Mediators, acting like elders in a Malay village setting, use a computer chatroom to settle such disputes among contending parties, the Sunday Times said.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee launched the chatroom on Saturday, saying this would "help make Singapore a more neighbourly and gracious society."

The chatroom, staffed by three or four trained mediators, will be accessible every Friday between seven and eight in the evening, although the time can be extended depending on the demand, the report said.

The chatroom can be accessed through the housing board's website, www.hdbhousing.com, and is expected to complement two community mediation centres already in operation, it added.

"Back in the good old days, the village chief would mediate in disputes in the kampung (village). We want to recreate that kampung spirit," said Philip Law, a planning and research head at the Law Ministry.

Data compiled from the community mediation centres showed that noisy neighbors and obstruction of common corridors in government-built highrise flats were the most common complaints.