Vivian Balakrishnan denies liking controversial Gaza post

Calvin Cheng, a former NMP, faced backlash after suggesting he would sponsor pro-Palestinian activists to relocate to Gaza, provided they never return to Singapore. His controversial remarks, made in a Facebook post on March 13, drew public outrage, leading to police reports and threats of legal action. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan later clarified that he did not 'like' Cheng's post, attributing the action to unauthorized activity on his Facebook account, and has since improved his account's security. Minister K Shanmugam also distanced himself from Cheng's views, reaffirming his stance that Israel's actions are illegal and harmful to Palestinians. The situation intensified when media scrutiny revealed that Channel News Asia had altered a report on Balakrishnan's Facebook incident, raising questions about journalistic integrity. Both Balakrishnan and Minister Masagos expressed their disapproval of Cheng's comments, emphasizing the need for compassion towards innocent civilians affected by the conflict.