SINGAPORE: Although the victim of a fatal knife attack in Yishun had applied for mediation with her neighbour in June, the session did not take place as the man did not respond to the invitation, said the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and Ministry of National Development (MND) in a joint statement on Sept 27.
The statement said that Nguyen Phuong Tra applied for mediation on June 12, but it could not proceed because Koh Ah Hwee did not respond.
The ministries declined to comment further on the specifics of the case because it is the subject of police investigations, the statement added.
On Sept 24, Koh allegedly murdered Tra, 30, outside a unit on the sixth floor of Block 323 Yishun Central.
The 66-year-old allegedly stabbed Tra in the chest with a knife. Her 33-year-old husband was seriously injured, allegedly while trying to stop Koh.
The neighbours were said to have been in the midst of trying to resolve their differences over noise complaints when the incident happened.
Nee Soon GRC MP Jackson Lam, who oversees the area, had said then that the dispute had been escalated to the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals.
In their joint statement, the two ministries said the average number of noise complaints government agencies received in the first half of 2025 held steady at about 2,500 a month, adding that the Government’s approach towards such disputes is to “facilitate dialogue and communication between neighbours as far as possible”.
Stressing that disputes between neighbours should be handled amicably, the ministries advised residents to talk things out with their neighbours, and seek help from grassroots leaders or apply for mediation at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC) if necessary.
Despite the high success rate of cases mediated by the CMC – about 80 per cent – the ministries said less than a third of mediation applications actually go through, as one of the parties involved would not wish to participate.
From January to August, there were a total of 1,106 cases registered at the CMC, averaging about 138 a month.
However, only 166 cases were actually mediated, with 129 of those resulting in a settlement, said MinLaw and MND.
Amid these concerns, the new Community Relations Unit (CRU) began its one-year pilot in Tampines in April, with officers from the unit given a range of powers, including issuing directions to compel parties to go for mediation at the CMC, among other moves meant to address severe disputes.
The CRU has so far taken on five cases which had been escalated by the Housing Board and the police, the statement said.
One case saw both neighbours directed to attend mediation, while another case, which involved the deliberate use of noise to disturb neighbours, was wrapped up after intervention by officers from different agencies.
The remaining three cases involved people with mental health issues, and the CRU has been working with various stakeholders to better support them, the statement said.
Although the CRU team can deploy noise sensors for its investigations, none have been used in its cases so far. - The Straits Times/ANN
