Ministry seeks residents' understanding on workers' dorm

SINGAPORE: The National Development Ministry has said the location of temporary dormitories is limited by the available choices of vacant state buildings.

It tries to avoid housing foreign workers in residential areas and seeks residents' understanding and support if some dormitories are located near their homes.

The ministry said this in response to Channel NewsAsia's query after residents of Serangoon Gardens expressed unhappiness that a vacant school in the estate may be converted into a foreign workers' dormitory.

Since last week, a petition has been making the rounds in the quiet neighbourhood. So far, over 500 residents in the private estate have signed the petition.

They are against turning the vacant school building on Burghley Drive into a temporary dormitory to house about 1,500 foreign workers and plan to raise this issue with their MPs on Wednesday during a dialogue session.

If approval is given and the plan goes ahead, the dormitory is likely to be a self-contained community, with shops and other social amenities. Authorities said this would minimise the impact on the neighbourhood.

However, residents are unlikely to be convinced, many of whom live just across the road. Traffic congestion and security are among their concerns.

One resident said: "Most of my neighbours are very old and they live alone. So security is a big issue if they house it here."

Another resident said: "It would be a disaster here. Thousand-over workers, can you imagine?"

Residents are hopeful that the authorities will take heed of their views.

MP for Aljunied GRC, Lim Hwee Hua, said: "I'm not surprised by the reaction, and I think the concerns raised are valid. What I'll do is look at the feedback, add my own views as an MP looking after the area."

Mrs Lim added: "The social issues are a little trickier. Obviously, you can't expect the foreign workers to be just confined to the site itself. So if they're housed there, they'll be coming out onto the park space, and mixing with the residents.

"This is not a problem by itself, but I think the residents are thinking of the social aspects, such as whether there'll be the wrong kind of relationships formed between the domestic helpers and them. These are harder to address but they are concerns we should listen to."

The authorities said they are still reviewing the suitability of the site and no decision has been made yet. - CNA/vm

why dont the ministry built the dorm at the pulau ubin or offshore island?

In HK and taiwan, fishermen from china forbidden to step into the mainland and confine to dormitory boundaries only.

they are here to work and earn money. it shouldnt come at the expense of singaporeans own comfort zone.

the ministries shouldnt pass their own problem to most singaporeans after they get the levvy tax.

i dont think by making foreign workers staying in our neighbourhood wil enhance the "national development "experience if our life!!

Talking cock :

Imagine if citizens have their way, the headlines will read :

Citizens seeks Ministry's understanding on workers' dorm

Citizens have decided to build several large dormitories housing thousands of foreign talent workers on the huge vacant plot of land on the Istana grounds because it is one of the last sparsely populated areas left on this island.  The dormitories are likely to be a self-contained community, with shops, beautiful gardens, historic buildings, other social amenities with a short walk to Orchard Road.  Visiting foreign heads of states will get to experience staying among imported foreign workers from impoverished third world countries, experience working to pay off the worker's levy and enjoy urinating anywhere they like, preferably against somebody's car or house.  

Citizens said this would minimise the impact on the neighbourhoods of the common people.

I got suggestion.

Let them build the dorm next to all the Minister's home, see what's their reaction.

Ministers should be the most understanding of all.

Elites against Pay and Pay.    Sit back and enjoy the show, folks.

Originally posted by No Free Lunch:

Talking cock :

Imagine if citizens have their way, the headlines will read :

Citizens seeks Ministry's understanding on workers' dorm

Citizens have decided to build several large dormitories housing thousands of foreign talent workers on the huge vacant plot of land on the Istana grounds because it is one of the last sparsely populated areas left on this island.  The dormitories are likely to be a self-contained community, with shops, beautiful gardens, historic buildings, other social amenities with a short walk to Orchard Road.  Visiting foreign heads of states will get to experience staying among imported foreign workers from impoverished third world countries, experience working to pay off the worker's levy and enjoy urinating anywhere they like, preferably against somebody's car or house.  

Citizens said this would minimise the impact on the neighbourhoods of the common people.

lol hilarious!

