Victim still psychologically scarred 34 years after gun attack, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
Singapore

Victim still psychologically scarred 34 years after gun attack

This article is more than 12 months old

Man charged in court 34 years after shooting woman. Victim says:

Although more than 30 years has passed, Madam Goh Siew Foon still cannot forget the searing pain she felt after getting shot.

"It's not that I don't remember - I just don't want to remember.

"Every time I pass that area (where the shooting happened), I still get scared," the 66-year-old told Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao in an interview.

Her shooter, Chin Sheong Hon, eluded the authorities after he allegedly shot her from behind with a revolver in November 1981 at Upper Thomson Road.

Chin, then 31, became one of Singapore's most wanted men and reportedly left the country soon after.

He remained at large for 32 years.

It was only in 2013 that he was repatriated to Singapore following his release from a prison in Thailand, where he was jailed for taking part in a "red shirt" protest in Bangkok.

On Monday, Chin, 65, was hauled to the High Court to answer for his alleged offences, but was found to be mentally unfit to enter a plea.

Apart from the shooting, he had allegedly robbed two people of $17,850 at gunpoint earlier that same year.

On the day of the shooting, Madam Goh, then 31, had left her Upper Thomson office for the bank about 40m away.

Madam Goh, a partner of a now-defunct firm, was accompanied by her brother and was just 4m from the United Overseas Bank branch when Chin allegedly approached her from behind and fired a shot that went through her right hip.

As she collapsed, Chin allegedly grabbed her briefcase containing $92,000 - estimated to be worth $182,000 today - of cash and cheques.

Madam Goh was seriously wounded and spent 45 days in hospital.

In her interview with Lianhe Wanbao, she said that the incident was still vivid in her memory and she has tried her best to repress them.

Describing the pain of getting shot as "worse than death", she is still fearful whenever she thinks about it.

She added: "I am someone who has a high tolerance for pain, but it was really unbearable.

"If I wasn't strong enough, I might not have survived."

PSYCHOLOGICAL SCAR

Although the bullet did not cause any critical harm or leave any lasting injuries, the shooting has left a deep psychological scar.

"After the incident, every time I sense someone coming up to me from behind, I am afraid.

"Even if I pass by the scene (of the shooting) in a car, I still get scared," she said.

When asked what she thought about Chin being unable to escape the law even after 32 years, Madam Goh said that she believes heaven is fair and that people who commit crimes will receive their punishment.


After the incident, every time I sense someone coming up to me from behind, I am afraid.

- Madam Goh Siew Foon

SingaporeGunsGun ViolenceRobberyPSYCHOLOGISTSFinance