A video of Singaporean former actor-turned-hawker Huang Yiliang’s part-time female stall assistant has been posted on the Facebook page and TikTok account of the neighbouring chicken rice stall, in the latest development in the dispute between the two hawker stall owners at Circuit Road Hawker Centre.
It was uploaded on the Facebook page of Enah Hainanese Chicken Rice Circuit Road Blk 79.#01-30, which lists its email contact as limyongmui@gmail.com, and TikTok account @limyongmui5 on May 12.
In the 37-second clip, the female chicken rice stall owner tells Huang’s assistant in Mandarin to take a seat at the table in front of her stall, saying she will not hit her. A man can also be heard telling the assistant – whose face is visible – not to be afraid.
The chicken rice stall owner repeatedly asks the assistant to “clarify the situation”, saying it is unfair to her, as Huang – who opened his Old Fisherman stall in February – had previously accused her of hounding the assistant daily.
The issue is over rumours the chicken rice stall owner had allegedly spread about Huang, 64, having an improper relationship with his 50-year-old assistant.
On the evening of May 10, Huang was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital by ambulance after he was assaulted by the chicken rice seller’s husband. He was later discharged and resumed work on May 12. In a The Straits Times report on May 11, the police confirmed that a 64-year-old man was assaulted by a 60-year-old man, who is assisting with ongoing investigations.
In response to queries on May 13, the police said investigations are still ongoing
In a phone interview with ST, the assistant, who only wanted to be known as Ms Yeong, said she was on her way home at 7pm on May 12 when she started receiving links to the video from concerned friends and family members.
She added that the video had been filmed without her knowledge nor consent on the evening of May 10, shortly before the chicken rice stall owner’s husband attacked Huang.
That evening, she had returned to the stall at about 5.30pm after collecting fish for Huang who was inside the stall cooking.
She said the chicken rice stall owner walked over, tapped her on the shoulder and told her to go to the table outside her stall.
Ms Yeong recalled: “I was worried as I did not know what she wanted and if there was going to be more trouble. I was not keen to speak to her.”
Huang then emerged from his stall and, seeing his assistant at the table, told her to go back inside his stall to continue with her work.
Ms Klive Yang, a diner who witnessed this scene on May 10, told ST Ms Yeong looked “confused and scared” when she was called over to sit at the table, where two men were seated.
One of them was the chicken rice stall owner’s husband, while the other man was holding a phone to film Ms Yeong, who seemed unaware that she was being filmed, said Ms Yang.
Ms Yang, a 44-year-old sales executive, said she had gone to the hawker centre with her family on Mothers Day to try Huang’s seafood dishes.
She was third in a queue of more than 10 customers when the incident happened.
Ms Yang said the chicken rice stall owner’s husband called out to them and offered to treat them to food from other stalls.
Huang then told the waiting customers to ignore the man, while continuing to cook.
The chicken rice stall owner later walked past Old Fisherman and shouted at Ms Yeong. Moments later, Ms Yang saw the chicken rice stall owner’s husband walk quickly towards Huang and punch him behind his right ear.
“(Huang) fell down. Diners helped him up,” said Ms Yang, adding that some people stepped in to stop the man.
She said the episode disrupted service at Huang’s stall and affected those who had gone there for dinner.
The video of Ms Yeong on Facebook has racked up 1,200 comments, with commentators berating the chicken rice stall owner for posting it.
Facebook user Kenny Pong Pbm wrote: “Why make the worker scared and turn everything into such a big issue? People are there to work and do business, not to create unnecessary drama and pressure.”
The TikTok video drew 242,500 views and 357 comments. TikTokker @charles.lim52 commented: “Stop bullying the staff please.”
When approached by ST over a WhatsApp voice call, the 50-year-old chicken rice stall owner, known as Ms Enah, said in Mandarin that she is in Indonesia and would resume business only on May 15.
Asked why she had posted the videos on her social media pages, she said she wanted “to let the public see”, but did not elaborate. She added that even if she had not done so, others would have.
She then ended the call and did not answer a subsequent call.
Ms Yeong, who is distraught by the viral video, says she is considering quitting.
“I just want to do my work peacefully and not be involved in all this trouble,” she said. “I don’t like all this attention.”
She added that she had always wanted to remain anonymous, but felt she had now been forced into the public eye.
“I am not a celebrity,” she said. “I did not sign up to be part of this quarrel.”
Huang told ST on May 13 that he had previously told Ms Yeong to ignore the neighbouring stallholders.
He hopes she will continue helping out at his stall, adding she has learnt a lot in the past few months and is able to help him with the business, though she is inexperienced in F&B.
“It is not easy to hire and train a worker,” he said, adding he has no intention to shutter or change locations. Even without an assistant, he is prepared to continue running his stall on his own.
“I want this saga to end and continue with my business,” he said. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
