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.
