Yishun stabbing: Alleged attacker did not respond to mediation invite from deceased victim, say MinLaw and MND

A 66-year-old man who allegedly stabbed his upstairs neighbour over a noise dispute did not attend mediation at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC), the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and Ministry of National Development (MND) said on Saturday (Sept 27).

Singaporean Koh Ah Hwee has been charged in court with the murder of 30-year-old Nguyen Phuong Tra.

He is accused of stabbing Nguyen and her husband at Block 323 Yishun Central on Sept 24. The mother-of-two later died in hospital, and her husband suffered serious injuries.

Residents told AsiaOne that Koh and Nguyen's family had been entangled in a neighbour dispute over noise purportedly originating from the victims' unit.

Nee Soon GRC MP Jackson Lam said to members of the media that a woman had raised the concerns at a Meet-the-People session in July, and an appeal was submitted to HDB.

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In a joint statement on Saturday, MinLaw and MND clarified the deceased woman had applied for mediation at the CMC on June 12.

The CMC facilitates dialogue between disputing neighbours, with the help of trained mediators. Mediation is conducted on a voluntary basis.

"However, mediation could not proceed as Mr Koh Ah Hwee did not respond to the invitation to mediate," the ministries said, adding that they are unable to comment further on the case as it is under police investigation.

166 cases mediated at CMC from January to August 2025

According to MinLaw and MND, the average monthly number of neighbour noise feedback received in the first half of 2025 "has held steady at 2,500".

It stressed that violence, harassment or verbal abuse is unacceptable, and residents involved in neighbour disputes are encouraged to discuss the issues amicably and if necessary, seek help from their grassroots leaders or apply for mediation at the CMC.

The ministries also noted that about 80 per cent of voluntary mediation cases seen by the CMC are successfully settled, with many finding a mutual compromise.

But less than 30 per cent of the total cases registered at the CMC proceeded to mediation because one party did not wish to participate.

From January to August 2025, the 1,106 voluntary neighbour dispute cases were registered at the CMC. However, only 166 cases were mediated, and 129 cases (78 per cent) were settled.

To address these concerns, a new Mediation Direction framework in Tampines is being trialled in Tampines. Authorised agencies such as the Community Relations Unit (CRU), HDB and the CMC may issue directions that require disputing parties to attend mediation at the CMC.

Since the pilot began in April 2025, there have been five severe neighbour noise cases escalated to the CRU by HDB and the police, said MinLaw and MND.

One ongoing case involves a direction issued to both parties to attend mediation at the CMC, and another case of deliberate noise nuisance has ceased after intervention by the CRU and partner agencies.

Three other cases involve mental health issues, and the CRU has been working with the concerned individuals, their families and partner agencies to provide support through facilitating assessment and treatment.

None of the cases so far have required the use of noise sensors.

In cases where neighbours are unable to settle after best mediation efforts, the case can be escalated to the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals as a last resort, the ministries added.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com