Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam has been issued a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) -
his fifth this year - over claims he made about government spending, healthcare expenditure and the rental of black-and-white bungalows at Ridout Road by two ministers.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong instructed the POFMA office to issue the order to Mr Jeyaretnam, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Thursday (Nov 2).
Mr Jeyaretnam made the claims in an article published on his website The Ricebowl Singapore on Oct 22, as well as in subsequent posts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X, formerly Twitter.
3 news websites issued Pofma correction directions for false claims about death of woman in Yishun
The three outlets are Gutzy Asia, The Online Citizen Asia and Singapore Eye
Three news portals falsely claimed that a woman who had fallen off a building in Yishun and died was a Filipino maid or a Filipino worker.
The outlets – Gutzy Asia, The Online Citizen Asia and Singapore Eye –
have been ordered under Singapore’s Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) to publish a correction notice on their website and online platforms. They must also include a link to the Government’s clarification.
The notices will apply to Gutzy Asia’s article last Thursday, Singapore Eye’s report last Friday, and relevant social media posts by all three news portals last Thursday and Friday.
Singapore invokes fake news law for Australia-based academic website article on 'spate of scandals'
Australia-based academic website East Asia Forum was on Wednesday (Sep 12) issued a correction direction by Singapore's Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office.
The order relates to claims made in an article titled "A spate of scandals strikes Singapore", written by Dr Ying-Kit Chan from the National University of Singapore. The piece contains false statements in relation to matters including the independence of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's approach in addressing extramarital affairs among parliamentarians, said the Prime Minister's Office.
East Asia Forum will be required to carry a correction notice at the top of the article and the main page of their website, as well as at the top of the corresponding Facebook post and on their Facebook page. The Forum is based out of the Australian National University and content it publishes is peer reviewed and "checked for factual accuracy", according to its About page.
Pofma order issued over ex-inmate’s false claims about prison treatment in podcasts
Mr James Raj Arokiasamy had made several false claims in three podcast episodes uploaded to Spotify on Sept 6. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM DZARISMAIL/INSTAGRAM
Former inmate James Raj Arokiasamy made several false claims in three podcast episodes uploaded to Spotify on Sept 6, dealing with his treatment in prison, among other things, said the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
In a statement late on Wednesday, MHA said the false claims made by Mr James Raj, who goes by the pseudonym Messiah, were reproduced on Sept 7 on Instagram posts by Plan B – a local current affairs podcast show. It added that Plan B’s Spotify and Instagram accounts will also be required to put up the correction notices that have been issued.
A correction direction was issued by the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Law under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma), with Plan B having to put up a notice against each of its posts, with a link to the Government’s clarifications.
Kenneth Jeyaretnam issued fourth POFMA order over comments on National Day Rally, Ridout Road rentals and money laundering
Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam has been handed a fourth correction order in just over a month, over comments he made about the National Day Rally package disbursements, manpower statistics and the Ridout Road rentals, among other issues.
Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong instructed that the correction direction be issued to Mr Jeyaretnam under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), the Ministry of Law said on Wednesday (Aug 30).
In his comments posted on Facebook, X (formally known as Twitter) and LinkedIn, dated Aug 21, Mr Jeyaretnam said that the government does not expect to fully disburse to the intended beneficiaries the money set aside for funds to support the Majulah Package, Pioneer Generation Package, and Merdeka Generation Package disbursements. A statement on the government's fact-checking website Factually said that this was untrue.
TikTok user issued another POFMA order, this time over claims about public housing policies
A screengrab of a TikTok post discussing public housing policies by user dr.ishhaq.jay
A man who had received two correction directions this month was issued with another one on Thursday (Aug 24), this time for making false claims about public housing policies in two TikTok videos, said the Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Law in a press release.
The man, who goes by the username "dr.ishhaq.jay", falsely claimed in a TikTok post on Aug 17 that the Housing and Development Board (HDB) prices and sells BTO flats to make a profit. He also falsely claimed in a TikTok post on Aug 18 that HDB makes a profit from selling BTO flats, and also falsely stated that the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) charges a premium when selling land used for HDB flats, and that SLA makes profits from land sold to HDB.
