Singapore boss of bankrupt Five Stars Tours asks staff: “Will you hate me?”

Five Stars Tours closure leaves employees, customers in limbo

WHAT NEXT? (L) Mr Lim Cheng Chuan, a director of the company. (R) Affected customers at a Five Stars Tours outlet.

By Linette Heng, Koh Hui Theng

The New Paper | Sun, Jan 12 2014

SINGAPORE – “Will you hate me?”

That was what Mr Lim Cheng Chuan, a director of troubled Five Stars Tours, asked his employees as he apologised profusely to them, reported Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao. The employees, who were apparently moved to tears, described their boss as a man who values his staff and provides them with career opportunities. The company, which had eight outlets islandwide, is believed to have about 200 employees.Ninety-six of them approached the Ministry of Manpower to file salary claims yesterday.

At the Five Stars Tours head office at People’s Park Complex, employees were seen leaving with suitcases at about 4pm on Wednesday.

They had changed out of their work uniforms and were solemn as they left, reported Wanbao.

Five Stars Tours shocked many when it suddenly closed down at about 3pm on Wednesday. It had been one of the biggest and oldest names in the travel industry here.

The company also announced that it will be undergoing liquidation, the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) said.

The shutdown was not listed on the Travel Related Users’ System (Trust) website, a portal which lists licensed travel agents in Singapore.

FORMAL LETTER

Ms Ong Ling Lee, the director of travel agents and tourist guides for the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), said travel agents have to submit a formal letter which states a cessation of operations before they are listed on the Trust website’s list of agents which are no longer operational.

“STB has yet to receive this formal letter from Five Stars Tours. We were also not kept informed of its closure,” she said.

Case president Lim Biow Chuan said that the organisation has written to the directors of Five Stars Tours, asking them to clarify their position and how they plan to address the problem of consumers left in the lurch.

There was no one at home when The New Paper visited Mr Lim ‘s apartment in the business district yesterday afternoon.

His neighbour said the Lim family largely kept to themselves.

“I’ve been living here for more than 10 years and I didn’t know he was the boss of Five Stars until this year when a friend told me,” she said.

Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore records showed Ms Jenny Lim Soon Ean as the other director of Five Stars Tours.

According to various reports, Mr Lim and Ms Lim were at a police station till late on Wednesday night.

A police spokesman said a report has been lodged and the matter was being investigated.

It is understood that the report was made by a member of the public.