Earlier this year, the Government passed a law to protect victims of scams by giving police the power to order banks to limit transactions from an individual’s accounts if a scam is suspected.
Last month, the Washington Post reported on how a cyber-scamming syndicate used the financial hub’s stable business environment to legitimise itself, raising concerns about Singapore’s role in enabling a multibillion-dollar industry that has become entrenched in Southeast Asia.
Members and recruiters of scam syndicates will also come under the purview of the law and be subject to caning, if found guilty.
The corporal form of punishment, a remnant of the British colonial era, is not new for the island nation, with about 65 offences punished with mandatory caning, including robbery.
The amendment also removed the mandatory caning penalty from some offences including vandalism, which will now be subject to discretionary caning.
A rattan cane is typically used in the punishment, following a medical examination.
Women, girls and men above the age of 50 are among those exempt from caning penalties.
Rights groups have frequently criticised Singapore’s use of caning as punishment and called upon it to end the practice.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International consider caning a form of torture under international law.
Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.
