---
title: "Man films alleged void deck smoker, both end up in row accusing each other of breaking the law"
url: "/trending-now/man-films-alleged-void-deck-smoker-both-end-row-accusing-each-other-breaking-law"
published: "2026-10-20T03:15:21.000Z"
updated: "2026-10-20T04:08:57.000Z"
section: "Trending Now"
authors: ["Ivan Lim"]
tags: ["smoking","void deck","bench","TNP News","film","HDB","vigilante"]
---

# Man films alleged void deck smoker, both end up in row accusing each other of breaking the law

*Two men got into a dispute after one confronted and filmed the other for allegedly smoking at a void deck, with both accusing each other of breaking the law.*

Two men got into a dispute after one confronted and filmed the other for allegedly smoking at a void deck, with both accusing each other of breaking the law.

A video showing the dispute was first shared on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group, but appears to have been taken down. A censored version of the clip was subsequently posted on the @sgfollowsall Instagram page.

The two-minute video starts by showing a man seated at a bench at a void deck, while the one recording the footage asks if he had smoked there.

“Yes, I smoked,” the man admits calmly. “And then if you don’t like, I throw it away. Yes, I broke the law,” he adds, though at no point does the video show him smoking. 

The man filming the video sounds unhappy that the other accused him of also breaking the law by being a “nuisance”. “You’re taking an unlawful video of me,” the supposed smoker says as the man filming the video insists he is “holding up the law”. 

The pair continue to argue about whether the man recording was breaking the law.

“You mean you can anyhow take a video of anybody and just post it up?” asks the man being filmed as the one recording insists it is a public place and repeats his accusation about smoking.

The man on the bench apologises again for smoking, but tells the man filming that he is doing something that is uncomfortable to him and that he should not be taking random videos of people. 

“We let the Internet judge, OK?” says the man recording as he goes in front of the man on the bench, adding, “I want to show your whole face.”

“I don’t know why you are doing this for — In the day, you are drinking already, you have been drunk…” the man says. 

“You’re f*ck up,” the man filming snaps. 

“Oh, wow,” says the man being filmed.

“You f*ck up. You broke the law. I drink. But this area doesn’t say that you cannot drink,” the man filming says.

“You’re causing a nuisance to the neighbourhood,” the other says.

“Oh ya? You or me? OK, enough,” says the man filming as the video ends.

It is unclear when or where the confrontation happened.

## Netizens divided on the incident

The reposted video, shared on Oct 18, has racked up more than 110,000 views and 245 comments.

Netizens appeared divided on the incident.

While not condoning smoking, many felt the man recording should have left the supposed smoker alone.

“Oh my goodness... Uncle pls lah,” said an Instagram user. “Leave him alone,” another said, while several told the man recording to mind his own business.

Others felt the person recording the video should have handled it differently.

“Just report with your video showing he is smoking at a place where smoking is not allowed. No need to debate so much about it if you think you are doing something good,” said a netizen. “Cannot just advise nicely meh? Must take video and post for the whole Singapore to see?” another said.

Some wondered if the man recording was breaking the law, too, as suggested by the other man in the video.

“You can report to the authorities but why are you recording someone without (permission)? And worse, you post it in the media. You deliberately have a bad intention of recording him and you directly said you want to record his entire face which he refused. You can be sued for doing so,” said an Instagram user.  

There must be a law against harassing and humiliating someone publicly on social media,” another said. 

While filming someone in a public area is not, in itself, illegal, it could amount to an offence under certain circumstances. Under Singapore’s Protection from Harassment Act (POHA), a person may commit an offence if their conduct meets the Act’s requirements for harassment, alarm, or distress.

Not everyone was critical of the man for recording the supposed offender, though. 

“Uncle is a hero. Y’all hate him because you do the same thing and cause harm to others via passive smoking,” said one netizen in his defence. Another felt that it was important to observe the law: “I think we are taking our laws too lightly and are not afraid to flout them. It’s getting too common. Laws are put in place FOR A REASON. Take it lightly and watch society crumble.”

One netizen took the uncle’s side for speaking up against smoking illegally. 

“These bloody smokers dirty the seats by stubbing their cigs there and leaving ash, cigarette butts, and spit around it. Hope more people speak up about this,” said the Instagram user.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) Smoking Prohibition Overview lists HDB void decks as a non-smoking zone. Offenders caught smoking at void decks face a $200 composition fine.