Roy Ngerng among six to face charges over Speakers’ Corner event

SINGAPORE — Following police investigations into the Return Our CPF event last month at Speakers’ Corner, six people — including event organisers Ms Han Hui Hui and Mr Roy Ngerng — will be charged on Monday (Oct 27) with the offence of public nuisance with common intention.

Both Ms Han, 22, and Mr Ngerng, 34, will face an additional charge of organising a demonstration without an approval under the Parks and Trees Regulations, the police said today in response to media queries.

In total, 14 people were investigated. Apart from the six who will be charged, the cases against five others who had participated actively at the protest have been concluded and they were served a conditional warning, the police said. The investigation outcome for the remaining three individuals will be made known to them in due course, they added.

“These actions have been taken by the police after careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case and in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers,” said the police.

Ms Han and Mr Ngerng have been in the spotlight after a protest march at Hong Lim Park on Sept 27 disrupted a YMCA charity carnival. Demonstrators had waved Singapore flags, marched and shouted chants. The disturbance caused furore among the public.

Today, Ms Han was seen entering the Police Cantonment Complex at 10.19am. When she emerged from the complex 10 minutes later, she declined to say what she had been doing there and said she had been told by the police not to reveal what had happened in the complex. She told reporters that she would contest any charges against her.

Mr Ngerng and a few supporters — one of whom had in the morning received a letter of warning for his participation in the protest — were spotted waiting outside the complex.

Lawyer M Ravi, who is representing the six, said it was regrettable that the police had given some protesters a warning but not those who have been charged. “Given the fact that it was the Speakers’ Corner ... the police are overzealous in their prosecution of this group of people,” he said.