Police Hand Out Warnings After Unpermitted Protest Outside MOE HQ
In a wake‑up call to anyone dabbling in protests without the right paperwork, Singaporean police issued stern warnings to six individuals for staging a no‑permit rally outside the Ministry of Education’s offices in Buona Vista last January.
Who Got the Warnings?
- Kokila Annamalai – 33 – 24‑month conditional warning for organising the protest and ignoring a “Move‑on” order.
- Lune Loh – 24 – 12‑month conditional warning for tag‑ging in without a permit.
- Elijah Tay – 19 – 12‑month conditional warning for cracking a “Move‑on” directive.
- Averyn Thng – 24 – stern warning for participating.
- Ng Yi‑Sheng – 41 – stern warning for taking part.
- Alex Tan – 23 – stern warning for helping tidy up protest placards.
Conditional warnings aren’t just a warning; they’re a “watchful eye” from the law. Those who slip up during the period risk prosecution for the same offence and whatever new mischief they might have committed.
What Went Down?
On 26 January, a group of 5 marched outside the MOE headquarters at about 5 pm, waving signs that read, among other things:
- #Fix schools not students
- Why are we not in your sex ed
- How can we get A’s when your care for us is an F
- trans students will not be erased
- trans students deserve access to healthcare & support
When police arrived, only Elijah, Lune and Kokila were present. They were told to stop, but they ignored the “Move‑on” order—an official’s directional bid to leave the scene. Police took the step to arrest them under the Public Order Act at 5:35 pm.
Why It Sprang Out?
The trigger was a trans pre‑university student who, on Reddit in January, claimed the MOE denied her hormone therapy because it was a “treatment for gender dysphoria.” The Ministry shrugged it off, saying it had no say over medical decisions that belong to a student’s family.
Additional Checks
Besides the protestors, police investigated four more people (ages 23‑41) for suspected involvement. Aside from Alex Tan, no further action was taken.
In short, the police sent a clear signal: if you want to throw a protest in Singapore, better get the permit, otherwise you’re bound to get a legal warning that could turn into a full‑court drama if you keep defying police orders!
