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Plan to save wildlife at site marked for housing

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But the authorities say plan may not be applicable to all future developments

To save rare animals in a forested area in Lentor, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has for the first time embarked on a novel wildlife management plan.

The 30ha plot designated for private housing is being gradually cleared so that animals are herded to nearby green areas, such as the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

"The goal of the plan is to guide wildlife towards the neighbouring forested areas for relocation, and ensure that none remains before the land is cleared," said Mr Alvin Tang, senior civil engineer from the URA's development coordination department.

He told The Straits Times that the plan has been progressing well. Several animals, including the critically endangered Sunda pangolin and the flying lemur, have already been relocated or shepherded to nearby green plots.

The URA is carrying out the wildlife management plan following the results of a 2014 wildlife survey.

It also agreed to keep two green plots after feedback from the Nature Society (Singapore), or NSS, and residents of Teacher's Estate, who had been shocked when they found out about the land clearance through URA fliers last December.

The first phase of the works, which include the wildlife management plan and vegetation clearance for 10ha, was completed in October and took about 1.5 months.

The second phase is ongoing and expected to be completed by the first quarter of next year.

Wildlife expert Subaraj Rajathurai from Strix Wildlife Consultancy, who conducted the 2014 survey, and contractors from Wildlife Studies and Control are carrying out the project.

As a gauge, vegetation clearance on a similar 10ha site can usually be done in a week, as trees are cut from all directions, said Mr Tang. But in this case, as clearance is done sequentially and only from one direction, more time is needed.

The URA declined to reveal costs.

The animal-friendly plan was made as several species of wildlife have been spotted in the vegetated area bounded by Lentor Drive, Yio Chu Kang Road, Munshi Abdullah Avenue and Tagore Road.

NSS has said animals spotted there include the Sunda slow loris, a shy monkey known as Raffles' banded langur, and the straw-headed bulbul, a globally threatened bird.

Shepherding animals to safety is less invasive compared with physically relocating an animal, for example, which could stress it out and cause injury. Clearing the land at one go would also mean that slower-moving animals, or animals that choose to hide instead of flee, could be inadvertently killed.

But the URA cautioned that it may not be practical for the Government to carry out a wildlife management plan for all future projects.

For instance, such a plan would not typically be required for sites that are sparsely vegetated and barren, or found with minimal wildlife presence, Mr Tang said.

Earlier this year, NSS wrote a 10-page position paper calling for the land to be developed in phases so that some parts of the forest, including two rare freshwater streams, could be retained.

The authorities agreed that two green areas there will be temporarily kept for at least five years, after talks between the URA, residents and NSS.

Mr Leong Kwok Peng, chair of NSS' conservation committee, said the shepherding of wildlife was a last resort. "I hope that it will not be a default solution and excuse to clear forests in the future.

"The Lentor stream can potentially be an attractive natural landscape to the development if it is incorporated in the overall planning."

 


This article was first published on Dec 9, 2016.
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Duterte to visit Singapore next week

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will visit Singapore next week and will hold discussions on a range of issues with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

These include strengthening bilateral defence co-operation and boosting trade, the Philippine Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

Ministry spokesman Charles Jose said at a news briefing that Mr Duterte will be in Singapore on Thursday and Friday, after a two-day stop in Cambodia.

He said Mr Duterte will be feted at a state banquet hosted by President Tony Tan Keng Yam.

Mr Duterte and PM Lee will hold bilateral talks "to discuss ways to strengthen defence and security co-operation, including counter-terrorism and the war on drugs", said Mr Jose.

Mr Duterte had said that the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has taken roots in the war-torn southern island group of Mindanao, from where it can launch attacks across South-east Asia.

The visit to Singapore will be his first since taking office in June.

He was invited by PM Lee to visit when they met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos in September.

Mr Jose said Mr Duterte, 71, would also discuss with Mr Lee the welfare of some 180,000 Filipinos in Singapore, as well as ways to bolster two-way trade and investments between their nations.

Singapore was the Philippines' fourth-largest trading partner last year, with US$8.8 billion (S$12.6 billion) worth of trade.

Also on the agenda is the Philippines' chairmanship of ASEAN next year.