Sure Elites win lah...Pay and pay sure protect them lah....becos they pay more income tax to government..

Why must foreign workers be treated like a prisoner and housed in intern/concentration camps ?

Why couldn't the companies or authorities disperse them and rent single rooms for them to stay ? 2 workers to one rented room and spread all over the Island ?

If they can do this to our Singaporean minorities via housing quotas.. they can also implement this for the workers.

WP Aljunied GRC team, the top losers with 43.92%

You think the despots dare to reject the protest?

That is why, vote in more opposition is good for the people (bad for the despots)

Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:

 

 

WP Aljunied GRC team, the top losers with 43.92%

You think the despots dare to reject the protest?

That is why, vote in more opposition is good for the people (bad for the despots)

Aiya, dun worry lah, Geogie yeo will settle for them, let see how it goes, if give Worker's Party, i think more worst lor, more workers will come in, and along with more PRC and foreigners prositutes, liao lor!!

Kaki bukit had workers dorm around there, I live near that area. Some workers are Ok, others are not. Its just not safe for women especially at night when they congregate to drink and foul up the place. The area's transport also become very crowded because the worker's transport go through the area. They also take public transport as well which makes it seem like I am in a 3rd world country taking a 3rd world bus/train. However, on the other side of the coin, how would you like it if you work in a foreign country and you cannot afford to rent a HDB and also there is no shelter to stay and the people of that country reject building your only place of stay - dorms - anywhere in the country.

I rather think that when these dorms are built, there is also consideration given to the people staying in that area including the facilities such as public transport, the gardens, estate and etc. The simplistic look is just to provide dorms which the people in Kaki Bukit/Bedok Reservoir can tell you, it sucks really bad.

Originally posted by mistyblue:

Kaki bukit had workers dorm around there, I live near that area. Some workers are Ok, others are not. Its just not safe for women especially at night when they congregate to drink and foul up the place. The area's transport also become very crowded because the worker's transport go through the area. They also take public transport as well which makes it seem like I am in a 3rd world country taking a 3rd world bus/train. However, on the other side of the coin, how would you like it if you work in a foreign country and you cannot afford to rent a HDB and also there is no shelter to stay and the people of that country reject building your only place of stay - dorms - anywhere in the country.

I rather think that when these dorms are built, there is also consideration given to the people staying in that area including the facilities such as public transport, the gardens, estate and etc. The simplistic look is just to provide dorms which the people in Kaki Bukit/Bedok Reservoir can tell you, it sucks really bad.

Soon Kaki Bukit becomes another tourist attraction.

Little Bangladesh.

Foreign Minister George Yeo said the temporary dormitory proposal at Burghley Drive, where Serangoon Garden Technical School used to be located, is at a preliminary stage.

Mr Yeo, who is also an Aljunied GRC MP, was speaking to Serangoon Garden residents at a dialogue on Wednesday.

He said the residents' concerns are legitimate and he will pass their feedback to the Ministry of National Development and Urban Renewal Authority which will be making the final decision.

Mr Yeo added that if he were a resident there, he would share the same concerns on security, congestion and traffic issues. - CNA /ls

Originally posted by No Free Lunch:

Talking cock :

Imagine if citizens have their way, the headlines will read :

Citizens seeks Ministry's understanding on workers' dorm

Citizens have decided to build several large dormitories housing thousands of foreign talent workers on the huge vacant plot of land on the Istana grounds because it is one of the last sparsely populated areas left on this island.  The dormitories are likely to be a self-contained community, with shops, beautiful gardens, historic buildings, other social amenities with a short walk to Orchard Road.  Visiting foreign heads of states will get to experience staying among imported foreign workers from impoverished third world countries, experience working to pay off the worker's levy and enjoy urinating anywhere they like, preferably against somebody's car or house.  

Citizens said this would minimise the impact on the neighbourhoods of the common people.

lol.

Something like this would definitely NOT come from our state-run newspapers.

