," he said.

Indeed, the moral strength of a nation depends not just on how good life is for the majority, but also on how it protects the voiceless, vulnerable minorities. Several laws announced or passed this year aim to do just that.

The week before Parliament passed the law against trafficking, Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing announced that Singapore will have a law next year to better protect vulnerable adults, such as sick or frail older people who may be abused in the privacy of their own homes.

In August, Parliament passed the Family Justice Act which, among other things, aims to ensure that children do not end up being bruised or broken by brutal divorce battles when their parents split up.

Social media resource kit to help at-risk youth

By Priscilla Goy, The Straits Times, 25 Jul 2014

WHEN a young person with links to a gang is invited to a fight online, he could face more pressure to join in, because of social media's "visibility".

"If they get the invitation through an SMS, they can feign ignorance and say they did not see it. But on social media, others can see if they're online, so there is more compulsion for them to be seen as being supportive," said Dr Lim Sun Sun, an assistant dean at the National University of Singapore.

Post by MSF Singapore.

Social media thus poses a greater risk for delinquent youth, said Dr Lim, who led a team to develop a resource kit for those helping these young people. Targeted at schools and help groups, it aims to guide them in speaking to youth at risk and their parents about the dangers of using social media.

"There are many cyberwellness kits, but many of these are targeted at mainstream youth," Dr Lim told The Straits Times on Wednesday, at a symposium where the kit was launched.

The guide - which parents can view online - was designed based on interviews conducted by Dr Lim and her team in 2010 to 2011 with 36 juvenile delinquents regarding their use of social media. The study found they could be drawn into criminal activities and re-offending through social media.

1 in 4 secondary students 'admits to cyber bullying'

Survey also finds that 1 in 5 primary school pupils has been bullied online
By Janice Tai, The Straits Times, 14 Jul 2014

ONE in four secondary school students admitted that they have bullied their peers online within the past year, a poll has found, while one in three said they have been victims of cyber bullying.

These ranged from spreading rumours or vicious remarks about a person on social networks, to "defacing" a person's picture and then circulating it online.

One in five primary school children, too, reported being "cyber bullied".

The survey of 3,000 secondary school students and 1,900 primary pupils was done by Touch Cyber Wellness, the main agency that runs online safety talks in schools here.

The data on the prevalence of cyber bullying in Singapore was collected over the last year after a 2012 Microsoft study found that Singapore had the second highest rate - 58 per cent - of online bullying worldwide, after China. The two countries were the only two of the 25 surveyed where bullying online was more pervasive than in the real world.

Counsellors said the number of cyber bullies among young people looks set to grow further.

"There will be more bullies because cyber bullying has become more common over the years and such social behaviour is being normalised," said Ms Esther Ng, president of volunteer group Coalition Against Bullying for Children and Youth (CABCY).

In 2006, CABCY did a study which found that one in four primary and secondary school students suffered online bullying at least once in their lives.

The rising number of online bullies is worrying, said Mr Chong Ee Jay, assistant manager of Touch Cyber Wellness, because its victims may suffer from consequences that are potentially more serious than face-to-face bullying.

"On the Internet, the taunting and rumours can be relentless over 24 hours and this information can even come back to haunt one in future," he said.

"The potential audience is much wider and so the shame or emotional trauma suffered can be more intense than actual physical injuries," he added.

The senselessness of xenophobia in Singapore

By Daniel Yun, Published My Paper, 2 Jun 2014

I THINK we all know at least one person - I know of more than one - who can be quiet, even timid, very polite and civil, but, once online, their personalities are transformed, almost unrecognisably.

From tone to topic, they are loud, uninhibited, and they can be rude, using expletives never uttered when they are talking in person, one to one, or in a group. They literally become keyboard warriors.

From a nation of people who are apathetic and needing a strong push to speak up, when have we become a nation of online advocates - more importantly, abrasive online advocates?

Alarmed by episodes such as the collective condemnation of expatriates including Briton Anton Casey, the strident objections to holding a Philippine Independence Day celebration here, and an emerging trend of blaming foreigners for any social ill, several civil society groups issued a joint statement last week against the surge in racism and xenophobia in Singapore.

Tolerance for other people's ideas and the freedom to express our own are inseparable values. Joined, they form a sacred trust that constitutes the basis of our democratic society.

But this trust is now perpetually vulnerable to the tyrannical tendencies of the online majorities. A growing number of Singaporeans now feel compelled to speak up in ways previously unimaginable even to themselves, for those they think cannot fend for themselves or are suffering quietly.

Coming from a perspective that nothing is sacred online, suddenly everything about the system and people in public positions is fertile soil to plant seeds of disgrace, disrespect and distrust.

There is an unspoken consensus online, especially among the young, that it is politically incorrect and not hip to agree with the Government, or to offer a different point of view to that of the popular/ unpopular person or topic of the day or week. For the online advocates, you are either on their side or you are against them.

