SINGAPORE: On Wednesday (Aug 26), the blogger Amos Yee was handed four new charges in relation to his online content, making a total of seven since he was deported back to Singapore in March.
The Singapore Police Force issued a statement on Aug 25 saying it had received several reports regarding the 27-year-old Yee’s posts, which were characterised as “alarming and racially divisive.”
An investigation was conducted, and the Police identified Yee’s two blog posts from April 7 and 11, as well as a video he posted on X, where he said that Singapore’s Malay-Muslim and Indian communities were heavily discriminated against by the Chinese majority. He also made remarks concerning how the Singapore government treats these communities, suggesting that they protest against it.
Moreover, on his blog on June 30, Yee made claims about children being capable of consenting to sexual intercourse and called for the laws related to the age of consent to be abolished.
The Police added that the blogger would be charged with offences under the Penal Code for knowingly attempting to promote, on grounds of race, feelings of disharmony between different racial groups, as well as for making indecent communications likely to cause alarm, the latter of which is punishable under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA).
If Yee is found guilty, he could be jailed for up to three years, be fined, or both. For the latter offence under POHA, he faces a fine of up to S$5,000.
Additionally, the Police ordered that the video on X be taken down on Aug 18, as well as Stop Communication Directions to Yee to remove the posts on his blog.
“The Police take a serious view of acts that threaten racial and religious harmony in Singapore, and of indecent communications, including those which advocate or promote sexual relationships involving children. Any person who commits such acts or communications will be dealt with swiftly and firmly in accordance with the law,” SPF said in its statement.
Aside from the new charges, Yee faces three others due to reportedly dodging National Service (NS) obligations. While earlier reporting said he was supposed to plead guilty to these charges on Sept 7, new developments say a pre-trial conference for the NS-related charges has been set for Sept 18.
According to reporting from CNA, the blogger was in court on Wednesday with his mother, Mary Toh.
Bail of S$15,000 was offered by the prosecution under certain conditions, including those related to Yee not posting content inciting ill feelings between racial groups or containing his views on illicit relations with minors. /TISG
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