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If this has been posted or lurking in old thread apologies . . . . . SG Widow and China Tour Guide Asset Tussle . .. . http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/story/tussle-over-widows-40m-assets-turns-ugly-20140903 A seven-hour stand-off between an 87-year-old Singaporean widow and a 34-year-old woman from China ended yesterday after the younger woman agreed to leave the widow's $30 million bungalow, where she had stayed for a year without rent. It was the latest twist in a saga that began in 2008, after the widow, retired physiotherapist Chung Khin Chun, met the Chinese woman's tour guide husband while on holiday in China. The 40-year-old man, Mr Yang Yin, later got close to Madam Chung and, in 2009, moved into her Gerald Crescent bungalow, allegedly took over her assets worth $40 million and brought his family to live with him there. Madam Chung's niece, 60-year-old travel agency owner Hedy Mok, started court proceedings to revoke Mr Yang's guardianship of her aunt's $40 million assets earlier this year

A widow who lost $280,000 after handing the money to an acquaintance to make a Chinese property investment has lost her legal bid to get it back. Madam Lim Choo Eng's husband died in 2012 when a Ferrari crashed into his taxi and she used some of the money she got after his death to invest in a plot of land in China, giving it to Madam Koh Siew Eng - including a $50,000 deposit within four days of meeting her. When she realised she had been tricked, she tried to sue Madam Koh for a refund - but Madam Koh contended that she was just a "mouthpiece" facilitating the transaction and had transferred the money to a third party in China who granted Madam Lim a sub-lease for the plot. In a judgment on Friday (Aug 23), a High Court judge dismissed Madam Lim's case, even though he found she was honest and he believed her testimony more than Madam Koh's. Justice Choo Han Teck said Madam Lim's claim of misrepresentation must fail as she had not pleaded that there was a contract, oral or written, between her and Madam Koh. "Although it seems to me that Lim appeared to have acted in reliance on Koh's representation, and might even have come to an agreement with her, none of that was pleaded and the court cannot write their contract for them," said the judge. Justice Choo will hear arguments on costs at a later date, but said he did not think Madam Lim should have to bear any legal costs for the case. Madam Lim's husband, Mr Cheng Teck Hock, died aged 52 after a speeding Ferrari crashed into his taxi at the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street. The Ferrari's driver, Chinese national Ma Chi, also died in the accident. Mr Ma's insurers offered advance payouts for third-party claims while public donations poured in for Mr Cheng's family. In 2014, Madam Lim decided to invest some money through Madam Koh. The two women became acquainted through their respective sons, who were friends. Madam Lim said Madam Koh claimed to be a successful investor and offered her a joint investment opportunity to buy land in China which was to be redeveloped and sold for a profit. Between March and August 2014, Madam Lim transferred more than $280,000 to Madam Koh and Madam Koh's sister. In August 2014, Madam Lim and Madam Koh flew to China to meet Mr Lu Jinlin, who was supposed to lease the land from a village committee. He did not show Madam Lim the land because of "bad weather" but she was assured by Mr Lu and Madam Koh that she would get a stake. In March 2015, Mr Lu came to Singapore and signed a document granting Madam Lim a 70-year sub-lease for part of the land. Madam Lim did not get any more information about the deal and said it was only in 2017 that she realised Madam Koh did not invest in the land. Madam Koh said Madam Lim was always aware that she was only an agent; she denied having made claims about a joint investment. She said the money was transferred to Mr Lu and his family between April 2014 and October 2016. Madam Lim's lawyer, Mr Renganathan Shankar, argued that Madam Koh had orchestrated the entire scheme as she was aware of Madam Lim's finances due to the publicity surrounding her husband's death. He argued that Madam Lim was entitled to rescind the contract or to damages. But Justice Choo said Madam Koh was not a party to the sub-lease, a contract between Madam Lim and Mr Lu. The judge added that the sub-lease was "highly suspect". Unfortunately, the authenticity of the document was not challenged, nor did Madam Lim check with the land owners as to whether her sub-lease was recognised.

