Commenting on news of an interview teen blogger Amos yee granted to Reuters while still held in a detention centre in Chicago, Singapore’s Ambassador-at-Large Bilahari Kausikan suggested that Yee was changing his tune about Lee Kuan Yew just to get asylum in the United States of America (USA).
In July 2015, Yee was sentenced to four weeks’ jail after he pleaded guilty to six charges for wounding the religious feelings of Christians and Muslims in Singapore.
One of the charges brought against Yee at this time was that his video violated the Protection from Harassment Act 2014 as it “contained remarks about Mr Lee Kuan Yew which was intended to be heard and seen by persons likely to be distressed”. This charge was stood down.
In late September 2016, Yee was again sentenced to 6 weeks’ jail and fined $2000 for wounding religious feelings.
“I told you, it is hate speech, it is overly rude, it isn’t good activism. I completely regret making those videos,” said Yee regretting the inflammatory posts which landed him in jail.
Writing in his Facebook, Mr Kausikan suggested that Yee “is probably expressing regret on the advice of his US lawyer as the US too frowns on hate speech.”
Yee told Reuters that he had no intention of returning to Singapore as he does not want to do National Service.