Singapore – The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has issued a POFMA (Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act) correction direction to Singapore Incidents for uploading a misleading video on social media showing a large number of travellers from South Asia arriving at Changi Airport.

MOT has instructed the POFMA Office to issue a correction direction to Singapore Incidents concerning its Facebook and Instagram posts on May 5, 2021, both of which contained the video, said MOT in a news release on Friday (May 7).

Singapore Incidents will be required to carry a correction notice on its Facebook and Instagram pages stating that the posts contain falsehoods.

On May 5, Singapore Incidents uploaded a video on its Facebook page, which showed a group of travellers from South Asia arriving at Changi Airport Terminal 1.

The video contained a watermark with the date “May 5” and the location as Changi Airport. The same video was also published on its Instagram page.

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The information in the video is false, said MOT.

The video showed passengers arriving at the airport and a clock indicating the time was 2:53 pm.

There were no flights from South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) that arrived at any terminal in Changi Airport between 8 am and 3:30 pm on May 5, said MOT.

“In the video, passengers were seen walking past a renovation hoarding at gate hold rooms D42/43 in Terminal 1. This hoarding was removed on Apr 5, 2021, establishing that the video was taken before Apr 5.

The news release noted that beginning Apr 24, all long-term visit pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to India are not allowed entry into or transit through Singapore.

From May 2, the border control measure was extended to all long-term visit pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

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“While there are still passenger flights arriving in Singapore from South Asia, these flights carry primarily returning Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents, cargo, or fly in empty to pick up passengers in Singapore who are returning to South Asia,” MOT clarified.

On May 5, five passenger flights arrived in Singapore from South Asia, carrying 50 passengers in total, all of whom were returning Singapore citizens or Permanent Residents.

“All passengers arriving on these flights from the above-mentioned countries are currently subject to stringent border control and health measures. At Changi Airport, these passengers are escorted through the airport, separate from other passengers arriving from other countries,” said MOT.

The correction notice has been posted by Singapore Incidents on its Facebook and Instagram./TISG

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ByHana O