'Regular patron for 20 years.' Actor Noah Yap explains why he visited hawker who was assaulted at East Coast Rd
SINGAPORE: When Noah Yap posted on social media on August 16 (Sunday) about his visit to Yeo Song Khoon, the 73-year-old hawker who was pushed to the ground during a confrontation with a younger man, some commenters wondered why.
While most merely expressed curiosity about the actor’s visit to Mr Yeo, others, apparently, were downright rude, accusing Mr Yap of wanting publicity.
The actor has since addressed this in another social media post.
On his Facebook page, he posted a comment from a netizen named George Teo, who had written, “Before the accident, this chap Noah Yap isn't there. After the accident, he's there to show concern and gather publicity. Smart actor fighting for limelight immediately in front of others.”
In his response, Mr Yap wrote that this did not come as much of a surprise, as he expected that there would be “naysayers like George Teo” who would accuse him of posting about Mr Yeo’s assault “for the clout and attention.”
“'Oh, Uncle got this situation and Noah just wanted to appear nice?’ Blah blah blah,” he added.
He went on to explain that for more than 20 years, he has been a regular patron of Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle on East Coast Road, beginning from the time when his mother would bring him there after primary school tuition or CCA.
“Each time I visited his stall to eat his noodles, his family, him, and I would always have a friendly chat, and they would always ask about my work and family, and vice versa. Practically, Uncle watched me grow up,” he added.
Because the family has grown dear to him, as soon as he heard about Mr Yeo’s assault, he planned to visit him the next day and to spread awareness about the incident.
After all, Mr Yeo’s family had posted the video of the assault and asked for help with identifying the man who confronted the elderly hawker.
“Get a life, la. I am not as free as you think,” he added.
The incident
On Saturday (Aug 15), a video was shared on the Facebook page of Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle 美樱雲吞麵, showing Mr Yeo walking between the tables of the eatery, and as he passed a little girl, he briefly touched her on the head. After he did this, the woman across from the child, presumably her mother, appeared to call his attention to what he’d done.
As she was speaking to Mr Yeo, a man who had previously been sitting with the girl and the woman, returned to the table and began to confront the uncle.
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However, soon after the man began speaking forcefully to the uncle and pointing in his face, he can be seen grabbing the older man by the arm and pulling him to the floor in an angry manner.
Other men can be seen coming quickly to the uncle’s aid and helping him up, and the confrontation between the two continued. /TISG