South-East Asia (Page 765)

SINGAPORE: A couple abused their maid for perceived mistakes, slapping her repeatedly such that her face bore bruises that were noted by another maid at a playground.

When that maid posted the photos of the injuries on Facebook and asked for help, a third maid saw them and lodged a police report.

Wang Cheng Xiang, a 47-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced to 13 weeks’ jail and ordered to pay S$1,000 (US$736)  in compensation on Monday (Aug 28).

His wife, 36-year-old Chinese national Jin Yan, was sentenced to 28 weeks’ jail and ordered to pay S$2,500 in compensation.

The couple had claimed trial but were convicted, with Jin found guilty of four charges of voluntarily causing hurt to a maid and one count of criminal force.

Wang was convicted of two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to a maid.

Their lawyer told the court that his clients “maintain their innocence” and would be appealing against their conviction and sentence.

THE CASE

The court heard that the victim, 31-year-old Indonesian Lutin, began working for the couple in June 2017.

The prosecution’s case was that Ms Lutin was physically abused over six months from July 2017.

Jin would abuse her after losing her temper over what she perceived as mistakes by Ms Lutin. This was especially so when she felt that the maid’s actions endangered her young children.

On one occasion in July 2017, Jin slapped Ms Lutin because the maid had forgotten to wipe some utensils dry. 

After this, the maid spoke to her agent and said she wanted to return to the agency and to change her employer, because Jin had “started to use her hand” on her.

The agent spoke to Ms Lutin in Bahasa Indonesia and said she would tell Jin that she may scold Ms Lutin but not physically assault her.

In October 2017, Ms Lutin cooked rice at home while Jin was out with her kids. When they returned home, Jin’s son touched the hot rice cooker and blistered his finger.

Jin slapped Ms Lutin’s cheek at least twice, pulled her ponytail and swung it until the maid fell. She then kicked the maid’s chest.

When Wang returned home and heard about what happened, he also slapped Ms Lutin’s face, with his wife present.

Jin also slapped Ms Lutin on her cheek, causing ulcers in her mouth, after an incident in late 2017 when her children climbed onto furniture in the living room. This was despite the fact that Ms Lutin was packing clothes in the bedroom at the time.

In January 2018, Jin questioned Ms Lutin on why she had left Jin’s daughter alone in the house. The maid apologised and said she had been attending to Jin’s son in the toilet.

Jin slapped Ms Lutin and pulled her by her ponytail with such force that the maid lost her balance and fell to the ground, landing in a sitting position, the prosecution said.

On another occasion in January 2018, Ms Lutin placed Jin’s son’s uniform in a basin instead of hanging it to dry as instructed.

When Jin summoned her, Ms Lutin knelt down and apologised for wetting the uniform. Jin slapped her cheek, grabbed the hair surrounding Ms Lutin’s ponytail and struck the maid on both cheeks with a toy guitar, breaking it.

When Wang returned home from work that day, he slapped the maid’s cheek while his wife and children were present.

On Jan 4, 2018, Jin left her daughter with Ms Lutin at a playground while she went marketing.

Another Indonesian domestic worker saw Ms Lutin and asked what happened to her face. Ms Lutin said she had been hit by her employer.

The concerned maid asked if Ms Lutin had called her agent, and Ms Lutin said she had not, as she did not have a mobile phone.

The other maid offered to help and took photos of Ms Lutin. She also asked for Ms Lutin’s maid agency and address.

The maid then posted Ms Lutin’s photo and details on Facebook seeking help. A third maid, who was involved in social welfare organisations, saw the post and contacted the police.

The couple was defended by Mr Low Cheong Yeow. They portrayed Ms Lutin as a domestic helper who could not cope with the demands of caring for two children.

They claimed that Ms Lutin fabricated the allegations in the hope that she could change her employer, and said Jin was pregnant at the time and was physically unable to assault Ms Lutin.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong on Monday sought a compensation order for Ms Lutin.

The defence said his clients would not be making any voluntary compensation.

The judge noted that Jin’s culpability is greater than her husband’s, with the assault extending “well beyond slaps to the face”.

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SINGAPORE: A driver who shoved a security guard directing traffic at United Square Shopping Mall, causing him to fall backwards and fracture his wrist, was jailed for six weeks on Monday (Aug 28).

Wang Lin, a 42-year-old Singapore permanent resident from China, pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to Mr Prakash Govindan Damodaran.

The court heard that Wang was in his BMW X5 car on Nov 6, 2021 and heading towards a taxi drop-off point outside United Square mall.

The 56-year-old victim was standing on a chevron lane directing traffic when he gestured to Wang to stop. He told Wang he was not permitted to enter the lane for taxis, and that he could drive into the mall – which had a 30-minute free parking grace period – to pick up his passengers.

Wang was unhappy and swerved past the victim before stopping his car and getting out to confront the security guard.

He shoved the victim with both hands, and the latter fell on his back.

Wang was pulled away by his wife, who was waiting to be picked up along with her child, and they drove away.

The incident was captured on closed-circuit television camera footage and played in court.

The victim lodged a police report that same day. He sought medical treatment a few times and was eventually diagnosed as suffering a wrist fracture and ligament injury to his thumb.

