The mother of 16-year old video blogger, Amos Yee, says she is relieved that her son is eating once again while being held at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
The teenager was ordered by the court to undergo a two-week assessment for possibly being within the range of autism spectrum disorder.
A prior three-week assessment while being held at the Changi Prison saw Amos Yee being assessed as suitable for reformative training. However, the psychiatrist who conducted the assessment, Munidasa Winslow, also said the teen may be suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Judge Jasvendar Kaur then ordered that Amos Yee underwent a further two-week assessment at the IMH to confirm this.
Mdm Mary Toh, who visited her son on Sunday morning, told The Online Citizen (TOC) that Amos Yee had not been eating well as he was upset with this latest development of further assessment and curbs on his freedom.
The teenager has also complained that the conditions at the IMH are worse than those at Changi Prison.
Nonetheless, he is happy now to know that people are wearing his t-shirt, and that he is getting more support.
In recent days, international organisations, including the United Nations and Human Rights Watch, have expressed concerns over his detention at Changi Prison and now at the IMH.
A protest was also held in Taiwan last week by non-governmental organisations, and a prominent activist in Hong Kong have also called for his release.
Amos Yee, however, says he is concerned about the threat made on his person, especially that expressed by a certain Nigel Kee who posted on his Facebook page on Friday that he “will pay” for Amos Yee “to be raped in prison”. (See TOC’s report here: “I will pay” for Amos Yee “to get raped in prison”, says man.)
“Thinking of the threats and dangers [he might face if he were to be sent to prison] aggravates his mental condition,” Mdm Toh said.
Mr Kee, in the meantime, is believed to have either removed or made private his Facebook page, which is no longer publicly available.
The police have also not commented on the incident.
It is not the first time that the teenager has been threatened.
A grassroots leader was issued a “stern warning” by the police for threatening to do physical violence to the teenager, while another person was jailed three weeks for assaulting Amos Yee while he was on the way to court for a pre-trial conference in April.
Amos Yee is scheduled to be back in court on 6 July.
