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Singapore – Public holiday hoax so workers could watch the World Cup Final

14 July 2014

The Office of the President of Singapore issued a statement confirming that it did not circulate a letter online declaring a public holiday on the day of the World Cup Final, reports channelnewsasia.com.

The online letter read: “My fellow Singaporeans, I, Tony Tan Keon Yam, President of the Republic of Singapore, is declaring a Public Holiday on the 14 July 2014 to allow all Singaporeans to have a chance of watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final between Germany and Argentina.”

“At the same time, this allow [sic] all Singaporeans to bond with their family members, neighbour [sic], and friends to make Singapore a much more bonded society. I have discussed this with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and he agreed with me. With that, all Government offices will be closed on 14 July 2014. I wish you all a happy holiday.”

The football final, which kicked off at 4pm in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 13 July, started at 3am Singapore time on 14 July.

In a statement, President Yam advised: “It has come to our attention that there is a letter circulating on mobile and online platforms in the name of President Tony Tan Keon Yam declaring today (14 July) a public holiday. I would like to clarify that the President’s Office did not issue such a letter.”

“Public holidays are announced by the Ministry of Manpower and can be found on their website,” he concluded.