🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 152 (from laksa108)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa152.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay","crawl_time":1774262857,"first_indexed_time":1683607633,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"org,wikipedia!en,\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay s443","src_root_hash":"17790707453426894952","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Caning of Michael Fay - Wikipedia","meta_descriptions":[],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia\nThis article\nneeds attention from an expert in Singapore\n. The specific problem is:\nUnclear narrative, verification of facts needed.\nWikiProject Singapore\nmay be able to help recruit an expert.\n(\nMay 2023\n)\nIn 1994, the\nDistrict Court\nin\nSingapore\nsentenced an American teenager, Michael Fay (born May 30, 1975),\n[\n1\n]\nto be\nlashed six times with a cane\nfor violating the\nVandalism Act\n. This caused a temporary strain in relations between Singapore and the United States.\n[\n2\n]\nFay was arrested for stealing road signs and vandalising 18 cars over a ten-day period in September 1993. Fay\npled guilty\n, but he later claimed that he was advised that such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalized any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing road signs. Although\ncaning is a routine court sentence in Singapore\n, Fay's sentence garnered controversy and was widely covered in the media in the United States, as it was believed to be the first judicial corporal punishment involving an American citizen.\n[\n3\n]\nThe number of cane strokes in Fay's sentence was ultimately reduced from six to four after United States officials requested leniency, and the sentence was carried out on May 5, 1994.\nFay's parents divorced when he was a child. After living with his father for a time, he was sent to Singapore to live with his mother and stepfather, where he was enrolled in the\nSingapore American School\n.\n[\n4\n]\nTheft and vandalism in Singapore\n[\nedit\n]\nIn September 1993, 67 cars were vandalised in various neighbourhoods of Singapore. The damage included spray painting and being pelted with eggs, and at least one had its windshield smashed.\n[\n2\n]\n[\n5\n]\nThe Singapore police eventually arrested two teenagers who were driving a car similar to one that witnesses had described as being involved in the vandalism. During questioning, the two gave seven names, all male students from the\nSingapore American School\nand\nISS International School\n, whom police tracked down and raided. They found about 41 stolen items, including a telephone booth and road signs.\n[\n5\n]\nFay was one of these students.\n[\n2\n]\n[\n6\n]\nHe later claimed that he had been intimidated and threatened during the police interrogation,\n[\n2\n]\nand maintained that he had been advised such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalised any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing signs.\n[\n7\n]\nUnder the 1966\nVandalism Act\n, originally passed to curb the spread of political\ngraffiti\nand which specifically penalized vandalism of government property,\n[\n4\n]\nFay was sentenced on March 3, 1994, to four months in jail, a fine of\nS$\n3,500 (at the time equivalent to\nUS$\n2,230 or\n£\n1,450), and six\nstrokes of the cane\n.\n[\n8\n]\n[\n9\n]\nAnother student who pleaded not guilty was sentenced to eight months in prison and 12 strokes of the cane.\n[\n10\n]\nFay lost on appeal after his lawyers argued that the Vandalism Act provided caning only for\nindelible\nforms of graffiti vandalism and that the damaged cars had been cheaply restored to their original condition.\n[\n6\n]\nMedia and public reactions\n[\nedit\n]\nFollowing Fay's sentence, the case received coverage by the American, Singaporean and international media.\n[\n11\n]\nSome US news outlets launched scathing attacks on Singapore's judicial system for what they considered an \"archaic punishment\", while others turned the issue into one of Singapore asserting \"\nAsian values\n\" towards \"\nwestern decadence\n\".\n[\n12\n]\nThe New York Times\n,\nThe Washington Post\nand the\nLos Angeles Times\nran editorials and op-eds condemning the punishment.\n[\n13\n]\nUSA Today\nreported that the caning involved \"bits of flesh flying with each stroke.\"\n[\n14\n]\nHowever, Singapore also found supporters among the foreign media and the US public. For example,\nChicago Tribune\ncolumnist Mike Royko reported that he had been sent a large number of letters, nearly all of which supported the punishment.\n[\n15\n]\n[\n16\n]\nA\nLos Angeles Times\npoll found that Americans were evenly divided (49% approved, 48% disapproved) as to the appropriateness of the punishment, but would have only been 36% in favor had the sentence been handed down inside the US.\n[\n17\n]\nFrom the United States government\n[\nedit\n]\nThe official position of the\nClinton administration\nwas that although it recognized Singapore's right to punish Fay within the\ndue process\nof law, the punishment of caning was \"excessive\" for a teenager who committed a non-violent crime.\nThe\nUnited States Embassy in Singapore\nclaimed that, while the graffiti and physical damage to the cars was not permanent, caning could leave Fay with permanent physical scars.\n[\n4\n]\n[\n18\n]\nBill Clinton\n, the then-\nPresident of the United States\n, also called Fay's punishment \"extreme\" and \"mistaken\", and pressured the Singapore government to grant Fay clemency from caning. Two dozen United States senators signed a letter to the Singapore government also appealing for clemency.\n[\n19\n]\nFrom the Singapore government\n[\nedit\n]\nThe\nSingapore government\nstood its ground and did not grant clemency to Fay.\n[\n3\n]\nNevertheless, on May 4, that year, the Singapore government reduced the severity of both sentences out of consideration for President Clinton as it valued the\ngood historical relations between the two countries\n.\n[\n20\n]\nFay was caned on May 5, 1994, at the\nQueenstown Remand Centre\n.\n[\n21\n]\n[\n22\n]\nAfter his release from prison in June 1994, Fay returned to the United States to live with his father.\n[\n23\n]\nHe gave several television interviews, including one with his American lawyer on\nCNN\nwith\nLarry King\non June 29, 1994, in which he admitted taking road signs but denied vandalising cars.\n[\n24\n]\nWhile he did not detail his experience, he said that he was \"ill-treated\" at times during questioning, but had shaken hands with the caning operative after his four strokes had been administered and the prison guards when he was released.\nSeveral months after returning to the United States, Fay suffered burns to his hands and face after a\nbutane\nincident.\n[\n25\n]\n[\n26\n]\n[\n27\n]\nHe was subsequently admitted to the\nHazelden\nrehabilitation program for\nbutane abuse\n.\n[\n25\n]\nHe said that sniffing butane \"made [him] forget what happened in Singapore.\"\n[\n28\n]\nIn 1996, he was cited in\nFlorida\nfor a number of violations, including careless driving, reckless driving, not reporting a crash, and having an open bottle of alcohol in a car.\n[\n29\n]\nLater, in 1998, still in Florida, Fay was arrested for possession of\nmarijuana\nand\ndrug paraphernalia\n,\n[\n30\n]\ncharges to which he confessed but was acquitted because of technical errors in his arrest.\n[\n31\n]\n[\nfailed verification\n]\nIn June 2010, Fay's case was recalled in international news, after another foreigner in Singapore, Swiss national\nOliver Fricker\n, was sentenced to five months in jail and three strokes of the cane for trespassing a rail depot to vandalise a metro train that is a part of the country's\nMass Rapid Transit\n.\n[\n32\n]\n^\n\"Michael Fay\"\n.\nNational Library Board (Singapore)\n. October 2021\n. Retrieved\nJanuary 13,\n2025\n.\n^\na\nb\nc\nd\nShenon, Philip (March 16, 1994).\n\"A Flogging Sentence Brings a Cry of Pain in U.S.\"\nThe New York Times\n.\nArchived\nfrom the original on August 23, 2017.\n^\na\nb\nWallace, Charles P. (March 9, 1994).\n\"Singapore Blasts Back at Clinton in Caning Case\"\n.\nLos Angeles Times\n. Retrieved\nMarch 25,\n2009\n.\n^\na\nb\nc\nReyes, Alejandro (May 25, 1994).\n\"Rough Justice: A Caning in Singapore Stirs Up a Fierce Debate About Crime And Punishment\"\n.\nAsiaweek\n. Hong Kong.\nArchived\nfrom the original on May 11, 2019.\n^\na\nb\nTan, Ooi Boon (October 7, 1993).\n\"9 foreign students held for vandalism\"\n.\nThe Straits Times\n. Singapore. p. 1\n. Retrieved\nMarch 6,\n2023\n.\n^\na\nb\nChong, Elena (April 1, 1994).\n\"Fay loses appeal\"\n.\nThe Straits Times\n. Singapore.\n^\nShenon, Philip (April 17, 1994).\n\"Overlooked Question in Singapore Caning Debate: Is the Teen-Ager Guilty?\"\n.\nThe New York Times\n.\n^\nWallace, Charles P. (March 4, 1994).\n\"Ohio Youth to be Flogged in Singapore\"\n.\nLos Angeles Times\n.\n^\nWatts, David (March 4, 1994).\n\"Singapore sentences American to caning\"\n.\nThe Times\n. London.\n^\nStewart, Ian (April 22, 1994).\n\"Flogging for vandal\"\n.\nSouth China Morning Post\n. Hong Kong.\nArchived\nfrom the original on September 20, 2010.\n^\nParascandola, Rocco (August 1994).\n\"Singapore Hosts Some Most Unruly Guests\"\n.\nAmerican Journalism Review\n. Archived from\nthe original\non September 30, 2007\n. Retrieved\nFebruary 24,\n2007\n.\n^\nStone, Andrea (March 10, 1994).\n\"Whipping penalty judged too harsh – by some\"\n.\nUSA Today\n. Washington DC.\nArchived\nfrom the original on June 17, 2020.\n^\n\"What US columnists say about Fay's caning\"\n.\nThe Straits Times\n. Singapore. April 8, 1994\n. Retrieved\nAugust 13,\n2019\n.\n^\n\"Don't copy Singapore\"\n.\nUSA Today\n. Washington DC. April 5, 1994.\nArchived\nfrom the original on February 8, 2009.\n^\nUsborne, David (April 2, 1994).\n\"\n'Joe Public' backs caning of American\"\n.\nThe Independent\n. London\n. Retrieved\nMay 16,\n2023\n.\n^\nRoyko, Mike (March 30, 1994).\n\"Readers get 'behind' flogging of vandal\"\n.\nDaily News\n. New York\n. Retrieved\nMay 18,\n2023\n– via www.corpun.com.\n^\nBrownstein, Ronald (April 21, 1994).\n\"Singapore's Caning Sentence Divides Americans, Poll Finds\"\n.\nLos Angeles Times\n. Retrieved\nMay 18,\n2023\n.\n^\nFawcett, Karen (March 9, 1994).\n\"Americans in Singapore condemn caning for teen\"\n.\nUSA Today\n. Washington DC.\nArchived\nfrom the original on June 19, 2008\n. Retrieved\nMarch 25,\n2009\n.\n^\nRichardson, Michael (May 5, 1994).\n\"Responding to Clinton's Plea, Singapore Cuts 6 Lashes to 4\"\n.\nThe New York Times\n. Archived from\nthe original\non February 9, 2017\n. Retrieved\nFebruary 17,\n2017\n.\n^\nBranigin, William (May 5, 1994).\n\"Singapore Reduces American's Sentence\"\n.\nThe Washington Post\n.\n^\nWallace, Charles P. (June 22, 1994).\n\"Singapore Frees Flogged U.S. Teen-Ager\"\n.\nLos Angeles Times\n. Archived from\nthe original\non May 13, 2016\n. Retrieved\nMay 13,\n2016\n.\n^\nShenon, Philip (May 6, 1994).\n\"Singapore Carries Out Caning of U.S. Teenager\"\n.\nThe New York Times\n. Archived from\nthe original\non April 24, 2017.\n^\n\"The Road From Singapore\"\n.\nDaily News\n. New York. June 22, 1994.\nArchived\nfrom the original on March 8, 2015 – via www.corpun.com.\n^\n\"Larry King Live\"\n.\nCNN\n. June 29, 1994.\nArchived\nfrom the original on March 8, 2015.\n^\na\nb\n\"Michael Fay,\"\nPeople Magazine,\nDecember 26, 1994, p. 60.\n^\n\"Drug Rehab For Teen Caned in Singapore,\"\nChicago Tribune,\nSeptember 29, 1994, p. 14.\n^\n\"The Nation,\"\nUSA Today\n, Washington, D.C., September 29, 1994, p. 03A.\n^\n\"Teen Punished in Singapore Has Drug Habit – Michael Fay Was Sniffing Butane,\"\nTimes-Picayune\n, New Orleans, September 29, 1994, p. A24.\n^\n\"Q&A,\"\nThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution,\nOctober 13, 2003, p. B2.\n^\nFlatley, Kerry A. (April 9, 1998).\n\"Boy Caned in Singapore Makes News Again\"\n.\nThe Christian Science Monitor\n. Boston MA. p. 18. Archived from\nthe original\non June 24, 2016.\n^\n\"Drug Charges Dropped,\"\nAsiaweek,\nHong Kong, June 29, 1998, p. 1.\n^\n\"Graffiti man faces Singapore caning\"\n.\nBBC News\n. June 25, 2010.\nArchived\nfrom the original on June 28, 2010\n. Retrieved\nDecember 5,\n2010\n.\nLatif, Asad (1994).\nThe Flogging of Singapore: The Michael Fay Affair\n. Singapore: Times Books International.\nISBN\n \n981-204-530-9\nBaratham, Gopal\n(1994).\nThe Caning of Michael Fay\n. Singapore: KRP Publication.\nISBN\n \n981-00-5747-4\nThe Asiaweek Newsmap (April 27, 1994).\nAsiaweek\n.\nChew, Valerie (August 5, 2009).\n\"Michael Fay\"\n,\nSingapore Infopedia\n. National Library Board.","attrs_markdown":"[Jump to content](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#bodyContent)\n\nMain menu\n\nMain menu\n\nmove to sidebar\n\nhide\n\nNavigation\n\n- [Main page](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Main_Page \"Visit the main page [z]\")\n- [Contents](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Contents \"Guides to browsing Wikipedia\")\n- [Current events](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portal:Current_events \"Articles related to current events\")\n- [Random article](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:Random \"Visit a randomly selected article [x]\")\n- [About Wikipedia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:About \"Learn about Wikipedia and how it works\")\n- [Contact us](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Contact_us \"How to contact Wikipedia\")\n\nContribute\n\n- [Help](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:Contents \"Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia\")\n- [Learn to edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:Introduction \"Learn how to edit Wikipedia\")\n- [Community portal](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Community_portal \"The hub for editors\")\n- [Recent changes](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:RecentChanges \"A list of recent changes to Wikipedia [r]\")\n- [Upload file](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:File_upload_wizard \"Add images or other media for use on Wikipedia\")\n- [Special pages](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:SpecialPages \"A list of all special pages [q]\")\n\n[![](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/static\/images\/icons\/enwiki-25.svg) ![Wikipedia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/static\/images\/mobile\/copyright\/wikipedia-wordmark-en-25.svg) ![The Free Encyclopedia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/static\/images\/mobile\/copyright\/wikipedia-tagline-en-25.svg)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Main_Page)\n\n[Search](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:Search \"Search Wikipedia [f]\")\n\nAppearance\n\n- [Donate](https:\/\/donate.wikimedia.org\/?wmf_source=donate&wmf_medium=sidebar&wmf_campaign=en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en)\n- [Create account](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Caning+of+Michael+Fay \"You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory\")\n- [Log in](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Caning+of+Michael+Fay \"You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]\")\n\nPersonal tools\n\n- [Donate](https:\/\/donate.wikimedia.org\/?wmf_source=donate&wmf_medium=sidebar&wmf_campaign=en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en)\n- [Create account](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Caning+of+Michael+Fay \"You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory\")\n- [Log in](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Caning+of+Michael+Fay \"You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]\")\n\n## Contents\nmove to sidebar\n\nhide\n\n- [(Top)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay)\n- [1 Early life](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Early_life)\n- [2 Theft and vandalism in Singapore](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Theft_and_vandalism_in_Singapore)\n- [3 Response](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Response)\n  Toggle Response subsection\n  - [3\\.1 Media and public reactions](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Media_and_public_reactions)\n  - [3\\.2 From the United States government](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#From_the_United_States_government)\n  - [3\\.3 From the Singapore government](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#From_the_Singapore_government)\n- [4 Aftermath](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Aftermath)\n- [5 References](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#References)\n- [6 Further reading](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Further_reading)\n\nToggle the table of contents\n\n# Caning of Michael Fay\n3 languages\n\n- [한국어](https:\/\/ko.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%EB%A7%88%EC%9D%B4%ED%81%B4_%ED%8E%98%EC%9D%B4 \"마이클 페이 – Korean\")\n- [Українська](https:\/\/uk.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BA%D0%BB_%D0%9F._%D0%A4%D0%B5%D0%B9 \"Майкл П. Фей – Ukrainian\")\n- [中文](https:\/\/zh.