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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Why PRC FTs chop up people?</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">9:52 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 3) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>2294.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>What pushed them over the edge?
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Relationship issues, work stress, schooling and housing problems may be causing some to snap</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Since the start of this year, there have been at least 11 murders involving foreigners working or living here.
What stands out is the number of China nationals involved. At least six were among those murdered, and another four were arrested for murder.
In the latest case last Monday, 18-year-old Wu Yunzhong was found stabbed to death in his rented Jurong West flat. A 20-year-old from China, here on a work permit, has been arrested.
The killing comes hot on the heels of a high-profile triple death in September when a mother and daughter were killed in their Yishun flat. The body of their flatmate was found at the foot of the block and that woman's 14-year-old daughter was critically injured. China national Wang Zhijian, 42, has been charged with murder.
The Chinese embassy estimates that there are more than 100,000 China nationals currently here, including about 36,000 students and 80,000 workers.
(kojakbt: how many of them are working as mei meis?)
The embassy expects the number to increase due to Singapore's open door policy towards foreigners and its reputation as an educational hub. (kojakbt: KNN, even the Chinese embassy knows about our FT open door policy!)
'Overall, Singapore is largely a Chinese society where it is easier to adapt to the similar food, culture and language,' said a representative from the embassy.
While adapting to a new country is not a major issue among the Chinese, the embassy pointed out two problems they do face: housing and schooling.
Some students have paid large sums to be enrolled in private schools, only to find them not of the standard they had expected. Others have paid months of rental in advance, only to have their landlords vanish on them.
The embassy said it sees about 20 such cases daily.
But from all accounts, the recent murders did not result from disputes involving housing or schools.
Dr Amy Khor, an MP for Hong Kah GRC where the latest murder occurred, said the recent killings were more likely a result of relationship problems.
China national Zhen Xinhui, 45, agreed. Since January, the janitor, his wife and teenage son have been sharing a five-room flat in Sengkang with 10 other Chinese.
(kojakbt: each bedroom is crammed with 3-4 FTs. Imagine if your neighbour go rent his flat out and you have 10 FTs living next to you!)
The cramped conditions and his inconsiderate fellow flat dwellers make life stressful, he said. Some hog the toilets while others bring strangers home.
'Friction is inevitable when so many people live under one roof,' he said in Mandarin.
'Once, one flatmate even wrote a note saying he would 'kill whoever's stealing his cooking oil'.'
Mr Du Zhiqiang, 52, president of the Tian Fu Club, a social networking club for new Chinese immigrants here, said the varied personalities and habits of Chinese from different provinces also make living together challenging.
'The Shanghainese think they are most westernised, the Fujianese think they are richer than others, and those from the north tend to be more rowdy and callous when they speak,' he said in Mandarin.
'They may not be able to accept each other's living habits.'
The long work hours put in by the new arrivals do not help matters.
'We come with the mindset of making money,' said construction worker Chen Wu, 35, in Mandarin.
(Kojakbt: generally speaking, which FT want to stay here and send their son to NS?)
He added that they are even willing to take up 14-hour jobs. 'That's what makes us different from others but it also makes us more stressed.'
Sociologist Paulin Straughan said that foreigners who venture here on their own are the ones to be worried about.
She pointed out that foreign domestic workers live with their employers in Singapore homes and have their support while professionals have their networks of co-workers. Construction workers come in groups and live in quarters.
Those who come singly to seek employment face more problems.
'They have no friends, employers or co-workers,' said Dr Straughan. 'They are left hanging.'
A China national added that unlike other foreign nationals such as the Filipinos and Indians who tend to have a more active social life, China nationals tend to immerse themselves in work.
Malaysian workers can head home across the Causeway but China nationals do not have that option, he added.
The community of peidu mamas - older mothers who come here because their children are studying here - faces another set of problems. About 70 per cent of the 5,000 of them here are divorced.
'Very often, we feel lonely and have no one to confide in,' said peidu mama Fannie Wu, 36. 'This results in relationship problems.'
("Lao ban, yao bu yao....wo de ming zi jiao Fannie.... *wink*,*wink*")
Mr Frank Zhang, 46, a businessman from China, added that the Chinese are also conscious of face and so tend to keep their problems to themselves. The build-up of problems can lead some to snap.
Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee said the key is for foreigners with personal or relationship problems to know whom they can turn to. (kojakbt: Hey, million dollar minister Ho, can you say something more intelligent? Something we dont know?)
Referring to the recent spate of killings, Dr Khor agreed and said: 'This is an issue to be concerned about. We need to examine the reasons and see if there is any way we can make it easier for foreigners to integrate on a community level.'
(kojakbt: why you so bodoh, Dr Khor? reduce FTs lah...)
