S
Sagat
Guest
Dec 8, 2010
Viet jailed, caned for harassing
By Elena Chong
A VIETNAMESE national who came to Singapore to look for a job ended working for an unlicensed moneylender to harass several house occupants. On Wednesday, Nguyen Van Thanh, 25, was sentenced to 16 months' jail and 12 strokes of the cane on five charges under the Moneylenders Act.
A district court heard that he found work peddling contraband cigarettes in Geylang shortly after his arrival on Sept 5. He later switched to harassing house occupants on behalf of loansharks, as he felt he was not earning enough as a cigarette pedlar.
Via short message service, a Vietnamese named Truu sent him the addresses of units to splash paint on and deface walls, for which he would be paid $50 a day. He would visit about five to six units a day. He did this for four days before he and a fellow Vietnamese, Hoa Quang Luc, 32, were arrested on Sept 21. Hoa's case is pending.
