S'porean socialite Jamie Chua apologises for 'insensitive' Instagram post on migrant workers

She added that this is a big learning lesson for her.

Tanya Ong | April 22, 2020, 12:43 PM

Singaporean socialite Jamie Chua has taken to Instagram Stories to apologise for an "insensitive" post she had made.

Offensive post

In the earlier part of Tuesday, Apr. 21, Chua had posted a photo of a cup of coffee saying that she woke up from a "disturbing nightmare" involving foreign workers rushing into her house.

A screenshot of that Instagram Story was circulated on social media and forums.

This story is no longer available.

Another story, with the exact same photo, is visible on her account serving as a replacement.

The photo replaced the previous captions with "self-isolation" and "I think I may need another coffee to stay awake today".

Here it is:

Apology post

In a subsequent Instagram Story posted on Apr. 21 evening, Chua said the purpose of her earlier post was to explain how the pandemic has taken a toll on her mental well-being.

However, she said she has come to realise that it was "insensitive" and "ignorant" after reading the comments and feedback from others.

"This has been a big learning lesson for me," she said.

She added that migrant workers are responsible for building Singapore, and "we should never undermine them".

Chua also said that she has chosen two charities that support migrant workers, and would share more details on how to contribute in her subsequent stories.

This is her Instagram story:

Chua, who has more than one Instagram account, has over 1 million followers on the account where she had uploaded the original offensive post and the subsequent apology post.

Top photo via Jamie Chua/Instagram.