SINGAPORE – An order by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to erase a cigarette from a Chinatown mural has sparked discussion online about public complaints and the censorship of street art.

The mural, which depicts a young samsui woman holding a smoking cigarette, was completed in early April on the exterior of 297 South Bridge Road. The URA subsequently told the landlord in an e-mail dated May 8 that the mural is “not aligned with Singapore’s anti-smoking policy stance”, according to a spokesperson from Shepherd Asset Management, who represents the landlord.