‘Don’t want him roaming around our streets’—Netizens react about Amos Yee’s bail after completion of preliminary investigations

SINGAPORE: Amos Yee Pang Sang got a chance to post S$10,000 (US$7,800) bail on March 26 after the authorities completed preliminary investigations into his case. The 27-year-old was recently charged in court on March 20 for three charges over his national service obligations under the Enlistment Act, following his return to Singapore when he got deported from the United States.

It was reported that Yee was accused of failing to report for pre-enlistment medical screening over nine years, from April 26, 2016, to Mar 19, 2026. Furthermore, he is accused of leaving Singapore without valid exit permits over two periods, specifically from December 13, 2015, to April 19, 2016, and from December 15, 2016, to March 19, 2026.

With this, the Deputy Public Prosecutor Tay Jia En declared that the prosecution was not objecting to bail offered under certain conditions. He requested that Yee should be contactable by an enlistment inspector at all times, although noting that Yee does not have a phone. More so, if he is let out on bail, Yee should instead contact the enlistment inspector immediately upon release.

Moreover, Yee should also be restricted from making public commentaries on social media regarding his case to prevent sub judice content, emphasising that he had made blog posts on his National Service obligations previously. Yee is also restricted from leaving Singapore.

Netizens’ reactions

With the news of Yee’s bail, netizens shared their thoughts and opinions online. On Reddit, one commented, “Don’t want him roaming around our streets.”

Another netizen said, “He’s entitled to whatever the law grants him. As awful a person as he is, if he is allowed bail, then so be it. If he commits crimes while out on bail, then that’s on the system or whichever person reviewed his case and thought he could be granted bail…. I’m sure his passport is already flagged in the event he tries to flee overseas. If anything, he’ll likely try to hide in Singapore itself.”

One more netizen had a theory that the bail is granted so that authorities will see if he will commit more crimes, in hopes of increasing his jail time.

On Facebook, more netizens expressed their opinions about the subject matter, stating that his bail could pose a threat to Singaporean minors and that Yee should be ashamed of himself.

History of Yee’s crimes

According to reports, Yee also went to jail in Singapore in 2015 for having hurtful remarks about Christians. He was jailed again a year later for making remarks about Christians and Muslims.

In the United States, he was given asylum in 2017, but he broke the law in October 2020 involving illegal sexual material involving minors and attempted to groom a child. Yee pleaded guilty in the US in December 2021 and got six years in prison. Halfway through his sentence, he got out on parole but was grabbed again soon for breaking the rules.

Last November, US immigration locked him up once again after parole release from Danville prison in Illinois, and eventually deported him.