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Asking Indian not to cook Indian curry??


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Turbocharged
Number of neighbour disputes hit high

Neighbours lack communication and increasingly intolerant: CMC

by Quek Sue Wen Carolyn 04:45 AM Aug 08, 2011

 

SINGAPORE - From dripping laundry to obstruction at common areas to the cooking of curry, there have been more than 300 cases a year since 2008 of warring neighbours taking to mediation to iron out their differences.

 

Last year, the proportion of neighbour disputes handled by the Community Mediation Centre (CMC) hit a high - with such cases making up two thirds of the total case load. And the trend has not escaped the attention of the authorities.

 

Responding to Today's queries, a Housing and Development Board (HDB) spokesman said that it is currently reviewing its penalty framework for public nuisance and is consulting views from various stakeholders.

 

The spokesman added that the authorities will take enforcement action, as a last resort, if the disturbance in question affects the neighbourhood, and when all efforts to resolve the matter amicably have failed.

 

The spokesman said: "In such instances, the HDB may initiate legal action to compulsorily acquire the flat or impose the penalty."

 

The CMC is the main mediation body here for social, community and family disputes that do not involve a seizable offence.

 

Out of the 498 cases seen by the CMC last year, 67 per cent were neighbour disputes, an increase from the 2007 where such disputes only made up 50 per cent of the centre's caseload. (see table)

 

According to the CMC, 75 per cent of these mediated neighbour dispute cases usually reach settlement.

 

Still, according to two CMC volunteer mediators - who have about 13 years of experience presiding over 200 cases each - neighbours are getting increasingly intolerant of each other and pick on trivial matters at times. There is also a lack of communication, so when conflicts arise, they would rather seek a third party than settle the matter themselves.

 

Madam Marcellina Giam, 54, a CMC master mediator, told Today: "I feel (neighbours) are less tolerant these days and they are bringing very small neighbourhood disputes to the CMC like disputes over a few pots of flowers or washing the corridor, which never used to happen."

 

Fellow master mediator Thirunal Karasu Palaniappan, 49, added that unlike in the past, when the "kampung spirit" was strong and neighbours ventured into each other's homes freely, many neighbours now do not know each other.

 

Most of the cases the mediators have seen are between neighbours living in public housing, though they have handled some cases involving residents of private estates. About 80 cases the CMC saw in the past two years were also referred to it by the HDB. This is out of the 1,700 complaints on inconsiderate neighbour behaviour the HDB receives on average in a year.

 

Mediators are also seeing more disputes involving new immigrants. Both mediators felt that most of the cases they see could be easily solved by the neighbours themselves but the latter choose not to.

 

As a dispute can usually take up to one hour to resolve and in one session, they said this showed how all that was needed was face-to-face communication to settle matters amicably.

 

While mediators are seeing a greater proportion of neighbour disputes among the cases that they handle, the good news is that fewer neighbours are taking the legal route to resolve their differences.

 

According to the Subordinate Courts, with the introduction of a more rigorous and proactive case management and pre-trial process last year, a majority of magistrates' complaints - which include neighbour disputes - have been resolved without the need for a full trial.

 

In 2009, there were 4,569 magistrates' complaints filed but this dropped by 412 complaints to 4,157 last year. In the first six months of this year, there were about 1,800 magistrates' complaints.

 

This translates to fewer cases in the Neighbourhood Court, a dedicated court set in 2008 solely to deal with neighbour disputes.

 

"Frivolous and unmeritorious complaints are weeded out at an early stage while the rest are settled by way of mediation, which has been very successful," said a Subordinates Courts spokesman.

 

When neighbours disagree ...

by Quek Sue Wen Carolyn

 

Case 1: A family, who had just moved here from China, had resorted to mediation because they could not stand the smell of curry that their Singaporean Indian neighbours would often cook. The Indian family, who were mindful of their neighbour's aversion, had already taken to closing their doors and windows whenever they cooked the dish, but this was not enough.

 

"They said: 'Can you please do something? Can you don't cook curry? Can you don't eat curry?'," said Madam Marcellina Giam, a Community Mediation Centre mediator. But the Indian family stood firm. In the end, Mdm Giam got the Indian family to agree to cook curry only when the Chinese family was not home. In return, they wanted their Chinese neighbours to at least give their dish a try.

