Man ordered to vacate flyover home of 5 years

A 45-year-old man has been living like a hermit for five years under a flyover, without piped water or electricity.

Lu Guofa told Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao in a report yesterday that he had come here from Selangor, Malaysia, for work.

He spoke to Wanbao on Sunday afternoon at a forested area beside a flyover in Jurong East's Teban Gardens, where he lives.

He had just eaten lunch and made tea as he told Wanbao how he earns $1,000 monthly for ferrying goods, which he said is more than he gets in Malaysia.

Mr Lu had previously lived in a flat he rented nearby but moved out after the block was slated for redevelopment.

He then began living under the flyover and accumulated "furniture" such as old refrigerators that he uses as cupboards.

"When I was young, I also grew up in a vegetable garden, I'm used to this lifestyle," he told Wanbao.

"I don't like the feeling of being surrounded by four walls. Here, I'm free and unrestricted, it suits me."

Mr Lu boils water from a small well that he dug himself, and uses rainwater from a small pond for bathing and washing utensils.

He is single and does not intend to get married but does not feel lonely. He reads newspapers and magazines now and then, and occasionally heads to an orchard nearby to help his "neighbour".

At night, he gets around by torchlight but he often sleeps early - on a deckchair.

Mr Lu does not intend to live in Singapore for the long term. "My dream home is to buy a plot of land in Malaysia and build a house with cement, and plant vegetables," he said.

He added that staff from the Singapore Land Authority had visited him twice and issued a notice to clear out by April 18.

He plans to hire a lorry to move his things and is likely to take his "furniture" back to Malaysia.

Although he has yet to find a place to stay, Mr Lu said: "I'll probably hide in a forest in Johor and build a shelter for myself.

"But I will continue to come to Singapore for work."

myp@sph.com.sg

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