Man, 52, allegedly told 2 Chinese tourists they shouldn't come to S'pore, police investigating

Two tourists from China were taking a bus back to their hotel in Geylang on May 21 when they noticed a man apparently "behaving abnormally" and talking loudly to himself.

After they changed seats to distance themselves from the man, he allegedly began staggering around the bus and even pointed his middle finger at the two women, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The tourists subsequently lodged a police report.

The man, 52, is currently assisting with police investigations.

Initially sat near the man

Speaking to Shin Min, one of the tourists, who wishes to be known only as Xie, said she and her friend came to Singapore to attend Lady Gaga's concert.

On May 20, they arrived in Singapore and checked into their hotel in Geylang.

The next day, Xie and her friend decided to take bus service 980 back to their hotel.

According to her, the man, whom she believed was intoxicated, was sitting in the last row of the bus.

As Xie and her friend did not notice him at first, they sat down near the man.

"It was only until later on when my friend found out he was behaving abnormally and talking to himself very loudly that we thought about changing seats," Xie said.

Xie & friend too afraid to respond

Xie told Shin Min that after she and her friend changed seats, they noticed the man was apparently holding a bag with beer inside.

Later on, she claimed that the man began staggering around the bus and kept on raising his voice.

Although the man also allegedly gestured towards them with his middle finger, Xie said she and her friend did not dare to make a sound as there were only a handful of passengers on the bus, and they were afraid.

However, their silence apparently only emboldened the man further, as he allegedly tried to snatch their phones and hurled discriminatory remarks at them, recounted Xie.

He allegedly told them in English that "Chinese nationals should not come to Singapore".

Sought refuge on another bus

According to Xie, she and her friend remained silent until their bus arrived at Lorong 1 Geylang bus terminal, reported Shin Min.

When they noticed the man had alighted the bus with them, they decided to leave the bus terminal only after he was gone.

To their surprise, the man apparently walked back towards them.

In response, Xie and her friend boarded another bus and asked the bus captain to shut the door so that the man would not be able to get on.

Alerted police

Although the bus captain acceded to their request, the man allegedly continued berating Xie and her friend through the closed bus door, according to Xie's recounting.

"After we informed the bus captain about the situation, he contacted a staff member at the bus terminal. Later on, the staff member escorted the man away. At the same time, we alerted the police," recounted Xie.

Despite their ordeal, Xie said the incident would not change her views on Singapore.

"I know his actions only reflect him as an individual. There are many good people in Singapore, and the country is very beautiful. Visiting Singapore is definitely worth it," added Xie.

Police investigations ongoing

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Police Force confirmed they received a call for assistance regarding the incident at 4:55pm on May 21.

A 52-year-old man is assisting with investigations into a case of intentional harassment.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Top images via Xiaoxiang Morning Herald