SINGAPORE: Badge Lady Phoon Chiu Yoke, a former naval officer, recently made headlines as she contested the use of CCTV footage in her trial, stating her image could have been superimposed. The badge lady first became popularly known in May 2021 when she defied mask mandates and demanded safe distancing officers to display their badges.
Phoon, a former naval officer, first made the news in May 2021, after she refused to wear a mask and then demanded that the safe distancing officers who asked her to cover her nose and mouth amid the Covid-19 pandemic produce and show her their badges.
“If you have no badge, why are you asking me to do something? Who are you representing?” she asked them.
Hence the nickname, which has been used by some people with a certain degree of fondness, despite her run-ins with the law.
After that first incident, Phoon, now 55, also failed to wear a mask on other occasions in public, including at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) integrated resort and outside the State Courts.
Phoon was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison on Sept 6, 2021, after pleading guilty to nine charges of breaching Covid-19 safe distancing measures. She also consented to have 13 additional charges taken into consideration for her sentencing.
However, she went about maskless again last year, including on March 6, 2022, at Orchard Road.
But Phoon is contesting four of the charges levelled against her, three of which are related to failing to wear a mask.
And last Monday, during her hearing, she said the video of her walking along Orchard Roa doesn’t come with a watermark.
The Straits Times quotes her as saying, “I can’t be sure that you did not superimpose an image of me onto the CCTV footage. In today’s technology, it is not that difficult. It could have been me… It could have been somebody who looks like me.”
And when shown footage from another angle, it was pointed out by Deputy Public Prosecutor Heershan Kaur that the view was clearer that it was Phoon wearing yellow loafers and sunglasses.
The former naval officer still would not agree, saying that loafers are sold to more than one person and that “every pair of sunglasses is black.”
Netizens have been finding these exchanges highly amusing.
“She is nuts !! But definitely argues the case with ‘never say die attitude. She should go and represent some poor people who can’t afford lawyers,’ wrote one.
“Frankly I admire her courage lol. Could have been use in other areas,” was another popular comment.
One netizen called Phoon “too cute.”
“Love her resolve!” another chimed in.
A commenter wrote, “She is such a great entertainer!”
On March 6 last year, popular blogger Wendy Cheng, aka Xiaxue, was filming along Orchard Road and saw the infamous Badge Lady.
In an Instagram story, Xiaxue filmed Phoon and wrote: “OMG I SAW THE BADGE LADY TODAY!!!” /TISG
Read also:
Badge lady seen at ION Orchard doing what she does best — not wearing mask… again – Singapore News
SPOTTED: Badge Lady—still unmasked—this time at Jewel Changi | The Independent Singapore News