Originally posted by Rednano:

Foreign Minister George Yeo said the temporary dormitory proposal at Burghley Drive, where Serangoon Garden Technical School used to be located, is at a preliminary stage.

Mr Yeo, who is also an Aljunied GRC MP, was speaking to Serangoon Garden residents at a dialogue on Wednesday.

He said the residents' concerns are legitimate and he will pass their feedback to the Ministry of National Development and Urban Renewal Authority which will be making the final decision.

Mr Yeo added that if he were a resident there, he would share the same concerns on security, congestion and traffic issues. - CNA /ls

But he's not a resident there. Have we not hear the same drill, "we hear you, but we've decided to go ahead with what we still think is the best solution"

i not dispising the foreign worker but rather they cant assimulate into our society, often making causing uncomfort and causing social problems in our daily lives.

i dont deny, some are nice ppl but there are really bad ones. in my neighbourhood, there are some contruction going on. thje indians or pakistians will play cricket in the open field. im fine with that. but they also often having a little picnic and leaving leftover food on the field which later causes flies, rats, wild dogs into our neighbourhood.

Who bring all this foreign workers? All those eilte that lives in those big house lah becos they want cheap labour...Feel so funny, since they bring them to work, why can those foreign worker cannot stay beside them.

Pls Pls lah, Tolong dont change an idea and put it in the HDB estate. I am not the one that employ them and they are the one that take away my job.

By the way, All rich houses over there have nice and cute maids (Same kind somemore)..I think those foreigner worker is best to stay there, but not around so HDB estate.

Hi its sad that foreign workers are discriminated in Serangoon area and it even saddens me to see that people in that same area welcome expats. It is outright discrimination. Maybe a sudden surge of 1000 foreign workers maybe too much, maybe just 500? Maybe spread the workers into smaller dorms? But the way I see it, that these people in Serangoon seems to be saying that they do not even want a single FW in their area. I dun like George Yeo but I guess he puts it right when he said that it is valid to have such concerns but before the discussion goes on, they must not paint a picture that ALL FW are rapists, molesters and troublemakers.

Yes it is true that it is a form of discrimination.

But please dont get too moral yourself. Can you imagine if this happen to you?

It's nice to pretend to be a moralist, but what if a similar situation happen to you?

Be more accepting that humans have limitations, accept it, and work within the limits. It's useless to use some theories which dont work in real life. 

In real life, people naturally will have this kind of reaction.

Accept this fact.

Then next, there should be a solution.

The solution must take into account people's natural tendencies and reactions.

Meat Pao

Originally posted by Meat Pao:

Yes it is true that it is a form of discrimination.

But please dont get too moral yourself. Can you imagine if this happen to you?

It's nice to pretend to be a moralist, but what if a similar situation happen to you?

Be more accepting that humans have limitations, accept it, and work within the limits. It's useless to use some theories which dont work in real life. 

In real life, people naturally will have this kind of reaction.

Accept this fact.

Then next, there should be a solution.

The solution must take into account people's natural tendencies and reactions.

 

Meat Pao

The statement in bold is all I need to know you concur. I do not have to get all high and mighty. It is those 1400 who signed the petition who is getting high and mighty. Embracing the expats but discriminating against the FW.

Originally posted by maurizio13:

 

I got suggestion.

Let them build the dorm next to all the Minister's home, see what's their reaction.

Ministers should be the most understanding of all.

 

Fantastic idea!

I think having a temporary dormitory to house FW is good. The site is Fantastic.

Those area are whose boss and Expat's home that they choose to hired all this workers. They want cheap labour, than they get cheap property.. 

Why not house all the foreign workers in nice service apartments?

Maybe around Orchard Road and Bukit Timah?

ya maybe in oxley rise where Mr LKY lives! and some of the FW can part time as the security guard outside also haha

gasband,

Dun be hyprocrite. I dare you to tell   where gahmen u live and they then can build one right next to you!

You are the one with the high and mighty attitude - thinking that since it did not happen to you it is ok? If u like them so much, tell mah bow tan. He iwll be friends with you!