SINGAPORE — A long-running neighbour conflict in Yishun Central escalated into tragedy on September 24, when 30-year-old Vietnamese national Nguyen Phuong Tra was fatally attacked outside her home at Block 323.
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Police said the alleged assailant, 66-year-old Koh Ah Hwee, confronted Nguyen and her husband in the morning hours before allegedly launching a knife attack. Nguyen was rushed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital unconscious, where she later died from her injuries. Her 33-year-old husband sustained stab wounds while trying to shield her and remains hospitalised.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as neighbours rushed to intervene, with one pulling the couple’s two young children — believed to be around two and five — to safety. Another resident wrestled the knife away from the suspect before authorities arrived.
The dispute, reportedly linked to long-standing noise complaints involving the children, had been the subject of prior mediation efforts. Nee Soon GRC MP Jackson Lam confirmed that the issue was known to authorities.
Koh has since been charged in court with the murder of Nguyen. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.
The incident has left the Yishun community reeling, with many expressing shock that a neighbourly disagreement could spiral into such devastating violence.