The Singaporean woman who had been filming herself unleashing her racist vitriol on non-Chinese train commuters has been charged in court with public nuisance and disturbing racial harmony, local media reports said.
Identified in court as Tan Beow Hiong, the 57-year-old was charged with one count of public nuisance and two counts of committing an act that was prejudicial to racial and religious harmony. This comes more than a month after she was filmed in a viral video antagonizing people on the train, including Malay individuals.
Tan was also ordered two weeks of remand at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric evaluation. She was not legally represented in court but has reportedly requested one through legal aid.
In late April, a Malay man recounted to Coconuts about being harassed by Tan after boarding the train at Jurong East. The incident, which was filmed in a viral video, involved her claiming to be an alumna of the elite Hwa Chong institution while belittling those in front of her.
“Malay is it? OK, no wonder,” she said in the clip. “I will never mix around with you guys because we’re so different.”
From as early as 2016, the woman had been documenting herself purporting to be the target of harassment by non-Chinese individuals in videos uploaded to her now-defunct YouTube channel that was removed from the platform for violating harassment and cyberbullying policies.
In the same week, Tan was fired from realtor Knight Frank, who cited its zero tolerance for hate speech and racism. None of these seemed to stop her from going about with her antics. She was filmed again in a video that circulated in May, telling everyone that she cannot be racist since she doesn’t speak to “Chinese rank-and-file” workers either.
If found guilty, Tan faces up to three years’ jail and a fine.
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