SINGAPORE: Ma Su Nandar Htwe, a 28-year-old Singapore permanent resident from Myanmar, and Ariffin Iskandar Sha Ali Akbar, founder of the alternative news platform Wake Up Singapore, are slated to plead guilty in a criminal defamation case involving KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).
They stand accused of fabricating and disseminating a false account alleging a miscarriage at KKH.
According to court documents, Ma Su Nandar Htwe messaged Wake Up Singapore’s Instagram account on 21 March 2022, detailing a purported miscarriage at KKH in February 2022.
In the messages, she detailed an allegedly fabricated account of how she suffered a miscarriage at KKH in February 2022, intending that the account be published and harm the reputation of the hospital.
The account was later published in an article, titled “The baby is probably dead – Woman shares a harrowing account of her miscarriage at KKH A&E,” on 23 March 2022, on the website and social media pages of WUSG.
The story alleged that the woman miscarried after a prolonged four-hour wait for COVID-19 treatment and abdominal pain management at KKH’s Accident & Emergency Department on 28 February 2022.
KKH responded by filing a police report two days after the article was published.
Following investigations, Ma Su Nandar Htwe admitted to fabricating the story, prompting Wake Up Singapore to issue a public apology and correction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) in March 2022.
The Ministry of Health confirmed that the alleged incident did not occur after verifying patient records.
Ariffin was then charged in court on 24 April for allegedly publishing the misleading article online that claimed the woman suffered a miscarriage due to mishandling at KKH.
He was given the plea date on 26 August during a court mention on 3 July and is slated to plead guilty.
Ma Su Nandar Htwe was charged on 6 May and slated to enter her guilty plea on the same day as Ariffin.
The penalties for criminal defamation in Singapore include a maximum jail term of two years, a fine, or both.
In May, 46 organisations and individuals in Singapore’s civil society issued a joint statement to condemn the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC)’s decision to charge Ariffin with criminal defamation over the story.
The joint statement expressed deep concern over Ariffin’s subjected to multiple rounds of investigations, culminating in what was deemed as a disproportionately punitive measure.
The statement noted that the hallmark of a healthy media environment is one where peers in the media have ownership over best practices, proactively address mistakes, and publications are able to self-correct, demonstrating transparency and accountability when there are lapses, without state intervention.
The group acknowledged that upon recognizing their error, WUSG promptly retracted the story, issued an unreserved apology, and provided a comprehensive and transparent account of the incident.
While committed to responsibly serving Singaporean communities and readers, they lamented their stretched resources and the unequal playing field they must navigate.
Expressing concern over the loss of several independent media voices in recent years, they emphasized the critical need to preserve independent voices that challenge dominant narratives and expose uncomfortable truths.