Did Nus Get What He Deserve
Did NUS student get what he deserved for online rant?
Debate rages over whether punishment for Sun Xu was adequate
Published on Mar 30, 2012
FIRST, they wanted him punished.
But now that the National University of Singapore (NUS) has meted out the punishment to the foreign student who made derogatory comments about Singaporeans, the debate has turned to whether justice has been done.
Earlier this week, Mr Sun Xu was given an official reprimand, a $3,000 fine, and an order to do three months of community service before he can graduate.
The Chinese national's misdemeanour: He ranted on a blog post last month that there were 'more dogs than humans' in Singapore.
Some are demanding his expulsion, because of Mr Sun's status as a Ministry of Education scholarship holder and the behaviour expected of such individuals.
'It's too light. I'd have sent him home and taken away the scholarship,' said Ms Paramita Bandara, a retired principal and an educator for close to four decades.
'The punishment was a drop in the ocean. It should have been a deterrent, make it so drastic that people are warned.'
Many in the online community have also been asking for his pound of flesh.
'When other people make racist remarks, they may be liable for jail terms,' wrote Mr Sebastian Ng on a Facebook page titled 'NUS should revoke Sun Xu's scholarship'.
Those in this camp also point to last year's case involving Chinese national Wang Peng Fei.
The then 24-year-old was expelled from the private school East Asia Institute of Management for mocking Singaporeans in a four-minute video, and making racist comments against a minority ethnic group.
But some like Tampines Junior College principal Helen Choo felt Mr Sun's punishment was just. 'The school has sent a strong signal showing students that they have to be careful about what they say at all times,' she said.
Some netizens feel the same way.
Mr Ahmad Anis posted on Facebook: 'Just let him off already... we all make mistakes.'
Debate rages over whether punishment for Sun Xu was adequate
Published on Mar 30, 2012
FIRST, they wanted him punished.
But now that the National University of Singapore (NUS) has meted out the punishment to the foreign student who made derogatory comments about Singaporeans, the debate has turned to whether justice has been done.
Earlier this week, Mr Sun Xu was given an official reprimand, a $3,000 fine, and an order to do three months of community service before he can graduate.
The Chinese national's misdemeanour: He ranted on a blog post last month that there were 'more dogs than humans' in Singapore.
Some are demanding his expulsion, because of Mr Sun's status as a Ministry of Education scholarship holder and the behaviour expected of such individuals.
'It's too light. I'd have sent him home and taken away the scholarship,' said Ms Paramita Bandara, a retired principal and an educator for close to four decades.
'The punishment was a drop in the ocean. It should have been a deterrent, make it so drastic that people are warned.'
Many in the online community have also been asking for his pound of flesh.
'When other people make racist remarks, they may be liable for jail terms,' wrote Mr Sebastian Ng on a Facebook page titled 'NUS should revoke Sun Xu's scholarship'.
Those in this camp also point to last year's case involving Chinese national Wang Peng Fei.
The then 24-year-old was expelled from the private school East Asia Institute of Management for mocking Singaporeans in a four-minute video, and making racist comments against a minority ethnic group.
But some like Tampines Junior College principal Helen Choo felt Mr Sun's punishment was just. 'The school has sent a strong signal showing students that they have to be careful about what they say at all times,' she said.
Some netizens feel the same way.
Mr Ahmad Anis posted on Facebook: 'Just let him off already... we all make mistakes.'