TOC Rejects Apology Request From Son of Elderly Woman with Dementia in Yishun Incident

By
Zhi Hao
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It appears that the ongoing beef between the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and The Online Citizen (TOC) is not aging well.

So if you recall, it all started with an Instagram story. An Instagram user had shared a video portraying the Police Force in a bad light, and TOC proceeded to repost the video on their Facebook page.

Thereafter, SPF responded with a Facebook clarification post of their own, and from there it was pretty much an intense back and forth battle of wits, alleged testimonies and evidence.

For more details, you can read this comprehensive article we’ve done here.

Yet, it seems that things are not settling down just yet as there has been another development in the rampant saga.

To sum it up in three words? Apology not accepted.

TOC Rejects Apology Request From Son of Elderly Woman with Dementia in Yishun Incident

It appears that TOC has declined to apologise for its actions.

Previously, it was unveiled that the elderly woman, who was at the centre of the saga, is actually suffering from dementia.

As such, her statements during a video interview conducted by TOC were determined to be inaccurate, a notion that her own son has since attested to.

With the above in mind, the son’s lawyer addressed the following letter to TOC.

The first letter mentioned that the son is saddened and distressed about the interview done on his dementia mother without any prior notice to their family beforehand. He was also concerned about the virality of that particular interview due to his mother’s condition.

The son then alleged that TOC had been aware of his mother’s state of mind, and subsequently requested for the alternative news site to apologise for “this lapse in judgement”.

Apparently, TOC was then given until 12 July to get back to them.

But It Was Not To Be

In a statement, Mr Lim Tean of Carson Law Chambers revealed that TOC had rejected the request.

The notion was delivered in a letter.

In the letter, the lawyer, who represented TOC, stated that TOC had taken steps “to ensure that the interview was conducted in the presence of a veteran healthcare worker who deals with palliative care”.

“At no point during the interview did the veteran healthcare worker or our clients detect any signs of (the woman) not being able to recall what transpired during the incident on May 17, 2021. Our clients have treated (the woman) with the utmost respect and dignity by ensuring her identity was not revealed through the blurring of her face in the video,” added Mr Lim.

In addition, he insinuated that the police had portrayed the elderly woman as someone with dementia and that any public reaction garnered was a result of it.

He also encouraged the woman’s son to look for the police with regards to any “hurt he thinks has been caused”.

Most Recent Response

Mr Nalachandran, the son’s lawyer, has since responded, stating that his client has reaffirmed that his mother does suffer from dementia.

“Our client made no demand but an acknowledgement or apology would have been basic decency,” he added.

TOC, however, has no real intention of replying to this letter.

“We are mystified as to why the son, who was not involved in the first place, would hire a not inexpensive law firm to send TOC such letters,” Mr Lim said.

The saga continues.

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Featured Image: Facebook (Singapore Police Force) & YouTube (theonlinecitizen toc)

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]