A woman who fabricated a story about suffering a miscarriage at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and the founder of alternative news site Wake Up, Singapore (WUSG), who published the false account, were both fined by a district court on 26 August.
Ma Su Nandar Htwe, a 28-year-old Myanmar national and Singapore permanent resident, and WUSG’s founder Ariffin Iskandar Sha Ali Akbar, a 27-year-old Singaporean, each pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal defamation.
According to Channel News Asia, Ma Su Nandar Htwe, who admitted to submitting the fake story because she “wanted drama as she was bored”, was fined S$10,000. Ariffin was fined S$8,000 for publishing the story after e-mailing KKH, before the hospital could reply.
The court heard that on 21 March 2022, Ma Su Nandar Htwe sent the false account to WUSG’s Instagram account.
In it, she claimed she tested positive for Covid-19 in February 2022 when she was 20 weeks pregnant and alleged that KKH staff mishandled her case, resulting in a miscarriage. She further claimed that the hospital disposed of the foetus as medical waste without her consent.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Sheldon Lim clarified that all her claims were lies, except for the fact that she was pregnant when she visited KKH on 28 February to seek treatment for Covid-19 and abdominal pains. She was discharged in good health the same day and delivered her son safely on 6 July 2022.
The fabricated story was published on WUSG’s website and social media platforms 20 minutes after Ariffin notified KKH via e-mail. The story, titled “The baby is probably dead – Woman shares harrowing account of her miscarriage at KKH A&E”, was later taken down, but not before it had been picked up by other local news outlets.
KKH conducted its own investigation, uncovering major discrepancies between Ma Su Nandar Htwe’s account and its medical records.
Ma Su Nandar Htwe ignored four calls from the KKH manager and later sent an email accusing the manager of “bombarding” her with calls.
In a subsequent email, she expressed that she did not care what actions KKH took regarding her case but insisted that she no longer wished to communicate with them.
She also criticized the hospital for its staff’s “lack of compassion” and maintained her story, stating: “What happened to me has happened, and I shared my account exactly as I remembered.”
In the meanwhile, Ma Su Nandar Htwe continued to stand by her fabricated story to WUSG, as evidenced by screenshots of private messages between the two, until Ariffin took down the post on 25 March after KKH filed a police report.
Ma Su Nandar Htwe later admitted to Ariffin that her story was untrue, stating that she sent it “in the heat of the moment” due to emotional distress from a previous miscarriage, which was also a false claim.
Ariffin subsequently apologized to KKH and published an article on 26 March explaining that WUSG had been deceived by the woman. He also complied with a correction direction issued under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) by the Ministry of Health.
In court, DPP Lim emphasized that Ma Su Nandar Htwe’s actions were motivated by a desire to “stir up some drama” during a global pandemic. Ariffin’s rush to publish the story compromised journalistic integrity.
District Judge Shawn Ho condemned the pair’s actions as irresponsible, noting that they harmed KKH’s reputation and weakened public trust in Singapore’s healthcare system.
The prosecution sought a fine of S$8,000 to S$9,000 for Ariffin and S$9,000 to S$10,000 for Ma Su Nandar Htwe.
In defense of Ariffin, lawyers Mr Eugene Thuraisingam, Mr Ng Yuan Siang, and Mr Gino Hardial Singh left the quantum to the court “as a show of sincere remorse” by their client. They emphasized Ariffin’s early plea of guilt and the remedial steps he took to cooperate with the police.
Ms Jacintha Gopal from JG Law Chambers, representing Ma Su Nandar Htwe, argued that her client was likely experiencing perinatal depression and was at increased risk of developing pre-eclampsia—conditions associated with depression during and after pregnancy, and high blood pressure during pregnancy.
In sentencing, Judge Ho described the pair’s actions as “irresponsible,” noting that Ma Su Nandar Htwe’s behavior had diverted time and resources during a critical period in Singapore’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that her case involved “lie upon lie” and that seeking drama out of boredom was “an utterly frivolous reason.”
For criminal defamation, offenders can be jailed for up to two years and fined.
If Ma Su Nandar Htwe is unable to pay the fine, she will serve 25 days in jail. The in-default jail term for Ariffin is 20 days.