A man who sent hoax bomb threats through letters to the Parliament House and the Special Operations Command (SOC) was jailed six months on Monday (18 June).

Part time waiter Albert Pang Tze Kaan, 46, who also sent a bomb threat to a 7-Eleven outlet in Tanjong Katong Road, pleaded guilty to three counts of communicating false information under the United Nations (Anti-terrorism measures) regulations.

Pang had sent registered letters with the words “BOMB INSIDE” written on them to the three locations.

A psychiatric report tendered to the State Courts shows that Pang was assessed to have a personality disorder marked by schizophrenia, paranoia, and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Pang admitted that sometime in April, he was unhappy about certain political issues in Singapore and wanted to “create chaos” by sending the letters.

He used alphabetical stencils and a black marker to write the words “BOMB INSIDE” on several pieces of A4-size paper before mailing the letters out anonymously. Pang had checked the internet for the postal addresses of the SOC, the 7-Eleven outlet and Parliament House.

A worker at Parliament House opened the letter that was sent by Pang on 12 April and brought it to the security staff for assistance. On the same day, the staff at the 7-Eleven outlet received one of Pang’s letters.

The next day, a worker at SOC alerted the management on the letter sent by Pang.

The police were informed about the threats in the three incidents. Five police cars were deployed to the locations.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Haniza Abnass sought a jail term of six months, citing the need to deter similar offenders and the difficulty in detecting the acts. Pang had targeted “high value” areas such as the Parliament House and caused alarm, the prosecutor added.

Pang, who was unrepresented, told the court, “I want you to set me free. I want to be free for eternity.”

District Judge Jasvender Kaur noted that Pang had planned and targeted two sensitive locations.

“I hope you will come to terms with your condition and seek help from the Institute of Mental Health,” the judge told Pang.

Under the United Nations Act, Pang could have been jailed up to 10 years and/or fined $500,000 for each offence.