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Amos Yee
余澎杉
Born (1998-10-31) October 31, 1998 (age 26)
WebsiteYouTube
WordPress

Amos Yee (Chinese: 余澎杉; pinyin: Yú Péng Shān; Wade–Giles: Yü P'eng Shan, born October 31, 1998) is a Singaporean YouTube personality and former child actor.

In late March 2015, shortly after the death of Lee Kuan Yew, Yee uploaded a video to YouTube, which was critical of Lee and of Christianity. As a result, Yee was arrested and charged with violating the Penal Code and the Protection from Harassment Act 2014 due to the "intention of wounding the religious feelings of Christians" and causing distress.

Background

Amos Yee Pang Sang (余澎杉) was born on October 31, 1998. Despite his American accent and wearing of glasses in his videos, Yee hails from a traditional Chinese family, grew up in Singapore and has perfect eyesight. He first graduated from Pei Chun Public School with a Primary School Leaving Examination score of 244, with A* for maths and science, and A for Chinese and English then studied at Zhonghua Secondary School. He is an atheist.

2011–2015: Child acting and prior videos

In 2011, Yee won awards for Best Short Film and Best Actor at The New Paper's First Film Fest for his film Jan, which depicts a boy trying to persuade his three friends to help a cancer-stricken girl. Yee, thirteen at the time, was described to have made the film "in his bedroom". Jan reportedly led to Jack Neo, the chief judge of the event, casting Yee in a minor acting role in Neo's film, We Not Naughty. Regarding Yee's role, Neo said he "only has three scenes" in the movie.

"He has been making videos for a long time and I have already had a few talks with him because he's very open with his views. But sometimes they do unwittingly get him into trouble. Actually, Amos has mellowed, but I do think that there is still room for improvement."

Yee's mother in 2012

In January 2012, Yee was widely criticized by netizens for uploading a video to YouTube which – according to My Paper – "called the Chinese New Year a rip-off of the Western New Year's Day". Garnering over 150,000 views, Yee later clarified that the video was satirical in nature. Within the video, Yee had also said that it was his "fake representation" of Chinese New Year. Around 2013 or 2014, Yee answered a question on Ask.fm asking if he thought he was arrogant, stating that "I'm really shocked how much I improved these past few years, but I still have some elements of an arrogant person, that I look down on myself for. But overall I think I'm one of those spoilt brats that turned out pretty well".

The New York Times depicted Yee as having uploaded (in the months leading up to the 2015 Lee Kuan Yew video) "more than a dozen comedic riffs ... on subjects including Singapore’s legal ban on homosexuality, The Hunger Games, Valentine's Day, Boyhood and the decision to drop out of school 'to pursue my "career" as a 17-year-old boy ranting in front of a video camera'." Nathan Heller of The New Yorker also noted in 2015 that Yee had been publishing homemade "smart-alecky" videos since "a couple of years ago" which were "directed equally toward the Singaporean youth and a more international, American-style audience".

2015 controversy

Video

On 23 March 2015, Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore, died of severe pneumonia in hospital.

On 27 March 2015, Yee uploaded an 8-minute-and-thirty-nine-second long video to YouTube titled Lee Kuan Yew is Finally Dead! In the expletive-laden video, Yee likened Lee to Jesus, saying that both were "power-hungry and malicious but deceive others into thinking they are both compassionate and kind. Their impact and legacy will ultimately not last as more and more people find out that they are full of bull". Yee went on to compare Lee's "completely delusional and ignorant" followers with "absolutely no sound logic or knowledge about him that is grounded in reality" to the Christians' knowledge of the Bible and the religion's priests.

Apart from conveying his hope that the late Lee would not rest in peace, Yee also said that Lee was a "horrible person", an "awful leader" and "a dictator but managed to fool most of the world to think he was democratic". Lastly, Yee issued a challenge to Lee's son, Lee Hsien Loong, stating that if the younger Lee, the Prime Minister at the time, wished to sue him, Yee would "oblige to dance with him". The 2015 video was viewed over 880,000 times.

The Straits Times reported that Yee "was largely slammed by netizens over the video, although some defended his right to his opinion", while BBC News reported that the video drew a "visceral response from Singaporeans". The 2015 video resulted in several violent and threatening remarks being made against Yee online, which led to calls by the Media Literacy Council and the Singapore Kindness Movement urging netizens to act responsibly and civilly, even when facing views they find offensive.

Singaporean actors Gurmit Singh and Quan Yi Fong, who both have teenage children, weighed in on the issue. Singh placed the blame on Yee's parents, saying that "parents are supposed to be there to guide the child", while Quan said that in this case, Yee's "parents should have brought him to see a doctor". Today published an piece by Edwin Teong, who felt that Yee's video was one of several "recent cases" involving Singaporean youth which "reflect the recklessness and the lack of self-awareness that can lead to youths making mistakes, which burden not only themselves but also their families". Mikha Chan of Free Malaysia Today characterized Yee as a "wannabe intellectual" and "an opinionated person who talks loud and way too long on the same subject, often sensationalising the subject matter" regarding his video.

