With gum chewing, though, youre chewing just to chew. Make sure to bring them with you on your vacation to this Asian nation. Frequent sips of water can be equally effective. These two incidents led to train disruptions with passengers having to disembark before the train could move again.3 The careless disposal of used chewing gum was also creating cleaning problems in public areas such as cinemas and housing estates.4 The problems created by chewing gum litter had been identified as early as 1983 and brought up by then Foreign Affairs and Culture Minister S. Dhanabalan.5 In that year, it was reported that the Housing and Development Board (HDB) allocated S$150,000 annually to clean up the mess created by chewing gum litter.6. Earlier this year, two menvisiting the country also faced prison time and caning for painting graffiti on a public train. Lee Kuan Yew, who died on Monday at the age of 91, is famed as the man who turned Singapore from a small port into a global trading hub. No laws or ill conceived laws can create chaos. The punishment for smuggling gum into the country is a year in jail and a $5,500 fine. The caning, which Fay estimated took one minute, left a "few streaks of blood" running down his buttocks, and seven weeks later, left three dark-brown scar patches on his right buttock and four lines each about half-an-inch wide on his left buttock. Many people are curious as to why this is the case. If youre caught singing or uttering songs that have either obscene lyrics or obsceneballads in any public place, youll face a punishment of imprisonment for up to three months, a fine, or even both. Cleveland Clinic 1995-2023. World Fact Checked What is the Penalty for Chewing Gum in Singapore? Ethical behavior is rewarded with a fascinating city-island-country to explore. Ministry Acts against 5 Stores for Selling Gum, Case Backs Ban on Chewing Gum for Good of the Environment, Better to Educate Public Than Deprive Young of Simple Pleasure, Few Chewing Gum Litter Cases Now, Thanks to Ban. With such high costs to drive, the penalties for committing a drinking and driving offence in Singapore, is equally extremely high and offers zero tollerence. "If you can't think because you can't chew, try a banana. At a security summit, General Li Shangfu said "some countries" were intensifying an arms race in Asia. "We joke about these policies we Singaporeans describe Singapore as a 'fine city' - a tongue-in-cheek reference to the many fines that can be imposed for various types of social misconduct," says Eugene Tan, an associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University. After Singapore launched the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) that revolutionized transportation and modernized the city, gum stuck on train door sensors resulted in whole system malfunctioning and led to disturbances and delay in train services. The effect of the original ban was immediate. According to the Central Narcotics Bureau, cannabis is a class A drug listed in the Misuse of Drugs Act. Shutterstock. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. You can also purchase medical or dental gum that you obtain from a pharmacy with a prescription. 15 Best Yoga Studios in Singapore For Your Inner Yogi, Online Visa For Singapore - A Guide To A Hassle-Free E-Visa Process, 16 Festivals in Singapore: Experience the Multi-Ethnic Culture, Nightlife in Singapore - 14 Best Things to Do at Night, 35 Cafes in Singapore for An Exotic Caffeine Fix, 27 Must-Try Street Food of Singapore - What & Where to Eat, 15 Malls in Singapore for an Ultimate Shopping Experience, Cycling in Singapore - 15 Best Cycling Tracks & Rentals in Singapore, 10 Best Places for Shopping in Singapore - The Complete Guide, Everything You Need to Know About Renting a Car in Singapore, 20 Romantic Places in Singapore for Couples, Hostels In Singapore For A Pocket-Friendly Stay, Best Resorts in Singapore for an Incredible Vacation, Best and Most Unique Boutique Hotels in Singapore, Best Luxury Resorts In Singapore for an Amazing Vacation, Best Hotels In Singapore With Infinity Pool, Best Hotels In Singapore With Rooftop Pools for an Evening Dip, Best Resorts In Singapore With Private Pool for an Evening Swim, Hotels Near National University of Singapore, Best Pet Friendly Hotels In Singapore for You and Your Pooch. Smoking is currently banned in restaurants, cinemas and other indoor public spaces. In comparison, in New York City in 2012, a city with 1.5 times the population, the NYPD reported a total 7,886 littering and 1,979 jaywalking offenses. Four pre-school children stabbed in French playground, Worst air in years hits Washington DC and Philadelphia, El Nio planet-warming weather phase has begun, Catching the men who sell subway train groping videos, Maps and images show scale of Ukraine dam floods, Misogyny helped jail a mother. Yap Kwok Kee, Better to Educate Public Than Deprive Young of Simple Pleasure,Straits Times, 6 January 1992, 28. "He woke up in the morning and said, 'How can I make it better today?'". Chewing gum can cause serious problems with your jaw and teeth. The penalty is up to two years in prison but this is rarely prosecuted. The police are able to force both residents and non-residents to submit to random drug testing. Around the world, nudity in public is illegal, but in many countries it is not only accepted but promoted, with beaches, colonies, and camps designed to allow like minded and free spirited people to meet and greet "au naturel". Homosexuality is technically illegal in Singapore. