Faye and Her Neighbors Endure a Decade of Disturbance from Shi-jie Amidst Government Inaction
Faye vividly remembers the Wednesday afternoon on February 6, 2013, when Shi-jie’s mother spat on her as she walked past their unit on her way home. “It was the first time I experienced being spat on during this prolonged dispute. Previously, aside from the noise Shi-jie creates, his mother would merely stand by the door and hurl vulgarities at me,” Faye, who was 19 at the time, recounted.
Unfortunately, this would not be the last time Shi-jie’s mother assaulted Faye in such a manner. Nearly three years later, on February 17, 2016, at 10 p.m., as Faye was returning to her university dorm, Shi-jie’s mother spat at her again while she waited for the lift, accompanying the assault with a barrage of colorful expletives.
“I didn’t file a police report this time because I was too shocked by the incident and, having just returned from a university exchange, was in a rush to get back to school,” she noted in a 27-page document compiled in 2016 on her mother’s behalf for the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (CDRT).
This evidentiary document was submitted in support of Faye’s claim against her neighbor, 41-year-old Shi-jie, and his mother, who have subjected Faye and her family to noise nuisance, verbal assaults, and outright harassment since 2011.
This story stretches over a decade, from when Faye was a teenager preparing for her ‘O’ level exams to her current life as a working adult at 28 years old.
A Predictable Pattern of Noise
The relentless banging caused by Shi-jie occurs nightly, adhering to a predetermined and almost predictable schedule that continues into the early morning hours. The neighborhood only enjoys peace when he is away at work as an employee of the Republic of Singapore Air Force or out running errands.
The brief reprieve ends at 6 p.m. when he returns home, announcing his arrival with a series of loud bangs emanating from his 4-room Housing Development Board (HDB) flat. Faye is particularly affected, as she shares a common wall with Shi-jie, from which the noise originates.
The hammering reverberates throughout the evening, echoing within the estate comprised of long blocks of flats arranged in parallel, creating a natural acoustic chamber that amplifies the disturbances.
At 10 p.m. on most days, an unsettling silence falls over the residents as Shi-jie, a 5th Dan Aikido Sensei with Aikido Shinju-Kai Singapore, leaves on his white motorbike, crawling along major roads and expressways at a sluggish pace of 40 km/h—often even slower.
During our follow-up on one of his nightly outings to understand the behavior of this habitual troublemaker, we observed him riding to Bedok, where he parked on the pavement outside Block 529, Bedok North Street 3.
There, he would pull out his Nintendo Switch and play games for three hours while leaning against his motorbike, before returning home at 1 a.m. to resume the sporadic but systematic banging throughout the night.
His banging follows a specific pattern—ten rapid thuds, concluding with one definitive hit that brings the sequence to a close.
On weekends, the noise knows no time constraints, with Shi-jie banging throughout the day, only pausing at 7 p.m. when he leaves the house, and resuming his antics again at 1 a.m.
“I’ve been hearing this for five years.”
Mr. E: The 8th Floor Neighbor
To gauge the intensity of the hammering on the weekends, I decided to visit the block one Sunday afternoon after Faye informed me that Shi-jie was home and engaged in his usual raucous behavior. He had been making noise since 10 a.m., she added.
As I approached the block from the multi-storey car park, the unmistakable sound of banging echoed through the estate. I quickly took the lift to Faye’s floor to witness the disturbances firsthand, greeted by several neighbors from different levels who had to use the lift due to the common one being down for maintenance.
On the floor of Shi-jie’s and Faye’s units, neighbors gestured towards Shi-jie’s flat each time the hammering began, as if to say, “This is the unit you’re looking for.”
Then, I spotted Mr. E from the 8th floor, a resident for five years, appearing at the end of the corridor, his ears straining to determine the noise’s source.
I pointed to Shi-jie’s unit, and we took up our positions outside the bedroom, the windows half-drawn and the thick, suffocating smell of chlorine wafting past our N95 masks.
