Singapore does *not* play. They've caned Americans in a few situations, when they've acted rather foolishly. While I wouldn't choose this accountability tool...well, when you're overseas...FAFO, as the kids say.

Yes, I thought Singapore was expensive, but clean, well-run, and expensive. The Brits classify it as a benign dictatorship,but, as you say, they are not nice to criminals. They execute you if you have X amount of drugs. Drug rehab is on an increasing severe scale, have a relapse and it gets harsher. A friend of mine who lived there characterized it as - you could be walking down the street and break a law and not know it. One policeman had an accidental discharge of his weapon and they fired him. You may have a gun and keep it at the firing range.

I read LKY's biography and if you do so, when you find an acronym for any organization, etc., make a note of it and the page number. Easy to get lost on which org is being referred to. LKY dealt harshly with the communists, but 40% of the businesses are government owned, and they work closely with anyone who wants to set up a business there - very pro-business. They help married couples get housing, promote families.

During the pandemic I watched Singapore, Japan, and S Korea. I wore the masks from S Korea because they were light on the face and you could breath easier. Singapore got the better vaxx, but took the Chinese vaxx under pressure and some Asians preferred it as being "traditional". Singapore is a success due to LKY not putting up with disruptive elements, but he lost his dream of becoming part of Malaya because of the anti-Chinese strife that happened. Typically, with any Asian country that has Chinese the Chinese dominate the business sector, and the rest of the population resents it. The "si" in Malaysia was left there but happened during the ill-fated combination of the two countries. It was Malaya before.

Deng Xiaoping went to Singapore to look at how LKY was achieving success and is credited for transforming China's economy, but in reality China had had several minor revolutions that shaped the rise of capitalism.