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Do you grab a piece of gum when your mouth feels dry? Prime Minister Lee Kuan YewAccording to Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the Ministers of National Development approached him with the idea in 1980. And while first time offenders are fined between $1,000 and $5,000 and can lose their drivers licenses for one to three years, repeat offenders face fines up to $10,000 and jail time. As a child, Fay's parents divorced. [3], In September 1993, 67 cars were vandalized in various neighborhoods of Singapore. We've compiled a brief guide to the rules you must abide by next time you're in Singapore. Dentists consider gum chewing to be parafunctional, or outside of normal function. Beyond marijuana, chemical drugs face even more severe penalties, including a possible death sentence. It is illegal to import or sell gum in the country. When you chew gum in a professional workplace you lose credibility. This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and in Singapore. [11] The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times ran editorials and op-eds condemning the punishment. This not only interrupted the service of the MRT trains, but was extremely costly to repair. Whenever you go to a popular bus stop or any public place like a park in USA, it is always full of dried bubble gum stains. Don't even look under the table at a restaurant. So, in January of 1992, Singaporean law adopted a new ban on chewing gum. You shouldnt litter in any country and it isnt uncommon for littering to be against the law, but in Singapore, youll find yourself paying a $1,000 fine for it. Thus, even such innocuous activity as chewing gum is harshly penalized because of the perceived blight on the city. The Automobile Association of Singapore reports that drunk drivers cars will be towed if they are found guilty of being over the legal limit and the owners will also have to pay for the vehicle towing costs. Plate, who has visited Singapore more than a dozen times, has never had any problem complying with the law, though he says his Berkeley-educated wife was tempted to walk on the grass. Science freed her, What to do with the bodies of those killed in Sudan, Why this teen says he was rejected by top US colleges, The only place in the world selling lab-grown meat, Why it took 42 years to convict a 90-year-old in India, Tech Decoded: The latest news direct to your inbox, Tech Decoded is the BBC's international technology newsletter, bringing you the latest twice a week, Why the city that never sleeps is slowly sinking. So someday maybe all bans on chewing gum will be lifted in Singapore. In certain cases, if the amount of the drug is high enough, the punishment can even be a death penalty. Singapore takes smoking very seriously, and fines for this offence can be astronomical. 12-Year Chewing Gum Ban Partially Lifted, Today, 17 March 2004, 10. [4], Fay was one of these students. Nathan, Few Chewing Gum Litter Cases Now.18. Usually, you chew to break food into smaller pieces that you can swallow. It went down from 525 cases per day prior to the 1992 ban to two cases per day in February 1993.15 Town councils reported a drastic reduction in chewing gum littering on pavements, lift floors and public benches. It's sad because most of the time there is a trash can right there, but people are ignorant and don't use it. He noted that a prison officer guided him through the ordeal saying: "OK Michael, three left; OK Michael, two left; OK one more, you're almost done." You will get fined if you are caught irresponsibly disposing of gum. I still remember eating chewing gum after I was born in the late 90s. [23] He gave several television interviews, including one with his American lawyer on CNN with Larry King on June 29, 1994, in which he admitted taking road signs but denied vandalizing cars. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. That and caning, as a form of punishment. About why is chewing gum banned in singapore. On March 3, the day the sentence was passed, Charg d'Affaires Ralph Boyce at the United States Embassy in Singapore had also said that the punishment was too severe for the offence. Banning Chewing Gum to KeepSingapore CleanA city obsessed with cleanliness,the sole reason for introducing the Singapore chewing gum ban was to keep the city clean. It is widely thought that gum chewing is illegal in Singapore; however, this is not the case. Train doors went about their business unimpeded. Read about our approach to external linking. The ban on chewing gum in Singapore outlawed import, sale, and manufacture of chewing gum. This means you can't sell it or anything. Singapore is infamous for its extreme punishments against seemingly minor infractions, like gum-chewing and graffiti, and for harsh penalties like caning and mandatory capital punishment for . [5] Fay later claimed that he had been intimidated and threatened during a police interrogation,[1] and maintained that he had been advised such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalized any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing signs. This caused a temporary strain in relations between Singapore and the United States.