Huat Zai Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 A 79-year-old elderly man was living in the Sungei Tengah forest in Singapore all by himself for 33 years before being discovered recently. His homeless status was only detected by the authorities after he was caught illegally hawking vegetables in Teck Whye Lane in Choa Chu Kang on Dec. 25, 2021. The vegetables, which were confiscated, were believed to have been grown by him. Lived by pond, tended to own garden The sensational story about a man having resided in the wild over so many years was originally published by Shin Min Daily News on Jan. 17. A follow-up piece in English about the man moving to a one-room rental flat was subsequently published by The Straits Times on Jan. 28, and makes for a mind-boggling read. The articles essentially highlighted how it is possible for a person in Singapore to be a rough sleeper for more than three decades by making do with very little and just a makeshift tent in the forest. Lived in Sungei Tengah forest According to ST, Oh Go Seng was living in the forest in the northwestern part of the island, but the exact location was not disclosed. He had remained in the area after his kampung home was cleared. He is understood to have been shuttling between his forest residence and the wider nearby housing estate to be acquainted with the rest of society to earn money by selling vegetables there and finding work as a hard labourer. As he was living in the forest, he grew his own vegetables, such as chilli padi and pandan leaves. He would cook with an open fire and ate mostly porridge with preserved vegetables. He would draw untreated water from a nearby pond for cleaning purposes. And the clothes he wore were given to him by other people. His tent was made out of plastic canvas and propped up with wooden sticks. Photographs of his dwelling showed the barebones state of his accommodation in the midst of lush and haphazard greenery, with the barefoot man wearing filthy and torn clothing, while sitting on the ground strewn with rubbish, such as plastic packaging, soiled containers, and empty cardboard egg holders. To catch a glimpse of how dense the Sungei Tengah forest is, you can check out a runner's vlog that also showed how deserted it can be. Claims to have family in Indonesia Speaking in Hokkien, Oh was quoted by ST as saying that he never saw snakes in the forest, and that mosquitoes were his friend. He also claimed to have a wife in her 50s and a daughter, 19, who is studying medicine, and that they both live in Batam. He also said he sends them S$500 monthly -- money he saved up working as a labourer. But his wife and daughter are unaware of his well-being, according to Oh. Over the past two years after the pandemic struck, his savings started to run out when he could no longer work as a labourer at the pasar malam (night markets). Relocated to rental flat After he was caught illegally selling vegetables and given a warning, his situation became known to Bukit Panjang MP Liang Eng Hwa. authorities checked and found that Oh has a relative who lives in Bukit Panjang, Shin Min reported in a follow-up article on Jan. 18. The relative is the daughter-in-law of Oh's late brother. She was asked if she could give him shelter temporarily. Oh then moved in with her and her family for about a week as a one-room rental flat in Choa Chu Kang was arranged for him. Oh has since been relocated to the rental flat. Still has to work at age 79 ST reported that volunteers will work with the grassroots in his new community to find him spaces to continue to grow his vegetables. Besides a new dwelling, it was also reported that Oh has since found a job as a gardener at a horticulture company and earns S$1,200 monthly, but has to pay rent for his flat. It was not mentioned how much rent he now has to pay. People in community knew about his existence in the forest Chatter online after Oh's story broke suggested that people in the Choa Chu Kang area were aware of Oh's existence sleeping rough. This was so as they gave him food for sustenance and clothing over the years, and people in the Teck Whye estate do buy his vegetables. Hikers and runners have also said on social media they have come across Oh and his dwelling in the Sungei Tengah forest, and were also aware that he was living there. The sentiment expressed by those who claimed to have seen the elderly man in the forest said they chose to let him be. Not everyone processed this news the same way though. Over on the ST forum, one letter writer understood the story somewhat differently from the rest of the population, as he praised the elderly man for showing resilience to overcome adversity. https://mothership.sg/2022/02/man-live-singapore-forest-33-years/ 2 Official Mugentech Minecraft server: Please see thread in Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huat Zai Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 Problem: Man is too old and has no education or skills to provide for himself and his family. Solution: Give him a labor intensive job and make him pay rent. 1 4 Official Mugentech Minecraft server: Please see thread in Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huat Zai Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 @The_KingYou should interview him and take notes on off-grid living in sg 1 3 Official Mugentech Minecraft server: Please see thread in Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_King Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Huat Zai said: @The_KingYou should interview him and take notes on off-grid living in sg this one, i dont think i can ever match and i dont want stay in forest with bug Edited February 6, 2022 by The_King 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huat Zai Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 5 minutes ago, The_King said: this one, i dont think i can ever match and i dont want stay in forest with bug Grow lemongrass and keep a small lemongrass fire going 24/7 1 1 Official Mugentech Minecraft server: Please see thread in Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_King Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 4 minutes ago, Huat Zai said: Grow lemongrass and keep a small lemongrass fire going 24/7 cant la. stay in urban too long. all these cant. unless i hybrid which is my plan . i will post a lot more video on off grid thread once my bto is ready 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chamfer Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Good to stay close to nature. My late grandmother complained when we moved to hdb flat from a shophouse that cement is too cooling for our feet and can cause leg problems. She said walking on solid ground was better for health. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XianGe Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 2 hours ago, Huat Zai said: Problem: Man is too old and has no education or skills to provide for himself and his family. Solution: Give him a labor intensive job and make him pay rent. He unplugged for so many yrs now they pull him back in 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huat Zai Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 12 minutes ago, XianGe said: He unplugged for so many yrs now they pull him back in 2 Official Mugentech Minecraft server: Please see thread in Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XianGe Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 10 hours ago, Huat Zai said: Cipher... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaur4man Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 14 hours ago, Huat Zai said: Problem: Man is too old and has no education or skills to provide for himself and his family. Solution: Give him a labor intensive job and make him pay rent. wahahahaahahah fucking full of win 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socrates469bc Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 11 hours ago, XianGe said: He unplugged for so many yrs now they pull him back in 11 hours ago, Huat Zai said: confirm this old man wont live past 82 liao. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XianGe Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 44 minutes ago, socrates469bc said: confirm this old man wont live past 82 liao. Ya... Need make this thread sticky 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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