Mr Wu Qing Shun, a photographer with the Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao, was handcuffed by the police for taking flood pictures at Upper Bukit Timah road yesterday, 17 July. (See Omy’s report here.) The daily reported that during the downpour yesterday, Mr Wu had “ rushed to the scene at about 7am in the morning to get a photo.”
The police stopped him when Mr Wu went up close to take better pictures of cars which were affected by the flood. Mr Wu asked if he “could take another photo politely, but the policeman simply took out his handcuffs and cuffed Mr Wu without another word.”
When Mr Wu tried to take a picture of the handcuffs on him, the police removed the cuffs at this point.
According to Asia One:
In response to this incident, police say that they were in the midst of clearing the road to restore accessibility and Mr Wu was obstructing their work.
According to the police statement, Mr Wu was trying to take photos in the middle of the road, which was dangerous, and he continued to take photos even after repeated warnings.
For the safety of Mr Wu and others, they had to handcuff him and move him to a safe area.
In your view, was this an abuse of authority by the police or were the police right in doing what they did with Mr Wu?
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This is the translated report by Omy. [TOC thanks Mr Goh Meng Seng for helping us translate it.]
Senior head of photography of Lian He Wan Bao was handcuffed like a prisoner just for taking a photo!
The island wide early morning heavy downpour has caused several places to flood. Goh Keng Soon, the senior photographer of Lian He Wan Bao complained that he was handcuffed by the police when he was trying to take photographs of affected areas at Upper Bukit Timah Road. He was also restrained and not allowed to leave for 1 hour.
At 7am in the morning, Goh Keng Soon was trying to photograph the cars that were being washed up the road curb along the flooded Upper Bukit Timah Road. When he moved closer to take a better shot of one of the car which was trapped in the water, a police officer stopped him.
According to Goh Keng Soon, the police officer ask him to go away but he requested politely to take picture (of that car).
Unexpectedly, right after he finished, the police officer took out his handcuff and cuffed it on his right hand and told him that he will take him to the police station.
“I am not a criminal, why are you handcuffing me?” retorts Goh Keng Soon.
He said that when he tried to take out his handphone to record this moment, the police released him immediately but brought him to the road side in front of an apartment and told him not to leave.
“The police officer told me to wait for the Investigating Officer. In the end, I have to wait for 1 hour before I was allowed to leave,” said Goh Keng Soon.
Mark of handcuff remains after 5 hour. Head of photography feels humiliated.
Head of photography of Lian He Wan Bao feels humiliated while the mark of the handcuff on his right hand still remains after 5 hours.
Goh Keng Soon (57 years old) who have 30 years experience in the press expresses anger at the treatment he received this morning. He said he was surprised, angry as well as felt insulted when he was being handcuffed.
“I did not kill anyone neither did I break any law, why handcuff me?” he asked.
He explained that the police officer pulled the handcuff on his right hand to bring him to the road side and a deep red mark was left on his wrist even after the handcuff was released. “I feel like I am a criminal!”
I did not block the traffic nor preventing the police from carrying out their work.
Lian He Wan Bao photographic journalist did not block any traffic but he was handcuffed for trying to do his best in taking good photos.
According to Lian He Wan Bao head of photography Goh Keng Soon, he was taking photos on the road but he has ensured his own safety and did not block any road traffic before he moved forward to take the shots.
He said that the police officer who handcuffed him was sitting in the police car. It was only after the police officer saw him taking photos then he put on his rain coat and alight from the police car.
He reiterates that he was just trying his best to do his job. He felt the angle from the overhead bridge wasn’t good enough. That was why he moved forward to take a better shot from a better angle.
“I did not block any road traffic. The police officer walked up to me and I did not say anything more than two sentences but was handcuffed.”
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True, we do not know all the facts of the case. BUT…
Even if the police is right – ie that the photographer was told to move away and he refused – is this enough reason to treat him in the same way murderers, rapists and armed criminals are treated?
i find it odd that the cuffs were removed at the instant it was about to be photographed. i mean, the officer surely know what he’s doing right? or he not sure if he can cuff or not?…
cannot be when people 1 2 take a picture of it, then ssuddenly remove it in a huff. right?