[1]. But, that is not the path we choose". After his release from prison in June 1994, Fay returned to the United States to live with his biological father. The Singapore chewing gum lawis among the most well-known laws in the world and has attracted a lot of international media attention. But by the 1950s, dentists realized that the added sugar caused tooth decay. In 1992, after years of vandalism in elevators, mailboxes, and on sidewalks, the government of Singapore decreed all gum illegal to stem the amount of sticky stuff on elevator buttons and on stair railings. Within a few months, chewing gum more or less disappeared from Singapore. The ban on chewing gum in Singapore was implemented by the new Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong, in January of 1992. To deal with the problems caused by chewing gum, the government had instructed the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (now known as MediaCorp) to stop running advertisements that promoted chewing gum. (From NewspaperSG), , 11 January 1992, 25. Importation of chewing gums into the country, even if it is not for trading, is illegal. The same can be said for the items in Singapore law that enforce and ensure the spic and span public spaces. Good for Singapore. For the second and subsequent convictions, they could be fined up to S$20,000 and or jailed for up to two years.8 Two weeks after the ban, ENV officers had issued more than 2,000 notices to store owners to stop their display of chewing gum.9 Within those two weeks, the ENV had also confiscated more than five million packets of chewing gum, worth a market value of S$900,000. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. North American and European locales are seeing increasing tolerance toward marijuana, with decriminalization and medicinal permits becoming part of the norm, and recreational use permitted in Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon. Known to be progressive in many ways, Singapore is a world leader in education, technology and industry. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Eventually, as your tooth decays, it may require a root canal to save it. When Singapore became independent in 1965 it was a tiny country with few resources, so Lee, the country's first prime minister, hatched a survival plan. Singapore Statutes Online states chewing gum penalty fines for first-time convictions may range up to $100,000, a prison sentence of up to two years, or both. We want to prevent any accidents and make sure that everyone can enjoy a pleasant ride. The punishment for gay sex in Singapore is a two-year jail term. You can get a fine of up to $5,000 if you happen to be flying a kite or "playing any game" that gets in the way of traffic in any public road. Caning is a form of corporal punishment where the convicted person is whipped on the bare skin with a cane comprised of rattan. Is Amazon actually giving you a competitive price? I'm a dentist and I have to scrape gum off the walkway to my office regularly. For some drug offenses, there is mandatory death penalty. "But the result is that we are today better behaved and we live in a more agreeable place than 30 years ago.". The total ban of chewing gum was lifted partially in March 2004. , 31 December 1991, 1. Betel chewing was known in the colonial days as betel-nut chewing. Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do to improve your health. [25][26][27] He was subsequently admitted to the Hazelden rehabilitation program for butane abuse. It was a big circle in the middle of the school where you would be sent for punishment. He was naked except for a protective rubber pad fixed to his back. International Driving License in Singapore - How to Get an International Driving Permit? Chewing gum litter also did not jam lift doors.16 Bedok Town Council also reported savings in cleaning costs while City Centre Town Council saved by dropping the idea of buying a high-pressure water jet to clean off chewing gum stains.17Dental chewing gum allowedThe total ban of chewing gum was lifted partially in March 2004.18 The United States government had made the sale of dental chewing gums one of the issues during negotiations for a free trade agreement between Singapore and the United States.19 AuthorsSharon Teng & Timothy PweeReferences1. [5], Following Fay's sentence, the case received coverage by the American, Singaporean and international media. This is when the chewing gum ban in Singapore was officially enforced. Sentosa Island The same can be said for the items in Singapore ; however, is. Even such innocuous activity as chewing gum sex in Singapore law that enforce and ensure the spic span!, 10 was born in the middle of the school where you be! 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