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FAMILY PLEADS
Go away, please... NO, it's not a plea to naughty spirits or ghosts. Inside Madam Lee's kitchen, there are no ghosts - only laundry being blown by a fan. This desperate plea from a Bukit Batok housewife and her two children is directed at the throngs of curious humans who have been 'ghost-spotting' outside her flat over the last two weeks. Madam Nancy Lee, 54, has been plagued by hordes of gawkers every night for the past two weeks. On weekends, the crowd gets so big they number over a hundred, the housewife and her neighbours claim. The gawkers gather at the foot of her block, staring at her kitchen window. Some even creep up to her flat after midnight, knock on the door, then dash off. Once, they even allegedly cut off their power supply. A group of gawkers hoping to see ghosts in Madam Lee's flat. But why the strange behaviour? RADIO THE CULPRIT Well, Madam Lee's home in Bukit Batok West had been repeatedly identified - unit number and all - on a late-night radio show as being haunted. (See report at far right.) This began two weeks ago, when a listener called the Ria 89.7FM station to make the claim. (See report below.) More callers with similar claims followed. As the rumours spread, the crowd grew. Among them was Mr Hairul Hamdan, 27, a trainer. He said: 'I heard from the radio about this place, so I wanted to come and see for myself.' Many were curious about the reported 'ghostly apparitions', which range from floating heads and beautiful women to mummies. And the ghost-sighters came by the truckload - literally. Said resident Leong Chin Cheng, 40, a businessman who lives in the same block: 'I got a shock, I looked downstairs and saw so many people, whole families. They come by bus, pickup, lorry... So scary!' Another neighbour, Mr Abdul Hamid Harun, 50, added that some came armed with camera handphones, digital cameras, and even binoculars. Resident Ng Chong Eng, 48, an insurance agent, said the crowds swelled after midnight on Friday. He said: 'Last week, the radio show kept repeating and repeating the report. Hundreds of people came to see. 1am, 2am, 3am, 4am, even 5am, it was still crammed with people.' But most left with unsated appetites. You see, the truth is far less supernatural. The so-called ghosts in Madam Lee's kitchen are actually shadows of Madam Lee's laundry. Madam Lee, whose husband passed away four years ago, suffers from rheumatism. She hangs her clothes inside her kitchen as she is not strong enough to lift the bamboo poles out of the window. At night, she closes the windows to keep the rain out and draws her white curtains. Finally, she turns on a fan and a yellow lamp to help the clothes dry. The result? Shadows dancing gently behind a white curtain, under a 'spooky' yellow light. Her neighbour, Mr Ng, who lives in the unit directly below hers, admitted that the shadows did indeed look 'very scary, like a head flying'. So, he advised Madam Lee to remove the curtain and use a fluorescent light instead. Together with other neighbours, he has also been helping to explain the misunderstanding to Madam Lee's curious audience. They also got a friend to call the radio station to clarify the matter. 'But even when we tell them there is nothing, they still want to see. New people keep coming,' said Mr Ng. DESPERATE MOVE On Sunday, in desperation, Mr Ng and Madam Lee's son let two visitors in to act as 'witnesses' and prove there are no ghosts in their flat. The stream of late night visitors has taken its toll on the family. Said Madam Lee's son Kelvin, 20, a salesman: 'We keep getting woken up. Every night, there will be people knocking, and footsteps.' The constant attention is unnerving. Said Madam Lee: 'I feel so much stress when I hang my clothes. So many people staring at me! Once, I was hanging clothes when I looked down and saw so many people that I felt faint. 'My children tell me to ignore them. My pastor also prays for us.' The last straw came on Saturday night, when the family's power was turned off at 4am. Some gawkers had apparently messed with their fuse box, and the family woke up sweating. The air-con had gone dead. Even her neighbours are not spared. Mr Kamarudin Mailah, 41, a technician who lives on the second floor, said: 'Every night, I cannot sleep. Sometimes, a whole group of motorcycles come at 2am. My house is near the carpark, so I can hear everything.' Madam Lee has already called the police at least 10 times to ask for help. Neighbours said that the police now conduct regular patrols to chase away the gawkers. Said Madam Lee: 'I've lived here for over 20 years. If there really is a ghost, I would have moved away long ago. 'We never harmed others, so why do others harm us now? Please, just leave us alone.' RADIO NUISANCE MADAM Nancy Lee's nightmare began about two weeks ago, when a listener called Ria 89.7FM claiming the flat was haunted. The station had invited listeners to share their stories during the late-night show Pelik Tapi Benar (strange but true in Malay). According to listeners The New Paper spoke to, one of the earliest calls was a woman who claimed she saw ghosts at Madam Lee's block and floor. Soon, more callers called with their own stories about the block. The stories started to point to Madam Lee's unit. Then, the gawkers started showing up in droves. Despite subsequent calls from those who visited the flat and realised there were no ghosts, the damage was done. When contacted, MediaCorp Radio, which runs the station, declined to comment. Some arrive in buses... HERE'S proof that sometimes, humans can be more disturbing than ghosts. Since the