Singaporean charged for threatening violence against LGBT community
Singapore - A Singaporean man was charged Thursday for inciting violence after posting a comment on Facebook saying he wanted to "open fire" on the country's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender(LGBT) community, local media reported.
"I am a Singaporean citizen. I am a NSman. I am a father. And I swore to protect my nation," 36-year-old Bryan Lim wrote on June 4, using an abbreviation for Singapore's compulsory National Service.
"Give me the permission to open fire. I would like to see these @$^*s die for their causes," he wrote on the Facebook page of a group that opposes advocacy for LGBT rights in Singapore.
Lim's bail was set for 10,000 Singapore dollars (7,413 US dollars), Channel News Asia reported.
If convicted he faces up to five years in prison or a fine, or both.
Lim's comments circulated on social media and attracted renewed attention about a week later after a mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, prompting people to lodge police reports against him.
He later said his comments had been "taken out of context."
"I apologise for the misunderstanding," he wrote on Facebook.
"I did not mean physical bullets nor physical death. I mean open fire in debate and remove them from Singapore domestic matters," he added in a separate comment.
He has since deactivated his social media account.
- DPA
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