DBS branch in Hong Kong vandalised with vulgarities directed at PM Lee, PAP

SINGAPORE — South-east Asia’s largest lender DBS Bank has confirmed that photos circulating online of a vandalised bank was a DBS branch in Hong Kong.

“The graffiti on the branch in Hong Kong was cleaned off as soon as it was discovered this morning,” said a DBS spokesperson on Thursday (Nov 14) in response to queries from TODAY.

The online photos showed that the graffiti included vulgarities directed at Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Singapore’s ruling party, the People’s Action Party.

DBS did not specify which branch in Hong Kong had been vandalised.

In a separate incident, a video was posted on Facebook on Wednesday showing a shop burning next to a unit with a DBS logo and signage.

A DBS spokesperson said that the fire was in a unit neighbouring a DBS branch in Hong Kong.

Staff members at the branch are safe and the bank outlet was not damaged, the spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Mr Lee commented on the crisis engulfing Hong Kong while speaking at the Forbes Global CEO Conference last month, in response to a question from Mr Steve Forbes, chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media.

The city has been besieged by unrest for the past five months, which started with protests against a now-shelved extradition bill, but has evolved to louder calls for freedom and democracy, as well as criticism of police conduct during the protests.

Mr Lee said that he did not see an easy way forward because the protesters were locking horns with the government but were not providing any tangible solution.

“The demonstrators, they say there are five major demands, and not one can be compromised. But those are not demands which are meant to be a programme to solve Hong Kong's problems. Those are demands which are intended to humiliate and bring down the government,” he said in October.

The five demands are: An investigation into alleged police brutality against the protesters, the withdrawal of the extradition bill, full amnesty for protesters arrested, retracting the classification of protesters as rioters and the implementation of universal suffrage.

Instead of languishing in this state, Mr Lee said that the city needs to start tackling the problems which Hongkongers are unhappy about.

He listed three areas: The “One Country, Two Systems” principle, universal suffrage and the social and economic issues facing Hongkongers, especially its youth.