isnt he not supposed to do this lol
poor mama's 10k bail
LMFAO what a waste of 10k, that retard just shitted on the ruling party
lol just saw this too
During a
podcast with local comedian Rishi Budhrani, K. Shanmugam, the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, remarked that he wished the Americans had "kept" Amos Yee.
During discussions on hate speech laws and youth radicalisation, among others, Budhrani asked if Yee’s case fell under the category of "radicalisation"
Shanmugam disagreed, stating it was a matter "within the framework of [Singapore's] laws."
He characterised it as a case where "a tremendous hypocrisy was shown by some media in the West" and "some of our own people who like to think of themselves as intellectuals."
Yee first gained notoriety in 2015 for publishing videos and posts that led to a jail term for deliberately wounding religious feelings.
In 2018, U.S. authorities granted him asylum despite objections raised during the proceedings.
However, Yee later faced legal trouble in the U.S. for the solicitation and possession of child pornography.
He was eventually deported back to Singapore in 2026.
Reflexive support
Shanmugam addressed the specific charges Yee faced in Singapore, ranging from disparaging Christians and Muslims to posting a "crude, sexualised image" of Lee Kuan Yew.
The minister emphasised that these actions had "nothing to do with being pro or anti-government," noting that Yee was charged under the same laws applied to any other individual.
Despite this, Shanmugam noted that some offered Yee reflexive support.
For instance,
The New Yorker published a 2015 piece claiming Yee "is exactly the kind of person you would one day want maybe even running your country, Singapore."
"I would like to know what
The New Yorker now wants to say, and if they have any sense of decency to come back and say they’ve got it wrong," Shanmugam said.
Locally, the minister pointed to a Singaporean who "considers himself an intellectual" and had claimed that Yee "exemplifies all the qualities we want to teach our children, and that he has all the traits we want in our youth."
Shanmugam also highlighted how organisations like Human Rights Watch accused Singapore of violating Yee's right to free speech.
"Now, a few years later, they are sending him back from the U.S.," Shanmugam observed.
Sent him back
"Hypocrisy has many shades," the minister added.
He recounted Yee’s U.S. arrest for grooming a 14-year-old girl and distributing her photographs online, which resulted in a six-year sentence and a subsequent parole breach.
"I just wish they had just continued to keep him in the U.S. But, you know, they've decided now, they've changed their mind, and they're sending him back," he said.
He clarified that Singapore will "have to deal with him according to our laws," adding that the case demonstrates how Singapore applies its laws "fairly, evenly."
He argued that it is critics who use "subjective descriptors" to paint the government's actions as "repressive" or an infringement on free speech.
A boy with bad behaviour
When asked if Yee was ever considered a threat to national security, Shanmugam replied that Yee was "just a boy with very bad behaviour."
While the government intervenes in youth cases that fall under the Internal Security Act, Shanmugam explained they cannot intervene in the case of "every badly behaved boy."
He stressed that this remains the responsibility of the family and the community.
"People have to bring their own children up properly so that they don't cross the criminal lines," he said.
He concluded by noting that while the government can "set a framework of values through the education system," cases like Yee’s remain "very, very rare" in Singapore compared to other nations.
Facing charges back in Singapore
Upon his arrival at Changi Airport on the morning of Mar. 20, Yee was arrested.
He was charged in court for offences under the Enlistment Act, said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
He was handed three charges, including for failing to report for medical screening under the Enlistment Act from Apr. 26, 2016, to Mar. 19, 2026, a period of nine years.
He is also accused of leaving Singapore without a valid exit permit.
This occurred over two periods from Dec. 13, 2015, to Apr. 19, 2016, and from Dec. 15, 2016, to Mar. 19, 2026.
He was later released from Changi Prison on bail after his mother posted the S$10,000 bail on Mar. 26.
Here's a
transcript of the interview.
https://mothership.sg/2026/04/shanmugam-americans-kept-amos-yee/ (
Archive)