Tiong Bahru residents upset over 'gaudy' purple paint job, town council asked to pause works
On May 13, ST observed that the paint job appeared to be completed for one block, 2A Boon Tiong Road, which sported shades of lilac.
Isabelle Liew
The Straits Times
May 13, 2025
Tiong Bahru resident Jasmine Chin, 59, got a shock at the weekend when she noticed that the exterior of one storey in her Housing Board block was painted several shades of purple - a stark contrast to the rest of the building, which is off-white.
The part-time cleaner, who has lived at Block 9A Boon Tiong Road for 10 years, said one of the purple shades - a dark plum - was "unacceptable".
"I want our estate to look bright and inviting. If every block here is painted that dark colour from top to bottom, it will look gaudy," said Madam Chin.
"Why weren't residents allowed to vote for the colours?"
She is among eight residents in Blocks 9A and 9B Boon Tiong Road who told The Straits Times that they wish they had a say in choosing the buildings' colour scheme. They said they hope the town council can veto the purple colour palette and let residents vote on their preferred shade.
On May 13, ST observed that the paint job appeared to be completed for one block, 2A Boon Tiong Road, which sported shades of lilac. Another 11 blocks in Boon Tiong Road were set to undergo repainting, with gondolas set up and some external portions painted purple. The notice boards at the lift landings did not have notices indicating any painting work or voting results.
When ST visited Blocks 9A and 9B on May 13, a sign pasted at the lift lobbies said: "Our blocks of flats (are) about to be painted in the most saturated and awful purple."
The message urged residents to contact their newly elected MP Foo Cexiang or Tanjong Pagar Town Council.
The notices highlighted the purple colour scheme and lack of a voting process. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Mr Foo, who oversees the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru division of Tanjong Pagar GRC, said in a Facebook post on May 10 that he had asked the town council to pause the work and was looking into the situation "to understand the context and also plan the steps ahead". His response was also put up next to the residents' sign.
When contacted, Mr Foo said he had nothing further to add beyond his post. Tanjong Pagar Town Council also pointed to Mr Foo's statement, in response to ST's queries.
Accountant Steve Ng, 39, who lives in Block 9A, said that while the lighter purple shades were "quite nice", the dark purple was an "eyesore".
"We should be allowed to vote on the colour - even if not everyone is satisfied, at least it's a majority vote," he said.
Madam Alice Yap, 69, who has lived in Block 2A for over 20 years, said she liked the makeover, but that she was confused as to why the residents were not asked to vote on the colour.
"The previous time the block was repainted, about eight years ago, I remember voting for the colour scheme," she said.
Block 2A (back) in Boon Tiong Road fully repainted in lighter shades of purple. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
When HDB blocks are set to be repainted, town councils typically ask residents to vote for a colour scheme from among several options.
For instance, Tampines Town Council had in 2024 painted a cluster of 13 HDB blocks to match a theme inspired by aeroplane chess, a popular Chinese childhood board game.
Out of the 41 people who voted, 61 per cent selected the red, green, blue and yellow colour scheme from three different options.
The walls of two of the blocks were repainted white after some residents raised concerns with Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng about the red or green glow that the paint job at those two blocks had cast into their flats.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan, the former coordinating chairman for PAP town councils, said that to his knowledge, there is no rule stating that a poll must be carried out.
Mr Lim, who was MP for Mountbatten from 2011 to 2025 before retiring from politics, said each town council has its own process for deciding the colour scheme when blocks are repainted.
"But we do recommend that a poll be taken among the residents because choice of colours is subjective. Each resident has their own perspective of what is their preferred colour. The better option is to follow the choice of the majority," he said.