Dead cabby leaves wife with debt of $68K Indonesian woman in the dark over family finances is now only left with $80 and 3 young kids to cope with. -TNP Fri, May 21, 2010 The New Paper By Arul John THE plate of fried noodles she had cooked for her children lay untouched hours later. Tragedy had struck the family with the sudden death of its only breadwinner. Taxi driver Sun Leong Hock, 49, collapsed and died in the toilet of his three-room flat on Ubi Avenue 1 on Monday. His widow, Madam Darsinah, a 30-year-old Indonesian, is now left to cope with their three young kids and heavy debt. Mr Sun handled the household expenses, giving his wife $10 a day to buy food for herself and the kids. This was the only money she ever handled, Madam Darsinah said, and now she must contend with overdue bills. She showed The New Paper reminder letters asking for payment of $2,109.50 arrears on their flat's mortgage and $113.70 in utility bills. Madam Darsinah said she had no savings and did not know if her husband had any. >> Next: Bankrupt Bankrupt It seems unlikely as checks showed that Mr Sun filed for bankruptcy in January over a debt of about $68,000. It is not known what the debt was for and Madam Darsinah said she knew nothing about it. A search through her late husband's belongings turned up only about $80. She said she found $39 and a US$5 (S$7) note in his wallet and his coin purse had about $40. Madam Darsinah, who has only primary school education, often sobbed into Mr Sun's black jacket while telling her story. "What am I going to do now? My husband paid all the bills and handled most of the household expenses," she said. "I never thought his illness would be so serious." Mr Sun came down with a fever on Friday but put off seeing a doctor because he wanted to save money. "He had been sick before but it was mostly coughs and colds and feeling 'heaty'," said Madam Darsinah. He remained feverish during the weekend and finally saw a doctor at a clinic near their home on Sunday. But his condition worsened. At 5.30am on Monday, he woke up to go to the toilet in their bedroom and asked his wife to fry some kway teow for their children, aged eight, six and five. Madam Darsinah said: "He said he had diarrhoea. I fried the noodles and then went to use the toilet in the kitchen. "When I returned to the bedroom, I saw my husband sitting on the toilet seat and propping himself up with his arms on a pail in front of the toilet bowl. He was breathing heavily. "I became frightened and cried and woke the children, and told my eldest child to help his father." Madam Darsinah then went to their neighbour's flat to call for an ambulance. She said: "The neighbour went to my flat and saw my husband in the toilet. I noticed his eyes and skin were yellow. "The neighbour asked me to put medicated oil on his nostrils. When I did that, I felt his body and it was cold." She said the paramedics pronounced her husband dead at about 6.30am. The death certificate indicated the cause of death as "cardiopulmonary failure pending further investigations". When The New Paper visited the family later that day, the plate of fried noodles was still untouched and Mr Sun's blue Comfort taxi was parked below the block. There was a television set in the living room, and two blue sofas, but no sign of any family photographs. The couple and the children all slept on two mattresses in one bedroom. The kitchen had a refrigerator, a stove and a washing machine. The children have hardly any toys but they have a pet dog called Appu. Madam Darsinah, the second of eight daughters born to Java farmers, said she met MrSun in 2000 when he visited the coffee shop in west Java where she was working. Previous << >> Next: Came to Singapore Came to Singapore He used to visit her once every fortnight and their first two children, a son and daughter, were born in Indonesia in 2002 and 2004. Madam Darsinah said: "After the children were born, he used to give me $50 or $60 whenever he visited me. That was just enough to get by but he did not have much more money to give us." In 2004, Mr Sun brought them to Singapore and they registered their marriage on June 25 that year. Their second son was born the following year. Madam Darsinah said: "Since moving to Singapore, I have not contacted my parents or visited them because my husband had no money. He was also not in contact with his family