According to The Straits Times:

WHAT was supposed to be a free 15-minute nap on a park bench turned into a costly snooze for one Singaporean.

The New Paper on Tuesday reported that a 62-year-old, who only wanted to be known as Mr Kassim, was fined $200 when he dozed off on a Sun Plaza Park bench while taking shelter from the rain.

The National Parks Board (NParks) fined the private bus driver for having misused the park facility by sleeping on the bench.

The incident happened on Sept 1 at a park in Tampines.

Mr Kassim had dozed off on one of the wooden benches while seeking shelter from a heavy downpour. He woke up about 15 minutes later to see two men, who would later identify themselves as NParks rangers, walking towards him.

They asked for his identity card, told him he had ‘abused park facilities by sleeping on the park bench’, and issued him a ticket.

Mr Kassim accepted the ticket despite not knowing it was an offence to sleep on a park bench.

Five days later, he received an NParks letter detailing his offence and asking him to pay the $200 fine. When he went to the NParks office to make payment, he claimed he was told by a staff member that he could appeal.

Read the full story at The Straits Times

- Dear readers of the world, Singapore had finally come to a stage that we are being fined for sleeping…in public (National Park). This may be the result of various complains by park users hence the rule for punishing ANYONE resting in the National Park in Singapore.

The New Paper had revealed some frustrating feeling by the locals here.

Hardwarezone forum readers also speak out this issue as ridiculous and crazy.

Even Arofanatics.com forum also have readers speak out on this stupid rule….

Problems encountered

1. There are NParks spokesman complained about people who abuse our parks by overstaying or squatting, they make genuine park users feel uncomfortable. Others sleep on benches or in shelters in an inconsiderate manner and deny park users from these facilities.’

2. $200 Fine Slapped on people who Overstaying, Squatting or sleeping on benches or in Shelters.

Suggested Solutions:

1. Release wild animals into the National Parks such as Crocodiles, tigers, Lions, Leopards and other man eating animals. This will ensure nobody will stay in the same place for long period of time.

2. Employ Prison Warden armed with the Indiana Jones Whip that can “WHIP” these people who closes their eyes in National Park.
3. Release all killers from the prison in the national park with free weapons and perform the famous “battle royal” movie there. Use a explosive tag to tag these people on their neck and if they stay within a 1 meter by 1 meter designated area for more then 20 minutes…the tag will explode and kill them. All Killers will on the prowl for people who sleeps in the parks too.

Ok, the above solutions are as funny as how the National Park Ranger did to the poor guy who have a small nap in the park. Slapping the guy with a whopping $200 fines is totally ridicules.

What I feel is there should be a freaking HONG LIM PARK Sleeping Protest, who want to start the ball rolling? I like to see how the Nparks Rangers come and fine thousands of Lehman Brothers victims sleeping at the Hong Lim Parks.

If this continues I fear that the National Park may start puting new ridiculous LAW as and when they feel like it…like the following…(I hope not)

1. No Portable Radio Playing Loud Music – Fine $200
2. No Shouting or Talking – Fine $200
3. No Handphones Ringing – Fine $200
4. No Dog Shitting – Fine $200
5. No Crying Kids – Fine $200
6. No Bicycle on Pedestrian Track – Fine $200
7. No Stepping on Grass – Fine $200
8. No Sleeping ANYWHERE in the park – Fine $200

They will end up …

1. No Visitors go there
2. No Cyclist go there
3. No Children enjoying there
4. No dogs going there.

This event may belong to the result of over zealous park users who complain about this and that like the park visitor who complaint about too many people misused the free carparks in the national parks.

If in any event the above rules are granted by the government themselves…this means they are creating a prison state that allow users to WALK THE PARK but without any FREEDOM and will be FIND ANY EXCUSE TO FINE PEOPLE OF SINGAPORE.

What’s next?? Fine for Resting at void decks? Fine for not returning trays? Fine for Shouting in Public? Fine for Dancing in Public? Fine Singing Karaoke At home? Fine for Wearing T-Shirts with images of Kangaroo wearing laywer clothes? Ooops That’s already true..

Are we living in paradise or hell? Are we in Prison State? I think maybe we are heading towards it…now the CCTV have software to identify human faces in comparison with known criminals in their database and these CCTV are in the millions in the city of Singapore.

Let’s compare a prison with Life in Singapore.

Squarish Cell with toilets and secure doors with bars – Check (HDB)
Food Canteen that monitored by a person to see if we return trays – Check (See Straits Times)
Rapped for over staying out in the open – Check (Nparks fine person sleep in park)
Forced to work as part of their reform – Check (If no work will die in debt)
Forced to upgrade in jail in education – Check (If no Study become obsolete)

The only difference is we need to pay for the food and accomodation outside of jail.

The real solution now

1. Get as many people to see this article and write petition to change the NParks Rules.
2. If Rules unchanged for months…HONG LIM PARK Sleeping Protest. (within Legal Limits)
3. Take photo of these NPark Rangers and put on website…Flickr website under Creative Commons License and shared in BLOGs for all to see.
4. Wear a glasses that have the image of open eyes….err NOPE!

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