Singapore cat killer

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-LETTERS/ARTICLES IN STRAITS TIMES:

 

Cat saga shows animal abuse is a serious crime

 

IN RESPONSE to the report, 'Man jailed 3 months for

torturing kitten till its eye protruded' (ST, March

7), the Cat Welfare Society would like to commend the

authorities for acting on this case and for sending

the message that animal abuse is a serious crime which

will not be tolerated. Too often, unfortunately,

people are of the view that animal abuse is not

serious as it involves just an animal. However,

studies have found, among other things, that domestic

violence in a home usually starts with the family pet.

Studies have also shown that children who abuse

animals are more likely to become violent adults.

 

We applaud Ms Ngiam Mui Wah, who tipped off the

police, for having the courage and conviction to come

forward when others urged her not to do so. She has

shown herself to be a concerned citizen and an active

resident in her estate. Her actions are an inspiration

to all of us.

 

We are also pleased with the manner in which this case

was handled by the police. We have had volunteers

attempting to make police reports, only to be told

that animal abuse is not a crime, and to refer the

matter to animal-welfare groups.

 

We hope that this case will highlight to the public

and law-enforcement officers that animal abuse is a

crime, and is treated as such by the law.

 

Dawn Kua Su-Wen (Ms) of Operations

Cat Welfare Society

 

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,5562,376727,00.html?

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Sentence way too light for act of gross cruelty

 

IT DISGUSTED me to read that David Hooi Yin Weng, 42,

was sentenced to only three months' jail for torturing

a 1 1/2-month-old kitten until her left eye protruded

and her nostrils were bloodied. Her injuries were so

severe that she had to be put down.

 

The sentence is ludicrous, given that Hooi had been

seen torturing cats before. Apparently it was not the

first time he killed a cat, yet he had the cheek to

plead for leniency. On what grounds?

 

Yet, it seems that his plea that his crime was a

'mistake' was accepted - the three-month sentence is

well below the maximum. Adding insult to injury, he

was not fined, despite the provision for a custodial

sentence of up to a year or a fine of up to $10,000,

or a combination of both.

 

We must not belittle Hooi's crimes just because his

victims are not human. Research has shown that animal

abuse has larger implications for society because

serial killers and mass murderers, more often than

not, committed acts of cruelty to animals earlier in

life.

 

Abuse involves power and control over a vulnerable

victim. Studies show a direct relationship between

animal abuse and family violence. Children, spouses

and the elderly in abusive homes are just feathers in

the cap of the abuser.

 

Thus, it is disturbing to learn that some of Hooi's

neighbours had advised Ms Ngiam Mui Wah, who tipped

off the police, to 'let Hooi do what he liked with the

stray cats and not to be a busybody'.

 

These people are condoning cruelty to animals, and

they send a very powerful but very corrupted message

to our children: it is OK to maim and kill as long as

the victim is weaker than you. It may start with

animals, but this is where the seeds of discrimination

and apathy are sown.

 

Not every child who abuses animals grows up to commit

murder, but proper guidance must be given so that

children will grow up to have empathy and compassion,

not just for animals but for all beings.

 

Animal cruelty concerns all Singaporeans. We must

acknowledge this fact, and do all we can to prevent

it.

 

Singaporeans must speak up against animal cruelty, and

law-enforcement officers must do their part to bring

abusers to justice and see that they are punished to

the fullest extent of the law.

 

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,5562,376726,00.html

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SAD CASE OF A CAT CALLED SHADOW

 

Someone broke his paws and fractured his hip

 

FOR every case like that of David Hooi Yin Weng who

was convicted of animal abuse, many cases go

unreported or were closed because of a lack of evi-

dence.

 

On Oct 18 last year, a young woman living in my estate

found a kitten hiding in the shoe cabinet outside her

flat. It was a male kitten, four to five months old.

His trusting temperament indicated that he was a

home-bred kitten.

 

He was limping. At the vet's clinic, X-rays revealed

that deformities in both his paws were due to multiple

fractures that had healed. Someone had derived

pleasure from exerting great force on the paws

repeatedly.

 

However, the limping was due to a recent

severely-fragmented fracture of the left hip. The

veterinary surgeon operated on him and inserted a

plate into the joint.

 

The kitten, named Shadow, is now able to hold up his

'behind' to carry out the basic functions of urination

and defecation. The vet said he has a few years to

live. He will never walk like a normal cat. He hops

like a kangaroo, and his hip joint remains frail.

 

Cruelty towards a defenceless animal is a symptom of a

'sick' society. We need serious introspection into our

sense of morality to find out why such atrocities

occur in our society.

 

We need to examine the Government's - and this

includes the town councils and the HDB's - attitude

and action where animal welfarism is concerned, as

well as the attitude of parents and schools on

kindness or cruelty towards animals.

 

Perhaps we have to heed the words of a wise man who

lived in the 6th Century BC called Pythagoras, who

said: 'As long as man continues to be the ruthless

destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know

health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals,

they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the

seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.'

 

We may have made great economic strides in a short

span of time but if we neglect the moral development

of our nation that cannot preclude the way we treat

animals, then I am afraid we will always remain a

nation without a 'soul'.

 

Dr Tan Chek Wee

 

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,5562,376732,00.html?

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PETITION:

 

Please sign this petition calling for harsher

punishment for the killer

 

Attorney-General's Chambers, Singapore

 

David Hooi Yin Weng, 42 was jailed for 3 months for

the abuse of cats and kittens at his rented flat in

Block 544, Bedok North Street 3.

 

We strongly urge the relevant authorities to

reconsider the astonishingly lenient punishment and

punish this inhumane monster with the full extent of

the law. Abuse of animals in Singapore carries a

maximum punishment of a 12 month jail sentence and a

$10,000 fine under the animals and birds act.

 

A message must be sent to deter other would-be animal

abusers that such behavior will and must not be

tolerated in a modern cosmopolitan society such as

Singapore.

 

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/petition-sign.cgi?csk12345

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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