Snack bar owner from The Hague faces financial ruin after fatal stabbing of husband

About six months ago Wei Chen was stabbed to death when he and his wife walked Xiao home from their snack bar in Houtwijk in The Hague. The police arrested three teenagers for the murder. Now the 41-year-old snack bar owner is facing financial ruin after her husband's death, NOS reports.

According to Femke Beeloo-Planken, a loyal customer of the snack bar, Xiao was simply advised to sell her snack bar and car because she no longer has any financial reserves. "To get welfare, you can't own too much. So first they have to get rid of their car and their business, but then you're already 10-0 behind when you want to start rebuilding later," Beeloo-Planken told NOS. She and other customers were so concerned for Xiao that they launched a fundraising campaign through GoFundMe. Around 73,000 euros have since been donated.

The fatal attack on her husband has also left a psychological mark on the family. "They feel very unsafe in the neighborhood, especially after what happened," Beeloo-Planken told Omroep West. For example, the family no longer dares to go out if there are too many people or groups of people standing around on the street.

Above all, Xiao has a desire to keep working and keep the snack bar going. At the moment, the snack bar owner is still supported by Victim Support, but no help has yet come from the government, which could act as a financial safety net.

The municipality of The Hague expressed concern about the situation and now wants to investigate the situation of the 41-year-old with the help of a "social case manager" and hopes to find financial arrangements that could help the widow.

So far, Xiao received a one-time compensation from the Compensation Fund for Victims of Violent Crimes for the suffering she had to go through. However, that was only a sum of 5,000 euros. But the 41-year-old widow will have to pay back this sum when she receives compensation from the perpetrators after the court hearings, NOS reported.

Hence the fundraising campaign, which is currently the last resort. "It remains sad that a collection is needed. I do not understand how a country like the Netherlands, which is so rich, can abandon the victims like that. The perpetrators are minors and are protected on all fronts. But then who will protect Xiao's children?, ” Beeloo-Planken told the tv station.

Two girls aged 15 and 17 as well as a 17-year-old boy were arrested as suspects. They are to be brought before a court at the end of September. A motive for the violent act is not known to date, the NOS wrote. According to AD, the teenagers belong to two youth groups from The Hague and Delft with a long ongoing and violent conflict.