Teenager beaten so badly he dies
THE senseless, unprovoked attack amid the Chinese New Year decorations in Chinatown has left one young man dead and his family heartbroken.
The attack happened at about 1.20am on 3 Jan.
Marcus Siah Wui Xiang, was beaten so badly that he slipped into a coma.
The 19-year-old, who had just completed his ITE studies, did not regain consciousness. He died at 6am yesterday at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
Two of his friends, Noel Ng Jin Kai and Ou Wen Han, both 19, suffered cuts and bruises and were given outpatient treatment.
A third friend, Goh Kin Seng, 15, managed to escape unhurt.
Noel, a student, told The New Paper that he and his childhood buddies had gone to Chinatown last Friday night to enjoy the Chinese New Year atmosphere.
They had supper at around 11pm and about two hours later, they headed towards a bus stop near the Furama City Centre.
Shouts from strangers
Noel said: 'It was then that we heard someone shouting at us, 'Oi, kua si mi?' (Hokkien for what are you looking at).
'We looked up and saw a group of six men running down the overhead bridge towards us.'
Before the four friends could react, they were attacked by the group, who were wielding metal rods and beer bottles.
'I was kicked and fell into a drain,' Noel recalled.
One of the attackers then grabbed Wen Han's branded bag, worth about $200, but the latter held on to it.
According to Noel, Wen Han let go of his bag only when his attacker broke a beer bottle and threatened to stab him with it.
The third friend, Kin Seng, ran away and managed to escape unhurt.
Noel said the assailants then left him and Wen Han alone and fled.
But the duo saw two others chasing after Marcus with a metal rod. The two friends lost sight of the men shortly after.
Noel said that they did not know the assailants but he recalled seeing them in Chinatown earlier.
'After they left us, we went searching for Marcus around the vicinity,' he said.
'We finally found him sitting on the ground at the open space carpark in front of the Subordinate Courts.'
Conscious at first
Marcus was conscious, but he was in a daze and in pain. His belongings were intact.
'He was not bleeding and we carried him to the stairs so that he could sit down,' said Noel.
'He started vomiting and was incoherent. We couldn't make out what he was saying.'
They then called for an ambulance and all four were taken to SGH.
Marcus suffered blood clots in his brain and injuries to his left leg and chin.
His sister, Miss Melissa Siah, 21, said that he slipped into a coma after a four-hour brain operation.
Said Miss Siah, who is unemployed: 'My parents and I were by his bedside every day talking to him, telling him to wake up soon. But he had no reaction at all.'
Marcus, whose parents are divorced, was the only son.
He lived in a three-room flat with his mother, Madam Chai Choi Meng, and his sister.
Madam Chai was in China holidaying when she learnt that her son was injured.
She wanted to return to Singapore immediately, but could not get on an earlier flight. She returned on 4 Jan as scheduled.
Miss Siah said that the night before her brother died, doctors had told the family that he was recovering well.
'My parents, especially my mother, were so relieved and happy.
'She left the hospital at about 9pm that night and was smiling,' she said.
'That was the first time she smiled since my brother was warded.
Turn for the worse
But the next day at 4am, Miss Siah received a call from SGH telling them to rush down.
She was told that her brother's temperature had dropped suddenly and they had to be prepared for the worst.
Madam Chai, a clerk, 48, broke down and was inconsolable when he was pronounced dead.
She had to be helped onto a wheelchair.
Miss Siah said: 'She cried: 'How could he leave me just like that'?'
Marcus' friends, who were with him when they were attacked, were also by his bedside when he died.
They were later asked to go to the police station to give their statements.
A police spokesman said that no arrests have been made and they are investigating. The case has been classified as unnatural death, pending post-mortem results.
Miss Siah described her brother as quiet, timid and good-natured.
She said: 'He was the kind who would avoid getting into trouble and was never a cause of worry for our parents.'
Marcus, who had studied digital media, planned to take up computer graphics.
He was waiting for his results and was about to serve his national service.
