Protesters accuse YMCA of provoking them
Han Hui Hui together with Low Wai Choo and Koh Yew Beng arriving at the State Court on Oct 14, 2015. Photo: Ernest Chua
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
