Alone in cell.

On 27 Jun 2016, Singapore’s state court Judge CHAY YUEN FATT made judgement against me as follows:
1. SGD$2,500 fine because “She rallied her Facebook readers”.
2. SGD$600 fine because I “made vitriolic speeches to denounce the government and various government policies”.


On 22 Feb 2017, Singapore’s high court Justice SEE KEE OON rejected my appeal and I was immediately being sent to face 5 weeks in prison for not paying the fine of $3,100.

On 22 Feb 2017 at 10am, I was at Singapore’s High Court for the appeal against the judgement made by Singapore’s state court Judge CHAY YUEN FATT.
Together with me were two elderly co-accused Ivan Koh (age 62) and Janet Low (age 57).

During the appeal hearing, I asked if it was correct to amend the charge sheet just a day before the trial?
Our trial was on 13 Oct 2015, but the charge sheet was amended on 12 Oct 2015.
It was not acknowledged by us and was not brought to our attention.
We only noticed that after we’ve filed our appeal, from the magistrate appeal documents, last month in Jan 2017.
The response we got were “so what if amended?”

Singapore’s state court Judge CHAY YUEN FATT grounds of decisions are wrong in laws, as under the Parks and Trees regulation, he admitted that “the word “demonstration” is neither defined in the Parks and Trees Regulations nor the parent Act”.
In addition, Judge CHAY YUEN FATT also said in his grounds of decisions that “As regards the issue of who had organized the demonstration, there is no definition of “organize” in the Parks and Trees Regulations or the parent Act”.
For a law that is not defined, it is unfair to convict me when it is not based on any legal ground.

Singapore’s state court Judge CHAY YUEN FATT grounds of decisions are also wrong in facts, saying that he rejected my “allegation that she would not have been able to opt to give a speech and hold a demonstration at the same time”.
This is not an allegation but what Nparks manager Sim Bee Lan testified in court, as per day 3 page 129 of the transcript that we have bought from the state court.
It was recorded in the transcript that “On the Nparks website, there are three options, a speech, a demonstration and a performance. But a Singaporean is only allowed to choose one.”

The reason why Judge CHAY YUEN FATT convicted me was because I did not click on “demonstration” but only “speech”.
It is common sense that since I will be giving a speech at Hong Lim Park on 27 Sep 2014, I should click on “speech”.
Since the website doesn’t allow anyone to click on both “speech” and “demonstration” as testified by Nparks manager Sim Bee Lan, it is unjust to convict me using a flaw on the Nparks website registration system.

As for our public nuisance charge, Hong Lim Park speakers’ corner is the only unrestricted area for us to hold protest in Singapore.
In Singapore’s state court Judge CHAY YUEN FATT grounds of decision, he convicted us, as quoted at point 86
“I would note further that even if Han did have the approval to organize a demonstration at the speakers’ corner, the evidence showed that during the third march, she led the protesters to venture beyond the boundaries of the speakers’ corner into the sheltered area in front of the stage to confront minister of state Teo Ser Luck. In that respect, any approval to hold a demonstration at the speakers’ corner would not have applied to the protest outside the speakers’ corner.”
And “any such approval would not have afforded her a defense to the public nuisance charge in any case”.

Singapore’s state court Judge CHAY YUEN FATT convicted us because we stepped on the concrete, he said I have “venture beyond the boundaries of the speakers’ corner”.
YMCA has applied for the use of speakers’ corner, since the PAP minister and the YMCA personnel have also stepped on the concrete, does it not make sense that they should be charged for venturing beyond the boundaries of speakers’ corner too?
Or do we practice double standard in Singapore?

Given that there were about thousands of people at Hong Lim Park on 27 Sep 2014, how many Singaporeans are aware that if they stepped on the concrete to go to the toilet, they would be guilty of venturing beyond the boundary of speakers’ corner?
Especially those who were carrying flags or placards?
Also, is it logical if Singaporeans were to seek shelter at the only sheltered area at Hong Lim Park during a rain, they are to be charged and convicted for stepping on concrete for they are venturing out of the boundary of speakers’ corner?

