Bugis hawker accused of hitting fellow hawker after rat enters his stall
A dispute reportedly broke out on Monday (17 Nov) between two noodle hawkers in Bugis after a rat ran into one of their stalls.
The police ended up being called after one of the hawkers accused the other of hitting her, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Source: Joyful Explorer on Google Maps
Bugis hawker allegedly spots rat scurrying into his stall
The incident occurred at about 10am at the Chang Cheng Mee Wah coffee shop in Block 269B Queen Street.
It started when the male stallholder of the Bukit Purmei Lor Mee stall, who declined to be named, allegedly saw a rat entering his stall while he was opening up.
The rodent even scurried past his wife’s feet, he told the Chinese daily.
He suspected that it came from the adjacent Shan Yuan Teochew Kway Teow Noodle stall, and claimed to have seen rats and cockroaches there before.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Male hawker claims he only ‘lightly patted’ the other vendor
The Lor Mee vendor then urged Shan Yuan’s stallholder to be more careful, but she denied that the rat came from her stall, he said.
She also allegedly kept muttering, so he became annoyed and “lightly patted” her on the shoulder, he added, claiming:
I didn’t use force to hit her. If I did, would she still be standing there?
Female hawker claims she was struck hard & nearly fell
Shan Yuan’s stallholder, 52-year-old Ms Zhao (transliterated from Mandarin), told Shin Min that he had told her about the rat that morning, so she asked him to get some rat traps.
However, while she was washing dishes, he suddenly hit her forcefully on her back, causing her to lose balance and fall forward, she claimed.
“Luckily, the sink stopped me from falling to the ground,” she said.
Ms Zhao called the police after the alleged assault, adding:
We can talk things out calmly, why resort to violence?
When reporters arrived, she was seen speaking to police officers while the male hawker cooked noodles in his stall.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
In response to queries from MS News, the Singapore Police Force confirmed that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.
Hawkers had previously argued over cleanliness
Ms Zhao said she and the male hawker had previously argued over the cleanliness of their stalls, which share the same unit in the coffee shop.
She claimed that the man would make rude remarks and accuse her of poor hygiene, adding:
When you’re in this business, it’s inevitable for rats to appear. I clean up every day before leaving.
Another hawker selling dim sum at the Bugis coffee shop claimed to have heard reports of rats on the premises but had never personally seen one.
They agreed that it was hard to avoid rats in the F&B business, but professed to have made efforts to keep the place clean.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
