Two Indian-origin Singaporeans charged with organising illegal assemblies of foreign workers

Singapore: Two Indian-origin Singaporeans were charged on Tuesday for organising illegal public assemblies of foreign workers demanding payments owed to one of them.

Rebecca Rubini Ravinthiran, 33, and Vee Derrick Mahendran, 36, were charged with abetting foreign workers to commit offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), Channel News Asia reported.

A joint statement by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the police said Ravinthiran was accused of directing 15 foreign workers under her employment to gather outside two construction sites on October 24, 2024, to demand payments owed to her company.

No permit was granted for the events, it said.

As per the statement, Mahendran aided the offence by going to a construction site to "ensure that the foreign workers complied with the woman's instructions".

Ravinthiran faces 17 charges in total while Mahendran has 11, the Channel report said. Two of Ravinthiran's charges are under the Public Order Act, while 15 are under the EFMA.

Each of Ravinthiran's charges under the EFMA said she instigated a foreign worker to breach the condition of their work permit, with 15 workers involved.

Mahendran's charges comprise two under the Public Order Act and nine under the EFMA.

Mahendran is said to have abetted Ravinthiran by helping organise two public assemblies at the two construction sites to publicise the same cause.

He allegedly helped in the preparation of the placards the day before, and coordinated with Ravinthiran on the gathering of the workers to hold the placards.

Both cases will return to court on June 24.

Last October, MOM said on Facebook that it was aware of a social media post regarding several migrant workers holding placards at a worksite.

MOM said it engaged the workers involved and found they were not owed salary payments, and did not have any concerns about their well-being.

K Shanmugam, then Law and Home Affairs Minister, said MOM was investigating the employer for illegally deploying the workers and abetting them to perform illegal acts under the EFMA.

A person convicted of organising a public assembly without a permit can be fined up to SGD 5,000 (USD 3,890).

Under the EFMA, a person convicted of abetting a foreign employee to break the terms of his work pass can face up to 12 months in jail, and be fined up to SGD 10,000 (USD 7,780) or both.