He later had a thumb splint put in and went for rehabilitative therapy.

The prosecutor sought at least six weeks’ jail, saying Wang was the “outright aggressor” who had “reacted disproportionately” to the victim’s raised voice.

After being stopped from picking up his passenger, Wang “displayed thuggish behaviour in broad daylight by initiating confrontation with the victim, who was but controlling traffic at the time”, said the prosecutor.

ACCUSED SUFFERED TRAUMA, AGONY: DEFENCE

Defence lawyer S S Dhillon asked for four weeks’ jail instead for his client Wang, who worked with BlackRock Asset Management before switching to Randstad.

Mr Dhillon asked the prosecution to replay the videos and pointed out Wang was trying to help his wife and young child board the car with a stroller.

As it was raining at the time, Wang was anxious to stop along the sheltered portion of the mall.

The lawyer said that footage showed another vehicle dropping someone off, so what his client did was “nothing unusual”.

Mr Dhillon claimed the security guard had shouted at Wang and gestured at him, hitting the front of his vehicle at one point.

“I would like to impress upon the court that he did not assault him literally. It was a push. Rainy day. The victim fell and sustained the injury,” he said.

Mr Dhillon said this incident was “a one-off aberration” and said his client was not “a criminally inclined person”. He flagged Wang’s charity work and donations to developing countries.

The lawyer said his client had suffered “tremendous trauma and agony” over this incident.

“No doubt the victim has suffered physical injuries, but the negative publicity has completely paralysed the accused, as he has been demonised as a rich and powerful foreign brat,” said Mr Dhillon.

He also claimed that the incident left his client suffering from psychotic symptoms which meet the criteria for schizophrenia.

In response, the prosecutor said the claim that the victim had hit Wang’s bonnet was “not borne out in investigation”. In fact, court documents stated that no damage was caused to Wang’s car.

The decision to post about the incident online, which led to Wang being ridiculed on Facebook, was made by the victim’s union, said the prosecutor.

The judge noted that being anxious to pick up his wife in the rain was “not an established mitigating factor in the law” and imposed the sentence sought by the prosecution.

For voluntarily causing hurt, Wang could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.

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SINGAPORE: Presidential hopeful Ng Kok Song questioned on Monday (Aug 28) if appointing leaders of opposition political parties to the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) in return for their support could be a “form of corruption”.

He was responding to rival candidate Tan Kin Lian’s comments that he would ask Progress Singapore Party (PSP) chairman Dr Tan Cheng Bok and Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) member Tan Jee Say to be part of the CPA if he is elected President. 

In response to questions on Sunday about whether the PSP is endorsing Mr Tan, Dr Tan said several times that his endorsement was in his “personal capacity” and he was “not here as a politician for this election”.

Describing them as “excellent candidates”, Mr Tan, the former NTUC Income chief, had said he had yet to ask both men when journalists questioned if they would be nominated by him to be part of the council. 

Former GIC chief investment officer Ng, and fellow candidate and former senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam both have not named anyone they may appoint to the CPA if they are elected as President. 

The President can appoint up to three members of the CPA, which comprises eight people. 

Speaking to journalists before a walkabout at Ayer Rajah Food Centre, Mr Ng noted on Monday morning that opposition party leaders said they were supporting Mr Tan because he is an independent candidate. 

“How can Tan Kin Lian say he’s an independent candidate when he’s dependent on those opposition party leaders? What sort of independence is that?” he added. 

“There’s a danger that he’s going to be manipulated by those leaders of the opposition parties.” 

Mr Tan “even went so far as to say” that those who support him may be appointed to the CPA, said Mr Ng. 

“Isn’t that a form of corruption? What sort of independence is that?” 

In a statement to the media later on Monday, Mr Ng clarified that he “was not ascribing any criminal intent to the act”.

The CPA advises the President on major constitutional duties and its members have to abide by high standards, he noted.

Mr Ng said he was instead suggesting that it could be seen as a “moral perversion” of the CPA.

Dr Tan’s show of support for Mr Tan on Sunday has turned this presidential election into a General Election, Mr Ng said.

“This is very very wrong. Why can’t the political parties concerned wait … for the next General Election? Why confuse the people of Singapore? 

“If opposition party leaders want to make their political point, wait until the General Election. This is not the time to do it,” said Mr Ng, adding that this is an “act of disservice” to Singaporeans. 

When asked about whether he thought his campaign would be impacted by Dr Tan’s show of support for a rival presidential candidate, Mr Ng stressed that this was why he was speaking out against it. 

“Because that was the devious motive, to confuse the people of Singapore. To tell the people of Singapore this is a General Election,” he added. 

“I’m hoping that enough Singaporeans will not stand for this nonsense … the people of Singapore are fair-minded people, they want to see fair play.” 

Mr Ng emphasised his political neutrality again on Monday. “All this confusion, all this politicisation of the Presidential Election will not happen if the Presidential Election is non-partisan. If it’s non-partisan, there are no candidates that are supported by any political party,” he added. 

“But in this Presidential Election, we have one candidate who has been supported by some opposition parties. We have another candidate who is endorsed by the government. I am the only candidate who is not supported, not endorsed by any political party.”

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