Brother of Singaporean who set himself on fire: I'm not sure if he can survive

Covered in thick bandages and hooked up to a ventilator in a hospital in Johor Baru, Singaporean Stephen Lew is fighting for his life. Mr Lew, 42, is in critical condition after he set himself on fire outside a petrol kiosk on Saturday.

On that fateful morning, witnesses watched in horror as Mr Lew bought petrol from a kiosk in Johor Baru, walked to a nearby kerb and doused himself in the petrol before burning himself.

Mr Lew suffered more than 80 per cent burns on his body and is in critical condition at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital at JB.

Mr Lew's older brother Nick, 46, told The New Paper that he is not optimistic about his brother's chances.

The older Mr Lew, who doesn't speak Malay, initially had some difficulty finding out details of his brother's condition due to the language barrier.

But he has been told by doctors to prepare for the worst.

"Seeing him like this is a big blow to us. Considering the facilities of this hospital, I'm not sure if he can survive," said the brother.

When TNP visited Mr Lew, we found him in an open ward with one other patient. Four relatives were at his bedside, including his mother and older brother.

He had a tube inserted into his mouth and he was bandaged up to his chest. His face was burnt beyond recognition and badly swollen. He also seemed to have trouble breathing.

A heart monitor at his side occasionally stopped and restarted. His mother, who wanted to be known only as Madam Goh, 73, said that she was told that it happens because the heart monitor was old.

She has been keeping vigil by her son's bedside since she arrived in JB on Saturday, after learning about the horrific incident.

Like the rest of the family, she has no idea how her younger son ended up like this.

BREAKS MY HEART

"Seeing him like this, it breaks my heart," she said in Mandarin.

The older brother said that Mr Lew's condition had worsened overnight. The family is contemplating bringing him back to Singapore to seek treatment.

"His situation will worsen soon. Even if he survives, how are we going to afford and sustain him if he is bedridden for the rest of his life?" said the older Mr Lew.

The family members were also unaware that Mr Lew had travelled to Malaysia.

His brother said that Mr Lew travelled regularly in the region, including Malaysia and Indonesia.

"He is my brother, but we don't know of his activities outside. He's old enough," said Mr Lew.

Several news reports painted Mr Lew as a man with a troubled past. According to Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao, he was due in court for a drug-related offence and had relationship problems. He also has a two-year-old daughter with a woman who is married to another man.

The child, who took on the surname of her mother, is now under the care of Madam Goh, said the older brother.

"The woman has left him and we have no way of contacting her," said the older Mr Lew.

According to a search by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, the younger Mr Lew was the owner of Ninth Fashion, which was set up in 2010, but recently shut down.

The older brother added that Mr Lew had set up several businesses in the past, but had been unsuccessful.

Despite his problems, the family is still taken aback by Mr Lew's apparent suicide attempt.

Said Mr Nick Lew: "I don't think he will do such a thing. My brother is a brave person. He'd never admit to losing."

Kiosk owner didn't sense anything amiss

There was no way I could tell that the man was suicidal, said the petrol kiosk owner, who wanted to be known only as Mr Fong.

At about 9.30am on Saturday, Mr Stephen Lew walked into the kiosk and asked for petrol.

The kiosk is located across Plaza Pelangi, a shopping mall popular with Singaporeans.

When he was turned away by workers because he did not have a container, Mr Lew took matters into his own hands, said Mr Fong.

Closed-circuit television footage showed Mr Lew walking over to the petrol pump where he tried to pump fuel into a watering can.

Mr Fong rushed up and offered him an empty petrol container instead.

SOLD

He then sold Mr Lew 4 litres of petrol for RM8 (S$3) before heading back to the kiosk.

But what happened next shocked the 80-year-old Malaysian.

Mr Fong walked with The New Paper to the spot where Mr Lew had burned himself.

Pointing to the kerb, Mr Fong told The New Paper in Mandarin: "He walked a short distance, sat down on the kerb and poured the petrol on himself like he was showering.

"Then, he suddenly lit up and there was a large ball of fire. He started running towards the bus stop before he collapsed."

Witnesses said that a passer-by with a fire extinguisher put out the flames, reported Malaysian daily Sin Chew Jit Poh.

Said Mr Fong: "He talked to me normally, I couldn't tell anything was amiss. I don't know why he had to come all the way here to commit suicide. He could have hurt others, too."

Helplines:

Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health's Mobile Crisis Service:6389-2222

Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800

linheng@sph.com.sg

This article was published on April 14 in The New Paper.

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