Zeng Guoyuan

Zeng Guoyuan (; ; 195316 November 2019), also known as Zeng Guoyan, Thomas Chan Hock Seng and erroneously, Zeng Guoyung, was a Singaporean businessman, philanthropist, author, acupuncturist and perennial candidate.

Zeng entered politics in 1991, when he became a Workers' Party member; thereafter he renounced his affiliation to the group and became a perennial candidate in Singaporean elections, albeit always dropping out of contention at the last minute. Zeng was also an active acupuncturist who arranged for global meetings and operated an acupuncture centre in Singapore, later changing his focus to selling healthcare products after a string of molestation lawsuits initiated by his patients.

Zeng was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014; this necessitated the excision of his entire nose, which led to significant facial disfigurement, and he became a tissue paper peddler, abandoning his previous jobs. Zeng was found dead in Geylang Bahru, Singapore on 16 November 2019.

Early life Zeng was born Chan Hock Seng in 1953, According to a March 1987 Straits Times report, Zeng's highest level of education was secondary school, Between 1977 and 1978, he was President of Dale Carnegie Alumni Association's Lion Chapter of Singapore, an oratorical society. He officially became a member of the Singapore-based political party Workers' Party (WP) on 18 August 1991 because "the PAP government obviously wants an opposition in Parliament", He netted a quarter of the 22,000 votes cast, losing out to the PAP's Wang Kai Yuen. Zeng decided to leave the party that year because, in his words, "in politics, all the crows are black". In a 1996 lawsuit he was involved in, Zeng stated that he contested the 1991 general election only to gain publicity for his acupuncture business.

Perennial candidacy

After leaving the Workers' Party, Zeng became a perennial candidate for election in Singapore. He ran for the Mountbatten Single Member Constituency during the 2006 Singaporean general election, but was unsuccessful. Believing himself to be ineligible for candidacy, Zeng decided not to take part in the 2011 Singaporean general election. During the 2013 Singaporean by-election, Zeng decided not to contest as he suspected a conspiracy against him, claiming that he first needed "the President's pardon". He also explained that he wanted to give in to candidates of higher caliber than him, adding that "fools rush in where angels fear to tread".

In August 2015, he declared that he would be contesting the Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency, pledging to "fight until the end", but after less than a week he changed his mind, citing his being the only independent running, his good ties with Chiam See Tong, and not wanting his participation to cause a three-cornered-contest as reasons for his withdrawal. Furthermore, he revealed he could not have secured the election deposit alone and was relying on his "fifteen compassionate backers".

Other ventures

Having studied the subject in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and organised acupuncture meet-ups as the president of the World Acupuncture Voluntary Organisation (WAVO). After Zeng published controversial and self-admittedly "misleading" advertisements of it in 1991, the 28th World Congress of Acupuncture and Complementary Medicine, which was supposed to have taken place in Singapore, changed its host country to the Republic of China. Zeng, in defence, cited "miscommunication" with the Medicina Alternativa Institute in Sri Lanka. As a philanthropist, Zeng funded the construction of a mosque in an unspecified Bangladeshi village. It moved to Toa Payoh and its sole basis of operations became selling healthcare products, including slimming oil and a "hair regrowth shampoo" made of vegetable and chocolate. He also owned a MacPherson-based store. Zeng's Medical Centre folded after he was diagnosed with cancer. The work, which contains numerous references to the 1976 monster thriller King Kong, was banned by the government upon its release. Benson Ang stressed the controversy surrounding Zeng, describing him as "Toa Payoh's nutty professor".

Others facetiously dub him as an "election veteran" in Singapore while noting his tendency of not filing his nomination papers and his public antics; Ilsa Chan, writing for Toggle SG, billed Zeng as "the candidate who never gives up" but found his backing out of the 2015 general election bizarre. Singaporean comedian and blogger Lee Kin Mun, better known as mrbrown, portrayed Zeng in a satirical video on the 2013 Punggol East by-election.

Zeng is notable for his unorthodox, or a golden scarf. He was also seen in a baju kurung and songkok during the 2011 Singaporean general election.

Personal life

Zeng was married to Lili Han Yizi (; born 1956),

In a 2017 interview, Zeng identified himself as both a Muslim and a Jehovah's Witness, and described the unfortunate happenings in his life as divine salvation. In March 1988, a clerk filed a lawsuit against Zeng, attesting that he had "kissed her and touched her breast in his clinic" during a hair-loss and weight-gain treatment session in November 1986. but the conviction was rescinded in March 1990, following an appeal by Zeng.

In December 1991, the owner of a white Mercedes-Benz limousine lodged a complaint against Zeng for not having paid for his vehicle, which he rented in November of that year, during the General Election. Initially refusing to pay, he later complied and no charges were filed. In June 1994, Zeng was charged with assaulting and threatening two male individuals, a claim which he initially refuted. The victims were his neighbours, Zeng was ordered to pay a fine of $4,000.

In April 1996, another female patient of his claimed that Zeng had outraged her modesty at a treatment session at his acupuncture centre. His antics were likened by a police officer at scene to that of a "Shakespearean" actor. Maintaining his innocence to the end, Zeng was nonetheless found guilty and sentenced to four strokes of the cane and some eighteen months of jail time, which was increased to ten strokes of the cane and twenty-seven months of imprisonment following a failed appeal. Zeng had claimed in his defence that the "nasty" victim was spitefully making up lies after he rejected her. Efforts on his part to postpone the sentencing, on the grounds that he was mentally disabled, were unsuccessful. It was noted that Zeng's antics in court were "aggravating factor that the Court could take into account in sentencing".

During that period in jail, Zeng alleged that he was stripped of some of his basic rights; he claimed that as a result of being denied access to clean bathing water, he had developed painful rashes near his rectum. He added that the police in charge of him called him crazy and wanted to "put him in a psychiatric cell",

In 2008, Zeng was charged with using abusive language on two police officers. In around October 2009, a lawsuit was filed against Zeng for placing at his two stores banners of escaped terrorist Mas Selamat bin Kastari – which he argued were merely sunshades – without official permit. The banners were accompanied by large one-word notes all reading "Death". The trial concluded with Zeng deciding to spend three weeks in jail, instead of paying $3,000 in fines.

The management of Ngee Ann City "called the police more than 30 times" Two months later, he was arrested in Geylang Serai for assaulting two police officers. In October 2018, former police officer Seah Chin Peng was charged in a district court for deliberately damaging Zeng's walking stick two years ago and attempting to suppress the truth behind its destruction.

Death Zeng was found dead at the void deck of 68 Geylang Bahru on 16 November 2019 at 21:45 (GMT+8). The cause of death was not immediately known. Zeng's neighbour recounted being awoken by a loud thud and finding Zeng lying motionless in a pool of blood.