Dan Tan's 3rd ex-wife: 'Our problem was not match fixing'

Dan Tan Seet Eng's third wife Guan Enmei said their divorce had nothing to do with his alleged match-fixing activities.

She told The New Paper over the phone yesterday: "Our problem was not match fixing, it's our communication as a couple."

But his alleged wrongdoing, which led to him being detained without trial since 2013, was the likely trigger of her mental issues over the past two years.

Madam Guan, 40, suffered from stress-related depression after she and Tan were arrested in September 2013. She had to be prescribed medication after she started hearing voices and having delusions of people following her.

In June, she was arrested for criminal intimidation for waving a chopper at the police when they went to her home to check on a domestic dispute.

Neighbours also said that she had been aggressive to them and they often heard shouts coming from her condominium unit in Bukit Panjang.

Despite her emotional instability, Madam Guan, who divorced Tan in July, said she has never blamed her husband of almost 12 years for her problems.

She also said Tan did not visit her during his brief release from prison after the Court of Appeal ruled last Wednesday that his detention was unlawful.

When asked about her communication problems with Tan, Madam Guan declined to elaborate.

She said that Tan had other women in his life, but added that this was also not the reason for their divorce.

A source told TNP that shortly after Tan's arrest, a woman went to Madam Guan's home to tell her that she and Tan had a child together.

"I have nothing more to say about the third party. I'm even willing to forgive him for it, but his heart has to be willing to change as well," she said.

DIVORCE

Madam Guan filed for divorce in January and it was finalised in July. She has custody of their 11-year-old son.

Madam Guan, a China-born Singapore citizen who has been in Singapore for 12 years, was never jailed.

But she said her passport had been impounded since the arrest. She also said she wants to return to China.

She has indicated that she plans to move on with her life.

On July 29, Madam Guan posted a photo on Twitter of filled trash bags with the caption: "Donated my ex-husband's clothes and shoes to the Salvation Army."

She told TNP: "Now that we are divorced, there is no point in keeping his things."

HIS WIVES

Thong May Lan

- Married in 1987.

- Not much is known about this marriage and they had no children.

Lim Mui Hiang

- Married in 1993.

- Divorced in early 2003.

- They had two sons. In an interview with The New Paper in 2013, she called Dan Tan "heartless" for walking out on the family and remarrying.

Guan Enmei

- Married in September 2003.

- Divorced in July this year.

- They have an 11-year-old son.

This article was first published on December 3, 2015.
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