Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Weird Singapore laws

Everyone knows about Singapore's most obvious "weird" laws. In fact whenever I have people come to stay, they seem to rifle through belongings beforehand to check that they weren't going to be done for possession....of chewing gum.

But there are some of these weird and wonderful laws that I just love and so I thought I'd share some of my favourites right here.

1. Yes we all know the it's a public offense to not flush the toilet which can attract a fine of $500.   So next time you relieve yourself in a public convenience you better be damn sure the automatic flusher is working unless you want to be out of pocket.


2. Now this one I had no idea about.. It's a public offense to perform oral sex unless it's part of foreplay leading to full on sex. So what happens if you've just had the most amazing oral sex and are totally satisfied and feel like leaving it there? Or maybe you've had one too many drinks on a Saturday night and pass out? Game over.

3. Again we all know it is a public offense to litter but did you know that if you're caught littering three times in succession then you have to clean the streets on a Sunday wearing a sign saying "I'm a litter lout". And bang goes your street cred. Anyway, I can't find a pic of this on the Internet so would love to know - has anyone spotted someone wearing one of these doing their time? Please drop me a comment if so. :)


4. No hugging without permission - you can be done for outraging modesty. So what I want to know is whose permission are you supposed to be seeking? The person who you are hugging or the powers that be? So next time I want to hug my friend or my boyfriend I will be sure to clear my throat and ask politely before I launch myself on them.

5. Ok no mooning pranks I guess is a fairly obvious one - similar to flashing but did you know that the infamous Nick Leeson actually got done for this? I don't think Singapore brought that guy a whole lot of luck.

6. No illegal gatherings after 10pm - if it's more than 2 people, it's considered illegal. So now we have a new meaning to the phrase 3 is a crowd. There are a hell of a lot of illegal gatherings going on on Saturday night then.

7. Back home in the UK pretty much every other day you would have some random idiot shouting expletives at you, and I have definitely had crazy rambling people telling me that they are going to kill me in whatever psychotic state they happen to be in that day so I'm actually quite pleased that blurting expletives out to women is actually deemed insulting her modesty and that letting the three words 'I Kill You' leave your lips is criminal intimidation. This one makes for a very nice place to live. But does that mean I need to wash my mouth out with soap and water?


8. If you get caught walking around your house naked, you can done - yes that's right - in your own home, for outraging modesty. So next time you're thinking about dashing from the bedroom to the toilet in the nuddy thinking that nobody will see you - think again. If your nosy neighbours see you for just that split second, that nude minute on the loo could cause you a lot of headache if they have vendetta on their minds. Yes and it has been known for neighbours to inform on nude antics.

What are your favourite weird laws in Singapore? Drop me a comment and let me know. :)














7 comments:

Kuen said...

This is for point no.3 on the littebugs (http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_614639.html). The letters on the back of the vest says "CWO", they come close to being a cow :P.

Haha i don't think they cane you for not flushing but it's just plain rude not to.

Oh do you know if you attempt suicide, you can be charge? But most often they will only give you a verbal warning but if you tried too many times they'll haul you to court for it.

C. Farrell said...

There is no "public caning" in Singapore, and never has been. All the caning is done privately in the prison. It is odd that somebody who actually lives in Singapore should think otherwise. When did you ever see a public caning going on? Also, caning is never ordered for minor offences like littering or not flushing the toilet. Caning is only applicable to serious offences.

Ms Demeanour said...

Dear C Farrell - thanks for your comment and for bringing this to my attention. There were a number of sources that led me to believe this - of course I have not first-hand witnessed myself but as I have been in Singapore only a year and do not claim to be an expert on all things Singapore, I am still learning and share to strive my learnings in the most accurate way possible based on research. So I really appreciate that you came forward to correct on this one and will amend my blog post. Many thanks again.

Ms Demeanour said...

Hi Kuen, thanks for the link - so not quite litter bug sign then! There is all sorts of inaccurate information out there. Goodness, hauling you into court for repeated attempted suicide. Do you know do people get offered counselling also?

Kuen said...

Yes i think they do.

Haha i thought the public caning thing you mentioned was just a joke so i didn't correct you :P Probably in school back then but i don't think it's happening now.

Anonymous said...

Rule #2 was done away with a few years ago when they reviewed the criminal code. It was part of the inherited Indian penal code enacted during the Victorian era in British India. Unfortunately that revision didn't remove section 377a which the oral sex law is part of IIRC.

Rule #4: I didn't know about that. There are tons of people, both Singaporeans and foreigners who hug and act extremely intimately in very public places (no, no sex or foreplay involved). So far the cops haven't hauled them away even though they irritated other people in close proximity like in the train.

Rule #8: Yeah, there was quite a hoo hah when that law was enacted. But then again, I am always naked in my room and sometimes in other parts of my home when no one is in. Fortunately, the only way my neighbours can see me in my flat is with pair of binoculars whose view would be obstructed by a nice shady tree.

Ms Demeanour said...

All I can say is there is a lot of misinformation about this on the internet so it's great to be able to put it straight here!