Forum: Probe dorm operators' balance sheets before covering their costs

Before the Government utilises tax money to cover the increased operating costs incurred by dormitory operators housing foreign workers, perhaps their profit and loss accounts should be audited (Govt to absorb added costs for dorm operators during circuit breaker, May 12).

There is some disquiet among Singaporeans over the living conditions in the dormitories. And while it is recognised that foreign workers here live and work under more humane conditions compared with those in other countries, some human rights issues need to be addressed.

Charging $300 to $400 monthly to house each foreign worker in these dorms plus another $120 a month for three meals a day does not sound excessive. But only an impartial investigation into how cramped or squalid the living conditions are, as well as into the quality and quantity of the meals, can tell how much value there is in those payments.

A scrutiny of the balance sheets will tell us the health of dorm operators' finances and whether they can stump up for the additional costs of manpower, utilities and sanitation during this period, considering that the outbreak of disease in the dorms could have been a problem of their own making.

Yik Keng Yeong (Dr)

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