Chai Chee incident shows need for stronger conflict resolution measures: Shanmugam

[Updated 2 Oct at 9:30pm -- adding Law Minister's comments on issue]

Singapore's existing system of measures to facilitate conflict resolution needs to be improved, and the incident at Kampong Chai Chee demonstrates this, said law minister K Shanmugam on Wednesday evening.

Speaking to reporters at a community event, Shanmugam said the woman's 20-minute attack on her elderly neighbour at a lift landing was "unfortunate", but illustrates the need for better measures to be put in place.

"(This incident) illustrate(s) the need for a proper framework," he said. "What we have now is mediation provided both sides agree, and if that doesn't work, you're left with a criminal law or suing each other. And I expressed the view in parliament that that doesn't work for a lot of people, on the average neighbour disputes or the common neighbour disputes."

He said the effort to produce an improved system involves input from various ministries including the ministry for community development, culture and youth, calling it "quite a major step".

Going as far as to implement more rules such as mandatory mediation will be met with disagreement from certain segments of the public, said Shanmugam, who noted "various discussions" and "letters in parliament" that opposed the idea when it was first mooted.

"So there is, I think, a body of opinion within our public that really, you shouldn't legislate it; you've just got to try other solutions," he said. "So you've got to deal with this. My own view is I think you've got to move down this route."

On Monday, the alleged attacker, 41-year-old Casey Sabrina Ng, who was arrested for punching and kicking her elderly neighbour Toh Siew Hong on Saturday morning, was reportedly charged with kicking a female police corporal and verbally abusing a staff sergeant.

Ng, who is also known as Asha, was remanded in the Institute of Mental Health after assaulting 65-year-old Toh at the lift landing of Blk 10, Chai Chee Road.

The violent incident was captured on CCTV video, which was posted on Facebook by Toh’s daughter-in-law, Maggie Goh.

Ng had reportedly committed the offences against the police at 10:45am, and could be jailed for up to seven years and fined, if convicted. She is expected to appear in court on 14 October.

According to the police, they received a call "requesting for assistance" at 10:17am, and "established that a dispute between two parties had occurred at the said location upon arrival".

They also said, "A woman was conveyed conscious to Changi General Hospital. A woman in her 40s was subsequently arrested for abusive language and voluntarily causing hurt" against the two public servants respectively," adding that "police investigations are ongoing".

Separate video clips depicting the attack, recorded by the CCTV camera installed outside Toh's house, were posted on Goh's Facebook page after her mother-in-law was "bashed up by her neighbour brutally".

The first clip she posted shows Ng walking up to Toh at 10:03 after the latter arrives home with her shopping cart and plastic bags. Dressed in a black singlet and shorts, she approaches Toh in an aggressive manner and lashes out at Toh, who immediately hits back, landing a punch on Ng's face.

Taken aback, Ng begins to rain blows on the elderly Toh, who tries to escape the attack by moving around the lift landing. Ng refuses to let up on her attack as Toh eventually falls to the ground, and she is seen repeatedly stamping on Toh's head and body as the latter lies motionless.

After staggering her way back to her flat, Ng walks towards Toh again and flings her body onto the floor. She throws a plastic bottle at Toh before blowing punches at her again. Ng then looked as if she was beckoning the motionless Toh to fight back, but Toh was already helpless.

According to Goh, Ng's alleged "harassment" began a month ago when she assumed that Toh had lodged a police report against her. Goh said the victim had not done so but Ng was not convinced.

Goh said that the man who came out of the lift is the "assaulter's son and grandson", adding that the man should be treated as an "accomplice" as he did not stop the assaulter from attacking her mother-in-law.

Toh’s son, Yap Siew Kuan, 36, told Yahoo Singapore the woman was arrested immediately when police arrived and is currently under 48-hour arrest. She's expected to be released on Monday.

Goh, who made a police report after seeing her mother-in-law’s “bloodied and swollen face”, was in the house when the brutal assault -- which reportedly lasted 20 minutes and saw the assaulter rain over 50 blows on her mum-in-law --  took place. 

She told Yahoo Singapore that Yap’s elder sister was living with her mother-in-law and that the neighbour has been “lashing out” at the sister for the past month.

Police reports against the neighbour had been made before but nothing could be done as the couple had no “evidence”, according to Yap.

They then made a request to Housing and Development Board (HDB) on 23 September to install CCTV cameras at the lift landing to help capture evidence.

Yap said his mother was experiencing “shocks”, “drowsiness” and “keeps thinking of vomiting”.

Toh is currently under observation in Changi General Hospital and will undergo a brain test shortly.