Police arrest suspect over attack on MP
By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 11 January 2009 2103 hrs
SINGAPORE : The suspect who poured flammable liquid on Member of Parliament (MP) Seng Han Thong and set him on fire, has been arrested by police.
The man, a resident in Mr Seng's ward and whom the MP has been trying to help, has been in and out of the Institute of Mental Health.
The suspect will be charged in court on Monday for voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means in connection with the case.
Under the Penal Code, the offence of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means carries a penalty of either imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 15 years, and the offender shall also be liable to a fine or caning.
Meanwhile, a steady stream of high-level visitors, including Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, visited the Burns Unit in Singapore General Hospital where Mr Seng has been warded.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who visited Mr Seng at the hospital, said MPs have to be accessible as they have to meet residents.
Mr Lee said the MPs can take precautions, like in the case of Mr Seng, who - following a previous attack - had grassroots leaders to watch out for him.
But this time, despite all the precautions, the man slipped through.
Mr Lee added that MPs will be on their guard but they will be continuing with their grassroots activities.
Giving an update on Mr Seng's condition, Mr Lee said fortunately his eyes are okay - although he has burns on his face, arms and chest.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng, who called it a violent act, said police are investigating, and that the person who committed the crime will be dealt with, according to the law.
Mr Wong said: "The matter of what the reason is and whatever condition the person is in - that is no reason to commit such a crime against anyone, not just an MP.
"This is a very serious offence, when a person prepares and brings flammable material and goes and burns another person, regardless of whether the victim is an MP or not."
However, Mr Wong added that it was difficult to avoid such an attack.
He said: "You do not expect someone to throw something at you from the back and burn you, so even if you have taken precautions, it will be difficult to avoid such a matter.
"MPs are public figures, they are elected by the people, they have a service to perform and therefore they must be accessible and approachable. Therefore we do not want to set up a major security operation every time an MP is out doing his work."
A hospital spokesperson said Mr Seng was stable and sedated and resting in the Intensive Care Unit, and will probably undergo skin graft surgery on Monday.
ah thong seemed to be the one cursed with the face that motivated peasants to bash it. now they had upgraded from bashing to throwing ammunition at him.
georgie got shoes. ah bian got rotten eggs, veggies, tomatoes and other groceries. no one could beat ah thong who got kerosens baptism with fire!
you see....peesailand was now overcast with gloom and maybe doom. yet the minitoots from the LEEgime were still bragging how lucky peasants were if it hadn't been for their LEEgime's rule. the difference was our minitoots were all highly skilled in $MONEY absorption power.....many peasants were now out of work. some were so desperately out of hope, they ended it in big ways like bungee jumping off highrise pigeonholes or trying to stop oncoming mrt trains or holding their breathe underwater in rivers.
sadly, suicides were getting more bizzare and darkly creative. depression, desperation and insanity were now brewing increasingly over peesailand. all the while, the paps just continued to talk cocks, sing songs and happily counting their millions montlhly in their banks. they were just as clueless like those lower paid minitoots of foreign lands.
ah thong was one of the best ball carriers who provided orgasmic massage to pinky and old man, ultimate rulers of peesailand. what good he ever done was anyone's guesses.
the distribution of ang pows were just a wayang show to appease whinning peasants. things were really bad now....but the taxes still remained. their promise about using taxes to help the poor and needies obviously wasn't really that effective.
would there be more dramatic incidences to make a point clearer to the LEEgime that they weren't doing enough for peasants? would the anger brew bigger in peesailand? would master chee be activating his sdppies nad beloved disciples to exploit and aggravate the unhappiness?
a brooding apprehension and anxiety are overcrowding above peesailand now looms as the chinese new year draws closer.
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