COVID-19: 'Sovereign' woman faces two more charges, changes lawyer
SINGAPORE — The woman who gained notoriety for refusing to wear a face mask in public during the circuit breaker while claiming that she is a “sovereign” above the law was handed two additional charges on Tuesday (19 May).
Paramjeet Kaur, a 41-year-old Singaporean, allegedly did not wear a mask over her nose and mouth at a food stall at 236 Upper Thomson Road at about 7.45pm on 26 April.
The physiotherapist is also alleged to have failed to report a change of her residence to authorities within 28 days of moving from a public housing flat in Whampoa to a landed property at Upper Thomson Road.
Today reported that when asked if she understood the charges, Kaur replied, “I am a living woman. I reserve all my rights, including my right to remain silent.”
The court also heard that Kaur’s original lawyer, Satwant Singh, was discharged and replaced by Anil Sandhu.
Earlier this month, Kaur was charged with one count each of eating outside her residence and being a public nuisance, as well as two counts of failing to wear a mask over her nose and mouth at all times while in public on separate occasions.
In a viral video, Kaur – who returned to Singapore last year after living in Australia for about 20 years, according to Lianhe Wanbao – and a man can be seen holding onto a phone.
She then argues with a person off-screen, claiming, “I am a sovereign. This is something people are not going to know even what it is…It means I have nothing to do with the police…They have no say.”
A voice can be heard saying, “That does not even make any sense. If you are a person in Singapore, you have to follow the rules in Singapore.” Paramjeet then replied, “I’m not a person.”
Following her initial charges, Kaur was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric observation for two weeks. On Tuesday, she was granted bail of $10,000 on the condition that she surrender her travel documents.
She will next appear in court on 2 June.
Weighing in on Kaur’s case in a Facebook post on 4 May, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said that if she claimed to be a “sovereign”, she should not live within a society rejected by her. As such, she should not expect security, medical care, and other benefits that come from the society’s system of governance, he added.
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