After openly opposing censorship during the public hearing held by the Select Committee, the Singapore government now calls for a background check on Oxford historian Dr Thum Ping Tjin. The Oxford historian is now under investigation for links to foreign powers.
Dr Thum Ping Tjin is the only one under investigation due to his links with England’s Oxford University, despite being a Singaporean. A Ukrainian, Indonesian, Filipino and US citizen has all attended the public hearing but none of them is under “follow-up” investigation.
In a press release today (Apr 13), the Office of the Clerk of Parliament said that they are only “seeking clarifications” for the Select Committee to be better informed:
“Dr Thum’s written representation to the Select Committee on deliberate online falsehoods had stated that he was, amongst other things, a research fellow in history at Oxford University. However, during the hearing, Dr Thum informed the committee that he held a “visiting professorship in anthropology”, and subsequently explained online that he was a “visiting research fellow in history within the dept of anthropology”. In view of these varying accounts, clarifications have been sought to ensure that the committee’s report correctly reflects Dr Thum’s positions, and to ensure that the committee is accurately apprised.”
In Singapore dictatorship, a Singaporean found guilty for acting as an agent for foreign powers can be indefinitely detained without trial under the Internal Security Act.