Minister for National Development Desmond Lee instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office to issue the correction direction to the man, and a targeted correction direction to TikTok over the two posts.
Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam was issued his third POFMA order in just over a month
Foreign pressure was not behind the arrests of 10 foreign nationals for forgery and money laundering offences, and the corruption probe against Transport Minister S Iswaran, the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) said on Tuesday (Aug 22). On the arrests, the ministry said the police identified the suspects “through intelligence probes and extensive investigations including the analysis of suspicious transaction reports”.
Ten foreign nationals were charged in court on Aug 16 in one of Singapore’s largest money laundering probes. About S$1 billion (US$736 million) in assets,
including properties, vehicles, luxury goods and gold bars, have also been seized or frozen. “These operations and the planning of the arrests had been in the works over many months,” MinLaw said “They were not at the behest or because of any foreign party.” It added no foreign parties had been informed of the cases before the arrests. MinLaw also denied that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau’s (CPIB) probe into Mr Iswaran was a result of foreign pressure.“ CPIB was investigating a separate matter, and came across some information concerning Minister Iswaran,” it said. “It then looked into the matter.”
The clarifications were made by MinLaw in response to posts by Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. Mr Jeyaretnam claimed that the arrests of the 10 foreign nationals were a result of China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and China’s pressure on Singapore. He also claimed the probe into Mr Iswaran and property tycoon Mr Ong Beng Seng was a result of foreign pressure. Additionally, the opposition politician claimed in a Facebook post that the rental rates paid by Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs minister Vivian Balakrishnan for the Ridout Road properties are "locked in over nine years”.
TikTok user issued POFMA correction order again for making false claims about CPF
Minster for Manpower Tan See Leng has instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office to issue a Correction Direction to TikTok user @dr.ishhaq.jay and a Targeted Correction Direction to TikTok in relation to a TikTok video posted on Aug. 12 by the said user.
Just two days prior, the same TikTok user was issued with a POFMA order for a TikTok video posted on Jul. 17.
In @dr.ishhaq.jay's
TikTok video, he falsely claimed that no one among low and middle income CPF members who utilised their CPF monies to repay their HDB loan has met either the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) or Full Retirement Sum in their CPF accounts.
Pofma order issued to TikToker over false claims Govt can trace votes to voters
A TikTok user has been issued a correction notice under the law against fake news, for a post on the social media platform that contained false claims regarding vote secrecy.
In a statement on Friday, the Elections Department (ELD), which falls under the Prime Minister’s Office, said TikTok user dr.ishhaq.jay had in a post on July 17 falsely claimed that the Government is able to trace votes back to the voter in order to penalise them.
The correction order was issued by the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) office under the instruction of Minister-in-Charge of the Public Service and Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.
Kenneth Jeyaretnam issued second POFMA order over comments on Ridout Road rentals
A composite photo showing Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam and an aerial view of the Ridout Road estate. (Image: Facebook/Kenneth Jeyaretnam, Screengrab)
Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam has been issued a second correction direction over comments he made about the rental of black-and-white bungalows at Ridout Road by two ministers.
His latest comments, posted on Facebook and LinkedIn on Jul 27, alleged that the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) had charged Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan rent at below market value for the Ridout Road properties. This is an untrue statement, the Ministry of Law said in a media release on Wednesday (Aug 2). Under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), Mr Jeyaretnam will be required to carry a correction notice on his Facebook and LinkedIn posts, stating that it contains a false statement of fact, and include a link to the government's clarification.
"As established in the
review conducted by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, the rental paid by both Ministers were at fair market value and not below market valuation," said MinLaw. "There was no evidence that the Ministers were given favourable rental rates due to their positions." The ministry added that the rental paid by the ministers for both properties was not less than the respective guide rents.
Lee Hsien Yang issued Pofma correction direction for Facebook post on Ridout Road, SPH Media
Mr Lee Hsien Yang will be required to carry a correction notice on a Facebook post that had three untrue statements, according to the Law Ministry. PHOTO: ST FILE
Mr Lee Hsien Yang has been asked to carry a correction notice on a Facebook post he made on Sunday that commented on the Ridout Road saga.
