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SINGAPORE – A member of the secret society allowed more than 10 people, including men from his gang, to attend his father’s funeral in April amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
The men then carried out a ritual that ended up shouting gang slogans three times.
Lim Wei Xuan, 26, was sentenced on Thursday (October 15) to six months and two weeks in jail.
He pleaded guilty to being a member of a secret society and invited Luo Junyuan, 24, to become a member of the same gang in 2017.
Lim also admitted that he had allowed more than 10 people at the wake, which was held in a pavilion on Block 37 Circuit Road from April 1-5.
The court heard that none of the gang members who attended the wake were wearing masks.
Luo, who pleaded guilty to being a gang member and participating in the meeting, was sentenced Thursday to two months and two weeks in jail.
One of the heads of the secret society, Alvin Mo Boon Heng, 35, was sentenced to nine months and two weeks in jail.
He pleaded guilty to being a member of a gang and invited Lim to be a part of it in 2017. Mo also admitted that he had participated in the meeting.
Mo’s three remaining charges under the Companies Act were considered during sentencing.
Two other gang members who attended the wake, a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be identified due to his age, and Eugine Lee Eng Qin, 20, had pleaded guilty in court on September 30.
They will be sentenced next month. Fourteen gang members attended the wake and the remaining men have not been convicted.
Deputy Prosecutor Tay Jia En recounted in court Thursday how Mo had told the gang members to pay their last respects to Lim’s father, who had died on March 31.
They were at the wake around noon on April 5. The gang members gathered in front of an altar, with Lim kneeling next to him.
One of them began to recite the secret society poem, and all the men except Lim leaned toward the coffin three times to pay their respects.
Mo offered sticks of incense on the altar and the men shouted gang slogans. The ritual ended shortly after, before the coffin was placed in a hearse.
One of the relatives of the deceased recorded a video of the ritual, which was later shared by WhatsApp with other relatives.
Police learned of the 22-second clip and arrested the gang members.
Lim, Luo, and Mo are now out on bail of $ 15,000 each. They were ordered to surrender to state courts on October 29 to begin serving their jail terms.
For being a member of an illegal society, a criminal can be imprisoned for up to three years and fined up to $ 5,000.
For participating in a meeting involving more than 10 people during the virus control period, an offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $ 10,000.
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