SINGAPORE: Police are investigating after the Chua Chu Kang Town Council (CCKTC) lodged a police report about a Chinese national flag displayed at a Housing Board block.
The flag, hung outside the staircase landing between the 11th and 12th floors of 489B, Choa Chu Kang Avenue 5, has since been taken down.
The incident was first shared on Stomp on Monday (Aug 5).
When CNA visited the block on Thursday, there were notices from the police at the doors of some flats on the 12th floor.
The notice, dated 12.27pm on Thursday, calls for the resident to contact the investigating officer, as “police are investigating into a case at your block”.
Residents of the block that spoke to CNA did not see or hear anything suspicious.
Ms Zima Salim, 31, said that she had not known about the incident until Thursday morning. There are no residents from China on the 11th floor, she said
“Why would they do this? They have no reason to. It was probably an act of mischief by a local,” said the housewife.
Some residents on the 12th floor received a police notice dated Aug 8 12.27pm, including the two units that sandwich the staircase landing where the flag was displayed.
Another resident who declined to be named said she first found out about the incident on Tuesday when a fellow resident sent a photo of the flag to the WhatsApp group chat for their block.
“I received the picture on the group chat, and the response from everyone generally was that it was someone doing it to get their two seconds of fame since National Day is coming,” the 10th-floor resident said.
READ: Man charged with burning Singapore flag in Woodlands
Other residents CNA spoke to also said they had not noticed anything out of the ordinary. None of them could confirm when the flag was put up, or who alerted the town council.
The flag was taken down by the town council, right after they were alerted by a resident.
“CCKTC has lodged a police report with regards to the above mentioned incident and shall not comment further since police investigation is underway,” said a spokesman from the town council.
The police confirmed that a report was lodged, and investigations are ongoing.
The National Emblems (Control of Display) Act states that displaying any flag or national emblem that is not that of Singapore in public is considered an offence.
When an emblem is visible to the public in any place where the public has right of way or has access, it is considered as being displayed in public.
Exceptions to the Act include displays of a foreign flag or national emblem by diplomatic representatives of a foreign power to Singapore where authorisation has been granted by the Government, and displays on ships or aircraft.
Those found flouting the rules could be jailed up to six months, fined up to S$500 or both.
