SINGAPORE: North Vista Secondary teachers and students who went
back to the school on Monday (Nov 23) during the final term break
were shocked to see red paint splattered on the wall bearing the
school’s name and logo next to its main gate.
On what looked like loan-shark graffiti, there were also posters
listing the details of a man and his son, who had apparently acted
as a guarantor for the former's debts amounting to S$2,500.
The posters stated that the son was a student from “Rivervale
Secondary School”. There is no such school, and North Vista
Secondary principal Regina Lee told TODAY that there was no such
person enrolled in her school, which is situated along Rivervale
Link.
Mrs Lee said she has checked the names of the man and his son
with the school’s database and found that they “had nothing to do
with the school”. The school has lodged a police report.
A picture of the defaced wall and the posters was sent to TODAY
by members of the public. When TODAY visited the school at about
1.30pm, workers were cleaning up the wall. The posters had also
been removed.
Residents nearby and North Vista Secondary students said they
were shocked by the graffiti, which was purportedly the work of
loan shark runners. Nevertheless, the residents said loan shark
harassment was not a big problem in the neighbourhood.
Minister of State (Manpower) Teo Ser Luck, who is the Member of
Parliament taking care of the area, said he has received feedback
from a few residents who have been victims of loan shark
harassment. Mr Teo said the town council is working very closely
with the police on such cases.
He added that the handful of affected residents had requested
for closed-circuit television cameras to be installed outside their
flats. These requests would be assessed on a case-by-case basis as
there are privacy concerns, Mr Teo said. He reiterated the need for
residents to be the authorities’ eyes and ears on the ground. “It
is very important for neighbours to feedback to us and keep their
neighbourhoods safe,” he said.
-TODAY/ek