A Hong Kong father has been found guilty of abandoning his disabled son in Singapore.
Abandoned in Singapore
The incident happened 3 years back, and it took this long to bring the culprit to court because of the legalities and complications involved.
Apparently, on 20 July, 2014, the father, Chan Chai-wai, picked his 11-year-old son from a boarding school for children with special needs. The son is unable to hear or talk, and is believed to be mildly intellectually disabled.
On the very next day, both father and son left Hong Kong for Singapore. They reached at about 6.48 pm and within an hour, were near the Merlion Park.
This is where Chan abandoned his son.
The boy was found wandering near Marina Promenade by himself that night. Singapore police had then issued a photo of him and requested his family to come forward.
It is believed that Chan left Singapore on July 23, 2014, after tearing up his son’s passport.
Singapore Police later sought help from the Hong Kong police, and Chan was arrested on Jul 25.
Abandoned in Singapore: Father admits to wrongdoing
Last week, Chan was formally charged in Hong Kong. Apparently, it had taken 3 long years to bring the case to a Hong Kong court as there were complications involved, that required legal help from the Singapore authorities.
Chan has admitted to abandoning his child. He revealed that he faced a lot of stress in taking care of the child.
Apparently, he believed that Singapore would be a better place for the boy. Being an “orderly society in general”, Singapore had a welfare system that would provide for his child.
His lawyer blamed Chan’s lack of legal knowledge for the poor decision. The boy is now being cared for at the boarding school, under a care and protection order.
Chan has been quoted as saying, “I’m very remorseful.”
But Kwun Tong Court magistrate Don So Man-lung stressed that this was a serious case, and he would have to face the consequences, “Jailing is inevitable. Be prepared.”
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Source: (Channel NewsAsia, SCMP)