One family in Sembawang has been receiving multiple complaints by their neighbour since 2017.

Complaints over incense burning

According to a Facebook post by Subhatra Sugumaran on Sept. 21, her aunt has been receiving letters and visits from a variety of government agencies due to persistent complaints regarding the family's burning of incense.

In Subhatra's post, she attached photos of various letters that were presumably sent by her neighbour to different government agencies, as well as to PM Lee.

Subhatra told Mothership that these letters were sent to the family by post from the State Courts.

These were the claims and concerns laid out in the letters:

• Subhatra's family burnt incense daily (both inside their home and outside the corridor).
• "Excessive" smoke would enter the neighbour's home.
• The smoke and smell caused a "burning sensation to the eyes and throat", as well as "coughing and eye irritation".
• The neighbour was worried about the long-term health impact on his/her three children as a result of the incense burning.
• The neighbour was also concerned that the burning was a "fire hazard".

And these were the photos she shared:

NEA report

In what Subhatra claims is an email from the National Environment Agency (NEA), NEA officers supposedly conducted several inspections and "did not observe anyone carrying out any religious activities during the inspections".

And according to this email supposedly sent by NEA, they added that the "burning of incense for religious practices in residential premises is not regulated".

Cut down on burning incense

Subhatra wrote that her family had the practice of praying twice a day, involving the burning of one incense stick and a cone in the morning and evening.

Since the complaints and visits from government officials, she claimed that the family now burns incense only once a day, lasting only 30 to 40 minutes.

Subhatra also claimed the only time her aunt had lit the incense at night, as one of the emails suggested, was when they were conducting prayers for her husband who had passed away.

"And no, we don’t do any burning of incense sticks at night Nor prayers, except that one time last Nov, we had to do prayers for my late Uncle (Hindu rituals)."

They have also "stopped using incense cones for the toilets for fragrance".

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However, such measures appear to be insufficient.

One of the photos Subhatra shared included a supposed complaint on Sept. 18, 2018, stating that the remedy sought was for Subhatra's family to "stop all daily burning of the incense":

Mediation conference

In the letter addressed to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the neighbour previously stated that he/ she told a Singapore Social Offices officer to refer the case to the Community Mediation Centre (CMC).

However, citing concerns over their family's safety, he/ she also said that they "will not attend the CMC face to face discussion with the neighbour", referring to Subhatra's family.

This was ridiculed by Subhatra who pointed this out.

"We are talking abt a grieving wife, elderly woman in her 80s and two teenage kids, whom they fear for."

According to Subhatra, her family recently received a letter on Sept. 21, 2018, notifying them to attend a conference organised by the Community Justice and Tribunals Division.

Subhatra told us that her family will be attending this conference.

Family under stress

Subhatra wrote that "the continuous visits and letters led to constant stress has taken a toll on the family".

She cited incidents where her aunt had to "rush home" from work because her grandmother, who cannot understand or speak English, would tell her aunt that there are some officers at the flat.

Subhatra also hoped that the neighbour would "leave [them] in peace".

She added:

"We were taught how to be tolerant towards our neighbours, fellow Singaporeans, different races, cultures and appreciate the different diversity we are being exposed to."

This is Subhatra's post:

In case you can't see it:

Top photo from Wikimedia Commons, and via Subhatra's Facebook post