Men who kayaked to Pulau Ubin during circuit breaker jailed and fined
The three men who kayaked from Pasir Ris Park to Pulau Ubin for overnight camping during the circuit breaker period were jailed and fined yesterday.
Zulman B. Mashonain and Rizani Sham Mohamed Hussin, both 38, were sentenced to four weeks' jail and fined $1,500 each.
Mohamed Hafiz Mat Nadar, 36, was sentenced to four weeks' jail and fined $700.
All three of them had committed offences under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act and the Parks and Trees Regulations.
On April 13, the trio met at Pasir Ris Park with their camping gear, including fishing rods and hammocks, and picked up their kayaks.
Zulman had felt cooped up at home and he thought it was a good idea to sweat it out by kayaking, and Rizani wanted to go fishing.
Before reaching Pulau Ubin, they stopped at a kelong to buy ice so they could keep their catch fresh.
The three men arrived at Chek Jawa Wetlands around 10pm, and started two fires to ward off mosquitoes and wild boars.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Joshua Lim said: "The fires were started in a forested area and close to a heritage tree which is among the oldest and tallest trees on Pulau Ubin."
He said the trio had no permit to light the fires.
Zulman and Rizani also caught fish and prawns.
The next morning, a National Parks Board senior officer who was patrolling the area spotted the three men from his boat, and told them to leave the island.
They left Chek Jawa around 2pm, but did not go straight back to Pasir Ris Park.
ENJOY THE SUNSET
Instead, they had their lunch in another part of Pulau Ubin, and then kayaked around Pulau Ketam to look for fishing grounds and enjoy the sunset.
After they returned to the park at 7pm, they spent three hours cleaning and returning their kayaks.
The three of them had left their homes for about 27 hours.
When asked by District Judge Bala Reddy why they committed the offences, Zulman said he was an active person and needed to go out for kayaking as part of his daily routine.
Rizani said they ate lunch to regain energy to continue kayaking.
The trio will have to surrender themselves next week to serve their sentences.
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