[UPDATE on Wednesday, 28 Nov.: Adding statement from NEA]

The tables have turned and government officers now can't seem to catch a break.

One Mohd Rafeeq Rafeeq took to Facebook last Thursday with a video and two photos alleging that a man, whom he claimed was a National Environment Agency (NEA) enforcement officer, was not only smoking where he isn't supposed to, but also littering by throwing the cigarette butt into a nearby drain.

Here's the post:

His comments attracted some scepticism from people who saw it:

Others were angered enough to demand heavy punishments for him:

While others who studied the video more carefully noted that the man didn't discard his cigarette butt, and instead appeared to carry it all the way to the door of the building he and the lady entered:

One user, James Toh, produced a photo that seems to show the same lady who appeared in the video:

That being said, as at least one user pointed out, even if the man didn't litter he was still smoking in what looks to be a prohibited area.

Here's NEA's list of allowed areas:

• Beaches
• Residential Homes
• Private vehicles (e.g. cars), as long as no second-hand tobacco smoke is expelled (i.e. windows are fully wound up) in smoking prohibited places
• Open space in residential estates
• Open public spaces
• Open space in town centres
• Surface carparks
• Uncovered areas on the top deck of multi-storey carparks buildings
• Uncovered walkways
• Vacant land
• Designated smoking areas
• Approved smoking rooms at entertainment outlets, offices and Changi Airport
• Approved smoking corners at outdoor refreshment areas of food establishments

The list of prohibited areas is much longer, but you can check it out here.

We reached out to the NEA on Saturday to find out if these folks are indeed NEA officers.

In a statement shared with Mothership on Wednesday evening, a spokesperson for the NEA said the following:

"NEA is aware of the Facebook posts about an NEA enforcement officer allegedly smoking in a prohibited area and littering the cigarette butt. We have investigated these allegations and found that they are untrue.

NEA takes a serious view of all allegations made against our officers. We expect our enforcement officers to act professionally, and to abide by the same law that they are enforcing."

Top photos via Mohd Rafeeq Rafeeq's Facebook post

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