Singaporeans refuse to rent houses to Indians, Chinese

Expatriate Indians and Chinese in Singapore are facing increasing discrimination with the home rental market biased against them, especially with the less expensive properties and onsites where content is posted directly by users, the Online Citizen reports.

The issue appears to be more common with rental websites in Singapore putting up advertisements saying "no Indians, no PRCs," according to the report.

While it is not known how many foreign workers have been affected because of the bias, reports have pointed to several expatriates from India and China describing varying levels of discrimination by home owners.

The issue appears more common with less expensive properties and on sites where content is posted directly by users, the Online Citizen reported.

The BBC quoted at least one Indian expatriate as saying that his agent had told him that many landlords would refuse to rent flats to him because "Indians always cook smelly curries."

Another report quoted an estate agent as saying that it was common for landlords not to rent houses to tenants from India or China because such tenants "are not people who are house proud".

"Many don't clean weekly, and they do heavy cooking, so dust and oil collect over the months. They may use a lot of spices that release smells people don't like," the report added.

The emergence of anti-foreigner sentiments in Singapore, itself a multi-cultural society, has become a major cause of concern.

The president of the Universal Society of Hinduism (USH), Rajan Zed, has called on Singapore's President Tony Tan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to put an end to the discrimination, which is becoming a rising menace.

The Singapore government, however, is constantly urging citizens to welcome expatriates and to help them integrate into the city-state's multi-cultural society.

Singapore is one of the ethnically most diverse nations, consisting mainly of Chinese-origin people along with Malay, Indian and other ethnic groups.