An Indian construction worker was fined for defecating at the entrance of The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) in Singapore last year. The worker, Ramu Chinnarasa, 37, appeared in court where he pleaded guilty to the offence under the Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) Regulations. The fine amounted to S$400 (approximately Rs 25,000). An image of him committing the act went viral on Facebook last October which garnered significant attention in just two days.
According to a report in Today, the incident took place on October 30, 2023, when Ramu became intoxicated after consuming three bottles of hard liquor & spent the night gambling at the Marina Bay Sands casino. He left the casino at about 5 AM. Struggling to find a restroom due to his state, he ended up squatting next to a restaurant at The Shoppes at MBS & defecated at around 7 AM.
The prosecutor noted that the area was open to the public & not intended as a place for “sanitary convenience.” After finishing off at 7:11 AM, Ramu left the scene without informing anyone of what he had done. He then laid down on stone benches outside MBS until 11 AM, as he felt dizzy. Eventually, he made his way back to his dormitory in Kranji.
Later that day, a member of MBS security team stumbled upon the viral video on Facebook that showed a man defecating at his workplace. He promptly alerted his supervisor about the incident. Then, an MBS security supervisor filed a police report about the case of public defecation.
Ramu left Singapore on October 31, 2023, but returned later. On June 4, while re-attempting to enter the MBS casino, security recognised him, identifying him as an “undesirable guest.” He was then arrested by the police.
During the court proceedings, the prosecutor asked for a fine between S$400 (approximately Rs 25,000) to S$500 (approximately Rs 32,000), noting that Ramu had defecated in public for about 10 minutes, which she described as “not insignificant.” Ramu pleaded the court for “the lowest fine.”
In response, District Judge Christopher Goh Eng Chiang said, “Do you know how to get the lowest fine? Don’t do this in public. Better still, don’t get yourself so drunk that this happens. I want you to know if this happens again — I hope not — the fine will be higher than today.” Ultimately, the judge imposed a fine of S$400 (about Rs 25,000).”