Tan Beow Hiong Offered $5K Bail After She was Remanded in IMH

By
Shawn Ambrose
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Before social media and the internet emerged, racists could largely say what they wanted, as long as no officers were around.

But now, if you’re caught passing racist remarks on video, be prepared to lose everything. 

That’s what happened to one former property agent who said some rather unkind things to minorities in Singapore.

Known as the “Hwa Chong Lady”, she has been remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric observation since her offences came to light.

Soon, she may be allowed to leave on bail.

Tan Beow Hiong Offered $5K Bail After She was Remanded in IMH

Tan Beow Hiong, probably the most famous student of Hwa Chong, has been offered bail of S$5,000 after she was remanded at IMH.

According to The Straits Times, she is now represented by lawyer Sng Kheng Huat.

Mr Sng appeared in a district court today (2 July) and said he understood her IMH report was ready, but did not share any specifics.

He added that he will make representations to see if the prosecution is willing to consider a mandatory treatment order (MTO) for his client.

Those issued an MTO will have to undergo mental health treatment in lieu of jail time.

Previously, Tan was charged over alleged acts that were “prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups”.

She is also facing one count of being a public nuisance.

Why? Well, allow me to refresh your memory.

Questions Passengers About Ethnicity & Education Background on MRT

Let’s start with the MRT story.

Earlier this year, a video of Tan questioning commuters about their educational background and ethnicity on the MRT circulated on social media.

In the video, she gives passengers a lecture on the schools at which she studied, including Hwa Chong Junior College.

She then turns her attention to a commuter opposite her, and asks, “May I know your race?”

When the female passenger replies “Malay”, the woman says “Okay, no wonder.”

She then goes on to list the occupations of her family members, as commuters were clearly on the edge of their seats at this point dying to know.

At one point, the woman counts the number of Malay people around her and claims she’s being harassed.

Netizens who came across the video and did a little digging later discovered that this was actually a hobby of Ms Hwa Chong‘s.

Woman Had a YouTube Channel Filled with Racist Videos

As the video made its rounds on social media, netizens found out that the woman, who was a property agent, had a YouTube account where she had been uploading similar videos since 2016.

The channel had a total of 29 videos, but was terminated after her acts attracted public attention.

In her videos, the middle-aged woman goes around filming mostly Malay or Indian residents going about their day, and later pulls an UNO reverse card by accusing them of harassing her in the title.

In one rather amusing video titled “Malays Harassing Chinese”, the woman films a couple of people talking in Malay about which peanut butter to buy.

Yes, peanut butter.

They at no point talk to or harass the woman filming them, and simply leave when they realise they’re being filmed.

Just in case we didn’t hear her, her videos were also captioned with the phrase: “I was from Hwa Chong Junior College.”

Of course, as one ex-lecturer from Ngee Ann Poly will tell you, you can’t go around Singapore being openly racist without any consequences, especially if your acts of prejudice are filmed.

Terminated from Real Estate Agency

After the woman’s MRT video circulated on social media, she was terminated from KF Property Network Pte Ltd, a real estate agency in Singapore.

“One of Knight Frank’s core values is to be a Responsible business to People and the Community. The company maintains zero tolerance for hate speech and racism that threatens the foundations on which Singapore is built,” it said in a Facebook post.

“We will like to advise that the individual in question has been terminated from the company,” the company wrote.

Could Be Jailed Up to 3 Years

It all depends on her IMH report, but if Tan is convicted of her charges, she could be jailed for up to three years and fined.

The offence of being a public nuisance carries a penalty of up to three months in jail and a S$2,000 fine.

Her case has been adjourned to 30 July.

Featured Image: YouTube (The Exposition)

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]