Bukit Panjang Neighbours From Hell Receive First Ever Exclusion Order After 2 Years Of Nuisance
For over 2 years, Mr Daniel See, 29, has had to endure repeated disturbances from his downstairs neighbours at his apartment at Pending Road.
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But at 8am on Saturday (4 Jan), he pasted the first-ever Exclusion Order from the Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal (CDRT) onto his neighbour’s front door.
The order directs his neighbours to leave their residence, and bars them from returning for a month until 6 Feb.
Problems started 2 years before
According to The Straits Times, trouble first started in Nov 2017 when Mr See saw Madam Iwa, one of his neighbours, banging a metal rod against a staircase railing.
After Mr See called the Police, Mdm Iwa, her husband Mr Low Bok Siong, and their two adult children, began making even more noise by hammering and stomping around, seemingly in retaliation to him.
After exhausting all his options, he filed a claim with the CDRT in Jun 2018, and the tribunal issued a Consent Order where the neighbours agreed to stop making excessive noise.
Despite meeting again in court in Jun 2019, Mr See’s neighbour continued making his life a living hell, cramming themselves into a room and “wrapping their ears/heads with blankets” while playing loud music directly below Mr See’s bedroom.
After hearing his plea in court on 24 Dec, Tribunal Judge Diana Ho issued the Exclusion Order, the first ever of its kind.
First ever Exclusion Order for noisy Bukit Panjang neighbours
Exclusion Orders are only available at the most severe stage of neighbourly dispute resolution, when Respondents breach a prior Special Direction. The neighbours were not present in court for this proceeding.
Mr See has expressed gratitude for the order, but claims he’s uncertain that his neighbours will comply. He told The Straits Times:
I don’t know if they will comply with the order since there is no one to enforce it. What more can I do if they continue with their nuisance behaviour?
If they breach the Exclusion Order, Mr See’s only recourse will be to file a Magistrate’s Complaint against his neighbours, and possibly take the case up to court.
The punishment can amount up to a fine of $5,000, three months’ imprisonment, or both, with an additional fine of $1,000 for each day they continue the behaviour after the conviction.
A breach of an Exclusion Order that has already been punished under section 10(1) of the Community Disputes Resolution Act is, however, not punishable as contempt of court.
Hopefully Mr See is able to get some proper rest now. As for the rest of us, perhaps we could all benefit from being a little more considerate to our neighbours, and living as we would like to be treated.
Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