I never thought the day would come when I have to speak up against the people speaking up in Singapore. Now I do.

It's not comment, it's abuse

Our addiction to the Internet is as harmful as any drug, and what passes for online comment these days is often simply foul abuse
By Robert Fisk, Published The Straits Times, 31 May 2014

SOMETHING is rotten in the state of technology. I only realised the extent of this when I wrote last year about an Irish government minister who had committed suicide just before Christmas 2012, partly because - according to his brother at the graveside - he had received so many abusive messages on the Internet.

The response from those claiming to be "readers" of this newspaper was: to suggest that the brother was lying; that the minister deserved to die because of his policies (which included cuts in care homes); and to condemn the dead minister for not being thoughtful enough to postpone his suicide until after Christmas.

Was it always like this?

Did these hateful anonymous messages arrive when Letters to the Editor was the only way to express feelings - in print, of course - about other human beings?

"Name and address supplied" was the last straw in anonymity that any editor permitted.

But now, anonymity must be protected, cosseted and guarded, because privacy - even privacy to abuse - is more important than responsibility.

"Online comment" - and the "comment" bit definitely deserves a "sic" - takes precedence over criminal threats.

As I travel around the world to lecture on the Middle East, I am finding that an increasing number of journals are suspending or restricting online comment.

Among the latest to do so was the National Catholic Register, whose editor, Mr Dennis Coday, decided that the malicious, abusive and vile comments received - far from remarks on the substance of an article - were "pure vandalism".

Sextortion: Strip.....& Pay

Tip-off by HK victim led to raid on Philippine 'sextortion' syndicate
By Li Xueying, The Sunday Times, 4 May 2014

It started with an invitation to a Skype conversation with an attractive Filipina called Sheila Fabian. It then progressed to online sex. After the second rendezvous, on Nov 5, Hong Konger "Jay" was sent nude photos and videos of himself - and a demand for money.

"The suspects threatened to upload the nude photos and obscene acts of the victim on Facebook and YouTube," recounted Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group director Gilbert C. Sosa. "The threat prompted the victim to agree to their extortion demand."

But Jay did not take it lying down. He complained to the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong on Jan 27, and it helped trigger a sting operation, reported the Manila-based Journal Online.

Last week, a joint task force called Operation Strikeback, led by Interpol and the Philippine authorities, netted 58 Filipinos - 48 men and 10 women - for their alleged involvement in what has been dubbed "sextortion".

Also seized were more than 200 items including computers or tablets, mobile phones, ATM cards and remittance receipts.

Operating out of call centre-like facilities in northern Philippines, the suspects allegedly created fake Facebook and Skype accounts and masqueraded as attractive women from the Philippines, South Korea or Japan to ensnare victims. Their modus operandi includes stripping in front of a webcam and inviting their prey to do the same.

Victims over the past couple of years number in at least the hundreds, and hail from Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, the United States and Britain. Agencies from these places were also involved in helping to gather intelligence for the operation.

Among the victims of what is dubbed "Naked Chat Blackmail" here, 638 are from Hong Kong.

Tackling bad behaviour online: What's in a name?

By David Glance, Published The Straits Times, 5 Apr 2014

EVERY day, millions of Internet users leave comments on websites and social networks covering any topic imaginable. At its very best, commenting fosters a social community of people sharing an interest. The community can work to create new knowledge, expand and explain, bring different perspectives or just be supportive and encouraging.

At its worst, however, commenting can sink to depths of excoriating and vile invective. It can simply provide yet another opportunity for different groups to hurl abuse at one another and cement even further their respective entrenched positions.

The average commenting community usually falls somewhere in between and for some sites, this has been sufficient incentive for getting rid of comments altogether. The online magazine Popular Science decided to ban comments, quoting research that showed rude comments raised the likelihood of readers questioning the content of the article.

In this case, uncivil comments caused some people to evaluate nanotechnology as being more risky than readers who had been exposed to only civil comments. The editors of Popular Science felt this distorted unreasonably and arbitrarily the science being presented in their articles and felt justified in taking the step of banning comments altogether.

Incivility may have effects on our attitudes to the content that is being commented upon, but in the case of YouTube, comments had simply become generally unpleasant. In an attempt to deal with this, Google has progressively enforced a "real name" policy, including having to use a Google+ account, in order to comment.

The idea that anonymity increases bad behaviour on forums is one that is supported by research. Through a process of online disinhibition, behaviour tends to be more uncivil and groups become more polarised when individuals are anonymous.

Contrasting this is the observation that uncivil comments were found to be more prevalent on the online version of the Washington Post, where commenters can be anonymous, as compared to its Facebook version. Interestingly however, where rudeness did occur in both environments, on the online version of the Washington Post, the incivility was directed at other participants, compared to Facebook where it was directed at political figures and others not directly involved in the commentary.

