New mediation task force set up in Geylang Serai to resolve neighbour disputes early

Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC MP Diana Pang (centre, right) and Law Minister Edwin Tong (centre, left) during an intergenerational mahjong session on Sept 27.

ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Published Sep 27, 2026, 01:15 PM

Updated Sep 27, 2026, 01:16 PM

A new Geylang Serai mediation task force was launched to help residents resolve neighbour disputes early and prevent small issues from escalating.

The task force, run by grassroots volunteers, offers structured mediation and complements existing government dispute-resolution channels.

The initiative aims to improve neighbour communication.

SINGAPORE – Residents living in Geylang Serai can now turn to another channel for communication if they run into a dispute with their neighbours.

A new 15-member mediation task force comprises trained grassroots volunteers who can step in early to help residents understand each other and prevent small misunderstandings from becoming bigger, said Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC MP Diana Pang, who oversees the area.

Addressing residents at a community event on Sept 27, she said t he task force was set up by grassroots volunteers after gathering feedback from residents during house visits, market walks and daily interactions.

“The issue might be a very small issue – it can just be noise or things littered along the corridor. But if people find it awkward to talk (to their neighbours), there’s always us,” Pang later told the media .

Before the task force’s launch on Sept 27 , grassroots volunteers had already been engaging in informal mediations with residents involved in disputes.

Pang noted that the task force will allow these mediation sessions to be carried out in a more structured manner.

The initiative comes as the Government expanded its Community Relations Unit (CRU) nationwide from Sept 1 to tackle severe noise and hoarding issues. Officers from the Housing Board are also able to get disputing parties to attend mandatory mediation sessions.

A sked what sets the Geylang Serai mediation task force apart from the CRU, Pang said cases brought up to the Community Mediation Centres – which CRU refers involved parties to for mediation – are often more serious.

The neighbourhood task force instead tries to “nip an issue at its bud” by facilitating communication among the involved parties from the beginning, to prevent a dispute from escalating further.

Noting that fewer than 30 per cent of cases registered with the Community Mediation Centres proceed to formal mediation, the People’s Association (PA) said in a press release that the task force will provide an additional opportunity for early dialogue at the community level.

It will complement established mediation and dispute-resolution channels, said the association.

Clement Yong, chairman of the new task force, said all mediation cases can now be referred directly to the team, facilitating easier tracking of data.

He added that mediators can now be assigned to cases, meaning that junior mediators can be paired up with senior mediators to work together and learn from each other.

Yong, a former district judge, noted that grassroots volunteers currently receive “a significant number” of noise complaints – a number “big enough” to warrant the creation of this task force.

Geylang Serai resident Alvin Soo, 49, said he believes the new channel will make it easier for neighbours to communicate with each other and create a harmonious environment.

The quality engineer said he has seen noise and hygiene issues leading to disputes, adding that these can be “easily controlled” with better communication.

Also in attendance at the community event was Law Minister Edwin Tong, who was making a ministerial community visit.

Both Tong and Pang officiated the opening of an NTUC Health Active Ageing Centre at Block 11 Haig Road on Sept 27.

This will help with the Geylang Serai Citizens’ Consultative Committee’s efforts to promote active ageing through community programmes such as health screenings, community outings and interest-based activities, said PA.

Speaking to seniors at the ceremony, Tong said this centre will be a welcome place for seniors to socialise and feel valued as part of the community.

The centre will also help with social and mental wellness, both of which are critical, added the Second Minister for Home Affairs.

Esther Loi is a journalist at The Straits Times, where she covers transport issues.

Arbitration, conciliation and mediation

9月27日，马林百列-布莱德尔高地集选区议员彭丽媛（右中）和律政部长唐振辉（左中）在一次跨代麻将活动中。

ST 照片：林耀辉

发布于 2026 年 9 月 27 日下午 1:15

更新于2026年9月27日下午1:16

芽笼士乃成立了一个新的调解工作组，旨在帮助居民及早解决邻里纠纷，防止小问题升级。

该工作组由基层志愿者运营，提供结构化的调解服务，是对现有政府纠纷解决渠道的补充。

该计划旨在改善邻里沟通。

新加坡——如果芽笼士乃的居民与邻居发生纠纷，现在可以通过另一种沟通渠道进行沟通。

负责该地区的马林百列-布莱德尔高地集选区议员彭丽媛表示，一个新的由 15 名成员组成的调解工作组由训练有素的基层志愿者组成，他们可以及早介入，帮助居民相互理解，防止小误会演变成大误会。

9 月 27 日，她在社区活动上向居民发表讲话时表示，该工作组是由基层志愿者在走访居民、走访市场和日常互动中收集反馈意见后成立的。

庞后来告诉媒体：“问题可能很小——可能只是噪音或者走廊里乱扔垃圾。但如果人们觉得和邻居沟通很尴尬，我们随时可以提供帮助。”

在特别工作组于 9 月 27 日成立之前，基层志愿者就已经开始与卷入纠纷的居民进行非正式调解。

庞指出，工作组将允许以更有条理的方式进行这些调解会议。

这项举措出台之际，政府已于9月1日起在全国范围内扩展其社区关系小组（CRU），以应对严重的噪音和囤积问题。房屋委员会的官员还可以促使纠纷各方参加强制性调解会议。

当被问及芽笼士乃调解工作组与社区调解中心有何不同时，庞表示，提交给社区调解中心的案件（社区调解中心会将相关各方转介到该中心进行调解）通常更为严重。

相反，社区工作组试图“防患于未然”，从一开始就促进相关各方之间的沟通，以防止争端进一步升级。

人民协会（PA）在一份新闻稿中指出，在社区调解中心登记的案件中，只有不到 30% 的案件会进入正式调解阶段，因此该工作组将为社区层面的早期对话提供额外的机会。

该协会表示，这将对现有的调解和纠纷解决渠道起到补充作用。

新成立的特别工作组主席杨克伦表示，所有调解案件现在都可以直接提交给该工作组，以便更容易地跟踪数据。

他还补充说，现在可以指派调解员处理案件，这意味着初级调解员可以与高级调解员搭档，共同工作并互相学习。

曾任地方法官的 Yong 指出，基层志愿者目前收到“大量”噪音投诉——数量“足够多”，足以成立这个特别工作组。

49岁的芽笼士乃居民苏文文表示，他相信这条新频道将使邻里之间更容易沟通，并创造一个和谐的环境。

这位质量工程师表示，他曾看到噪音和卫生问题导致纠纷，并补充说，通过更好的沟通，这些问题可以“轻松控制”。

律政部长唐振辉也出席了此次社区活动，他当时正在进行部长级社区访问。

9月27日，Tong和Pang共同主持了位于海格路11座的NTUC健康活力老龄化中心的开幕仪式。

人民联盟表示，这将有助于芽笼士乃市民咨询委员会通过健康筛查、社区郊游和兴趣活动等社区项目来促进积极老龄化。

在仪式上，Tong 对老人们说，这个中心将成为老人们社交和感受到自己作为社区一份子的价值的温馨场所。

内政部第二部长补充说，该中心还将有助于社会和心理健康，这两方面都至关重要。

埃丝特·罗伊是《海峡时报》的记者，主要报道交通运输问题。

仲裁、调解和斡旋