The PRC Bungalow Cheat - There are many other unreported similar cases

Dear TRS,

The recent news about the china PR who stayed at the Singaporean widow's bungalow struck a raw nerve in me.

(See: PRC family allegedly tried to take over $40 million assets of 87 year old widow)

It’s only thanks to social media that issues such as this cannot be kept under wraps anymore. But these type of cons and devious planning are not new at all.

Why don’t you guys write and find out more about these people? Start with the name “Loh Boon Chye” and the Tembeling road estate saga during the late 90s. And the deceased family descendants who experienced the death and breakup of 3 family members thanks to people like this… literally 家破人亡. They had to deal with unscrupulous people and lawyers like these and back then WHO COULD THEY TURN TO? They approached police, MPs, authorities but was pushed away saying it was a family / civil matter. In the end, the needless tragic deaths.... I wish you dig this up.

Below is an article I contributed In January last year during the death anniversary of the matriarch on TR Emeritus which should help shed some light on cons like these.

"There used to live a family on Tembeling Road... The matriarch was the head of the family. along with the husband, and 3 children, 1 brother and 2 sisters. The matriarch was know as "Miss Chen" throughout the street of Tembeling road. During that time, neighbors got to know one another by name, and didn't just say "bye". Neighbours got around together in the morning for Tai Zi every morning at 6am and had breakfast together at regular coffeeshops owned by neighbors. Neighbours got together to do charity together. In the past, to prevent misuse of funding / taxes, neighbours didn't donate $. Neighbours pooled resources together and bought Milo, got old clothes, adult diapers, and other daily necessities for old folks homes and book a bus and went from homes to homes delivering charity. No press releases, no big tv shows, no stars, no dramas, just simple way of treating fellow citizens in Singapore who're slightly less-off.

The matriarch was not that well off, having owned just a few shares in holding companies including many in jewelry related industry, and several investments in various properties. It wasn't exactly a lot but it was much more than the average guy on the street. And at that time whereby a HDB flat used to cost only $30k, it was quite a comfortable living. Alas though, it invoked the ill intentions of a gigolo who masqueraded as a friend of her son. The gigolo came out with a sad grandmother story of how he was a orphan and needed a room to rent. Hence, the matriarch took him in and let him have a room to stay in the servant room, at a hugely discounted room rental rate, on the account of her son who was his friend as well.

Days went by, followed by months, years and it wasn't long before the gigolo earned the trust of the old matriarch. He first sowed discord among the children themselves followed by between the children and the old matriarch. Finally at wits end, the son asked the gigolo to move out but the matriarch vetoed against so and this caused a huge falling out between the son and the mother. Even though the son was suffering from kidney failure and had to stay home most of the time, the son left home to stay out alone at another apartment and finally died. Accordingly to the doctor, he didn't die of kidney failure even though he was suffering from it, but from complications arising due to increased blood pressure which affected the rest of the body functions including his kidney.

Enraged by the turn of events, the daughters tried their best to talk the matriarch around but to no avail. During that time, that era... children don't talk back to their parents but only listen... regardless how old the children are whether they are 10s,20s,30s, or even 40s so it was pretty hard to talk to the matriarch. And since then, the daughters seems more detached from their mother ever... But there was nothing much they could do. They don't really care about the money, since all of them are already married with family of their own and able to survive but all they wanted was just the old family photo back... whereby the people in the photo are smiling instead of crying.

Another year or 2 went by, and affected by the death of their son, and add to that the inevitable cycle of life and death, the matriarch's husband health deteriorated & was in the last stage of life. What happened next was excruciating: The gigolo advised the matriarch to send the husband to a very cheap old nursing home to save money. And that old folk's home was seriously lacking in hygiene whereby they'll pick up needles that dropped to the floor and use it on the old folks instead of changing a new one. Again complication arose, and the husband died not soon after.

On the day of the husband's funeral arrangement, the gigolo told the matriarch to do a simple 3 days wake instead of 7 days so as again to cut down on cost and save money since the person is no longer around and no point spending unnecessarily and to save the money instead. The daughters, enraged by the turn of events and how heartless their mother could be towards their father who just passed away, managed to keep their cool until the funeral is over as they didn't want disturb the proceeding of their father's funeral and wanted him to leave in peace. After the funeral, they tried once again to talk to their mother, the matriarch who once again refused to listen. At this point of time, it was apparent though that regardless how smart and scheming the matriarch was when she was younger, how clever she was at reading people's mind when she was younger, it was apparent now that neither she could escape the cycle of life as her wisdom and street smart, and cleverness was failing her as she failed to read the gigolo's intention even up to now. Add to that the grand age of 80+ when her husband passed away, it was apparent that her mind was not as smart and quick as what it used to be.

Left at wits end, the daughter called the press to share their story, hoping that the gigolo will be turned away by the focus of attention and to leave their family and their mother alone. You have to understand by now that during that time in the 80s/90s, it was extremely uncommon for people to share their dirty linings in public not like now. It was even more uncommon for family of their status to share their dirty linings in public. But alas, the press didn't give them the fair coverage they needed as it seem to be more keen to sensationalize the news than to give the justice the daughters needed. They also interviewed the gigolo who claimed to have done absolutely nothing wrong and that the daughters were wrong in the first place but he couldn't provide any substantial reasonings. However, even though the press didn't give them the fair coverage nor justice the daughters needed, it was through this chain that they discovered through an anonymous source that there was a lawyer whom was secretly assisting the gigolo all these years and giving him advice on the legality of his actions and how to maneuver around so that he is in the clear. This particular lawyer seems largely possible to be the mind behind the entire drama as even though the gigolo was street smart, he wasn't academically qualified to know the in and outs of the legal system in Singapore, and he had to had some help on this.

After the death of her son, and her husband, not only did the matriarch sever all ties with the rest of the family, her 2 daughters, and left with the gigolo to stay in JB. But she also removed all names in the will and included only the gigolo. Even their family lawyer, a friend for close to half a decade was baffled by the matriarch's actions. At that period of time, while there was internet & 56kbps modems, there wasn't much "new media", nor social media to talk about, much alone mobile as well. At that period of time, it wasn't like now whereby if the traditional media didn't give you the justice / fairness you need, you still have new media. At that period of time, it wasn't like now whereby new / social media gave extensive publicity and coverage to the lawsuit case of OCBC whom had tried to protect the interest of a 92 year old account holder, against the step daughter who had tried to access her step-mother account on behalf of the step mother. This was a landmark case and a case which warrant public interest and safeguard. If only the matriarch's daughters had similar channels like new media / social media back then to give their case the coverage and fairness as well...