OWE money, pay money. This typical demand from loan sharks has apparently frightened one Singaporean man to the extent to giving up one of his kidneys.
It's either that or the risk of being harassed by loan sharks, he says.
Never mind that he's breaking the law and risking his life.
Joe (not his real name) claims he owes loan sharks US$35,000 ($55,000) after two friends whom he stood guarantor for bailed out on him.
He's now willing to sacrifice one of his kidneys to raise the money to pay off his debt.
The twist is that he claims he's not selling his kidney.
He said he just wants the US$35,000 on loan. So his lender will not only get a kidney but will have his loan repaid at $200 a month.
On 24 Sep, the 33-year-old posted an advertisement on the Yahoo Singapore Classifieds website.
He asked for the loan in return for 'giv(ing) away one of my kidney or any body parts that can be transplanted to a needy patient'.
In May 2004, The New Paper reported that a 31-year-old Singaporean man advertised the sale of his kidney on the same website for $300,000 because he wanted to avoid bankruptcy (left).
The New Paper came across Joe's ad last month and e-mailed Joe, pretending to be an interested buyer. He replied that he was not joking about giving up his kidney.
Joe gave us his handphone number. On Thursday, we met him at a coffee shop in the east, where he lives with his family in a four-room flat.
The lanky man, who works in the creative industry, claimed he owes loan sharks in Malaysia US$35,000. He was a guarantor for two friends, who have since vanished. (See report on Page 4.)
As a result, Joe claims he's saddled with the debts, which he says are due 'either this or next month'.
To raise money, he said he sold some of his belongings like his guitar and CDs. We also saw an online ad in which he put up a laptop for sale last year.
He earns more than $1,000 a month giving guitar lessons. He also takes on odd jobs such as helping his friend deliver goods.
'I haven't been able to sleep and eat well, and I've been feeling depressed,' Joe said.
'I even started buying Toto which I never used to buy.'
Joe, the second of three siblings, said he hid his troubles from his family and friends.
'I can't tell my mother - she's old and sick. I love her very much. And I'm too embarrassed to borrow money from friends.'
As a 'last resort', Joe decided to sell his kidney.
He came up with the idea when he read on US online forums about how people there were willing to pay good money for kidneys for their sick loved ones.
FEELS GUILTY
A few times during the meeting, Joe said he felt guilty for having to resort to selling his kidney.
He said we were not the first to respond to his ad, though we were the first from Singapore. He also posted ads on three US websites.
Joe claimed three people from the US had e-mailed him, including an Armenian-
American man who was willing to pay US$120,000.
'But I don't wish to fly so far and I am not asking for so much,' he said. 'I prefer to donate to a Singaporean.'
He had also spoke to an Indonesian couple who were interested, but did not like their condescending tone.
'They talked to me like I am selling a kidney from the Third World. They kept asking me 'how much, how much'. I felt offended, like I was being traded.'
There are strict rules governing the organ transplants in Singapore (See report on Page 4).
When we identified ourselves as reporters to Joe, he said he was not surprised as he had received e-mails from a few reporters in the US after he posted the ads.
So why did he agree to meet us?
'I was desperate,' he said.
'I'm so scared the loansharks will harass my family. I can't let that happen to my mother. If I didn't have family, I'd leave the country.'
Joe said he has no black-and-white proof that he was a guarantor for his friends. All he knows is that the loansharks have a photocopy of his IC because he passed his IC to his friends.
Joe claimed he would pay $200 a month to settle his debt with the person who gives him the loan for his kidney.
But wouldn't that still leave him in debt?
'At least I can pay by instalments,' he said.
But he knows that it's illegal to have an money transaction involved in organ transplants, and said the 'loan' given to him for his kidney should be done on the sly.
But how do 'buyers' know that he's not conning them?
'I'm not asking for them to pay me first before the transplant,' Joe explained.
The money should be transferred to his account just before the operation, he added.
He said he would tell his family if he's donating his kidney, but only after the operation and he would not tell them about the 'money part'.
But is it worth risking his life for money? Complications can arise during the transplant, we warned him.
'If I die, I die,' Joe said.
