Amos Yee likely to spend weekend in remand after no one bails him out

SINGAPORE - Amos Yee, whose online rants against Christianity have landed him in trouble with the law, will spend the entire weekend in remand after no one turned up to bail out the 16-year-old on Saturday.

A spokesman for the Attorney General's Chambers also made it clear on Saturday after queries by The Straits Times that the only reason the teenager remains in remand is because no one has come forward to provide the bail.

During a pre-trial conference (PTC) on Friday, District Judge Kessler Soh converted the $20,000 police bail Amos had been on to court bail, requiring bail to be reposted. But his parents decided against posting bail, which meant that the teenager was led away in handcuffs to be put in remand.

He was charged on March 31 with attacking Christianity, transmitting an obscene image and posting an online video that insulted founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. He agreed as condition of his bail not to post anything online until his case is decided.

But on Tuesday, he asked for donations to fund legal fees on his blog and Facebook page. The blog post included links to the offensive videos and posts that led to him being charged in the first place.

Blogger Roy Ngerng, who was found to have defamed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a May 15 blog post last year, on Saturday claimed that he was trying to bail out Amos but failed to do so as he had to go to Malaysia.

Mr Ngerng also suggested that Amos was remanded because he violated his original bail condition to not post anything online.

But an AGC spokesman told The Straits Times: "Amos is remanded not because of breach of bail conditions but because there is no bailor." It was added that potential bailors did not have to deposit the $20,000 with the court, but simply pledge that they are good for the money. They also need to show that they can ensure Amos sticks to the bail conditions and shows up in court when required.

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