members." Madam Darsinah said she was worried about how she would pay her eldest son's school fees and her younger children's kindergarten fees. She showed us a letter from the Chinese Development Assistance Council that indicated they received a $150 cheque as financial help in February. Madam Darsinah said Mr Sun was a bus driver for 13 years, then a lorry driver for a few years. She said: "He began driving his taxi in January this year. He would start at 7.30am and return home for a rest at about 2pm. "Then he would drive his taxi from 5pm until about 8pm.He worked from Monday to Saturday." Madam Darsinah said they seldom went out on Sundays, save for occasional trips to Giant hypermarket at Tampines. She said she used to go to the market once every fortnight but had not done so for nearly a month. She said: "We usually bought the cheapest vegetables, small fish, some rice and noodles. I would cook simple meals with whatever was in the refrigerator or wewould eat out." Undertaker Roland Tay,who learnt of Madam Darsinah's plight from some residents in her block, said he would handle Mr Sun's funeral arrangements for free. He said he had paid $200 to the owner of a food stall below their block so that Madam Darsinah and her children could have free meals there. Mr Tay said a wake was held at Casket Fairprice parlour at Block 37, Sin Ming Drive, yesterday. Mr Sun's body will be cremated at Mandai Crematorium today and his ashes stored in a Buddhist temple. Previous << >> Next: Help on the way for troubled family Help on the way for troubled family THE Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) said Mr Sun was referred to it for financial help by his Member of Parliament last year. A spokesman said his family received help from last November till last month. The case was due for review this month. After learning of Mr Sun's death from The New Paper, the spokesman said CDAC will give his family the necessary support and may visit them today. Ms Tammy Tan, ComfortDelGro's group corporate communications officer, said they would get in touch with Madam Darsinah to offer assistance. She could not disclose more details as the case was under police investigation. She said: "We will assist the police in their investigations." The principal of the school which the eldest child attends said they would do whatever they could to help him. She said: "The boy's well-being is our top priority. When he first joined the school, he could not speak English but now he can speak English quite well and did well in the recent exams." An SP Services spokesman said that it would try to help customers like Madam Darsinah by offering instalment plans or deferring payment on a case-by-case basis. This article was first published in The New Paper. ................................................................................ Hi MCForummers Need 10 kind souls' commitment to donate S$10 a month for the next 6 months. If you are willing please put your name down. Just 10 pax will do. I will gather the money for the first month and the next person do it for the second month onwards and so on so forth. Commitment entails helping to collect $10 from the 10 guys. Each one do it once. I believe it is important to visit and offer encouragment to the family so please do not just offer money alone. Meanwhile I will have to get the contact details of the family. If anyone knows please drop me a PM. Alternatively I may have to call CDAC etc and this takes time. If you are willing to make the commitment please pen your nick below and drop me a PM. Thank you and have a good day. Mods, pls bear with me. Thank you. 1. Piyopico

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1015906/1/.html Newlywed groom found dead at hotel driveway By Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 04 November 2009 1711 hrs SINGAPORE: A newlywed groom was believed to have fallen to his death just hours after his wedding reception at Hilton Hotel. Police said they received a call at about 3.25am on Wednesday that a man was lying motionless outside a hotel in Orchard Road. The Chinese man, who was in his early thirties, was clad in T-shirt and shorts. His body was found at the hotel driveway. Paramedics pronounced him dead at about 3.35am. He was believed to have fallen from the 24th floor near the hotel pool area. Police are investigating the incident.

