‘Agent of influence’ Huang Jing must leave Singapore by Sept 6
The academic who was stripped of his permanent residency for working with a foreign government to influence Singapore's foreign policy and public opinion has failed in his bid to remain here.
Dr Huang Jing, 60, was a professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
He and his wife, Ms Shirley Yang Xiuping, had their appeal against the cancellation of their permanent residency rejected, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement yesterday.
They had appealed to the Home Affairs Minister on Aug 7, three days after they were stripped of their permanent residency, and were informed of the rejection yesterday, the ministry said.
It added: "The minister's decision is final. Huang Jing and his wife will have to leave Singapore within a stipulated grace period. They will be permanently banned from re-entering Singapore."
The grace period is 14 days, which means Dr Huang and his wife have to leave by Sept 6.
He told The Straits Times they would return to the United States "as early as we can".
They have a house in the state of Virginia. The China-born couple are citizens of the US.
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Dr Huang was director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Lee Foundation Professor on US-China relations at the LKY School. His views were regularly sought by organisations and the media.
Besides submitting articles to Singapore newspapers, he also contributed to China's Global Times, a newspaper linked to the country's government.
Earlier this month, the ministry identified Dr Huang as "an agent of influence of a foreign country" who worked with intelligence organisations and agents from that country, which it did not name.
It had said: "Huang used his senior position in the LKY School to deliberately and covertly advance the agenda of a foreign country at Singapore's expense. He did this in collaboration with foreign intelligence agents.
"This amounts to subversion and foreign interference in Singapore's domestic politics. Huang's continued presence in Singapore, and that of his wife, are therefore undesirable."
A spokesman for the National University of Singapore, which the LKY School is a part of, said Dr Huang's employment at NUS has been terminated immediately.
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