Read this story from ChannelNewsAsia.
Why is an angmor given such a light sentence? This is definitely not a deterrent sentence. And the judge is WRONG to say that in future there may be jail term because this case can be used as a reference. What makes this man different from others who may be doing the same stunt? Does the judge has any idea how much man hour resources, how much money is wasted and how much down time the man has created?
$5,000 seems like a cheap thrill Daytona run. $5,000 is nothing for someone who can charter a Cessna (or did he own that plane?) into Singapore. I cannot remember exactly which country, but there is one country in the Scandinavia that imposes fines depending on a person’s income. So that the fine is a deterrent.
What message is Singapore sending to the rest of the world that after the escape of Mas Selamat, it is giving only lip service to security threats? I thought it would be of an utmost importance that all security matters be prioritised and deterred. I can tell you surely that such a sentence would not provide even a single deterrent for the man to even do it again.
It seems that the man made a mistake - he had no intention to cause trouble and intent has to play some role in the law. Anyway, what does his race have to do with it? I disagree about the need for a “deterrent” sentence as this type of event rarely occurs. If we start having trouble with rich Caucasians flying their planes into our airspace then we can consider it. But to suggest that just because someone is white and rich they deserve to pay a big fine is going a bit far don’t you think? If we impose a “deterrent” sentence as you suggest, it would merely make us look like either racists or draconian. We already have an international reputation for being draconian via our mandatory hangings. I think it’s better to impose a reasonable fine. I think the sentence seems sensible.
You know why it takes so long to clear this case? They were finding the best excuses to let off this “ang mo” but at the same time looked very serious at this “crime”.
Who are going to pay for the activation of the fighter jets to escort the small plane to land in Changi Airport?
Who is going to compensate the passengers of the other airplanes circling in the air while they escorted this small plane down? You are right, the time lost is big money here.
As they say, easy come (Cessna), easy go (MSK).