Mice is nice…
According to reports, it seems that was EXACTLY what happened! A lot of thing cannot be but in SINgapore, can!
SINgapore boleh!
Richard, 19 July 2010
i guess you have a point. this lapse in judgement could be just a tip of the iceberg. it would be “interesting” to see the whole iceberg.
by then things could be so bad its image will take a long time to restore.
better not issue pistols & Tasers if they are not competent handling just the cuffs.
Singaporeans cannot think onelah! Why catch the photographer instead of trying to control traffic and the flood leh???
In Malaysia, MCA president will star in a blue film and distribute the VCD. Take picture of flood in Singapore also cannot kah?
What type of developed country. Stupid lah.
Erm…Something is not right.
Dr Goh passed away this year.
Mr Goh Meng Seng got implicated for illegal hawking.
Photographer Goh Keng Soon got handcuff for taking photo.
I ,Goh Ah Gong foresee this is not a good year for the Goh.
As such,I have refrain from giving comment here this year.
SPH is PAP ”controlled” and so is SPF. It must be stupid to assume that they are operating independently of their political masters or political influence.
Singapreans, as long as they do not jettison this one-party anomaly and ”correct” themselves by voting this party out, this abuse of power and the constant lying is going to persist like turd that refuses to be flushed away!
The question is whether we are complicit in the crime of tyranny and palpably and inexorably it seem like that lah.
Hope sense n INTELLIGENCE prevails at the polls. If not it is just going to be another sorry-go-round.
Mr. Wu’s pictures of the cars on flooded road proved the water obstruction to traffic flow and speed. He could NOT have obstructed the police, impossible of the physical circumstances.
Mr. Wu’s presence posed danger to “public”? Where is the “public”, if that exists, except those trapped in car stuck in the flood-water? If there is public danger, why are the police officers sitting in the car instead of clearing the public -the presence of Mr. Wu is alleged to add additional risks to safety to himself and “the public”.
If the police version of the story is credible to believe, it is also SELF-INCRIMINATING, right? The public should have been cleared before Mr. Wu posed any further danger, right? If the “public” present as claimed by the police have NOT been cleared after their instructions to disperse presumably, were they NOT been “obstructing” the police in their work and also been handcuffed, arrested and charged as well? Or are there public present, in danger to themselves and all others, and the police not taking action in dereliction of their official duties? The police version of the story do NOT add up of internal consistency. If they do, the Home Minister should sack the officer for failure to perform. Is this not so??
Hello – of course the silly bugger deserved to be handcuffed. Hell, they should have thrown him in jail.
Doesn’t he realise that he’s a SINGAPORE journalist and not a ANG MOH one. Newspapers as SM Goh says, “Have a SOCIAL Responsibility.” By taking pictures of the news the silly man was not being a responsible person …he should have realised that his responsibility is to ONLY take pictures of things that make the powers that be shine….
This is strange and we cant help but made to feel suspicious about the action of the police. Are they trying to cover up ?They may be able to stop the reporter, but they cant stop the public from taking pictures. someone else will take a picture.
The policeman was abusing his power. The commissioner of police should speak up, take action against the policeman & not keep quiet hoping the issue will die off in time.
As a top mgmt, he must make sure his subordinates do not abuse their power.
By keeping quiet, the CP is condoning such behavior in SPF.
When a policeman abuse power, which govt agency shd perform an investigation on SPF to make sure they toe the lines? Such behaviour shd not go unpunished.
Dawn, 23 July 2010
i totally agree with you, police are law enforcers, & if they fall short of stringent standards they ought to take a serious remedial action.
just like police who are found accept bribes in cash or kind, they are punished to the full extend of local laws.
@ Tang Li
This is Singapore, not China and certainly NOT Mao’s era that photojournalist needs to glamourise incompetent political fools. Just look at Mao’s public statues, they are hardly respected in China, just there collecting loads of pigeon’s waste excrements and not even public street cleaners bother to give it a regular wash up!