SINGAPORE: Jurong GRC MP Tan Wu Meng was attacked by a man at a Meet-the-People (MPS) session in Clementi on Monday night (Apr 16).
Dr Tan told Channel NewsAsia that he was at the session when a man rushed in and started hitting him with his fists at about 10pm.
The attacker, a 32-year-old man, has since been arrested for criminal trespass and is being investigated for voluntarily causing hurt, the police said on Tuesday.
"A young man suddenly rushed into the interview area and started hitting me," saidDr Tan. "The young man was in the queue, for some reason he suddenly rushed in and started hitting me.
"It was very sudden. I was actually interviewing another resident, the next thing I knew someone was hitting me and I fell to the floor."
Volunteers and residents present pulled the man off the MP and restrained him, the People’s Action Party MP told Channel NewsAsia.
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The police were called and were at the scene shortly along with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), said Dr Tan.
"The police and SCDF advised me (that) I should go to A&E (Accident and Emergency department) to see a doctor," he said. "After being assessed medically at A&E, the doctor was agreeable to let me return to finish up my Meet-the-People session."
Dr Tan said he suffered bruises on an arm and "some abrasions" on his neck, but said that these were minor injuries.
He returned to the Meet-the-People session just before midnight to finish writing appeal letters.
"We don't know (the identity of the young man) - he is not a regular visitor," added Dr Tan.
"My main concern at the time was making sure the residents and volunteers were safe and I also hope that the young man ... I hope he can get help to try and find his way back."
He added that the police have taken his statement. Police have confirmed investigations are ongoing.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday about the incident, Dr Tan said he had written an appeal letter for the man on Monday night.
"The young man who attacked me had given a preliminary indication about his troubles during registration, and had brought some documentation about the problems he faced. I wrote an appeal for him last night too," he said.
"Whatever the outcome under the law, I hope he can get back on track and will try to help him do so," Dr Tan added.
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is also an MP at Jurong GRC, said that the incident was unfortunate and "completely unacceptable".
"Dr Tan Wu Meng and his volunteers handled it well. Police are investigating. But as Wu Meng says, we will find a way to help this young man get back in life eventually," he wrote in a Facebook post.
"I know Wu Meng puts much personal effort into every individual case, every resident who needs support. He will not be deterred."
In a statement Mr Chan, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, urged the public "not to speculate and to leave the matter to the relevant authorities".
He also praised Dr Tan's "calm handling" of the incident, which he said helped to reassure the MP's volunteers and residents.
"This is a stark reminder of the risks that our MPs have to manage in the course of our public duties," Mr Chan said. "We would also like to thank our many volunteers who work tirelessly as a team to serve our residents and take care of each other."
This is not the first time a serving MP has been attacked.
In 2009, former MP for Yio Chu Kang Seng Han Thong suffered burns to his face, neck and back after flammable liquid was thrown on him during an event at Yio Chu Kang Community Club.
Ong Kah Chua, a 70-year-old former taxi driver, had poured thinner on Mr Seng before setting him alight.
Mr Seng was also attacked in 2006, when a 74-year-old man punched him during a Meet-the-People session. Koo Tong Huat wanted Mr Seng’s help in reinstating his revoked taxi licence.
SINGAPORE: A 32-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly assaulting Member of Parliament (MP) for Jurong GRC Tan Wu Meng.
The man was arrested for criminal trespass and is also being investigated for voluntarily causing hurt to an MP, the police said in a news release on Tuesday (Apr 17).
The incident happened at around 10pm at Block 334 Clementi Avenue 2 on Monday, according to the police.
Dr Tan was at a Meet-the-People session when the man approached him and assaulted him. The incident left Dr Tan with bruises on an arm and "some abrasions" on his neck, but the MP said that these were minor injuries.
The man will be charged on Wednesday.
Anyone convicted of criminal trespass under section 447 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 may be punished with imprisonment of up to three months, or a fine of up to S$1,500 or both.
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Anyone convicted of voluntarily causing hurt under Section 323 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, may be punished with imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
The police warned that "threats, intimidation or violence against anyone, even more so against public servants or MPs performing their duties, will not be tolerated and offenders will be firmly dealt with".
SINGAPORE - Jurong GRC MP Tan Wu Meng was attacked by a 32-year-old man during his Meet-the-People Session (MPS) in Clementi on Monday night (April 16).
Dr Tan told The Straits Times he was talking to a resident at around 10pm when a young man suddenly rushed over and began hitting him with his fists.
"One moment I was speaking to that resident and the next thing I knew, someone was hitting me and I found myself on the floor," he said.
Other residents and volunteers managed to quickly restrain the attacker, but Dr Tan suffered bruises on his arm and abrasions on his neck.
The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived and advised Dr Tan to go to a hospital.
"There were a handful of residents who had not seen the MP yet, so I made sure I saw them before I went to hospital. I wasn't keen to go but the police and SCDF advised me I should be evaluated at the A&E (Accident and Emergency department)," he said.
The attacker was arrested by the police for criminal trespass. The police are also investigating him for voluntarily causing hurt to an MP.
Writing in a Facebook post on Tuesday, Dr Tan said: " Police are investigating. But whatever the outcome under the law, I hope he can get back on track and will try to help him do so."
After his check-up at the National University Hospital on Monday night, Dr Tan said he returned to the MPS to continue writing appeal letters for residents - including his attacker.
"This gentleman had only come to the MPS once before, about a year ago, and we didn't get a chance to interview him this time before he started hitting me, but we were able to piece together what his current problem is," he said.
" I can't share what it is, but we wrote an appeal for him anyway last night. So I also hope whatever difficulties he's facing, he finds his way and things work out for him."
While such an incident had never happened to him before, Dr Tan said that as a public servant, he was always aware that such things could occur.
"The work continues," he added.
Dr Tan, a medical oncologist, does not plan to beef up security at his MPS area as he feels it is already quite secure, and he wants the area to remain accessible to residents.
"Our interview area is what we call an open form area, it's a room with many tables where many volunteers meet residents at the same time and I go table to table to meet as many residents as possible," he said.
"So when something happens, there is always someone nearby. We also have CCTV cameras in the room already, so the incident was captured on camera."
Fellow Jurong GRC MP and Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that it was "very unfortunate that this happened - and completely unacceptable".
"Dr Tan Wu Meng and his volunteers handled it well. Police are investigating. But as Wu Meng says, we will find a way to help this young man get back in life eventually," Mr Tharman wrote.
"I know Wu Meng puts much personal effort into every individual case, every resident who needs support. He will not be deterred."
PAP whip Chan Chun Sing added in a statement on Tuesday that Dr Tan's calm handling of the incident helped to reassure his volunteers and residents.
"This is a stark reminder of the risks that our MPs have to manage in the course of our public duties. We would also like to thank our many volunteers who work tirelessly as a team to serve our residents and take care of each other," he said.
In a statement, the police said the 32-year-old man will be charged in court on Wednesday (April 18).
The Straits Times understands he was previously involved in drug-related offences.
If convicted of criminal trespass, he can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to $1,500 or both.
If convicted of voluntarily causing hurt, he may be jailed up to two years, fined up to $5,000, or both.
There have been previous cases of Members of Parliament being attacked. In 2009, then Yio Chu Kang MP Seng Han Thong was handing out hongbao to needy and elderly people at a grassroots event in his constituency when a man ran up behind him, splashed paint thinner down his back and set fire to him.
Mr Seng was also attacked in 2006, at an MPS session, where he was punched by a 74-year-old cabby who was upset with him as he believed the MP was not helping him to get his revoked taxi licence back.
