Clockwise from top left: Suspected gang members Abdul Ghani Mustaffa, Yu Teck Hoon, Adam Malik Bahtiar and Chay Wen Fu. All four men were charged on Thursday (23 November 2017). (PHOTO: Wan Ting Koh / Yahoo News Singapore) More

Four men were charged for being part of secret societies on Thursday (23 November) following separate gang-related incidents at two funerals earlier this year.

The four are the first of 14 men arrested to be charged in relation to the incidents, which occurred on 14 February along Woodlands Avenue 7 and 3 March along Jalan Bukit Merah.

The incidents drew public attention after two videos of secret society members chanting gang slogans at the funeral processions were uploaded online within a few weeks of each other in March.

Chay Wen Fu, 18, and Yu Teck Hoon, 42, were charged with being members of “Hai Lok San”, a secret society of the “108 Group”. Both were arrested following the incident on 14 February.

According to their charge sheets, Yu joined the gang from 1988 to 2004, while Chay had been a member since 2014. While Chay faces one charge, Yu faces an additional charge of being a member of an unlawful society, according to a police spokesman.

Chay and Yu, who were unrepresented by lawyers, said they intended to plead guilty. Chay’s hearing has been fixed on 15 December while Yu’s case will be heard again on 6 December.

Two other men, Abdul Ghani Mustaffa, 55, and Adam Malik Bahtiar, 50, were each charged with one count of being members of “Sio Kun Tong”, a secret society of the “18 Group” since 28 February 2014. Both were arrested following the incident on 3 March.

In total, Abdul faces three charges while Adam faces two. Their additional charges are also for being members of an unlawful society, the police spokesman said.

Adam was represented by lawyer Kenneth Kannan while Abdul was represented by lawyer P E Ashokan. Both will be back in court on 21 December.

Investigations against the other 10 men arrested are still ongoing.

If convicted on being members of an unlawful society, the men each face a jail term of up to three years and/or a fine of up to $5,000.