Lost neighbourliness
Straits Times - 26 Aug 2008
Several residents of the Laguna Park condominium in Marine Parade Road had their mailboxes vandalised last night.
In the third such attack this month, vandals used glue to seal the keyholes of eight letter boxes - all belonging to residents who had not signed the condominium's en bloc sales agreement.
For some victims, last night's attack was the second time they had been hit.
Several had their cars damaged last month when vandals threw a corrosive liquid, possibly paint thinner, on them.
The residents have appealed to their management committee for help, and have suggested that closed-circuit television cameras be set up to prevent future attacks.
This is being studied.
One victim of last night's mailbox attack, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chan, 50, said: 'I'm disappointed that it has come to this. The kampung spirit we had here has gone...all over an en bloc sale.'
He added: 'I fear that this is not the end.'
Police are investigating.
JERMYN CHOW
Straits Times - 21 Aug 2008
Enbloc tussles take nasty turn as market cools
Straits Times-14 Aug 2008
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LAGUNA PARK VANDALS STRIKE AGAIN
Resident's usual vigilance slips, and car is hitMost vandalised cars belong to those yet to sign collective sale deal
By Carolyn Quek
JULY 12
This Mercedes Benz is streaked with black spray paint.
JULY 14
This Toyota Corona is scratched and sprayed with black paint.
JULY 22
A corrosive liquid is splashed on the bonnet of this Lexus as well as that of a Toyota Altis.
JULY 26
Mr Lau's three-month-old car is scratched when he parks it further away from the security guard post - for just two hours. It is one of at least two cars vandalised over the weekend.
THE Laguna Park car vandals have struck again: At least two more cars have been hit, including one which had already been targeted before.
A brand-new Toyota Altis was found scratched last Saturday.
The other car, a silver Nissan Cefiro, understood to have already been sprayed with black paint last week, was also scratched on Saturday. Its owner confirmed these details but declined to be named.
The Straits Times reported last Thursday that several cars in the estate had been damaged - sprayed with black paint or a corrosive liquid, or scratched. Residents there are divided over putting the place up for a collective sale.
Residents of the 530-unit development in Marine Parade Road say the three latest attacks bring the total number of vandalism cases to at least nine in the last month.
Coincidentally, all but one of the cars belong to owners who have not yet agreed to the sale.
The owner of the Altis, Mr Lau Cher Chye, said he has been parking his three-month- old car near the security guard post at the condominium's entrance as a precaution after reading the report about the spate of vandalism.
The 57-year-old financial adviser said: 'My wife and I thought we would be targeted soon.'
True enough, it happened last Saturday afternoon - on the one occasion when the couple had parked their car away from the guard post. They had just returned from the supermarket at 3.45pm and had many bags of groceries to lug home, so they parked the car nearer their block, Mr Lau explained.
He added that since they were going out that evening, the car would be left there for only a couple of hours.
As it turned out, that was enough time for several gashes to be made on the doors on one side of the champagne-coloured car.
Like other affected residents, Mr Lau said he believed he became a victim because he did not put his signature down for the collective sale.
'It is quite obvious. In one month, there are already so many cases, and most victims have not given their consent yet. Why such a coincidence?' he asked.
Nothing like this has happened to him before in his 30 years there, he said.
As of last Saturday, close to 64 per cent of home owners had voted for the proposed sale, according to notices put up around the estate.
The sales committee has until the end of the year to garner the 80 per cent vote needed to proceed with the deal.
A distraught Mr Lau said: 'We are very upset by this act of gangsterism. We love this estate. It's been very peaceful all this while. That's why we refuse to sign.'
He has made a police report but has not had repairs done to the car yet. He will also park his car near the guard post from now on, he said.
The estate's management committee will hold a dialogue with residents this Saturday to discuss the vandalism problem.
Notices posted around the estate said the committee would look into installing closed-circuit television cameras, and added that the management took 'a very serious view of the matter' and would hand over offenders to the authorities.
carolynq@sph.com.sg
Straits Times - 28 July 2008
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Vandals keen on en-bloc sale damage cars
Lexus and Toyota vandalised in the latest attacks in Laguna Park
By Carolyn Quek
UGLY ACT: Corrosive liquid was thrown on a Lexus belonging to a Laguna Park resident who is against a collective sale of the estate. It may have been a vicious attempt to change his mind. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
HUNGER for en-bloc dollars looks to have turned vicious at a quiet private estate in East Coast.
On Tuesday night, two residents of the 530-unit Laguna Park estate discovered that their cars had been doused with a corrosive liquid, possibly paint thinner.
They were among the residents who had not yet agreed to put the seaside development up for sale. Earlier this month, two other cars belonging to the dissenting group were also vandalised.
Residents claim they were the latest of several cases of vandalism that began after the possibility of going en-bloc arose last December.
The estate has until the end of this year to gather an 80 per cent vote to put it up for sale. But so far, residents say less than 65 per cent are onboard.