“I’ve been hearing this for five years,” Mr. E shared. “I hear it every night and have endured it throughout. But this is the first time I decided to come up.”
By chance, there was a delivery for Shi-jie’s unit that day, requiring his mother to open the door to receive the parcel. Mr. E seized the opportunity to pose some direct questions to her in Chinese right at her doorstep.
“Can you keep the noise down?” he asked, his frustration rising.
“It’s not me,” Shi-jie’s mother replied defiantly.
“Everyone here says it’s you,” Mr. E continued. However, Shi-jie’s mother ignored the allegation.
“What noise are you making? If you’re not making noise, then why can I hear it from your unit? I’ve been hearing it for years. I know it’s coming from your place. What on earth are you doing inside?”
Unfazed, Shi-jie’s mother retreated and closed the door, leaving Mr. E’s questions unanswered. It’s not unusual for Shi-jie to use his mother to deflect annoyed neighbors, perhaps believing no one would confront an elderly woman.
Unsurprisingly, the hammering resumed almost immediately after the door closed.
Even after many nights of observing the unit at various times, I still cannot determine what Shi-jie is doing behind those walls.
Perhaps a clue can be gleaned from a pink plastic stool Shi-jie places against the wall where the noise originates, although there is no concrete proof that this is what he continuously strikes.
The Death of a Patriarch
I first learned of Faye’s situation through her TikTok account, where she diligently documents the incessant banging that occurs throughout the day.
However, catching Shi-jie in the act has proven difficult, especially since there is no absolute certainty regarding when the banging would occur, predictable as his schedule may seem.
Strangely, during my first in-person interview at Faye’s home, when she presented a wealth of documentation supporting her claims of police reports filed and mediation sessions attended, Shi-jie deviated from his usual routine, meaning I couldn’t hear for myself the sound assault Faye faces daily.
“I think he’s off today; that’s why he left earlier than usual,” Faye explained.
For 16 years, Faye has lived in this 4-room flat with her hawker parents and older brother, having moved from a nearby estate just minutes away.
Initially, Faye and Shi-jie’s family enjoyed a cordial relationship, often exchanging greetings in common areas. However, this changed a few years before Shi-jie’s father passed away in 2012.
“His father was a very nice and considerate man. He would always apologize on their behalf,” Faye recalled. “We often saw him sitting downstairs in the evenings. When we asked why he wasn’t at home, he would explain that his wife and son were very sensitive to noise, so he would spend time reading the newspaper in the void deck until it was time to return home for sleep.”
“The father also mentioned that both Shi-jie and his mother had mental health issues, though we can’t confirm if that’s true,” Faye added.
Privacy Breached
Things worsened in 2010 when Faye was preparing for her ‘O’ levels. One afternoon, Shi-jie appeared at her doorstep, accusing Faye of playing with marbles, stomping on the floor, hammering objects, and ringing the doorbell. She firmly denied these accusations.
“During our time living here, we’ve never owned a doorbell. My mum dislikes noise, so we’re not sure what he’s referring to. We suspect the sound came from the door chime at the nearby 7-11, but we can’t be certain what he heard.”
Shi-jie often lingered outside Faye’s flat and peered in. As their flat shares a common corridor with eight other units, it was something Faye and her family couldn’t control, aside from installing a CCTV camera to hopefully deter Shi-jie from invading their privacy further.
On March 5, 2015, Shi-jie was caught on camera approaching the home shirtless and barefoot to reprimand Faye. Three years earlier, in 2012, the CCTV also recorded Shi-jie loitering outside Faye’s room, behaving suspiciously.
To combat this, Faye installed quarter-height PVC boards against her room window to prevent prying eyes from looking in. This was especially helpful during the Circuit Breaker in 2020, when she worked from home and faced Shi-jie’s harassment at all hours of the day.
A Circuit Breaker Breaking Point
“During the Circuit Breaker, the banging became a daily occurrence. Previously, it was sporadic, but now it’s much more frequent,” Faye recalled. “It’s also getting significantly louder. A follower of my TikTok account who lives in the opposite block managed to record the noise he’s making. That’s how loud and brazen he’s being now.”
