SINGAPORE - A man's Facebook comment that he would like to"open fire", made in response to a post on foreign sponsorship of a recent gay rally in Singapore, has caught the attention of the community on Monday (June 13).
Police reports have been made regarding the comment by a Bryan Lim that read: "I am a Singaporean citizen. I am a NSman. I am a father. And I swore to protect my nation.
"Give me the permission to open fire. I would like to see these £@€$^*s die for their causes."
The comment was made on a post on the We Are Against Pink Dot Facebook page. The post was on foreign sponsorship of the annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rally Pink Dot, held at the Hong Lim Park on June 4.
It is not clear who Mr Lim is targeting - the LGBT community or those who support the gay cause.
But in the light of the gay club shooting in Orlando in the United States on Sunday, which left 50 dead and 53 others injured, members of the LGBT community here are spooked and have lodged police reports.
Researcher Scott Teng, 32, made his police report online, hoping the police could investigate and see if there is any real threat behind the comment.
Mr Teng said: "I think the threat really came to our attention last night and this morning. It just got circulated recently.
"I think it's really in the light of the Orlando incident that makes you wonder if people here are really thinking about such violence."
He added: "You just feel a bit worried that people are thinking and saying these things and you don't know if people will be inspired to take such actions, regardless of how safe Singapore seems to be."
Photographer Audi Khalid, 28, who shared Mr Lim's comment on Facebook, said: "I don't think people outside the community truly understand how the Orlando shooting affects the gay community as a whole."
At least three police reports had been made as of Monday afternoon.
The police said on Facebook that it is investigating.
Responding to Mr Lim's comment, Pink Dot spokesman Paerin Choa said in a statement: "Recent horrific acts of hate underscore the discrimination that continues to be directed at the LGBT community.
"The presence of individuals who harbour such thoughts and who publicly perpetuate intolerance based on their narrow perspectives of the world deeply saddens and concerns us.
"This clearly shows we should never take what we have for granted and continue to seek dialogue and opportunities to highlight to others the dangers of discrimination and intolerance.
"We believe that the majority of Singaporeans value and embrace the importance of diversity - a cornerstone in our society - and hope that our authorities will keep all of us safe."
The Straits Times has reached out to Mr Lim for comment, but he has not responded as of press time and appears to have taken down his Facebook page, as well as his original comment.
In a statement on Facebook, his employer, Canon Singapore, said: "At Canon Singapore, we live by our philosophy of Kyosei, which we define as all people, regardless of race, religion, or culture, harmoniously living and working together for the common good.
"(Therefore), we do not condone violence in any form. Thus, we take this issue seriously and are looking into this matter."
