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Wed, Nov 18, 2009
The New Paper
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Wife's hurt, but my heart still goes out to my mistress
by Chong Shing Yen

HE HAS two women in his life, both of whom have endured pain and suffering because of him.

The first is his wife, a prisoner in her own home who is afraid to go out because of how she looks.

The flesh on her face, body and legs is still raw and red, the result of having hot oil poured all over her in April.

The other is his mistress, who will be spending the next 3 1/2 years in jail for the horrific attack, which was sparked off when he threatened to breakup with her.

Even after all this, Mr Soo Kiong Sing, 46, remains caught between the two women.

The supervisor in a manufacturing company is trying to patch things up with his wife and children.

At the same time, he can’t let go of his mistress and hopes to visit her in prison. Mr Soo told The New Paper on Sunday: “Other men may be envious because I have two women who love me so much. But look what happened.

“Now both of them are hurt physically and emotionally while I’m the only one who’s not (hurt).

“I was the reason all these happened and I wish I had been the one who was injured or punished instead.”

Mr Soo, who is of medium height and build, was wearing a T-shirt and looked dishevelled when we met.

He said his wife had forgiven him and he is trying to start anew with her.

Thorn in marriage

“But it’s going to take some time and this incident will forever be a thorn in our relationship,” he added.

His wife, Madam Chan Hoong Choo, 41, a data entry operator, suffered burns over 35 per cent of her body and is likely to suffer long-term scarring.

Mr Soo declined to let this reporter speak to his wife because he did not want her to relive her ordeal.

Last Tuesday, his mistress, Goh Gek Hwee, 36, a spa therapist, was jailed 3 1/2 years and fined $4,500 for the attack.

The court heard that Goh had turned up at the Soos’ flat in Block 232, Serangoon Avenue 3, around 8.30am on 18 Apr.

She forced her way in and ended up in a scuffle with Madam Chan and her daughter, 16.

When she saw the teenager holding a handphone, Goh threatened her in Mandarin: “If you call the police, I will kill your mother.”

After tying up Madam Chan and her daughter with cable and masking tape, she went into the kitchen and took out a bottle of oil from the cupboard.

Goh heated the oil in a frying pan over the stove. After a while, she poured the hot oil over Madam Chan’s head and slowly down her body, then onto her legs.

When Madam Chan tried to get up, Goh hit her forehead three times with the pan. It was a friend of the daughter who alerted the police.

Goh was arrested at the flat.

In her mitigation, her lawyer told the court that Goh had gone to the flat intending to commit suicide in front of Mr Soo.

Found another woman

But Mr Soo was not home and Madam Chan told her to forget about her husband as he had found another woman, though this wasn’t true.

Goh was hysterical and tried to hang herself, but failed.

She then cut her left wrist several times and stabbed herself in the chest 16 times with a fruit knife, which she had brought with her. The court was not told how serious Goh’s injuries were, but she later went on to attack Madam Chan with the hot oil.

Goh pleaded guilty to five charges of voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous means, criminal intimidation and wrongful confinement.

Seven other charges, including those of committing criminal trespass, intimidating Madam Chan with the knife and attempting suicide, were considered during sentencing.

Goh was out on bail while her court case was pending, and Mr Soo remained in contact with her.

Last Tuesday, he was the one who drove her to court.

Goh said that following media reports on the case, he went online and came across some netizens who described him as immoral and called him unpleasant names.

Said Mr Soo: “But when it comes to relationships, it’s not so easy to make a clean break. We’ve known each other for so long.”

Goh, a Malaysian with Singapore permanent residency, is Mr Soo’s former colleague.

They have known each other for seven years and got together as a couple five years ago, after they were retrenched.

Mr Soo said his wife knew about Goh. He said: “We’ve had countless heated arguments (over Goh) and fought many times.

“Each time, my wife would ask me to make a decision and return to her side.”

Mr Soo said that the day before the incident, he had SMSed Goh to tell her that he wanted to breakup with her.

“It was not the first time I suggested a break-up to her.

“But I didn’t expect this. I admit I didn’t handle this well when I used SMS(to break up) instead of telling her face to face. This should not have happened at all.”

Mr Soo and his wife have been married for 19 years and they have a daughter, 16, and a son, 12.

He said that he now spends more time with his wife at home.

