\n<\/p>\n
A tourist from England was left puzzled after witnessing what he believed was a “dodgy” transaction in Jalan Besar, prompting him to film the encounter and ask netizens what was going on.<\/p>\n
But while some speculated about what was being exchanged, others told him to mind his own business.<\/p>\n
In a 62-second video shared on Instagram by travel vloggers Ryan and Katie, who run the account rkbackpacking, Ryan describes seeing a woman discreetly slipping money into the hands of a man.<\/p>\n
“Some Asian lady walked up to an Indian man, slid him some money. He walked ahead real shifty-like, palmed it to his mate, and then his mate pulled open a bin and pulled out a little red plastic bag of something,” says Ryan.<\/p>\n
“That is weird. Is that like? Should we ask? What was it? Something dodgy is going down in Singapore…Can someone explain what?” he asks.<\/p>\n
The video shows the woman slipping money to a man, who then walks ahead of her. However, it does not show the handover of money between the men.<\/p>\n
When the video resumes, the woman is seen approaching a public rubbish bin, where another man opens the lid as she stops beside it.<\/p>\n
The red plastic bag Ryan describes is not visible in the video.<\/p>\n
Ryan says he later tried to get a closer look inside the bin, but “all I got was extremely dirty looks”.<\/p>\n
“Surely not a drug deal?” he asks.<\/p>\n
“Surely not,” Katie replies.<\/p>\n
“Can someone please tell me what it is? I’m so curious,” Ryan says as the video ends.<\/p>\n
The video, shared on Oct 9, has racked up more than 259,000 views, 3,700 likes and 315 comments.<\/p>\n
\n‘Completely the opposite of our impression of Singapore’<\/h2>\n
Speaking to Stomp, Ryan said the couple spent three days in Singapore but did not make a police report because they were unsure what they had seen.<\/p>\n
“It could have been anything,” he said.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the encounter surprised them, given Singapore’s reputation for strict laws.<\/p>\n
“It was surprising to see that in Singapore, a country that has a lot of rules and fines for those who break them,” said Ryan. “It was completely the opposite of our impression of Singapore.”<\/p>\n
However, the incident did not dampen their enjoyment of the trip.<\/p>\n
“We had a really good time, more than we expected, actually. And no, we didn’t see anything else after that,” he added.<\/p>\n
Netizens debate the incident and Singapore laws<\/h2>\n
Netizens offered various theories about the transaction, with the most popular suggestion being that the woman had bought contraband cigarettes.<\/p>\n
“The lady bought smuggled cigarettes,” one claimed, adding that they cost about 60 per cent less than duty-paid cigarettes sold in shops.<\/p>\n
Others suggested that the bag could have contained vapes, which are banned in Singapore, or even drugs.<\/p>\n
Several speculated that it could have been Hans Chaap, a type of smokeless chewing tobacco from India that is prohibited in Singapore.<\/p>\n
Some offered less serious suggestions, joking that the woman was buying chewing gum.<\/p>\n
“Chewing [gum] smugglers…lol,” one said in jest.<\/p>\n
Just enjoy your travels: Netizens<\/h2>\n
Not everyone appreciated the couple’s curiosity.<\/p>\n
Several netizens pointed out that they were potentially getting the people in the video into trouble.<\/p>\n
“Mind your own business and enjoy your travels. Not everything you see needs to become content,” one Instagram user commented.<\/p>\n
“Stop snitching, mate,” another said.<\/p>\n
“You were not under threat; there was no reason to show others in a bad light,” a third wrote.<\/p>\n
Another asked: “Just do your stuff man. Are they bothering you?”<\/p>\n
Ryan and Katie defended their decision to share the video.<\/p>\n
“We literally just show what we see, had it not happened in front of us, we wouldn’t have shown it. We are travel vloggers, it’s what we do.”<\/p>\n
Others came to their defence, arguing that they were simply discussing something they had witnessed.<\/p>\n
“Whether they were bothering the vloggers personally isn’t the point. They simply documented something unusual that happened right in front of them while filming their travels,” one said.<\/p>\n
“They didn’t manufacture the situation or claim to know the full story – they showed what they saw and people can draw their own conclusions.”<\/p>\n
Another agreed: “People are acting like they went out looking for drama. They’re travel vloggers, and something unusual happened right in front of them while they were filming. Showing what they genuinely witnessed isn’t the same as deliberately trying to expose someone.”<\/p>\n
Others thanked them for highlighting the incident.<\/p>\n
“Why are people saying MYOB?” one Instagram user asked.<\/p>\n
“Thank you for your video, we welcome all, except those who want to break the rules,” another wrote.<\/p>\n
Stomp has reached out to the police for comment.<\/p>\n
[[nid:741314]]<\/p>\n
This <\/em>article<\/em><\/a> was first published in <\/em>Stomp<\/em><\/a>. Permission required for reproduction.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n