I mean, hey, we ( or at least mostly our gov ) often declare and proclaim we are a Developed Country, and that society here is largely 'affluent'. But the following article really makes me blush with embarrasment and disgrace.. !
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GREAT TOA PAYOH FREE-FOR-ALL
'SOMEONE PUSHED ME & SNATCHED MY SHOEBOX'
Housewife ends up with bruises after crowd goes crazy grabbing freebies
By Hedy Khoo
March 26, 2007
IT WAS a mad rush for freebies.
In their frenzy to grab as much as they can, they grabbed and pulled, leaving Madam Maisie Cheok with bruises on her right arm.
Still, the 77-year-old housewife considers herself lucky. Other elderly women fell and were nearly trampled at Toa Payoh Lorong 4.
All because about 100 people had gathered at a provision shop which was giving away goods yesterday morning.
The shop at Blk 70 had put out boxes with batteries - all probably past the expiry date - old stocks of rubber sandals, shoes, toothbrushes, and clothes hangers.
Rather than dump these items in garbage bins, the shop owner left them outside his shop so that those who wanted them could help themselves.
But his generous act resulted in pandemonium which began at 11.30am and ended 30 minutes later.
The crowd, made up mostly of elderly women, pushed and shoved so hard that many fell.
The situation became worse when they tried to grab the same items.
Madam Cheok, 77, had two dark bruises the size of fifty-cent coins on her right arm.
And what did she manage to hold on to after enduring so much pain?
A toothbrush and a pair of shoes which might fit her grand-daughter.
She said: 'I held on to a shoe box. Someone pushed me and tried to snatch it from me.'
She lamented that her bruises were quite 'painful'. On hindsight, she felt it was not worth the trouble.
It wasn't the first time that the owner, Mr Ang Chin Thian, 57, had given things away.
On Friday, he threw away 20 cartons of old stock, but that attracted fewer people, probably because it came as a surprise.
Yesterday, he cleared 30 cartons.
Some of those who turned up for the freebies even tried to take goods from the shop which were not part of the give away.
One of the shop's workers, Ms Jiang Xiao Yu, 62, said in Mandarin: 'They come to grab freebies and they also want to steal.'
She added: 'It's not our fault. We leave the goods there, and it is up to them if they want to grab. If they know they are old, they shouldn't put themselves at such risk.'
Madam Eileen Choi, 43, a housewife, said she was the only person in the crowd who helped an elderly woman stand up after she had fallen.
She said in Mandarin: 'She fell before my eyes, and I was worried she had injured herself. I gave her one box of shoes I managed to pick up because I felt so sorry for her.'
Ms Choi added she stood by to watch out for other old women who might fall in the melee.
THREE WOMEN FELL
'I managed to help three other old women who fell down. I tried to persuade them not to be greedy for these items, the shoes would not fit anyway,' she said.
But her advice fell on deaf ears, shesaid.
Ms Choi said: 'I gave up after helping the third, because right after I had helped them, they would join in the action again. One of them was even limping.
'I don't understand why the women want to do this, I even heard some of them complain that the goods were defective and discoloured.'
Mr Ang told The New Paper on Sunday in Mandarin: 'My intention was to get rid of my old stocks which are taking up too much space in my shop, as I have to comply with fire safety regulations.
'These items are old and not worth much. If the goods were valuable, I wouldn't throw them out.'
SOME BROUGHT KIDS
There were some who turned up at the shop with children.
Ms Noraini Nani, 27, a housewife, was accompanied with three cousins aged between 8 and 11, two uncles and their wives.
By the time they finished, they had a sizeable collection of shoes and other items.
Ms Nani said: 'I don't know how many shoes, how to count? No time!'
When asked if she was worried the kids might get injured in the scramble, she said: 'They themselves find it fun.'
Her cousin, 11-year-old Suziana Salleh, was oblivious to the chaos around her.
She added: 'I got eightpairs of shoes, some toys and I am very happy. Some people pushed me, but I enjoyed taking the free gifts. Why should I be frightened when it is good luck to have free things?'.
Some residents who witnessed the event, however, were disappointed by the behaviour of some of those who joined in the rush for freebies.
Mrs Olivia Moo, 34, an operations manager who was passing by, said: 'I feel sad to see these old people and children rushing like this for the freebies. I wouldn't want my kids to be doing this.
'What if some of them injure themselves?'
Retiree Seah Lee Soon, 62, thought it might have been more orderly if a queue had been formed.
He said: 'It was quite frightening even to stand there and watch. The crowd was aggressive to the point of being violent.
'Some physically-strong ones grabbed whole cartons and shoved aside the other people.'
Another retiree, Mr Alan Yeo, 69, said: 'Even if the shoes don't fit, people will still rush for it, because they are greedy. The boss shouldn't simply throw out the goods he doesn't want on the floor and let them rush for it.'
LITTER
Resident Mr Guo, 57, who works as a cleaner, was fed up with the event because the place was littered with cartons, boxes and plastic bags.
'Look at the floor, how dirty it is. They just throw away the boxes,' he complained in Mandarin.
Mr Ang, meanwhile, is in two minds about whether he should continue doing this.
'What can I do? I have nowhere to put the goods. It would be ideal to have a queue system but I lack the manpower,' he said.
