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SINGAPORE: The police are looking into an article by The Online Citizen (TOC) on Singaporeans allegedly serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to determine if there are any potential criminal offences arising from the statements made in the article.
Mr Terry Xu and the publisher of TOC have also been issued a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a media release on Thursday (Mar 26).
Mr Xu, as well as Taiwan-based Miao Yi Infotech, which publishes TOC, are required to publish correction notices relating to the original articles or posts, with a link to the government’s clarification.
MHA said the Mar 5 article falsely asserted that Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam was deliberately giving incomplete answers to parliamentary queries (PQs) and that Singapore has not taken action against the two alleged Singaporeans due to its ties with Israel.
In its statement, MHA highlighted several factual inaccuracies in TOC's article.
First, the article states that Mr Shanmugam deliberately chose to give incomplete answers to the PQs on the two Singaporeans who allegedly served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict.
It also alleges that the Singapore government had information to act on, including identifying information of the two Singaporeans who allegedly served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict, noting its formal request to Israel.
It also said that the government has identified the two alleged Singaporeans but has chosen not to identify them.
The TOC article also alleged that the government did not take action against the two Singaporeans due to Singapore's diplomatic relations and defence and intelligence ties with Israel.
The article also alleged that a POFMA direction was not issued "in respect of the source" that said two Singaporeans had served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict because the statement was true.
An article published on Feb 11 by the outlet Declassified UK had published data purportedly obtained from the IDF, suggesting that there were two Singapore passport holders among some individuals with two or more nationalities who were serving in the IDF during the Gaza conflict.
FACTS OF THE CASE
Singapore's government does not have any substantiated information so far that any Singaporean has served in the IDF during the Gaza conflict, MHA said.
On Mar 5, Mr Shanmugam answered three PQs in relation to the allegations.
In his replies, he stated that MHA did not have any substantiated information that any Singaporean had served, or is serving, in the IDF.
He also said that the government has approached the Israeli government to seek clarifications on the allegations, but has not received a response.
Thus far, apart from the information published by Declassified UK, the government has no information that any Singaporean had served in the IDF during the conflict in Gaza, said MHA.
The ministry also noted that the article did not provide any particulars or identifying information of the alleged Singaporeans.
"The government has no information on the veracity of these allegations, nor on the identity of these two Singaporeans who had purportedly served in the IDF, and had therefore made a request to the Israeli government for information.
"The government has not received a response from the Israeli government thus far," said MHA.
"It is therefore false to suggest that the minister deliberately chose to give incomplete answers to the PQs. His reply to the PQs was given based on all the information available to him."
It is also false to suggest that the government has specific information beyond the Declassified UK article to act on, or that it is able to identify the two Singaporeans.
MHA also said that without further information, the government is unable to assess whether the Declassified UK article contains any false statements of fact. As a result, no action was taken under POFMA.
"It is therefore false to suggest that the government has not issued directions under the POFMA in respect of the Declassified UK article because these allegations are true.
"Singaporeans found to be fighting or planning to fight in foreign armed conflicts, regardless of the cause or side they are supporting, will be dealt with sternly in accordance with our laws, including under the ISA if they are found to be a threat to our national security," MHA said.
It added that several Singaporeans have been detained or issued with restriction orders on such grounds in the past.
It is false to suggest that the government is not taking action against the two Singaporeans on account of Singapore's ties with Israel, MHA said.
"TOC has a track record of repeatedly communicating falsehoods," MHA said. In July 2025, TOC's website and social media pages were designated as Declared Online Locations for the second time.
This is the 25th correction direction that has been issued to Mr Xu and TOC, MHA noted.
"The public is encouraged to be discerning when engaging with information published on TOC and Heidoh’s platforms," the government said on its Factually website on Mar 26.
A check by CNA showed that by Thursday afternoon, TOC had added the correction notice to the article on its website, along with its Facebook and Instagram pages.
MHA also reiterated that the case involving the father and son who volunteered with Sar-El, an organisation linked to the IDF, is not related to the Declassified UK report.