Mr Duterte has steered his nation closer to China, setting aside a ruling from an international tribunal striking down Beijing's claims to nearly all of the South China Sea.

Mr Jose said he expects Mr Duterte to "reiterate the country's firm commitment to the peaceful settlement of the (South China Sea) dispute, and one that is also in accordance with the rule of law".

The firebrand leader, who won on a populist platform, has been on a tour of South-east Asia: He was in Indonesia, Brunei and Vietnam in September; and Malaysia last month.

Mr Duterte was also in Thailand last month to pay his respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.


This article was first published on December 10, 2016.
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Saturday, December 10, 2016 - 10:21
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Maid learnt English with employers' help

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Sri Lankan domestic helper Pasgodayaye Gedara Indrani Fernando did not speak a word of English when she first came to Singapore 22 years ago.

Her employers, Madam Vera Balakrishnan and Mr Victor Seah, decided to help her out - they labelled the furniture and other household items with English terms.

Madam Fernando, 51, can now write grocery lists.

She is well-loved by the Seah family, which also includes three sons aged 22, 20 and 18.

To recognise Madam Fernando's efforts, Madam Balakrishnan nominated her for this year's Foreign Domestic Worker Of The Year award.

Organised by the Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Skills Training, a non-governmental group, the award will be handed out tomorrow at the 7th annual Foreign Domestic Worker Day.

The winner will receive $2,000.

The first runner-up and second runner-up will receive $1,500 and $1,000 respectively.

THANKFUL

Madam Balakrishnan, 51, a primary school teacher, told The New Paper: "We trust her, and we are so thankful as she takes care of our children so well. They are close to her too."

Mr Seah, 53, an assistant director at a voluntary welfare organisation, said: "The boys would tell her things they would not share with us."

"When they got new iPhones, they would give one to Indra and another to her daughter so that they could keep in touch."

A former seamstress, Madam Fernando lived in a village five hours away from Colombo.

After her husband died, she left her then three-year-old daughter in Sri Lanka to make a living here.

Madam Fernando took care of Mr Seah's parents, who have since died, and accompanied them on hospital check-ups.

The Seahs encouraged Madam Fernando to pick up new skills and paid for her computer and bag-making classes.

Madam Fernando said she is lucky to have such supportive employers.

She said: "It was painful to leave my daughter behind. But she is now 25, working in a government job and graduating from open university soon."

"She has visited me in Singapore, and she always says she has three brothers."

"I hope to stay in Singapore long enough so that I can witness the boys get married and have their own children."


This article was first published on December 10, 2016.
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Saturday, December 10, 2016 - 10:45
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Why must trains move slower on rainy days?

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Reader Gabriel Tham wrote in to ask: "Why do MRT trains have to move slower when it rains? Road users drive slower for safety reasons, but why trains?"

Senior transport correspondent Christopher Tan answers.

MRT trains go slower when it rains for safety reasons too.

However, the weather has an impact only on trains running on surface lines. This is because, when it rains, the tracks get wet. And trains require a longer braking distance when the tracks are wet - just like land vehicles on wet roads. To compensate for the longer stopping distance, trains go slower.

The rain does not affect underground lines. But operators might at their discretion adjust scheduling of such lines, to cater for the slower arrivals of surface trains at interchange stations on wet days.

The train network is like a giant living organism - what happens to one part will have an effect, no matter how small, on other parts. The commuter does not always feel this ripple effect unless it is major.


This article was first published on Dec 10, 2016.
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<p>MRT trains go slower when it rains for safety reasons too.</p>
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Worker dies in fall at Sembawang construction site

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A construction worker fell to his death at a Sembawang worksite yesterday, the 63rd workplace death this year.

A Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesman said preliminary findings indicate that the 47-year-old man was working on a formwork that fell off the building, and he fell with it.

Police said they were alerted to "a case of unnatural death" at the construction site located at the junction of Sembawang Road and Canberra Road at 9.46am yesterday.

The worker was pronounced dead at the scene. The police are investigating the incident.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force sent an ambulance to the scene.

The MOM spokesman said officers from the ministry's Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate responded immediately and have started investigations.

A full stop-work order has been issued on the site.

