Gambling Addict Killed His Children, Jumped to his Death

Debt-ridden man Ng Chee Kiang jumped to his death after killing his two children

Tragedy struck a Singapore family of four at Ang Mo Kio when a 39-year old man jumped from 12 storeys down to his death after setting fire to his flat which killed his two children.

Mr Ng Chee Kiang used to earn a decent salary as a manager of a chain of Sushi restaurants, but his gambling habit got him debt-riddened and his family was harassed by loansharks.

Unable to withstand her husband’s addiction to gambling, Madam Wang Li Zhu quarreled frequently with him and even threatened to file for divorce.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)received a call at around 9.50pm about the fire.

Upon their arrival, SCDF firefighters saw smoke coming out of the flat. They had to force their way into the flat to put out the fire.

They found a 5-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl inside one of the bedrooms. The boy, Savier Ng Wei Yi, and the girl, Cheryl Ng Shi Hui, had no pulse and were not breathing. They were found to have strangle marks on their necks.

SCDF officers immediately performed CPR, but they were unable to revive the two children. They were pronounced dead shortly after.

While SCDF officers were fighting the fire in the flat, Mr Ng was reported to have jumped from the 12th floor of the same block which was witnessed by more than 100 people in the neighborhood.

Madam Wang fainted upon hearing the news. “Why is he so cruel to bring my children away?”, she wailed.

The sad case of Mr Ng illustrates the social problems brought about by gambling. Singapore’s two casinos will be opened early next year.

The National Council On Problem Gambling (NCPD) was set up in Singapore after casino gambling was legalized in 2005. At that time, the government acknowledged the potential social costs of gambling and agreed to take steps to address the issue.

NCPD has kick-started an anti-gambling campaign called “Know the Line” at groups believed vulnerable to getting hooked on gambling.It is a part of the group’s ongoing efforts to raise public awareness of the problem and to provide help for people addicted to gambling.

The NCPD was given the jobs of advising Singapore’s Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports on gambling issues, distributing funds to gambling treatment programs and deciding who would be excluded from casinos.

A government survey in 2008 found that 54% of Singapore residents over the age of 18 had participated in some form of gambling in the previous 12 months.

The survey indicated that 0.7% to 1.6% of respondents could be classified as “pathological gamblers.”

The government defended the construction of the casinos in Singapore on the grounds that the gaming industry will create jobs for Singapore and generate revenue for the country.

Despite much resistance from Singaporeans, especially religious groups, the government bull-doze its way through without much of a consultation with the people.

In contrast, a similar proposal to build casinos on the Taiwanese island of Penghu was shelved after its residents voted against it in a referendum.

It is not known if current measures are adequate to prevent future tragedies like this from happening.