Bukit Panjang neighbours at war since 2021, lodge more than 20 police reports

The New Paper
Sept 29, 2023

The dispute began two years ago, and has since seen over 20 police reports lodged and even a court mediation between the two parties. 

The neighbourly “war” between two households at Block 137 Petir Road in Bukit Panjang began in 2021 after a dispute over a shoe rack, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Ida, who lives in the corner unit, told Shin Min that her family had placed the shoe rack along the corridor outside their house and under her neighbour's living room window, which upset the elderly woman living next door.

The elderly woman then reportedly began harassing them by using a mop to drip urine onto the shoes.

She also used a water gun to spray soya sauce on their clothes, Ida said.

"When our home was undergoing renovation in May, she entered our house and threw our shoes into the living room. The following month, she splashed white paint on our front door," Ida alleged.

Though she was reluctant to remove the shoe rack initially, Ida said she eventually replaced it with a smaller shoe rack. But the elderly woman persisted in her actions.

The rack was then removed entirely two months ago.

Ida said she has been under great mental pressure since her neighbour began harassing her family, and was diagnosed with moderate depression and prescribed medication a year ago.

She has called the police and lodged complaints against the woman more than 20 times. Both parties also attended a court mediation at one point.

Despite all that, the feud has not ended. According to Ida, the elderly woman poured dirty water onto their shoes on Sept 26.

‘THEY STARTED IT’

Speaking to Shin Min, the elderly woman, surnamed Wang, admitted to her neighbour's accusations. But she insisted that Ida's family had triggered the feud.

"They shouldn't have put a tall shoe rack under my window. They also threw dog faeces into my house, and scribbled graffiti on my window two years ago," she alleged. 

"This year, they opened my window without permission and sprayed white paint into my house." 

Wang claimed that she was only "retaliating" after Ida's family sprayed soya sauce on her drying clothes and white paint on the drying rack. 

The woman added: "I went into her house because they deliberately threw one of my shoes and I wanted to confront them."