According to MOM, there have been 63 workplace deaths to date this year. There were 66 fatalities last year.

It has been reported that the construction sector had the highest casualty rate.

A report published in September by the Workplace Safety and Health Institute said falls continued to be the most common cause of fatalities at work.

Chew Hui Min


This article was first published on Dec 10, 2016.
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<p>A construction worker fell to his death at a Sembawang worksite yesterday, the 63rd workplace death this year.</p>
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Dr Ng visits SAF troops deployed in Kuwait

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Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops deployed in Kuwait are doing valuable work that protects Singaporeans and Singapore, by helping to disrupt the operations of terror group ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria), Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said yesterday.

"All of us recognise that unless you attack terrorism at the source, you will not be able to... stop them from exporting terrorism," he said after visiting the SAF's 11-man Imagery Analysis Team that has been supporting the counter-ISIS coalition at the Combined Joint Task Force Headquarters.

Dr Ng was in Kuwait on his way to Bahrain for the International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue, where he will speak.

Since an international coalition against ISIS started in 2014, its footprint has shrunk significantly, and coalition forces are trying to liberate key cities and bring them back for mainstream governments, Dr Ng said. The SAF team turns raw images into useful intelligence products, the Defence Ministry noted.

Dr Ng said the team's morale is very good, and commanders were deeply appreciative of their work.

He added: "They know this job they are doing here is very serious and what they do here protects Singaporeans and Singapore. We will continue to add other contributions that we deem beneficial for this fight against terror."

Joanna Seow


This article was first published on Dec 10, 2016.
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<p>Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops deployed in Kuwait are doing valuable work that protects Singaporeans and Singapore, by helping to disrupt the operations of terror group ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria), Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said yesterday.</p>
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More retirees seeking financial assistance

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More retirees, even after decades of working, are applying for social assistance.

The proportion of retirees who applied for short- to medium-term assistance from the Community Care (ComCare) Endowment Fund increased from 9.9 per cent in 2012 to 12.9 per cent last year.

The proportion of people aged 55 and above who applied for such help also rose during the same period: from 29.4 per cent to 35.2 per cent.

This was revealed in a ComCare trends report released by the Ministry of Social and Family Development yesterday. It gave figures on the breakdown of citizens who received financial aid from the state in the last four financial years.

This is the second time that the ministry has released such a report. It previously did so last year.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin said the trends of more households with elderly people and retirees requiring social assistance "caught (his) attention". He added that his ministry will continue to monitor the trends closely, and reach out to vulnerable elderly people and families

Experts in the social service sector said the rise is likely due to an ageing population, compounded by retirees not having enough savings to cope with rising living costs.

Short- to medium-term financial help is targeted at low-income people who are looking for work or are temporarily unable to work, perhaps due to illness. It is also for people who have little or no family support or savings to meet their daily needs.

Retirees seeking such help probably fall under this group, said social workers.

Ms Petrine Lim, principal social worker at Fei Yue Family Service Centre, said the retirees who apply for financial aid are likely to have previously held blue-collar jobs with low wages.

Medical costs and other living expenses have risen over the years, she added.

Mr Ng Koon Sing, head of Comnet Senior Services at AMKFSC Community Services, noted that some low-income elderly people have strained relationships with their children, who may not be offering them financial support even if they have the means to do so.

He said the Government has been giving financial help to needy seniors in recent years, through policies such as the Pioneer Generation Package and Silver Support Scheme.

Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan suggested that more be done to spur people to have financial literacy and plan for their retirement.

Retired cleaner Tan Cheng Yan, 61, has a monthly Central Provident Fund payout of $700 but hopes to receive ComCare help too.

"I stopped work because of my heart problems. My three step-children have their own families and are not willing to help, while my wife does not get much income as a kitchen help. So it would help if my ComCare application could be approved," he said.


This article was first published on Dec 10, 2016.
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<p>More retirees, even after decades of working, are applying for social assistance.</p>
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Saturday, December 10, 2016 - 14:00
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Ask ST: Why can't retrenchment benefits be mandatory?

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Reader Gabriel Tham wrote in to askST: "Why does Singapore not have a mandatory retrenchment benefits scheme?