[email protected]
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Relationship issues, work stress, schooling and housing problems may be causing some to snap</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Since the start of this year, there have been at least 11 murders involving foreigners working or living here.
What stands out is the number of China nationals involved. At least six were among those murdered, and another four were arrested for murder.
In the latest case last Monday, 18-year-old Wu Yunzhong was found stabbed to death in his rented Jurong West flat. A 20-year-old from China, here on a work permit, has been arrested.
The killing comes hot on the heels of a high-profile triple death in September when a mother and daughter were killed in their Yishun flat. The body of their flatmate was found at the foot of the block and that woman's 14-year-old daughter was critically injured. China national Wang Zhijian, 42, has been charged with murder.
The Chinese embassy estimates that there are more than 100,000 China nationals currently here, including about 36,000 students and 80,000 workers.
(kojakbt: how many of them are working as mei meis?)
The embassy expects the number to increase due to Singapore's open door policy towards foreigners and its reputation as an educational hub. (kojakbt: KNN, even the Chinese embassy knows about our FT open door policy!)
'Overall, Singapore is largely a Chinese society where it is easier to adapt to the similar food, culture and language,' said a representative from the embassy.
While adapting to a new country is not a major issue among the Chinese, the embassy pointed out two problems they do face: housing and schooling.
Some students have paid large sums to be enrolled in private schools, only to find them not of the standard they had expected. Others have paid months of rental in advance, only to have their landlords vanish on them.
The embassy said it sees about 20 such cases daily.
But from all accounts, the recent murders did not result from disputes involving housing or schools.
Dr Amy Khor, an MP for Hong Kah GRC where the latest murder occurred, said the recent killings were more likely a result of relationship problems.
China national Zhen Xinhui, 45, agreed. Since January, the janitor, his wife and teenage son have been sharing a five-room flat in Sengkang with 10 other Chinese.
(kojakbt: each bedroom is crammed with 3-4 FTs. Imagine if your neighbour go rent his flat out and you have 10 FTs living next to you!)
The cramped conditions and his inconsiderate fellow flat dwellers make life stressful, he said. Some hog the toilets while others bring strangers home.
'Friction is inevitable when so many people live under one roof,' he said in Mandarin.
'Once, one flatmate even wrote a note saying he would 'kill whoever's stealing his cooking oil'.'
Mr Du Zhiqiang, 52, president of the Tian Fu Club, a social networking club for new Chinese immigrants here, said the varied personalities and habits of Chinese from different provinces also make living together challenging.
'The Shanghainese think they are most westernised, the Fujianese think they are richer than others, and those from the north tend to be more rowdy and callous when they speak,' he said in Mandarin.
'They may not be able to accept each other's living habits.'
The long work hours put in by the new arrivals do not help matters.
'We come with the mindset of making money,' said construction worker Chen Wu, 35, in Mandarin.
(Kojakbt: generally speaking, which FT want to stay here and send their son to NS?)
He added that they are even willing to take up 14-hour jobs. 'That's what makes us different from others but it also makes us more stressed.'
Sociologist Paulin Straughan said that foreigners who venture here on their own are the ones to be worried about.
She pointed out that foreign domestic workers live with their employers in Singapore homes and have their support while professionals have their networks of co-workers. Construction workers come in groups and live in quarters.
Those who come singly to seek employment face more problems.
'They have no friends, employers or co-workers,' said Dr Straughan. 'They are left hanging.'
A China national added that unlike other foreign nationals such as the Filipinos and Indians who tend to have a more active social life, China nationals tend to immerse themselves in work.
Malaysian workers can head home across the Causeway but China nationals do not have that option, he added.
The community of peidu mamas - older mothers who come here because their children are studying here - faces another set of problems. About 70 per cent of the 5,000 of them here are divorced.
'Very often, we feel lonely and have no one to confide in,' said peidu mama Fannie Wu, 36. 'This results in relationship problems.'
("Lao ban, yao bu yao....wo de ming zi jiao Fannie.... *wink*,*wink*")
Mr Frank Zhang, 46, a businessman from China, added that the Chinese are also conscious of face and so tend to keep their problems to themselves. The build-up of problems can lead some to snap.
Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee said the key is for foreigners with personal or relationship problems to know whom they can turn to. (kojakbt: Hey, million dollar minister Ho, can you say something more intelligent? Something we dont know?)
Referring to the recent spate of killings, Dr Khor agreed and said: 'This is an issue to be concerned about. We need to examine the reasons and see if there is any way we can make it easier for foreigners to integrate on a community level.'
(kojakbt: why you so bodoh, Dr Khor? reduce FTs lah...)
[email protected]
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