Sheer coincidence: Josephine Teo and Malaysian minister discuss child online safety during surprise airport meeting

SINGAPORE: Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo met unexpectedly with one of her counterparts from Malaysia while both leaders were at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia, at the same time.

On social media, Ms Teo posted a photo of her surprise encounter with Malaysian Communications Minister Ahmad Fahmi bin Mohamed Fadzil.

Like the proverbial ships passing in the night, Ms Teo was waiting to catch her flight back to Singapore when Mr Fahmi arrived at the airport. Both were on the island for Bali Tech Week 2026.

“Our impromptu ‘bilateral’ meeting was nonetheless very useful. We updated each other on developments in our telecoms sector (e.g. quantum-safe communications) and online safety for children and youths,” wrote Ms Teo.

On his part, Mr Fahmi spoke on the topic of children’s online safety to the media, telling Bernama on Oct 20 that a trilateral meeting between Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore is in the works and will most likely be held in December. He had met with Meutya Hafid, his Indonesian counterpart, to discuss the matter earlier that day.

He also expressed the hope that the trilateral initiative would encourage other countries in the region to join in as well, according to reporting by the Malay Mail.

“We not only have aligned policies, but may also have several similar mechanisms, although they may not be exactly the same,” the minister said.

Ms Teo had taken a day trip to Indonesia, where she was one of the featured speakers at Bali Tech Week. She had been part of a panel titled Protecting the Future Generation: Strengthening Social Media Regulation and Safer Internet Access, where she shared Singapore's step-by-step approach to online safety, age assurance, and platform regulation.

Mr Fahmi, meanwhile, had been invited to deliver a keynote address at Bali Tech Week.

Ms Teo ended her post by writing that she hoped to soon host Mr Fahmi in Singapore. /TISG

Read also: Josephine Teo on social media use for Singapore minors: No direct ban but stronger safeguards