An NUS student purported to be a climate change activist sure had his goals and ego deflated when he was caught for allegedly deflating the tyres of five cars in Woodlands.
Benjamin Chia Yit Loong, 23, was purportedly at the multi-storey carparks between Block 517A and Block 519A Woodlands Drive on 19 Nov when he committed the crimes.
The man had also allegedly placed flyers on the windscreens of these five vehicles.
Chia Arrested, Charged
Chia was charged on 21 Nov for being a public nuisance, with charge sheets stating that the acts had caused annoyance to the public.
Police had, apparently, managed to make the arrest within eight hours, after a car owner made a report when she found the tyres of her vehicle slashed and deflated.
What The Flyer Said
A photo of the flyer left on the vehicles was taken and circulated online on Facebook.
On the flyer, Chia claimed that the slashing of tyres was committed in the name of a climate activist group, known as the Tire Extinguishers.
It is believed to be the first case in Singapore linked to the group.
Highlights of the flyer include the following:
ATTENTION- your gas guzzler kills (Rating: 9/10, good, attention-grabbing)
We have deflated one or more of your tires (Rating: 9/10, straight, to the point, shares the objective clearly. Point deducted for American usage of tyre, but that’s minor.)
The world is facing a climate emergency. (Rating: 8/10, backed it up with facts, and the paragraph states clearly the call to action. Points docked for the lack of explanation for why it had to be them.)
SUVs are unnecessary, and pure vanity (Rating: 6/10, points docked for being opinionated and a little dramatic. Maybe some people need SUVs for practical reasons, such as safety for children in the car.)
It’s a rather entertaining flyer, to be fair. Good font, simple graphics, emotive, yet understandable language.
However, caveat: we cannot be sure that Chia is a member of the Tire Extinguishers, nor have they publicly announced responsibility to the crime.
Wait, My Actions Have Consequences?!
Chia has been remanded at Woodlands Division, and attended court-proceedings via video-link on 21 Nov.
In court, a police prosecutor asked that the case be adjourned for investigations.
He has also added that Chia is likely to face more charges.
Anil Sandhu, acting as Chia’s defense, has asked for the next mention or date of the hearing to be held after Chia’s examinations, as it was currently the exam period at NUS where Chia was a student. Sandu added that Chia’s parents, present in court, would bail him out.
Chia also requested to have a say about his adjournment, to which District Judge Lorraine Ho replied that Chia could consult with his lawyer over the issue.
Bail was set at $5,000, with the case to be adjourned until 9 Dec.
If convicted, Chia can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to $2,000, or both.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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