SINGAPORE: Two people were charged on Tuesday (May 27) in relation to illegal public assemblies involving foreign workers in October last year.
Rebecca Rubini Ravinthiran, 33, and Vee Derrick Mahendran, 36, both Singaporeans, were also charged for abetting foreign workers to commit offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA).
In an earlier joint press release, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the police said that Ravinthiran is accused of directing 15 foreign workers under her employment to gather outside two construction sites on Oct 24.
She also instructed the workers to hold placards to demand payments owed to her company.
Mahendran allegedly aided the offence by going to a construction site to “ensure that the foreign workers complied with the woman’s instructions”.
Ravinthiran faces 17 charges in total while Mahendran has 11.
RAVINTHIRAN’S CHARGES
Two of Ravinthiran’s charges are under the Public Order Act, while 15 are under the EFMA.
She is accused of organising a public assembly to demand that Apex Engineering be paid the outstanding payment owed to it by instructing no fewer than nine workers from Apex to gather at a construction site at Block 324A Tengah Garden Walk – Parc Flora @ Tengah – and hold placards. No permit had been granted for the event on Oct 24, 2024, stated the charge sheet.
Separately, at about 11am the same day, Ravinthiran is said to have organised a public assembly to publicise the same cause at a construction site at 91A Jalan Satu – Dakota Breeze.
She allegedly instructed no fewer than six workers from Apex to gather at the site and hold placards. This event similarly had no permit.
Each of Ravinthiran’s charges under the EFMA states that she instigated a foreign worker to breach the condition of their work permit, with a total of 15 workers involved.
She is said to have facilitated each worker’s contravention by instructing each to be involved in the illegal activity of participating in a public assembly at either work site.
For two of these workers, Ravinthiran allegedly instructed them to prepare and distribute placards and coordinate with other workers to be involved in the public assembly.
MAHENDRAN’S CHARGES
Mahendran’s charges comprise two under the Public Order Act and nine under the EFMA.
Mahendran is said to have abetted Ravinthiran by helping organise two public assemblies at the two construction sites to publicise the same cause.
He allegedly helped in the preparation of the placards the day before, and coordinated with Ravinthiran on the gathering of the workers to hold the placards.
He is said to have ensured that no fewer than nine workers from Apex gathered at the Tengah construction site.
As for the charges under the EFMA, Mahendran is said to have helped nine foreign workers contravene the conditions of their work passes by supervising them while they were involved in the illegal public assemblies.
He then allegedly updated Ravinthiran on his observations and conveyed her instructions to the group of workers.
Both cases will return to court on Jun 24.
Last October, MOM said on Facebook that it was aware of a social media post regarding several migrant workers holding placards at a worksite.
MOM said it engaged the workers involved and found that they were not owed salary payments, and did not have any concerns about their well-being.
Then-Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam has also said that MOM was investigating the employer for illegally deploying the workers and abetting the workers to perform illegal acts under the EFMA.
A person convicted of organising a public assembly without a permit can be fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,890).
Under the EFMA, a person convicted of abetting a foreign employee to break the terms of his work pass can face up to 12 months’ jail, be fined up to S$10,000, or both.
