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Abandoned by his China wife, a Singaporean resident sleeps at an overhead bridge in Chinatown.
Lianhe Wanbao reported on Friday that the middle-aged man has been wandering in Chinatown for the past two weeks, making the pavilions on an overhead bridge his home.
Wanbao readers who called the paper about him say he appears too well-dressed and decent to be a vagrant, but often looks depressed. They have also seen him popping pills and he has fainted on the streets a number of times.
Abandoned after heart attack
Chen Wen Kuang, 56, told Wanbao that he was working as a chef when he met and married his wife - a study mama from China.
He came to Singapore from Malaysia to work many years ago and is now a Singapore permanent resident. His wife, 40, came to Singapore with her son from a previous marriage.
He married his wife about ten years ago and they had a second son four years ago. She was repatriated in November 2005, but he continued to remit money to them every month.
Last year, at the age of 55, he withdrew close to $10,000 in savings from the Central Provident Fund (CPF) and remitted them to his wife.
He was hospitalised after a heart attack near the end of 2008 and the medical expenses depleted his life savings.
His wife broke off all contact with him after that. Mr Chen was tearful when he told Wanbao how he ended up homeless in Chinatown.
"Although we are in different countries, I still consider her my wife. I never expected her to stop taking my calls once I stopped sending her money. Last month, she cancelled her phone line and I have no way of contacting her now.
"After I was discharged from hospital, I was too weak to work and could not pay my rent. I have no money and cannot reach my wife. I have no other relatives and didn't know where to go, so I came to Chinatown and started sleeping on the bridge."
Mr Chen now wanders aimlessly around Chinatown, resting at fast food outlets or coffee shops when he is tired. Hawkers who learnt of his plight have been giving him food, and he washes his clothes at the hawker centre.
Backpack stolen
To make things worse, his health has been deteriorating, and he now has problems with his lungs and intestines as well.
When he fainted at a coffee shop recently, his backpack containing all his possessions was stolen. He lost his passport, identity card, bank passbook, handphone, medicine, clothes and $400 in cash.
"Without all my documents, I can't even withdraw the few hundred dollars I have in my bank account now. I really don't know where to turn to, and how I am going to live from now on."
Lianhe Wanbao reported on Friday that the middle-aged man has been wandering in Chinatown for the past two weeks, making the pavilions on an overhead bridge his home.
Wanbao readers who called the paper about him say he appears too well-dressed and decent to be a vagrant, but often looks depressed. They have also seen him popping pills and he has fainted on the streets a number of times.
Abandoned after heart attack
Chen Wen Kuang, 56, told Wanbao that he was working as a chef when he met and married his wife - a study mama from China.
He came to Singapore from Malaysia to work many years ago and is now a Singapore permanent resident. His wife, 40, came to Singapore with her son from a previous marriage.
He married his wife about ten years ago and they had a second son four years ago. She was repatriated in November 2005, but he continued to remit money to them every month.
Last year, at the age of 55, he withdrew close to $10,000 in savings from the Central Provident Fund (CPF) and remitted them to his wife.
He was hospitalised after a heart attack near the end of 2008 and the medical expenses depleted his life savings.
His wife broke off all contact with him after that. Mr Chen was tearful when he told Wanbao how he ended up homeless in Chinatown.
"Although we are in different countries, I still consider her my wife. I never expected her to stop taking my calls once I stopped sending her money. Last month, she cancelled her phone line and I have no way of contacting her now.
"After I was discharged from hospital, I was too weak to work and could not pay my rent. I have no money and cannot reach my wife. I have no other relatives and didn't know where to go, so I came to Chinatown and started sleeping on the bridge."
Mr Chen now wanders aimlessly around Chinatown, resting at fast food outlets or coffee shops when he is tired. Hawkers who learnt of his plight have been giving him food, and he washes his clothes at the hawker centre.
Backpack stolen
To make things worse, his health has been deteriorating, and he now has problems with his lungs and intestines as well.
When he fainted at a coffee shop recently, his backpack containing all his possessions was stolen. He lost his passport, identity card, bank passbook, handphone, medicine, clothes and $400 in cash.
"Without all my documents, I can't even withdraw the few hundred dollars I have in my bank account now. I really don't know where to turn to, and how I am going to live from now on."
He deserves his lot!
