SINGAPORE: A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight attendant is taking the wife of one of Singapore’s richest men, Mr Wong Ngit Liong, to court for allegedly slapping her on a flight from Singapore to Tokyo last year.
Madam Tan Siew Hoon, the wife of Venture Corp chairman and chief executive Mr Wong, 65, is alleged to have struck Ms Then Jiamin on the cheek sometime during that flight on Sept 20, after she saw her speaking to Mr Wong.
The SIA flight attendant was serving passengers in business class, including the Wongs.
According to the writ of summons — which was served on Mdm Tan at her home last Monday evening — immediately after striking the stewardess, Mdm Tan had said loudly: “Why are you talking to my husband!”
Ms Then, 25, is suing for “general damages and damages for consequential loss and emotional and mental distress” she suffered as a result of the “wrongful assault and battery”. She is also claiming damages for defamation.
When contacted, an SIA spokesperson said that this was a personal matter and the airline did not wish to comment.
TODAY understands that after the flight touched down at Narita International Airport, the Wongs did not get on the subsequent connecting flight bound for Los Angeles.
Ms Then is also understood to have missed that flight. She stayed on in Tokyo to see a doctor and lodge a police report.
Upon returning to Singapore, she filed another police report. The flight attendant, who has been with SIA for two years, also took a few days off work to rest.
TODAY understands that Ms Then had approached her lawyers in October and decided to take the matter to court after her requests for compensation and a statement of apology were not acceded to.
Ms Then’s lawyers have until next Monday to file a statement of claims, which would include the sum she is seeking, with the subordinate courts. The defence would then have to submit their case within 14 days.
It is understood that Mdm Tan’s lawyers have responded to the writ. Mr Wong did not respond to TODAY’s queries by press time.
This may be a bit of an old news but the issue had never really been explored by ordinary singaporeans. In the last couple of decades, you have probably heard the term cosmopolitan vs heartlanders, the white horses, elites, etc. You have probably heard of income inequality between the rich and poor.
So this case aptly described, if the rich slaps a poor girl who is performing her job, is that a PRIVATE issue? This probably opens the floodgates for people who are unhappy with a stewardess work to slap them and then treat it as a private issue. Don’t tell me they would do a double standard and charge you for criminal assault and let one of the richest wife in Singapore go scot free as it is a private issue?
Mr Wong sits on one of Singapore Airlines subsidiaries. Does that mean as a boss’s wife, she could slap an employee? Where is justice? I believe you should forward this post to as many friends as possible and to pressure Singapore Airlines into taking action.
This is what I wrote in Sammyboy’s forum:
Just one important fact - A stewardess got slapped
Don’t attempt to fill in who slap who. Just think of that as a FACT and you will realise it is a criminal offence to slap someone NO matter what that person said to you. I wonder why the stewardess did not press criminal charges. Air rage is a very serious crime and the FACT that SIA did not take any action goes to show SIA is a bloody hypocrite airlines that protects the welfare of its rich passenger. Imagine the whole Venture group boycotting SIA for all its overseas travel.
I believe that the stewardess might be an accidental gold digger. Meaning she may not have plan the whole thing when browsing through the lists of passengers. Business class passengers on SIA tends to get a bit more attention. Perhaps she did flirt but come on, in business line, you are taught to flirt if it means getting more businesses for your company so I wouldn’t blame the stewardess too much. Even if her intention was to get the big boy to have an affair with her, a slap should not be given.
It would be rather interesting to see how things pan out in the end.
It’s incorrect to associate stewardess = gold digger. (I believe that’s not wat you meant.) I think there’s stil some good staffs in there some where.
The last time I heard, think slapping another person is wrong, and can file a police report for it. And I am pretty sure we can’t filed for flirting.
But no matter how it ends, I just hope it dun affect the career for the stewardess. Lol… nah.. “han tai tai ki” for sure!
I don’t care if one is rich than the other. We are all god’s creation, no?
sometimes, we need to teach the rich. the more richer you are, the more undiscipline and rude you’ll be.
am i right to say this??
paul: we are on the same path. I meant that she may be an accidental gold digger. Frankly, if she stands as a matter of principle, she should have filed criminal charges rather than sueing for money. A slap is still a slap and the rich tai tai should have been arrested.
fauzi: yes. it is not a status thing that you can do whatever you want. You are wrong means you are wrong.
Hey guys.
I think there are criminal charges. As you can read from papers, she made two police reports.
Police action sometimes can be slow and the fact that this happened in september and till now no police action might have necessitated her to file a civil suit right? I understand you can have both together.
Might be wrong though.
Actually I find SIA stewardess flirt a lot in business class. SIA should teach them to be professional instead of a common flirt. I can understand the wife’s anger. So my advise to stewardesses is do not flirt, it cheapens your professions.