Yishun: The Florida Of Singapore
Pls bonus redemption arc
BY: JOLENE TEO
(Not) An Art Hoe
Meme by Singaplex
Remember a few years back there were a series of weird happenings in Yishun which makes one think that the neighbourhood is the Florida of Singapore? Besides murders, cat abuse, and weird bug invasions, there are also rumours of supernatural happenings and the area being cursed from ancient burial sites being disturbed during the city’s rapid urbanization. The neighbourhood became notorious for its strange events that it was even part of Netflix’s marketing campaign for its sci-fi horror series Stranger Things in Singapore. Here are some of Singaplex’s top picks of what is wrong with Yishun, and a bonus redemption arc.
1. Camping for durians
Photo from Intan Mokhtar on Facebook.
Instead of waiting for money to drop from the sky, Yishun residents wait for durians to drop from trees. Some durian fans who were hoping to get lucky were spotted camping near durian trees during durian season in July. Apparently, Yishun has the most number of durian trees in Singapore, with 170 trees in the area which is nearly a third of the total number of durian trees in the country.
Photo from Intan Mokhtar on Facebook.
Some have expressed concern over the safety of waiting for the thorny delights to drop hopefully not on anyone’s heads. It is also illegal under the Parks and Trees Act to pluck or collect fruits on public land, yes even if they have already fallen to the ground. If caught, you can be jailed up to six months and fined up to S$50,000.
2. Cat murderers
A series of horrid cat murders happened in 2015, which left 17 cats dead and 2 severely injured. While one suspect has been apprehended, the kiling did not stop which meant there was possibly more than one cat murderer in Yishun. In 2017, another 2 community cats were found dead in the same area the abuses cases happened in 2015. One had its neck slit with a cable tie around it and the other had its head severely battered.
Warning: Graphic/upsetting image ahead.
Photo from Yishun Cat Patrol/FB and Mothership.
The killings did not stop, as it happened again in 2018 and most recently this year in April. This time it was two kittens (oh no) who were allegedly thrown out of a flat at Block 671A Yishun Avenue 4. Why do people like to abuse and kill animals is beyond me, but Yishun sounds like a scary place to be.
3. Real murderers
The gruesome Yishun triple murder at Yishun which happened in 2008 was one of the top 25 crimes that have shaken Singapore since 1965. The crime started as a tumultuous love affair between Chinese national Wang Zhijian and Ms Zhang Meng, which ended in the death of Ms Zhang, her daughter, and one of their flatmates. All because Wang was allegedly humiliated over not being able to afford to buy crabs for dinner.
Image via The Straits Times.
Even more recently, a man was stabbed by an unknown attacker with a knife earlier this month. While the man survived the attack, he was sent to the hospital with lacerations on his chest and shoulder. A 25 year old suspect was arrested. A day after this stabbing, another incident happened also in Yishun but this time with a parang. This coincidence is way too eeire, and Yishun residents are sure to be careful to not go out at night.
Warning: Bloody image ahead.
4. Bug infestation
In July this year, a Yishun resident found her house infested by hundreds of tiny unidentified insects which she posted on her TikTok. The TikToker dubbed the insects “alien babies” due to their large eyes and spotted patterns. She also discovered that they could swim after putting some of them in a cup of water. She was then put in touch with Leshon lee, an NUS undergraduate to find out what the bugs were. With the help of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, the bug was identified as Micronecta haliploides or pygmy water boatmen and now catalogued in the museum. The bugs are harmless but not a typical insect swarm found in Singapore.
Image via @joyyodda on TikTok
Again, this is not the first time Yishun has seen weird bug infestations. In 2017, a sighting of huge green Atlas caterpillars on a tree caused quite the fuss. The gigantic multi-legged bugs had the girth of at least two fingers placed side-by-side. These caterpillars metamorphize into Atlas moths, yes the huge moths you commonly see in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
Photo by Christopher Yap Hon Weng
5. Suspicious man asking for children
In 2016, a suspicious man was reported to have been knocking on doors in Yishun estates to ask families for their children. The suspect seemed to be local and reportedly looked 20 to 30 years of age, standing at 1.7m tall. While a police investigation was launched, the suspect was not idenitified and was never caught. A Facebook post recounting the incident went as follows:
“This happened to me at my place around 1pm Yishun.
All of a sudden, there was a Malay man who greeted us as he looked through the window. Fortunately I was wearing my hijab. I returned his salam. The best part was he asked me, “Are there any babies in this house?”.
I replied "no" and asked him why he was asking. He fled.
I immediately locked my gate and door. Luckily the children were in the room so he was unable to see them. I don’t know what his motive was but I’m certain that he followed me and my children from the food court. Exactly at the point when I reached home and brought my stuff in and locked the door, he appeared at the window. My heart was beating very fast because of him.
Oh Allah I was so afraid at the time. So mothers, please be extra careful. I have to lodge a report so that I can check the cctv near my house area.”
Another resident also had a similar encounter as follows:
“I just called 999. Someone at my door. Knocking very hard.
Hubby open and he gave Salam.
He told my hubby, "I'm thirsty, can I have a glass of water?"
I hurried from my sofa and told the man, "We're sorry but we don't have any more drinks. There's a 7-Eleven opposite of here. It's late and my husband is not feeling well."
He answered, "It's okay, do you have children?" Then I remembered and came across someone posting about the similar incident.
I was about to push the door closed, he push our door back and say something nasty to us.
Thank God I managed to closed the door fast and locked from inside.
I still can feel he's still outside. That's why I called the police.
Oh God, I know he's using some spell cos hubby look so blur while he's asking for a glass of water!
Lucky I was quick..”
With all these strange notorious happenings in Yishun, it is undisputed that it is the Florida of Singapore. But for all these weird and sometimes gruesome events, it might have some redemption as last week’s $10.6 million TOTO pot was won by 2 Quick Pick System 7 tickets and one of which was bought in, you guessed it, Yishun. Overnight, someone’s net worth jumped to over S$1 million with a just a $7 ticket. The winning ticket was bought at Singapore Pools Yishun N1 Branch - Block 101 Yishun Ave 5 #01-37, perhaps it is an apology by a divine being for all the f***ed up things that has happened in Yishun,
JOLENE TEO | (Not) An Art Hoe
Jolene Teo is a contemporary and modern art enthusiast, writer, curator, and cultural researcher. She enjoys exploring the areas inbetween art, design, critical narratives, pop culture, and the cult of collecting. She is socially awkward but will talk to you about plants, art, anime, and life. Some part of her still wishes she can become an artist one day. Send her memes @joteo_
