Gan Siow Huang apologises over handshaking incident at Cantonese cultural festival
SINGAPORE – Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang has apologised following a handshaking incident.
A video that recently made its rounds on the internet shows her getting out of a car and being greeted by eight men, including one wearing a red shirt.
She shakes the hand of one man while being greeted by the others.
The man in the red shirt then helps her to close the car door before extending his hands for a handshake.
But Ms Gan shakes the hand of another man she was being introduced to before shaking the hand of the man in the red shirt and those of the others.
Speaking to The Straits Times on June 8, Ms Gan, who is the MP for Marymount SMC, said the incident happened on May 17.
She was attending the inaugural Peck San Theng Cultural Festival at Peck San Theng in Bishan.
The Cantonese cultural festival was organised by Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng, a 155-year-old cultural institution managed by 16 Cantonese clan associations.
Ms Gan said it was her first visit to Peck San Theng, and she was overwhelmed by the group that went to greet her.
'When I got out of the car, I was trying to identify the host of Peck San Theng and shake hands with the host first,' she said.
'I was also a little overwhelmed by the big group that received me when I got out of my car. I sincerely apologise to the man in the red shirt for the delay in shaking hands with him.'
The video has been making the rounds on social media, with one post on TikTok garnering more than 185,000 views just a day after it was posted on June 7.
Many netizens had commented that they felt Ms Gan's actions were arrogant and disrespectful.
Ms Gan said she was thankful for the invite to the festival and the warm welcome, and that she has requested the organiser to convey her apologies to the man in the red shirt as she is currently overseas.
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction
Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
South Korea President Lee's election law violation hearing postponed indefinitely, court says
SEOUL (Reuters) -A Seoul court said on Monday it will indefinitely postpone a trial of President Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating election law in 2022. South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in May, before Lee was elected, that Lee had violated election law by publicly making "false statements" during his 2022 presidential bid, and sent the case back to an appeals court. The Seoul High Court, which had scheduled a hearing for the case on June 18, said on Monday that it will postpone the hearing "to be decided later" without a date, a court spokesperson confirmed. Lee's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The court said its decision to postpone the hearing was due to "Constitution Article 84", without elaborating. South Korea's Constitution, Article 84, says a sitting president is "not subject to criminal prosecution while in office" for most crimes. However, legal experts are divided on whether that applies to ongoing trials that were already prosecuted before a president was elected. The National Court Administration under the Supreme Court gave as its opinion that judges of each court where Lee's trials are being held will have to decide whether to stop or proceed, according to its statement to a lawmaker in May. "The court in charge of hearing the case will determine whether Article 84 of the Constitution should be applied to a criminal defendant who was elected in the presidential election," the statement said. Lee's ruling Democratic Party, which controls parliament, is planning to pass a bill this week which suspends ongoing trials for the incumbent president, local broadcaster KBS reported on Monday. The Constitutional Court may be asked to rule whether the bill is unconstitutional, legal experts have said.
Wall Street Journal
3 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Taiwan Tries to Purge Its Ranks of China Sympathizers
TAIPEI—Taiwan has embarked on a mission to purge any allies of Beijing from its civil service in an escalating battle against China's influence—vetting hundreds of thousands of workers and threatening to revoke the citizenship of those found to be Chinese citizens. For the first time since President Lai Ching-te launched a campaign against what he described as Chinese infiltration in Taiwan, authorities said last week that they were taking action against a teacher who obtained permanent residence status in China, a step short of citizenship.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
South Korea president calls for measures to respond to rising prices
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Monday called for measures to stabilise prices, saying the increasing cost of living is causing "too much pain". The newly elected leader, who has prioritised economic recovery, made the comments at an economy taskforce meeting with officials. "Prices are causing too much pain for the people, so please check the current situation and see if there are any possible measures and report them even before the next meeting," Lee said, referring to higher prices of instant noodles. Prices of chicken and eggs have risen since an outbreak of avian flu in Brazil, a vice finance minister told Lee during the meeting. The government has restricted chicken imports from avian flu-affected areas in Brazil. The left-leaning president has been widely tipped to usher in an era of fiscal expansion to boost cash subsidies and welfare, aiding economic growth albeit by increasing debt supply. Asia's fourth-largest economy contracted in the first three months of the year as exports and consumption stalled amid fear over the impact of U.S. tariffs, fanning expectations interest rate cuts. Lee said he would also discuss an extra budget at the Monday meeting.