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%E9%BA%A5%E5%8F%AF%C2%B7%E5%BD%BC%E7%89%B9%C2%B7%E8%B2%BB%E7%88%BE%E5%8F%97%E9%9E%AD%E5%88%91%E6%A1%88 \"麥可·彼特·費爾受鞭刑案 – Chinese\")\n\n[Edit links](https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Special:EntityPage\/Q6833299#sitelinks-wikipedia \"Edit interlanguage links\")\n\n- [Article](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay \"View the content page [c]\")\n- [Talk](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Talk:Caning_of_Michael_Fay \"Discuss improvements to the content page [t]\")\n\nEnglish\n\n- [Read](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay)\n- [Edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit \"Edit this page [e]\")\n- [View history](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=history \"Past revisions of this page [h]\")\n\nTools\n\nTools\n\nmove to sidebar\n\nhide\n\nActions\n\n- [Read](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay)\n- [Edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit \"Edit this page [e]\")\n- [View history](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=history)\n\nGeneral\n\n- [What links here](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:WhatLinksHere\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay \"List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [j]\")\n- [Related changes](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:RecentChangesLinked\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay \"Recent changes in pages linked from this page [k]\")\n- [Upload file](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard \"Upload files [u]\")\n- [Permanent link](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&oldid=1340172887 \"Permanent link to this revision of this page\")\n- [Page information](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=info \"More information about this page\")\n- [Cite this page](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Special:CiteThisPage&page=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&id=1340172887&wpFormIdentifier=titleform \"Information on how to cite this page\")\n- [Get shortened URL](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Special:UrlShortener&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FCaning_of_Michael_Fay)\n\nPrint\/export\n\n- [Download as PDF](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Special:DownloadAsPdf&page=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=show-download-screen \"Download this page as a PDF file\")\n- [Printable version](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&printable=yes \"Printable version of this page [p]\")\n\nIn other projects\n\n- [Wikidata item](https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Special:EntityPage\/Q6833299 \"Structured data on this page hosted by Wikidata [g]\")\n\nAppearance\n\nmove to sidebar\n\nhide\n\nFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia\n\n1993–1994 Singaporean judicial sentence of an American teenager\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| [![icon](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d0\/Postscript-viewer-blue.svg\/60px-Postscript-viewer-blue.svg.png)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Postscript-viewer-blue.svg) | This article **needs attention from an expert in Singapore**. The specific problem is: **Unclear narrative, verification of facts needed.** [WikiProject Singapore](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Singapore \"Wikipedia:WikiProject Singapore\") may be able to help recruit an expert. *(May 2023)* |\n\nIn 1994, the [District Court](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/State_Courts_of_Singapore \"State Courts of Singapore\") in [Singapore](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Singapore \"Singapore\") sentenced an American teenager, Michael Fay (born May 30, 1975),[\\[1\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-1) to be [lashed six times with a cane](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning \"Caning\") for violating the [Vandalism Act](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vandalism_Act \"Vandalism Act\"). This caused a temporary strain in relations between Singapore and the United States.[\\[2\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2)\n\nFay was arrested for stealing road signs and vandalising 18 cars over a ten-day period in September 1993. Fay [pled guilty](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Guilty_plea \"Guilty plea\"), but he later claimed that he was advised that such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalized any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing road signs. Although [caning is a routine court sentence in Singapore](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_in_Singapore \"Caning in Singapore\"), Fay's sentence garnered controversy and was widely covered in the media in the United States, as it was believed to be the first judicial corporal punishment involving an American citizen.[\\[3\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-LAT19940309-3) The number of cane strokes in Fay's sentence was ultimately reduced from six to four after United States officials requested leniency, and the sentence was carried out on May 5, 1994.\n\n## Early life\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=1 \"Edit section: Early life\")\\]\n\nFay's parents divorced when he was a child. After living with his father for a time, he was sent to Singapore to live with his mother and stepfather, where he was enrolled in the [Singapore American School](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Singapore_American_School \"Singapore American School\").[\\[4\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4)\n\n## Theft and vandalism in Singapore\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=2 \"Edit section: Theft and vandalism in Singapore\")\\]\n\nIn September 1993, 67 cars were vandalised in various neighbourhoods of Singapore. The damage included spray painting and being pelted with eggs, and at least one had its windshield smashed.[\\[2\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2)[\\[5\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-tanooiboon19931007-5)\n\nThe Singapore police eventually arrested two teenagers who were driving a car similar to one that witnesses had described as being involved in the vandalism. During questioning, the two gave seven names, all male students from the [Singapore American School](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Singapore_American_School \"Singapore American School\") and [ISS International School](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ISS_International_School \"ISS International School\"), whom police tracked down and raided. They found about 41 stolen items, including a telephone booth and road signs.[\\[5\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-tanooiboon19931007-5)\n\nFay was one of these students.[\\[2\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2)[\\[6\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Fay_loses_appeal-6) He later claimed that he had been intimidated and threatened during the police interrogation,[\\[2\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2) and maintained that he had been advised such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalised any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing signs.[\\[7\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-7)\n\nUnder the 1966 [Vandalism Act](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vandalism_Act \"Vandalism Act\"), originally passed to curb the spread of political [graffiti](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Graffiti \"Graffiti\") and which specifically penalized vandalism of government property,[\\[4\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4) Fay was sentenced on March 3, 1994, to four months in jail, a fine of [S\\$](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Singapore_dollar \"Singapore dollar\")3,500 (at the time equivalent to [US\\$](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_dollar \"United States dollar\")2,230 or [£](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pounds_sterling \"Pounds sterling\")1,450), and six [strokes of the cane](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_in_Singapore \"Caning in Singapore\").[\\[8\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-8)[\\[9\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-9) Another student who pleaded not guilty was sentenced to eight months in prison and 12 strokes of the cane.[\\[10\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-10)\n\nFay lost on appeal after his lawyers argued that the Vandalism Act provided caning only for [indelible](https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/indelible#Adjective \"wiktionary:indelible\") forms of graffiti vandalism and that the damaged cars had been cheaply restored to their original condition.[\\[6\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Fay_loses_appeal-6)\n\n## Response\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=3 \"Edit section: Response\")\\]\n\n### Media and public reactions\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=4 \"Edit section: Media and public reactions\")\\]\n\nFollowing Fay's sentence, the case received coverage by the American, Singaporean and international media.[\\[11\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-11)\n\nSome US news outlets launched scathing attacks on Singapore's judicial system for what they considered an \"archaic punishment\", while others turned the issue into one of Singapore asserting \"[Asian values](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Asian_values \"Asian values\")\" towards \"[western decadence](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Decadence \"Decadence\")\".[\\[12\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-:0-12) *[The New York Times](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_New_York_Times \"The New York Times\")*, *[The Washington Post](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Washington_Post \"The Washington Post\")* and the *[Los Angeles Times](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles_Times \"Los Angeles Times\")* ran editorials and op-eds condemning the punishment.[\\[13\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-13) *[USA Today](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/USA_Today \"USA Today\")* reported that the caning involved \"bits of flesh flying with each stroke.\"[\\[14\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Don't_copy_Singapore-14)\n\nHowever, Singapore also found supporters among the foreign media and the US public. For example, *Chicago Tribune* columnist Mike Royko reported that he had been sent a large number of letters, nearly all of which supported the punishment.[\\[15\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-15)[\\[16\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-16) A *Los Angeles Times* poll found that Americans were evenly divided (49% approved, 48% disapproved) as to the appropriateness of the punishment, but would have only been 36% in favor had the sentence been handed down inside the US.[\\[17\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-17)\n\n### From the United States government\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=5 \"Edit section: From the United States government\")\\]\n\nThe official position of the [Clinton administration](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clinton_administration \"Clinton administration\") was that although it recognized Singapore's right to punish Fay within the [due process](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Due_process \"Due process\") of law, the punishment of caning was \"excessive\" for a teenager who committed a non-violent crime.\n\nThe [United States Embassy in Singapore](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Embassy_in_Singapore \"United States Embassy in Singapore\") claimed that, while the graffiti and physical damage to the cars was not permanent, caning could leave Fay with permanent physical scars.[\\[4\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4)[\\[18\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-fawcett-18)\n\n[Bill Clinton](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bill_Clinton \"Bill Clinton\"), the then-[President of the United States](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/President_of_the_United_States \"President of the United States\"), also called Fay's punishment \"extreme\" and \"mistaken\", and pressured the Singapore government to grant Fay clemency from caning. Two dozen United States senators signed a letter to the Singapore government also appealing for clemency.[\\[19\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-nyt19940505-19)\n\n### From the Singapore government\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=6 \"Edit section: From the Singapore government\")\\]\n\nThe [Singapore government](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Government_of_Singapore \"Government of Singapore\") stood its ground and did not grant clemency to Fay.[\\[3\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-LAT19940309-3) Nevertheless, on May 4, that year, the Singapore government reduced the severity of both sentences out of consideration for President Clinton as it valued the [good historical relations between the two countries](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Singapore%E2%80%93United_States_relations \"Singapore–United States relations\").[\\[20\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-20) Fay was caned on May 5, 1994, at the [Queenstown Remand Centre](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Queenstown_Remand_Centre&action=edit&redlink=1 \"Queenstown Remand Centre (page does not exist)\").[\\[21\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-21)[\\[22\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-22)\n\n## Aftermath\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=7 \"Edit section: Aftermath\")\\]\n\nAfter his release from prison in June 1994, Fay returned to the United States to live with his father.[\\[23\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-23) He gave several television interviews, including one with his American lawyer on [CNN](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/CNN \"CNN\") with [Larry King](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Larry_King \"Larry King\") on June 29, 1994, in which he admitted taking road signs but denied vandalising cars.[\\[24\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-24) While he did not detail his experience, he said that he was \"ill-treated\" at times during questioning, but had shaken hands with the caning operative after his four strokes had been administered and the prison guards when he was released.\n\nSeveral months after returning to the United States, Fay suffered burns to his hands and face after a [butane](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Butane \"Butane\") incident.[\\[25\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-people-25)[\\[26\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-26)[\\[27\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-27) He was subsequently admitted to the [Hazelden](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hazelden_Betty_Ford_Foundation \"Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation\") rehabilitation program for [butane abuse](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Inhalant \"Inhalant\").[\\[25\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-people-25) He said that sniffing butane \"made \\[him\\] forget what happened in Singapore.\"[\\[28\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-28) In 1996, he was cited in [Florida](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Florida \"Florida\") for a number of violations, including careless driving, reckless driving, not reporting a crash, and having an open bottle of alcohol in a car.[\\[29\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-29) Later, in 1998, still in Florida, Fay was arrested for possession of [marijuana](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cannabis_\$drug\$ \"Cannabis (drug)\") and [drug paraphernalia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Drug_paraphernalia \"Drug paraphernalia\"),[\\[30\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-30) charges to which he confessed but was acquitted because of technical errors in his arrest.[\\[31\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-31)\\[*[failed verification](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Verifiability \"Wikipedia:Verifiability\")*\\]\n\nIn June 2010, Fay's case was recalled in international news, after another foreigner in Singapore, Swiss national [Oliver Fricker](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oliver_Fricker \"Oliver Fricker\"), was sentenced to five months in jail and three strokes of the cane for trespassing a rail depot to vandalise a metro train that is a part of the country's [Mass Rapid Transit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mass_Rapid_Transit_\$Singapore\$ \"Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)\").[\\[32\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-32)\n\n## References\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=8 \"Edit section: References\")\\]\n\n1. