A family-oriented mall in its early days, it is now notorious for vice activities
By day, workers throng the small offices on the upper floors of dingy Orchard Towers, with patrons occasionally streaming in for cheap Thai food.
But, after dark, the place is transformed, buzzing with sex workers and drunks.
Loud music begins to blare from a string of nightclubs from as early as 7pm, and scantily clad foreign women – some of whom are from Eastern Europe and claiming to be students – emerge from the establishments and engage in light banter with passing men.
Nearby, smokers are puffing away indoors, seemingly unaware of the many fires that have plagued the mall in the past.
Behind darkened windows of seedy massage parlours – masquerading as beauty salons – are women who think nothing of tugging passers-by to lure them in for some “fun”.
And, just outside the complex, some 20 streetwalkers, many of whom are in Singapore on social visit passes, solicit tourists for sex, with their pimps keeping a close watch on proceedings nearby.
As the night wears on, men, clearly drunk, lie slumped on the steps even as scuffles break out around them. Catfights among the women, which may progress to hitting one another with their high-heeled shoes over customers, are also not uncommon.
The complex is a notorious place and is in the spotlight again after a 31-year-old man was murdered in a brawl earlier this month.
A check has found more than 40 incidents in Orchard Towers, including murders, fights, theft, molestation and fires reported in newspapers over the years.
When The Sunday Times visited the mall a week after the latest incident, nothing much had changed for those who worked at the landmark once tagged as the “Four Floors of Whores” by travel guide Lonely Planet because of the number of shady massage parlours and nightclubs. There are more than 40 such establishments in the building.
The bottom five floors of the 18-storey building house commercial units, with the rest taken up by office space. There is also a residential block at the rear.
Some tenants gave a conservative estimate of at least one fight per week at Orchard Towers, which is notorious for vice activities.
A tenant, who provides alteration services, said: “People continued their activities like nothing happened.”
FAMILY-FRIENDLY MALL
But it was not always like this.
Orchard Towers was once a family-oriented destination with a variety of shops ranging from florists and tailors to electronics stores and restaurants.
In the early years, there was even a cinema on the fourth floor. In the 1980s, nightclubs and massage parlours began popping up beside the electronics shops and tailors.
By the 2000s, many more of such sleazy joints were established, mostly because of the low rental and lack of quality control. Even the residential block at the back is not spared, with the “working girls” moving into the apartments.
One retailer is paying about $4,000 a month for his shop space, less than half what it would have cost him for equivalent space in other buildings in the vicinity.
But massage parlours and nightclubs usually offer the owners even more than market rate for rents because they say the location tends to attract “high-class” clientele.
A property agent said: “When someone offers you so much money for a shop space that nobody wants, you would find it hard to say ‘no’.”
Another big reason for the less-than-ideal mix of tenants is the unsavoury reputation of the building.
“No other businesses want to rent the shop spaces. They are left empty for years,” the agent said. “There are no takers, even after reducing the rent to about $1,000 for some units.”
A walk around the mall found more than 20 empty shops.
SLEAZE PARADISE
Over a few nights last week, The Sunday Times had a close-up look at what happens at the complex.
“Action” starts as early as 7pm, with girls filing into the mall. They come mainly from Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Eastern Europe.
By 1am, the place is packed, with heavily made-up hostesses congregating near escalators and ushering patrons to their clubs, some of which boast live cover bands. The customers are typically middle-aged foreign men, who are either alone or in small groups.
The girls badger them to buy drinks, hoping for the 30 per cent commission they get for every glass. Some also offer sex for a price.
“No one wants to do this forever. We just want to earn enough and leave,” said a Taiwanese masseuse, a mother of one, who has to dole out a share of her daily earnings to her “boss”.
“Sometimes we choose our customers. If we see drunk men or those who look like they can’t pay, we won’t choose them.”
Outside the mall, streetwalkers, including transsexuals, prowl the sidewalks for customers.
“These girls are daring. One held my arm, and told me to take her home for $300,” said Mr Taka, a Japanese expatriate.
BAD REPUTATION AFFECTING RESIDENTS AND SHOPS
The sleaze has affected those not in that business at Orchard Towers.
One retailer said he shuts his shop by 8pm, earlier than he would like to, due to the nocturnal activities. Some female office workers said they also try to leave before 7pm to avoid being mistaken for a prostitute.
Several businesses have appealed to the management on issues such as brawls and loud music.
“But nothing has changed,” said a money changer, who leaves the building at around 7pm. “There are no rules here. I try to leave this building before the ‘devils’ come,” he said.
When asked about the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in his shop – he has more than five – he said: “Every shop will have a few cameras, just to be safe.”
A salon owner, who has been in the building for 40 years before shutting her business two months ago, said customers were afraid to come because they would be approached.
“Even men are scared to come, because they had been harassed by ladies from the sleazy joints,” said the woman, who is in her 70s.
Some patrons, however, remain unfazed by the mall’s bad reputation. British tourist Danny, who was accosted by four women last Thursday, said: “Everyone has been telling me the ‘four floors’ are a must-see attraction. It is shocking since Singapore has a clean image.”
A regular patron, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chan, added that he has seen “countless” fights in the mall. “As long as you don’t bother, you will be fine.”
Many residents, too, it would appear, are wary about moving even though they are unhappy about some of their neighbours.
“You see different faces daily,” said a 73-year-old, who has lived in the building for more than 20 years.
Residents said they would have no problems selling their units because the building, on the corner of Claymore and Orchard roads, is in Singapore’s prime shopping district.
Yet, many refuse to do so due to the convenience.
ADDRESSING THE ISSUES
An MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, Mr Melvin Yong, said his constituency has received occasional feedback from some Orchard Towers residents about issues such as illegal parking, noise pollution, littering and fights.
It has been working closely with agencies to address the feedback.
The police, for instance, has increased the deployment of uniformed officers at the mall every night, he added.
“Besides conducting regular crime-control operations at the public entertainment outlets and massage establishments, police have also stopped granting new massage establishment licences for Orchard Towers.”
Over the years, more CCTV cameras have also been deployed at Orchard Towers and its vicinity.
Mr Yong said there is regular engagement with the stakeholders, including the building’s tenants, on the area’s safety and security measures, and to address public dis-amenities surfaced by the residents.
“One challenge we face is the transient visitors to the area,” he added. “(Thus), the engagement efforts cannot be one-off and need to be sustainable.”
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