Singaporean Ariffin Iskandar Sha Ali Akbar, the founder of alternative news site Wake Up, Singapore (WUSG), has been fined after pleading guilty to criminal defamation.
Ariffin Iskandar Sha Ali Akbar (left). Source: TODAY via 8world News on Facebook
A fine was also meted out to a woman who falsely claimed that she had suffered a miscarriage at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).
Ariffin, 27, the founder and administrator of WUSG, was fined S$8,000, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Ma Su Nandar Htwe, 28, a Singapore permanent resident from Myanmar, was fined S$10,000.
Both of them had pleaded guilty to one count each of criminal defamation.
The saga started in March 2022, when Ma Su Nandar Htwe sent a message to WUSG’s Instagram.
She said that she had tested positive for Covid-19 while pregnant.
When she arrived at KKH, she alleged that a doctor had told her an ultrasound was not needed as the baby was probably dead due to her profuse bleeding.
Source: Google Maps
She then “expelled” her baby on the hospital bed and blacked out, she claimed.
She also alleged that when she came to, she asked for her baby’s body but was told it had been disposed of.
On March 23 2022, WUSG published the story on its website, titled “‘The baby is probably dead’ – Woman shares a harrowing account of her miscarriage at KKH A&E” without waiting for KKH’s response to its email.
KKH said it found no such record of this case, but deduced that the patient was Ma Su Nandar Htwe.
The hospital noted major discrepancies between what she had said and its medical records, and called her on March 24.
However, she refused to speak much to them, saying her lawyers would contact them. She then ignored further calls from the hospital.
KKH filed a police report over the woman’s allegations.
Subsequently, WUSG removed the story and contacted Ma Su Nandar Htwe.
It was then that she admitted that the story was made up. She had done so as “she wanted drama as she was bored”, according to court documents.
She also claimed that she had sent the story “in the heat of the moment” because she was “agonising over the loss of a previous miscarriage which was handled by KKH”.
However, this was later found to be another falsehood upon investigation.
Ariffin emailed KKH privately and apologised to them, also publishing a retraction on WUSG.
Source: Wake Up, Singapore on Facebook
WUSG subsequently received a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), which Ariffin complied with.
In court on Monday (26 Aug), Ariffin’s lawyer noted his very early plea of guilt and his cooperation with the police, leaving the fine amount to the court to decide in a show of remorse.
Ma Su Nandar Htwe’s lawyer, on the other hand, said she was likely suffering from perinatal depression.
She had tested positive for Covid-19 while pregnant and had a “frustrating” experience at KKH, the lawyer added.
She had also previously read an article about another pregnant woman who suffered a miscarriage after waiting two hours at the National University Hospital, and was “traumatised”, according to the lawyer.
The only part of her story that wasn’t fabricated was that she was pregnant when she visited KKH on Feb 28 2022, the court heard. She had wanted to seek treatment for Covid-19 and abdominal pains.
She was discharged that same day in good health. Her baby was safely born in July 2022.
In his ruling, the judge said the pair’s actions were “irresponsible”.
The woman’s actions diverted time and resources during the Covid-19 pandemic, producing “lie upon lie”.
Wanting drama as she was bored was also “an utterly frivolous reason”, the judge added.
If she cannot pay her fine, she will be jailed for 25 days instead. For Ariffin, the in-default jail term would be 20 days.
For criminal defamation, they could each have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined.
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Featured image adapted from TODAY via 8world News on Facebook and Google Maps.
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