Mr Lee, the younger son of Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and the brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, was issued the correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma), Singapore’s fake news law.
The direction to do so was issued by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong. A press release from the Law Ministry said on Tuesday that Mr Lee’s Facebook post on July 23 had made three untrue statements:
- That the state had paid for the renovations to No. 26 and 31 Ridout Road because the properties were leased by Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
- That trees at the two properties were allowed to be felled because the properties were leased by the two ministers.
- That SPH Media Trust had fraudulently inflated its circulation numbers.
POFMA orders issued over online posts falsely stating that Committee of Privileges was convened to look into Pritam Singh
Screengrab of the Facebook post which contained a false statement of fact that a Committee of Privileges was convened to look into Workers' Party (WP) secretary-general Pritam Singh’s alleged non-disclosure of his knowledge of former party member Raeesah Khan’s lies. (Image: Facebook/Andrew Loh)
Correction directions have been issued over social media posts that stated a Committee of Privileges was convened to look into Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh’s alleged
non-disclosure of former party member Raeesah Khan’s lies.
This assertion is false, according to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, who on Friday (Jul 21) said she had instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office to hand out correction directions to one Facebook user Andrew Loh, as well as TikTok.
In his Facebook post, dated Jul 18, Mr Loh asked why a Committee of Privileges had not been convened to look into Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's non-disclosure of
former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin's extramarital affair, when one - Mr Loh asserted - had been convened for Mr Singh's alleged non-disclosure in the Raeesah Khan case. A statement on the government fact-checking website Factually said this assertion is false. While a Committee of Privileges had been convened over the conduct of Ms Khan - a former Member of Parliament - Mr Singh himself was not the subject of the Committee of Privileges.
The Prime Minister's Office said this as it issued POFMA correction orders to the blog Political Sophistry.
In their respective comments on the
anti-graft probe involving Transport Minister S Iswaran, both Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister
Lawrence Wong did not want to deviate from what the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) had announced in its initial statement on the investigation as it was "related to operational matters", the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said on Thursday (Jul 20).
This was revealed as part of a correction direction issued to Political Sophistry, a blog on Singapore politics, under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA). In its press release, PMO said an article published on Jul 16 - “Upfront and transparent? A timeline of the CPIB investigation into Transport Minister Iswaran” - had falsely conveyed that Mr Lee and Mr Wong did not want to disclose that Mr Iswaran had been arrested because it was "politically embarrassing".
The article, according to PMO, also suggested that Mr Wong had “deliberately withheld information” as he wanted to "conceal the truth". These statements are false, said PMO.
ISSUANCE OF CORRECTION DIRECTION UNDER THE PROTECTION FROM ONLINE
FALSEHOODS AND MANIPULATION ACT (POFMA) TO POLITICAL SOPHISTRY
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ms Indranee Rajah, has instructed the
POFMA Office to issue a Correction Direction to Political Sophistry for their article “Upfront
and transparent? A timeline of the CPIB investigation into Transport Minister Iswaran”
published on 16 July 2023 (“Article”).
The Article falsely conveyed that:
- On 12 July 2023, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (“PM”) and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (“DPM Wong”) did not want to disclose the fact of Mr Iswaran’s arrest because it was politically embarrassing.
- In his doorstop interview on 12 July 2023, DPM Wong deliberately withheld information that two arrests had been made in connection with the case because he wanted to conceal the truth.
These statements are false.
Pofma order issued to online blog Political Sophistry over article on CPIB Iswaran probe
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong did not disclose Transport Minister S. Iswaran’s arrest when they spoke about the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau’s (CPIB) probe on July 12 as revealing such information is CPIB’s decision to make.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Thursday that it is usually CPIB, and not ministers, that releases information on people that have been arrested in connection with its investigations.
PMO revealed this in its statement that online blog Political Sophistry has been asked to put up a correction notice, under the law against fake news, on its article about CPIB’s investigation into Mr Iswaran.
