SINGAPORE: The seven migrant workers who rescued a driver from a sinkhole along Tanjong Katong Road last weekend have been invited to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Istana, his office said on Wednesday (30 July).
According to the President’s Office, the workers have been invited to the Istana Open House this Sunday, where they will have opportunities to interact with the President.
The men are site foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, 47, and his co-workers Velmurugan Muthusamy, 27; Poomalai Saravanan, 28; Ganesan Veerasekar, 32; Bose Ajithkumar, 26; Narayanasamy Mayakrishnan, 25; and Sathapillai Rajendran, 56.
The incident occurred at about 5.50pm last Saturday (26 July) when a concrete component in a 16-metre-deep shaft under construction by PUB failed.
The shaft was part of works to connect three existing sewer lines.
Shortly after the failure, a sinkhole opened on the adjacent road, causing a car to plunge into it.
Subbiah and his team acted swiftly, pulling the female driver to safety using a rope within minutes.
Their bravery has drawn widespread praise, with President Tharman acknowledging their quick thinking in a Facebook post on Sunday (27 July).
“Bravo! Thanks to the migrant workers led by foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah. They moved quickly and with courage,” he wrote.
On Sunday evening, the workers were awarded the Friends of ACE appreciation coin by Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash.
The coin, presented by the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) Group, is a token of appreciation given to migrant workers who demonstrate courage, initiative or public-spiritedness in times of need.
Dinesh said, “This is a very good example of how our migrant workers help society in general.”
He added that migrant workers not only build Singapore through construction but also “step forward and make themselves counted when it’s important”.
However, many netizens felt the gesture was inadequate.
Comments on social media suggested that the workers deserved a more practical reward.
Separately, migrant worker support group ItsRainingRaincoats announced on Wednesday (30 July) that it had met its fundraising goal of S$70,000 for the seven workers.
The campaign ultimately raised S$72,241 from 1,639 donors.
“Thank you, Singapore, for your overwhelming kindness and generosity to the brave sinkhole rescue migrant worker heroes!” the organisation wrote on Facebook, adding that funds will be distributed to the workers via their bank accounts.
ItsRainingRaincoats also said it plans to host a meet-and-greet session with the workers soon.
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