A family friend of Daniel Augustin De Costa aka Willy Sum (pen name) has written to TR Emeritus (TRE) requesting that we publish an appeal on his behalf.
De Costa was charged in court on Thursday (13th Dec) alongside Terry Xu (chief editor of The Online Citizen) for alleged criminal defamation arising from the authoring and publication of an article “The Take Away From Seah Kian Ping’s Facebook Post”.
Unfortunately, said Mr Tan, De Costa is no longer able to follow up and help those in need anymore as all his electronics equipment that can access the internet have been seized by the police and are unlikely to be returned as he has been charged in court.
De Costa is currently using an old primitive mobile phone which has very limited internet capabilities and lacks the necessary software to continue what he has been doing prior to his equipment being seized.
Mr Tan is therefore appealing to kind hearted TRE readers to please donate a pad or a laptop or in cash to De Costa so that he can continue to help those in need.
Mr Tan’s email to TRE
I’m a family friend of “Willy Sum’s” mother, “Judy Tan” whom my wife and I had dinner with to celebrate her belated birthday recently. This is the worst birthday she possibly had, having to forcefully forfeit a short trip she saved up thriftily for the last 11 months after being rounded up by CID with her son at the void deck of her home! She did not ask me to pen this but I had to, witnessing how a good person who always looks out for others, now suffers a fate similar to hardened criminals. I had known her for 6 years already, referring perplexing and troubled cases of my customers and family members to her son for resolution. These are cases that no one will bother to assist, not even the elected MPs.
Life has been on a roller coaster since their electronics were impounded by CID as it crippled the ability of Willy to highlight and follow up on cases. He currently functions on an old faulty phone that is about to give way and they can’t afford to buy a new one as Judy has lost $2570 of her hard earned savings to the botched trip. Letters from MP Faisal to stop the harassment and return the items are being ignored by the SPF!
Judy is only a part time worker who has had difficulties getting a full time admin job owing to her age. Willy has been on medical leave for 6 months due to slip disc and osteoarthritis.
Hence, I hope we can help raise $3420 to get the gadgets Willy lost in the CID’s operation, in order to continue the good works he’s always been doing. C S Tan
Source: http://www.tremeritus.net/2018/12/15/family-friend-of-willy-sum-on-the-extraordinary-young-person/
Heng I didn't donate, else I would be spending an afternoon drinking kopi with the police.
Why stop at merely begging for funds to buy new computer equipment? Might as well go all the way to secure a whole lot more for posting bail and renovating the house!
Getting into so much trouble with the law all because of one written piece, so not worth it. Sigh.