NEA: S'pore cemetery sign warning against ghosts doctored with sticker

Boo.

Ruth Chai | February 22, 2024, 08:43 PM

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A sign supposedly found at Bukit Brown Cemetery that warned against the usual hazards, such as trees falling, uneven terrain, and dangerous fauna, like wasps and snakes, also cautioned against incorporeal dangers.

A photo of the sign first posted to the Singapore Wildlife Sightings group on Feb. 18 by Jermone Fs showed it also warned against ghosts.

Photo via Jerome Fs

In the caption, Jerome said the sign was spotted at Bukit Brown Cemetery and questioned the legitimacy of it.

Photo via Jerome Fs/Facebook

Bukit Brown Cemetery was officially closed in 1973.

NEA response

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has confirmed the icon is bogus and a prank by vandals and all stickers have been removed.

The NEA-owned sign originally featured the icon of a person slipping instead of the ghosts icon.

The statutory board said it conducted inspections at a closed cemetery on Feb. 19 after it was alerted to the Facebook post.

It found several of its other warning signs also covered with the same sticker.

It did not confirm if the signs were located at Bukit Brown Cemetery though.

However, the sign did advise visitors to practise responsible burning of joss papers, and to take away food offerings after prayers to avoid attracting pests.

Not that the hoax was not obvious.

One commenter on the post already noted that the ghost icons might be stickers pasted over the original icons, and are pranks pulled off by someone "with a lot of time on their hands".

Not the first time

This would not be the first time such a prank occurred.

In 2020, a similar-looking sign made its rounds on the internet for including what looked to be a pontianak in one of the hazard icons.

The photo was quickly debunked by NEA, which said the sign was tampered with.

Photo via NEA/FB

NEA also provided an image of what the actual sign looked like.

Photo via NEA/FB

More spooky stories

Top photo via Jermone Fs/Facebook