Singapore invokes foreign interference law against naturalised citizen

SINGAPORE -- Singapore has designated a 59-year-old businessman as a "politically significant person" under a law on foreign interference that is being used for the first time. The man, Chan Man Ping Philip, is a Singapore citizen who was born in Hong Kong. He is the first person to be dealt with under the foreign interference law that came into force in July 2022. Chan retains ties with Hong Kong as the president of the Hong Kong Singapore Business Association. "These transparency requirements would help to detect and prevent any foreign interference directed towards a political end in Singapore," said the home affairs ministry.