(Day 2 of Trial)
Hong Lim Park protests affected special needs children, says YMCA executive
Organisers of Proms @ the Park event were told there would be "another speech" held at Speakers' Corner two days before the event. Four, including Ms Han Hui Hui, are contesting their charge of causing a public nuisance during a protest on Sep 27, 2014.
By Edric Sng, POSTED: 14 Oct 2015 17:17 UPDATED: 15 Oct 2015 08:28
SINGAPORE: An executive with YMCA who was part of the organising team
for the organisation's Proms @ the Park event on Sep 27 last year said
she believed that the actions of protesters - including Ms Han Hui Hui
and three co-accused who were on trial on Wednesday (Oct 14) - affected
the special needs children at the event.
(Looks like HHH got what she wished for.)
Blogger Han Hui Hui, 24, and three co-accused, Low Wai Choo, 54, Goh Aik
Huat, 41, Koh Yew Beng, 59, are facing public nuisance charges for
disrupting a community event held at Hong Lim Park on Sep 27, 2014, by
shouting loudly, chanting slogans, waving flags, holding placards,
blowing whistles and beating drums.
Their actions are alleged to have disrupted the YMCA event that was also being held there, and affected the special needs children who were performing during that event.
The four accused represented themselves in court.
Prosecution witness Samantha Seah, head of programmes at YMCA, said organisers had been informed by National Parks on Sep 25 - two days before the event - that there would be another event held that day. YMCA said they would proceed with the event as planning for it had already been ongoing for at least six months. NParks administers the booking of Speakers' Corner.
Ms Seah, 45, said she was at Hong Lim Park to oversee the Proms at the Park event and greet the guest-of-honour, Minister of State Teo Ser Luck.
"When guest-of-honour Teo Ser Luck arrived at 4.45pm, a prearranged time, the other group became more vocal and emotional at that point. The noise level from the group got louder and louder. They started to become a little bit more active, more busy, beyond the mound area" where they had previously congregated, the court heard.
She said that at that point, the protesters turned up the volume on their loudspeakers until those on the YMCA stage could not hear their own music.
"I wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying but the main message was 'Return our CPF'. They went around the main YMCA tent I would say four times, at a minimum," said Ms Seah.
She told Judge Chay Yuan Fatt that there were 17 charities participating in the event, and it involved elderly as well as very young participants. In a video played by the prosecution lawyers, Ms Seah pointed out where these groups were seated in relation to the stage as well as the group of protesters, which included Mr Roy Ngerng.
"The whole objective of this event was to allow sponsors to interact with the beneficiaries. The opportunity to bond was affected because of this other group," said Ms Seah, whose job was to manage outreach programmes at YMCA. She was questioned by Deputy Public Prosecutors John Lu, Amanda Chong, Francis Ng and Jane Lim.
She said she believed an autistic child had a "breakdown", and had to be moved to a quieter part of the park. Children with autism like things in a very structured manner, and one who is disturbed will sit covering his or her ears and rocking back and forth, Ms Seah said, demonstrating the movement. "We had to move the child because of safety issues."
The YMCA executive added that the protests affected the event in other ways. For example, one of the placards that was waved by the protesters may have hit a representative of one of the beneficiary charities, said Ms Seah.
Mr Teo also had to be moved in a different direction from originally planned, and could not interact with the sponsors, while YMCA was unable to serve food to beneficiaries, she added.
For disrupting the YMCA event and causing a public nuisance, each of the accused can be ordered to pay a fine of up to S$1,000. For organising a demonstration without prior approval, Han could be ordered to pay a fine of up to S$5,000.
Two more co-accused, Roy Ngerng, 34, and Chua Siew Leng, 43, have previously pleaded guilty and have been ordered to pay fines of S$1,900 and S$300, respectively.
Source: CNA
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/hong-lim-park-protests/2192320.html
Day 1 CNA report here:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/han-hui-hui-and-3-others/2187202.html
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Additional updates to Day 2
Protesters accuse YMCA of provoking them
Defendant blames NParks for not informing organisers of concurrent event held in the same area
By Kelly Ng, TODAY
Published: 10:21 PM, October 15, 2015
Updated: 11:01 PM, October 15, 2015
SINGAPORE — Tempers flared in a courtroom today (Oct 15) when four #ReturnOurCPF protesters facing public nuisance charges lobbed accusations and blame at prosecution witnesses.
While cross-examining an emcee of the YMCA charity event that happened concurrently with the protest at Hong Lim Park in September last year, Koh Yew Beng, one of the defendants, charged today that the protesters had been taunted.
When Mr Abraham Ho, a YMCA employee and one of the emcees that day, denied on the stand that he had said “We love CPF” into the microphone while the protest was going on, Koh shouted: “You’re a liar!”
Koh, 60, along with blogger Han Hui Hui, 24, Goh Aik Huat, 42, and Low Wai Choo, 50, are contesting charges of causing public nuisance on Sept 27 last year by disrupting YMCA’s annual Proms at the Park carnival.
Han faces an additional charge of organising a demonstration without approval. All four are conducting their own defence.
Today, National Parks Board (NParks) manager Sim Bee Lan testified that YMCA’s application to use Hong Lim Park for their event was approved on Sept 9 last year. The event involved beneficiaries such as individuals with special needs, youths at risk and the elderly.
Ms Sim also told the court that NParks approved six applications to deliver speeches at Hong Lim Park in relation to the Central Provident Fund system.
Two of these applications were made by the defendants in this case, between Sept 22 and Sept 26.
The court heard that Ms Sim informed the YMCA event’s organisers through a phone call that the speeches would happen concurrently with their carnival. Ms Sim testified that she did not manage to reach Han to inform her of the same.
Asked by Low why she did not attempt to contact the other five speech applicants, of which Low was one, Ms Sim said she had learnt from one of the application forms that Han was the one who organised the event.
“You can’t get (Han) but there are six people. Why didn’t you call the others? I was shocked when I saw YMCA there. Don’t you think you have a responsibility to tell me too?” Low asked.
In response, Ms Sim said the Speakers’ Corner is a shared space where multiple events can take place at one time. “Previously, other events (were held concurrently) and participants were quite accommodating to one another,” she said.
At this point, Low began to raise her voice, challenging the witness that it was “common sense” that a protest should not be held together with an event involving individuals with special needs.
“Is it fair to me that because of your negligence in calling us ... we were not aware of another event held there, and now I am being charged as a criminal? I am very angry and upset,” said Low, breaking down in tears.
District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt stepped in at this point and said it was not Ms Sim’s place to respond to the question posed by Low.
The trial enters its last day tomorrow
(16 Oct).
Source: TODAY, http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/protesters-accuse-ymca-provoking-them?singlepage=true
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Additional Notes
Janet Low Wai Choo, 55
GE2015 People's Power Party Candidate for Chua Chu Kang GRC
Received 23.11% votes, vs PAP
Han Hui Hui, 24
GE2015 Independent candidate for Radin Mas SMC
Received 10.04% votes – deposit forfeited, vs RP & PAP
Related Links
14minute video of NParks and Police Officers approaching ReturnMyCPF Protestors
17-minute, uncut video shows Roy Ngerng & ReturnMyCPF protesters encroaching on YMCA’s venue
Photo gallery of the Protest