 

Case 2: A 40-year-old sales manager was shocked to find a note posted in one of the lifts of his Telok Blangah block. The anonymous writer had complained that his children were making "ear-piercing screams everyday and making the environment very unconducive for resting". The writer said the screams were "hurting the ears" of the residents and called on the children's parents to be "socially responsible".

 

The sales manager, who wanted only to be known as Mr Su, said he thought of responding and finding out who the letter writer was. He decided against it eventually. "I don't know why the writer had to do that, he could have approached me directly," Mr Su told Today.

 

He has also told his two sons aged three and five not to make too much noise when they play. Mr Su also said he will let the matter rest - provided it does not happen again. Carolyn Quek

 

http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC11...sputes-hit-high

 

We have been living harmoniously with our Malay and Indian brothers and sisters over the past 40yrs.

 

I say we send this family back to PRC if they cannot integrate with our food and culture.. <_< <_<

Edited by Shull
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wau lau...ask them to go back lah...

 

have to agree....sometime those food smell from cooking..(not only curry) ...is unbearable....but no choice we r all living so close to one another...

even if u live in Condo....

 

or put them in lim chu kang lor....confirm no food smell

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Fully agree like the saying in Rome do what the Romans do. We have been living with our Indian/malay community for so long 46years tomorrow is National Day never heard of cannot cook curry.

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The moral of the story is that if you complain you get free curry [laugh] .

 

Actually I am experiencing same thing but whenever my neighbor cooks, i feel hungry ley [laugh]

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rising population should see more cases.

 

cos in sg success is with certain percentage only.

 

that is our capacity.

 

self-centered is end result. [:(]

Edited by Csnewbie
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Actually I am experiencing same thing but whenever my neighbor cooks, i feel hungry ley [laugh]

same.... sometimes i wonder what curry they cook... fish or chicken

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I get very angry when I read the news.

The gutless mediator is a joke. And the neighbor is also still so kind to offer curry and such patience shown.

We have being livng 46years smelling each others ass without complain. This was the Singaporean spirit.

 

Then come the dogs who dare to cause the harmony to break up and driving a wedge between Singaporeans. Now I see Singaporean against each other, on the road, on the MRT, at foodcourst, etc. Very sad state of affairs.

Still need the PM to remind me that national day is for all the celebrate. I think PM also sensed the divide and specially need to remind us to celebrate peacefully on this day. Haiz.

 

This type of unpublished things must be happening without our knowledge if it's not published out.

TMD WBD.

This national day...I am not going to give these outsiders any chance. See one beat one.

I know myself....I am just one more such news to make me go ballistic against these unreasonable KNNBCCB TMDWBD.

 

 

 

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indian don't cook indian curry than cook what???.............

 

these PRC...........all siao!!!...............

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indian don't cook indian curry than cook what???.............

 

these PRC...........all siao!!!...............

guess prata have to eat with sugar. [:p]

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I get very angry when I read the news.

The gutless mediator is a joke. And the neighbor is also still so kind to offer curry and such patience shown.

We have being livng 46years smelling each others ass without complain. This was the Singaporean spirit.

 

Then come the dogs who dare to cause the harmony to break up and driving a wedge between Singaporeans. Now I see Singaporean against each other, on the road, on the MRT, at foodcourst, etc. Very sad state of affairs.

Still need the PM to remind me that national day is for all the celebrate. I think PM also sensed the divide and specially need to remind us to celebrate peacefully on this day. Haiz.

 

This type of unpublished things must be happening without our knowledge if it's not published out.

TMD WBD.

This national day...I am not going to give these outsiders any chance. See one beat one.

I know myself....I am just one more such news to make me go ballistic against these unreasonable KNNBCCB TMDWBD.

 

Actually do you meant that these type of nonsenses are uniting Singaporeans instead of driving a wedge between us?

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Turbocharged

guess prata have to eat with sugar. [:p]

 

Hmmm.. I wonder what the prataman has to say

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thumbs up to this indian family.

 

instead of feeling angry, they offer to let this PRC couple try their dishes.

 

 

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locals aint no saint either...gate slamming, noisy kids, indiscriminate littering, obnoxious behaviour.... call police, direct to HDB, call HDB, direct to town council, then to police...

 

i m living with gate slamming, furniture dragging ...almost to tripping point !!!

 

MP will ask you to move to condo or landed property !

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