A man has been living at Jurong Point for years, and the management is totally cool about it

Continuing with the trend of people voluntarily choosing to live in public spaces despite having a proper residence in their name (re: the lady who’s been staying at Changi Airport for eight years), Lianhe Wanbao found another freewheeling individual. 

35-year-old Malaysian Chen Jinfu has allegedly been making Jurong Point his home for close to four years, using up the mall’s water, electricity and free Wi-Fi for his own needs. 

The thing is, he does have a proper place to live in. In an interview with Wanbao, he stated that he rents a shared room in Boon Lay for $250 a month — but found the room too hot and stuffy for his own liking. Plus, he wasn’t getting along with the other tenants. 

As such, he makes Jurong Point his home away from home. According to him, it’s cooler at the mall, and it provides conveniences like free Wi-Fi, charging points and a 24-hour supermarket. 

Surprisingly enough, Jurong Point is aware of Chen’s activities and is totally fine with it. A spokesman for the mall told The Straits Times that they “warmly welcome him like any other shopper” with open arms as long as he doesn’t pose any nuisance or threat to the security. 

Chen also claims to have never faced any problems staying at the mall — nobody chases him away, for example. To maximise his savings (he earns over $1,000 a month working at an electronics factory), the man goes to Johor nearly every weekend to purchase daily necessities. 

The only reason he’s still paying monthly rent for his room in Boon Lay? He needs a residential address for his employment pass. 



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