Petaling Jaya (The Star/ANN) - The National University of Singapore has terminated sex blogger Alvin Tan's scholarship over his Internet sexploits.
The prestigious university, however, stopped short of expelling the 24-year-old from law school. But Tan will have to pay full non-subsidised fees as a foreign student should he resume studies, Singapore Straits Times reported quoting unnamed sources.
Tan was an Asean scholar and had been on "leave of absence" from his classes for almost a year when he started uploading pornographic pictures and videos of himself and his girlfriend Vivian Lee on a blog titled "Sumptuous Erotica".
Tan has refused to comment on the university's decision.
"I'm sorry but I can't comment. I'm bound by a confidentiality agreement," he said.
The university has also kept mum, with the spokesman stating that the school's disciplinary proceedings were confidential.
An estimate shows that it may have cost the Singapore government - the benefactor of the Asean scholarship programme - at least 275,000 ringgit (US$89,781) to fund all of Tan's seven years of study in the city state.
The highly prestigious scholarship is awarded to only 170 undergraduates from nine Asean countries annually. It covers tuition fees, accommodation and also provides an allowance for the recipients.
Last week, after deciding on the punishment, the university said Tan's actions were "inappropriate and was detrimental to the reputation and dignity of the university".
Singapore Education Minister Heng Swee Keat also told Parliament on Monday that Tan's behaviour was "reprehensible and unbecoming of a scholar".
Tan said he apologised to the university during the disciplinary hearing on October 31.
Meanwhile, both he and Lee have deleted all of their Facebook posts referring to the blog.
