> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ‘They Have Crossed the Line’: Singapore Acts Against Anti-Indian Posts - URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/they-have-crossed-the-line-singapore-acts-against-anti-indian-posts/ - Published: 2026-09-06T12:57:45.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-06T13:05:36.000Z - Description: Singapore official orders probe into racist social media posts targeting Indians amid Nepal flood crisis that has left 275 Indian nationals missing. - Author: TGV Desk - Tags: geopolitics, asia, Live Wire Singapore's Senior Minister K Shanmugam has ordered police to examine a series of racist and xenophobic social media posts targeting Indians following the catastrophic floods in Nepal, calling the comments “shameful, nasty and totally unacceptable.” Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, said some of the comments had crossed the line and should not be allowed to become normalised in Singapore. The posts appeared after devastating flash floods struck Nepal on August 26, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving thousands missing. Nine Singaporeans are among those still unaccounted for. Some online users made derogatory remarks about the ethnicity of missing Singaporeans, including comments suggesting that people who appeared Indian should not be considered Singaporean. Shanmugam also highlighted the use of “ABNN,” a derogatory term for Indians. “You have more than a thousand people who have died, Singaporeans are missing, and you get these sorts of racist remarks,” he said. Shanmugam said he had asked Singapore Police to examine the posts and determine whether offences had been committed. The Ministry of Digital Development and Information will also ask social media companies to remove comments that breach their guidelines. The minister stressed that the posts represented a minority of Singaporeans, pointing out that the Singapore Red Cross had raised more than S$3 million for Nepal relief efforts. “Singaporeans are generous, across all races,” Shanmugam said, warning that the country should not allow “a minority to poison the entire well.” The controversy has also expanded beyond the disaster itself. Shanmugam said another wave of anti-Indian comments emerged following reports about Singapore Airlines potentially providing additional capital to Air India. Singapore Airlines owns a 25.1% stake in Air India following the 2024 merger of Air India and Vistara. Online criticism of the relationship included racial stereotypes and attacks against executives of Singapore investment company Temasek based on their Indian ethnicity. Shanmugam warned that Singapore's multiracial social fabric could be damaged if such rhetoric became increasingly acceptable, saying racist comments targeting Indians had become more frequent in recent months. The intervention comes as Nepal continues one of the largest search and rescue operations in its recent history. India's Ministry of External Affairs said on September 4 that 275 Indian nationals remained missing following the floods. The number of Indians rescued subsequently reached 169 after three more nationals, including a five-year-old child, were rescued from the Trishuli Bazaar area. India has also sent around 95 tonnes of relief material and deployed specialist personnel to assist Nepal. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 1,907 Indian nationals who had been in China when the disaster struck had safely crossed into Nepal. No Indian travellers remained stranded in the Tibet Autonomous Region, including those travelling on the Mount Kailash pilgrimage route. Search operations have continued despite the length of time since the disaster. A Chinese worker, Lu Haitao, was rescued alive from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project after being trapped for 10 days. A 64-year-old Nepali woman, Chandika Shrestha, was separately found alive inside her flood-buried home in Nuwakot. The floods were triggered after a glacial collapse on August 26 sent a massive wall of water, ice, rock and debris through the Bhotekoshi river system near the Nepal-China border. The disaster has killed more than 1,300 people in Nepal, while thousands remain missing. The scale of the catastrophe has also sparked a political debate over climate responsibility. Nepal has argued that countries responsible for large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions should contribute towards losses suffered by climate-vulnerable nations. Responding to those demands, India described climate change as a “common challenge” but reiterated the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. New Delhi said developed countries historically responsible for the bulk of emissions should take the lead in cutting emissions while providing developing countries with finance and technology. As Nepal's search for thousands of missing people continues, Shanmugam said Singapore must ensure the tragedy does not become an excuse for racial hostility at home, warning that prejudice directed at one community could eventually threaten the country's broader social cohesion.