Sisters fined for fighting with neighbours over burning incense
Published on Jun 13, 2012
Tan Phui Moi (left), 45, and Ong Siok Bee, 36, was fined for fighting over the burning incense bin with her neighbour and damaging the flower pots and item placed outside the location at Paya Lebar Crescent. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
By Khushwant Singh
A man suffered chest pains and died about an hour after he was involved in a fracas with his neighbours over a long-simmering dispute over the burning of incense and joss paper. On Wednesday, the two women who assaulted him and his wife were fined $1,000 each by a district court for committing affray.
Ong Siok Bee, 37, was fined another $1,500 for endangering the safety of Seow Hung Lye, 52, by hurling a flower pot at him. She and her adopted sister, Tan Phui Moi, 45, unemployed, had pleaded guilty in April.
The court then heard that the dispute arose because Seow and his 49-year-old wife had been burning incense and joss paper outside his terrace house along Paya Lebar Crescent as part of the Hungry Ghost Festival ritual. The sisters live diagonally opposite and Tan came to their gate to take pictures for a police report.
Seow tried to grab the camera while his wife used a broom to hit Tan. Ong joined in the fight armed with a broom and the sisters then threw flower pots at Seow.
Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.
