‘I wanted to expose it’ — Resident complained about woman drying rattan chair in an HDB corridor

SINGAPORE: A resident recently complained that a woman was drying rattan chairs on a corridor parapet wall, which was seen as dangerous. The woman then explained that she was watching the chairs the whole time she dried it under the sun, and it was being done to disinfect them before donating to charity. 

The resident informed Shin Min Daily News: “I saw it (rattan chair) once last Monday (Oct 20) at around 10 a.m. I thought it was dangerous to dry the chairs like this, so I took a photo with my phone.” 

A few days later, the resident saw the same scene again when returning home from shopping and contacted the news outlet once again through their hotline. The resident admitted that he did not pay any attention to the scene before, but after seeing someone drying chairs like that for two consecutive days, he declared that he wanted to expose it. 

When Shin Min Daily News visited the area, they found out that the woman was displaying the chairs every Monday and Friday. She also demonstrated to the reporters how she placed a chair on the parapet wall, to show that it was wide enough to support the chair and that it was safe and stable. 

“Rattan products can’t be dried in the sun for too long. I only dry them for half an hour at most, and I watch them from the living room the whole time,” she said. 

The woman further stated: “If someone passes by or there’s a strong wind, I’ll put them away immediately.” 

Moreover, she also shared that the rattan chairs have a sentimental value to her. 

“At the beginning of the month, my husband fell at home and is now recuperating in a community hospital. After he was discharged from the hospital, my family planned to hire a maid to take care of him. They needed to clear out space for the maid, so they found this rattan chair,” she shared. 

She added that her children wanted her to throw away the rattan chair, but she can’t bring herself to do that. So, she later decided to donate it to a charity, which is why she washed it and dried it in the sun to disinfect it.