While Singapore is one of the safest and cleanest places in Asia and often a highlight for families traveling with young children, they also have some very strange and very specific laws that could get you in trouble if you don`t know them. There are strict laws regarding short-term housing rentals. Much of Singapore`s cleanliness comes from its strict rules that apply this standard. While laws against litter, jaywalking, and graffiti aren`t uncommon, Singapore is almost certainly the only place in the world that has specific laws against flushing public toilets or urinating in elevators. If you are caught leaving an „uncleaned” toilet, you risk a $150 fine. Many elevators in Singapore are equipped with urine detection devices that trigger an alarm when the smell of urine is detected and keep the doors closed until a police officer arrives. Singapore`s anti-spitting laws were enacted in part to help the city-state reduce tuberculosis, as sputum was believed to contribute to the spread of the disease. Wayne Arnold wrote in the New York Times: „Spitting, supposedly supporting the spread of tuberculosis, has been banned here since British colonialists tried in vain to remove what Chinese immigrants once considered as natural as breathing. Chinese immigrants believed that it was unhealthy to keep mucus in their throats and that spitting could ward off bad luck or reluctance. Spittoons were common in Singapore, and in his memoirs, Lee Kuan Yew, a former prime minister and statesman, recalled how the government struggled to eliminate the practice after independence.
In 1984, the government began to make great efforts to eliminate sputum. After warning that it would begin enforcing anti-spitting laws, the government fined 128 people for spitting that first year and another 139 in 1985, up from just 1 in 1983. [Source: Wayne Arnold, New York Times, June 11, 2003] A campaign against sputum was relaunched in the early 2000s to combat SARS, which was spread by droplets from the nose and mouth. Then. Eleven men accused of spitting in public were placed in front of the camera and fined $300 each. In addition to throwing cigarette butts on the street, spitting is banned in Singapore. As with similar prohibitions, these laws apply to maintain Singapore`s reputation for cleanliness. „There is still a lot of work to be done to rebuild the Singapore market.” It`s been so long since I chewed it, I don`t really want to,” said Alex Ang, a 28-year-old graphic designer. „Why start now?” Wrigley is planning a print and poster marketing campaign to refamiliar Singaporeans with chewing gum and tell them what they need to do to get it. This requires more negotiations and failed footwork.
All medical device advertisements must be approved by the Health Sciences Authority. In-store ads are limited to pharmacists` counters, an HSA spokeswoman said. The country`s garbage laws date back to 1968, when its authoritarian prime minister tried to impose mass politeness on his country with a „Keep Singapore Clean” campaign. Laws became stricter in 1987, with higher minimum penalties, and again in 1992 with the work order program, in which violators pick up garbage without payment or face a $5,000 fine. „The work needs to be done to the public`s brim, otherwise the deterrent effect would be lost,” says Maggie, a customer service representative at the country`s National Environmental Protection Agency. ^~^ Some of them affect extremely common human habits, like chewing gum and being naked in your own home! To make sure you don`t end up in hot water, here are some of the most important laws in Singapore that you should know before you go, and a guide on what not to do in Singapore. Probably the best known of the laws is Singapore`s chewing gum law. Chewing gum is completely banned in Singapore. This includes selling chewing gum, importing or bringing chewing gum to Singapore, and spitting it is the worst crime of all. Unlike the strange laws of other countries, some laws are enforced with extremely harsh and often bizarre penalties. Singapore is also different from the United States, where sanctions are set by a judge: the violation of certain laws in Singapore may be accompanied by binding decisions that always involve blows with sticks. „The Singaporean authorities are tentatively trying to get rid of some of the social constraints that have given the city-state an international reputation for eccentric conservatism.
The ban on bar dancing, bungee jumping and the sale of the women`s magazine Cosmopolitan was lifted this year. But Playboy is still banned and although chewing gum is soon going on sale here after a long-standing ban, it can only be sold strictly on a doctor`s prescription. [Ibid.] The government insists that all these groups work well together. State policies actively promote cooperation and „ethnic harmony,” but some say the government`s methods go too far. Racist rhetoric is prohibited, but laws are often used to repress people who criticize the government`s authority. That is why Reporters Without Borders ranked Singapore a dismal 140th out of 167 in its 2006 World Press Freedom Index. Many of Singapore`s laws come with hefty fines: failure to flush public toilets ($100); Spitting or smoking in public places ($300); Eating or drinking on the subway ($300); litter ($600); Sale of chewing gum ($1600). The government cracked down on chewing gum after vandals began sticking bundles on elevator buttons and subway car doors. Elevators in apartment buildings are even equipped with urine detectors that, when activated, take the image of the offender and lock the door until the police arrive. The fine is $1200. Some of those arrested have again appealed to the courts with habeas corpus petitions. They demanded that the government make formal charges or release them.
The courts ordered them to leave, but once they were released, the government arrested them again. The last „Marxist conspirators” were not released from prison until June 1990; They are limited in their freedom of movement, freedom of expression and freedom of association with others. Just a warning: We absolutely love Singapore and know that MANY countries have crazy laws that may not make much sense to international travelers. For example, did you know that it is illegal to own more than 50 kilos of potatoes in Western Australia? These are just a few observations that we think would be useful to other travellers. Singapore is often associated with cleanliness and safety. On the other hand, many share the view that law enforcement in the country can be a bit cumbersome when it comes to maintaining these standards. It is true that there are a number of laws specific to Singapore, some of which are strictly enforced, with prison sentences, fines and even caning. Here we take a look at Singapore`s unique but misunderstood laws.. .
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