Nobody likes surprises.

Hence, lessons learnt from the Serangoon Gardens saga - where plans to house foreign workers temporarily in a former school came as a shock to residents - have come in handy for at least two MPs who found they had to handle a similar situation.

Building ties 'I hope residents will understand that they are here to work and not cause problems. We hope to foster interaction and even have some ideas like a dormitory open house so residents can visit.' TANJONG PAGAR GRC MP BAEY YAM KENG, discussing the issue of a dormitory for foreign workers

The Government recently announced 10 new sites for such housing and at least two, in Queenstown and Hougang, are within walking distance of residential areas.

For MPs Baey Yam Keng and Fatimah Lateef, their work to get residents used to the idea before the announcement has paid off.

They were informed by the Ministry of National Development (MND) before it made the announcement. They then worked with grassroots bodies on how best to integrate the workers in the community.

So when Mr Baey, a Tanjong Pagar GRC MP, met some 30 Queenstown residents at a dialogue in the Queenstown Public Library yesterday to discuss the dorm issue - a former polyclinic in Margaret Drive has been earmarked for the purpose - the mood was certainly not testy.

In Serangoon Gardens, some 1,600 residents signed a petition in September to voice their disapproval of the dorm idea and angry letters were published in the newspapers.

At the Queenstown dialogue, the participants actually seemed more interested in the issue of town councils making investments.

Town councils made the news recently when eight of them were revealed to have about $16 million exposed to toxic products such as those linked to the failed Lehman Brothers investment bank.

Mr Baey said the Tanjong Pagar Town Council lost less than $1 million in such investments but made over $17 million in other investments.

On the dorm issue, he said the site will house 150 construction workers from China, all employed by a single contractor. They would be monitored via access passes and a 24-hour security officer.

Among the few questions posed to him, one came from designer Don Lim, 32, who suggested that a committee be formed to act as a bridge between workers and residents.

Mr Baey assured residents that there would be a liaison officer both for the residents and workers.

'I hope residents will understand that they are here to work and not cause problems. We hope to foster interaction and even have some ideas like a dormitory open house so residents can visit,' he said.

Another site in Hougang Avenue 3 is adjacent to Tai Keng Gardens, a private estate with 1,200 households. This site will house up to 3,000 workers.

Dr Fatimah Lateef, the MP for the area, said she has not received any major complaint so far.

Once she was informed by MND before it made the announcement, she had met the neighbourhood committee and surveyed the site several times.

She said: 'The entry point in Hougang Avenue 3 will not cross into Tai Keng Gardens. I've also launched a programme that will teach workers about communication and etiquette.'

Meanwhile, an MND spokesman said the tender for an operator to run the Serangoon Gardens dormitory closed last Friday.

The key provisions in response to issues raised by residents, such as sealing off the existing entrance in Burghley Drive and security measures, were incorporated in the tender document, she said.

Work is scheduled to be completed in about a year's time.