Singapore - Vietnamese woman attacks S'porean man in spat over seat kicking

SINGAPORE - A spat between a Vietnamese woman and two local men over an alleged seat kicking turned ugly after she hits and claws one of them with her nails.

The incident started mid-air during a Tiger Airways flight from Ho Chi Minh to Singapore last Saturday, with the altercation taking place after the plane landed at Changi Airport.

The Singaporeans involved, Mr Chua Teck Kuang and Mr Yeo Chia Keat, were returning home after a holiday with their wives and children.

According to Mr Chua, 37, the woman had accused his friend, Mr Yeo, also 37, of kicking the back of her seat during the flight.

Unhappy, the woman, believed to be an undergraduate with a private university here, scolded Mr Yeo and his wife in a mix of Vietnamese and English.

Mr Yeo did not reply, and she appeared to calm down.

However, things took a nasty turn after the plane landed. As the passengers were disembarking, Mr Chua said Mr Yeo told the woman that if she was still unhappy, they could settle the matter with the authorities.

This appeared to anger the woman, who swung her suitcase at Mr Yeo, said Mr Chua. Her blow was fended off by Mr Chua, who allegedly became her next target.

Their squabble was captured on video by Mr Yeo's wife using her handphone.

In the footage, the woman appeared to be throwing a tantrum and later screamed "I'll report you" at Mr Chua, after he said they should make a police report.

Mr Chua then retorted, "Yah, yah, yah go, go, go, we see who first, we say who first."

A charged-up dispute then broke out between the two, with the hysterical woman clawing at Mr Chua with her nails, leaving him with a bleeding cut on his forehead, and scratches on his forearm.

A Tiger Airways stewardess later stepped in to intervene, but the woman continued to scold Mr Chua as they make their way down the plane.

Mr Chua said he later sought treatment at the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, with his medical bill coming to $95.

In a Straits Times report, Mr Chua said he wanted some justice out of this whole matter. "This time it might have happened to me, but what if it happens again next time to other Singaporeans?" he was quoted as saying.

AsiaOne

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