To be violated of my rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly for more than 2 years, a total of 27 months is a great insult to democracy.
To be fined $3,100, and be disqualified from standing for parliamentary election, there is simply no justice in Singapore.

The entire appeal hearing lasted two hours and ended at 12pm.
My belongings were taken away from me right on the spot, including my phone.
I was then made to face the wall; a body search was made and I was shackled from the back.



There is a lift inside the high court chamber and the police made me enter the lift.
The entrance to the lift has an interlocking feature and additionally, the interior of the lift was separated into two sections via a sliding sectional door.
I was made to enter the inner-part of the lift where an accompanying police officer locked the sliding door.
Another police officer then entered the lift on the opposite side and all three of us were stuck inside for about 5 minutes.
During which, they called the control room below to get an approval for the lift to go down.
They were then given a passcode to key into the lift to start the descent of the lift.

I was brought to the basement of the high court, there were a lot of prison cells, I was made to walk through a lot of passage ways.
At 12pm, I was the 21st female to be sent in from the high court, which excludes the juvenile court, state court, family court etc.
I was first brought into solitary confinement at the high court; the cell was just 1.5m by 2m.
Inside it includes a 1m by 1m toilet, I was made to sit beside it.

By then, it was already 12:30pm.
I asked if I will be given lunch, the lunch in prison was supposed to be at 11am.
Since I entered at 12pm, all the lunches at high court were already distributed and they started signing documents for me to be transferred to the state court.

The whole process took another half an hour, by the time the documentation was over it was already 1pm.
I was shackled and made to walk through all the passage ways.
Basically, walking in circles, because it’s back to the exact same spot and seeing the exact same police officers.
By the time I went into the prison van, it was 1:30pm.

The prison van is separated into three parts.
The front for the driver and another police, the middle for me alone while the back was for another police officer.
They spun around the basement before exiting from the gate between The Adelphi and the high court.
After exiting, they went past Hong Lim Park and said “because of this park you’re now going to prison, is it worth it?”
Another officer added “because of Singaporeans? Hahaha, you’re now going to prison to see who really run this country.”

After reaching the state court, it was about 2pm.
I was being put together with others who came from the cells at Police Cantonment Complex and juvenile court.
They were teenagers between 14 to 21 years old.
We started talking about how we ended up there.
One 16-year-old girl told me she misses her family because she was made to sleep at Cantonment Complex last night.

She reminded me of my 8-hours at Cantonment Complex back in 2014 and how they wanted to lock me up.
(http://huihui247.blogspot.com/2014/10/8-hours.html)
Her eyes were almost tearing as she shared how her parents were unemployed for more than 5 years.
I asked why don’t she seek help from the government, didn’t they say comcare and GST help the poor?

She said no, they simply rejected their application, saying that her parents chose to be unemployed and thus her family doesn’t require help.
I asked if she was scared, she said no.
She said she has been in there because of drugs and now she’s in there because of shop theft.
Throughout the entire period, we were all being shackled, including the teenage girls.



I was then told that I’m being put in the wrong cell and they’re going to bring me to another cell.
We filled in more documents and they brought me to the adult section.
This time round, the body search is humiliating.
You’re made to take of your clothes, bra etc. were all touched in the name of “checking”.
It was done in front of about ten female officers with male officers passing by at the gate.

Even males get molested in Singapore’s prison.

There was supposed to be screen used but they simply put it there for show rather than really using it.
The air con was at about 18 Degree Celsius, all the police were wearing jackets whereas we were not even given mattress or blanket.
Even socks were taken away from us and we were made to sit on the cold concrete floor.


They said that there’s no tissue in prison but there’ll be soap.
No, there is no soap at all.
No soap, no towel, no mattress, no blanket, just cold concrete floor.
People who came out of prison said there’s nothing, it’s true.


