Protesters ‘put safety of special-needs kids at risk’
Han Hui Hui together with Low Wai Choo and Kok Yew Beng arriving at the State Courts on Oct 14, 2015. Photo: Ernest Chua
SINGAPORE — Protesters at the #ReturnOurCPF rally last year had put the safety of special-needs participants of a YMCA charity event held concurrently at the same location at stake, a district court heard today (Oct 14).
Testifying against four individuals contesting public nuisance charges, the YMCA’s head of programmes Samantha Seah said the ruckus the protesters allegedly caused made a child with autism who was present suffer a meltdown.
“Children with autism-like structure, we had to prepare them six months in advance for the show ... This child locked his ears and rocked back and forth ... It was not a pleasant affair,” said Ms Seah, on the second day of the trial of blogger Han Hui Hui, 24, and the three co-accused, Goh Aik Huat, 42, Koh Yew Beng, 60, and Low Wai Choo, 55.
They are accused of causing a public nuisance by disrupting YMCA’s annual Proms at the Park carnival held on Sept 27 last year. All four are conducting their own defence.
YouTube videos screened in court today showed the protesters in front of the stage where a dance routine by individuals with special needs at the YMCA event was ongoing.
Ms Seah told the court that by holding placards and shouting loudly, the protesters had put the “safety of (participants with special needs) at stake”. More than 200 members of the audience from 17 charities were present at the event, including individuals with special needs, youths at risk, children and the elderly, she said.
Ms Seah added that she became “extremely concerned and worried about our young volunteers and beneficiaries” when she saw the protesters become “more vocal and emotional” after Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck showed up. Mr Teo was the guest-of-honour at the YMCA event.
Referring to the protesters, Ms Seah said: “They started to become a little bit more active, more busy, (and moved) beyond the mound area ... They were very inconsiderate of the current situation.”
The court heard that the National Parks Board had informed YMCA’s event organisers through a phone call on Sept 25 that there would be another “speech” held at Hong Lim Park on the day of the carnival.
When Han and Low asked why the YMCA did not pick another location, Ms Seah said preparation for the event, such as food catering, tentage and bus chartering, had already been fixed at that point.
Ms Seah added that the annual event was last held at Hong Lim Park in 2010 and organisers had found it ideal for logistics arrangements, as well as enabling them to have “a full view of everything that is happening at any one time”.
Besides Ms Seah, the prosecution also called a caregiver of a performer with special needs and a participant who had filmed the Central Provident Fund protest to the stand today.
The trial, slated to conclude on Friday, continues tomorrow.
