SINGAPORE — Facebook parent company Meta is investigating unauthorised activity on the Facebook page of Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

The account was found to have "liked" a Facebook post by former Nominated MP Calvin Cheng, which proposed sending a group of activists to Gaza, as long as they never returned. The post was put up on March 13.

The minister's press secretary said on April 2 that a report has been filed with Meta over the unauthorised activity. "Meta is investigating," she added.

In a post early on April 2, Dr Balakrishnan said he did not "like" the post. He added that he did not share the views put forth by Cheng and that he had taken measures to "enhance account security".

Cheng had said in the March 13 post that he would sponsor members of Monday of Palestine Solidarity to relocate to Gaza.

"I am offering business class to the leaders. And to their 928 followers, can buy them some walking shoes each. Take a slow hike," he said, with the caveat that they never come back to Singapore.

His post has since drawn 1,100 reactions as at April 2, with 770 comments.

Although it is no longer found on the list of reactions, Dr Balakrishnan's official Facebook page had previously "liked" the post, evidenced by a screen recording that was put up on Instagram.

Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Digital Development and Information, had also "liked" the post.

Tan later said he had done so accidentally, after Monday of Palestine Solidarity questioned him about it on one of his Instagram posts. He then "unliked" Cheng's Facebook post.

Screenshots of him responding to the group were put up on its Instagram account on March 27.

Meanwhile, Cheng said in a Facebook post on April 2 that he will be taking legal action over defamatory statements made against him.

These include statements made by former Singapore Democratic Party chairman Jufrie Mahmood, who had filed a police report against him, as well as Reform Party secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam and online publication The Online Citizen.

The statements accuse Cheng of being an Islamophobe, with Jufrie filing a police report on March 28, describing Cheng as a "danger to our precious racial and religious harmony".

In the police report, it is alleged that Cheng's Facebook post made a "threat on the lives of anyone that is against the ongoing genocide", adding that a one-way trip to Gaza would imply instant death.

Cheng, however, said his post was made in response to the actions of the activists from the Monday of Palestine Solidarity group, and specifically aimed at the ones who showed up at Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam's Meet-the-People Session on March 12.

Weighing in on the back-and-forth, Shanmugam said to the media on April 2 that he was not following the blow-by-blow accounts, and would not comment in detail because a police report had been filed with the potential of legal action.

Speaking on the sidelines of a media interview on another issue, he stressed the need to be sensitive when making comments about the Israel and Palestine situation.

He said he had a "sharply different view" compared with Cheng, adding: "I previously said in November 2023 that Israel's actions are illegal and oppressive to Palestinians, and that remains my view."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.