When it comes to laws, there are always some that come as a shocker, but in this specific country, there might be quite a few that will completely take people aback. Travel vlogger Ben Morris flew over to Singapore, a country known for its gorgeous landscapes, thriving economy, and cleanliness. However, what Ben travelled to do was “investigate some of the strangest laws” he had ever heard. Despite visiting the country multiple times, the vlogger shared in his YouTube video titled ‘I Visited the Strictest Country in the World’, that he wasn’t aware of offences that could land people with fines of up to a whopping $100,000 (£77,000) or even the death penalty.
“I’m going to try and take you through all the strange laws in this country without breaking any,” he says. The first official law the vlogger mentioned is jaywalking which is where a person crosses the road outside of a designated crossing or against crossing signals. Breaking the law in Singapore could set you back 50 Singapore Dollars (SGD) which is equivalent to £28.80.
Continuing the video, Ben shared several other illegal actions, including not flushing the toilet. This comes as public spaces remaining clean is a big priority in the country.
“Now, Singapore has one of the best transport systems in the world, and there are two laws you need to know. One of them is pretty crazy. We are going to try and figure out why it makes sense.”
He hopped off the bus at a station to board the MRT, Singapore’s tube, before revealing that eating and drinking on the metro is prohibited. He adds: “And that isn’t just for alcohol. Water is banned too, which I find insane.”
Breaching the law could land people a maximum fine of 500 SGD (£288).
One of the main reasons Singapore is so strict is to maintain its strong reputation of being both safe and clean, which has contributed to the country’s economic success and resulted in it being among the top 10 wealthiest countries in the world.
After sharing more interesting laws, including being illegal to play an instrument in public, drinking alcohol outside between 10:30 pm and 7:00 am, walking around your house naked, singing explicit lyrics and flying a kite.
Towards the end of the video, when Ben made his way to the airport to travel back home, he revealed “the most famous” law in Singapore, which is chewing gum, “you can’t even buy it at the airport”,” he shares
Those who are caught selling or importing chewing gum can get fined up to a staggering 10,000 SGD (around £5760) or two years in prison.