The body search includes hair, nose, ears, eyes, tongues etc.
The police asked if I’ve got drugs hidden in these body parts.
Later on, I went in the cells and the inmates told me how they hid drugs in these areas.
You can sprinkle powdered drugs and pretend it’s dandruff, stuff sticks into the nose, pills into the ears, hide drugs between two layers of contact lenses and put them inside the eyes and hide them in your gums.

During my stay, someone hid drugs up the rectum in a plastic bag.
She passed it out and wanted to consume them.
That was when the officers started wearing mask and went in to seized the drugs.
It was my first time seeing illegal drugs in front of my own eyes.



Anyway, the first cell that I went in at the high court was filled with PMETs who lost their jobs and have resort to shop lifting and drugs.
The police forced us to sit in the mediating position, we were not allowed to stretch ourselves or stand up.
Apparently, the drug industry is thriving like our casinos.
Almost 90% of the people who I’ve met inside, went in or ever went in because of drugs.

The police got angry that I was talking to the inmates, so they took me out again.
Did I forget to mention that at the basement, it’s run by Malaysians?
Yup, Singapore’s prison officers are all Auxiliary Police Officers from AETOS.
Other than the first police officer at the high court who was a Singaporean, the rest were Malaysians.
I was escorted by 10 police officers at the high court basement and an additional 50 police officers at the state court basement.

Now you know why they ask for foreign Auxiliary Police Officers to take over the role of a Singaporean police?
To those who’ve came for our court trial, you know those spiral staircases at the court that we’ve always wondered what’s below it?
And we always asked why are there so many people coming out of there and going in but they refuse to tell us?
Those are the prisons and there are so many levels, it’s like an entire underground fortress.

A while later, I was taken out and put into the second cell.
The second cell was filled with young parents.
They were mothers with kids below 10 years of age.
I went in and we started talking again.

I wasn’t the one who started the conversation.
All I did was go in, and they asked if I’m that Han Hui Hui at Hong Lim Park.
I said yes, and we started talking.
They shared about how they are in there because of shop lifting.

You know those police signboards outside Sheng Siong and NTUC etc?
It’s true, they were all arrested in the morning.
When you’re being caught for shop lifting, they will actually ask if you would like to pay for the goods and you’ll be released.
The police arrest you only if you refuse to pay and insist in taking the goods.
Now you know why crime rate is so low in Singapore?

Thus, I asked what did they steal and why don’t they pay for it?
They shared that they’ve got young children, some of them were only a few months old.
They lost their job because they were pregnant and their family can’t survive with a single income.
These young mothers stole milk powders and begged to hand them to their husbands because they’ve got starving babies at home.
They’ll rather go to jail for free food because their family couldn’t afford the cost of living outside.

The police officer in charge LIM KAH LAN started shouting at me.
She said I’m not supposed to talk, I’m supposed to sit in a mediating position, and I’m not allowed to stretch.
That was when I got taken out of the cell again.
One of the officers suggested another cell that was filled with even older females.
She said no, “we’ve changed many cells, if the juveniles and adults know her, those elderly confirm will know her, plus she come in because of her CPF protest”.

In the end, LIM KAH LAN put me into solitary confinement, guarded by LIM SIEW WERN.
LIM SIEW WERN put me inside and asked “talk so much, thirsty or not?” I said “huh?”
LIM KAH LAN then added “lap up the sky juice” and both Malaysians walked away, laughing loudly saying Singaporeans are dogs.
I was wondering, why “lap up” and what is “sky juice”?


This was when I decided to closely examine at the toilet since I’m alone.
The toilet is the old squatting kind.
At a height about 1.7m, there is a button where once pressed, water will shoot out from a pipe at the same level.
In order to drink the water, you’ve to tilt your head upwards and stick out your tongue.
This is why they say you got to “lap up the sky juice”, is it humane?