Protection from Harassment Bill passed in Parliament on 13th March 2014

Legal redress for harassment victims to be easy, inexpensive
New law not a panacea, but first step in tackling problem: Shanmugam
By Radha Basu, The Straits Times, 14 Mar 2014

THE new law against harassment has been crafted specially to make it quick, easy and inexpensive for victims to seek legal redress, Law Minister K. Shanmugam told Parliament yesterday. Victims, for instance, should not need to engage lawyers to get protection orders to make the harassment stop.

Police officers will also be trained on the application of the law, which Parliament passed yesterday. That includes how to assess and investigate cases and breaches of protection orders.

The minister was replying to MPs' concerns that the law, while strong on paper, will be difficult to enforce.

There are several key facets to the Protection from Harassment Bill, which was the subject of a four-hour debate yesterday.

It makes stalking an offence for the first time and also expressly proscribes cyber harassment, hitherto a grey area in the law. Second, it covers a wide range of antisocial behaviour, from bullying in schools to workplace harassment.

Third, it increases penalties and introduces jail terms for existing harassment offences.

Fourth - and crucially for victims - it offers a range of "self-help" options which a victim can use to try to stop the harassment. These include applying to the courts for protection orders against the perpetrators, requiring their actions to stop.

Those who are the targets of false and malicious online content can similarly get orders requiring the content to be taken down and for correction notifications to be published in their place. Victims can also sue perpetrators for civil damages.

Finally, the Bill can also extend the long arm of the law overseas as long as the victim or the perpetrator is in Singapore when the offences are committed.

Planned harassment law offers more protection

But enforcement could be an issue with regard to offences at work and online
By Radha Basu, The Sunday Times, 9 Mar 2014

The Bill proscribing harassment is a good first step in protecting victims of harassment, whose tormentors often know they are well beyond the long arm of the law.

Over the past few years, I have interviewed and written about more than 20 harassment and stalking victims who expressed frustration at the limited legal recourse available to them.

Some were stalked by spurned suitors; some were harassed by bosses at work. Others were working professionals, framed, flamed and left helpless online. One was as young as 15.

Take, for instance, the 30-something logistics executive whose spurned suitor repeatedly turned up in the middle of the night begging her to open the door. She lives alone and moved house twice, but each time, he found out where she was staying. He even taunted her by leaving phone messages saying that the law could not touch him.

Then there was the breadwinner working for a boss who headed his own firm. His sexual jokes and innuendos morphed over time into outright indecent proposals. He knew full well that she needed her job as her husband was unemployed and the family was in debt.

Finally, there was the single mother whose former boyfriend kept turning up at her workplace to complain loudly about how she jilted him. He called her bosses relentlessly and followed her everywhere, including to her clients' offices. She lost her job.

Men, women and children in similar predicaments will soon receive more protection under the proposed law, which will be debated in Parliament this week.

Parliament Highlights - 3 Mar 2014

BUDGET DEBATE, DAY 1:

Govt and opposition MPs back Budget's focus on pioneers

By Goh Chin Lian, The Straits Times, 4 Mar 2014

THE $8 billion Pioneer Generation Package drew praise from 25 Members of Parliament who joined the first day of debate on this year's Budget, including three from the opposition Workers' Party (WP).

But amid the chorus of approval, several People's Action Party MPs sounded a note of caution against departing from decades of fiscal prudence that had made the package possible.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) pointed out that every revenue dollar, whether from taxes or investment returns from the reserves, had to be painstakingly built up over the years.

He urged MPs not to allow this value of fiscal discipline to "weaken or slip in the years to come" even as he noted that total government expenditure was growing at a faster rate than operating revenue, and social spending was set to increase.

Similarly, Mr Alvin Yeo (Chua Chu Kang GRC) warned against Singapore going down the path of countries whose governments are mired in debt due to generous welfare systems, and whose people face high taxes and high unemployment.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Nee Soon GRC) is concerned that few people know that the Government has spent more than it collects in taxes and fees for the past five years, avoiding a deficit only by drawing on the net income from investing the reserves.

At $8 billion, the fund to finance the pioneer package is without precedent. It is the largest single social transfer in a year, and aims to subsidise the health-care costs of some 450,000 pioneers for life.

It is to be paid for entirely from this year's Budget and, with accumulated interest over time, is expected to be enough to pay for the entire package of Medisave top-ups, and subsidies for MediShield Life premiums and outpatient treatments.

Mr Liang stressed that growing the economy remains the best way to ensure enough revenue for social spending.

WP chairman Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) said the party welcomed the Budget's "unique emphasis" on the pioneer generation, and focus on economic restructuring and strengthening social safety nets.

Labour MPs, though, sought more measures to protect workers, and Nominated MP Teo Siong Seng called for more help for "pioneer generation" small and medium-sized enterprises.