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Singapore police escorted PRC “hijackers” of SBS bus to cab instead of arresting them

January 19th, 2010 | Author: Correspondent

Written by Our Correspondent

A PRC family of 5 was allowed to create nuisance and disorder on a SBS bus in public causing much inconvenience to other passengers right under the watchful eyes of the Singapore police.

Both Chinese tabloids Shin Min Daily and Lianhe Wanbao carried a report yesterday on a PRC family who insisted on boarding a SBS bus with a wheelchairthough they were told by the bus captain not to do so due to safety reasons as the bus was not equipped with wheelchair accessibility facilities. (read article here)

They made a din on the bus for six hours before leaving in a cab (a 9-seat Maxi-Cab) paid for by SBS. The police was called to the scene, but they were unable to stop the public disturbance and allowed the saga to continue.

Under the new Public Order Act introduced specifically to deal with such incidents, the police are vested with the power to “move” the offenders away from the scene.

For some inexplicable reasons, the two police officers did not evoke the Public Order Act to stop the public unrest and was photographed to be reasoning with one of the PRC ladies and helping the elderly among them alight from the bus subsequently.

[Above: Singapore police officers "escorting" the PRC offenders with another one carrying their wheelchair behind like their servant. Source of photo: Lianhe Wanbao, 18 January 2010]

When interviewed by Lianhe Wanbao, 48 year old Madam Lin who worked in the media industry said angrily:

“The bus did not put out any sign that forbid wheelchairs to be brought up and we did not commit any crime. So why was the bus stopped by the road and refused to fetch us home?”

Madam Lin and her family had already committed a crime if not a series of crimes C they can be charged for a variety of offences under the Public Order and Nuisance Act (Chapter 184) such as causing harassment, alarm or distress to others, making excessive noise in public and of riotous, disorderly or indecent behaviour, each amounting to a fine of no more than S$1,000.

If they were Singaporeans, they would probably be arrested on the spot and taken away for “obstructing” the police from discharging their duties, let alone allowed to continue their nonsense on the bus for so long.

From this and previous cases, the Singapore police appears to dish out preferential treatment to foreigners.

When over 200 PRC workers protested outside the Ministry of Manpower last year over unpaid wages, the police was seen standing around them and not taking any action:

[The above Chinese migrants were allowed to gather and protest outside Ministry of Manpower for hours, but where were the Singapore Police? No arrests were made and their employer was forced to repay the wages owed to them. Source of photo: TNP]

However, when two Singaporeans C Seelan Palay and Chiong Kai Xiong stood outside the same compound to protest against the deportation of their Burmese friends by the ruling party, they were arrested on the spot and taken away by the Singapore police within thirty minutes:

[Above: Two police officers arrived immediately to arrest two Singapore citizens who risked two years of their lives in National Service and dragged them forcefully away from the scene in handcuffs. The two were simply standing outside MOM without causing any public disturbance or obstruction to passer-bys unlike the PRC family who caused one bus to be "stranded" for 6 hours and its passengers transferred to another bus. Source of photo: Jacob's blog]

[Above: Singapore citizen and NSman Seelan Palay arrested by Singapore police and taken away in handcuffs for standing outside MOM without causing any disturbance to the public. Contrast the treatment he received to that of the PRC "VIPs" - why didn't the police handcuff them immediately and still got time to "chit chat" with them for 6 hours? Source of photo: Jacob's blog]

Similarly a PRC woman was allowed to “protest” at the Ministry of Education headquarters last weekfor the entire day till midnight demanding its staff to transfer her daughter to a top primary school. The police could have arrested her immediately to stop the ugly fiasco, but again did not do so.

Yet five Singaporeans were arrested for “illegal procession” when all they did was to walk in a groupfrom one point to another in public. The case is still ongoing after three years. Though a District Judge had already acquitted them, the Attorney-General Chambers found fit to lodge an appeal againstthe decision.

The Singapore police is extremely efficient when dealing with locals, especially if they happen to fall on the wrong end of the political divide. But when it comes to foreigners, they seem pretty lost on what to dolike how they allowed a prime suspect in the double hit and run accident at Bukit Panjang last month to “slip” through its dragnet.

Such police inaction and impotencewill only serve to embolden foreigners in Singapore who may get the wrong impression that as long they make enough “noise”, they will be able to get away with almost anything in Singapore.

Perhaps this family will soon be teaching their fellow PRC relatives and friends in Singapore on how to get a “free cab ride” from SBS and “free escort services” from the Singapore Police Force from now onwards.

The Singapore police should remember that they are paid by Singapore taxpayers to serve the interests of the public and not to protect the foreigners.

In this example, more than 10 passengers, some of whom were Singaporeanshad to be transferred to another bus just because of the silly antics of this PRC family which could be prevented in the first pl