3 Men Charged for Going to Pulau Ubin to Camp; Said Officer Only Told Him Not to Fish So They Continued

Boredom.

Image: Giphy

It makes your mind run faster than a Singaporean towards a reopened McDonald’s store.

Image: Giphy

It’s so unbearable that when given a choice between boredom and pain, most people pick pain.

Image: The Atlantic

That explains why so many people continue to break the rules during the circuit breaker period when everyone is urged to stay at home.

Because after weeks of Netflix and Chill, you discover that chilling is not all it’s cracked up to be, and you’d rather be doing something else.

Like secretly kayaking to Pulau Ubin.

3 Men Charged for Going to Pulau Ubin to Camp; Said Officer Only Told Him Not to Fish So They Continued

Three men have been charged with multiple offences after allegedly kayaking from Pasir Ris Park to Pulau Ubin where they hung up hammocks, fished, and camped.

On 13 April, the three men reportedly met at Carpark E in Pasir Ris Park for a social purpose.

Sometime after 7pm, the men entered Chek Jawa Wetlands Park Zone in Pulau Ubin even though the area is designated as a “No Entry” zone.

The area has also been closed to all watercraft and people since October 2007 unless the National Parks Board gives prior approval.

Here, they hung hammocks across trees, set up shelter, and lit campfires.

This sounds like the perfect antidote to an extended period of isolation indoors, but it goes against the Parks and Trees Regulations.

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Until 10am the next morning (14 April), the three men camped in the Chek Jawa Wetlands Park without permits in areas not designated for camping, according to CNA.

Two of the men are also accused of using hunting devices in the form of fishing rods to catch fish at the park.

It’s like they were trying to break as many laws as they could.

In court, one of the men, 38-year-old Rizani Sham Mohamed Hussin, said an officer only told him not to fish.

“(I) was stopped by an NParks officer and told that fishing is not allowed, but we told him we are going to Pulau Ubin for the activities,” he said. “Hence, he did not advise further. If he had done so, we would have cancelled the activities.”

Rizani also said that the men “did not see any signs” prohibiting such activities and that the NParks website had purportedly not stated so either.

Intend To Plead Guilty

For these offences, Rizani and Zulman B Mashonain, also 38, were given eight charges each under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act and Parks and Trees Regulations.

The third man, 36-year-old Mohamed Hafiz Mat Nadar, received seven similar charges.

All three men intend to plead guilty next month.

For each charge, the men can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

For each offence under the Parks and Trees Regulations, they can be fined up to S$2,000.

Now, even if they didn’t see any signs prohibiting the activities they engaged in, they certainly know that leaving your house without a reasonable excuse and meeting friends from other households for social purposes during the circuit breaker is not allowed.

They may have had a fun night on the island, but was it worth it if they end up going to jail?

I don’t care if your best friend is Trevor Noah, hanging out with your friends for a day or two is not worth a hefty fine or time in jail.

We have less than two weeks to go until the circuit breaker ends. Hang in there and it’ll be over before you know it.

(Unless it gets extended, of course)

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