He will be cremated today.
THE senseless, unprovoked attack amid the Chinese New Year decorations in Chinatown has left one young man dead and his family heartbroken.
The attack happened at about 1.20am on 3 Jan.
Marcus Siah Wui Xiang, was beaten so badly that he slipped into a coma.
The 19-year-old, who had just completed his ITE studies, did not regain consciousness. He died at 6am yesterday at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
Two of his friends, Noel Ng Jin Kai and Ou Wen Han, both 19, suffered cuts and bruises and were given outpatient treatment.
A third friend, Goh Kin Seng, 15, managed to escape unhurt.
Noel, a student, told The New Paper that he and his childhood buddies had gone to Chinatown last Friday night to enjoy the Chinese New Year atmosphere.
They had supper at around 11pm and about two hours later, they headed towards a bus stop near the Furama City Centre.
Shouts from strangers
Noel said: 'It was then that we heard someone shouting at us, 'Oi, kua si mi?' (Hokkien for what are you looking at).
'We looked up and saw a group of six men running down the overhead bridge towards us.'
Before the four friends could react, they were attacked by the group, who were wielding metal rods and beer bottles.
'I was kicked and fell into a drain,' Noel recalled.
One of the attackers then grabbed Wen Han's branded bag, worth about $200, but the latter held on to it.
According to Noel, Wen Han let go of his bag only when his attacker broke a beer bottle and threatened to stab him with it.
The third friend, Kin Seng, ran away and managed to escape unhurt.
Noel said the assailants then left him and Wen Han alone and fled.
But the duo saw two others chasing after Marcus with a metal rod. The two friends lost sight of the men shortly after.
Noel said that they did not know the assailants but he recalled seeing them in Chinatown earlier.
'After they left us, we went searching for Marcus around the vicinity,' he said.
'We finally found him sitting on the ground at the open space carpark in front of the Subordinate Courts.'
Conscious at first
Marcus was conscious, but he was in a daze and in pain. His belongings were intact.
'He was not bleeding and we carried him to the stairs so that he could sit down,' said Noel.
'He started vomiting and was incoherent. We couldn't make out what he was saying.'
They then called for an ambulance and all four were taken to SGH.
Marcus suffered blood clots in his brain and injuries to his left leg and chin.
His sister, Miss Melissa Siah, 21, said that he slipped into a coma after a four-hour brain operation.
Said Miss Siah, who is unemployed: 'My parents and I were by his bedside every day talking to him, telling him to wake up soon. But he had no reaction at all.'
Marcus, whose parents are divorced, was the only son.
He lived in a three-room flat with his mother, Madam Chai Choi Meng, and his sister.
Madam Chai was in China holidaying when she learnt that her son was injured.
She wanted to return to Singapore immediately, but could not get on an earlier flight. She returned on 4 Jan as scheduled.
Miss Siah said that the night before her brother died, doctors had told the family that he was recovering well.
'My parents, especially my mother, were so relieved and happy.
'She left the hospital at about 9pm that night and was smiling,' she said.
'That was the first time she smiled since my brother was warded.
Turn for the worse
But the next day at 4am, Miss Siah received a call from SGH telling them to rush down.
She was told that her brother's temperature had dropped suddenly and they had to be prepared for the worst.
Madam Chai, a clerk, 48, broke down and was inconsolable when he was pronounced dead.
She had to be helped onto a wheelchair.
Miss Siah said: 'She cried: 'How could he leave me just like that'?'
Marcus' friends, who were with him when they were attacked, were also by his bedside when he died.
They were later asked to go to the police station to give their statements.
A police spokesman said that no arrests have been made and they are investigating. The case has been classified as unnatural death, pending post-mortem results.
Miss Siah described her brother as quiet, timid and good-natured.
She said: 'He was the kind who would avoid getting into trouble and was never a cause of worry for our parents.'
Marcus, who had studied digital media, planned to take up computer graphics.
He was waiting for his results and was about to serve his national service.
He will be cremated today.