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-1)**\n   [\"Michael Fay\"](https:\/\/www.nlb.gov.sg\/main\/article-detail?cmsuuid=61e0277e-fbeb-4ebc-88ea-8a9c58e13e05). *National Library Board (Singapore)*. October 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2025.\n2. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-2) [***d***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-3)\n   Shenon, Philip (March 16, 1994). [\"A Flogging Sentence Brings a Cry of Pain in U.S.\"](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/03\/16\/world\/singapore-journal-a-flogging-sentence-brings-a-cry-of-pain-in-us.html) *The New York Times*. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170823121533\/http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/03\/16\/world\/singapore-journal-a-flogging-sentence-brings-a-cry-of-pain-in-us.html) from the original on August 23, 2017.\n3. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-LAT19940309_3-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-LAT19940309_3-1)\n   Wallace, Charles P. (March 9, 1994). [\"Singapore Blasts Back at Clinton in Caning Case\"](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1994-03-09-mn-31971-story.html). *Los Angeles Times*. Retrieved March 25, 2009.\n4. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-2)\n   Reyes, Alejandro (May 25, 1994). [\"Rough Justice: A Caning in Singapore Stirs Up a Fierce Debate About Crime And Punishment\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/awfay9405.htm). *Asiaweek*. Hong Kong. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190511182701\/https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/awfay9405.htm) from the original on May 11, 2019.\n5. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-tanooiboon19931007_5-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-tanooiboon19931007_5-1)\n   Tan, Ooi Boon (October 7, 1993). [\"9 foreign students held for vandalism\"](https:\/\/eresources.nlb.gov.sg\/newspapers\/Digitised\/Article\/straitstimes19931007-1.2.6). *The Straits Times*. Singapore. p. 1. Retrieved March 6, 2023.\n6. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Fay_loses_appeal_6-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Fay_loses_appeal_6-1)\n   Chong, Elena (April 1, 1994). [\"Fay loses appeal\"](https:\/\/eresources.nlb.gov.sg\/newspapers\/Digitised\/Article\/straitstimes19940401-1.2.4). *The Straits Times*. Singapore.\n7. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-7)**\n   Shenon, Philip (April 17, 1994). [\"Overlooked Question in Singapore Caning Debate: Is the Teen-Ager Guilty?\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9404.htm#26056). *The New York Times*.\n8. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-8)**\n   Wallace, Charles P. (March 4, 1994). [\"Ohio Youth to be Flogged in Singapore\"](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1994-03-04-mn-29913-story.html). *Los Angeles Times*.\n9. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-9)**\n   Watts, David (March 4, 1994). [\"Singapore sentences American to caning\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9403.htm#21566). *The Times*. London.\n10. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-10)**\n    Stewart, Ian (April 22, 1994). [\"Flogging for vandal\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9404.htm#3891). *South China Morning Post*. Hong Kong. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20100920031803\/http:\/\/corpun.com\/sgju9404.htm) from the original on September 20, 2010.\n11. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-11)**\n    Parascandola, Rocco (August 1994). [\"Singapore Hosts Some Most Unruly Guests\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20070930014537\/http:\/\/ajr.org\/article.asp?id=2093). *American Journalism Review*. Archived from [the original](http:\/\/ajr.org\/article.asp?id=2093) on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2007.\n12. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-:0_12-0)**\n    Stone, Andrea (March 10, 1994). [\"Whipping penalty judged too harsh – by some\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9403.htm#21567). *USA Today*. Washington DC. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200617214944\/https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9403.htm#21567) from the original on June 17, 2020.\n13. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-13)**\n    [\"What US columnists say about Fay's caning\"](https:\/\/eresources.nlb.gov.sg\/newspapers\/Digitised\/Article\/straitstimes19940408-1.2.46.6). *The Straits Times*. Singapore. April 8, 1994. Retrieved August 13, 2019.\n14. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Don't_copy_Singapore_14-0)**\n    [\"Don't copy Singapore\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/usju9404.htm#02). *USA Today*. Washington DC. April 5, 1994. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20090208212700\/http:\/\/www.corpun.com\/usju9404.htm#02) from the original on February 8, 2009.\n15. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-15)**\n    Usborne, David (April 2, 1994). [\"'Joe Public' backs caning of American\"](https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/joe-public-backs-caning-of-american-1367479.html). *The Independent*. London. Retrieved May 16, 2023.\n16. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-16)**\n    Royko, Mike (March 30, 1994). [\"Readers get 'behind' flogging of vandal\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9403.htm#3658). *Daily News*. New York. Retrieved May 18, 2023 – via www.corpun.com.\n17. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-17)**\n    Brownstein, Ronald (April 21, 1994). [\"Singapore's Caning Sentence Divides Americans, Poll Finds\"](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1994-04-21-mn-48524-story.html). *Los Angeles Times*. Retrieved May 18, 2023.\n18. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-fawcett_18-0)**\n    Fawcett, Karen (March 9, 1994). [\"Americans in Singapore condemn caning for teen\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9403.htm#1199). *USA Today*. Washington DC. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20080619173801\/http:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9404.htm#1199) from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2009.\n19. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-nyt19940505_19-0)**\n    Richardson, Michael (May 5, 1994). [\"Responding to Clinton's Plea, Singapore Cuts 6 Lashes to 4\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170209061224\/http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/05\/05\/news\/05iht-cane_0.html). *The New York Times*. Archived from [the original](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/05\/05\/news\/05iht-cane_0.html) on February 9, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.\n20. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-20)**\n    Branigin, William (May 5, 1994). [\"Singapore Reduces American's Sentence\"](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/politics\/1994\/05\/05\/singapore-reduces-americans-sentence\/1d28b069-749b-40ce-928e-1ac3f4aaa990\/). *The Washington Post*.\n21. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-21)**\n    Wallace, Charles P. (June 22, 1994). [\"Singapore Frees Flogged U.S. Teen-Ager\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160513012208\/http:\/\/articles.latimes.com\/1994-06-22\/news\/mn-7134_1_michael-fay). *Los Angeles Times*. Archived from [the original](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1994-06-22-mn-7134-story.html) on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016.\n22. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-22)**\n    Shenon, Philip (May 6, 1994). [\"Singapore Carries Out Caning of U.S. Teenager\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170424111829\/http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/05\/06\/world\/singapore-carries-out-the-caning-of-a-us-teen-ager.html). *The New York Times*. Archived from [the original](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/05\/06\/world\/singapore-carries-out-the-caning-of-a-us-teen-ager.html) on April 24, 2017.\n23. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-23)**\n    [\"The Road From Singapore\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9406.htm#4308). *Daily News*. New York. June 22, 1994. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150308093142\/http:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9406.htm#4308) from the original on March 8, 2015 – via www.corpun.com.\n24. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-24)**\n    [\"Larry King Live\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9406.htm#4344). *CNN*. June 29, 1994. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150308093142\/http:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9406.htm#4344) from the original on March 8, 2015.\n25. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-people_25-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-people_25-1) \"Michael Fay,\" *People Magazine,* December 26, 1994, p. 60.\n26. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-26)** \"Drug Rehab For Teen Caned in Singapore,\" *Chicago Tribune,* September 29, 1994, p. 14.\n27. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-27)** \"The Nation,\" *USA Today*, Washington, D.C., September 29, 1994, p. 03A.\n28. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-28)** \"Teen Punished in Singapore Has Drug Habit – Michael Fay Was Sniffing Butane,\" *Times-Picayune*, New Orleans, September 29, 1994, p. A24.\n29. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-29)** \"Q\\&A,\" *The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,* October 13, 2003, p. B2.\n30. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-30)**\n    Flatley, Kerry A. (April 9, 1998). [\"Boy Caned in Singapore Makes News Again\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160624053457\/http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/1998\/0409\/040998.feat.feat.2.html). *The Christian Science Monitor*. Boston MA. p. 18. Archived from [the original](https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/1998\/0409\/040998.feat.feat.2.html) on June 24, 2016.\n31. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-31)** \"Drug Charges Dropped,\" *Asiaweek,* Hong Kong, June 29, 1998, p. 1.\n32. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-32)**\n    [\"Graffiti man faces Singapore caning\"](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/10417167). *BBC News*. June 25, 2010. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20100628033833\/http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/world\/asia_pacific\/10417167.stm) from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.\n\n## Further reading\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=9 \"Edit section: Further reading\")\\]\n\n- Latif, Asad (1994). *The Flogging of Singapore: The Michael Fay Affair*. Singapore: Times Books International.\n  [ISBN](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ISBN_\$identifier\$ \"ISBN (identifier)\")\n  [981-204-530-9](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:BookSources\/981-204-530-9 \"Special:BookSources\/981-204-530-9\")\n- [Baratham, Gopal](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gopal_Baratham \"Gopal Baratham\") (1994). *The Caning of Michael Fay*. Singapore: KRP Publication.\n  [ISBN](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ISBN_\$identifier\$ \"ISBN (identifier)\")\n  [981-00-5747-4](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:BookSources\/981-00-5747-4 \"Special:BookSources\/981-00-5747-4\")\n- The Asiaweek Newsmap (April 27, 1994). *Asiaweek*.\n- Chew, Valerie (August 5, 2009). [\"Michael Fay\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20090825175717\/http:\/\/infopedia.nl.sg\/articles\/SIP_1554_2009-08-06.html), *Singapore Infopedia*. 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Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the [Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.](https:\/\/wikimediafoundation.org\/), a non-profit organization.\n\n- [Privacy policy](https:\/\/foundation.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Special:MyLanguage\/Policy:Privacy_policy)\n- [About Wikipedia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:About)\n- [Disclaimers](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer)\n- [Contact Wikipedia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Contact_us)\n- [Legal & safety contacts](https:\/\/foundation.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Special:MyLanguage\/Legal:Wikimedia_Foundation_Legal_and_Safety_Contact_Information)\n- [Code of Conduct](https:\/\/foundation.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Special:MyLanguage\/Policy:Universal_Code_of_Conduct)\n- [Developers](https:\/\/developer.wikimedia.org\/)\n- [Statistics](https:\/\/stats.wikimedia.org\/#\/en.wikipedia.org)\n- [Cookie statement](https:\/\/foundation.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Special:MyLanguage\/Policy:Cookie_statement)\n- [Mobile view](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile)\n\n- [![Wikimedia Foundation](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/static\/images\/footer\/wikimedia.svg)](https:\/\/www.wikimedia.org\/)\n- [![Powered by MediaWiki](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/resources\/assets\/mediawiki_compact.svg)](https:\/\/www.mediawiki.org\/)\n\nSearch\n\nToggle the table of contents\n\nCaning of Michael Fay\n\n3 languages\n\n[Add topic](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay)","attrs_readable_markdown":"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| [![icon](https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d0\/Postscript-viewer-blue.svg\/60px-Postscript-viewer-blue.svg.png)](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Postscript-viewer-blue.svg) | This article **needs attention from an expert in Singapore**. The specific problem is: **Unclear narrative, verification of facts needed.** [WikiProject Singapore](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Singapore \"Wikipedia:WikiProject Singapore\") may be able to help recruit an expert. *(May 2023)* |\n\nIn 1994, the [District Court](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/State_Courts_of_Singapore \"State Courts of Singapore\") in [Singapore](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Singapore \"Singapore\") sentenced an American teenager, Michael Fay (born May 30, 1975),[\\[1\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-1) to be [lashed six times with a cane](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning \"Caning\") for violating the [Vandalism Act](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vandalism_Act \"Vandalism Act\"). This caused a temporary strain in relations between Singapore and the United States.[\\[2\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2)\n\nFay was arrested for stealing road signs and vandalising 18 cars over a ten-day period in September 1993. Fay [pled guilty](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Guilty_plea \"Guilty plea\"), but he later claimed that he was advised that such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalized any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing road signs. Although [caning is a routine court sentence in Singapore](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_in_Singapore \"Caning in Singapore\"), Fay's sentence garnered controversy and was widely covered in the media in the United States, as it was believed to be the first judicial corporal punishment involving an American citizen.[\\[3\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-LAT19940309-3) The number of cane strokes in Fay's sentence was ultimately reduced from six to four after United States officials requested leniency, and the sentence was carried out on May 5, 1994.\n\nFay's parents divorced when he was a child. After living with his father for a time, he was sent to Singapore to live with his mother and stepfather, where he was enrolled in the [Singapore American School](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Singapore_American_School \"Singapore American School\").[\\[4\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4)\n\n## Theft and vandalism in Singapore\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=2 \"Edit section: Theft and vandalism in Singapore\")\\]\n\nIn September 1993, 67 cars were vandalised in various neighbourhoods of Singapore. The damage included spray painting and being pelted with eggs, and at least one had its windshield smashed.[\\[2\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2)[\\[5\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-tanooiboon19931007-5)\n\nThe Singapore police eventually arrested two teenagers who were driving a car similar to one that witnesses had described as being involved in the vandalism. During questioning, the two gave seven names, all male students from the [Singapore American School](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Singapore_American_School \"Singapore American School\") and [ISS International School](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ISS_International_School \"ISS International School\"), whom police tracked down and raided. They found about 41 stolen items, including a telephone booth and road signs.