Arrest

At least twenty police reports were made against Yee's uploading of the 2015 video, while another police report was made against alleged obscene material on Yee's blog, where Yee had displayed and claimed credit for making "a picture of Lee Kuan Yew buttfucking Margaret Thatcher". The Straits Times reported that Yee's mother had filed a police report against her son because she was unable to control his behaviour. Yee's mother, Mrs Mary, later told The Online Citizen that she had filed a police report on 29 March, "not ... to have my son arrested", but in response to Yee publishing a vulgar image online despite her objections, leading her to fear for his safety. As she assumed that police action would soon be taken against her son, she filed a report in which she apologized to the nation for her son's actions and requested counselling for Yee.

On 29 March 2015, Yee was arrested. Police stated that the arrest was on the grounds of "deliberate intention of wounding the religious or racial feelings", "threatening, abusive or insulting communication" and obscenity.

Yee's arrest drew international media attention. BBC News reported that "Yee was one of several people who went online to publicly criticise Mr Lee's legacy – others include human rights activists and a prominent poet – but he is the only one to have been arrested". The Guardian wrote that "For some, the lodging of police reports and subsequent arrest of Yee is a sign that the suppression of free speech during Lee’s time in power has continued as a part of governance in Singapore." Nathan Heller of The New Yorker wrote that "Yee’s arrest doesn’t just underscore his complaints about Singapore’s backwardness on rights and freedom. It shows the country’s dire need for cultural education through intelligent dissent."

The Committee to Protect Journalists organization, and a petition started by a Christian Singaporean, both called for Yee's release. Abdul Rani Kulup Abdullah, chief of the Martabat Jalinan Muhibbah Malaysia organization, praised the arrest of Yee, and encouraged Malaysia to follow Singapore's example of implementing strict laws on free speech to prevent "irresponsible statements" or "criticism may not be true but people can get influenced" leading to "anarchy".

Charging and remand

On 31 March 2015, three charges were read out to Yee in the State Courts of Singapore, two of which were related to the 2015 video. The first charge was that Yee's 2015 video violated the Penal Code as it "contained remarks against Christianity, with the deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of Christians in general". The second charge was that Yee's 2015 video violated the Protection from Harassment Act 2014 as it "contained remarks about Mr Lee Kuan Yew which was intended to be heard and seen by persons likely to be distressed". The third charge was that Yee had violated the Penal Code by uploading an obscene image of Lee and Thatcher on 28 March 2015. He will be tried as an adult, and faces a fine and up to three years in jail if convicted. BBC News reported that "Singapore's hate speech laws are intended to ensure harmony between its multi-ethnic population and prevent a recurrence of the racial violence of its early years."

Yee was initially released on bail set at 20,000 Singapore dollars on 31 March on the condition that he not comment or distribute any content online while the case was still ongoing. Meanwhile, Yee's father addressed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, saying that he was "very sorry". On 14 April, Yee flouted his initial bail conditions by asking for public donations to fund his legal fees on both on his blog and Facebook page; the blog post also linked to his controversial 2015 video and image. At the 17 April pre-trial conference, Yee's police bail was converted to court bail of the same amount. Yee was also taken into remand in Changi Prison for the duration of 17 to 21 April because no one in that time period (including his parents) posted bail for him, despite the bail amount only needing to be pledged instead of being physically deposited. On 21 April, Yee was bailed out by a non-relative, Vincent Law, who is a family and youth counsellor and a Christian parent. Three lawyers also volunteered to represent him pro bono.

On 29 April, Yee breached his bail conditions on not uploading content online again by making two blog posts. In The Ridiculous Terms of My Bail, he questioned his "uncanny" bail conditions, which Yee said "has absolutely nothing to do with my presence in court". In My Abusive Father, Yee described his father of being abusive and violent. On 30 April, Yee's bailor (Law) applied to discharge himself due to the breach, while the bail amount was raised to $30,000. It remains to be decided whether Law will have to forfeit the previous $20,000 posted. Yee was again taken into remand due to nobody posting bail. En route to the court on that day, Yee was slapped in the face by a man who approached him, who challenged Yee to sue him. The assailant then took off, without anyone giving chase. The assault left Yee with a bruise on his left eye. The attack on Yee was condemned by Minister for Law K. Shanmugam and human rights non-governmental organisation Maruah.