Shi-jie’s allegations against Faye increased dramatically during the Circuit Breaker.
“When neighbors confronted him, he claimed that my family was making all the noise, that I like to kick the shared wall, and that there’s water seeping through the walls on his side—an impossibility since such a phenomenon would affect my side too.”
“Even then, Shi-jie never requested HDB to come and check if it was true. But when I learned he was making such claims to other neighbors, I took the initiative to ask HDB officials to come down and investigate. Of course, when they checked his unit, they couldn’t find anything.”
Shi-jie would also complain about toxic odors and a burning smell emanating from Faye’s room. Firefighters from the Singapore Civil Defence Force had been summoned in the past to investigate Shi-jie’s complaints, but they found nothing, once again proving his allegations baseless.
We reached out to HDB to inquire what actions they could take legally to compel the occupant to cease such noise nuisances and what responsibilities they hold as landlords of public housing to ensure residents can live in peace. The ministry did not respond to our queries.
A Thick, Suffocating Odor of Chlorine
If any smell were to be emitted, it would be the intense odor of chlorine that wafts through the air from the room in Shi-jie’s house adjacent to Faye’s.
This odor is strong enough to be detected by someone wearing a mask from about 50 meters away. During my visits, the smell lingered along the corridor when Shi-jie was home, described as intensely suffocating. The odor was further amplified by a small desktop fan angled towards Faye’s room, seemingly meant to disperse the smell in her direction.
This deliberate act of harassment is acknowledged by HDB officials who have visited Faye to assess her concerns.
“Once, an HDB official sat in my room for about half an hour, heard the banging, and told me, ‘I don’t think there’s much annoyance caused to you.’ I was furious! I said the banging mostly happens at night. All he could say was, ‘Well, I can’t be here at night.’
Faye then asked if he could smell the chlorine. He replied that he couldn’t really ‘smell well’ and asked a colleague to verify her claim. “The colleague eventually confirmed what I said but told me to reach out to the National Environment Agency (NEA) for assistance instead,” Faye shared.
“I did contact NEA, but they informed me that they cannot intervene if the smell originates from inside the house. They only address issues occurring outside the home.”
“I’ve also emailed MINDEF (Ministry of Defence) for help since I’ve seen him leaving the house in a blue uniform, asking them to step in and hold Shi-jie accountable. Their response was that they don’t involve themselves in private matters,” Faye explained.
The Community Mediation Centre Sessions
As with most neighborly disputes, the first and most accessible course of action is to attend a mediation session at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC). The CMC, established under the Ministry of Law, aims to provide an informal, friendly, and efficient means to settle interpersonal social and community disputes.
The outcome of the initial mediation session in 2012 resulted in Faye’s mother agreeing to withdraw the complaint against Shi-jie and deciding to “let bygones be bygones and be good neighbors.” However, this did little to deter Shi-jie from continuing his harassment of Faye and her family. Vulgarities continued to be hurled at the family, and the verbal abuse towards Faye did not cease.
A second mediation session was arranged three years later, in April 2015, after Faye’s mother decided to file a magistrate complaint against Shi-jie. This time, an email to the Prime Minister’s Office requesting assistance prompted the CMC to facilitate the mediation.
Again, a settlement agreement was drawn up and accepted, stipulating that both parties would refrain from interfering in each other’s affairs, not walk past each other’s units unless absolutely necessary, and exercise care to prevent excessive noise from their units that could disturb the other. Shi-jie would also advise his mother to refrain from using strong language against Faye or her family.
As before, the settlement agreement had no impact on Shi-jie and his mother, who, mere weeks later, resumed their daily barrage of verbal insults, expletives, and banging throughout the night.
The CDRT Trial That Wasn’t
“At the pre-trial conference at the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (CDRT), the presiding judge indicated there was no point in proceeding to an official CDRT hearing because I would definitely lose due to insufficient evidence,” Faye recounted, her frustration evident.