[\\[5\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-tanooiboon19931007-5)\n\nFay was one of these students.[\\[2\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2)[\\[6\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Fay_loses_appeal-6) He later claimed that he had been intimidated and threatened during the police interrogation,[\\[2\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2) and maintained that he had been advised such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalised any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing signs.[\\[7\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-7)\n\nUnder the 1966 [Vandalism Act](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vandalism_Act \"Vandalism Act\"), originally passed to curb the spread of political [graffiti](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Graffiti \"Graffiti\") and which specifically penalized vandalism of government property,[\\[4\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4) Fay was sentenced on March 3, 1994, to four months in jail, a fine of [S\\$](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Singapore_dollar \"Singapore dollar\")3,500 (at the time equivalent to [US\\$](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_dollar \"United States dollar\")2,230 or [£](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pounds_sterling \"Pounds sterling\")1,450), and six [strokes of the cane](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_in_Singapore \"Caning in Singapore\").[\\[8\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-8)[\\[9\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-9) Another student who pleaded not guilty was sentenced to eight months in prison and 12 strokes of the cane.[\\[10\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-10)\n\nFay lost on appeal after his lawyers argued that the Vandalism Act provided caning only for [indelible](https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/indelible#Adjective \"wiktionary:indelible\") forms of graffiti vandalism and that the damaged cars had been cheaply restored to their original condition.[\\[6\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Fay_loses_appeal-6)\n\n### Media and public reactions\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=4 \"Edit section: Media and public reactions\")\\]\n\nFollowing Fay's sentence, the case received coverage by the American, Singaporean and international media.[\\[11\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-11)\n\nSome US news outlets launched scathing attacks on Singapore's judicial system for what they considered an \"archaic punishment\", while others turned the issue into one of Singapore asserting \"[Asian values](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Asian_values \"Asian values\")\" towards \"[western decadence](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Decadence \"Decadence\")\".[\\[12\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-:0-12) *[The New York Times](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_New_York_Times \"The New York Times\")*, *[The Washington Post](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Washington_Post \"The Washington Post\")* and the *[Los Angeles Times](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles_Times \"Los Angeles Times\")* ran editorials and op-eds condemning the punishment.[\\[13\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-13) *[USA Today](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/USA_Today \"USA Today\")* reported that the caning involved \"bits of flesh flying with each stroke.\"[\\[14\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Don't_copy_Singapore-14)\n\nHowever, Singapore also found supporters among the foreign media and the US public. For example, *Chicago Tribune* columnist Mike Royko reported that he had been sent a large number of letters, nearly all of which supported the punishment.[\\[15\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-15)[\\[16\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-16) A *Los Angeles Times* poll found that Americans were evenly divided (49% approved, 48% disapproved) as to the appropriateness of the punishment, but would have only been 36% in favor had the sentence been handed down inside the US.[\\[17\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-17)\n\n### From the United States government\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=5 \"Edit section: From the United States government\")\\]\n\nThe official position of the [Clinton administration](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clinton_administration \"Clinton administration\") was that although it recognized Singapore's right to punish Fay within the [due process](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Due_process \"Due process\") of law, the punishment of caning was \"excessive\" for a teenager who committed a non-violent crime.\n\nThe [United States Embassy in Singapore](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Embassy_in_Singapore \"United States Embassy in Singapore\") claimed that, while the graffiti and physical damage to the cars was not permanent, caning could leave Fay with permanent physical scars.[\\[4\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4)[\\[18\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-fawcett-18)\n\n[Bill Clinton](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bill_Clinton \"Bill Clinton\"), the then-[President of the United States](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/President_of_the_United_States \"President of the United States\"), also called Fay's punishment \"extreme\" and \"mistaken\", and pressured the Singapore government to grant Fay clemency from caning. Two dozen United States senators signed a letter to the Singapore government also appealing for clemency.[\\[19\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-nyt19940505-19)\n\n### From the Singapore government\n\\[[edit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=6 \"Edit section: From the Singapore government\")\\]\n\nThe [Singapore government](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Government_of_Singapore \"Government of Singapore\") stood its ground and did not grant clemency to Fay.[\\[3\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-LAT19940309-3) Nevertheless, on May 4, that year, the Singapore government reduced the severity of both sentences out of consideration for President Clinton as it valued the [good historical relations between the two countries](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Singapore%E2%80%93United_States_relations \"Singapore–United States relations\").[\\[20\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-20) Fay was caned on May 5, 1994, at the [Queenstown Remand Centre](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Queenstown_Remand_Centre&action=edit&redlink=1 \"Queenstown Remand Centre (page does not exist)\").[\\[21\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-21)[\\[22\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-22)\n\nAfter his release from prison in June 1994, Fay returned to the United States to live with his father.[\\[23\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-23) He gave several television interviews, including one with his American lawyer on [CNN](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/CNN \"CNN\") with [Larry King](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Larry_King \"Larry King\") on June 29, 1994, in which he admitted taking road signs but denied vandalising cars.[\\[24\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-24) While he did not detail his experience, he said that he was \"ill-treated\" at times during questioning, but had shaken hands with the caning operative after his four strokes had been administered and the prison guards when he was released.\n\nSeveral months after returning to the United States, Fay suffered burns to his hands and face after a [butane](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Butane \"Butane\") incident.[\\[25\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-people-25)[\\[26\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-26)[\\[27\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-27) He was subsequently admitted to the [Hazelden](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hazelden_Betty_Ford_Foundation \"Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation\") rehabilitation program for [butane abuse](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Inhalant \"Inhalant\").[\\[25\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-people-25) He said that sniffing butane \"made \\[him\\] forget what happened in Singapore.\"[\\[28\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-28) In 1996, he was cited in [Florida](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Florida \"Florida\") for a number of violations, including careless driving, reckless driving, not reporting a crash, and having an open bottle of alcohol in a car.[\\[29\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-29) Later, in 1998, still in Florida, Fay was arrested for possession of [marijuana](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cannabis_\$drug\$ \"Cannabis (drug)\") and [drug paraphernalia](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Drug_paraphernalia \"Drug paraphernalia\"),[\\[30\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-30) charges to which he confessed but was acquitted because of technical errors in his arrest.[\\[31\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-31)\\[*[failed verification](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Verifiability \"Wikipedia:Verifiability\")*\\]\n\nIn June 2010, Fay's case was recalled in international news, after another foreigner in Singapore, Swiss national [Oliver Fricker](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oliver_Fricker \"Oliver Fricker\"), was sentenced to five months in jail and three strokes of the cane for trespassing a rail depot to vandalise a metro train that is a part of the country's [Mass Rapid Transit](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mass_Rapid_Transit_\$Singapore\$ \"Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)\").[\\[32\\]](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-32)\n\n1. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-1)**\n   [\"Michael Fay\"](https:\/\/www.nlb.gov.sg\/main\/article-detail?cmsuuid=61e0277e-fbeb-4ebc-88ea-8a9c58e13e05). *National Library Board (Singapore)*. October 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2025.\n2. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-2) [***d***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-3)\n   Shenon, Philip (March 16, 1994). [\"A Flogging Sentence Brings a Cry of Pain in U.S.\"](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/03\/16\/world\/singapore-journal-a-flogging-sentence-brings-a-cry-of-pain-in-us.html) *The New York Times*. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170823121533\/http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/03\/16\/world\/singapore-journal-a-flogging-sentence-brings-a-cry-of-pain-in-us.html) from the original on August 23, 2017.\n3. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-LAT19940309_3-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-LAT19940309_3-1)\n   Wallace, Charles P. (March 9, 1994). [\"Singapore Blasts Back at Clinton in Caning Case\"](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1994-03-09-mn-31971-story.html). *Los Angeles Times*. Retrieved March 25, 2009.\n4. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-1) [***c***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-2)\n   Reyes, Alejandro (May 25, 1994). [\"Rough Justice: A Caning in Singapore Stirs Up a Fierce Debate About Crime And Punishment\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/awfay9405.htm). *Asiaweek*. Hong Kong. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190511182701\/https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/awfay9405.htm) from the original on May 11, 2019.\n5. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-tanooiboon19931007_5-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-tanooiboon19931007_5-1)\n   Tan, Ooi Boon (October 7, 1993). [\"9 foreign students held for vandalism\"](https:\/\/eresources.nlb.gov.sg\/newspapers\/Digitised\/Article\/straitstimes19931007-1.2.6). *The Straits Times*. Singapore. p. 1. Retrieved March 6, 2023.\n6. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Fay_loses_appeal_6-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Fay_loses_appeal_6-1)\n   Chong, Elena (April 1, 1994). [\"Fay loses appeal\"](https:\/\/eresources.nlb.gov.sg\/newspapers\/Digitised\/Article\/straitstimes19940401-1.2.4). *The Straits Times*. Singapore.\n7. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-7)**\n   Shenon, Philip (April 17, 1994). [\"Overlooked Question in Singapore Caning Debate: Is the Teen-Ager Guilty?\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9404.htm#26056). *The New York Times*.\n8. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-8)**\n   Wallace, Charles P. (March 4, 1994). [\"Ohio Youth to be Flogged in Singapore\"](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1994-03-04-mn-29913-story.html). *Los Angeles Times*.\n9. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-9)**\n   Watts, David (March 4, 1994). [\"Singapore sentences American to caning\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9403.htm#21566). *The Times*. London.\n10. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-10)**\n    Stewart, Ian (April 22, 1994). [\"Flogging for vandal\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9404.htm#3891). *South China Morning Post*. Hong Kong. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20100920031803\/http:\/\/corpun.com\/sgju9404.htm) from the original on September 20, 2010.\n11. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-11)**\n    Parascandola, Rocco (August 1994). [\"Singapore Hosts Some Most Unruly Guests\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20070930014537\/http:\/\/ajr.org\/article.asp?id=2093). *American Journalism Review*. Archived from [the original](http:\/\/ajr.org\/article.asp?id=2093) on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2007.\n12. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-:0_12-0)**\n    Stone, Andrea (March 10, 1994). [\"Whipping penalty judged too harsh – by some\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9403.htm#21567). *USA Today*. Washington DC. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200617214944\/https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9403.htm#21567) from the original on June 17, 2020.\n13. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-13)**\n    [\"What US columnists say about Fay's caning\"](https:\/\/eresources.nlb.gov.sg\/newspapers\/Digitised\/Article\/straitstimes19940408-1.2.46.6). *The Straits Times*. Singapore. April 8, 1994. Retrieved August 13, 2019.\n14. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Don't_copy_Singapore_14-0)**\n    [\"Don't copy Singapore\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/usju9404.htm#02). *USA Today*. Washington DC. April 5, 1994. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20090208212700\/http:\/\/www.corpun.com\/usju9404.htm#02) from the original on February 8, 2009.\n15. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-15)**\n    Usborne, David (April 2, 1994). [\"'Joe Public' backs caning of American\"](https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/joe-public-backs-caning-of-american-1367479.html). *The Independent*. London. Retrieved May 16, 2023.\n16. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-16)**\n    Royko, Mike (March 30, 1994). [\"Readers get 'behind' flogging of vandal\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9403.htm#3658). *Daily News*. New York. Retrieved May 18, 2023 – via www.corpun.com.\n17. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-17)**\n    Brownstein, Ronald (April 21, 1994). [\"Singapore's Caning Sentence Divides Americans, Poll Finds\"](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1994-04-21-mn-48524-story.html). *Los Angeles Times*. Retrieved May 18, 2023.\n18. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-fawcett_18-0)**\n    Fawcett, Karen (March 9, 1994). [\"Americans in Singapore condemn caning for teen\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9403.htm#1199). *USA Today*. Washington DC. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20080619173801\/http:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9404.htm#1199) from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2009.\n19. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-nyt19940505_19-0)**\n    Richardson, Michael (May 5, 1994). [\"Responding to Clinton's Plea, Singapore Cuts 6 Lashes to 4\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170209061224\/http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/05\/05\/news\/05iht-cane_0.html). *The New York Times*. Archived from [the original](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/05\/05\/news\/05iht-cane_0.html) on February 9, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.\n20. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-20)**\n    Branigin, William (May 5, 1994). [\"Singapore Reduces American's Sentence\"](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/politics\/1994\/05\/05\/singapore-reduces-americans-sentence\/1d28b069-749b-40ce-928e-1ac3f4aaa990\/). *The Washington Post*.\n21. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-21)**\n    Wallace, Charles P. (June 22, 1994). [\"Singapore Frees Flogged U.S. Teen-Ager\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160513012208\/http:\/\/articles.latimes.com\/1994-06-22\/news\/mn-7134_1_michael-fay). *Los Angeles Times*. Archived from [the original](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1994-06-22-mn-7134-story.html) on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016.\n22. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-22)**\n    Shenon, Philip (May 6, 1994). [\"Singapore Carries Out Caning of U.S. Teenager\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170424111829\/http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/05\/06\/world\/singapore-carries-out-the-caning-of-a-us-teen-ager.html). *The New York Times*. Archived from [the original](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/05\/06\/world\/singapore-carries-out-the-caning-of-a-us-teen-ager.html) on April 24, 2017.\n23. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-23)**\n    [\"The Road From Singapore\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9406.htm#4308). *Daily News*. New York. June 22, 1994. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150308093142\/http:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9406.htm#4308) from the original on March 8, 2015 – via www.corpun.com.\n24. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-24)**\n    [\"Larry King Live\"](https:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9406.htm#4344). *CNN*. June 29, 1994. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150308093142\/http:\/\/www.corpun.com\/sgju9406.htm#4344) from the original on March 8, 2015.\n25. ^ [***a***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-people_25-0) [***b***](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-people_25-1) \"Michael Fay,\" *People Magazine,* December 26, 1994, p. 60.\n26. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-26)** \"Drug Rehab For Teen Caned in Singapore,\" *Chicago Tribune,* September 29, 1994, p. 14.\n27. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-27)** \"The Nation,\" *USA Today*, Washington, D.C., September 29, 1994, p. 03A.\n28. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-28)** \"Teen Punished in Singapore Has Drug Habit – Michael Fay Was Sniffing Butane,\" *Times-Picayune*, New Orleans, September 29, 1994, p. A24.\n29. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-29)** \"Q\\&A,\" *The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,* October 13, 2003, p. B2.\n30. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-30)**\n    Flatley, Kerry A. (April 9, 1998). [\"Boy Caned in Singapore Makes News Again\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160624053457\/http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/1998\/0409\/040998.feat.feat.2.html). *The Christian Science Monitor*. Boston MA. p. 18. Archived from [the original](https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/1998\/0409\/040998.feat.feat.2.html) on June 24, 2016.\n31. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-31)** \"Drug Charges Dropped,\" *Asiaweek,* Hong Kong, June 29, 1998, p. 1.\n32. **[^](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-32)**\n    [\"Graffiti man faces Singapore caning\"](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/10417167). *BBC News*. June 25, 2010. [Archived](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20100628033833\/http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/world\/asia_pacific\/10417167.stm) from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.\n\n- Latif, Asad (1994). *The Flogging of Singapore: The Michael Fay Affair*. Singapore: Times Books International. [ISBN](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ISBN_\$identifier\$ \"ISBN (identifier)\")\n  [981-204-530-9](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:BookSources\/981-204-530-9 \"Special:BookSources\/981-204-530-9\")\n- [Baratham, Gopal](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gopal_Baratham \"Gopal Baratham\") (1994). *The Caning of Michael Fay*. Singapore: KRP Publication. [ISBN](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ISBN_\$identifier\$ \"ISBN (identifier)\")\n  [981-00-5747-4](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:BookSources\/981-00-5747-4 \"Special:BookSources\/981-00-5747-4\")\n- The Asiaweek Newsmap (April 27, 1994). *Asiaweek*.\n- Chew, Valerie (August 5, 2009). [\"Michael Fay\"](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20090825175717\/http:\/\/infopedia.nl.sg\/articles\/SIP_1554_2009-08-06.html), *Singapore Infopedia*. National Library Board.","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article needs attention from an expert in Singapore . The specific problem is: Unclear narrative, verification of facts needed. WikiProject Singapore may be able to help recruit an expert. ( May 2023 ) In 1994, the District Court in Singapore sentenced an American teenager, Michael Fay (born May 30, 1975), [ 1 ] to be lashed six times with a cane for violating the Vandalism Act . This caused a temporary strain in relations between Singapore and the United States. [ 2 ] Fay was arrested for stealing road signs and vandalising 18 cars over a ten-day period in September 1993. Fay pled guilty , but he later claimed that he was advised that such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalized any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing road signs. Although caning is a routine court sentence in Singapore , Fay's sentence garnered controversy and was widely covered in the media in the United States, as it was believed to be the first judicial corporal punishment involving an American citizen. [ 3 ] The number of cane strokes in Fay's sentence was ultimately reduced from six to four after United States officials requested leniency, and the sentence was carried out on May 5, 1994. Fay's parents divorced when he was a child. After living with his father for a time, he was sent to Singapore to live with his mother and stepfather, where he was enrolled in the Singapore American School . [ 4 ] Theft and vandalism in Singapore [ edit ] In September 1993, 67 cars were vandalised in various neighbourhoods of Singapore. The damage included spray painting and being pelted with eggs, and at least one had its windshield smashed. [ 2 ] [ 5 ] The Singapore police eventually arrested two teenagers who were driving a car similar to one that witnesses had described as being involved in the vandalism. During questioning, the two gave seven names, all male students from the Singapore American School and ISS International School , whom police tracked down and raided. They found about 41 stolen items, including a telephone booth and road signs. [ 5 ] Fay was one of these students. [ 2 ] [ 6 ] He later claimed that he had been intimidated and threatened during the police interrogation, [ 2 ] and maintained that he had been advised such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalised any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing signs. [ 7 ] Under the 1966 Vandalism Act , originally passed to curb the spread of political graffiti and which specifically penalized vandalism of government property, [ 4 ] Fay was sentenced on March 3, 1994, to four months in jail, a fine of S$ 3,500 (at the time equivalent to US$ 2,230 or £ 1,450), and six strokes of the cane . [ 8 ] [ 9 ] Another student who pleaded not guilty was sentenced to eight months in prison and 12 strokes of the cane. [ 10 ] Fay lost on appeal after his lawyers argued that the Vandalism Act provided caning only for indelible forms of graffiti vandalism and that the damaged cars had been cheaply restored to their original condition. [ 6 ] Media and public reactions [ edit ] Following Fay's sentence, the case received coverage by the American, Singaporean and international media. [ 11 ] Some US news outlets launched scathing attacks on Singapore's judicial system for what they considered an "archaic punishment", while others turned the issue into one of Singapore asserting " Asian values " towards " western decadence ". [ 12 ] The New York Times , The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times ran editorials and op-eds condemning the punishment. [ 13 ] USA Today reported that the caning involved "bits of flesh flying with each stroke." [ 14 ] However, Singapore also found supporters among the foreign media and the US public. For example, Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko reported that he had been sent a large number of letters, nearly all of which supported the punishment. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] A Los Angeles Times poll found that Americans were evenly divided (49% approved, 48% disapproved) as to the appropriateness of the punishment, but would have only been 36% in favor had the sentence been handed down inside the US. [ 17 ] From the United States government [ edit ] The official position of the Clinton administration was that although it recognized Singapore's right to punish Fay within the due process of law, the punishment of caning was "excessive" for a teenager who committed a non-violent crime. The United States Embassy in Singapore claimed that, while the graffiti and physical damage to the cars was not permanent, caning could leave Fay with permanent physical scars. [ 4 ] [ 18 ] Bill Clinton , the then- President of the United States , also called Fay's punishment "extreme" and "mistaken", and pressured the Singapore government to grant Fay clemency from caning. Two dozen United States senators signed a letter to the Singapore government also appealing for clemency. [ 19 ] From the Singapore government [ edit ] The Singapore government stood its ground and did not grant clemency to Fay. [ 3 ] Nevertheless, on May 4, that year, the Singapore government reduced the severity of both sentences out of consideration for President Clinton as it valued the good historical relations between the two countries . [ 20 ] Fay was caned on May 5, 1994, at the Queenstown Remand Centre . [ 21 ] [ 22 ] After his release from prison in June 1994, Fay returned to the United States to live with his father. [ 23 ] He gave several television interviews, including one with his American lawyer on CNN with Larry King on June 29, 1994, in which he admitted taking road signs but denied vandalising cars. [ 24 ] While he did not detail his experience, he said that he was "ill-treated" at times during questioning, but had shaken hands with the caning operative after his four strokes had been administered and the prison guards when he was released. Several months after returning to the United States, Fay suffered burns to his hands and face after a butane incident. [ 25 ] [ 26 ] [ 27 ] He was subsequently admitted to the Hazelden rehabilitation program for butane abuse . [ 25 ] He said that sniffing butane "made [him] forget what happened in Singapore." [ 28 ] In 1996, he was cited in Florida for a number of violations, including careless driving, reckless driving, not reporting a crash, and having an open bottle of alcohol in a car. [ 29 ] Later, in 1998, still in Florida, Fay was arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia , [ 30 ] charges to which he confessed but was acquitted because of technical errors in his arrest. [ 31 ] [ failed verification ] In June 2010, Fay's case was recalled in international news, after another foreigner in Singapore, Swiss national Oliver Fricker , was sentenced to five months in jail and three strokes of the cane for trespassing a rail depot to vandalise a metro train that is a part of the country's Mass Rapid Transit . [ 32 ] ^ "Michael Fay" . National Library Board (Singapore) . October 2021 . Retrieved January 13, 2025 . ^ a b c d Shenon, Philip (March 16, 1994). "A Flogging Sentence Brings a Cry of Pain in U.S." The New York Times . Archived from the original on August 23, 2017. ^ a b Wallace, Charles P. (March 9, 1994). "Singapore Blasts Back at Clinton in Caning Case" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 25, 2009 . ^ a b c Reyes, Alejandro (May 25, 1994). "Rough Justice: A Caning in Singapore Stirs Up a Fierce Debate About Crime And Punishment" . Asiaweek . Hong Kong. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. ^ a b Tan, Ooi Boon (October 7, 1993). "9 foreign students held for vandalism" . The Straits Times . Singapore. p. 1 . Retrieved March 6, 2023 . ^ a b Chong, Elena (April 1, 1994). "Fay loses appeal" . The Straits Times . Singapore. ^ Shenon, Philip (April 17, 1994). "Overlooked Question in Singapore Caning Debate: Is the Teen-Ager Guilty?" . The New York Times . ^ Wallace, Charles P. (March 4, 1994). "Ohio Youth to be Flogged in Singapore" . Los Angeles Times . ^ Watts, David (March 4, 1994). "Singapore sentences American to caning" . The Times . London. ^ Stewart, Ian (April 22, 1994). "Flogging for vandal" . South China Morning Post . Hong Kong. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. ^ Parascandola, Rocco (August 1994). "Singapore Hosts Some Most Unruly Guests" . American Journalism Review . Archived from the original on September 30, 2007 . Retrieved February 24, 2007 . ^ Stone, Andrea (March 10, 1994). "Whipping penalty judged too harsh – by some" . USA Today . Washington DC. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. ^ "What US columnists say about Fay's caning" . The Straits Times . Singapore. April 8, 1994 . Retrieved August 13, 2019 . ^ "Don't copy Singapore" . USA Today . Washington DC. April 5, 1994. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. ^ Usborne, David (April 2, 1994). " 'Joe Public' backs caning of American" . The Independent . London . Retrieved May 16, 2023 . ^ Royko, Mike (March 30, 1994). "Readers get 'behind' flogging of vandal" . Daily News . New York . Retrieved May 18, 2023 – via www.corpun.com. ^ Brownstein, Ronald (April 21, 1994). "Singapore's Caning Sentence Divides Americans, Poll Finds" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 18, 2023 . ^ Fawcett, Karen (March 9, 1994). "Americans in Singapore condemn caning for teen" . USA Today . Washington DC. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008 . Retrieved March 25, 2009 . ^ Richardson, Michael (May 5, 1994). "Responding to Clinton's Plea, Singapore Cuts 6 Lashes to 4" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 9, 2017 . Retrieved February 17, 2017 . ^ Branigin, William (May 5, 1994). "Singapore Reduces American's Sentence" . The Washington Post . ^ Wallace, Charles P. (June 22, 1994). "Singapore Frees Flogged U.S. Teen-Ager" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on May 13, 2016 . Retrieved May 13, 2016 . ^ Shenon, Philip (May 6, 1994). "Singapore Carries Out Caning of U.S. Teenager" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. ^ "The Road From Singapore" . Daily News . New York. June 22, 1994. Archived from the original on March 8, 2015 – via www.corpun.com. ^ "Larry King Live" . CNN . June 29, 1994. Archived from the original on March 8, 2015. ^ a b "Michael Fay," People Magazine, December 26, 1994, p. 60. ^ "Drug Rehab For Teen Caned in Singapore," Chicago Tribune, September 29, 1994, p. 14. ^ "The Nation," USA Today , Washington, D.C., September 29, 1994, p. 03A. ^ "Teen Punished in Singapore Has Drug Habit – Michael Fay Was Sniffing Butane," Times-Picayune , New Orleans, September 29, 1994, p. A24. ^ "Q&A," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 13, 2003, p. B2. ^ Flatley, Kerry A. (April 9, 1998). "Boy Caned in Singapore Makes News Again" . The Christian Science Monitor . Boston MA. p. 18. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. ^ "Drug Charges Dropped," Asiaweek, Hong Kong, June 29, 1998, p. 1. ^ "Graffiti man faces Singapore caning" . BBC News . June 25, 2010. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010 . Retrieved December 5, 2010 . Latif, Asad (1994). The Flogging of Singapore: The Michael Fay Affair . Singapore: Times Books International. ISBN 981-204-530-9 Baratham, Gopal (1994). The Caning of Michael Fay . Singapore: KRP Publication. ISBN 981-00-5747-4 The Asiaweek Newsmap (April 27, 1994). Asiaweek . Chew, Valerie (August 5, 2009). "Michael Fay" , Singapore Infopedia . National Library Board.