radio reports of the 'haunting', thrill-seekers have even organised excursions to the block. The New Paper visited the block on Tuesday and yesterday night. Groups of gawkers arrived from 9.30pm, with the numbers picking up as midnight passed. At midnight on Tuesday, a group of about 10 people emerged from a large, private bus. A member of the group, who declined to be named, said they were families from Choa Chu Kang who got together to check out the 'haunted flat'. He added that some women and children in the group decided to remain on the bus. The group trooped noisily upstairs to Madam Lee's unit. Some went up to the door to listen for sounds. At this point, the door suddenly burst open. An angry and pale-looking Kelvin shouted at the group, who immediately clamoured upstairs. Other gawkers were less intrusive. They simply stood in the carpark and stared at the kitchen window, some for more than half an hour. And many came to the same conclusion: there really is no ghost. The reports about the 'haunted' flat differed wildly among the radio callers. One listener, Mr Md Hazmi Abd Hamid, 24, a technician, said that an early listener talked about seeing a 'white thing' moving around the unit. Subsequent callers described a floating head or ghost. Soon, callers were buzzing about pocong - jumping mummies. Said Mr Hairul Hamdan, 27, a trainer: 'Some people said they saw five pocong at the one house.' Young gawker Shaik Muhfiyan, 12, cycled from Choa Chu Kang with two friends. He had heard yet another tale. 'My brother's friend works around here. He was delivering pizza one night when he saw something - a very beautiful lady.' Labels: Old News
Naked body parts at Kallang River - suspect arrested
Naked Body Parts Found Along Kallang River Two boxes containing body parts were found along the banks of the Kallang River this morning (16 Jun 2005). At about 9.15 am , Police responded to a call of human remains found at Kallang Riverside Park. Investigations established that a cleaner while on his rounds discovered a brown cardboard box on the river bank near Crawford Street containing what looked like the lower part of a human anatomy. Upon our further examination, it was established that it was the pelvic and thigh region of the lower abdomen belonging to a woman. Police immediately cordoned off the surrounding area and conducted a search. At about 10 am , our officers discovered a red box lying on the opposite bank, containing a headless upper torso with the arms attached. Both the upper and lower torsos discovered were naked and wrapped in green plastic bags. We are presently working towards establishing the identity of the victim. The search for further remains and evidence is ongoing. Anyone with information on the case is advised to call the Police Hotline 1800-255-0000 immediately. PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE 16 June 2005 @ 4.00 pm Source: Singapore Police Force Media Release 16 Jun 2005 Subsequent Developments: 17 Jun 2005 Body Parts at Kallang River Suspect Arrested Within 24 Hrs Police arrested a Chinese Singaporean man in connection to a murder of a 22-year old PRC National early this morning. Following the discovery of the dismembered body parts at Kallang Riverside Park yesterday morning, Police immediately commenced an extensive investigation into the murder. The victim has been identified as Liu Hong Mei, a 22-year old Chinese woman. She is a PRC national who had been working in Singapore as a production operator. Police have contacted her family. Investigations and enquiries had established that the suspect was the victim’s supervisor. Police officers from the CID arrested the 50-year old man at about 6 am this morning. Some green translucent plastic bags were also seized from his flat at Geylang. Concerning the latest developments, Acting Director CID, DAC Ng Ser Song said, "We are presently in contact with the victim's family and we are providing them the necessary support. The crime was a gruesome one and that was why no effort was spared in the investigations. Thanks to the speed and tenacity of our officers, coupled with their extensive field investigations, we had managed to pinpoint and arrest the suspect within 24 hours. " The suspect will be charged in court tomorrow for an offence of murder. The search for the further remains of the body continues. PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE 17 June 2005 @ 3.00 pm Source: Singapore Police Force Media Release 17 Jun 2005 Update on Body Parts Found At Kallang River 18 Jun 2005 Police recovered a head and lower limbs of a human body this afternoon at the Tuas South incineration plant. The parts are believed to be linked to the body parts found along the banks of Kallang River on 16 June 2005 . Police intercepted 3 tons of garbage which had been collected from the Singapore River since 15 June 2005 , which was due to be incinerated at Tuas South incineration plant. At about 4.30 pm , the head was found wrapped in newspaper in a yellow coloured plastic bag. Later at about 8.30 pm , a pair of legs without feet was found in a white coloured plastic bag. The body parts found will be sent to the Health Sciences Authority for further analysis and tests. From our investigations, it was revealed that the feet were disposed elsewhere. We are continuing with efforts to locate it. Extensive investigations and timely intervention led Police to the recovery of the remaining body parts. Anyone with information on the case is advised to call the Police Hotline 1800-255-0000 immediately. PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE 18 June 2005 @ 9.30 pm Labels: Old News |
