The family of a Malaysian teenager who went missing in Singapore over Christmas is breathing easy in 2019: He has been found alive, and well — albeit slightly shaken up after having wandered the streets of Singapore for ten days unable to remember where he lived, and too shy to ask our friendly neighbors for directions.
“I’m a shy person. I don’t really know how Singaporeans are like, so I didn’t dare to talk to them, or borrow their phones,” said the unnamed boy.
He told eNanyang that on December 26 he left the apartment of a friend he had been staying with to have lunch, carrying only S$50 in his pocket, no passport, and no phone. After having lunch at a cafe, he was unable to ascertain his bearings and began aimlessly walking around the city-state trying to find his way back.
Over the next ten days, the boy reportedly used public toilets in cafes and shopping centers and slept outside of apartment blocks. After eight days, his money ran out, despite eating only inexpensive chap fan. In the last two days before he was found, the boy approached a few individuals for money but failed to ask them for help to get back to his friend’s home.
Finally, an elderly Singaporean woman spotted the boy in a park on Haig Street and asked if he was the missing Malaysian teen. He was then reunited with his friend and put on a bus back to home.
Having initially gone to the island in search of work, the teen now says that he will not be visiting Singapore for a while given his traumatic experience.
Words by Coconuts KL
