Singapore: Govt names university professor as foreign ‘agent’

Singapore’s Immigration Ministry has revoked the permanent residency and permanently banned two United States citizens after one was deemed to be “agent” of foreign interests.

Professor Huang Jing, the director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Lee Foundation Professor on US-China Relations at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) was identified by authorities as “an agent of influence of a foreign country” on Friday.

The LKYSPP is a leading public policy school located at the National University of Singapore (NUS) – ranked second in Asia and the 15^th best university in the world according to the 2018 QS World University Rankings.

NUS said it had suspended Huang without pay while it works with the Singaporean government.

Huang Jing is said to have “knowingly interacted with intelligence organisations and agents of the foreign country.” Source: YouTube

A statement released by the Home Affairs Ministry announced Huang and his wife had been declared “prohibited immigrants” after the man “knowingly interacted with intelligence organisations and agents of the foreign country.”

Huang is said to have “co-operated with them to influence the Singaporean government’s foreign policy and public opinion in Singapore.” The government declined to provide further detail.

The Straits Times reported on Sunday Huang Jing had also resigned as an independent director of Keppel Land – a multinational construction company and one of Singapore’s largest conglomerates.

“Huang used his senior position in the LKYSPP to deliberately and covertly advance the agenda of a foreign country at Singapore’s expense.  He did this in collaboration with foreign intelligence agents,” continued the ministry.

“This amounts to subversion and foreign interference in Singapore’s domestic politics.

Huang’s continued presence in Singapore, and that of his wife, are therefore undesirable.”

According to the Singaporean government, Huang’s “clear intention” was to “use the information to cause the Singaporean government to change its foreign policy.”

“Huang’s wife, Yang, was aware Huang was acting through his position at the LKYSPP to advance the agenda of a foreign country,” the Home Affairs Ministry said.

The academic’s professional page on the LKYSPP website has been deleted.

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