Home for these foreign workers comes with a sea view

Sea view? Check. Gym? Check. Street soccer and basketball courts and pool table - check, check and check.

Welcome to Tuas View Dormitory at Tuas South Avenue 1, facing the Straits of Johor.

The foreign workers who live there get to enjoy all of that and living in a dormitory like this helps make up for being away from home.

Mr Mamun Madber, 26, said: "I miss my family, but I really like it here. Both the outside and inside are very good. In my free time, I can play football and cricket or go to the gym.

"And I can enjoy the seaview."

Built in 2014 and owned by Active System Engineering, it has 13,405 foreign workers residing in it and has a maximum occupancy of 16,800.

There are four clusters, with five blocks in each cluster.

The company declined to reveal how much it charges the workers' firms.

The local barber at Tuas View Dormitory charges $5 per haircut for the residents and is also open to public.

Although each room consists of 12 beds, the rooms are airy and spacious.

The common areas are maintained by a cleaning service but the rooms are the workers' responsibility.

Each block has four storeys and the luckier residents on the higher storeys get to enjoy more of the sea view.

KARAOKE

Mr Hossain Billal, 21, a shipyard welder who has been living in the dormitory for more than a year, plays his guitar and has mini-karaoke sessions with his roommates in the dorm room.

He said: "The fan's very cooling. The room is very big, bright and comfortable. I can also play my guitar and sing and I love the view."

Mr Vijay Kumar (left), 36, plays carom with two friends at the recreation room in Tuas View Dormitory. There is also a table tennis, pool and billiards table in the air-conditioned room free for the residents to enjoy.

The cooking area is big and residents stow their cooking equipment away in a locker that is provided for everyone.

Mr Molla Jelal, 27, who has been living at Tuas View Dormitory for four years, said: "I miss my family a lot, but I get to cook with my friends every day and I really enjoy cooking."

Almost everything that they need is within reach of this dormitory.

Mr Molla Jelal (right) cooks with his friends in the common cooking area every day after work. Each resident is also given a personal locker to keep their cooking equipment.

There is even a dentist, a cinema and a barber within the confines of the dormitory.

With the amenities available for these residents, it is more than just a living space for them, it is a home.

Mr Farouk Kumar, 20, a general worker at Jurong Shipyard, says: "After staying here for a year, I miss my family a lot.

"But since I have many friends in this dormitory who are from India and also Bangladesh, where I'm from, I feel comfortable and at home."

Mr Farouk Kumar (center), 20, works out in the gym during his free time after work on weekdays. The gym is free for residents to use.

Sunset at Tuas View Dormitory.