Tin Pei Ling sounds alarm over beer bottle thrown from high floor at MacPherson

SINGAPORE: MacPherson MP (Member of Parliament) Tin Pei Ling shone a light on the longstanding problem of high-rise littering in Singapore, especially with a recent incident in the ward she represents.

In a post on her Facebook and Instagram accounts, she wrote that a “beer bottle was thrown down from a high floor, causing glass pieces to be shattered everywhere.”

Acknowledging that MacPherson is hardly the only place in Singapore where items are thrown from the higher floors of blocks, she called the issue “a longstanding challenge” that “has been very frustrating.”

“Even more so if it’s a killer litter!” she added, underlining that a thrown beer bottle could be the cause of serious injuries.

Ms Tin was even more alarmed because the area where the beer bottle was thrown is near a childcare centre.

“Such callous and antisocial behaviour is abhorrent and unacceptable!” she wrote, adding that the authorities have been informed of the incident, which is now under investigation.

The MP, along with the grassroots leaders in the area, has also visited the block where the bottle was thrown “to express our deep concern and also remind everyone to be careful because safety first.”

“Various efforts to educate the public and enforce against high-rise littering have been made over the years across MacPherson. It’s not easy, and we don’t always see results in the first instance, but we shall continue in our ground engagement efforts and seek stronger enforcement from agencies. Let’s work together to ensure a safe living environment for all,” she added.

Commenters on her post expressed appreciation to Ms Tin, as well as made suggestions that would help solve the problem, including adding CCTV cameras in specific places, which would make catching the litterer possible.

Killer litter

In 2019, a 72-year-old man was killed when a wine bottle was thrown out of a high-rise building and hit him on the head.

Australian national Andrew Gosling was initially charged with one count of causing death by performing a rash act. Later, his charge was elevated to a more serious one of voluntarily causing grievous hurt with an instrument, and another charge that said his act had been “religiously aggravated.”  He was given a jail sentence of five years and six months.

Mr Gosling threw a glass wine bottle from the seventh-floor lift landing of Spottiswoode 18 condominium on Aug 18, 2019. It hit the head of a grandfather of nine, Nasiari Sunee, who was sitting with his family in the barbecue area of his housing block, about to eat dinner. /TISG

Read also: More serious charges for Australian who threw wine bottle down his flat, killing a man