Pofma orders issued to Kenneth Jeyaretnam, FB user and online site over Ridout Road rentals
The Pofma correction orders were issued over false statements regarding the rentals of 26 Ridout Road (left) and 31 Ridout Road. PHOTOS: ST FILE
An opposition politician, a Facebook user and the website Jom have been asked to put up corrections under the law against fake news over articles and social media posts that contain false statements about the Ridout Road saga.
The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) on Sunday said Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong had issued the instructions to Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam and Facebook user Thamil Selvan.
The orders are in relation to an article published by Mr Jeyaretnam titled “Will SLA issue a statement denying the rumours that they have awarded any contracts to Shanmugam’s son’s company?” on July 2 on his website The Ricebowl Singapore, as well as Mr Thamil’s Facebook post on July 1. Mr Tong also issued a correction direction to
online publication Jom, said MinLaw and the Ministry of Communications and Information in a joint statement on Sunday.
Singapore to block Asia Sentinel website for not complying with POFMA correction direction
Internet access service providers in Singapore have been ordered to block the online publication Asia Sentinel after its
non-compliance with a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) said on Friday (Jun 2). The California-registered publication was required to carry a correction notice alongside its May 24 article, which the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said contained several falsehoods.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority has been directed to issue access blocking orders following Asia Sentinel’s non-compliance with the correction direction, MCI said in its press release on Friday. MCI said that the correction direction issued to Asia Sentinel required the facts to be juxtaposed against the falsehoods, so that end-users in Singapore can read both versions and draw their own conclusions. "While Asia Sentinel carried the correction notices, this was not done in compliance with the requirements of the correction direction for the respective correction notices to be situated at the top of the article and at the top of the main page of the website,” MCI added.
The access blocking orders require internet access service providers to disable access for end-users in Singapore to the online location where the falsehoods were communicated, it said. The access blocking orders will be cancelled should Asia Sentinel subsequently comply with the "full requirements" of the correction direction.
Pofma correction order issued to Asia Sentinel over false claims
Online publication Asia Sentinel has been asked to put up a correction notice, under the law against fake news, on one of its articles published on Wednesday containing several false statements.
These statements were related to a Nikkei Asia article, suspended lawyer M. Ravi, and Mr Lee Hsien Yang and his wife, Mrs Lee Suet Fern, who are under police investigation for possible offences of giving false evidence in judicial proceedings.
The article, titled “Singapore kills a chicken to scare the monkeys”, was written by the publication’s editor John Berthelsen.
Correction of falsehood regarding woman who claimed to need urgent financial help but had no one to turn to
On 24 April 2022, Gilbert Goh published a Facebook post featuring an appeal he purportedly received from “A”, who claimed that there was “no one [she] can turn to” for help and that she needed urgent financial assistance for herself and her partner, as well as adult diapers, transportation, and food. Goh’s post gave the impression that “A” and her partner have not received any assistance from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and other agencies. This is false.
“A” is known to MSF as Mdm A:
- Mdm A has been receiving ComCare assistance from MSF since June 2015 without any pause in monthly assistance. Mdm A’s last ComCare assistance period was from December 2021 to April 2022, before the current renewal from May 2022 to August 2022. Also, her monthly assistance sum was increased from May 2022 onwards.
- Her partner has been receiving ComCare assistance for various periods since June 2015. His last assistance period was from October 2021 to March 2022. It was renewed from April to September 2022.
Besides MSF, Mdm A and her partner also receive financial and non-financial help from other agencies and community partners, including the Agency for Integrated Care, MUIS (Islamic Religious Council of Singapore), Tan Tock Seng Hospital, THK Family Service Centre @ MacPherson and Home Nursing Foundation. Together, Mdm A and her partner are currently receiving more than $2,000 in financial assistance from MSF and other agencies each month. This includes cash, rental assistance, assistance for service and conservancy charges, utility assistance and Public Healthcare Assistance.
Corrections regarding article about Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam’s video interview with Vanakkam Malaysia
On 21 April 2022, “The Independent Singapore” (“TISG”) published an article on its website, Facebook page and Twitter account, containing a false statement. The author of the article, Mr Toh Han Shih (“Mr Toh”), also shared TISG’s article on his Twitter account on 21 April 2022.
