Another slashing incident in Singapore
A dispute over a missing mobile phone is believed to have sparked an attack which left a 23-year-old man with slash wounds in Yishun on Wednesday evening.
Three youths aged 13, 15 and 18 have been arrested, police said, while a fourth assailant may still be at large.
The victim is said to have approached the youths near the lift landing of Block 362, Yishun Ring Road, to ask if they had stolen his mobile phone.
An exchange of words soon escalated into a fight and the suspects allegedly brandished parangs and slashed at the victim’s head and arm, reported Chinese evening newspaper Lianhe Wanbao.
The victim ran for help, leaving a trail of blood across four blocks.
A second-floor resident of a nearby block told Lianhe Wanbao that his son found the victim at the staircase landing of his block, but did not see the assailants. He called for an ambulance after the victim sought refuge in his flat.
The victim suffered injuries on his left arm and head, but stayed conscious while being taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he is reportedly in a stable condition.
Investigations are ongoing.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in the past two months that involved youths.
On Oct 30, 19-year-old polytechnic student Darren Ng was killed after being attacked by a gang of youths at Downtown East in Pasir Ris. Nine suspects have since been charged with his murder.
In a statement issued yesterday, police said that two more suspects have been arrested. One suspect, a 19-year-old, was arrested in Johor Baru with the assistance of the Royal Malaysian Police.
A warrant of arrest was executed against him in Malaysia and he was brought back here on Wednesday.
The other suspect, a 20- year-old youth, was arrested here on Wednesday.
Official rationale
Official figures conclude that modern-day conveniences help contribute to this trend.
Mr Alfred Tan, executive director of the Singapore Children’s Society said: “Social networking platforms have allowed them to connect quickly. They are able to organise meetings in a very short period of time through MSN and Facebook.”
Mr Yusof Ismail, chief executive of AIN Society, a group that helps troubled youth, agreed.
“For example, I say on Facebook, ‘I’m going McDonald’s. Anyone wants to join me?’ Then, everyone goes,” he said.
Air-conditioned malls, renovated entertainment areas, upgraded neighbourhood facilities and parks with barbecue pits contribute to the trend by making these places more comfortable for youths to hang out.
The prevalence of 24-hour food outlets and convenience stores, and we have a multitude of factors that make staying out late attractive and convenient for youths.
But it is what they do when they hang out late at night that is cause for concern.
Mr Tan said: “Certainly, the recent events show that youths like to group together a lot which can contribute to tension.”
Mr Yusof also noted that as both parents work in most families, they are not able to keep a close eye on their children all the time.
He said that there also needs to be more parenting workshops to teach parents how to communicate effectively with their children and how to handle them.
Does this fuel your concerns as a parent of raising a child in Singapore ? Have you taken any additional steps recently to protect your family ?
Source: Asiaone.com
