Disobeying the law in Singapore is hazardous to your health

[Shilohan ninja]

No joke. Singapore has laws against the posestion or chewing of gum and spitting, punishable by, among other things, 6, count 'em, 6 lashings with a bamboo stick. All in one sitting, no less!

Have you any idea how bad it hurts to get hit with a bamboo stick??

One kid did it there, got caught, and received 6 lashings with a bamboo stick. A bamboo stick used by a martial arts master, no less!

The second hit left a two inch deep gash in the kid's back side and made him black out. As if that wasn't bad enough, they brought him back to so they could finish the punishment!

Disclaimer: This is an account as told by my sociology teacher who's brother, who happened to be on tour of duty there, saw it happen.

[sapphire_shine]

dude,no way 0_o I mean,CHEWING GUM??? Yeah,that's just SOOOO bad,we gotta punish that!

But really,that's just sad.Poor kid.I will pray for him.Why in the world do they make laws like that???? It's really sad.....

[Sheenar]

Singapore prides itself in being very clean. Chewing gum sticks to the pavement.
They also have strict anti-littering laws. There are heavy fines for throwing something on the ground.
One of my friends graduated and moved to Singapore for work. She told me all this.
With rules this strict, no wonder Singapore is so clean!

[Technomancer]

dude,no way 0_o I mean,CHEWING GUM??? Yeah,that's just SOOOO bad,we gotta punish that!

But really,that's just sad.Poor kid.I will pray for him.Why in the world do they make laws like that???? It's really sad.....

Most countries had some form of corporal punishment until fairly recently. Canada for example only abolished the lash in the mid 1970's. Granted, it wasn't used for littering offences.

[Puguni]

There was this really nasty international dispute a few years ago about some foreign kids who spit on people's cars in Singapore. I don't think they had to receive punishment, which was just as harsh as the bamboo lashings. ><;;

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I believe discipline is a good idea, but bamboo beatings is going too far.

As for the 2nd bamboo beating opening a 2 inch deep gap in the boy's backside, I'd have to say that's complete and utter crap.
Anyone believe the Loch Ness Monster exists?
It's exaggerated to make us believe the ridiculous. If it was 2 inch deep gash the boy would have bled to death, not just blacked out.

[Peanut]

There was an incident a few years ago where a US citizen broke one of these rules (he spray painted Graffiti on a wall). It, of course, caused a huge raucous however the individual supposedly later thanked the Singapore government for giving him that punishment. According to him it actually turned his life around. Are these laws "ridiculous," yes, but they do work quite well and can correct delinquents of bad behavior.

[MBlight]

As one of my favourite teachers, Dr. Graham Catto told me last night "Law without consequence is only good advice"

I think the 2 inch gash was perhaps a slight exaggeration (sp?) and something is obviously working if they are such a clean country...

[Debitt]

Part of my family lives in Singapore -- yeah....their punishment system can seem pretty harsh a lot of the time.

My brother used to own a shirt that said "Singapore: The Fine City" that listed a handful of offenses along with their punishments. If I remember correctly, urinating in an elevator also got you the bamboo stick (among other things, I'd imagine).

[Kkun]

I just edited a satirical paper on the practice of caning for a literary magazine at school. The guy begins by discussing the crime rate in America and then looks to Singapore's theory of corporal punishment as a solution to our problems. It was the most fun I'd ever had reading a college composition paper, I think.

[minakichan]

Hehehe, my research lab imported a bunch of kids from Singapore for the summer; they tell interesting stories.

I think they said that actual possession of gum is not illegal anymore (but you still can't chew it in public), so they import gum from Malaysia. Also, drug dealing is punishable by hanging and even possession has huge harsh punishments.

[Kunoichi]

in my opinion..though harsh (at least we consider it harsh...however, rapist and murderers are off on parole within less than half their sentence for "good behavior" (...overcrowded prisons most likely)....they are at least doing something about the law...tho the gum thing is a little harsh 0_o;;

[RidleyofZebes]

dude,no way 0_o I mean,CHEWING GUM???

Clearly, you've never been to Singapore...

[Bobtheduck]

I believe discipline is a good idea, but bamboo beatings is going too far. If it was 2 inch deep gash the boy would have bled to death, not just blacked out.

Maybe the wording was off, and it was a deep gash, two inches long, not two inches deep?

[Shilohan ninja]

Perhaps. I have been known to be wrong, you know. It might also have been the fourth strike. The details are a little fuzzy as my teacher is from Baltimore and, according to him at least, people from that corner of the world tend to ignore punctuation and run everything together, kindalikethisyaknow?

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Ah, got to love Chinese Whispers.
I hate rumours.

[AsianBlossom]

Clearly, you've never been to Singapore...

*falls over laughing*

But seriously, not everyone spits out their gum on the sidewalks or leaves them under desks and chairs (I've discovered enough of that in college...try moving a desk or chair only to find something hard and lumpy underneath where you put your hand...eeeewwwww...); I know I don't. People just need to clean up more after themselves and be more responsible with their trash, you know?

[Shilohan ninja]

Sadly enough, this is easier said than done in America. >_<

[Mave]

Come on, folks, some laws were created for a good reason/purpose. I mean, God made commandments for a reason too. Thou shalt not worship other gods other than Me....because I KNOW you idiots would be worshiping this stupid golden cow by the time My poor servant Moses gets down from the mountain. LOL!

In the same way, Singapore is a cleaner place with such rules because it takes care of those silly ppl who don't have the common civic sense not to throw rubbish around and to vandalize public property. Seriously, some ppl need help and the law guides them by negative reinforcement because maybe that's the only thing that makes sense to them.

If you've been around some Asian countries long enough, you'll be shocked by some local practices and WISHED such laws were enforced. I've seen ppl care freely throw rubbish out the windows of public buses. Now how's that for unlawfulness?

And as for the international lashings controversy, I think you were referring to Micheal Fay. The vandalizing that was going on then wasn't just spitting on cars. I don't know whether the kid really did it. As much as I feel sorry for the kid (and anyone who goes through the beatings in general), if he was indicted, I would expect that he has to take the cake like everyone else in this country.

I mean, there has been recent tragic cases of local Malaysians getting slashed killed by foreigners in a daylight robbery. What happened then? These foreigners get deported and go scot free, because they are "protected" by their mother country. How do we feel about that now? I'm extremely upset and disturbed by that. It's so not fair. If you're in Rome, you follow Rome's law. If it sucks, suck it up. And pls don't go on to say that vandalism is not the same with murder. In the end of the day, there is a victim who suffers.

I guess I'm just saying that one can't expect the standards of "compassion" to apply in every part of the world.

And one last thing, hanging for drug possession and trafficking? Sweet. That'll make ppl take this issue more seriously.

[ShiroiHikari]

On one hand, I think beating people is a little harsh, but on the other hand, good for Singapore for actually having the guts to carry out such punishments. Maybe then people will actually follow the law! In the US, it's like, if you break the law, you either have to pay a lot of money, or go to jail, where you get free food, free clothes, and a free place to live. O_o

[king atlantis]

i agree with harsh punishments....
for harsh crimes.

[Mave]

Random thought: What if a certain group of Hollywood celebrities got a public spanking for all those DUI charges or possession of [something illegal]?

Maybe it's a bit harsh but I'm just wondering how ppl will react towards the law after that......heh

[LadyRushia]

Random thought: What if a certain group of Hollywood celebrities got a public spanking for all those DUI charges or possession of [something illegal]?

I would watch the video footage over and over again and laugh hysterically.

[AsianBlossom]

Public spanking? Oh, goodness, no, that would be abuse. XD