The article had the headline “K Shanmugam says he may step down as Singapore’s Minister of Law and Home Affairs”. The headline was clickbait, giving the false impression that the Minister for Law and Home Affairs said he may be stepping down from his ministerial positions.
The first paragraph of the article further stated that the Minister had “revealed” in a video interview with Vanakkam Malaysia that “he may step down as a minister, but gave no specific time as to when he might do so”. This again gave the false impression that the Minister said he may be stepping down from his ministerial positions.
Corrections regarding patient who allegedly suffered miscarriage after four-hour wait at KKH
The Ministry of Health (MOH) is aware that “Wake Up, Singapore” (WUSG) had posted allegations across its website, Facebook, and Instagram pages on 23 March 2022, which claimed that a COVID-positive patient who was 20 weeks pregnant had suffered a miscarriage after waiting four hours to see a doctor at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) A&E department in February 2022. These allegations are false.
Facts of the case:
- KKH had identified the patient in question based on a screenshot of a hospital bill accompanying WUSG’s posts, which contained discrepancies with the patient’s account of events.
- Subsequent investigations by KKH have confirmed that the patient had been seen by a doctor within an hour of her arrival at KKH in February 2022, and did not suffer any miscarriage.
- On 25 March 2022, WUSG published further posts on its Facebook and Instagram pages, stating that they have been informed by the patient that her recollection was false, and that WUSG “may have been fed lies at every turn”. WUSG has also apologised to KKH for publishing these allegations.
The allegations are serious and have been circulated to various other platforms. This could lead to the erosion of public trust in the credibility and professionalism of our healthcare system and institutions. Accordingly, the Minister for Health has instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office to issue a Correction Direction to “Wake Up, Singapore” in respect of the falsehoods, to ensure that the public is provided with the full facts. “Wake Up, Singapore” is required to publish the correction notices as specified by the POFMA Office for each webpage and social media post containing the falsehoods.
ISSUANCE OF CORRECTION DIRECTION UNDER THE PROTECTION FROM ONLINE FALSEHOODS AND MANIPULATION ACT 2019 ON FALSEHOODS REGARDING PATIENT WHO ALLEGEDLY SUFFERED MISCARRIAGE AFTER FOUR HOUR WAIT AT KKH
The Ministry of Health (MOH) is aware that “Wake Up, Singapore” (WUSG) had posted allegations across its website, Facebook, and Instagram pages on 23 March 2022, which claimed that a COVID-positive patient who was 20 weeks pregnant had suffered a miscarriage after waiting four hours to see a doctor at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) A&E department in February 2022. These allegations are false.
KKH had identified the patient in question based on a screenshot of a hospital bill accompanying WUSG’s posts, which contained discrepancies with the patient’s account of events. Subsequent investigations by KKH have confirmed that the patient had been seen by a doctor within an hour of her arrival at KKH in February 2022, and did not suffer any miscarriage.
On 25 March 2022, WUSG published further posts on its Facebook and Instagram pages, stating that they have been informed by the patient that her recollection was false, and that WUSG “may have been fed lies at every turn”. WUSG has also apologised to KKH for publishing these allegations.
POFMA correction order issued to Wake Up Singapore over KKH falsehoods
Wake Up Singapore is required to publish the correction notices as specified by the POFMA Office for all its posts containing the falsehoods. Alternative news site Wake up Singapore (WUS) has been issued a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) for publishing a woman’s claims that she bled and lost a baby during a four-hour wait at the accident and emergency department at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).
In a
media release on Sunday (27 March), the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that it has instructed the POFMA Office to issue a Correction Direction to WUS in respect of the falsehoods. MOH said that despite the apology from WUS, the allegations are serious and have been circulated to various other platforms. “This could lead to the erosion of public trust in the credibility and professionalism of our healthcare system and institutions,” the ministry added.
Hence, to ensure that the public is provided with the full facts, WUS is required to publish the correction notices as specified by the POFMA Office for each webpage and social media post containing the falsehoods. It added that the Government takes a serious view of these falsehoods and that the matter has been referred to the relevant authorities for investigation.
