13 Men Charged For Gathering At Funeral To Chant Gang Slogans During Circuit Breaker

Let’s go back to an era not too long ago.

And by that, I mean the start of the circuit breaker in April.

Within its first week, numerous safe distancing measures were put in place and no one could even go out to eat.

And if you were found breaking any of those rules, prepare to get a hefty punishment. And if you were a gang member on top of that? Good luck.

Not-So-Secret Gathering

On 8 Sept, the Singapore Police Force confirmed charges for 13 men for offences under the Societies Act and for breaching COVID-19 safe distancing measures.

According to CNA, they were between 16 to 35 years old and were part of the same secret society.

The group had attended a funeral on 5 April along Circuit Road, during the aforementioned circuit breaker period.

An almost perfect place to break the law with the same name.

But you would think they’d at least be smart and keep mum about it right?

The police mentioned that they started chanting “gang slogans to show off their secret society affiliation”.

To add to this, they even recruited four new members.

Real subtle.

Needless to say, all 13 men had also breached safe distancing measures through this gathering.

Penalties For Law Breaking

And man, are these punishments massive.

Even now during phase two, we’re only allowed to have social gatherings of five people.

The 26-year-old man who rented the venue for the funeral will be heavily charged for the mass gathering of people.

He may be fined up to S$10,000, jailed up to six months or both for breaching safe-distancing measures.

The remaining 12 men will be charged for gathering at the event involving more than 10 people.

But that’s not all, since everyone present will also get charged for being a gang member.

Anyone who acts as a member of an unlawful society or who tries recruiting another person to become a member of any unlawful society may be fined a maximum of S$5,000, jailed for up to three years or both.

Even with safe distancing measures in place, people will always try to bend the rules.

If you see any unlawful activity, you can either call 999 or the police hotline at 1800 255 000.

Alternatively, you may also SMS them at 71999.

The early stages of the circuit breaker are long gone but we should still do our part to practice safe distancing even now.

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