MP Shawn Loh aware of neighbour dispute in Boon Keng, monitoring issue with agencies

SINGAPORE – A dispute between neighbours at an HDB block in Boon Keng, which has included allegations of inconsiderate behaviour and vandalism, has drawn the attention of Jalan Besar GRC MP Shawn Loh.

“This is one of the most frustrating and hard-to-resolve cases in my constituency, despite the best efforts of our agencies,” said Mr Loh in a Facebook post on Jan 18.

He detailed how some residents of the block came to see him about the issue, informing him of “inconsiderate behaviour that led to emotional trauma, and of children who had exam preparation disrupted and who were afraid of taking the lift by themselves”.

Videos of altercations from various parties have gone viral in January, with those involved presenting their cases on the matter online.

On Jan 12, on a YouTube channel called FIGHTING CRIME, ONE VIDEO AT A TIME!, a resident, whose username is @AntiCrime-b1h, shared footage of three women outside his unit at 22 Boon Keng Road, alleging that they vandalised decorations outside his unit.

In a response on TikTok on Jan 18, one of the women – whose relative lives in the same block – responded to his allegations, sharing footage of the resident’s alleged provocations against other neighbours.

She alleged that the man had for years constantly harassed the neighbours in the block by hitting his pipes at all times of the day as well as late at night, and that he allegedly accosted them while they were in the lifts as well.

When approached, the resident told The Straits Times on Jan 19 that some allegations made against him in the video were without proof, and that the altercations have left him and his family members “distressed and afraid”.

ST has contacted the other party for more information.

The police have confirmed that a report on the matter has been lodged, and they are looking into the matter.

On Mr Loh’s advice, the residents submitted their case to the Community Mediation Centre, and then sought recourse from the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals when the issue remained unresolved.

“The agencies and I are actively monitoring the issue. In fact, as recently as two weeks ago, I had informed the agencies to look into a complaint,” said Mr Loh.

Regarding a recent incident where Chinese New Year decorations were torn off one of the neighbours’ doors, he noted that “two wrongs do not make a right”.

He said he has spoken to the police and HDB, and will have to leave the investigation in the hands of the authorities.

“With the start of this new year, I hope we can all be considerate to our neighbours so that we can all live in a more harmonious environment. Ultimately, our homes are not just about how good our physical infrastructure is, but about how strong our social bonds are,” he said.

ST has also contacted the Jalan Besar Town Council for more information.