Police looking into incident where PM Lee’s son was filmed without his permission during a car ride

Video screengrabs
Video screengrabs

A 31-year-old man could land in huge trouble for intruding on the privacy of someone he probably shouldn’t have messed with: the eldest son of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Police have confirmed that a report was lodged over video recordings taken of Li Yipeng without his permission, with the footage making its way onto social media over the weekend. The videos were apparently taken when Li accepted a ride inside a private car driven by a 31-year-old Singaporean man.

It is unclear why Li — a 36-year-old albino with Asperger’s syndrome — took up the offer of getting a lift from the Esplanade back to his home from the prying stranger. One video showed the driver asking Li for his name, and querying him if he is the prime minister’s son. Another video depicted Li in the back of the car as the driver prodded him with even more questions about his security arrangements and home address. A third video had Li expressing his discomfort with the series of personal questions, but he remained civil, polite and well-spoken throughout the ordeal.

Video screengrabs
Video screengrabs

PM Lee’s press secretary responded to media queries that the prime minister is aware of the incident, and thanked members of the public who expressed their concern over the matter.

“It is of concern that a vulnerable person can be taken advantage of like this. Yipeng happens to be PM’s son, but many other vulnerable persons go about Singapore on their own, and they must be able to do so safely, without being taken advantage of or harassed and without their privacy being breached,” said PM Lee’s press secretary in a statement.

Considering Li’s background, police are taking the matter extra seriously as the nature of the driver’s questions “raises serious security concerns”. The police also noted that the driver holds multiple convictions in the past, including theft-in-dwelling and taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent.



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on