Markdown	[Jump to content](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#bodyContent) Main menu Main menu move to sidebar hide Navigation - [Main page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page "Visit the main page [z]") - [Contents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents "Guides to browsing Wikipedia") - [Current events](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events "Articles related to current events") - [Random article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random "Visit a randomly selected article [x]") - [About Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About "Learn about Wikipedia and how it works") - [Contact us](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us "How to contact Wikipedia") Contribute - [Help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents "Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia") - [Learn to edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction "Learn how to edit Wikipedia") - [Community portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Community_portal "The hub for editors") - [Recent changes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RecentChanges "A list of recent changes to Wikipedia [r]") - [Upload file](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:File_upload_wizard "Add images or other media for use on Wikipedia") - [Special pages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:SpecialPages "A list of all special pages [q]") [![](https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/icons/enwiki-25.svg) ![Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-wordmark-en-25.svg) ![The Free Encyclopedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-en-25.svg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) [Search](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search "Search Wikipedia [f]") Appearance - [Donate](https://donate.wikimedia.org/?wmf_source=donate&wmf_medium=sidebar&wmf_campaign=en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en) - [Create account](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Caning+of+Michael+Fay "You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory") - [Log in](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Caning+of+Michael+Fay "You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. 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[o]") ## Contents move to sidebar hide - [(Top)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay) - [1 Early life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Early_life) - [2 Theft and vandalism in Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Theft_and_vandalism_in_Singapore) - [3 Response](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Response) Toggle Response subsection - [3\.1 Media and public reactions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Media_and_public_reactions) - [3\.2 From the United States government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#From_the_United_States_government) - [3\.3 From the Singapore government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#From_the_Singapore_government) - [4 Aftermath](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Aftermath) - [5 References](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#References) - [6 Further reading](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#Further_reading) Toggle the table of contents # Caning of Michael Fay 3 languages - [한국어](https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%A7%88%EC%9D%B4%ED%81%B4_%ED%8E%98%EC%9D%B4 "마이클 페이 – Korean") - [Українська](https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BA%D0%BB_%D0%9F._%D0%A4%D0%B5%D0%B9 "Майкл П. 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The specific problem is: Unclear narrative, verification of facts needed. [WikiProject Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Singapore "Wikipedia:WikiProject Singapore") may be able to help recruit an expert. (May 2023) \| In 1994, the [District Court](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Courts_of_Singapore "State Courts of Singapore") in [Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore "Singapore") sentenced an American teenager, Michael Fay (born May 30, 1975),[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-1) to be [lashed six times with a cane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning "Caning") for violating the [Vandalism Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandalism_Act "Vandalism Act"). This caused a temporary strain in relations between Singapore and the United States.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2) Fay was arrested for stealing road signs and vandalising 18 cars over a ten-day period in September 1993. Fay [pled guilty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilty_plea "Guilty plea"), but he later claimed that he was advised that such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalized any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing road signs. Although [caning is a routine court sentence in Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_in_Singapore "Caning in Singapore"), Fay's sentence garnered controversy and was widely covered in the media in the United States, as it was believed to be the first judicial corporal punishment involving an American citizen.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-LAT19940309-3) The number of cane strokes in Fay's sentence was ultimately reduced from six to four after United States officials requested leniency, and the sentence was carried out on May 5, 1994. ## Early life \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=1 "Edit section: Early life")\] Fay's parents divorced when he was a child. After living with his father for a time, he was sent to Singapore to live with his mother and stepfather, where he was enrolled in the [Singapore American School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_American_School "Singapore American School").[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4) ## Theft and vandalism in Singapore \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=2 "Edit section: Theft and vandalism in Singapore")\] In September 1993, 67 cars were vandalised in various neighbourhoods of Singapore. The damage included spray painting and being pelted with eggs, and at least one had its windshield smashed.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2)[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-tanooiboon19931007-5) The Singapore police eventually arrested two teenagers who were driving a car similar to one that witnesses had described as being involved in the vandalism. During questioning, the two gave seven names, all male students from the [Singapore American School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_American_School "Singapore American School") and [ISS International School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISS_International_School "ISS International School"), whom police tracked down and raided. They found about 41 stolen items, including a telephone booth and road signs.[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-tanooiboon19931007-5) Fay was one of these students.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2)[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Fay_loses_appeal-6) He later claimed that he had been intimidated and threatened during the police interrogation,[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2) and maintained that he had been advised such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalised any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing signs.[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-7) Under the 1966 [Vandalism Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandalism_Act "Vandalism Act"), originally passed to curb the spread of political [graffiti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti "Graffiti") and which specifically penalized vandalism of government property,[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4) Fay was sentenced on March 3, 1994, to four months in jail, a fine of [S\$](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_dollar "Singapore dollar")3,500 (at the time equivalent to [US\$](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_dollar "United States dollar")2,230 or [£](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pounds_sterling "Pounds sterling")1,450), and six [strokes of the cane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_in_Singapore "Caning in Singapore").[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-8)[\[9\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-9) Another student who pleaded not guilty was sentenced to eight months in prison and 12 strokes of the cane.[\[10\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-10) Fay lost on appeal after his lawyers argued that the Vandalism Act provided caning only for [indelible](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/indelible#Adjective "wiktionary:indelible") forms of graffiti vandalism and that the damaged cars had been cheaply restored to their original condition.[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Fay_loses_appeal-6) ## Response \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=3 "Edit section: Response")\] ### Media and public reactions \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=4 "Edit section: Media and public reactions")\] Following Fay's sentence, the case received coverage by the American, Singaporean and international media.[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-11) Some US news outlets launched scathing attacks on Singapore's judicial system for what they considered an "archaic punishment", while others turned the issue into one of Singapore asserting "[Asian values](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_values "Asian values")" towards "[western decadence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decadence "Decadence")".[\[12\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-:0-12) [The New York Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times"), [The Washington Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post "The Washington Post") and the [Los Angeles Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Times "Los Angeles Times") ran editorials and op-eds condemning the punishment.[\[13\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-13) [USA Today](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Today "USA Today") reported that the caning involved "bits of flesh flying with each stroke."[\[14\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Don't_copy_Singapore-14) However, Singapore also found supporters among the foreign media and the US public. For example, Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko reported that he had been sent a large number of letters, nearly all of which supported the punishment.[\[15\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-15)[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-16) A Los Angeles Times poll found that Americans were evenly divided (49% approved, 48% disapproved) as to the appropriateness of the punishment, but would have only been 36% in favor had the sentence been handed down inside the US.[\[17\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-17) ### From the United States government \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: From the United States government")\] The official position of the [Clinton administration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_administration "Clinton administration") was that although it recognized Singapore's right to punish Fay within the [due process](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Due_process "Due process") of law, the punishment of caning was "excessive" for a teenager who committed a non-violent crime. The [United States Embassy in Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Embassy_in_Singapore "United States Embassy in Singapore") claimed that, while the graffiti and physical damage to the cars was not permanent, caning could leave Fay with permanent physical scars.[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4)[\[18\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-fawcett-18) [Bill Clinton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton "Bill Clinton"), the then-[President of the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States "President of the United States"), also called Fay's punishment "extreme" and "mistaken", and pressured the Singapore government to grant Fay clemency from caning. Two dozen United States senators signed a letter to the Singapore government also appealing for clemency.[\[19\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-nyt19940505-19) ### From the Singapore government \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=6 "Edit section: From the Singapore government")\] The [Singapore government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Singapore "Government of Singapore") stood its ground and did not grant clemency to Fay.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-LAT19940309-3) Nevertheless, on May 4, that year, the Singapore government reduced the severity of both sentences out of consideration for President Clinton as it valued the [good historical relations between the two countries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore%E2%80%93United_States_relations "Singapore–United States relations").[\[20\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-20) Fay was caned on May 5, 1994, at the [Queenstown Remand Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queenstown_Remand_Centre&action=edit&redlink=1 "Queenstown Remand Centre (page does not exist)").[\[21\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-21)[\[22\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-22) ## Aftermath \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=7 "Edit section: Aftermath")\] After his release from prison in June 1994, Fay returned to the United States to live with his father.[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-23) He gave several television interviews, including one with his American lawyer on [CNN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN "CNN") with [Larry King](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_King "Larry King") on June 29, 1994, in which he admitted taking road signs but denied vandalising cars.[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-24) While he did not detail his experience, he said that he was "ill-treated" at times during questioning, but had shaken hands with the caning operative after his four strokes had been administered and the prison guards when he was released. Several months after returning to the United States, Fay suffered burns to his hands and face after a [butane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butane "Butane") incident.[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-people-25)[\[26\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-26)[\[27\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-27) He was subsequently admitted to the [Hazelden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazelden_Betty_Ford_Foundation "Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation") rehabilitation program for [butane abuse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inhalant "Inhalant").[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-people-25) He said that sniffing butane "made \[him\] forget what happened in Singapore."[\[28\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-28) In 1996, he was cited in [Florida](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida "Florida") for a number of violations, including careless driving, reckless driving, not reporting a crash, and having an open bottle of alcohol in a car.[\[29\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-29) Later, in 1998, still in Florida, Fay was arrested for possession of [marijuana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_$drug$ "Cannabis (drug)") and [drug paraphernalia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_paraphernalia "Drug paraphernalia"),[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-30) charges to which he confessed but was acquitted because of technical errors in his arrest.[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-31)\[[failed verification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability "Wikipedia:Verifiability")\] In June 2010, Fay's case was recalled in international news, after another foreigner in Singapore, Swiss national [Oliver Fricker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Fricker "Oliver Fricker"), was sentenced to five months in jail and three strokes of the cane for trespassing a rail depot to vandalise a metro train that is a part of the country's [Mass Rapid Transit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Rapid_Transit_$Singapore$ "Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)").[\[32\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-32) ## References \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=8 "Edit section: References")\] 1. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-1) ["Michael Fay"](https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=61e0277e-fbeb-4ebc-88ea-8a9c58e13e05). National Library Board (Singapore). October 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2025. 2. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-2) [d](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-3) Shenon, Philip (March 16, 1994). ["A Flogging Sentence Brings a Cry of Pain in U.S."](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/16/world/singapore-journal-a-flogging-sentence-brings-a-cry-of-pain-in-us.html) The New York Times. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170823121533/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/16/world/singapore-journal-a-flogging-sentence-brings-a-cry-of-pain-in-us.html) from the original on August 23, 2017. 3. ^ [a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-LAT19940309_3-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-LAT19940309_3-1) Wallace, Charles P. (March 9, 1994). ["Singapore Blasts Back at Clinton in Caning Case"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-09-mn-31971-story.html). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 25, 2009. 4. ^ [a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-2) Reyes, Alejandro (May 25, 1994). ["Rough Justice: A Caning in Singapore Stirs Up a Fierce Debate About Crime And Punishment"](https://www.corpun.com/awfay9405.htm). Asiaweek. Hong Kong. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190511182701/https://www.corpun.com/awfay9405.htm) from the original on May 11, 2019. 5. ^ [a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-tanooiboon19931007_5-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-tanooiboon19931007_5-1) Tan, Ooi Boon (October 7, 1993). ["9 foreign students held for vandalism"](https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19931007-1.2.6). The Straits Times. Singapore. p. 1. Retrieved March 6, 2023. 6. ^ [a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Fay_loses_appeal_6-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Fay_loses_appeal_6-1) Chong, Elena (April 1, 1994). ["Fay loses appeal"](https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19940401-1.2.4). The Straits Times. Singapore. 7. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-7)* Shenon, Philip (April 17, 1994). ["Overlooked Question in Singapore Caning Debate: Is the Teen-Ager Guilty?"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9404.htm#26056). The New York Times. 8. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-8) Wallace, Charles P. (March 4, 1994). ["Ohio Youth to be Flogged in Singapore"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-04-mn-29913-story.html). Los Angeles Times. 9. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-9) Watts, David (March 4, 1994). ["Singapore sentences American to caning"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9403.htm#21566). The Times. London. 10. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-10) Stewart, Ian (April 22, 1994). ["Flogging for vandal"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9404.htm#3891). South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100920031803/http://corpun.com/sgju9404.htm) from the original on September 20, 2010. 11. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-11) Parascandola, Rocco (August 1994). ["Singapore Hosts Some Most Unruly Guests"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014537/http://ajr.org/article.asp?id=2093). American Journalism Review. Archived from [the original](http://ajr.org/article.asp?id=2093) on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2007. 12. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-:0_12-0) Stone, Andrea (March 10, 1994). ["Whipping penalty judged too harsh – by some"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9403.htm#21567). USA Today. Washington DC. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200617214944/https://www.corpun.com/sgju9403.htm#21567) from the original on June 17, 2020. 13. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-13) ["What US columnists say about Fay's caning"](https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19940408-1.2.46.6). The Straits Times. Singapore. April 8, 1994. Retrieved August 13, 2019. 14. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Don't_copy_Singapore_14-0) ["Don't copy Singapore"](https://www.corpun.com/usju9404.htm#02). USA Today. Washington DC. April 5, 1994. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090208212700/http://www.corpun.com/usju9404.htm#02) from the original on February 8, 2009. 15. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-15) Usborne, David (April 2, 1994). ["'Joe Public' backs caning of American"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/joe-public-backs-caning-of-american-1367479.html). The Independent. London. Retrieved May 16, 2023. 16. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-16) Royko, Mike (March 30, 1994). ["Readers get 'behind' flogging of vandal"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9403.htm#3658). Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 18, 2023 – via www.corpun.com. 17. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-17) Brownstein, Ronald (April 21, 1994). ["Singapore's Caning Sentence Divides Americans, Poll Finds"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-21-mn-48524-story.html). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2023. 18. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-fawcett_18-0) Fawcett, Karen (March 9, 1994). ["Americans in Singapore condemn caning for teen"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9403.htm#1199). USA Today. Washington DC. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080619173801/http://www.corpun.com/sgju9404.htm#1199) from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2009. 19. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-nyt19940505_19-0) Richardson, Michael (May 5, 1994). ["Responding to Clinton's Plea, Singapore Cuts 6 Lashes to 4"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170209061224/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/05/news/05iht-cane_0.html). The New York Times. Archived from [the original](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/05/news/05iht-cane_0.html) on February 9, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017. 20. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-20) Branigin, William (May 5, 1994). ["Singapore Reduces American's Sentence"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/05/05/singapore-reduces-americans-sentence/1d28b069-749b-40ce-928e-1ac3f4aaa990/). The Washington Post. 21. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-21) Wallace, Charles P. (June 22, 1994). ["Singapore Frees Flogged U.S. Teen-Ager"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160513012208/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-06-22/news/mn-7134_1_michael-fay). Los Angeles Times. Archived from [the original](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-22-mn-7134-story.html) on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016. 22. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-22) Shenon, Philip (May 6, 1994). ["Singapore Carries Out Caning of U.S. Teenager"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170424111829/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/06/world/singapore-carries-out-the-caning-of-a-us-teen-ager.html). The New York Times. Archived from [the original](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/06/world/singapore-carries-out-the-caning-of-a-us-teen-ager.html) on April 24, 2017. 23. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-23) ["The Road From Singapore"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9406.htm#4308). Daily News. New York. June 22, 1994. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150308093142/http://www.corpun.com/sgju9406.htm#4308) from the original on March 8, 2015 – via www.corpun.com. 24. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-24) ["Larry King Live"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9406.htm#4344). CNN. June 29, 1994. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150308093142/http://www.corpun.com/sgju9406.htm#4344) from the original on March 8, 2015. 25. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-people_25-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-people_25-1) "Michael Fay," People Magazine,* December 26, 1994, p. 60. 26. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-26) "Drug Rehab For Teen Caned in Singapore," Chicago Tribune, September 29, 1994, p. 14. 27. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-27) "The Nation," USA Today, Washington, D.C., September 29, 1994, p. 03A. 28. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-28) "Teen Punished in Singapore Has Drug Habit – Michael Fay Was Sniffing Butane," Times-Picayune, New Orleans, September 29, 1994, p. A24. 29. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-29) "Q\&A," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 13, 2003, p. B2. 30. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-30) Flatley, Kerry A. (April 9, 1998). ["Boy Caned in Singapore Makes News Again"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160624053457/http://www.csmonitor.com/1998/0409/040998.feat.feat.2.html). The Christian Science Monitor. Boston MA. p. 18. Archived from [the original](https://www.csmonitor.com/1998/0409/040998.feat.feat.2.html) on June 24, 2016. 31. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-31) "Drug Charges Dropped," Asiaweek, Hong Kong, June 29, 1998, p. 1. 32. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-32) ["Graffiti man faces Singapore caning"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10417167). BBC News. June 25, 2010. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100628033833/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10417167.stm) from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010. ## Further reading \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=9 "Edit section: Further reading")\] - Latif, Asad (1994). The Flogging of Singapore: The Michael Fay Affair. Singapore: Times Books International. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_$identifier$ "ISBN (identifier)") [981-204-530-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/981-204-530-9 "Special:BookSources/981-204-530-9") - [Baratham, Gopal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopal_Baratham "Gopal Baratham") (1994). The Caning of Michael Fay. Singapore: KRP Publication. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_$identifier$ "ISBN (identifier)") [981-00-5747-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/981-00-5747-4 "Special:BookSources/981-00-5747-4") - The Asiaweek Newsmap (April 27, 1994). Asiaweek. - Chew, Valerie (August 5, 2009). ["Michael Fay"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090825175717/http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1554_2009-08-06.html), Singapore Infopedia. 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Readable Markdown	From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| [![icon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Postscript-viewer-blue.svg/60px-Postscript-viewer-blue.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Postscript-viewer-blue.svg) \| This article needs attention from an expert in Singapore. The specific problem is: Unclear narrative, verification of facts needed. [WikiProject Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Singapore "Wikipedia:WikiProject Singapore") may be able to help recruit an expert. (May 2023) \| In 1994, the [District Court](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Courts_of_Singapore "State Courts of Singapore") in [Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore "Singapore") sentenced an American teenager, Michael Fay (born May 30, 1975),[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-1) to be [lashed six times with a cane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning "Caning") for violating the [Vandalism Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandalism_Act "Vandalism Act"). This caused a temporary strain in relations between Singapore and the United States.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2) Fay was arrested for stealing road signs and vandalising 18 cars over a ten-day period in September 1993. Fay [pled guilty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilty_plea "Guilty plea"), but he later claimed that he was advised that such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalized any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing road signs. Although [caning is a routine court sentence in Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_in_Singapore "Caning in Singapore"), Fay's sentence garnered controversy and was widely covered in the media in the United States, as it was believed to be the first judicial corporal punishment involving an American citizen.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-LAT19940309-3) The number of cane strokes in Fay's sentence was ultimately reduced from six to four after United States officials requested leniency, and the sentence was carried out on May 5, 1994. Fay's parents divorced when he was a child. After living with his father for a time, he was sent to Singapore to live with his mother and stepfather, where he was enrolled in the [Singapore American School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_American_School "Singapore American School").[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4) ## Theft and vandalism in Singapore \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=2 "Edit section: Theft and vandalism in Singapore")\] In September 1993, 67 cars were vandalised in various neighbourhoods of Singapore. The damage included spray painting and being pelted with eggs, and at least one had its windshield smashed.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2)[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-tanooiboon19931007-5) The Singapore police eventually arrested two teenagers who were driving a car similar to one that witnesses had described as being involved in the vandalism. During questioning, the two gave seven names, all male students from the [Singapore American School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_American_School "Singapore American School") and [ISS International School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISS_International_School "ISS International School"), whom police tracked down and raided. They found about 41 stolen items, including a telephone booth and road signs.[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-tanooiboon19931007-5) Fay was one of these students.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2)[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Fay_loses_appeal-6) He later claimed that he had been intimidated and threatened during the police interrogation,[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-NYT19940316-2) and maintained that he had been advised such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalised any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing signs.[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-7) Under the 1966 [Vandalism Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandalism_Act "Vandalism Act"), originally passed to curb the spread of political [graffiti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti "Graffiti") and which specifically penalized vandalism of government property,[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4) Fay was sentenced on March 3, 1994, to four months in jail, a fine of [S\$](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_dollar "Singapore dollar")3,500 (at the time equivalent to [US\$](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_dollar "United States dollar")2,230 or [£](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pounds_sterling "Pounds sterling")1,450), and six [strokes of the cane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_in_Singapore "Caning in Singapore").[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-8)[\[9\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-9) Another student who pleaded not guilty was sentenced to eight months in prison and 12 strokes of the cane.[\[10\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-10) Fay lost on appeal after his lawyers argued that the Vandalism Act provided caning only for [indelible](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/indelible#Adjective "wiktionary:indelible") forms of graffiti vandalism and that the damaged cars had been cheaply restored to their original condition.[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Fay_loses_appeal-6) ### Media and public reactions \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=4 "Edit section: Media and public reactions")\] Following Fay's sentence, the case received coverage by the American, Singaporean and international media.[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-11) Some US news outlets launched scathing attacks on Singapore's judicial system for what they considered an "archaic punishment", while others turned the issue into one of Singapore asserting "[Asian values](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_values "Asian values")" towards "[western decadence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decadence "Decadence")".[\[12\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-:0-12) [The New York Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times"), [The Washington Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post "The Washington Post") and the [Los Angeles Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Times "Los Angeles Times") ran editorials and op-eds condemning the punishment.[\[13\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-13) [USA Today](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Today "USA Today") reported that the caning involved "bits of flesh flying with each stroke."[\[14\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-Don't_copy_Singapore-14) However, Singapore also found supporters among the foreign media and the US public. For example, Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko reported that he had been sent a large number of letters, nearly all of which supported the punishment.