Singapore President to host 7 Indian workers who rescued woman from sinkhole

Singapore: The seven migrant workers from India, who rescued a woman driver from a car in a sinkhole in Singapore last Saturday, have been invited to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Istana presidential palace.

The President's Office has invited the Indian workers involved in the sinkhole rescue, along with the other guests, to the Istana Open House on Sunday (August 3), reported Channel News Asia.

They are: Site foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, 47, and his co-workers Velmurugan Muthusamy, 27, Poomalai Saravanan, 28, Ganesan Veerasekar, 32, Bose Ajithkumar, 26, Narayanasamy Mayakrishnan, 25, and Sathapillai Rajendran, 56.

"There will be opportunities for interaction between the guests - including the migrant workers – and the president during the Istana open house," the President’s Office said.

Meanwhile, 1,639 donors have contributed SGD72,241 for the seven heroes, according to a Facebook page of the ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR), a Singapore charity looking after migrant workers here.

"Thank you, Singapore for your overwhelming kindness and generosity to the brave sinkhole rescue migrant worker heroes!" IRR said on its Facebook page, adding that the funds raised will be divided between the workers involved and transferred to their bank accounts.

"We will be hosting a meet and greet with these workers as soon as we are able to arrange it," IRR said.

The site where the sinkhole opened up along Tanjong Katong Road South, a thoroughfare along the east coast of the island state, is adjacent to an active Public Utilities Board (PUB) worksite involving the construction of a 16-metre-deep shaft to connect three existing sewer lines.

A concrete component in the shaft "failed" at around 5.50 pm last Saturday, according to the national water agency. Around the same time, a sinkhole formed on the adjacent road, causing a car to fall in.

Subbiah’s quick thinking, along with that of his fellow workers, helped pull the woman to safety with a rope within minutes. Their actions have since drawn widespread praise, with President Tharman also acknowledging their bravery.

"Bravo! Thanks to the migrant workers led by foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah. They moved quickly and with courage," he said in a Facebook post on Sunday evening.

The workers have been commended by the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) Group, a division that aims to support migrant workers' well-being. The ACE Coin, given to each of the workers, is a "token of appreciation" presented to migrant worker volunteers and partners who have made meaningful contributions towards supporting and caring for the migrant worker community.

"It is also awarded to migrant workers who demonstrate courage, initiative or public spiritedness in times of need," the broadsheet had the Ministry as saying.

While there has been some discussion on social media about whether the coins were an appropriate way to recognise the migrant workers' heroic act, MOM said it was "encouraged" to receive feedback calling for more forms of appreciation. PTI GS AMJ AMJ