Singapore Wants to Stop AshleyMadison Launch

AshleyMadison.com, the online dating site whose motto is “life is short, have an affair”, has seen resistance to their plans to launch in Singapore.

There has been negative response from citizens and politicians, because of the country’s promotion of marriage and conservative views towards sex.

So far 25,000 citizens have signed a Facebook petition asking the government to block the website.

However, despite the campaign being endorsed by politicians, it remains uncertain whether the government will actually ban the site.

Mr Baey Yam Keng, deputy chairman of Singapore’s Parliamentary Committee for Communications and Information, said there might be limits to what the Government could do to prevent it.

On Facebook, Singapore’s minister for social and family development, Chan Chun Sing, said:

“I do not welcome such a website into Singapore. I’m against any company or website that harms marriage.

“Promoting infidelity undermines trust and commitment between a husband and wife, which are core to marriage.

“Our marriage vows make it clear that marriage is a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman. This includes staying faithful to one another.”

Websites usually have to obtain the government license in order to launch in Singapore.

AshleyMadison plans to open in Singapore in 2014, which gives time for legislators to try to block the site.

The site offers “married dating, discreet encounters and extramarital affairs”, but say they do not promote moral instability.

The site has over 20 million users worldwide and has recently moved into Asia, with launches in Hong Kong and Japan.