Bryan Lim, a Singaporean Facebook user, was charged on June 30 for making a threatening post made on Facebook.
Lim wrote in a post, “I am a Singaporean citizen. I am a NSman. I am a father. And I swear to protect my nation. Give me the permission to open fire. I would like to see these £@€$^*s die for their causes.”
Lim wrote the comment in response to a post made on “We are Against Pink Dot” Facebook page about the foreign funding of Pink Dot SG, an annual event organized in support of the LGBT community. This post was made on June 4, only 8 days before the mass shooting in a gay nightclub in Orlando.
And in the light of the mass shooting in Orlando, his comment brought horror to the community when it was widely shared and featured on social media.
Kenneth Tan saw the comment and thought that this threatening post needed to be reported. So he shared the post to Singapore Police Force page and asked, “Does the Singapore Police Force have a comment on the behaviour of PNSman inspector Bryan Lim? Is it okay to threaten to open fire on a category of Singaporeans?” The admin of the police fanpage quickly responded and posted, “Hi Kenneth Tan. Police confirm that a report has been lodged and investigations are ongoing.”
Along with Kenneth Tan, two other individuals, Scott Teng and Audi Khalid also made the reports online.
Mr. Teng said, “I think the threat really came to our attention last night and this morning. It just got circulated recently. I think it’s really in the light of the Orlando incident that makes you wonder if people here are really thinking about such violence. You just feel a bit worried that people are thinking and saying these things and you don’t know if people will be inspired to take such actions, regardless of how safe Singapore seems to be.”
While Mr Khalid said, “I don’t think people outside the community truly understand how the Orlando shooting affects the gay community as a whole.”
In response to public queries, the police also confirmed that Lim is not a member of Singapore Police Force as a National Serviceman.
And when people found out that he worked for Cannon Singapore and made complaints about the violence implied through Lim’s post towards the gay community in Singapore. The company said that it took the issue seriously and was looking into the matter. It is not known if any actions were taken against Lim by his employer.
After his post went viral, Lee wrote on Facebook and said that there were misunderstanding, and his words were taken out of context. He later apologized, ““I did not mean physical bullets nor physical death. I mean open fire in debate and remove them from Singapore domestic matters.”
Lim was represented by his lawyer, Adrian Wee. No plea was taken during the hearing. Wee said that Lim was notified on Wednesday that he would be charged in court.
Lim’s mobile phone had been taken away during the investigation while his laptop and desktop computer were seized by the police on the same day of the hearing (30 June). Police’s investigations are still ongoing.
The bail has been set for $10,000 and he is waiting for his next trial on 4 August. For making an electronic record inciting violence, he could be jailed five years, fined or both.
