In the bustling heart of Singapore’s hawker culture, where the sizzle of woks and the aroma of simmering broths define daily life, a violent altercation at the Circuit Road Hawker Centre on May 10 has drawn attention to the fragile tensions that can flare in close quarters. Huang Yiliang, the 64-year-old former actor-turned-hawker, was taken by ambulance to Tan Tock Seng Hospital after being assaulted at his stall, Old Fisherman. The incident, captured on video by a TikTok user, shows Huang seated outside his stall, his right ear and jaw throbbing in pain, as a paramedic attends to him.
Huang, known for his signature crab bee hoon and his transition from acting to running a seafood stall, described the evening’s events as a sudden escalation of long-simmering disputes. According to his account, tensions had been building for weeks with the owner of the neighboring Hainanese Chicken Rice stall. The day of the assault, Huang said he was preparing orders at about 6 p.m. When the woman called over his assistant to a table outside her stall, where her husband was waiting. When Huang told his assistant to return to work, the couple began shouting, allegedly in an attempt to disperse the crowd of customers at his stall.
Huang said he shouted back that his customers were not frightened off by their shouting. As he stepped out of his stall, he felt a sharp blow to his right ear from behind, causing him to fall forward. He alleged that the chicken rice stall owner’s husband had struck him. “I was shocked and in pain,” Huang told The Straits Times. Some bystanders helped him to a table outside the stall before an ambulance arrived and took him to the hospital. There was no bleeding, but his ear and jaw hurt severely. He was discharged at about 10 p.m. And given three days of medical leave and painkillers.
The police confirmed that a 64-year-old man was assaulted by a 60-year-old man, and the 60-year-old is assisting with ongoing investigations.
From Rumors to Rumblings
This is not the first time Huang has found himself at the center of controversy. Last week, a five-second video surfaced on social media, showing a heated argument between Huang and the 50-year-old female owner of the neighboring chicken rice stall. Huang alleged that the woman had spread rumors about him having an improper relationship with his part-time stall assistant, a claim he vehemently denied.
The assistant, who declined to be named, said she started working for Huang in March. Initially, she worked full-time for two weeks, but she later returned part-time due to the stress and heat of the hawker environment. She said Huang had offered her a place to rest in his nearby flat during the stall’s midday closure, and she initially accepted, taking naps on the sofa while he rested in his room. However, after a misunderstanding with the chicken rice stall owner, she no longer went to his home for breaks.
About a month ago, while eating at the neighboring stall, the chicken rice owner struck up a conversation with the assistant. The assistant mentioned that she had previously rested at Huang’s flat. The owner then asked in Mandarin if she and Huang “had slept.” Assuming the question referred to napping, the assistant replied “yes.” Huang later said that other hawkers told him the owner had alleged that he and his assistant had been “sleeping together.” The assistant told The Straits Times, “I want to make it clear that there is nothing going on between Yiliang and me.”
Huang’s past has also cast a shadow over the situation. In 2021, he was sentenced to 10 months in jail for assaulting a Bangladeshi worker he had hired. Despite this, his assistant said she found him to be a decent boss in recent months, noting that he was courteous and jovial with customers and other hawkers.
Neighbors and New Beginnings
Huang’s transition from acting to running a hawker stall has been marked by both resilience and controversy. Since leaving the entertainment industry in 2007, Huang has run businesses in plumbing and seafood, and his crab bee hoon has become a local favorite, drawing long queues at his stall. However, his relationship with his neighbors has been strained since he took over the stall next to the chicken rice owner and began renovation works. He said she had scolded him and his plumber for carrying out the work, complaining that the dust affected her business. Huang said he tried to be cordial, greeting her whenever he saw her, but the rumors and subsequent altercations have soured their interactions.
Before the recent argument, Huang alleged that the chicken rice owner had approached him on at least five occasions, asking to be his stall assistant. He said he was taken aback and did not respond, and the fifth time she asked, he replied, “What about your own stall? How can you assist me since you are running your own stall alone?”
Impact and Aftermath
After the altercation on May 10, Huang asked his assistant to continue operating the stall on her own for the rest of the evening, even though she could prepare only steamed fish. As he had to go to the hospital, he was unable to fulfill advanced orders for Mother’s Day, including those for his signature crab bee hoon. He estimates his losses at several hundred dollars, as he will have to refund orders made in advance.
Meanwhile, the neighboring chicken rice stall, known as Enah Hainanese Chicken Rice on its Facebook page, has received a slew of one-star reviews on its Google page since May 6, with some reviewers referring to the dispute. One reviewer wrote, “Differences between stallholders are best resolved respectfully without unnecessary public escalation… I hope the owner of Enah Hainanese Chicken Rice can adopt kinder communication habits, reduce avoidable conflicts and uphold a spirit of mutual respect.”
The incident has highlighted the pressures of running a hawker stall in a competitive and high-stress environment. For Huang, the assault has not only caused physical pain but also disrupted his business and personal relationships. As the police continue their investigation, the community watches to see how these tensions will be resolved.
What’s Next?
The next checkpoint in this unfolding story will be the conclusion of the police investigation into the assault. Huang has indicated that he will continue to operate his stall, but the incident has left a mark on both him and his neighbors. The broader question remains: Can the spirit of mutual respect and understanding that defines Singapore’s hawker culture prevail in the face of personal disputes?
If you have experienced or witnessed similar incidents, we invite you to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more updates, follow our coverage of Singapore’s vibrant hawker scene and the stories that shape it.
