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THE United States Navy sailor will be taken to task if he is found guilty of assaulting Singaporean motorist K.M. Ho last Friday.
Replying to queries from The Straits Times, a US Embassy spokesman said US Navy officials and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) are cooperating fully with their Singapore counterparts.
The sailor will be held accountable for his behaviour by both Singapore and US military law, added the spokesman. This means he will also have to face his commanding officer. And if he is found to have done wrong, the sailor could have his pay, rank and privileges docked, she said.
The commanding officer can also order the sailor to be confined, given hard labour, or even discharged from the service.
Mr Ho, 36, was looking for a parking lot at the open-air carpark near Wheelock Place on Friday when he apparently heard a knock on his car.
He said that when he got out of the car to investigate, he was confronted by a 1.8m-tall African-American who had his fists raised.
Mr Ho was allegedly punched in the face and hurled onto two cars by the man who seemed drunk.
He received a face wound which required stitches, suffered bleeding in his left eye and had cuts on his nose.
Yesterday, Mr Ho said sight in his left eye remains slightly blurred.
He said that US Navy officials had met him and claimed they offered him a 'verbal apology''.
The officials said they would also explore compensation with him, Mr Ho claimed. His lawyers are taking up his case with NCIS investigators.
Mr Ho's $500 spectacles were smashed, and his medical costs have gone up because he had to go to a hospital. His car was also dented.
In a letter to the media today, US Ambassador Patricia Herbold said the US Embassy and Navy take every incident very seriously.
She also highlighted the close bilateral ties between the two countries.
Singapore hosts about 150 US military ships annually.
Additionally, before sailors come ashore, said the embassy spokesman, they are given cultural briefings about their port of call. Many also volunteer to do charity work.
Said the spokesman: 'The US Navy has a great appreciation for the laws and customs of Singapore, and service members know the US Navy's expectations for exemplary personal conduct while ashore.
'Marines and sailors who do not comply with the liberty policies are not allowed back ashore. The US Navy will continue to maintain a vigilant posture and enforce the 'one strike and you're out' policy.'
dboey@sph.com.sg
carolynq@sph.com.sg
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