Student donates $15 after being pestered by youths outside YCK MRT Station

A student was forced to donate $15 after getting pestered by a youth outside Yio Chu Kang MRT Station on Wednesday (April 11) at around 11.30am. 

The mother of the student, Madam Ling, told Lianhe Wanbao that her son had been on his way home from school when he was approached by a youth soliciting donations.

The youth asked him for at least $10, citing that the donations would go towards funding the tuition fees of kids from ‘underprivileged families’. 

According to Madam Ling’s son, there were about five youths lurking outside the station, and they looked to be in their 20s.

He came up with an excuse and tried to leave, but another youth accosted him, insisting that he make a donation. 

Said Madam Ling:

“My son just wanted to get away and agreed to donate $10.

“He didn’t expect the youth to demand even more after seeing that he had money in his wallet.”

Madam Ling said her son insisted on donating only an extra $5, so the youth took two of his $10 notes and returned him a $5 bill.

Said the exasperated mother:

“These youths, if they are really interested in giving to charities, they would not have enforced certain sums on the donors.

“It all depends on how much each student can give. That is real charity.”

The incident comes after parents of students at the School of the Arts (Sota) lodged police reports when four youths repeatedly pestered the students for donations without a licence.

Similar to the group found outside Yio Chu Kang MRT Station, the youths who operated outside Sota also claimed that the donations would go to the underprivileged and ex-convicts, an asked for a minimal of $10 for each donation. 

Some of the men also took money from the students’ wallets and followed them to withdraw cash.

The four men are currently being investigated by the police.