PE 2023: Cyclist who heckled Ng Kok Song in Clementi arrested under Mental Health Act, taken to IMH
A cyclist (far left) creating a scene when presidential candidate Ng Kok Song (right, back facing camera) was greeting members of the public outside Clementi Mall during a walkabout on Aug 29, 2023.
SINGAPORE — A 30-year-old cyclist who heckled presidential candidate Ng Kok Song during his campaign walkabout in Clementi was arrested by the police, the authorities said on Wednesday (Aug 30).
Mr Ng was posing for photos with the public near Clementi Mall on Tuesday evening when the cyclist came speeding down a slope, twice, close to where the crowd had gathered in an attempt to ram straight into Mr Ng.
In response to media queries, the police said that they received calls for assistance regarding an incident in which a man had allegedly shouted at Mr Ng outside a mall along Commonwealth Avenue West.
Upon arrival, the man had already left the area and officers from the Clementi Police Division later identified the man and searched for him.
Around the same time, the man went to Clementi Neighbourhood Police Centre of his own accord to make a report about the incident at about 7.45pm the same day.
At the police centre, the man "mentioned about harming himself, and the officers assessed that he posed a danger to himself,” the police added.
He was apprehended under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008 and taken to the Institute of Mental Health for further assessment.
The police also said that the man’s next-of-kin was informed of the matter.
Police investigations into the incident are ongoing.
In spite of the disruption, Mr Ng has made no plans to cancel his remaining walkabouts and activities on the final day of the campaign period on Wednesday.
Singaporeans will vote for the country's ninth president on Friday,. The other two presidential candidates are former Cabinet minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mr Tan Kin Lian, former chief executive officer of NTUC Income insurance cooperative.
