Baey Yam Keng's wallet retrieved in France by woman who lived in Singapore 10 years ago
Minister of State Baey Yam Keng lost his wallet in France a few days before Christmas, and was not even aware of it it - only to have his wallet retrieved by a woman who lived in Singapore a decade ago.
Mr Baey, who holds portfolios in Culture, Community and Youth as well as Transport, shared the "heartwarming encounter" on Instagram on Christmas Day, during his ongoing family holiday.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the family flew to France last week to visit their second son, who is currently studying there. They took the opportunity to travel for a week, but Mr Baey lost his wallet, containing his driver's licence, credit cards, cash, and other valuables, on the third day of the trip.
While dining at a restaurant with his family, a woman walked in and asked if he was from Singapore and whether he worked in a ministry. "She doesn't look like she is from Singapore so I thought she might have lived here and somehow recognised me," wrote Mr Baey, who is also a Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC.
The woman named Gabriella, who indeed lived in the Republic some 10 years ago, had picked up his wallet and saw his name cards. She handed it to a nearby police station but decided to look around the carpark for the owner.
"She must have peeped through the restaurant windows and saw my Singaporean-looking family at the table and tried her luck," wrote the 55-year-old, who realised that he had dropped his wallet while paying at a parking meter.
She then offered to walk the junior minister to the police station to retrieve his wallet. Even though the station had just closed for the day, a policeman named Maxence opened the door for them.
Maxence had called the number on his name card and left a message, said Mr Baey, and also attemped to contact him via Facebook Messenger.
"During our travels, it's such kindness that leaves the deepest impression. Many thanks to Gabriella and Maxence for making my trip to France so special," he wrote.