Click here to contribute a story or submit it to our WhatsApp
Get more of Stomp's latest updates by following us on:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump says China's Xi agreed to let rare earth minerals flow to US
Rare earths and other critical minerals are a source of leverage for China as Mr Trump could come under domestic political pressure if economic growth sags. PHOTO: REUTERS Trump says China's Xi agreed to let rare earth minerals flow to US WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on June 6 that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to let rare earth minerals and magnets flow to the United States, a move that could lower tensions between the world's biggest economies. Asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One whether Mr Xi had agreed to do so, Mr Trump replied: 'Yes, he did.' The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr Trump's comment came one day after a rare call with Mr Xi aimed at resolving trade tensions that have been brewing over the topic for weeks. At that time, Mr Trump said there had been 'a very positive conclusion' to the talks, adding that 'there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products.' In another sign of easing tensions over the issue, China has granted temporary export licences to rare-earth suppliers of the top three US automakers, two sources familiar with the matter said. The US president's top aides are set to meet their Chinese counterparts in London on June 9 for further talks. 'We're very far advanced on the China deal,' Mr Trump told reporters on June 6. The countries struck an agreement on May 12 in Geneva, Switzerland, to roll back for 90 days most of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Mr Trump's January inauguration. Financial markets that had worried about trade disruptions rallied on the news. But China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets has continued to disrupt supplies needed by automakers, computer chip manufacturers and military contractors around the world. Mr Trump had accused China of violating the Geneva agreement and ordered curbs on chip-design software and other shipments to China. Beijing rejected the claim and threatened countermeasures. Rare earths and other critical minerals are a source of leverage for China as Mr Trump could come under domestic political pressure if economic growth sags because companies cannot make mineral-powered products. Since returning to the White House in January, Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened an array of punitive measures on trading partners, only to revoke some of them at the last minute. The on-again, off-again approach has baffled world leaders and spooked business executives. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
South Korea's Lee, Trump agree to work towards ‘satisfactory' tariff deal
South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung and US President Donald Trump spoke in their first phone call on June 6. PHOTO: REUTERS, EPA-EFE SEOUL - US President Donald Trump and South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung agreed to work toward a swift tariff deal and shared stories about their experiences in their first phone call since Lee was elected, his office said on June 6. Mr Trump has imposed tariffs on South Korea, which has a bilateral free trade deal, pressed it to pay more for the 28,500 troops stationed there and increased competition with China. The future of South Korea's export-oriented economy will hinge on what kind of deal Mr Lee can strike, with all of his country's key sectors from chips to autos and shipbuilding heavily exposed to global trade. His term began on June 11. 'The two presidents agreed to make an effort to reach a satisfactory agreement on tariff consultations as soon as possible that both countries can be satisfied with,' Mr Lee's office said in a statement. 'To this end, they decided to encourage working-level negotiations to yield tangible results.' Mr Trump invited Mr Lee to a summit in the US and they plan to meet soon, according to a White House official. The two leaders also shared stories from the campaign trail, including of assassination attempts and political difficulties, and agreed that strong leadership emerges as they overcome difficulties, Mr Lee's office said. Mr Lee survived a knife attack and underwent surgery when he was stabbed in the neck by a man during an event in 2024. Mr Trump and Mr Lee also talked of their golf skills and agreed to play golf when possible, Mr Lee's office said, while Mr Lee mentioned that he was gifted a hat with Mr Trump's signature on it. South Korea, a major US ally and one of the first countries to engage with Washington after Japan on trade talks, agreed in late April to craft a 'July package' scrapping levies before the 90-day pause on Mr Trump's reciprocal tariffs is lifted, but progress was disrupted by upheavals in its leadership. Mr Lee, a liberal, was elected on June 3 after the US ally's former conservative leader, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached and ousted. Mr Lee said on the eve of the elections that 'the most pressing matter is trade negotiations with the United States.' Mr Lee's camp has said, however, that they intend to seek more time to negotiate on trade with Mr Trump. While reiterating the importance of the US-South Korea alliance, Mr Lee has also expressed more conciliatory plans for ties with China and North Korea, singling out the importance of China as a major trading partner while indicating reluctance to take a firm stance on security tensions in the Taiwan Strait. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
French rabbi tells of two attacks in one week as hate crimes rise
French rabbi Elie Lemmel talks with people after being attacked at a cafe terrace in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Antony Paone French rabbi Elie Lemmel talks with people after being attacked at a cafe terrace in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Antony Paone French rabbi tells of two attacks in one week as hate crimes rise PARIS - A French rabbi was attacked on Friday for the second time in a week, he told Reuters, reflecting a broad rise in hate crimes across France that has included high-profile anti-Semitic assaults. Elie Lemmel said he was sitting at a cafe in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on Friday when he was hit in the head by a chair. "I found myself on the ground, I immediately felt blood flowing," he said. He was stunned and unsure what exactly had happened, he said, initially thinking something must have fallen from a window or roof, before it occurred to him he had been attacked. "Unfortunately, given my beard and my kippah, I suspected that was probably why, and it's such a shame," he said. Friday's incident follows another in the town of Deauville in Normandy last week, when Lemmel said he was punched in the stomach by an unknown assailant. Lemmel said he was used to "not-so-friendly looks, some unpleasant words, people passing by, spitting on the ground," but had never been physically assaulted before the two attacks. The prosecutor's office in Nanterre said it had opened an investigation into the Neuilly attack for aggravated violence and that a person was being held for questioning. It said it could not provide further details. "This act sickens us," former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote on X regarding Friday's incident involving Lemmel. "Antisemitism, like all forms of hatred, is a deadly poison for our society." Last week, five Jewish institutions were sprayed with green paint in Paris. "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the anti-Semitic attack that targeted a rabbi in Neuilly today. Attacking a person because of their faith is a shame. The increase in anti-religious acts requires the mobilization of everyone," Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in a post on X. France has seen a rise in hate crimes. Last year, police recorded an 11% rise in racist, xenophobic or antireligious crimes, according to official data published in March. The figures did not include a breakdown by attacks on different religions. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
