By Andrew Loh
A video uploaded on 6 April onto social media site Youtube which shows 2 men arguing and then coming to blows is making the rounds online.
It is unclear what the men were arguing and fighting over but the video opens with the Chinese man shouting at the other man, “What the f*** you talking about? Hey, she’s pregnant! Come on, man!”
The two men were standing close to each other.
The other man then pushed the Chinese man and punched him. The Chinese man returned the punch.
According to Insing,
“One of the women with a ponytail claims that the man in slippers screamed vulgarities at their child and did not apologise for his actions.
“The man wearing slippers [Chinese man] seems to suggest that the other couple did something that would endanger the pregnant woman.”
A security guard later arrived and tried to soothe things between the two couples.
The incident, which the person who uploaded the video says took place at Compass Point shopping centre in Sengkang, is the latest in a series of public altercations which has taken place in Singapore in recent months.
Fights, riots, affrays, brawls seem to be a more frequent occurrence in Singapore.
It is disconcerting how often these incidents have been happening. And together with the recent revelation that the Singapore Police Force (SPF) may be understaffed and overworked, one does wonder if it is just Geylang which has a “hint of lawlessness”, as warned by Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee at the Committee of Inquiry hearing.
Is Singapore itself, in fact, seeing more people taking the law into their own hands? And if so, we should all be concerned. What can be done?
Here are some recent cases of public altercations just this year alone, involving not just locals but also foreigners. There are many more such incidents over the last few years. The list below are only from this year, Jan to April.
21 Jan: Two men arrested for fighting in MRT
Police: “Police have arrested 2 men, aged 40 and 50 years old, for fighting with each other in an MRT train between Khatib and Yio Chu Kang MRT stations. The fight was caught in a video that went viral.”
24 Jan: Two men fighting in Chinatown
1 Feb: Five men charged with rioting on the first day of Chinese New Year
The five men were charged in a district court with being members of an unlawful assembly, which had allegedly attacked Mr Abdul Hamid Ahmad at Sentosa Gateway near Harbour Front
6 Feb: Delivery man assaults woman
7 Feb 2014: Fight in Jurong East
7 Feb: Three charged with Bras Basah rioting with deadly weapon
Straits Times: “Three men were charged on Friday with rioting while armed with a deadly weapon to attack three Korean nationals at a walkway along Bras Basah Road…”
http://www.spf.gov.sg/mic/2014/02/20140206_arrest_roiting_A.html
15 Feb: Two men fight outside Subordinate Courts as woman joins in
The New Paper: “Shirts were torn, faces scratched and a shopping bag swung when two men and a woman fought outside the Subordinate Courts on Thursday.
“As the men exchanged blows, the woman also joined in for good measure. Her weapon of choice — a shopping bag that she swung at one of the men who had earlier confronted her.
“It took about 10 security personnel and police officers another 10 minutes to calm them down and send them on their way.”
6 March: Singapore jazz singer Dawn Ho punched after Sentosa gig
Singapore Trip blog: “An incident after her regular evening show at Sentosa on Sunday left local jazz singer Dawn Ho with a swollen face and a bleeding nose. She and her friend were attacked by a man and a woman while they were being picked up at a taxi stand.”
11 March: Four foreigners charged with rioting in Paya Lebar
Bedok police seized a broken wooden plank and fragments of a broken beer bottle from the scene. They arrested four men.
23 March: Four suspects arrested for affray
Police: “It was established that the 4 suspects had boarded a public bus and started fighting along Eu Tong Sen Street. When the complainant shouted at them to stop the fight, the suspects dashed out.”
25 March: Rioting in Kaki Bukit dormitory: 14 foreign workers charged
TODAY: “So far, 35 suspects — all from South Asia — have been arrested, and 14 of them will be charged in court tomorrow for rioting. Three others will be charged with affray.”
1 April: 7 men arrested after mass brawl outside Zouk
Yahoo: “Police arrested seven men aged between 17-19 on Tuesday after they were involved in two fights that took place near night club Zouk during the wee hours of Sunday morning.
“One of the fights had occurred along Jiak Kim Street at 3:56am whereby a group of assailants had kicked and punched a victim before fleeing.”
3 April: Two men arrested for fighting on road
Straits Times: “An expat driver and a biker have been arrested following their intense fight in the middle of the road on Tuesday.”
4 April: Four men arrested for affray in Little India
MSN: “Police have arrested four men aged between 24 and 30, who are suspected of being involved in a street fight at Chander Road.”
6 April: Fight at Compass Point shopping mall
Insing: “The videos shows two men arguing, one of the men (wearing slippers) can be heard saying, “She’s pregnant, come on, man!” A fight breaks out when one of them pushes the other. The arguing parties start to call the police on their smartphones and children hanging onto the women can be heard crying.”
8 April: 11 arrested over fight at Choa Chu Kang
MSN: “Police have arrested 11 suspects, aged between 21 and 46, for allegedly fighting at a construction site off Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3.”
