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