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HAWKERS at Newton Food Centre have been playing a slick game of hide-and-seek with officers from the National Environment Agency (NEA).
Many hawkers have been giving the authorities the slip, even with NEA officers patrolling the grounds on a regular basis looking out for touting hawkers.
They still tout, from what my paper observed last week, but do so cautiously to avoid detection by the authorities.
Mr Chen Kern Yuan, the head of the Newton Hawker Centre Stallholders Association, said that it is "acceptable" for hawkers to approach customers lingering in front of their stalls.
This area is roughly defined as the distance from a stall to the nearest table. If hawkers step beyond this boundary, it constitutes touting, he added. On different days last week, my paper staff posed as potential customers and walked about the tables in the middle of the hawker centre, as well those at its periphery.
In half an hour, at least five hawkers approached this reporter in the unsheltered area in the middle of the food centre, which was bustling with customers.
They handed over their menus before standing aside, waiting to see if they would be taken up on their "offers".
Another group of five hawkers was also spotted sitting on chairs at a corner of the unsheltered area, keeping a lookout for customers. They had menus slotted under their waist pouches, ready to be whipped out.
"What's wrong with sitting in the middle when I'm just resting?" one hawker said in Mandarin when approached.
Others who overheard the conversation scurried back to their stalls.
The touting problem at Newton Food Centre has been in the news since 1991 and has marred the reputation of the hawker centre, which is popular with tourists and residents.
Some touts are known to pocket a commission for bringing in business for stalls.
Last year, Newton made headlines when a stall assistant at a seafood stall overcharged a group of American customers for eight tiger prawns, which were sold to them for $239.
An NEA spokesman said that measures have been put in place over the years to curb touting.
These include prominent signboards in the hawker centre saying that touting is banned. Officers also make random but regular spot checks for touting, overcharging, and cleanliness.
Touts sometimes recognise the officers and flee to their stalls, emerging only when the coast is clear, said a hawker.
Another hawker said that policing is more frequent after complaints are made by customers. That is why hawkers try their best not to annoy anyone when they tout, she said.
my paper observed that many hawkers directed customers to tables which had menus from their stalls. However, almost all qualified their statements, saying that there is no pressure to buy from them. Even when rejected, they were seen to slink away politely, without kicking up a fuss.
Many local and foreign customers said that they did not mind the touting.
Vietnamese tourist Vo Thu Nha and her boyfriend said they welcomed the touts, who approached them in a "friendly" manner.
The 28-year-old export coordinator in a beverage company said that she was not familiar with Singapore cuisine. She added: "It's better that they approach me with a menu and introduce me to local food, as it's my first time here."
Many hawkers have been giving the authorities the slip, even with NEA officers patrolling the grounds on a regular basis looking out for touting hawkers.
They still tout, from what my paper observed last week, but do so cautiously to avoid detection by the authorities.
Mr Chen Kern Yuan, the head of the Newton Hawker Centre Stallholders Association, said that it is "acceptable" for hawkers to approach customers lingering in front of their stalls.
This area is roughly defined as the distance from a stall to the nearest table. If hawkers step beyond this boundary, it constitutes touting, he added. On different days last week, my paper staff posed as potential customers and walked about the tables in the middle of the hawker centre, as well those at its periphery.
In half an hour, at least five hawkers approached this reporter in the unsheltered area in the middle of the food centre, which was bustling with customers.
They handed over their menus before standing aside, waiting to see if they would be taken up on their "offers".
Another group of five hawkers was also spotted sitting on chairs at a corner of the unsheltered area, keeping a lookout for customers. They had menus slotted under their waist pouches, ready to be whipped out.
"What's wrong with sitting in the middle when I'm just resting?" one hawker said in Mandarin when approached.
Others who overheard the conversation scurried back to their stalls.
The touting problem at Newton Food Centre has been in the news since 1991 and has marred the reputation of the hawker centre, which is popular with tourists and residents.
Some touts are known to pocket a commission for bringing in business for stalls.
Last year, Newton made headlines when a stall assistant at a seafood stall overcharged a group of American customers for eight tiger prawns, which were sold to them for $239.
An NEA spokesman said that measures have been put in place over the years to curb touting.
These include prominent signboards in the hawker centre saying that touting is banned. Officers also make random but regular spot checks for touting, overcharging, and cleanliness.
Touts sometimes recognise the officers and flee to their stalls, emerging only when the coast is clear, said a hawker.
Another hawker said that policing is more frequent after complaints are made by customers. That is why hawkers try their best not to annoy anyone when they tout, she said.
my paper observed that many hawkers directed customers to tables which had menus from their stalls. However, almost all qualified their statements, saying that there is no pressure to buy from them. Even when rejected, they were seen to slink away politely, without kicking up a fuss.
Many local and foreign customers said that they did not mind the touting.
Vietnamese tourist Vo Thu Nha and her boyfriend said they welcomed the touts, who approached them in a "friendly" manner.
The 28-year-old export coordinator in a beverage company said that she was not familiar with Singapore cuisine. She added: "It's better that they approach me with a menu and introduce me to local food, as it's my first time here."
