US deports Amos Yee; arrested at Changi under Enlistment Act

SINGAPORE: The blogger and convicted sex offender Amos Yee has been deported from the United States, arriving in Singapore on Friday (March 20). Upon his arrival, he was arrested for offences committed under the Enlistment Act, the Defence Ministry (MINDEF) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a joint statement on the same day.

The statement says that he was arrested by Central Manpower Base (CMPB) Enlistment Inspectors at Changi Airport and that he has been charged for failing to report for pre-enlistment medical screening and remaining outside of Singapore without a valid Exit Permit.

While Yee openly expressed that he did not want to come home in a letter published on his blog early last month, countries are obliged under international law to accept the repatriation of their citizens. Because Yee lost his naturalisation in the US, Singapore needed to accept his entry, and he now faces charges for defaulting on his NS obligations.

“MINDEF takes a firm stand against those who commit offences under the Enlistment Act. Under the Enlistment Act, NS defaulters are liable upon conviction for an imprisonment term of up to three years and/or a fine of up to $10,000,” the ministries added.

In 2015, when Yee was only 16, he gained notoriety in Singapore when he criticised the government as well as a number of religious figures. He also criticised the late Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding Prime Minister.

Yee ended up being jailed twice for his actions and moved to the US in December 2016, just before he was required to begin National Service. He was granted political asylum the following year after a judge ruled that he faced persecution in Singapore for his political opinions.

In October 2020, he was charged with solicitation and possession of child pornography. After his arrest, he pleaded not guilty in a Chicago court to all charges related to his arrest.

In December 2021, however, he was given a six-year jail sentence and was released on parole in October 2023, but was re-arrested a month later because he had violated his parole conditions.

After he was released from jail again last November, the US detained him in preparation for deportation proceedings to begin. The joint statement said that because Yee does not hold a valid Singapore passport, he was issued a Document of Identity by the Singapore authorities to facilitate his deportation. / TISG

Read also: ‘Feeling Is Mutual’: Public pushes back against Amos Yee’s ‘warning’, says he should not be allowed back in Singapore