HDB Locked Tenant in his home for 26 hours. Humane?

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[TD="class: msgtxt"][h=1]Locked in his home for 26 hours[/h]
Shin Min Daily News - 20 hrs 17 mins ago

<CITE>Mr Liao, 63, was locked in his own home by HDB officials.</CITE>
A man was locked in his flat for 26 hours by Housing Development Board (HDB) officials.
Mr Liao, 63, was locked in his one-room flat home at Blk 92, Henderson Road, at about 2pm yesterday.
The flat was being repossessed by HDB officials because Mr Liao had failed to pay his rent for the past four years.
HDB officials had apparently not realised that someone was in the house when they locked up the flat and put up a notice of repossession.
Mr Liao was sleeping soundly in the bedroom when HDB officials sealed his home.
When he woke up, he found himself locked in and complained that he could not go to work or get food for himself.
His neighbours helped him out by passing him food and water when they found out about his predicament.
There is no water and electricity supply in Mr Liao's home.
When reporters arrived at Mr Liao's unit, policemen were already there to find out about the situation.
A notice on Mr Liao's door stated that he owed 45 months of rental, totalling $1,980, at $44 a month.
Mr Liao was eventually freed at about 4.30pm after HDB officials arrived to open the lock.
HDB officials explain that they had visited the flat on 12 November and found the door wide open with no one in the house.
Officials returned to the flat yesterday and knocked on the door several times without receiving any response.
They were supposedly told by neighbours that there is no one home.
At that, the officials locked up the house. Altogether, the officials stayed for around half an hour outside the unit.
On the incident, HDB says that it will improve on monitoring its processes to prevent similar incidents.
Source: Shin Min Daily News, 23 November 2011. Click here for the Chinese report.
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[garlic]

I wonder how they can call this an accident? Did the officers accidentally brought along a lock, accidentally put the lock on the latch, accidentally fastened the lock, accidentally took away the key and accidentally left? There was only always going to be one result: either lock the old man in or lock the old man out. Either way, it's no accident.

 

[flkyflky]

This is terrorism!

HDB bastards ACT BLUR!

 

[garlic]

"We are one nation together, building a future for ourselves and our people. As we prosper, all communities will progress and no one will be left behind. We will look after the less educated and the elderly who have helped build Singapore. And we must also have a place in our hearts and our lives for the disabled, who are our brothers and sisters too."

http://app.mfa.gov.sg/pr/read_content.asp?View,3966,

LOCK THAT PENNILESS BUGGER!!! INSIDE or OUTSIDE, who cares? LOCK IT!!

 

[Ramseth]

This case is bizzare and ambiguous. The officer said that the door was left wide open. Then just go in for a search and evict the tenant. I've handled eviction cases before. The officer assigned with such a dirty shit piece of duty bringing crowbar, cutter and chainlock is nothing accidental or unusual, in fact SOP. However, the officer must ensure that the premises is totally evacuated of any occupant whether tenant or visitor before locking it up. Otherwise, it can unlawful confinement as it may deprive food and water and pose fire hazard. It's just a one-room flat, how difficult it is to search and evict first before locking?

Next point is the rental arrears. Shouldn't they send MCYS officers to verify the circumstances of the old man first before HDB and police action?

 

[vamjok]

This case is bizzare and ambiguous. The officer said that the door was left wide open. Then just go in for a search and evict the tenant. I've handled eviction cases before. The officer assigned with such a dirty shit piece of duty bringing crowbar, cutter and chainlock is nothing accidental or unusual, in fact SOP. However, the officer must ensure that the premises is totally evacuated of any occupant whether tenant or visitor before locking it up. Otherwise, it can unlawful confinement as it may deprive food and water and pose fire hazard. It's just a one-room flat, how difficult it is to search and evict first before locking?

Next point is the rental arrears. Shouldn't they send MCYS officers to verify the circumstances of the old man first before HDB and police action?

if i am police this is the last kind of job i want to take. i think i might cry on the spot throwing an old man or poor family out of their home

 

[Ramseth]

if i am police this is the last kind of job i want to take. i think i might cry on the spot throwing an old man or poor family out of their home

Damn right son, but duty is duty, that's why I called it a dirty shit piece of duty. I've dragged old man out of his home before. My heart was crying but my face and eyes still had to stay cool and dry.

