No bail offered to man charged in court over burning Singapore flags
SINGAPORE — A 25-year-old man was charged in court on Thursday (Aug 8) with setting fire to a Singapore state flag, which spread to seven other flags across seven floors of a Woodlands public housing flat on Sunday.
Elson Ong Yong Liang, 25, is accused of using a lighter to burn a Singapore flag along the common corridor on the 13th floor of Block 774 Woodlands Crescent.
SINGAPORE — A 25-year-old man was charged in court on Thursday (Aug 8) with setting fire to a Singapore state flag, which spread to seven other flags across seven floors of a Woodlands public housing flat on Sunday.
The man, Elson Ong Yong Liang – a Singaporean – faced one charge of mischief by fire, which could land him in jail for up to seven years along with a fine. He was not offered bail, and was remanded at Woodlands Police Division to reappear in court on Aug 15.
The prosecution alleged that he committed the act by starting the fire using a lighter on the 13th floor of Housing and Development Board (HDB) Block 774 Woodlands Crescent between 6am and 6.15am on Sunday.
The flag he allegedly set fire to was burnt, and the seven flags were damaged as a result. The flags were on display ahead of National Day on Friday.
In a news release on Wednesday, after arresting Ong, police said they believed he had been involved in other similar cases in Woodlands.
The police said they had been alerted to the burnt flags at 12.40pm on Sunday. Ground enquiries and images from surveillance cameras ultimately led the police to Ong, they added.
The offence of mischief by fire does not specifically relate to burning flags.
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