‘Please stop.’ Ex-NMP calls out anti-Indian sentiments in connection to Air India, Nepal flood
Two very different issues, but Calvin Cheng says he spotted the same anti-Indian sentiment in both — the Air India debate and comments about Singaporeans missing in Nepal. This article ( ‘Please stop.’ Ex-NMP calls out anti-Indian sentiments in connection to Air India, Nepal flood ) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News .
Former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng expressed his concern over the rise of anti-Indian sentiments in Singapore on Aug 30, 2024, through a Facebook post. Cheng pointed out that he was witnessing such racism again in online discussions related to two specific situations. First, the news that Air India was asking Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines (SIA) for an additional US$1.5 billion (S$1.9 billion) in light of the carrier's substantial losses.
Secondly, the devastating Nepal flood, where at least 900 people were killed and thousands were still missing, including nine Singaporeans.
Cheng criticized some online commenters who, instead of expressing empathy, questioned the citizenship of the missing Singaporeans. He reminded readers that CECA, or the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, signed in 2005, has sometimes been used derogatorily against Indian nationals in Singapore. Cheng concluded his post by urging people to stop such reprehensible behavior.
Cheng's post resonated with many Singaporeans, who shared their own thoughts and opinions on the matter. Some called for real name verification on social media accounts, while others emphasized the need for empathy and basic humanity, regardless of nationality. Similar sentiments were expressed by Member of Parliament Alex Yam, who also addressed the online comments on the missing Singaporeans.
Written by urgent.news from The Independent Singapore's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
