Amos Yee charged with NS enlistment offences after being deported from US
The 27-year-old said he was not engaging counsel.
by Lydia Lam · CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
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SINGAPORE: Amos Yee Pang Sang was charged in court on Friday (Mar 20) morning after landing in Singapore following his deportation from the United States.
Yee, 27, was handed three charges under the Enlistment Act.
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, where he was being held. He had long hair and wore a black hoodie and had 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.
Yee said nothing during the mention other than repeating "no" when asked if he was engaging counsel.
The judge granted the prosecution's application to have Yee remanded. He will return to court on Mar 26. No bail was granted.
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.
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