On 05/11/2018 at about 2.30pm I left my hdb block and walked to the bus stop for my lunch appointment. Usually it takes me about 7 mins to walk from my house to the bus stop.
I smoked while walking to the bus stop via the open space car park and apparently I was being followed by 4 NEA enforcement officers. I was already done with my cigarette before I reached the bus stop and intended to throw the stub in the bin at the bus stop. I did not stub it out per se, but my cigarette had already stopped burning.
Unfortunately for me, the only way to reach the bus stop was via a covered walkway. The moment I set foot in the covered walkway, a man stopped me from behind and said that they are from NEA and I was caught on camera and asked me for my IC. A female officer joined him a few seconds later and I saw her holding a camera. Then another 2 more officers joined them, another male and female. They were all in plain clothes and subsequently took out their ID tag.
I explained myself to them and they said they saw me from awhile ago and followed me all the way. So I asked them if they saw that I was walking under the blazing sun. They said yes they saw me walk via the car park and they understand that I have no intention of committing the offense but they have “no choice but to enforce the law on me”. I tried to show them my cigarette stub as it was not burning but they did not bother to even look at it. They said that no matter what, it is a lit cigarette and I should stub it out and throw it in the bin. FYI, all the bins in the area were all under shelter.
I requested to check the camera for the video evidence they claimed they had but they said that they couldn’t show me. All they said is I could write in to appeal my case. I wanted to take photo of their ID but they didn’t let me do so. When I wanted to take down their names to appeal they refused to let me do so as well. At the end I only managed to take down 2 names ie. Anbarasan A/I Paramesevan & Vellan A/L Nagaraju. The 2 female officers refused to let me take their names at all. Especially the lady with the camera.
No mercy was given and I was slapped with a $200 fine for a first time offense.
National Environment Agency (NEA) I understand that your officers were in their words “just trying to do their job” and I would gladly pay up if I did smoke under the shelter. But I would like to highlight the fact that I DID NOT smoke under shelter and was actually trying to get to the bin at the bus stop to throw my cigarette stub away.
If I did commit the offense, I would gladly pay up. No second words. But in this case, I feel extremely unfair that such an injustice is being done to me. I don’t think I should be penalized for trying to do the right thing which is to throw my litter into where it belongs – the rubbish bin.
National Environment Agency (NEA)
To the members of public, my case should serve as a warning to all the smokers out there. Be very careful about where you smoke or even where you hold your cigarette. I hope that no one else would have to go through this again.
Please share this post and warn your friends about this. Thank you.
https://www.facebook.com/jaelyn.goh/posts/10156198342814541