Following advice from HDB and the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Faye opted for the CDRT route in July 2020, hoping this final legal move would bring an end to her suffering. According to the Singapore Courts website, the CDRT hears disputes under the Community Disputes Resolution Act (CDRA) concerning acts of unreasonable interference with the enjoyment or use of residential spaces. The pre-trial conference allows parties to amicably resolve their disputes before officially bringing the case to trial.
If found guilty, the judge may issue an injunction, award damages, or demand an apology. Failure to comply may result in a fine of up to S$5,000 or imprisonment for up to three months, or both. For ongoing offenses, the respondent could incur an additional fine of up to S$1,000 for each day or part of a day the violation continues after conviction, capped at S$10,000 in total.
Faye found herself caught in a legal dilemma with no clear path forward. During the pre-trial conference, the judge informed her that even with a legal exclusion order enforced, Shi-jie could still violate it, thereby prolonging the issue. The pre-trial, he noted, was the best way to resolve the matter amicably.
“So, I withdrew,” Faye explained, “because I knew there would be no progress from the pre-trial conference. The judge was also unwilling to move me to the next stage, insisting I would lose with the current evidence. When I asked what evidence I needed, he refused to disclose anything, citing the need for impartiality.”
“I felt disgusted when I saw Shi-jie at the pre-trial conference,” Faye recalled, her annoyance apparent. “He looks like a normal person. I remember the judge saying he looks like a nice person, and I look like a nice person too.”
During the pre-trial conference, the judge asked Shi-jie what he was hitting—what was causing all the noise. “He claimed that sometimes there are caterpillars in the house, so he hits them. Other times he alleged that he needed to move his furniture, which is clearly a lie.”
The 22 Police Reports
To date, Faye and her mother have filed 22 police reports against Shi-jie and his mother, the earliest dating back to 2011 and the most recent in 2021. Many additional reports exist, though these were not adequately documented.
These police reports are vital in illustrating the prolonged harassment Faye and her family have endured for over a decade.
When asked for comments on Faye’s situation, a spokesperson from the Singapore Police Force declined to comment, stating that “Police investigations are confidential in nature.”
One notable report filed on June 11, 2016, at the Hougang Neighbourhood Police Post detailed an incident where Shi-jie’s mother allegedly bumped into Faye’s mother while she was watering plants along the corridor, causing her to fall forward. The report noted, “I (she) shouted at him for his behavior, but he ignored me and left.”
“I can say there is zero support from the government, our MP, and the grassroots leaders. It’s a disgrace, especially since I thought I lived in a reputable Town Council,” Faye lamented.
Among the 22 police reports, nearly half were filed due to verbal assaults against Faye and her family. Incidents of expletives and insults in Hokkien were commonplace and, while perhaps the least serious, they took a toll when exchanged almost daily.
One instance detailed in a report from July 4, 2014, involved Shi-jie’s mother shouting “bastard and crazy dog” at Faye upon her return home at 10:30 a.m.
Other more subtle passive-aggressive gestures, many captured on CCTV, included pulling the leaves from their potted plants, stealing slippers, and observing family members from behind a wall in the void deck.
Though seemingly trivial, these micro-aggressions gradually wear down an individual’s spirit, often without them realizing the damage being inflicted.
The Neighbor Upstairs: Claire and Joel’s Story
Upstairs, newlyweds Claire and Joel warmly greeted me and offered a glass of water. Upon entering, I noticed a framed picture of two bulls on the floor, strikingly out of place in their otherwise minimally furnished home, which had undergone significant renovations for an open floor plan.
“It’s on the advice of a Feng Shui master we consulted,” Joel explained when I inquired about the bulls. “He suggested that the pictures would help minimize the noise from Shi-jie downstairs.” When asked if it worked, he replied, “The sound is softer now,” as Claire nodded vigorously in agreement.
Claire and Joel began living together in their newly purchased house in September of last year. Joel moved in first in August, followed by Claire a month later after their wedding.
