Aussie escapes caning for using foul language on a plane

When flying to Singapore, watch your language or you could face more than a stern scolding.

A 47-year-old Australian man learned this lesson earlier this month when he got into an altercation with another passenger on a Tiger Airways flight from Perth to Singapore.

In the heat of the feud, the man, identified in news reports as maritime industry worker Bruce Griffiths, unleashed a few obscenities and was met by Singapore police when he got to the airport.

Even though Griffiths was still in the air, his foul language violated Singapore’s strict “outrage of modesty” laws, which are punishable by a jail term of up to two years, a fine or 24 lashes with a rattan cane.

Singapore officials reportedly confiscated Griffiths’ passport but said he won’t face the cane. The Aussie is being helped by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Still, the airline is not backing down, saying, “Tiger Airways has a zero-tolerance policy toward inappropriate behavior on board our aircraft.”

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Follow Hugo Martin on Twitter at @hugomartin