"First, it will make employers weigh the cost of retrenchment in the short term.

"Second, it will make employers think twice about over-hiring and then abusing the system."

Manpower correspondent Toh Yong Chuan answers.

This issue crops up from time to time, especially during economic slowdowns when retrenchments rise. The Government has always rejected suggestions to make it mandatory for companies to pay retrenchment benefits to workers who are laid off.

It has always maintained that it is not necessary for such payments to be made mandatory because the practice is already widespread. According to its own surveys, as many as nine in 10 companies which retrenched workers paid such benefits. It would rather give companies and unions the flexibility to negotiate such payments, rather than prescribing them under the law, because the circumstances of companies that retrenched workers are different and there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach.

This approach is consistent with the longstanding view of the Government that if labour laws are rigid, such as making retrenchment payments compulsory, firms will be deterred from hiring workers from the onset and workers will be hurt.

The furthest that the Government will go, for now, is to make it compulsory for firms to report to the Ministry of Manpower within five working days of laying off workers. The new rule, which kicks in from Jan 1, will make sure that retrenched workers get timely help, the Government said when it announced the new rule last month.

The pressure on the Government to make retrenchment payments compulsory will continue to increase. As workers become more educated, they will want to see their rights protected. The Government will have to balance the desire for more protection by workers against the flexibility that it gives companies in hiring and firing.

 


This article was first published on Dec 10, 2016.
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<p>This issue crops up from time to time, especially during economic slowdowns when retrenchments rise. The Government has always rejected suggestions to make it mandatory for companies to pay retrenchment benefits to workers who are laid off.</p>
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Singaporeans' lives improved amid challenges, says report

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Singaporeans earned higher incomes last year and unemployment was kept low, despite the economic slowdown.

But productivity growth remained low, especially in domestically oriented sectors such as construction, retail and food services.

This was the picture painted in the Singapore Public Sector Outcomes Review that takes stock of how Singapore has fared in key areas of national interest, such as the economy, housing and healthcare.

The biennial report, released by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) yesterday, said that the lives of Singaporeans have improved amid the challenging environment.

It added that a key focus of the Government in the last two years has been to "provide opportunities for all by renewing the economy, transforming industries and enhancing lifelong employability".

On this front, the incomes of Singaporeans went up, with those in the 20th percentile and median income levels seeing their wages grow by 3 per cent per year since 2010.

The unemployment rate has also remained stable at 3 per cent or lower in the last five years, making it among the lowest in the world, said the 66-page report.

But productivity, which is key to maintaining sustainable growth, has been almost flat and grew by 1.3 per cent per year between 2010 and last year. This was due to the uncertain and sluggish global economic environment and domestically oriented sectors being less productive, said the report.

Spring Singapore deputy chief executive Ted Tan, in an MOF statement yesterday, said innovation and productivity will be key for Singapore's future economic growth and competitiveness.

Last year, Spring supported 22,000 projects by small and medium-sized enterprises to innovate, double the number of companies it supported the year before.

These efforts are expected to create about 19,000 new jobs and $6.9 billion of added value over the next three years.

In the area of housing, there are also signs that public flats have become more affordable for first-time home buyers, the report said.

It cited the fall in the debt-servicing ratio of new four-room Housing Board flats in non-mature estates to 22 per cent last year, from 25 per cent in 2014.

It added that this was due to the recent policy changes, such as the raising of the income ceilings for those who want to buy resale and new HDB flats, allowing more to qualify for grants.

On healthcare, the report said it has remained affordable for the elderly with schemes such as the Pioneer Generation Package (PGP). Nine in 10 pioneers received PGP subsidies at subsidised specialist outpatient clinics, polyclinics or Community Health Assist Scheme clinics between September 2014 and December last year.

Meanwhile, the report also noted the progress made on some of the pressing issues in the public transportation system, but said there was "room for improvement" in boosting rail reliability.

MRT trains are travelling longer distances before encountering delays. Last year, trains clocked 133,000 train-km between disruptions - delays of more than five minutes. This was up from 93,000 train-km in 2014.

But the number of train delays lasting more than 30 minutes doubled to 14 last year, compared with seven in 2013.

