A 60-year old man was physically injured after attempting to take photos as evidence of alleged illegal subletting of homes in People’s Park Centre (pictured).
The incident took place on 17 August when Mr C.C. Lee was trying to take pictures of two Indonesian sisters who were allegedly leasing three units to tourists for short-term stays.
But as the women tried to stop him, Lee hurt his right arm and back.
“She even shouted ‘molest’ but I didn’t touch her. I managed to run away and went to the police,” said the complainant who has lived in People’s Park Centre for 30 years. The police stated that a report had been lodged and also advised Lee to seek legal recourse.
When contacted, Rosmawati, one of the sisters, remained quiet on the incident.
Meanwhile, Lee said that he has been coordinating with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on illegal subletting in People’s Park Centre since 2005. According to him, more than 70 percent of the 120 homes there are used for illegal short-term stays.
But a URA spokesman said: “Investigations on the feedback have shown that most of the units identified do not infringe on our planning guidelines.”
The URA said private homes are only allowed to be sublet or leased for a minimum of six months to prevent any inconvenience that transient occupiers could bring to other residents.
Since March 2011, 73 apartments have been investigated for illegal subletting and 17 were found to be used as workers’ quarters or boarding houses, said the URA. One owner was charged and fined S$6,000 for non-compliance of the enforcement notice.
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