[\[15\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-15)[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-16) A Los Angeles Times poll found that Americans were evenly divided (49% approved, 48% disapproved) as to the appropriateness of the punishment, but would have only been 36% in favor had the sentence been handed down inside the US.[\[17\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-17) ### From the United States government \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: From the United States government")\] The official position of the [Clinton administration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_administration "Clinton administration") was that although it recognized Singapore's right to punish Fay within the [due process](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Due_process "Due process") of law, the punishment of caning was "excessive" for a teenager who committed a non-violent crime. The [United States Embassy in Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Embassy_in_Singapore "United States Embassy in Singapore") claimed that, while the graffiti and physical damage to the cars was not permanent, caning could leave Fay with permanent physical scars.[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-reyes-4)[\[18\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-fawcett-18) [Bill Clinton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton "Bill Clinton"), the then-[President of the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States "President of the United States"), also called Fay's punishment "extreme" and "mistaken", and pressured the Singapore government to grant Fay clemency from caning. Two dozen United States senators signed a letter to the Singapore government also appealing for clemency.[\[19\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-nyt19940505-19) ### From the Singapore government \[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caning_of_Michael_Fay&action=edit&section=6 "Edit section: From the Singapore government")\] The [Singapore government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Singapore "Government of Singapore") stood its ground and did not grant clemency to Fay.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-LAT19940309-3) Nevertheless, on May 4, that year, the Singapore government reduced the severity of both sentences out of consideration for President Clinton as it valued the [good historical relations between the two countries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore%E2%80%93United_States_relations "Singapore–United States relations").[\[20\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-20) Fay was caned on May 5, 1994, at the [Queenstown Remand Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queenstown_Remand_Centre&action=edit&redlink=1 "Queenstown Remand Centre (page does not exist)").[\[21\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-21)[\[22\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-22) After his release from prison in June 1994, Fay returned to the United States to live with his father.[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-23) He gave several television interviews, including one with his American lawyer on [CNN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN "CNN") with [Larry King](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_King "Larry King") on June 29, 1994, in which he admitted taking road signs but denied vandalising cars.[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-24) While he did not detail his experience, he said that he was "ill-treated" at times during questioning, but had shaken hands with the caning operative after his four strokes had been administered and the prison guards when he was released. Several months after returning to the United States, Fay suffered burns to his hands and face after a [butane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butane "Butane") incident.[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-people-25)[\[26\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-26)[\[27\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-27) He was subsequently admitted to the [Hazelden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazelden_Betty_Ford_Foundation "Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation") rehabilitation program for [butane abuse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inhalant "Inhalant").[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-people-25) He said that sniffing butane "made \[him\] forget what happened in Singapore."[\[28\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-28) In 1996, he was cited in [Florida](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida "Florida") for a number of violations, including careless driving, reckless driving, not reporting a crash, and having an open bottle of alcohol in a car.[\[29\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-29) Later, in 1998, still in Florida, Fay was arrested for possession of [marijuana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_$drug$ "Cannabis (drug)") and [drug paraphernalia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_paraphernalia "Drug paraphernalia"),[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-30) charges to which he confessed but was acquitted because of technical errors in his arrest.[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-31)\[[failed verification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability "Wikipedia:Verifiability")\] In June 2010, Fay's case was recalled in international news, after another foreigner in Singapore, Swiss national [Oliver Fricker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Fricker "Oliver Fricker"), was sentenced to five months in jail and three strokes of the cane for trespassing a rail depot to vandalise a metro train that is a part of the country's [Mass Rapid Transit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Rapid_Transit_$Singapore$ "Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)").[\[32\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_note-32) 1. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-1) ["Michael Fay"](https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=61e0277e-fbeb-4ebc-88ea-8a9c58e13e05). National Library Board (Singapore). October 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2025. 2. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-2) [d](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-NYT19940316_2-3) Shenon, Philip (March 16, 1994). ["A Flogging Sentence Brings a Cry of Pain in U.S."](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/16/world/singapore-journal-a-flogging-sentence-brings-a-cry-of-pain-in-us.html) The New York Times. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170823121533/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/16/world/singapore-journal-a-flogging-sentence-brings-a-cry-of-pain-in-us.html) from the original on August 23, 2017. 3. ^ [a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-LAT19940309_3-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-LAT19940309_3-1) Wallace, Charles P. (March 9, 1994). ["Singapore Blasts Back at Clinton in Caning Case"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-09-mn-31971-story.html). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 25, 2009. 4. ^ [a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-1) [c](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-reyes_4-2) Reyes, Alejandro (May 25, 1994). ["Rough Justice: A Caning in Singapore Stirs Up a Fierce Debate About Crime And Punishment"](https://www.corpun.com/awfay9405.htm). Asiaweek. Hong Kong. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190511182701/https://www.corpun.com/awfay9405.htm) from the original on May 11, 2019. 5. ^ [a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-tanooiboon19931007_5-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-tanooiboon19931007_5-1) Tan, Ooi Boon (October 7, 1993). ["9 foreign students held for vandalism"](https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19931007-1.2.6). The Straits Times. Singapore. p. 1. Retrieved March 6, 2023. 6. ^ [a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Fay_loses_appeal_6-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Fay_loses_appeal_6-1) Chong, Elena (April 1, 1994). ["Fay loses appeal"](https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19940401-1.2.4). The Straits Times. Singapore. 7. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-7)* Shenon, Philip (April 17, 1994). ["Overlooked Question in Singapore Caning Debate: Is the Teen-Ager Guilty?"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9404.htm#26056). The New York Times. 8. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-8) Wallace, Charles P. (March 4, 1994). ["Ohio Youth to be Flogged in Singapore"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-04-mn-29913-story.html). Los Angeles Times. 9. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-9) Watts, David (March 4, 1994). ["Singapore sentences American to caning"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9403.htm#21566). The Times. London. 10. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-10) Stewart, Ian (April 22, 1994). ["Flogging for vandal"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9404.htm#3891). South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100920031803/http://corpun.com/sgju9404.htm) from the original on September 20, 2010. 11. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-11) Parascandola, Rocco (August 1994). ["Singapore Hosts Some Most Unruly Guests"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014537/http://ajr.org/article.asp?id=2093). American Journalism Review. Archived from [the original](http://ajr.org/article.asp?id=2093) on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2007. 12. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-:0_12-0) Stone, Andrea (March 10, 1994). ["Whipping penalty judged too harsh – by some"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9403.htm#21567). USA Today. Washington DC. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200617214944/https://www.corpun.com/sgju9403.htm#21567) from the original on June 17, 2020. 13. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-13) ["What US columnists say about Fay's caning"](https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19940408-1.2.46.6). The Straits Times. Singapore. April 8, 1994. Retrieved August 13, 2019. 14. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-Don't_copy_Singapore_14-0) ["Don't copy Singapore"](https://www.corpun.com/usju9404.htm#02). USA Today. Washington DC. April 5, 1994. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090208212700/http://www.corpun.com/usju9404.htm#02) from the original on February 8, 2009. 15. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-15) Usborne, David (April 2, 1994). ["'Joe Public' backs caning of American"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/joe-public-backs-caning-of-american-1367479.html). The Independent. London. Retrieved May 16, 2023. 16. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-16) Royko, Mike (March 30, 1994). ["Readers get 'behind' flogging of vandal"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9403.htm#3658). Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 18, 2023 – via www.corpun.com. 17. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-17) Brownstein, Ronald (April 21, 1994). ["Singapore's Caning Sentence Divides Americans, Poll Finds"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-21-mn-48524-story.html). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2023. 18. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-fawcett_18-0) Fawcett, Karen (March 9, 1994). ["Americans in Singapore condemn caning for teen"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9403.htm#1199). USA Today. Washington DC. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080619173801/http://www.corpun.com/sgju9404.htm#1199) from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2009. 19. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-nyt19940505_19-0) Richardson, Michael (May 5, 1994). ["Responding to Clinton's Plea, Singapore Cuts 6 Lashes to 4"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170209061224/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/05/news/05iht-cane_0.html). The New York Times. Archived from [the original](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/05/news/05iht-cane_0.html) on February 9, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017. 20. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-20) Branigin, William (May 5, 1994). ["Singapore Reduces American's Sentence"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/05/05/singapore-reduces-americans-sentence/1d28b069-749b-40ce-928e-1ac3f4aaa990/). The Washington Post. 21. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-21) Wallace, Charles P. (June 22, 1994). ["Singapore Frees Flogged U.S. Teen-Ager"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160513012208/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-06-22/news/mn-7134_1_michael-fay). Los Angeles Times. Archived from [the original](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-22-mn-7134-story.html) on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016. 22. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-22) Shenon, Philip (May 6, 1994). ["Singapore Carries Out Caning of U.S. Teenager"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170424111829/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/06/world/singapore-carries-out-the-caning-of-a-us-teen-ager.html). The New York Times. Archived from [the original](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/06/world/singapore-carries-out-the-caning-of-a-us-teen-ager.html) on April 24, 2017. 23. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-23) ["The Road From Singapore"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9406.htm#4308). Daily News. New York. June 22, 1994. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150308093142/http://www.corpun.com/sgju9406.htm#4308) from the original on March 8, 2015 – via www.corpun.com. 24. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-24) ["Larry King Live"](https://www.corpun.com/sgju9406.htm#4344). CNN. June 29, 1994. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150308093142/http://www.corpun.com/sgju9406.htm#4344) from the original on March 8, 2015. 25. ^ [*a](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-people_25-0) [b](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-people_25-1) "Michael Fay," People Magazine,* December 26, 1994, p. 60. 26. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-26) "Drug Rehab For Teen Caned in Singapore," Chicago Tribune, September 29, 1994, p. 14. 27. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-27) "The Nation," USA Today, Washington, D.C., September 29, 1994, p. 03A. 28. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-28) "Teen Punished in Singapore Has Drug Habit – Michael Fay Was Sniffing Butane," Times-Picayune, New Orleans, September 29, 1994, p. A24. 29. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-29) "Q\&A," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 13, 2003, p. B2. 30. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-30) Flatley, Kerry A. (April 9, 1998). ["Boy Caned in Singapore Makes News Again"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160624053457/http://www.csmonitor.com/1998/0409/040998.feat.feat.2.html). The Christian Science Monitor. Boston MA. p. 18. Archived from [the original](https://www.csmonitor.com/1998/0409/040998.feat.feat.2.html) on June 24, 2016. 31. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-31) "Drug Charges Dropped," Asiaweek, Hong Kong, June 29, 1998, p. 1. 32. [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay#cite_ref-32) ["Graffiti man faces Singapore caning"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10417167). BBC News. June 25, 2010. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100628033833/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10417167.stm) from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010. - Latif, Asad (1994). The Flogging of Singapore: The Michael Fay Affair. Singapore: Times Books International. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_$identifier$ "ISBN (identifier)") [981-204-530-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/981-204-530-9 "Special:BookSources/981-204-530-9") - [Baratham, Gopal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopal_Baratham "Gopal Baratham") (1994). The Caning of Michael Fay. Singapore: KRP Publication. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_$identifier$ "ISBN (identifier)") [981-00-5747-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/981-00-5747-4 "Special:BookSources/981-00-5747-4") - The Asiaweek Newsmap (April 27, 1994). Asiaweek. - Chew, Valerie (August 5, 2009). ["Michael Fay"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090825175717/http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1554_2009-08-06.html), Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board.
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