At about 2:30pm, my lunch came, finally.
It was a packet of cold food.
50% cauliflower, 40% mushy rice, 5% tofu (1cm by 2cm by 2cm) and 5% hot dog (5cm long).
They poured chili all over it, they didn’t even ask if you’re allergic to it and if you’re able to take spicy food.

All the inmates I met were Singaporeans, probably most foreigners get deported instead?
I was being put at the cell that was the nearest to their office.
From my viewpoint, I could see that they were surfing the web, mostly facebooking while they were working.

Whenever someone pass motion, they started shouting and asked everyone to gather at the CCTV.
The police will then mock how people wash themselves without any tissue and soap.
Since the water only come out when being pressed, they laughed at how the inmates were unable to clean their hands properly.
Such is the level of hygiene in Singapore’s prisons.

After eating for about 10 minutes, they came in and rushed me for not finishing my food.
I asked for the duration they expected me to finish the food in, they said “5 mins”.
To finish it in 5 minutes, and then?
Sit on the cold concrete floor and stare at the walls that are filled with blood?

Yes, the walls are filled with blood.
It appears that people have either fought or tried to self-harm in prison.
There were blood stains all over and the walls were scrubbed.
Some paints were falling off and there were more layers of blood stains when seen closely.

At about 3pm, the police came and told me that I’m to throw away my food.
I was told that dinner will not be served at the state court prison but at Changi prison.
They told me that I’m allowed to make a three-minute phone call to one person.
However, all phone calls are to be made through loud speakers with two officers beside making comments while the call was ongoing.
It felt as though one is being kidnapped, especially when the officers said “ask them to bring the money and we’ll release you”.

I decided to take a rest.
In that 1.5m by 2m cell, the toilet made up 1m by 1m.
The sitting area was 1m by 1m and the remaining 2m by 0.5m was for inmate to lie down and sleep.
But since there’s no mattress and no blanket given, one can only sit up to sleep.
No one lean against wall as it was simply too cold.


At 4pm, I was told that I’ll be sent to Changi prison.
We were given the option to choose either the rooms without air con or the rooms with air con.
Without air con, it’s cold at night.
With air con, it’s 18 Degree Celsius because it’s centralized.

At about 4:30pm, luggage was dragged across the corridor.
The officers started shouting, asking if anyone wants to call their family members before leaving for Changi prison.
When the luggage was opened, they were filled with shackles inside.
To shackle us as we walk out of the cell to be brought elsewhere.

That’s when cries can be heard.
People were sobbing because the next time they can see their loved ones will be about two weeks later.
In Singapore, it takes about a week for the prison to inform the family members where they are being sent.
It then takes another week for the family members to apply to visit the inmate.


More than 4000 inmates are processed through Cluster B Registry each month.
That’s more than 200 inmates every single day at Cluster B Registry alone.
(4000 divided by 4 weeks, divided by 5 days)

Statistically, for the past two years in 2015 and 2016, there are about 45 theft related cases in Singapore every single day.
There is also rise in the number of new drug abusers, close to two-thirds of all new abusers were aged below 30.
Is this the Singapore that you’re proud of?

Nonetheless, I’m grateful for Singaporeans who are still standing by my side and believe in me.
I’m thankful for Singaporeans who have made fund contributions to POSB savings 279-12328-0 because of the judgement made by state court judge Chay Yuen Fatt and high court judge See Kee Oon.
I faced a total fine of SGD$3,100.
Two elderly Singaporeans, Janet Low (age 57) and Ivan Koh (age 62) faced a fine of $450 each.

The total amount is $4,000.
To the minister who's paid $2.2million, he has to work for half a day.
To the average Singaporean - the sum is more than the median monthly take home pay of Singaporeans.
An amount that more than half of us have to work for more than a month to have.

You can help by making a $1 fund contribution POSB savings 279-12328-0 or simply sharing this message with your family and friends.
Thank you very much!

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