Chinese cab driver in Singapore penalised abusing at woman, daughter assuming them to be Indians

After he yelled racist insults at a woman and her daughter, believing them to be Indians, a taxi driver of Chinese descent was fined and banned from the firm for life. The woman shared the incident on social media in September, bringing attention to the problem.

The driver was heard saying, “You are India(n), I’m Chinese… You are the very worst kind”.

According to media reports that surfaced on Tuesday, Peh Boon Hua, 54, was fined on December 13 after entering a guilty plea to one count of using derogatory language that caused distress under the Protection from Harassment Act. According to court filings, Peh got into a fight with Janelle Hoeden after she couldn’t find where she was supposed to drop off her nine-year-old daughter.

TADA, one of Singapore’s phone cab companies, claims that Peh has been permanently banned from serving as a driver for the company. The driver was previously suspended by TADA following the appearance of videos of the altercation on social media.

“The driver’s remarks that insinuated racial differences are completely unacceptable within TADA’S community guidelines and ethos,” added the statement.

Hoeden, a 46-year-old woman of Eurasian descent, used social media to share her story. She claimed that the ride began normally and that she was chatting to her child when the driver abruptly became irate, claiming that a portion of the road was blocked because an MRT line was being built near the Pasir Ris housing area.

“He started shouting at me, saying that I gave him the wrong address and wrong directions,” her post read. The driver was also seen accusing her daughter of being less than 1.35 metres tall and called her “very illegal”.

The driver shouted at the woman while driving, “You are India(n), I’m Chinese…You are the very worst kind…” Hoeden corrected the driver, saying: “I am Singapore Eurasian, not Indian.”

“Whether I was tanned skin, or Indian, or otherwise, it’s unacceptable what he said – it was totally uncalled for, that he pulled out the race card,” she said.

Sheldon Lim, the deputy public prosecutor, requested that Peh pay a fine of SGD 3,000 to SGD 4,000.

In addition, Lim pointed out that the victim’s kid would have heard him disparaging her mother aloud. He said that Peh had entered an early guilty plea, demonstrating her regret, and that she had no prior criminal record.

(With agency inputs)