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Dec 23, 2009
Gambler sets herself ablaze
<!-- by line --> By Khushwant Singh
MADAM Wee Chiok was a familiar face on casino cruises and enjoyed playing mahjong with her friends for cash stakes. When the 67-year-old retiree's finances could not keep up with her gambling habit, she turned to loan sharks. Pressed to make good on her debts, she killed herself on Feb 6 by setting herself alight. Investigations revealed that the extent of her debt was $4,500. After Madam Wee's ghastly death, the police found several numbers on her phone that they believed to be linked to loan sharks, including a Chinese national, but no leads were found. But a spike in complaints about harassment by loan sharks has prompted a parliamentary Bill to invoke mandatory caning for loan sharks and their associates who hurt anyone or damage property. There were 13,771 complaints in the first nine months of this year compared to 11,789 for the whole of last year.
Read the full report in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
Dec 23, 2009
Gambler sets herself ablaze
<!-- by line --> By Khushwant Singh
MADAM Wee Chiok was a familiar face on casino cruises and enjoyed playing mahjong with her friends for cash stakes. When the 67-year-old retiree's finances could not keep up with her gambling habit, she turned to loan sharks. Pressed to make good on her debts, she killed herself on Feb 6 by setting herself alight. Investigations revealed that the extent of her debt was $4,500. After Madam Wee's ghastly death, the police found several numbers on her phone that they believed to be linked to loan sharks, including a Chinese national, but no leads were found. But a spike in complaints about harassment by loan sharks has prompted a parliamentary Bill to invoke mandatory caning for loan sharks and their associates who hurt anyone or damage property. There were 13,771 complaints in the first nine months of this year compared to 11,789 for the whole of last year.
Read the full report in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
