'Can y'all convince him’ to see a doctor? Actor Noah Yap visits  73-year-old uncle who was assaulted after he patted a child on her head

SINGAPORE: Over the weekend, a video shared on Facebook of a man confronting and then pushing an uncle to the floor at a coffee shop went viral. While many in Singapore expressed shock and dismay, the actor Noah Yap went one step further and visited the 73-year-old man and his family.

Mr Yap, best known for starring in the Ah Boys to Men movies, wrote in an Aug 16 (Sunday) social media post that the man was doing well but had so far refused any medical treatment.

“Can y’all convince him to go?” the actor appealed to his followers.

The incident

On Saturday (Aug 15), a video was shared on the Facebook page of Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle 美樱雲吞麵, a Cantonese eatery on East Coast Road, with the post authors asking for help with identifying a man in the clip.

It showed the uncle walking between the tables of the eatery, and as he passed a little girl, he briefly touched her on the head. After he did this, the woman across from the child, presumably her mother, appeared to call his attention to what he’d done.

As she was speaking to her uncle, a man who had previously been sitting with the girl and the woman, returned to the table and began to confront the uncle. Since the clip has no audio, the exchange of words between them could not be heard.

However, soon after the man began speaking forcefully to the uncle and pointing in his face, he can be seen grabbing the older man by the arm and pulling him to the floor in an angry manner.

Other men can be seen coming quickly to the uncle’s aid and helping him up, and the confrontation between the two continued.

According to the post author, the man later apologised and offered the uncle a drink.

“While we appreciate that he eventually apologised, my father is now suffering from severe back pain following the incident…” the post reads, adding, “We are sharing this because we want to identify the man involved and seek justice for my father. We are not looking for anyone to harass or confront him. We simply want the truth to be known and for this matter to be addressed appropriately.”

The clip has since garnered more than 870,000 views.

“In good spirits”

Mr Yap wrote in his posts over Instagram and Facebook that the uncle was already back at work and was “in good spirits,” and happily noted that while he was visiting with the uncle, many people came up to them to check on him and show their love.

“I just want to put it out there that violence is never the answer to anything. I hope we can spread a little more kindness to each other,” the actor added.

On Sunday afternoon, the Singapore Police Force said in a social media post that the 40-year-old man who had confronted the uncle had been identified and that investigations are ongoing.

“Members of the public are advised not to speculate on the incident or its circumstances, and to allow the Police to conduct investigations and establish the facts of the case,” SPF added. /TISG

Read also: ‘They deserve respect’: Go-Ahead Singapore speaks out after bus captain allegedly assaulted