While the overall law and order situation remained under control, there was an increase of about 3 per cent in the overall crime rate per 100,000 people last year, compared with the year before.

This was largely due to the rising number of online commercial crimes, said the report.

Head of the civil service Peter Ong said the report was a good opportunity for the public service to "look back on our performance... as we chart our directions for the future".

He added: "In the next chapter of our Singapore story, we will work towards building a future-ready public service that will partner each and every Singaporean to build a better home for all."


This article was first published on Dec 10, 2016.
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<p>Singaporeans earned higher incomes last year and unemployment was kept low, despite the economic slowdown.</p>
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ComCare aid to needy hit record $130 million last year

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Social assistance payments to the poor hit a record $130 million in the last financial year that ended in March.

This is 10 per cent higher than the year before and triple the amount of money given out a decade ago.

The money was distributed to some 40,000 households.

The money came from the Community Care (ComCare) Endowment Fund, set up by the Government in 2005 to help needy families get back on their feet.

ComCare is a key social safety net for low-income Singaporeans and provides three broad types of assistance: Long-term help, largely for the elderly poor; interim as well as short- to medium-term help for those facing crises, such as illness or retrenchment; and student care subsidies for children.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said the increase in the number of beneficiaries over the years can be attributed to "policy enhancements, greater accessibility to help and the economy slowdown in recent years".

Observers put the rising amount of aid paid out to a growing number of people down to several factors.

"At first blush, the increasing numbers might seem to suggest a deteriorating social situation," said former Nominated MP and Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan.

"But it is more likely a combination of factors ranging from our social welfare policy being less tight-fisted, changing demographics and a more welfare-oriented approach in which short-term assistance is more readily advanced than before," he added.

A portion of the money - $68.4 million - came from interest generated by the ComCare Endowment Fund. The rest came from the MSF's budget.

  • Who received assistance

  • ComCare short- to medium-term assistance

    • 35 per cent were aged 55 and above

    • 40 per cent were married; 32 per cent were divorced, widowed or separated

    • 41 per cent had primary-level education or below

    • Close to half (47 per cent) lived in one- or two-room flats

    • 59 per cent had households with young and/or elderly beneficiaries

    ComCare long-term assistance

    • 12 per cent were aged 55 to 64; 78 per cent were aged 65 and above

    • 70 per cent were single; 23 per cent were divorced, widowed or separated

    • 74 per cent had primary- level education or below

    • 68 per cent lived in one- or two-room flats

    • 63 per cent were aged 65 and above and living alone

The biggest jump last year was in short- to medium-term payouts, which rose from $68.7 million in 2014 to $87.9 million last year.

One reason could be the rise in the number of elderly people who need help (see other report).

"One trend that caught my attention is that we are seeing more households with older persons or retirees requiring social assistance. This could be due to smaller families and an ageing population," Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin wrote on Facebook yesterday.

Spending on long-term help grew to $22.7 million last year, up from $18.7 million the year before.

Associate Professor Tan said the amount of money disbursed via ComCare is likely to rise, given economic restructuring and demographic changes, with the rate of increase stabilising in the years ahead.

Some observers have described this as a government "shifting to the left".

Associate Professor Irene Ng from the department of social work at the National University of Singapore thinks that the country's social welfare policy is heading in the right direction.

EROSION OF SELF-RELIANCE

We do have to give more. However, it is true that the erosion of self-reliance is currently a real problem in the design of our schemes.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IRENE NG from the department of social work at the National University of Singapore. She is also director of the Social Service Research Centre.

HELP FAMILIES MOVE UP

The key is to ensure that ComCare-type schemes do the best possible job of helping families 'graduate' from them by finding meaningful work if the recipients can work.

SIM UNIVERSITY SENIOR LECTURER WALTER THESEIRA

"We do have to give more. However, it is true that the erosion of self-reliance is currently a real problem in the design of our schemes," said Prof Ng, who is also director of the Social Service Research Centre.

As more types of help are offered, she said, beneficiaries start to have knowledge about the schemes and some change their behaviours in order to qualify for the schemes.

Dr Mathew Mathews, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, does not think that the increase in aid suggests that the long-held Singaporean ethos of self-reliance is waning.

