SINGAPORE - There are three topics local stand-up comedienne Sharul Channa does not touch in her jokes: rape, tragedy and illness. The 35-year-old, who has been doing stand-up comedy for 11 years, says: "There are some comedians who feel that they should be able to say whatever they want and that might be true. But you should be sensitive to certain topics and show empathy in whichever occupation you are in."

And that is why she finds it difficult to defend comedian Chris Rock, who was slapped at the Oscars ceremony by actor Will Smith following a tasteless joke he made about his wife - Jada Pinkett Smith - and her shaved head. Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, an auto-immune disease that causes hair loss.