A motorcyclist in Singapore has found himself in hot water after allegedly impersonating a military policeman during an argument with a driver. The incident occurred along the Pan Island Expressway when the motorcyclist was lane-splitting and became upset when a car switched lanes in front of him.
The motorcyclist then stopped his bike, approached the car, and began arguing with the driver. During the argument, the motorcyclist claimed to be a military policeman and threatened to impound the car. The entire exchange was recorded on the car’s dashboard camera and later uploaded online.
The Singapore Army, which is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), took the matter very seriously and made a police report against the motorcyclist. The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has also issued a statement, saying that the man is an Operationally-Ready National Serviceman who is not with the SAF MP Command and was not serving his In-Camp Training at the time of the incident.
MINDEF has emphasized that the SAF holds its servicepersons to high standards of conduct and discipline and does not condone such unruly behavior. Impersonation of SAF personnel is a serious offense, and offenders will be liable for prosecution.
What happened?
The minute-long video showed the driver in the car switching to the right-most lane in front of the motorcyclist who was straddling between two lanes.
Continuous honking could be heard.
The motorcyclist, who appeared upset and was wearing an attire that looked like the SAF uniform, pulled up in front of the car.
He was seen flipping the driver off before getting off his bike.
The driver could be heard asking the motorcyclist why he showed the rude gesture.
The motorcyclist accused the driver of “wanting to cause an accident” and then shouted, “Do you know who I am?”
He claimed to be a military policeman who could “cheong gong” the driver’s car.
“Cheong gong” is Hokkien for “impound” or “confiscate”.
The driver responded by saying that he had signalled before changing lanes and he was not scared.
He also told the motorcyclist to call the police if he had an issue.
The motorcyclist yelled in response, “You go and call”.
He rode off after that.
Here is what SCDF said:
“Our Singapore Army is aware of an incident involving an alleged SAF Military Police (MP) Command serviceman and a member of public, along the Pan Island Expressway (PIE).
Preliminary investigation has found that the serviceman is an Operationally-Ready National Serviceman who is not with the SAF MP Command. At the time of incident, he was also not serving his In-Camp-Training (ICT).
The SAF holds our servicepersons to high standard of conduct and discipline. We do not condone such unruly behaviour.
Impersonation of SAF personnel is a serious offence, and offenders will be liable for prosecution.
P.S. The weather is hot these days, please stay cool and drive/ride safely!
*Photo is a screenshot from SG Road Vigilante’s Facebook page.”