Residents have been told by a property valuer that an average unit could be worth more than $2.1 million and the penthouses almost $4 million if the estate goes en-bloc. A resident said the market rate for a normal unit now is about $1.3 million.
Some of the holdouts have lived in Laguna Park since it was built in 1977, while others have been there for many years.
Some residents told The Straits Times they were surprised that the sale has fostered so much acrimony.
Five cars have been vandalised in recent weeks, said the outgoing chairman of the condominium's management committee, Mr Chua SC, who declined to give his full name. Some vehicles were doused with a corrosive liquid while others were scratched and splashed with black paint.
Police reports have been made and investigations are under way.
An independent analyst said residents sometimes do strange things in the hopes of pushing through an en bloc sale.
'But resorting to criminal acts...this would be the first time,' said Mr Ku Swee Yong, Savills' director of marketing and business development.
The vandalism could ultimately be a futile exercise with the cooling property market, said Mr Ku.
'It's a bit of a long shot in these market conditions to find buyers.'
Laguna Park residents told The Straits Times yesterday that they believed the vehicle attacks were 'inside jobs' committed by people who support the en-bloc deal.
If this proves true, Mr Chua thinks it is a 'very stupid, silly and naive way of trying to get people to sign'.
'I don't think this is the right way to do it,' said an agitated Mr Chua, who had the logo ripped off his Nissan about three weeks ago.
Mr Robin Sng, a company director, owns one of the cars damaged on Tuesday night. The corrosive liquid ate away the paint on the bonnet, door and bumper of his four-year-old Lexus.
'I feel frightened,' he said.
A brand new Toyota parked 50m away was also vandalised on the same night.
A resident diligently went round the estate's dustbins and found a can of paint remover in a rubbish bin near the carpark. The can was taken away as evidence by the police, who are investigating the rash of vandalism.
Mr Chua said he told residents at a recent annual general meeting that something had to be done about the cases.
Residents earlier shot down the idea of installing surveillance cameras, he said.
'Now I suppose it has become urgent enough to reactivate the idea.'
carolynq@sph.com.sg
Lexus and Toyota vandalised in the latest attacks in Laguna Park
By Carolyn Quek
UGLY ACT: Corrosive liquid was thrown on a Lexus belonging to a Laguna Park resident who is against a collective sale of the estate. It may have been a vicious attempt to change his mind. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
HUNGER for en-bloc dollars looks to have turned vicious at a quiet private estate in East Coast.
On Tuesday night, two residents of the 530-unit Laguna Park estate discovered that their cars had been doused with a corrosive liquid, possibly paint thinner.
They were among the residents who had not yet agreed to put the seaside development up for sale. Earlier this month, two other cars belonging to the dissenting group were also vandalised.
Residents claim they were the latest of several cases of vandalism that began after the possibility of going en-bloc arose last December.
The estate has until the end of this year to gather an 80 per cent vote to put it up for sale. But so far, residents say less than 65 per cent are onboard.
Residents have been told by a property valuer that an average unit could be worth more than $2.1 million and the penthouses almost $4 million if the estate goes en-bloc. A resident said the market rate for a normal unit now is about $1.3 million.
Some of the holdouts have lived in Laguna Park since it was built in 1977, while others have been there for many years.
Some residents told The Straits Times they were surprised that the sale has fostered so much acrimony.
Five cars have been vandalised in recent weeks, said the outgoing chairman of the condominium's management committee, Mr Chua SC, who declined to give his full name. Some vehicles were doused with a corrosive liquid while others were scratched and splashed with black paint.
Police reports have been made and investigations are under way.
An independent analyst said residents sometimes do strange things in the hopes of pushing through an en bloc sale.
'But resorting to criminal acts...this would be the first time,' said Mr Ku Swee Yong, Savills' director of marketing and business development.
The vandalism could ultimately be a futile exercise with the cooling property market, said Mr Ku.
'It's a bit of a long shot in these market conditions to find buyers.'
Laguna Park residents told The Straits Times yesterday that they believed the vehicle attacks were 'inside jobs' committed by people who support the en-bloc deal.
If this proves true, Mr Chua thinks it is a 'very stupid, silly and naive way of trying to get people to sign'.
'I don't think this is the right way to do it,' said an agitated Mr Chua, who had the logo ripped off his Nissan about three weeks ago.
Mr Robin Sng, a company director, owns one of the cars damaged on Tuesday night. The corrosive liquid ate away the paint on the bonnet, door and bumper of his four-year-old Lexus.
'I feel frightened,' he said.
A brand new Toyota parked 50m away was also vandalised on the same night.
A resident diligently went round the estate's dustbins and found a can of paint remover in a rubbish bin near the carpark. The can was taken away as evidence by the police, who are investigating the rash of vandalism.
Mr Chua said he told residents at a recent annual general meeting that something had to be done about the cases.
Residents earlier shot down the idea of installing surveillance cameras, he said.
'Now I suppose it has become urgent enough to reactivate the idea.'
carolynq@sph.com.sg
Straits Times 24 July 2008
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