Amos Yee charged with NS enlistment offences after being deported from US
The 27-year-old said he was not engaging counsel.
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SINGAPORE: Amos Yee Pang Sang was charged in court on Friday (Mar 20) for offences under the Enlistment Act, after returning to Singapore following his deportation from the United States.
Yee, 27, was handed three charges over his national service obligations.
He is accused of failing to report for pre-enlistment medical screening over nine years, from Apr 26, 2016, to Mar 19, 2026.
He is also accused of leaving Singapore without valid exit permits over two periods: From Dec 13, 2015 to Apr 19, 2016, and from Dec 15, 2016 to Mar 19, 2026.
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) previously said that Yee had committed offences under the Enlistment Act, including failing to report for pre-enlistment medical screening and remaining outside of Singapore without a valid exit permit.
Yee appeared in court via video-link from A Division at Cantonment Complex, where he was being held. Dressed in a black sweater, he had long hair and wore a faint smile when he was first escorted into the room.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Tay Jia En and Chong Kee En asked for him to be remanded for about a week for the purpose of investigations.
Mr Tay asked if Yee could be remanded in Changi Prison instead of A Division, saying the lead investigation agency in this case is the Central Manpower Base and the investigation officer had instructed that it would be "prudent" for investigations to be carried out at Changi Prison instead.
District Judge Wong Peck granted his request and allowed for Yee to be taken out for investigations.
Yee said nothing during the mention other than repeating "no" when asked if he was engaging counsel. His was the last case to be heard on Friday morning.
Yee will return to court on Mar 26. No bail was granted.
After the charging, MINDEF said in a joint statement with the Ministry of Home Affairs that Yee had left Singapore for the US in 2016.
The US deported Yee to Singapore as he remains a Singapore citizen, said the authorities.
"He was issued a document of identity by the Singapore authorities to facilitate his deportation as he no longer holds a valid Singapore passport," the statement added.
Yee was arrested by Central Manpower Base Enlistment Inspectors at Changi Airport upon his return to Singapore on Friday.
MINDEF said it takes a "firm stand" against those who commit offences under the Enlistment Act.
NS defaulters can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$10,000 (US$7,800), or both. Yee faces those penalties for each of his three charges.
HISTORY
Yee was jailed in Singapore in 2015 for wounding religious feelings by making remarks about Christians.
He was jailed again and fined about a year later for making remarks about Christians and Muslims.
Yee was granted asylum by the US in 2017, but fell foul of the law for possession of child pornography and grooming a minor in October 2020.
He pleaded guilty in the US in December 2021 and was sentenced to six years' jail. Halfway through his backdated sentence, he was granted parole but was taken back into custody soon after for violating parole conditions.
In November last year, Yee was detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after he was released on parole from the Danville Correctional Center in Illinois.
CNA has contacted MINDEF about Yee's NS obligations.
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