The founder of Healing the Divide, a group known for its anti-vaccination stance, has applied to leave Singapore for thyroid cancer treatment.
Friday, June 17th, District Judge Ng Peng Hong delayed the case to allow Iris Koh Shu Cii to present further information regarding her plan to fly to Malaysia for medical treatment. She will appear in court again next week.
Koh is charged with two offenses. One charge is for collaborating with Dr. Jipson Quah to deceive the Ministry of Health (MOH) into claiming that individuals were immunized with the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine between July 2021 and January of this year.
The second is for obstructing a police inspector in January by refusing to sign and ripping up a copy of her statement while in custody.
The 46-year-old is free on S$20,000 bond. People released on bail are obligated to remain in Singapore and must apply to the court for permission to leave the country. They must supply details on their trip's purpose, destination, and length.
Wee Pan Lee, counsel for the defendant, informed the court that his client wished to depart Singapore on June 19 and travel to Malacca and Negeri Sembilan before returning on July 22.
According to him, Koh will visit the Makhota Medical Centre in Malacca for a consultation with a physician, who would likely propose that she undergo treatment at Aenon Health Care in Negeri Sembilan. The treatment is anticipated to extend from June 19 until June 29.
He stated that his client was unable to offer information on her transportation and lodging since these arrangements would not be made until after her request to leave the jurisdiction was approved.
According to Mr. Wee, a doctor at the Singapore General Hospital proposed the removal of Koh's thyroid gland as a cancer therapy, and she was seeking "alternative therapeutic treatment" rather than "intrusive surgical surgery."
He said that Koh's husband and bailor, Mr. Raymond Ng, would not be traveling with her.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jiang Ke-yue said that Koh's application materials were "insufficient."
He stated that the prosecution had requested information about the type of the therapy Koh would get, the need of traveling to Malaysia, including if other therapies in Singapore had been considered, and the necessity of traveling to two places and for one month.
Mr. Jiang stated that records submitted by Ms. Koh's attorney indicated that Spectrum of Life, a third venue in Kuala Lumpur, was also included in her trip arrangements.
He stated that there was no explanation for the connection between these three Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, and Kuala Lumpur organizations.
"I would want to emphasize that we do not stand in the way of Ms. Koh's wish to seek alternative therapy. We just require answers and explanation "he stated.
Noting that Koh submitted her application on June 13, he also inquired, "Why was this not initiated earlier so that the authorities could have been furnished with the necessary information?"
In response, her defense attorney asserted that the prosecution had failed to provide proof that his client posed a flight danger.
Mr. Wee added that Koh was "devastated" by her diagnosis, consulted with many physicians, and submitted her application "immediately."
Based on the evidence before him, Judge Ng stated that Koh's medical condition "does not appear to be life-threatening at this time."
"It appears we need an explanation," he remarked, adjourning the application hearing to allow the defense to offer further information.
The Healing the Divide organization has referred to COVID-19 vaccination as "medical coercion," while the Department of Health has stated that Healing the Divide is "anti-vaccination" and "has a history of spreading inaccurate information regarding COVID-19 and its vaccinations."
Koh might be sentenced to up to three months in prison, a fine of up to S$2,500, or both if found guilty of impeding a public worker in the performance of their duties.
If convicted of criminal conspiracy to fabricate false statements, she faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine, or both.
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