Singapore polytechnic to fire lecturer for his racist remarks against Indian-Chinese descent couple

According to media reports, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) in Singapore said it is planning to fire the senior lecturer who was recorded making racist remarks against an Indian-Chinese descent couple.

Tan is seen arguing with 23-year-old Dave Parkash, a Singaporean who is half-Indian and half-Filipino, about dating a woman who is half-Chinese and half-Thai.
Tan Boon Lee (left) arguing with 23-year-old Dave Parkash, a Singaporean who is half-Indian and half-Filipino, about dating a woman who is half-Chinese and half-Thai. Photo courtesy: Facebook/Dave Parkash

The polytechnic said it is in the process of sacking senior lecturer Tan Boon Lee for serious misconduct after a video posted on June 6 of Tan making racist remarks to an interracial couple in Orchard Road went viral online.

In the video, Tan is seen arguing with 23-year-old Dave Parkash, a Singaporean who is half-Indian and half-Filipino, about dating a woman who is half-Chinese and half-Thai.

He also accused Parkash of being racist for not "marrying" an Indian girl and claimed that "Indians prey on Chinese girls".

In a related incident, NP (polytechnic) alumna Nurul Fatimah Iskandar in an Instagram post three days later alleged that Tan had made Islamophobic comments in a class in 2017.

The polytechnic said it decided to sack Tan after completing its internal investigations into both incidents. It has charged the lecturer at the School of Engineering with a serious breach of its staff code of conduct, and "is proceeding to terminate his service".

The Singapore Police are investigating both incidents.