S'pore Taoist temple chief fined S$2,000 for organising religious public procession without permit

A Taoist temple chief master has been fined S$2,000 for organising a public religious procession without a permit.

Lim Tong San, 62, was the chief master of Tien Sen Tua Temple and admitted to leading the public procession.

Procession

The Taoist temple is located along Paya Lebar Road, with Baogong, known as the God of Justice, as its chief deity.

On Oct. 23 and 24, 2024, Lim organised a two-day event to mark the annual celebration of “Tien Sen Tua Baogong”, during which he and the temple’s devotees visited about 80 to 90 temples across Singapore, stated court documents seen by Mothership.

After returning to the temple at around 7pm on Oct. 24 via chartered buses and private vehicles, Lim led devotees and volunteers in a foot procession at around 9pm, following the conclusion of rituals held at the temple and an adjacent open field.

Worshippers occupied road and pavement

The foot procession involved participants moving as a group along a common route spanning about 400m, covering parts of Paya Lebar Road and the pavement along Ubi Avenue 2, before returning to the temple.

During the procession, the group occupied the leftmost lane of the main road, as well as a filter lane turning into Ubi Avenue 2, inconveniencing motorists on the road and members of the public using the pavement.

The purpose of the procession was to welcome the Jade Emperor, regarded in Taoism as the supreme ruler of heaven, to the temple.

The rituals and procession were also livestreamed on YouTube.

No permit obtained

Under the Public Order Act, a permit is required for public processions.

At all material times, no permit had been granted for the event, the prosecution said.

Lim was charged under the Public Order Act for organising a public procession without the necessary approval.

In its submissions, the prosecution had sought a fine of between S$2,000 and S$3,000, noting that Lim’s culpability was higher as no permit had been granted at all, as opposed to a mere failure to comply with permit conditions.

The court was also told that Lim had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had no prior similar convictions, factors that were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Top images via court documents, Zaobao