S’porean man charged over alleged armed brawl near JB checkpoint is owner of Serangoon chicken rice stall
A 46-year-old Singaporean man charged over an alleged armed brawl near the Johor Bahru (JB) checkpoint has been identified as the owner of a chicken rice eatery in Serangoon.
Gary Lim Kian Liang pleaded not guilty on Aug 20 to three charges — possessing a dangerous weapon, obstructing a police officer, and voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.
According to Shin Min Daily News, Lim had been involved in nine companies, and at one point, held positions in eight of them.
They included Yeo Keng Nam Chicken Rice, a chicken rice establishment located along Braddell Road, as well as a massage parlour, transport company, baking supplies business and nightclub.
The Chinese daily spoke to people who knew Lim, who said he had not been seen at the chicken rice eatery for some time.
When Shin Min reporters visited the eatery on Aug 20, the eatery was empty and had no customers inside.
When shown a photo of Lim, staff at the eatery denied he was the owner and refused to answer further questions.
Owners of neighbouring shops told the Chinese daily that the eatery was originally run by Lim’s mother, who later passed it down to Lim.
Records show that Yeo Keng Nam Chicken Rice was incorporated in 1981, while Lim has reportedly been its owner since 2010.
Mr Liang (transliterated), 65, who runs a nearby tyre shop, said he had not seen Lim for about six months. However, he added that Lim’s mother was often seen at the chicken rice shop.
Shin Min reporters also visited two addresses linked to Lim on the morning of Aug 21, but no one answered the door.
Charged over alleged armed dispute at JB customs
Lim was charged on Aug 20 over an alleged armed dispute near Sultan Iskandar Building — which houses the JB Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on Aug 16.
Videos of the incident show a man in a heated confrontation with two Malaysian police officers.
Lim faced three charges in relation to the dispute, but pleaded not guilty to them. He was granted bail of RM20,000 (S$6,100) and is set to return to court on Sept 25.
Not his first run-in with the law
This is not Lim’s first brush with the law.
He made headlines in 2017 for holding a wad of $1,000 bills while blocking a taxi driver from closing his door.
In a viral video of the incident, Lim can be heard taunting the driver in Mandarin: “Do you know why you are a taxi driver today? Because you can’t achieve great things.”
He subsequently contacted Shin Min Daily News and apologised for his comments, saying he had been troubled by personal issues and made the remarks while drunk.
Shortly after the viral incident, Lim reportedly prepared 200 packets of chicken rice to give to taxi drivers as a gesture of goodwill.
The following year, Lim said he had quit drinking and opened a massage parlour, where he employed visually impaired masseuses as a way of giving back to society.
The massage parlour was deregistered in June 2020.
That same month, Lim was fined $2,500 for a separate incident involving another taxi driver and a police officer.
Having fallen asleep in the cabby’s taxi, Lim got irritated after the driver woke him upon reaching his destination in Potong Pasir and asked for payment.
Police officers later arrived at the scene and arrested Lim after he refused to calm down despite being warned.
As the officers were arresting him, Lim uttered an expletive that referenced one of the officers’ mother.
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