SINGAPORE: A woman was fined S$3,000 on Friday (Dec 11) for meeting 11 other people for a social gathering on Lazarus Island when such large groups were prohibited during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vietnamese national Luong Thi Thu Ha, 31, will have the validity of her re-entry permit shortened on her next renewal, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a statement after her sentencing.
AdvertisementAdvertisementIn the same announcement, the authority stated that Singapore permanent residents who have been convicted of an offence will have their permanent residence status reviewed.
Luong pleaded guilty to one charge of gathering with other individuals outside her home for a non-permitted purpose. She is the eighth of the group of 12 to do so.
[h=3]READ: 6 people fined over large gathering on Lazarus Island amid COVID-19 outbreak[/h]Those who have been sentenced were given the same fine. They are: British nationals William Edwin Dunford, 32, Richard Henri Lagesse, 31, Lowri Mair Jeffs, 31, Zoe Louise Cronk, 30, Jeff Richard Alexander, 32, Paul Jonathan Gold, 32, and 29-year-old Singaporean Natalie Joanna Sarkies.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAt about 11am on Aug 8, the group took a ferry to St John's Island and walked to Lazarus Island beach where they spent a day on leisure activities.
They took a ferry back to mainland Singapore at about 6pm, and Sarkies posted photos of the trip on the photo sharing platform Instagram.
The pictures were later reposted on other social media platforms, attracting attention and causing public alarm, said court documents.
Luong's lawyer Anand Nalachandran made only brief oral comments in court on Friday, responding to a question from the judge about his written mitigation plea.
AdvertisementHe said the evidence "is not clear as to how often and how long the group gathered in more than five persons".
For breaching a COVID-19 regulation, Luong could have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000 or both.
The cases for the remaining four accused are pending: Joshua Adam Roth, Edward John Joseph Lee-Bull, Helen Ann Sullivan and James Riby Oram Trimming.
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