No mediation took place before fatal Yishun stabbing; one neighbour did not respond to request, say ministries

The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and Ministry of National Development (MND) have confirmed that mediation between neighbours involved in the fatal stabbing case in Yishun did not take place, as one party failed to 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 2025. However, the process did not proceed because the respondent, Koh Ah Hwee, did not reply to the request.

The ministries’ clarification came after Nee Soon GRC Member of Parliament Jackson Lam had earlier cited information from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) suggesting that mediation had already been conducted.

Background of the case

Nguyen, 30, was fatally stabbed on 24 September outside her sixth-floor flat at Block 323 Yishun Central. Her husband, 33, was also seriously injured while reportedly trying to stop the attack.

The suspect, 66-year-old Koh, has been arrested and charged with murder.

The tragedy reportedly stemmed from a long-running dispute over noise between the two households. Complaints had been raised in previous months, prompting attempts to seek resolution.

MP’s earlier remarks and clarification

Speaking to the media on 24 September, MP 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.”

According to The Straits Times, Lam had not personally spoken to Nguyen but said she had given feedback about the upstairs neighbour during a Meet-the-People Session in July. His team then referred the case to HDB, which reportedly responded in early August, stating that “the disagreements continued despite mediation efforts at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC).”

However, the 27 September joint statement from MinLaw and MND clarified that no mediation session was actually held, as the accused did not respond to the mediation invitation.

The ministries said they could not provide further details as police investigations are ongoing.

Few neighbour disputes reach mediation

The case has drawn attention to the low rate of mediation among neighbour disputes. Between January and August 2025, the CMC registered 1,106 cases. Of these, only 166 proceeded to mediation, and 129 were successfully settled.

This means that fewer than 15 per cent of all registered cases reached an actual mediated outcome.

MinLaw and MND reiterated that their priority remains to “facilitate dialogue and communication between neighbours as far as possible,” urging residents to seek help early through grassroots leaders or the CMC.

Pilot unit addressing severe conflicts

In a separate initiative to handle high-conflict community disputes, the Government launched a one-year pilot for the Community Relations Unit (CRU) in Tampines in April 2025.

The CRU is empowered to issue directions requiring parties to attend mediation and can use additional intervention tools.

According to MinLaw and MND, the CRU has handled five cases to date. One was resolved through compulsory mediation, another was closed following multi-agency intervention in a noise dispute, and three involved individuals with mental health conditions.

Although the CRU has access to noise sensors to support investigations, none have been deployed so far.

There is currently no indication that a CRU-style intervention had been considered in the Yishun case before the fatal incident.