SINGAPORE, Aug 30 — A 30-year-old cyclist who heckled presidential candidate Ng Kok Song during his campaign walkabout at Clementi 448 Market and Food Centre on Tuesday evening was arrested by the police, the authorities said today.
Ng was posing for photos with the public near Clementi Mall when the cyclist came speeding down a slope, twice, close to where the crowd had gathered in an attempt to ram straight into Ng.
In response to media queries, the police said that they received calls for assistance regarding an incident in which a man had allegedly shouted at Ng outside a shopping mall along Commonwealth Avenue West.
Upon arrival, the man had already left the area and officers from Clementi Police Division subsequently identified the man and searched for him.
Around the same time, the man went to Clementi Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) of his own accord to lodge a report about the incident at about 7.45pm the same day.
At the NPC, the man “mentioned about harming himself, and the officers assessed that he posed a danger to himself,” the police said.
He was apprehended under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008 and taken to the Institute of Mental Health for further assessment.
The police added that the man’s next-of-kin was informed of the matter.
Police investigations into the incident are ongoing.
In spite of the disruption, Ng made no plans to cancel his remaining walkabouts and activities on the final day of the campaign period today.
Singaporeans will vote for the country’s ninth president on Friday, Sept 1. The other two presidential candidates are former Cabinet minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Tan Kin Lian, former chief executive officer of NTUC Income insurance cooperative. — TODAY
