'We're living like nomads': Bukit Merah resident fears going home because neighbour keeps knocking on his wall

Although he has a flat in Bukit Merah, an elderly man has been forced to live like a nomad for the past two months.

The private-hire driver surnamed Xu is afraid of returning to his flat at Block 44 Beo Crescent because his next-door neighbour has been knocking on his wall, Shin Min Daily News reported on Wednesday (Dec 13).

Xu said his neighbour moved into the unit next to his two years ago. Initially, his neighbour would use his hands to bang on the wall, but started using tools to hit the wall about a week later. 

"He would knock on the wall day and night, right where our living room and bedroom are.

"Sometimes he would knock every few hours, the sudden loud sounds would scare us," said the elderly man, who lives in the flat with his wife. 

Xu told Shin Min that he did not confront his neighbour about the issue as the latter is aggressive. 

The relentless knocking on his wall also took a physical toll on Xu, who has since lost six kilograms. He also developed symptoms of anxiety and has even taking heart medication to ease the symptoms. 

"I can't sleep at night, and it affects my driving in the day," he said. 

Xu's wife, who was diagnosed with depression in 2016, experienced a relapse. "She has gone quiet, and refuses to leave the house," he said. 

His wife also told him that she was "very afraid", and would hide in the corner of the house with earphones on. 

On Oct 16, Xu said that his neighbour was banging on the wall continuously for four hours. He was forced to call the police and an ambulance. 

Since then, Xu and his wife have been too terrified to return home. Xu now sleeps in his car, while his wife has moved in with her siblings. 

"We're living like nomads, we have a house but we can't go home," he lamented. 

Besides the knocking, Xu claimed that his neighbour poured urine outside his unit in June this year. 

When Xu asked his neighbour if he was the culprit, the latter started to get violent, but was stopped by his wife. "He started hurling vulgarities at us and even spat at my face." 

Xu made a police report but said his neighbour denied everything. The elderly man was forced to clean up the mess by himself. 

Hole in the wall 

On one occasion, when Xu's wife returned home to retrieve some of her belongings, she found a large hole in the living room wall. 

"If we had been home at that time, would we have been hit? He's been knocking at our wall for so long, how many spots in our wall are crumbling? Will it affect the structural integrity of the building?" wondered the woman. 

Up till now, Xu said that his neighbour has not stopped harassing him.

On Dec 9, Xu went back to his flat with a police officer and discovered that his window was broken. There was also a puddle of urine in his living room. 

Left with no choice, Xu said he turned to the housing board and the police for help, but no action was taken as his neighbour refused to respond to them. 

"We just hope that we'll be able to find a place to rent soon. We've been 'homeless' for two months, we want a place to live in." 

READ ALSO: Woman accused of harassment, splashing water at elderly couple's door for months

claudiatan@asiaone.com