Days after his remarks regarding a rape survivor caused a stir, under-fire attorney Chia Boon Teck resigned as vice-president of the Law Society of Singapore.
This comes just hours after the Law Society's president urged Chia to step down, stating that his remarks on LinkedIn on Saturday, March 22, were intolerable.
The Straits Times verified on Tuesday, March 25, that Chia, the co-managing director of Chia Wong LLP, was no longer listed as a council member or vice-president on the Law Society's website. Around noon on the same day, the society announced that Chia had resigned, with immediate effect.
The Law Society said in its short statement, "We thank Mr Chia for his service and contributions during his tenure on council and wish him well in his future endeavours."
Reports suggest that Chia took the decision soon after Law Society president Lisa Sam Hui Min released a statement at 1 am on Tuesday, March 25, calling for him to resign as vice-president and council member.
Referring to Chia's comments about the rape survivor, Sam said that the victim's morality shouldn't have been called into question in the way he did. She added, "Such comments and views are also inimical for a person in a position of leadership to espouse."
Chia, who was previously the Law Society's treasurer and was elected vice-president in August 2023, provoked a flurry of responses accusing him of "victim shaming." This was after he posted remarks on the victim of Lev Panfilov, a TikToker, actor, and screenwriter with a local YouTube channel who was convicted of rape.
In a March 22 post on LinkedIn, Chia commented "Wow", describing the 30-year-old victim as "not exactly a babe in the woods." Chia said, "Was she awake during this marathon?", in reference to the sexual assault she was subjected to.
On March 21, Panfilov was found guilty of two charges of rape, one case of outrage of modesty, and one count of sexual assault by penetration.
Chia also mentioned in his since-deleted tweet that the victim and the offender had met on the dating app Tinder, stating, "Tinder ain't no LinkedIn." He outlined 10 points on the matter in total. The legal community quickly responded to his post with comments, demanding that he resign.
Law Minister K. Shanmugam also took notice of the remarks and voiced concerns that Chia's personal opinions would distort Singaporean norms and have an effect on other victims.
According to Shanmugam, who is also the Home Affairs Minister, victims could be reluctant to come forward when attorneys, particularly those in high-ranking positions that represent the legal profession, minimize or brush off their worries.
On March 23, Chia removed the post at approximately 9:15 pm. Since then, he has deleted his LinkedIn account.
TSMP Law Corporation's joint managing partner, Stefanie Yuen-Thio, expressed her satisfaction with the Law Society's decisive response. She old The Straits Times, "We need to be clear that the body of lawyers does not find the views acceptable and I'm glad the president (of the Law Society) has come out to expressly and unconditionally say so."
According to Yuen-Thio's LinkedIn article, the incident has sparked a conversation about victim shaming and the inequity of misogyny in both society and the legal system.
She wrote, "But I, for one, have not given much thought to how the survivor of the rape feels about this and whether the 'firestorm' of views has made the experience even more traumatic," adding, "If it has, I want to say how sorry I am to have brought the memories of a terrible experience again to the fore," she said, adding that the first priority when crime has been committed should be to protect and care for those it is perpetrated against."
