After selling their second-hand items for decades, vendors from Sungei Road Flea Market are finally making their way out.
With just 2 more months to go because the closure of the Sungei Road Flea Market, 44 vendors have accepted the various assistance options offered by the authorities. These include employment and financial help, and facilitation of application for hawker stalls.
89 year old Mr Tang Kong Yuan who has been at the market for 40 years, received his keys to his new stall at Chinatown Market on Thursday (11 May).
Because he was one of the original 11 permit holders of the flea market, he gets to rent his new hawker stall at subsidised rates – his rent is $184 a month but it will be fully subsidised for the first year and halved for the second year.
IN the 70s and 80s, 31 rag-and-bone men were given permit to sell their items at the Sungei Road Flea Market. But today, only 11 permit holders remain.
Around 20 vendors expressed interest to continue selling their wares at temporary flea markets and the National Environment Agency has identified seven locations near their homes.
41 vendors have taken up employment assistance from Workforce Singapore (WSG). In fact 3 of them have already landed themselves jobs.
15 vendors have been granted financial assistance through ComCare and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is partnering the Central Singapore Community Development Council to refer vendors who need more help to other assistance schemes.
For those who declined help, the authorities “will continue to keep in touch with them, and help them with the various assistance options should they wish to apply for them”.
Last month, threatening letter and hell notes were sent to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam to express anger over the decision to close the market on 10 July 2017.
The suspects have been arrested and police investigations are still ongoing.