However, it was only in mid-September, on the 13th, that the couple began experiencing loud, persistent banging throughout the night. In an email they sent to their Member of Parliament (MP), Mr. Darryl David, the couple mentioned they “tolerated the noise for a week, assuming it was a one-off situation.”
A week later, realizing that the knocking sound was not subsiding, Claire and Joel started keeping records of when the noise occurred. They also sent several video clips taken from their master bedroom showcasing the sounds they heard.
“We were convinced that the noise was coming from the rooftop,” Joel explained. “So, we repeatedly asked the Town Council and EMSU to send engineers to check if the noise was due to the recent installation of solar panels. A representative even stayed in the master bedroom to observe the sound.”
After the representative confirmed that knocking sounds were heard from the master bedroom and the adjoining room, engineers were sent to inspect the rooftop again, but they found nothing and could not verify the noise’s source.
It was only after a Town Council staff member spoke to residents on the 10th, 11th, and 12th floors that they suspected the noise was emanating from one of the units on the 11th floor.
The Confrontation
Everything culminated one fateful night on November 30, 2021, at 2:53 a.m. Unable to tolerate the noise nuisance any longer, Joel and a fellow resident, Alice, from the opposite block decided to confront Shi-jie about the incessant banging.
“When I approached the unit, Shi-jie’s mother was at the door while Shi-jie lingered at the back. I asked them both why they were making so much noise, but they denied any wrongdoing.”
Shi-jie’s mother told Joel that he had no right to be at their door and that he had no authority to record the exchange on his mobile phone.
Worried the situation might escalate, Joel took Alice to the void deck to discuss the issue, only to be joined by Shi-jie moments later.
“Shi-jie claimed we had no evidence that he was responsible for the noise and told us not to talk nonsense,” Joel recounted. “I told him we didn’t need evidence because we knew it was him. He simply brushed us off and walked away.”
Baby Plans on Hold
As newlyweds, Claire and Joel are considering starting a family, but given their current circumstances, they are now seriously reevaluating that decision. “The MOP (minimum occupation period) is five years. If we have a baby next year, will my child have to endure this noise for four years? That’s unfair, right?” Joel explained.
Claire and Joel also expressed their disappointment with the Ang Mo Kio grassroots community. “I can say there is zero support from the government, our MP, and the grassroots leaders. It’s a disgrace, especially since I thought I was in a reputable Town Council,” Joel elaborated.
One of the MPs for Ang Mo Kio Town Council is Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong.
He continued, “I previously lived in an estate managed by the Workers’ Party, and they were incredibly responsive to residents’ feedback. Within two working days, they would contact us, explain what actions they planned to take, and assist us as best they could throughout the situation. We felt heard, you know?”
“And here?” I asked. “Here, the grassroots are not supportive at all. I haven’t seen them visit the unit, update us on the next steps, or send reminders to residents about excessive noise. Nothing.”
RICE reached out to Mr. David and the Ang Mo Kio Town Council for comments but had not received a response as of the publication of this article.
“My Life Is Just One Huge Joke.”
Something about Faye and her mother perplexes me during our interviews via Zoom, Telegram, and in-person.
“How are you so positive about this whole issue?” I asked. “There’s nothing I can do, right?” Faye replied in her usual cheerful tone. “So I might as well just be happy. After a while, I feel like my life is one huge joke.”
“It helps that I’m a deep sleeper, although when it becomes unbearable, I still stir in the middle of the night,” Faye admitted when I asked how she manages to sleep through the constant banging. The intensity of the noise is such that it can be heard clearly even from the multi-purpose hall at ground level, a good 90 meters away.
“I can’t even sleep in on weekends because he’s home.”
For the family, moving out isn’t an option at the moment. Due to financial constraints, if they were to relocate, their preferred choice would be to purchase a government-subsidized Build-to-Order (BTO) flat, a more affordable option considering the age of Faye’s parents, which limits the maximum loan they can secure.
However, since this would be the second time they applied for a BTO unit, they would incur a hefty resale levy of S$107,300 (as of July 2015, when the appeal letter of waiver to HDB was sent). This amount must be paid upfront before collecting the keys.
