Re: Crime number one worry among Malaysians
S'pore dad, 82, found weak, dirty and hungry in JB after being dumped by family
An 82-year-old Singaporean father was found on the streets of Johor Bahru -- dirty, hungry and weak after being abandoned by his family.
According to a report in The New Paper, the man was picked up by the Malaysian police, repatriated and sent to a home for the destitute here two months ago. The man is one of a number of elderly Singaporeans who have been abandoned overseas.
Social workers say his case is not unique, as Singaporeans have also been allegedly abandoned in Indonesia and China. A source familiar with the case said the man claimed he was abandoned by a family member and had a son in Singapore. While he could walk, he was very weak and in a wheelchair.
The New Paper has also chosen not to name him to avoid embarrassing him. The elderly man was taken to Angsana Home under the Destitute Person’s Act. His family was subsequently contacted and he is no longer with the home.
According to The New Paper, a person who was familiar with the case said that he was "totally undernourished and that they’ve never seen a Singaporean in this condition".
"He looked like a person from a state of famine," said TNP's source.
He also looked like he had not showered in a while. His clothes were dirty. He was grouchy, claiming he was hungry when he was picked up. He appeared slightly deaf, but spoke good English.
“You could smell him from 10 feet away,” said the source.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesman said the Consulate-General in Johor Baru provided consular assistance to the Singaporean and, with the support of the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), arranged for his return to the Republic.
Two social workers said overseas abandonment is a cause for concern. Fei Yue Family Service Centres’ assistant director Rachel Lee said it can be especially frightening for the elderly when they’re not familiar with the surroundings.
“It’s also not easy to prevent or detect abandonment once the parent is taken out of the country.”
Said centre manager Frances Lee of Care Corner Family Service Centre (Toa Payoh): “If (abandonment) is happening in Singapore and we’re hearing about it all the time, what makes us think they are not being abandoned elsewhere?”
Ms Rachel Lee said she has heard of cases of abandonment in Indonesia. About three years ago, a man convinced his mother to sell her HDB flat and “relocate” to Indonesia, telling her that medical care was cheaper there. The woman, who was in her 70s, suffered from health and mobility issues.
He left his mother with a distant relative in a remote village and disappeared with the proceeds from the sale of the flat. He visited her a few times initially, but later became uncontactable, she said. The woman was eventually taken to the Singapore embassy in Jakarta and repatriated.
