Source: Shin Min Daily News
A woman in Bukit Panjang managed to obtain a court order to stop a neighbour who constantly smoked.
Ms Zhong (transliterated), now 56, has been enduring secondhand smoke for years in her ninth-floor Block 241 HDB unit.
In 2021, Ms Zhong revealed that her downstairs neighbour had been smoking for over 20 years.
Eventually, that neighbour moved out, but the new residents turned out to be even worse.
Starting from 17 June 2021, she kept a record of their smoking schedule. In 2 weeks, Ms Zhong recorded her neighbours smoking over 150 times, with an average of 12 times a day.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
They even smoked 16 times in one day at their peak frequency.
Ms Zhong claimed that she lost four to five kg of weight in two months due to the secondhand smoke, with her and her elderly mother constantly getting sore throats and stuffy noses.
Closing the windows also did not work, as Singapore’s heat proved unbearable.
When she spoke to the eighth-floor neighbours, they told her that smoking at home is legal.
On 29 Oct this year, Shin Min Daily News reported that Ms Zhong had obtained a court order in June 2023.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The injunction banned the neighbours or anyone else from smoking in their unit and included other nicotine products.
In order to smoke, they would have to go to the ground floor to do it.
Despite the court order, Ms Zhong said the situation did not improve.
Cigarette smoke continued drifting up to her HDB flat from 8pm to 2am, making it difficult for her and her 78-year-old mother to sleep.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
They also reported having increased heart rates when they woke up, with Ms Zhong noting that her mother has heart issues and needs regular check-ups.
The 56-year-old thus decided to collect more evidence for an enforceable court order.
She made two posters and placed them in the lift lobby on the seventh and ninth floors.
In Chinese, she wrote about the issue with the smoking neighbours and how they were affecting her.
“We urgently need your help! If you can identify the smells or provide any useful information, we will give you rewards as thanks.”
These posters included a QR code to her WhatsApp for the info.
The Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council told Shin Min that they had spoken to the smoking neighbours in Nov 2023 after receiving feedback.
If a court order is disobeyed, the affected residents can also apply for contempt of court, provided they have sufficient evidence.
Also read: Woman Claims Neighbour Smokes Over 150 Times In 2 Weeks, Fumes Make Her Ill
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
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