BEIJING (SCMP): A Chinese resident in Singapore has told how her visiting father was fined S$300 (US$220) for spitting in public, but instead of showing sympathy mainland online observers cheered the punishment.
On Jan 14, the woman who was looking for work in Singapore, said on RedNote that Singapore “really did” fine people spitting in public.
She said her father was slapped with a S$300 fine for spitting in a manhole.
An officer from the National Environment Agency (NEA) spotted him in the act and gave him a ticket.
She said it was her father’s first such offence, and warned her audience not to “try to appeal to the NEA because they will simply reject you”.
If her father fails to pay the fine by Feb 10, he will face an appearance in court and could face a maximum fine of between S$2,000 and S$10,000 (US$1,500 and US$7,000).
Failure to attend the court will lead to arrest and imprisonment for up to two months on top of the penalty.
“It is a nice law. Do not break it again! Let’s protect the public environment and guard our wallets!” the woman said.
She added that people should spit in a tissue before throwing it away in a rubbish bin.
Her post received support for law enforcers in Singapore.
“Nice punishment. It is not hygienic to spit in a public place,” an online observer from Malaysia said.
“They should be fined S$3,000 (US$2,000),” another from Thailand said.
A third suggested that China also impose a penalties on public spitters: “I saw people spitting all over the public space in China,” she said.
Another based in Singapore said many Chinese tourists were fined S$1,000 (US$730) for smoking in non-smoking areas when Singapore first allowed Chinese tourists to enter the country without visa for 30 days in February 2024.
Many posts circulated on RedNote warning Chinese tourists to behave and “not act like they were in China”.
The posts noted that common small offences in China which have no consequences, such as jaywalking and being seen naked at home, would face huge fines in Singapore.
The Beijing News reported that public spitting is banned in some cities.
Shanghai was reported to have raised the fine for public spitting to 200 yuan (US$27) in 2003, and Beijing reinforced punishment on public spitters around 2008 to improve its international image during the Olympics.
Researchers from China’s Renmin University found that the number of public spitters reduced from 84 to five in 1,000 from 2005 to 2008.
However, public spitting was still commonly seen in Chinese public areas even after the Covid-19 pandemic. - South China Morning Post
