Caning of Michael Fay

Date: May 5, 1994 • Location: Washington, United States

American teenager Michael P. Fay was caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism, a punishment that the United States deemed to be excessive for a teenager committing a non-violent crime.

In 1994, the District Court in Singapore sentenced an American teenager, Michael Peter Fay, to be lashed six times with a cane for violating the Vandalism Act. This caused a temporary strain in relations between Singapore and the United States.