Shanmugam on racist comments amid Nepal floods, funding for Air India: 'These people should be unmasked and dealt with'
Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam has decried the racist comments made online regarding both the floods in Nepal as well as announcements regarding the funding of Air India.In a doorstop on Saturday (Sep 5), he said: "We are seeing some very nasty, racist comments online - after the Nepal floods, as well as the SIA (Singapore Airlines) - Air India relationship." Over 1,200 people have been killed in the flash floods in the China-Nepal border last Wednesday (Aug 26), with over 5,000 missing, including nine Singaporeans.Singapore recently handed over a humanitarian aid package worth over $560,000, on top of sending a team of officers from the Singapore Police Force to assist.Despite the country's support for Nepal, some do not share the sentiment, said Senior Minister Shanmugam, who is also the Coordinating Minister for National Security."Online, you see some comments… about the missing Singaporeans, saying, 'No, they are not our own. I only see Indian faces here.'"While he isn't sure if all the comments were made by Singaporeans, he stressed that they are "shameful, nasty and totally unacceptable".