A 70-year-old Singaporean elderly cleaner doused himself in
petroleum and burn himself to death as he was not able to find
employment after he was dismissed. The suicide happened at an
open-air carpark along Geylang Lorong 19. 70-year-old Tan Wen De,
known as “Ah Guu” in his previous kopitiam workplace, went to the
carpark around 10pm on Tuesday (May 31).
According to the Civil Defence, Ah Guu stood next to a parked
taxi and poured petroleum on himself before setting himself ablaze.
The taxi vehicle exploded and according to witnesses, the flame was
as high as 3 storeys. Ah Guu suffered more than 90% burn to his
body and was declared dead yesterday morning at 4am.
Ah Guu was working as a coffeeshop cleaner in Geylang for more
than 10 years, but he was recently dismissed by his employer.
According to his friend, Ah Guu’s life was very hard because he
earned barely a S$1,000 a month and was struggling with the cost of
living. Ah Guu was not able to find employment for more than a
week.
Before his suicide at the carpark, Ah Guu went to give thanks to
his friends who were loaning him money. The employer claimed that
he dismissed Ah Guu because of a quarrel with a customer and
colleague that happened at the coffeeshop.
Elderly suicide is getting more common in Singapore with the CPF
retirement system not paying adequate sums and the lack of Minimum
Wage for low income workers. In 2014, the number of elderly
suicides reached a historical high of 126. This is a 60% jump from
only 79 in 2000. Compared to 2010, there were only 95 elderly
suicides which confirmed the rising trend. There have also being a
rise in suicides among the poor in Singapore due to the lack of
welfare.
