'No money' for alimony

[Luke Skywalker]

Sep 29, 2010
'No money' for alimony

By Khushwant Singh

HE HAD stopped paying his ex-wife the $500 monthly maintenance awarded to her by the divorce court, claiming he was in financial difficulty. But in the three years that Tan Yeow Heng defaulted on his payments, the 50-year-old food-stall operator had bought a new car, got remarried and was also able to afford a maid for his new wife and stepson. Tan, who is earning $3,200 a month, also tried to get the maintenance order stopped as he had a new family to support.

But his application was dismissed last month. He is appealing. In the judgement released this week, District Judge Nicole Loh pointed out that none of the reasons Mr Tan offered for failing to pay maintenance went back to April 2007, the time he stopped making payments to Madam Siew Yin Kum, 46, whom he divorced in 1998. He had only remarried in November 2007.

Read the full report in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.

 

[Diao Chan]

Bought car, didn't pay ex-wife


Sep 30, 2010
Bought car, didn't pay ex-wife

Man who defaulted on maintenance for 3 years could employ a maid for his new wife

By Khushwant Singh

HE HAD stopped paying his former wife the $500 monthly maintenance awarded to her by the divorce court, claiming he was in financial difficulty. But during the three years that Tan Yeow Heng defaulted on his payments, the 50-year-old food-stall operator bought a new car, married again and was also able to afford a maid for his new wife and stepson.

Tan, who is earning $3,200 a month, also tried to get the maintenance order stopped as he had a new family to support. But his application was dismissed last month. He is appealing. In her judgment this week, District Judge Nicole Loh said none of the reasons Tan offered for failing to pay maintenance went back to April 2007, the time he stopped making payments to Madam Siew Yin Kum, 46, whom he divorced in 1998.

He had only remarried in November 2007. Judge Low added that as his new wife is unemployed, and the family has a maid, it was unfair 'to push the burden of his decision to be the sole breadwinner of his new family on the ex-wife and son, which is what he is seeking to do'.