> caning for minor offences

Which minor offences? I've been under the impression that offences punishable by caning are quite severe: robbery, rape, assault, piracy (in the actual piratical sense of violent robbery at sea) and the like.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_Code_(Singapore)

> Which minor offences?

Vandalism, drug abuse, illegal money-lending, 'rioting' as defined by a government that doesn't tolerate assembly..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_in_Singapore#Offences_p...

There's also the problematic government support of corporal punishment for children..

These don't look like "minor offences" to me either, except perhaps drug abuse. Big-time illegal money-lending is serious financial crime and not a minor thing. And again, from what I've read, the rioting cases where caning has been ordered by Singapore courts have involved real, actual violence: things like throwing rocks at policemen and rescue workers and setting things to fire, and have gone with prison sentences of years.

The point being, you won't be caned for small things that you could do out of a little negligence or thoughtlessness. You have to understand that you're doing something serious. (At least that has fit the description of all cases that I have read about.)

> There's also the problematic government support of corporal punishment for children..

There might have been implicit government support in the past, but today teachers are not allowed to hand out corporal punishment to children.

People that keep track of this kind of thing disagree. I'm no expert but I'd be curious to hear what you think;

http://www.corpun.com/usscr2c.htm#singapore

graffiti is the most notable one

Again, the cases I've read about have been more than just scribbling a few letters on a wall. They have involved a planned operation to break and enter (breaking doors or cutting fences) in order to vandalize.

I don't say caning is right for that either, but these are not "minor" offences. There's no fear that you could be caned for accidentally doing something like this.