Yishun resident said he saw three disabled men selling tissues recently
A disabled man was recently seen selling tissues in Yishun, eliciting some sympathy from passers-by.
However, when approached by the police he was found to be a foreigner and taken away, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Disabled man seen selling tissues below Yishun block
A 78-year-old reader named only as Mr Deng (transliterated from Mandarin) told Shin Min that the incident took place at about 8am on Friday (13 Sept) at Block 846 Yishun Ring Road.
He was having breakfast when he saw the man seated next to a shop on the ground floor, selling tissues.
Source: Google Maps
The man had no left arm and his right arm had also been amputated.
Police discovered that man is not local
A woman told Mr Deng that she pitied the man, so she called the police hoping they would help him.
Unexpectedly, a number of police officers took him away after talking with him.
A nearby shopkeeper told Shin Min that he saw the police search the man’s backpack for his passport.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
They then found out that he was not local.
The man, who was calm when talking with the officers, then left with them — presumably having been arrested, the shopkeeper said.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
A lawyer told the Chinese daily that once foreigners are found guilty they would be deported after being punished.
Passers-by would give money to man
The shopkeeper noted that the man had appeared in the area about two weeks ago.
He would usually sit quietly and sell tissues without saying a word to those in the shop.
Kind-hearted passers-by would usually give him money, with one even giving him a S$50 note.
A stallholder, 60-year-old Mr Zeng (transliterated from Mandarin), said the man sat next to his stall on Wednesday (11 Sept).
Feeling sympathetic, he bought him a drink and gave him S$10. The man thanked him in a Mainland Chinese accent.
Mr Zeng has seen others give the man money without taking any tissues in return.
Other disabled men also seen selling tissues in Yishun
A resident who declined to be named said that he’d seen at least three such disabled men in the area this month.
Besides the man who was taken away by the police, he also saw a man with a disabled leg selling tissues a few weeks ago.
All three of these disabled individuals were foreigners, he claimed, without specifying how he knew.
They would usually appear on weekends at about 6am or 7am, he added.
He suspected that they were part of a “foreign begging syndicate”. If that’s so, he felt that they were taking advantage of the kindness of residents.
Other residents were worried that having them around might affect the appearance of the neighbourhood.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
