An American cargo pilot from Alaska is said to be the first foreigner imprisoned in Singapore for breaking COVID-19 quarantine rules, after he left his hotel room in order to buy masks and a thermometer.
FedEx pilot Brian Dugan Yeargan, 44, of Eagle River, was sentenced to four weeks in jail on Wednesday, according to several news reports. The incident occurred after officials checked his hotel room and found him missing. He was supposed to be on a 14-day quarantine after arriving from Sydney, Australia on April 3. In the two weeks before he landed in Singapore, he had flown to China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan and the United States, according to Yeargan’s attorney.
Sen. Dan Sullivan’s office said they are aware of the situation and are looking into it.
Yeargan’s attorney told reporters that the pilot needed the items because they were in short supply back home and his wife had been ill.
There are 19 people with COVID-19 in FedEx’s workforce, according to Must Read Alaska sources. The company has over 5,000 pilots who fly all over the world.
Yeargan is a captain in the Alaska Air National Guard, and is a C-17 pilot with the 517th AS.
Singapore has had 26,000 cases of the Wuhan coronavirus, known as COVID-19. More than 90% of those infected are foreign wage-workers who live in crowded dormitory conditions, according to reports.
Singapore is known for having extremely harsh penalties, such as caning, hanging, and imprisonment. Among things that are illegal in the nation are buying or selling chewing gum, feeding pigeons, and singing songs that have obscene lyrics.
Singapore can’t afford to be laissez faire with their health mandates with their population density. Not Alaska, one size does not fit all.
144th AS, not 517th. 144th is AKANG, 517th is Active Duty.
I wonder what his military guard unit Commander thinks of all this. Not very flattering.
The sense of entitlement is strong with this one.
A good public caning ought to cure some of that.
He has the right to obey their laws and get spanked if he disregards them. It’s not a senator’s job to clean up after miscreants, db’s or scofflaws. I personally like the idea of him not being retrieved; without consequences there’s no accountability and this guy clearly missed a meeting or more accurately, thinks he’s above Singaporean law.
Bet you’ve never been to Singapore trouser. You are nothing more than a dimwitted Left-over troll, who makes little sense in this forum. Your logic runs shallow.
Perhaps you missed a meeting, Mav; Breaking international law is not ok. Another thing that’s not ok would be spending political and other resources to pull this idiot out of the quagmire he knowingly and intentionally placed himself in.
Implying that you’ve familiarity with the Singapore jail system is pretty rich. Stating that you know where I have and have not been is even more so.
Bummer that with your wealth of clairvoyant wisdom all you can offer is a weak ad hominem, eh? Personally I think a good caning and 30 days in the hole would nicely suit our Eagle River clod. Probably wouldn’t hurt you any either. Be that as it may, I don’t have any sympathy for Americans that break foreign laws and never will. If you find yourself in a similar pickle be sure and write.
For crying out loud, he was out looking for a fricking mask. What is wrong with you miserable Lefties? You must really hate your fellow Americans. Dang, fella. You are one nasty, old broken-down Democrat.
Any experienced international traveler should take responsibility and know the laws of the countries that they travel. Singapore has very strict laws, that they enforce, unlike the USA.
The FedEx/C-17 guard pilot has had security briefings on this topic, and should have known better. He just chose to disregard them and he is now paying the price. In Singapore, their government does not take lame excuses for breaking law.
Capt. Yeargan should have known better! The company FedEx briefed him on international laws (COVID19) prior to departing on his Trip. If he chose to break the law in Singapore, jail is what he gets. Capt. Yeargan should be thankful he only has 30 days in jail and not Caned 30 times.
Oh dear, some comments that are not in compliance!
Wow I’m a bit surprised at some of the comments.
Certainly laws should be followed but it sounds like he was compelled out of serious concern for his wife back home. How many of the commenters above might have done the same thing? And are you all following the state or municipal mandates to the proverbial T? I visited Anchorage last week to do some shopping and was very surprised at how many people were not wearing masks, yet in Anchorage it is mandated to do so, which means it is law.
Be thankful there is no caning in Anchorage for law breaking.
With all due respect Elizabeth, you are mistaken. There is no law in Anchorage that requires the wearing of a mask. No mandate either (whatever that is).
And on a related note I noticed on the sign-in list at a local restaurant the name and contact information of a customer that seemed curious. Perhaps someone here knows them. The roster listed:
F Ethan Berkowitz
867-5309
Regardless, Americans have inherent freedoms while in America. They don’t apply when we’re not in America and it doesn’t matter if one of our number thinks foreign law applies only to others or that our wife will somehow be distraught if we don’t fetch ourselves a fresh mask at the risk of jail time. Some may recall Michael Fay who received a Singapore caning for having been a thieving idiot in 1994. Sentence reduced from 6 whacks to 4. Shame, really.
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