But Madam Chan is conscious about how she looks and refuses to leave their flat.

Said Mr Soo: “She is afraid of other people staring at her and doesn’t want to go out except for medical appointments.

“I suggested taking her out for some fresh air near our flat in the middle of the night, but she didn’t want to.”

Mr Soo now buys the items that Madam Chan needs for cooking.

The incident has strained his relationship with his daughter, who refuses to talk to him now.

During the hour-long interview with Mr Soo, the teenager returned home and walked past him as if he wasn’t there.

Later, as she was getting ready to go out, he asked her: “You’re going out again?”

The girl did not respond and left without looking at him.

Ignored by daughter

Said Mr Soo: “She’s been ignoring me since that day. It will take time for me to patch things up with her.

“After all, she saw what her mother went through.”

Mr Soo added that both his wife and daughter have refused to go for counselling.

He said: “Whatever happened cannot be undone and we have to move on. I will work hard to keep the family together.”

Though he is sorry about what his wife had to go through, Mr Soo also pities Goh.

“Although she did all these things, my heart still goes out to her,” he said.

“She’s alone here and she wouldn’t have had to suffer if she had not met me.”

He added that Goh was not a hot-tempered person. Her family lives in Malaysia.

Mr Soo said that if possible, he hopes to remain friends with her. But it appears that Goh might not feel the same way.

While he was driving her to court, she told him: “If you can’t leave (your wife), then don’t leave.”

As Goh was led away from the courtroom last Tuesday, she did not even turn back to look at Mr Soo, who was sitting in the public gallery.

For voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous means, Goh could have been jailed seven years and fined.

For criminal intimidation, she could have been jailed two years and fined.

For wrongful confinement, she could have been jailed one year and fined $3,000.

This article was first published in The New Paper.

readers' comments
the husband and the mistress should be imprisoned because (1) husband committed adultery (2)mistress had affair with another woman's husband. Compensation to the wife and kids for their hurt and suffering caused by the two's infidelity.
Posted by qymho on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 at 03:24 AM
Sadly in a love triangle there rarely are any victors. In this instance the wrong wife is maimed for life. While the husband is faced with the consequences of his infidelity on a daily basis. Mr Goh, in order to gain your daughter's respect you need to severed all ties with the woman who is the cause of all these unhappiness!
Posted by heavenlyangel on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 at 17:36 PM
Just to clarify ... my pt is that he is the root cause of hurt to the family, esp the wife who suffered most, both physically and emotionally ... also, the mistress (btw, she shld hv rightly steered clear of this married man) too ...

Let's face it ... putting oneself in the wife's shoes ... it's extremely hard to forgive naturally ...

The decision to divorce or not, will be hard for the wife ... if he is repentant ... cos' she's already been bitten once ...
Posted by harlym on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 at 17:15 PM


Then do you think what happened to the wife was a form of punishment or discipline? if there is a God? The wife seems to be at a losing end...first the indignation of losing a husband, and next, to have the mistress pour hot oil on her... is divorce in this scenario justified? I think so.
Posted by Magenta on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 at 16:59 PM


Mag ... yup ... but, he must repent like the thief on the cross ... God loves ... :)
Posted by harlym on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 at 16:56 PM


Do you think such pple should have salvation?
Posted by Magenta on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 at 16:48 PM
This man played with fire ... but, his wife got burnt ... by the mistress who got jailed ... not forgetting the children who got hurt & bitter ...

He shld have stayed single in the first place ...
Posted by harlym on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 at 16:33 PM
That man should have his P* cut off for this. wife suffer yet heart still goes to his mistress ans yet claimed wanna keep the family together. He is a Stinky Sh**k As* who do not deserve any pity from anyone.
Posted by leechron on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 at 16:07 PM
i think newpaper must be misquoting again... everytime i read articles from newpaper.. i tend to gasp in disbelief.. either Singapore is made up of animals without conscience or someone out there is trying to generate sales to pple who indulge in the misfortunes of others.
Posted by Magenta on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 at 16:07 PM
From my diagnosis, the guy is probably retarded. May be proven with an IQ test. His so called professed love for his mistress is in fact just basic animal lust, which in such a intelleactually handicapped person would be called love.
Posted by novicereporter on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 at 15:35 PM

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