On 1 September 2025, Singapore introduced sweeping changes to its legal framework on vaping and vaping-related offences. While vaping has been illegal in Singapore since 2018, the new changes reflect the government’s decision to treat vaping, and especially drug-laced vaping, not simply as a public-health or tobacco matter, but as…
Category: Public Interest
New Health Information Bill Creates a National Database of Medical Records
In a landmark move towards a digitally integrated healthcare system, Singapore’s Ministry of Health is introducing the Health Information Bill, set to be tabled in Parliament later this year. This legislation aims to mandate the contribution of key patient health data into a centralised digital system, and introduces robust legal,…
New Law Introduces Safeguards to Protect Racial Harmony in Singapore
In a multi-racial and multi-religious society like Singapore, racial and religious harmony is vital for Singapore’s social cohesion. On 4 February 2025, Singapore’s Parliament unanimously passed the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Bill 2025, consolidating race-related offences, enhancing preventive powers, and introducing new safeguards to preserve Singapore’s delicate racial balance. The…
New Law Gives Police Power to Freeze Scam Victims’ Bank Accounts
In April 2024, a woman initiated a transfer of $20,000 from her OCBC Bank account to an international bank, stating it was a loan to a friend. Five officers from OCBC Bank and the Singapore police’s Anti-Scam Centre tried to convince her not to make the transaction, due to suspicions…
The Ian Fang Case Explained: When are Sex Offenders Caned?
On 19 May 2025, former Mediacorp actor, Ian Fang, was sentenced to 40 months’ jail for sexual offences involving a 15-year-old. Fang had pleaded guilty to three charges of sexual penetration of a girl who was under 16 years – which are offences under section 376A of the Penal Code.…
Cat Ban in HDB Flats and How it May Change
Note: This article was first published in 2023. As of 1 September 2024, you are allowed to keep up to 2 cats in your HDB flat. Please read our article on legal and illegal pets for more information. — Animals have become an integral part of life within the Housing…
New Sentencing Guidelines For Scams-Related Offences
Most people would attest anecdotally to the fact that the number of online scams have increased in recent years. This could be by way of an explosion of scam calls or emails received, or scams perpetrated via other online platforms like Carousell or Facebook. In 2023 alone, over 46,000 scam…
Enhanced Sentencing Regime for Serious Sexual & Violent Criminals
On 10 January 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Law tabled the Criminal Procedure (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, which sought to introduce a number of proposals to update the existing criminal procedure laws and regulations. Among these proposals was the introduction of a new sentencing regime, the…
A Guide to the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (FICA)
On 26 February 2024, it was announced that the Registrar of Foreign and Political Disclosures, a competent authority appointed by the Minister of Home Affairs, had designated a Singaporean businessman, Mr Chan Man Ping Philip, as a Politically Significant Person under the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act 2021 (FICA). This was…
New Sentencing Framework for Voyeurism Offences in Singapore
In October 2020, Nicholas Tan Siew Chye, an undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), followed a woman on campus before taking an upskirt video of her at a lift lobby. He was subsequently arrested and released on bail, but reoffended in February 2021 – this time filming a 17-year-old girl…
