SINGAPORE: One of the administrators behind the sex-themed SG Nasi Lemak chat group on Telegram – that circulated obscene matters and discussed sexual topics with about 44,000 members – was jailed for nine weeks and fined S$26,000 on Tuesday (Mar 9).
After 39-year-old Liong Tianwei was hauled up for the Nasi Lemak-related offences, investigators uncovered other vice-related activities he was involved in – including facilitating paid sexual services by placing advertisements of sex workers on social media platforms.
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Liong pleaded guilty to six charges, including possessing 8,139 obscene images and 3,083 obscene films, transmitting obscene material on Telegram and using Twitter and Telegram to post ads of sex workers, facilitating their paid-sex services.
Another eight charges were considered in sentencing.
The court heard that Liong was one of several administrators behind the SG Nasi Lemak chat group. It was created in November 2018 and grew to more than 44,000 members, with 29 members holding administration rights.
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Members of the group discussed sexual matters, promoted vice activities and circulated and shared obscene materials, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Huo Jiongrui.
Between March and October in 2019, the police received 31 reports islandwide against the chat group and identified four suspects – including Liong.
The police launched a coordinated operation at 4am on Oct 14, 2019, arresting the four suspects simultaneously and seizing their devices to preserve vital electronic evidence.
Liong was arrested at his home, and multiple electronic devices including phones and a laptop were seized from him.
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He used the moniker “Crazy Rich Asian” in SG Nasi Lemak, and was initially “highly uncooperative”, refusing to provide passwords or access codes for the seized devices.Â
However, he gradually opened up after his case was referred to the Criminal Investigation Department’s Specialised Crimes Branch, and eventually gave the PIN code for his Telegram account he used to access SG Nasi Lemak.
He admitted to transmitting pornographic material to SG Nasi Lemak multiple times under his “Crazy Rich Asian” account.
SEPARATE VICE-RELATED OFFENCES UNCOVERED
Investigations into separate Women’s Charter offences showed that Liong had developed a close relationship with a sex worker from China in 2016, after using her services often.
She introduced him to a China national known only as “Hua Ge”, who asked Liong to help promote female Chinese sex workers who were featured on a vice website.
Liong agreed to download pictures, posts and videos from the website and repost them on social media platforms. He did so on Twitter and also on Telegram. When the SG Nasi Lemak chat group was set up, he also posted ads of the sex workers in the chat.
Liong received weekly payments in cash for his services, ranging from S$300 to S$800, for an estimated total of about S$11,000 over the years.
The prosecutor asked for three months’ jail and a fine of S$26,000, saying that Liong had a substantial role in the vice operation. The SG Nasi Lemak chat group also had a “considerable outreach” at its peak.
Lawyer R S Bajwa said all his client did was “(upload) to the chat group” and “received no remuneration for that”.
“He was just uploading along with everyone else in the group,” he said, adding that his client had “failed to delete” the obscene materials in his devices.
Most of the arrested suspects in the chat group case have been dealt with. The youngest accused was given probation in December.
Co-administrator Leonard Teo Min Xuan is due back in court for a pre-trial conference later this month.