Cancer-stricken man, grateful to neighbour for nursing him, dies 5 hours after hospital solemnisation Marry me at deathbed now to inherit my flat (source: http://www.tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,192235,00.html?) SHE was devoted to him. He was dying of cancer, and she stayed by his side, continuing to care for him even when he became incontinent and she had to bathe and clean him. They were not husband and wife, yet they did not need wedding rites to seal their love. They were legally married only when he was on his deathbed. And only because he wanted to leave his flat to her. The bride turned widow on the same day. He died hours after signing their marriage certificate. Their marriage was the most memorable one for solemniser Mr David Loh, 61, who conducted the ceremony by the 64-year-old groom's hospital bed. Though the marriage took place 61/2 years ago, on 29 August 2002, the memory is fresh in his mind. 'It was the most touching marriage I ever saw. It was the saddest, but I could feel there was so much real unconditional love between the two of them,' he said. He declined to give their names, saying he wanted to respect the privacy of the wife and her family. Mr Loh had received an urgent call the day before to solemnise the marriage. 'I didn't ask any questions when I heard the location was at the National University Hospital,' he recalled. ENDURING LOVE: The 64-year-old cancer patient, seen here with his then 50-year-old neighbour, was so weak that he could barely speak during the solemnisation at his hospital bed. It was only when he reached the venue the next day that he learnt of the circumstances of this mature couple's marriage. 'When I arrived, I was quite surprised because I saw the couple and two young women in their late 20s and they already seemed like a family to me,' he said. He had assumed the two young women were the couple's daughters from their behaviour. 'They treated the man like he was their father,' he recalled. He then found out that the two young women were the grown-up daughters of the 50-year-old bride and the groom was actually their downstairs neighbour at a block of three-room flats in Bukit Merah. 'The groom then told me that his neighbour and her two daughters had taken care of him throughout his illness and he wanted to marry her so that she could have his flat when he passed away in order to repay their kindness,' recounted Mr Loh. Sceptical of the motives of the bride-to-be, Mr Loh said he questioned the man further. 'I wanted to make sure he knew what he was doing. I asked him if he really wanted to marry the woman and if he was sure that she would become the owner of his flat should he pass away,' said Mr Loh. But the man's answer was resolute. He replied that he knew he was dying. The doctors had already told him there was nothing more they could do except give him medication to ease his pain. The man told Mr Loh that he knew he could lose consciousness soon and thus wanted to ensure that the 50-year-old woman who nursed him through his illness could inherit his three-room HDB flat. Mr Loh then spoke to the woman and her two daughters in order to find out more. 'I observed that they were indeed very attentive to him,' he recalled. 'They would wipe his mouth because he could not control his salivation, and the woman would constantly be watching him and adjusting his blanket or pillow to make sure he was as comfortable as possible.' He then learnt from the woman that she had been taking care of the man for more than a year. He had been suffering from cancer long before they met. Cooked for sick man She and her daughters took turns to clean his flat, wash his clothes, and cooked three meals a day for him. They even bathed and helped clean him when he became incontinent. 'He had to use adult diapers, and when I asked where the money for the expenses came from, the woman simply replied that as he didn't have any money, she supported him,' said Mr Loh. 'I was very moved. They were not related, yet she and her daughters were more than a family to him.' Mr Loh who has overseen 6,000 weddings as a solemniser for the past 12 years decided that he had to help the dying man fulfil his last wish. 'The groom was in a lot of pain and he could barely speak. But he forced himself to sit up for the ceremony and sign the marriage certificate,' said Mr Loh. The groom could not afford a single ward, so Mr Loh drew the curtains around the bed for privacy and conducted the solemnisation with the two daughters as witnesses. He then took his camera and took a few pictures of the couple and the family. 'I told them they must have some pictures to keep for memories. It was only during the photo-taking they smiled a little. Other than that, the atmosphere was very sad,' he recalled. Only five hours after he had solemnised the marriage, Mr Loh received a call from one of the woman's daughters that the groom had died. 'They were so helpless and at a loss as to what to do and asked me for advice,' Mr Loh said. His wife made arrangements for her husband to be cremated according to his last wishes. 'It was the shortest marriage, but it was true love. They were like real husband and wife long before they went through the formalities,' he said.