Tampines resident reminded of Yishun murder when neighbour complains about his kids making noise

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A Tampines father of two was reminded of the Yishun murder when his neighbour complained about his two children making noise.

Stomper N said the complaint was made on Sept 27.

"My neighbor next door complained that my two-year-old and four-year-old boys were being too loud while playing inside my own flat and that the noise was disturbing her mother who apparently has dementia," recounted the Stomper.

"I sympathise with her situation, but seriously?

"Kids will be kids and it's not like there aren't specialised facilities to place her mother if the basic common living environment is unsuitable for her condition, especially if it's something as basic as children making noise.

"This reminds me of that news article a short while back about some old man who stabbed his neighbour, a mother, in Yishun over her noisy kids."

Koh Ah Hwee, 66, who lives at Block 323 Yishun Central, was charged on Sept 25 with the murder of Vietnamese national Nguyen Phuong Tra, 30.

According to residents, Ms Tra and her husband were assaulted on the sixth storey of the block where they lived with their two young children. Koh lives one floor below the family.

The neighbours were believed to have been in the midst of trying to resolve their differences over noise complaints when the woman was killed.

The Stomper said: "I feel as though there has been too much emphasis on the older generation while neglecting the children.

"Considering that children aren't the ones with one foot in the grave and are the future of every functioning society, more effort is needed to remind people, especially those who are determined to be childless, that if they want peace and quiet, they should soundproof their homes instead of expecting the world around them to be silent for their convenience."

The Stomper added that he is not planning to escalate the situation with his neighbour at the moment.

"I listened to her politely and reminded her that kids are difficult to muzzle," he said.

"If she tries this nonsense again, then there may be a much more dramatic and far less polite exchange."

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