The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and Ministry of National Development (MND) have stated that mediation between neighbours involved in a fatal stabbing case in Yishun did not occur, as one party did not respond to a mediation request.
In a joint statement released on 27 September, the ministries said that Nguyen Phuong Tra had applied for mediation on 12 June, but the session did not proceed as the respondent, Koh Ah Hwee, did not reply.
The clarification follows earlier remarks by Nee Soon GRC Member of Parliament Jackson Lam, who had cited a response his team received from the Housing and Development Board (HDB), suggesting that mediation efforts had already taken place.
Nguyen, 30, was fatally stabbed on 24 September outside her sixth-floor flat at Block 323 Yishun Central. Her husband, aged 33, was seriously injured during the incident while reportedly trying to intervene.
Koh, 66, has been arrested and charged with murder.
The incident reportedly followed a protracted neighbour dispute over noise, which had prompted complaints and attempts at resolution in preceding months.
MP cited HDB’s indication of prior mediation efforts
Speaking to the media on 24 September, Jackson Lam said: “We sent an appeal to HDB, and HDB [replied] saying that previously there was CMC being arranged but the noise issue still persists.”
As reported by The Straits Times, Lam did not personally speak with the deceased, but indicated that she had provided feedback about the upstairs neighbour through his Meet-the-People Session in July. He said his team then raised the issue with HDB.
Online publication Mothership also reported on Lam’s comments, stating that HDB had replied in early August, according to Lam, indicating that “the disagreements continued despite mediation efforts at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC).”
However, the 27 September joint statement by MinLaw and MND explicitly states that no mediation session was held, as the neighbour — now the accused in the fatal stabbing — did not respond to the mediation invitation.
The ministries declined to provide further comment in its statement, citing ongoing police investigations.
Mediation cases often do not proceed
The clarification highlights a broader issue in neighbour dispute resolution — the frequent failure of cases to progress to actual mediation.
From January to August 2025, the Community Mediation Centre (CMC) registered 1,106 cases. However, only 166 of these were mediated, of which 129 resulted in a settlement. This means that fewer than 15 per cent of all registered cases proceeded to a mediated outcome.
MinLaw and MND reiterated that their preferred approach is to “facilitate dialogue and communication between neighbours as far as possible”, and that residents should seek help early through grassroots channels or the CMC.
Pilot unit with mediation powers handling severe disputes
In a related effort to address high-conflict community disputes, the Government launched a one-year pilot for the Community Relations Unit (CRU) in Tampines in April.
CRU officers are empowered to issue directions compelling parties to attend mediation, in addition to other intervention tools.
According to the ministries, the CRU has handled five cases so far. One was resolved through compulsory mediation, while another involving noise disturbances was closed through multi-agency efforts. Three cases involved individuals with mental health issues.
Although the CRU has access to noise sensors, none have been deployed to date.
There is currently no indication that a CRU-style intervention had been considered in the Yishun case prior to the fatal incident.
The post MinLaw, MND: No mediation before fatal Yishun stabbing, diverging from MP’s account appeared first on The Online Citizen.
