Is it the start of a worrying trend or are Singaporeans finally breaking the shackles of conformity and daring to be “different’?
This after Singapore police arrested a woman in her 50s for boarding a bus stark naked near Ubi Avenue on Wednesday evening, the third such case of a “nude” arrest this month.
Last Sunday, a naked man in his 20s or 30s was arrested after trying to order coffee in the buff from a 24-hour McDonald’s outlet along Queensway.
Earlier this month, a heavily tattooed man in his 40s sat naked for hours near an HDB block in Ang Mo Kio. He was later arrested after several warnings.
Psychologist, Mr Daniel Koh, 39, who owns Insights Mind Centre, told Yahoo! SEA, “Some of them might be attention seekers or would like to be the focal point of news while others might actually be crying out for help.”
“In the case of the latter, authorities should step in and such people should be reviewed, ” he said.
Mr Koh added that there are also those who do it out of sexual gratification or to arouse themselves.
In the latest case, the elderly woman who boarded the bus naked was initially dressed in a black blouse and pants. According to eyewitnesses, she later started to strip down by the roadside in full view of passers-by.
Oblivious to the stares by members of the public, the woman folded her clothes into a neat pile and put them in a plastic bag which she later placed on the pavement.
She then walked towards a bus stop in front of Block 302, Ubi Avenue 1, and stood a few metres away from the shelter, even though it was drizzling slightly.
Madam Huay who witnessed the incident said in Mandarin to The New Paper, “When she continued stripping, I felt more and more nervous. She was stark naked in front of peak-hour traffic. There were about 100 people staring at her.”
One of them, Mr Lim Fam Meng, a barber in his 50s said in Mandarin, “I was scared silly, but it was also an interesting sight. All of us who were in the shops came out. Passers-by also stopped to gawk.”
When bus service 22 arrived, she boarded the bus and sat in the back row. However, the bus did not move off and when she refused to budge or even accept a jacket to cover her modesty, passengers were told to sit at the front of the bus and women to the back, where they could help shield her.
Passengers were eventually transferred to a second bus service 22 that arrived later.
It was only when two police officers arrived and made her wear a yellow raincoat that she complied and left with them in a police car. She was later found to be of unsound mind.
The incident is the latest in a string of recent cases involving people appearing nude in public. In the first six months of the year, there have already been 105 such incidents — one about every other day.
It is understood that those arrested and who are believed to be mentally unsound are usually referred to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric review.
Dr Koh has also advised members of public to be cautious when confronted with such people.
While it is important for males not to go near them for fear of being accused of molest, he said whoever is around should determine whether the naked man or woman is in a rational mood.
“They should just monitor the situation because such people might act defensive and be aggressive towards whoever approaches them. In this case it is best to leave them alone and leave it to the authorities,” he added.
Those found guilty of being nude in public, or in a private location, but visible to those outside, faces a fine of up to $2,000 and up to three months in jail.

Own Opinion: We should not be too quick to pass judgements on anybody, even though their behaviour or actions can be eccentric. What happened might not be what it seems to be. We should be more interested in finding out the reasons for these people to appear in public naked. Surely, they did not do this to just gain attention or just to satify their pervertic desires. They could be affected by the stress of the modern society, where results mean everything. I certainly do not agree with many Netizens who poke fun at these people, sayinh some really crude things. But i really wonder whether those mindless people would actually say those hurtful and insensitive things if the person caught naked in public is one of their loved ones. Have they ever wondered how the family members of those people would feel when they see those comments made by Netizens. I feel that as human beings, we should learn to put ourselves in each other's shoes before doing something. We are not bigger than others, neither are they bigger than us. As long as a human is compared to another, we are of equal standing and value. Therefore, those who actually laugh at these people, pass sarcastic comments on them, shame on you.
Ernest lee, 102369D