 

[garlic]

Maybe the police officer on duty was a Malaysian PR who signed on as police.. there are many of them in the police unit. They have no 2nd thoughts on locking in/out a sinkie, an old and penniless one at that...

 

[Cruxx]

Bloody socialist sinkies we have here. 欠债还钱,天经地义!

 

[middaydog]

The officer said that the door was left wide open. Then just go in for a search and evict the tenant.

that was during the first visit couple of week ago la

 

[middaydog]

Maybe the police officer on duty was a Malaysian PR who signed on as police.. there are many of them in the police unit. They have no 2nd thoughts on locking in/out a sinkie, an old and penniless one at that...

be fair to them in this case, they were not the one who lock

 

[mollusk]

How could they do this to equalisation.

 

[HedgeTrader]

How could they do this to equalisation.

Because he spend all money gambling horse and cheonging KTV never pay rent LOL

 

[bryanlim1972]

Bloody socialist sinkies we have here. 欠债还钱,天经地义!

god damn capitalist pigs taking over everywhere.

 

[myo539]

This case is bizzare and ambiguous. The officer said that the door was left wide open.... Next point is the rental arrears. Shouldn't they send MCYS officers to verify the circumstances of the old man first before HDB and police action?

Personally I have visited such rented homes before - in Chinatown, Toa Payoh and Geylang (Aljunied GRC) and Viking Road (demolished liao). Some tenants even paid less than half the $44 a month rental, unbelievable but true!

Which job in Singapore does not pay more than $50 a month - MacDonald, PizzaHut delivery, the Indon maid? Even a Bangladeshi HDB estate contract sweeper earns much more - and can afford a handphone and go to Little India every weekend, or even belanja his Indon girlfriend . Probably he is also on social welfare, and gets help from voluntary or religious welfare organisations. He goes out to work, but where did this man money goes to?

Forty-four months of rental arrears - that's more than 3 years! HDB must be really patient - and extremely kind. Knn, I just one day late for credit card payment, and they charged me $50.00 late fee already, plus daily interest!

 

[Leongsam]

Before they locked the flat, they should have gone in and thrown him off the balcony!

It's losers like these who refuse to pay what they owe who need to be exterminated.

I can almost guarantee that he has more than enough money to pay the rent if he chose to.

 

[erection2015]

You are all heart as usual boss.

Before they locked the flat, they should have gone in and thrown him off the balcony!

It's losers like these who refuse to pay what they owe who need to be exterminated.

I can almost guarantee that he has more than enough money to pay the rent if he chose to.

 

[HedgeTrader]

Before they locked the flat, they should have gone in and thrown him off the balcony!

It's losers like these who refuse to pay what they owe who need to be exterminated.

I can almost guarantee that he has more than enough money to pay the rent if he chose to.

People like Sam and Ram should be thrown balcony first LOL

 

[Cruxx]

god damn capitalist pigs taking over everywhere.

Yes. You'd rather have the gahmen or some "benevolent" entity intervening arbitrarily into the voluntary exchanges and transactions among individuals. You prefer having do-gooders dictating how we should eat, live and breathe according to their "superior" moral judgement, never mind the wishes and desires of the people, the individuals. Btw, why haven't you offered to repay the debt on behalf of this debt defaulter? It's only $1,980. I'm sure selling off the unnecessary consumerist possessions that you own such as computers, mobile phones and TVs should be enough to secure the fundamental human need for shelter of this man. Don't be selfish. Do the right, socialist thing.

 

[Leongsam]

You are all heart as usual boss.

If I saw genuine hardship, I'd lend a hand for sure.

However, 99% of these cases don't fall under this category. it's simply the mismanagement of money not the lack of it.

I've done debt counselling in South Auckland. People apply for help because they've ended up in difficulties and can't pay the bills and volunteers like myself were sent to help.

In the 2 years I was doing this shit, there were only a handful of genuine cases. 95% simply squandered their money... pokey machines, smoking, eating at McDonald's instead of cooking healthy meals at home for half the cost. Some even had cable TV subscriptions. Many had perfectly healthy children who could easily get a part time job but chose to waste time at home watching TV the whole day.

I quit in disgust after a couple of years. I was also threatened with violence a number of times after I told these so called "poor" to get off their fat asses and do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.