SINGAPORE: A Former Singapore diplomat identified as Sim Siong Chye, 55, was allegedly accused of filming a male teenager at a public bath in Tokyo and is expected to be charged in Japan on June 13th. According to local media, The man returned to Japan for questioning by the police on Thursday.
At the request of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department through Japan’s Foreign Ministry, the former counsellor at the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo arrived in Japan on June 9th, reported the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Later, the same day, Tokyo police investigated him for the charge of voyeurism. On Thursday, they pass on the decision on whether to indict the prosecutor. The formal charges will be submitted later in the day.
According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a diplomat cannot be arrested as a counsellor has a diplomatic rank for officers serving overseas, such as in an embassy and diplomats have certain immunities, including immunity from arrest and prosecution.
His Previous Wrongdoings
In February, the case was first reported that the diplomat used his smartphone to sneakily film a 13-year-old first-year middle school student, who was naked in the changing room of a public bath.
According to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper at that time, Staff members at the public bath in Tokyo’s Minato Ward reportedly called the police who investigated the case and found “multiple naked photos of male customers” in the diplomat’s phone.
The Newspaper added that the diplomat declined to accompany the police to the station but admitted to officers that he had taken similar photos in other public bathhouses.
When asked to delete the photos from his phone, the diplomat allegedly “deleted 700 photos on the spot”. Also, he told police he had taken in the six months leading up to the incident, reported by the Japanese news outlet.
The Man Expressed Remorse For His Actions
The accused had admitted to clicking the photos, saying “I was unable to control my desires when I saw a man naked,” Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Thursday.
“I took 20 to 30 (photos) myself, I was surprised by the Japanese public bath culture and became interested in baths”, he added.
According to the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), he was suspended from his duties to assist in investigations. He did not inform the ministry about the incident until he was asked about it. On May 2nd, The ministry said, they are prepared to renounce diplomatic immunity to assist in investigations if necessary.
According to NHK, citing Tokyo police, the man said he had regretted his actions and returned to Japan voluntarily to express his regret and speak as an ordinary citizen without diplomatic immunity. He had filmed the video to view it later and he had no intention of targeting children, he clarified.
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