Both men, whom locals claim are mentally unsound, have been homeless for years after they were neglected by their families.

“My name is Ah Kwang,” Ting said. He does not remember his full name or age. A friend keeps his MyKad so he would not lose it.

He broke into a huge smile when a man handed him a few ringgit.

His “bed” is made up of a pillow, some old and dirty cushions, torn gunny sacks, rags, plastic materials, flattened egg trays and other discarded items.

“I came to know of Ting’s situation late last night after someone posted a photo of him on Facebook and tagged me,” Penang Gerakan vice-chaiman Oh Tong Keong said.

“It seems that Ting has lived here near the market for a long time. The locals know him, with some taking pity on him and becoming his friends. He can find food here,” he said.

After speaking to some locals and Ting to find out more, Oh said the man was left homeless after his parents died and his six siblings did not want to care for him.

“He is the youngest. He is not all right mentally. The people say he has been here for over two years. Before this, he slept somewhere nearby.

“This is not a unique case. The state government needs to help people like him,” he said, adding that Gerakan would try to get Ting admitted into the Penang Home for the Infirm and Aged.

Less than 100 metres away from Ting’s spot, Teh laid on the floor next to a drain in the market’s hawker centre. He was filthy and his right leg was plastered. He had a plastic container of biscuits next to him.

Oh did not know about him until a hawker took advantage of his press conference to “report” Teh to him. The hawkers wanted Teh taken away.

“He makes the place dirty. He sometimes relieves himself here and there. We had to clean up after him.

“He exposed himself a few times. I don’t think he is mentally sound,” a hawker told reporters.

“He disturbed some people and was beaten up over two months ago. I think he has not bathed for about three months now,” another told the press, explaining the homeless man’s broken leg.

Another man volunteered more details, saying Teh had crawled to beg with his leg broken.

Oh spoke briefly with Teh, trying to get information from him. He said the man has no family since his father died years ago, and no MyKad.

“He has been hanging around here for about five years,” he said.

He also questioned how Teh ended up back in the market after his broken leg was treated at the hospital.

“The state government needs to look into this homeless people problem to help them. After all, Penang wants to be an international city,” he said.

Penang welfare exco Phee Boon Poh said officers would be sent to the market to investigate.

“We have to investigate each case. There is a standard operation procedure to follow. Cases like this involves many agencies, including the hospital and police. We will look into it,” he told FMT.