On this day, 31 years ago, June 9, 1994 (May 1, 1994 in the lunar calendar), an American teenager was flogged in Singapore. Although Michael Fay lives in Singapore with his mother, he is in many ways a typical American teenager. He plays football and baseball in American schools in Singapore, works as a bartender at the local Harder Rock Cafe, and spends money to dance disco with friends. When he first offended those laws, he discovered that compared with his hometown of Dayton, Ohio, Singapore was not only geographically different, but also seemed to be in a different century. Fay, 18, pleaded guilty in court in March to charges of spraying cars and harboring stolen road signs. In the United States, a young offender like him with no criminal record for such a crime will at most be sentenced to probation. However, Singapore handles public order issues very seriously, as small as fines for not flushing behind the toilet. Fay was fined $2200 at the local police station and sentenced to four months in prison. In addition, he had to take 6 rattan sticks with his bare buttocks. Of course, the shame doesn't stop there. Dozens of Americans wrote to the Singapore embassy in Washington, supporting the verdict. The prison's battering is handled by a well-trained thug. According to the Malaysian Law Journal, the rattan stick is 4 feet long and half an inch thick. Every draw will cause the skin to open and the flesh to tear open, forming an irreversible scar. Most of the beaten prisoners had to be hospitalized for treatment because of shock. They cannot sit up or lie on their back for at least three months. In the past five years, 14 people have been beaten for destroying public property in Singapore. In March, the United States lodged a strong protest with Singapore over Fay. "We recognize that they (Singapore) have certain powers to enforce their criminal laws," President Clinton said at a White House press conference."But we believe the punishment is excessive and very much want to reconsider it to some extent." It is obviously impossible to change the sentence because the Singapore authorities have no intention of leniency. "We will not allow this kind of damage to public property to occur everywhere, just like in New York City, even police cars are not allowed to be damaged," a Singapore government spokesman said in response to Clinton's accusation. When Fay moved to Singapore in August 1992, his father warned him of torture there. His father's name was George Fay and he was the president of a car supply company in Dayton. Fay's parents divorced when he was 8 years old, and he was raised by his father and stepmother. His biological mother Randy remarried and moved to Singapore. As Fay was nearing his junior high school graduation, he felt it would be exciting to spend a few years abroad with his biological mother and stepfather Marco Chen. His stepfather is a Chinese-American and serves as a director of a federal Jetta company. Fay's troubles began on October 6, 1993. He was charged with spraying two vehicles, throwing eggs at two others, and possessing stolen road signs. Fay was one of five teenagers involved in the case. Among them are two Malaysians, one from Hong Kong and one from American. Although Fay tried to calm down after hearing the accusation, his feet could not help but tremble.