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.
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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hit my child on the head from behind,” said Winda, the boy’s mother, who is from Jakarta and asked that her surname not be published.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.