Corrections and Clarifications on falsehoods by Wake Up, Singapore regarding the recommendations of the Committee of Privileges
On 10 February 2022, Wake Up Singapore published posts on its Instagram and Facebook accounts (“the posts”) which contain a false statement of fact.
Falsehood:
- The posts falsely convey that the Committee of Privileges (“the Committee”) recommended that Mr Pritam Singh (“Mr Singh”) and Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (“Mr Faisal”) be referred for criminal proceedings, even though there was no finding by the Committee that they lied.
- This is false in various respects.
- The Committee expressly found that Mr Singh, Ms Lim and Mr Faisal had lied in their evidence before the Committee.
- The Committee’s recommendation that Mr Singh be referred to the Public Prosecutor was based on this finding which it made, that Mr Singh had lied on oath (which is a possible offence of perjury).
- The Committee did not recommend referring Mr Faisal Manap to the Public Prosecutor for lying to the Committee. The Committee recommended referring Mr Faisal for repeatedly refusing to answer relevant questions put to him by the Committee.
Corrections and Clarifications on falsehoods regarding content about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant in Facebook posts by Goh Meng Seng
Misleading information about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant
A video posted by Goh Meng Seng on 27 November 2021 on various online locations on Facebook contained false and egregious claims about the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. In particular, there is currently no basis to conclude that:
- (i) The COVID-19 and HIV viruses could combine and become another air-borne virus; and
- (ii) Omicron is vaccine-resistant, and vaccines are totally useless against it.
Here are the facts:
- Fact #1: The COVID-19 and HIV viruses cannot combine and become another virus which has the characteristics of the HIV and COVID-19 viruses.
- Fact #2: The COVID-19 and HIV viruses cannot combine in a fully vaccinated patient to become an airborne HIV virus which is vaccine resistant.
- Fact #3: The Omicron variant is not a combination of the HIV and COVID-19 viruses.
- Fact #4: There is no evidence to suggest that the currently available COVID-19 vaccines are totally useless against the Omicron variant.
Goh Meng Seng Served with 3rd POFMA Correction Direction This Year for Claims About Omicron
On 27 Nov, People’s Power Party chief, Goh Meng Seng posted a 44-minute video on Facebook containing false claims about the Omicron variant.
Some of the false claims that he mentioned in the videos are:
- The Omicron variant is vaccine-resistant and vaccines are useless against it
- COVID-19 and HIV could combine and become another air-borne virus
The Ministry of Health (MOH) was not having any of his shenanigans and decided to release the facts so that the public do not get misled.
Two issued Pofma correction direction after sharing vaccine misinformation
MOH said that Covid-19 vaccines approved for use here have been assessed to be safe and effective by reputable health and scientific agencies worldwide. PHOTO: ST FILE
Two men have been issued correction directions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) for sharing misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines.
They are local author Cheah Kit Sun - who wrote a blog post in October titled Do Not Participate In A Society That Rejects You - and opposition party chief Goh Meng Seng, who shared the post.
Each will have to publish correction notices at the top of each webpage or social media post containing the false statements.
POFMA correction directions issued to Cheah Kit Sun, Goh Meng Seng over COVID-19 vaccine falsehoods
The COVID-19 vaccine being administered at Kolam Ayer Community Club, Singapore, on Apr 21, 2021. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
Correction directions have been issued to author Cheah Kit Sun and opposition politician Goh Meng Seng over a blog post that "falsely" exaggerates the dangers of COVID-19 vaccines and discourages people from taking them, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday (Nov 29). "It is important to correct these falsehoods, especially given the
ongoing vaccine booster exercise," said the ministry.
Mr Cheah's blog post, titled Do Not Participate in a Society that Rejects You, was published on Oct 20 on various online locations. It was also shared on the Facebook page of Mr Goh, the founder of People's Power Party, on the same day.
The directions, issued under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), require them to carry a correction notice alongside their blog post and social media post.
POFMA Office instructed to issue correction direction to Truth Warriors website for falsehoods on COVID-19 vaccines