This is the Indian migrant worker who was killed while repairing a pot hole in Singapore last week. I approached the Indian High Commission to get his family’s number in Tamil Nadu so that I could contact them to see if they needed any assistance. This man was reported to be 33 years old and I imagined he had left behind a young family who would be grieving in a remote village in south India, and hardy in a position to pursue any insurance claim in Singapore. Unfortunately the Indian High Commission was of no help. They claimed they hadn’t even heard of this case until I emailed them this morning!
Just as I felt I was hitting a wall in my effort to identify this man and his family, the power of social media revealed itself. One of our wonderful volunteers tagged me in a post about this man – we found out his name is Selvam – and within a matter of minutes I had his sister’s number in India and was able to speak to her.
She was in tears and said Selvam was her only brother, role model and hero. If they had known he was engaged in life threatening work, they would have never sent him to Singapore but kept him safe back home. He leaves behind a newly wedded wife, a debt-ridden father and an unmarried sister who were all counting on him to be their saviour. What a burden on those young shoulders Selvam must have carried.
I have promised them I will do everything possible to ensure the full extent of the insurance payment due to them reaches them as soon as possible. Usually that process takes months – hopefully his employer will have the heart to pay his wages to the bereaved family until his insurance payment kicks in.
If anyone would like to donate to Selvam’s cause, I have his uncle’s contact details in Singapore (also a migrant worker here). Money can be collected and sent to him – please feel free to pm me.
Source: FB post by Itsrainingraincoats