Retired SAF LTC Jailed After He Repeatedly Attacked Bus Driver While Drunk

By
Shawn Ambrose
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2020 has been weird, to say the least.

Even if the coronavirus didn’t make an appearance, we’d still remember 2020 as the year the Pentagon released 3 UFO videos, and the year that a swarm of hornets so deadly they’re called Murder Hornets turned up out of the blue in the US, before disappearing just as quickly.

Here in Singapore, we’ve had our fair share of bizarre occurrences too, the most recent of which is the phenomenon of commuters attacking public bus drivers for no reason.

Even though the circuit breaker is over and we have bubble tea back, some residents are still on edge, and bus drivers are bearing the brunt of their frustrations.

Retired SAF LTC Jailed After He Repeatedly Attacked Bus Driver While Drunk

A 69-year-old Singaporean has been sentenced to six weeks’ jail after he repeatedly assaulted a bus driver while drunk.

Seng Oh Kwang, who is a retired lieutenant colonel, pleaded guilty on Monday (5 Oct) to one count each of assault and public drunkenness.

It all started with an innocent drinking session with some friends at an Upper Cross Street coffee shop in the evening on 16 August 2019.

According to The Straits Times, Seng downed more than six bottles of beer and was “heavily intoxicated” by the time he left the coffee shop sometime before 11pm.

He then boarded SBS bus service 186 while drunk at around 11.15pm, and that’s when the trouble began.

The bus captain, Thavamani Krishnan, heard some banging noises as he was driving along Farrer Road.

Krishnan stopped the bus to investigate the commotion and discovered that Seng was pounding the handrails with his hands.

The bus driver told Seng to stop, and here the 69-year-old had two options:

  1. Stop banging the damn handrails
  2. Stop banging the damn handrails

Unfortunately, Seng chose secret option number 3, and chose to attack Krishnan instead.

Image: Giphy

Grabbed & Slapped Bus Captain 

For the next 13 minutes, Seng, who was furious at this point, approached the bus captain a total of 11 times, where he grabbed and shook Krishnan’s collar.

He also slapped Krishnan and struck his head multiple times.

When the driver tried to use his phone to call for help, Seng tried to snatch it away, and even pushed another passenger out of the way.

According to ST, some passengers remained on the upper deck to avoid Seng, something most of us would have done.

Driver Bleeding From Blood Vessel

The driver did not come out unscathed, as he sustained injuries that left him bleeding from a blood vessel over the whites of his right eye.

Fortunately, he was discharged the next day and placed on medical leave for three days.

As for Seng, he was due to begin his prison sentence on 14 Oct, but requested to postpone the date as he wanted to celebrate his granddaughter’s birthday.

Seng only got six weeks’ imprisonment, but for the charge of assault alone, the 69-year-old could have been sentenced to two years in jail and fined up to $5,000.

Increasing Instances of Bus Driver Abuse

If you read our articles on a daily basis, you’d know that more and more residents have been abusing bus drivers lately.

Last month, a man punched a bus driver after he was told to wear a mask, and in August, another commuter spat on a bus captain after, well, being told to wear a mask.

I get the impression that some people here don’t like being told to wear a mask. 

Whether they’re reminding you to put on your mask, or asking you to stop causing a commotion, please understand that these bus captains are just doing their job. 

They have been instructed to keep passengers safe, and will do everything they can to ensure that happens, even if it hurts your feelings.

Plus, taking your anger out on an innocent man or woman is just a dick move. 

Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]