Indonesian mum shares how son was allegedly hit with bottle in Singapore
Incident triggers anxiety among Indonesian online users about travelling in Singapore, long regarded as one of the world’s safest countries
Winda’s son, 5, receiving medical attention after he was allegedly attacked with a wine bottle while he and his family were seated outside a coffee shop in Singapore’s Arab Street district on June 20. Photo: Winda
A five-year-old Indonesian boy was allegedly struck on the head with a wine bottle by a stranger in Singapore – an incident that has prompted Indonesian media outlets and social media users to question personal safety in the city state, long regarded as one of the world’s safest travel destinations.
The incident occurred on June 20 in Singapore’s Arab Street district, a popular tourist area, as the family was seated outside a coffee shop shortly before attending Friday prayers at the nearby Sultan Mosque.
“From my left side, there was a [man] carrying a glass bottle of wine and immediately hit my child on the head from behind,” said Winda, the boy’s mother, who is from Jakarta and asked that her surname not be published. “It happened very quickly. Then my husband pushed the man until he fell.”
The boy began crying and vomiting after the impact, Winda said. Passers-by helped the family and escorted them inside the café while awaiting police assistance. During that time, Winda said the man tried to “pull a knife out of his bag”.
“I never would have imagined that something this scary would happen,” Winda said. “A random person who has no reason to hate us can do something so horrible.”
Her older son was “scared and angry” upon witnessing the attack on his brother, Winda said.
After the medical assistance arrived, Winda said her son was brought to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore, where X-ray scanning of her son’s head turned out “fine”.
“He was put under observation for two days, in case he showed symptoms [of concussion]. Thank God after we returned to Indonesia, there have been no symptoms,” she said.
According to Winda, the incident happened on her younger son’s first trip to Singapore and took place just two days before the family planned to leave on June 22.
As of Wednesday, “my son has been well and in a stable condition. However, it’s the trauma that still remains with us”, Winda said.
News outlets in Singapore reported that the alleged attacker, a 26-year-old Chinese national, was overstaying in the city state after his social visit pass expired.
The day after the alleged attack on Winda’s son, the man was charged in court in relation to possession of a “32cm-long vegetable knife” in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, as cited by Shin Min Daily News.
The alleged attacker, a 26-year-old Chinese national, was overstaying in Singapore after his social visit pass expired, according to Singapore news outlets. Photo: Winda
Impact on tourism
While Singaporean authorities responded promptly to the incident, the case has sparked concern online and in the Indonesian press, where safety issues were raised in relation to the coming school holiday season in Indonesia.
“How could [the attacker] be so cruel? It probably hurt so much that the child vomited. The behaviour of people these days is really scary. Be careful if you are on vacation, especially those who bring children,” an Indonesian user said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I was almost in tears while reading this. My body was trembling. I have a child of the same age, and we are planning to go to Singapore this month,” another Indonesian user said on Instagram. “Oh my God, it’s shocking to me. I need to cancel my trip. I hope the young boy is safe, it hurts me so much.”
Another user said the attacker should be “charged, jailed, deported and banned from entering Singapore ever again”.
Questions were also raised about the safety of travelling in Singapore, including by major Indonesian news outlets who picked up the incident earlier this week.
“This incident is a reminder for the public, especially tourists from Indonesia, to remain vigilant even in a country known to be safe like Singapore,” online news outlet Beritasatu said.
Singapore is consistently ranked among the world’s safest cities. In 2024, it placed second globally in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Safe Cities Index, with particularly strong scores for infrastructure and personal safety. It was also ranked the second-safest country in the Asia-Pacific region in this year’s Global Peace Index.
Tourists visit the iconic Merlion statue on the Marina Bay waterfront in March. Singapore is consistently ranked among the world’s safest cities. Photo: AFP
Sari Lenggogeni, a tourism expert at the University of Andalas in West Sumatra, said it was understandable that some people might question their travel plans in light of the incident, which she noted “contradicts” Singapore’s image as one of the world’s safest tourist destinations.
She said the timing of the incident, coming just before the school holiday period in Indonesia, could influence decisions.
“Indonesian parents could decide not to travel to Singapore, and instead travel [within] Indonesia or go to Malaysia,” she said.
Singapore has been one of the leading destinations for Indonesians travelling overseas. Last year, 2.49 million Indonesian tourists visited Singapore, an 8 per cent increase compared to 2023 and making the country the second-biggest source of foreign visitors in the city state, according to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
Between January to September last year, Indonesian tourists contributed S$2.13 billion (US$1.66 billion) to the city state, excluding expenses from sightseeing, entertainment, and gaming, the STB said.
For Winda, the incident, while traumatising, will not make her think twice before holidaying in Singapore with her family in the future.
“I really love Singapore, that’s why I always take my children there. This can happen to anyone, it’s just that we didn’t ask for it and we didn’t expect it,” she said.
She urged Indonesian parents to “enjoy Singapore but remain vigilant. Wherever we are, even in the places we consider the safest, there is still a possibility of bad things happening”.