References

  1. ^ 胡汉强 (31 March 2015). "儿子上载影片惹祸老子道歉 16岁余澎杉面临三年黑牢" (in Chinese). Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Mother of Amos Yee, teen arrested for insensitive remarks on Christianity in video, says son is beyond control". The Straits Times. Singapore. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  3. ^ Yee, Amos. "About Amos Yee". Facebook. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  4. ^ Loke Kok Fai (31 March 2015). "YouTuber Amos Yee charged, bail set at S$20,000". Channel NewsAsia. Singapore. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  5. Yee, Amos. "Q: What year are you born in? --- A: 1998. I'm 15 :)". ask.fm. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  6. ^ Chua, Charlene (22 January 2012). "Teen actor flamed for video dissing CNY (page 1)". The New Paper. Singapore. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  7. ^ Heller, Nathan (10 April 2015). "Amos Yee: YouTube star, teen-ager, dissident". The New Yorker. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  8. Yee, Amos. "Q: What's your primary school – A: Pei Chun Public School. The one in Toa Payoh :)". ask.fm. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  9. Yee, Amos. "Q: What's your PSLE score – A: 244. A* for Maths and science. A for Chinese and English :D". ask.fm. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  10. ^ Hong, Sophie (20 January 2012). "'Smart joke' vid backfires on teen". My Paper. Singapore. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  11. "Youths gone mild" (PDF). The New Paper. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  12. ^ Chua, Charlene (22 January 2012). "Teen actor flamed for video dissing CNY (page 2)". The New Paper. Singapore. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  13. Fong, Kai (20 January 2012). "S'pore child actor draws flak for CNY video". Singapore Showbiz. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  14. Yee, Amos. "Q: do you think you're arrogant?". ask.fm. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  15. Mackey, Robert (30 March 2015). "Teenager Faces Charges After Mocking Singapore's Founding Father on YouTube". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  16. ^ Han, Kirsten (30 March 2015). "Singapore police arrest 17-year-old over critical Lee Kuan Yew video". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  17. ^ "Singaporean teenager Amos Yee faces court, charged over anti-Lee Kuan Yew YouTube video". ABC News. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  18. ^ Groll, Elias (30 March 2015). "The Lewd Anti-Lee Kuan Yew Video That Got a Singaporean Teenage Blogger Jailed". Foreign Policy. Washington DC. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  19. Salimat, Shah (30 March 2015). "Police arrest Amos Yee over anti-Lee Kuan Yew video". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  20. Chong, Elena (31 March 2015). "Amos Yee charged over remarks against Christianity and offending viewers of his video on Lee Kuan Yew". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  21. ^ Luo, Chris (30 March 2015). "Singapore police arrest teenage activist behind anti-Lee Kuan Yew video". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  22. ^ Au-Yong, Rachel (17 April 2015). "Fresh police report lodged against Amos Yee". Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  23. ^ "Amos Yee: Singapore charges teen over anti-Lee Kuan Yew rant". BBC News. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  24. Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh (24 April 2015). "Singapore Kindness Movement urges people to be civil when disagreeing with views online". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  25. "Amos Yee: Local celebs say parents are to blame". AsiaOne. 3 April 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  26. Teong Ying Keat, Edwin (24 April 2015). "Important to teach self-control, awareness of actions to youth". Today (Singapore newspaper). Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  27. Chan, Mikha (17 April 2015). "The wannabe intellectual that is Amos Yee". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  28. Lim, Joyce (30 March 2015). "Amos Yee, who made insensitive remarks on Christianity in video, arrested". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  29. "星洲少年批李光耀被捕 政治漫畫亦被舉報" (in Chinese). Hong Kong: 本土新聞 / Local Press. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  30. Xu, Terry (14 April 2015). "Mother of Amos Yee: "I did not file a police report to have my son arrested"". The Online Citizen. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  31. ^ Ramzy, Austin (30 March 2015). "Singapore Arrests Teenager Over Video Critical of Lee Kuan Yew". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  32. Zahiid, Syed Jaymal (9 April 2015). "Follow Singapore in controlling dissent, Malay group says amid Sedition Act changes". The Malay Mail. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  33. Ng, Kelly (1 April 2015). "Teen behind video insulting Christians charged". Today. Singapore. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  34. ^ Spykerman, Kimberly (18 April 2015). "Amos Yee to spend at least one night in remand after parents refuse to post bail". Today. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  35. Ng, Scott (15 April 2015). "Amos Yee reaches out for help". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  36. ^ Spykerman, Kimberly (21 April 2015). "Youth counsellor bails out Amos Yee". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  37. Spykerman, Kimberly (20 April 2015). "Amos Yee remanded as there is no bailor: AGC". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  38. ^ "Amos Yee posts on blog, breaches bail terms". Today. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  39. "Amos Yee back in jail after no one posts bail for him". Today. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  40. "Assault on Amos Yee is 'unacceptable': K Shanmugam". Today. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  41. "NGO MARUAH 'strongly condemns' attack on Amos Yee". Channel News Asia. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.

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