The good news is that HDB is willing to explore the possibility of allowing them to pay a reduced resale levy of approximately S$57,900 in one cash lump sum, though this requires special approval due to its significant deviation from HDB’s usual policy.
A Surprise Visit
Recently, on May 12, 2022, Mr. David, along with representatives from HDB and SPF, visited Faye. “He said he came to see me because I was unhappy with him,” Faye responded via Telegram when I asked about the visit.
This visit is noteworthy as it marked the first time a Member of Parliament (MP) had ever visited Faye’s home since her mother began filing complaints about Shi-jie’s noise nuisance back in 2011. After a decade and two MPs later, the story of an inconsiderate neighbor in Hougang gained enough online traction to warrant a visit.
According to Faye, SPF expressed their inability to take action against Shi-jie since the noise originates from inside his house and not outside. The oft-cited “no noise after 10:30 p.m.” rule applies solely to public spaces.
Mr. David made a point to ensure Faye understood that “he took time out to see her amidst his busy schedule.” However, the visit felt hurried as it occurred just before his weekly Meet-the-People session.
“When he asked what HDB, SPF, and the Town Council could do for me, I said to fine Shi-jie. Charge him. Evict him.” In response, Mr. David explained that currently, no law exists to compel Shi-jie to stop.
“I urged him to bring it up in Parliament. There are so many loopholes that allow someone like Shi-jie to continue causing prolonged nuisances to this entire block of residents without facing any consequences,” she stated.
Needless to say, the moment the authorities departed, Shi-jie resumed his nightly banging as if nothing had transpired.
Forgotten and Ignored by Government Ministries
More than just a frustrating case of one man disturbing an entire HDB block at odd hours, what captivated me about this story was witnessing the helplessness of various Singapore government agencies in helping Faye and her neighbors regain control of their right to a peaceful domestic life.
In a country as highly regulated and efficient as Singapore, it is astonishing that one man is permitted to harass his neighbors consistently and without fear of repercussions for eleven long years. This apparent freedom is perplexing, given the rising reports of neighborly disputes in the media—and these are only the ones that have been reported. Many, like Faye’s, likely go unnoticed, possibly due to homeowners preferring to let sleeping dogs lie, hoping that Singapore’s renowned long arm of the law will eventually catch up.
Ultimately, government agencies such as HDB, SPF, the Ministry for National Development, and the Town Council need to address the fundamental question: what does it mean to have a home? Should a home not be a place for undisturbed rest? If so, the residents of this Hougang estate have long relinquished that expectation.
Should a home be a sanctuary where occupants feel safe? Certainly, safety does not require someone to video-record the short ten-meter journey past a neighbor’s door out of fear of retaliation.
Safety encompasses multiple aspects—some physical, but most painfully, those that torment the mind. What is life if returning home every day means bracing oneself for a night of unprovoked assault, desperately trying to lull oneself to sleep, and hoping that tonight will be different—that tonight will be a good night?
Prolonged Noise Nuisance is Still Harassment
It’s essential to remember that neighborly disputes don’t have to be overt and brazen, involving water being sprayed or orchids being plucked without provocation. What’s more insidious than a single major act of harassment are the multiple small gestures of assault that accumulate over the years, serving as a constant reminder that there is only one person in control of the situation—and it’s not you.
“I just want the government to install a CCTV camera outside the unit and catch him in the act,” Claire expressed when I inquired about the outcome they hope to achieve by sharing their story with me. “That’s the concrete evidence we need to charge him for nuisance in court.”
Claire and Joel want Shi-jie and his mother to be aware that a CCTV camera is monitoring their every move. “HDB should be responsible for this. They are the landlord. Or they should send someone to observe what’s happening for at least 24 hours to comprehend our situation.”
For Faye, the ongoing situation has understandably impacted the mental health of everyone in her household. “It’s truly disheartening that I can only get undisturbed, peaceful sleep when I’m away from home. Right now, all I want is to rest properly. That’s all.”