"Today, there is more recognition that providing some shortterm help when a family might be facing financial difficulty, coupled with other measures such as providing retraining and childcare support, can potentially prevent the family from going on a downward spiral," he said.

Observers said it was important to work towards helping aid recipients move out of the schemes.

"The key is to ensure that ComCare-type schemes do the best possible job of helping families 'graduate' from them by finding meaningful work if the recipients can work," said senior lecturer Walter Theseira of the School of Business at SIM University.

However, he noted that families who deserve and need the help should receive it readily because it can be more harmful in the long run if the families make poor decisions about medical treatment or education because of a lack of funds.

"That is penny-wise and pound- foolish for society," he said.


This article was first published on Dec 10, 2016.
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<p>Social assistance payments to the poor hit a record $130 million in the last financial year that ended in March.</p>
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Netizens destroy LTA's good Christmas intentions with plenty of "Holiday Cheer"

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It's Christmas season and once again we are starting to hear the woeful cries of Singaporeans who long to feel the cold air and snowy chill on our skin. But alas, this is equatorial Singapore, and the closest thing we'll ever get to a snowy Christmas night are the fake white stuff you get at the Super Tree Dome at Gardens by the Bay.

So LTA has taken things into their own hands and given NEL commuters a white Christmas, all from the comfort of a train near you.

Photo: The Straits Times Facebook

In all honesty, the decorations are quite marvellous to behold.

Unfortunately it hasn't been enough to appease all the commuters LTA has pissed off in the recent few months, when breakdown after breakdown had people bonding over a shared love of our failing MRT system.

And their latest attempt to redirect our attention away the perpetual problems has had people bonding again, only this time in the spirit of Christmas jingles.

Photo: The Straits Times Facebook
Photo: The Straits Times Facebook
Photo: The Straits Times Facebook
Photo: The Straits Times Facebook

But while some people are celebrating LTA's honest effort with some good ol' snarkiness, others are just straight out calling LTA out for wasting money on yet more meaningless decorations. Money can be spent on stickers, but not on fixing the train breakdown issue?

Photo: The Straits Times Facebook
Photo: The Straits Times Facebook

And sorry LTA, I am going to have to go with these Facebook whistleblowers here.

Instead of spending money to create designs and hire people to paste up these stickers, we'd really rather you spend more time dealing with the non-stop breakdowns that plague us at peak hour rushes. We are not that difficult to please, we just like our trains to be functional and on time.

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Saturday, December 10, 2016 - 16:39
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More cases of fallen windows in 2016

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There has been more cases of fallen windows in Singapore this year, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Housing Development Board (HDB) said on Sunday (Dec 11).

According to BCA's statistics, there were 41 cases of fallen windows in the first 11 months of the year, up from 30 cases over the same period in 2015.

Most of the cases involved casement windows that had dislodged and fallen due to corroded aluminum rivets.

Since 2005, it is mandatory for homeowners - except for those living in landed properties and the ground floor of buildings - to change the aluminum rivets of casement windows to stainless steel ones.

If they fail to do so, they can be fined for up to $5,000 and/or face a jail term of up to six months. And if a window falls due to lack of maintenance, homeowners can be fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed for up to one year.

Besides ensuring that all window rivets are made of stainless steel, the agencies said that homeowners should also check that the fasteners are not rusty or loose, and clean or lubricate joints and movable parts regularly.

For sliding windows, homeowners should check whether the safety stoppers and angle strips are out of place or damaged, and replace any worn out parts. They should also clean the tracks so that the window panels can slide smoothly.

Er. Lim Beng Kwee, director of BCA's special functions group said: "It is important that homeowners check their windows at least once every six months, and engage an approved window contractor to repair them if necessary. By making a small effort to maintain our windows regularly, we can create a safer environment for all Singaporeans."

minlee@sph.com.sg

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Bogus HDB contractors targeting the elderly

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An old woman answers a knock on her door, sees someone who claims to be a Housing Board contractor and ends up paying for a renovation job that she does not need.

Bogus contractors have been targeting elderly people in public housing estates, telling residents that they have been appointed by the HDB to carry out repair works.

"These bogus contractors tend to target the elderly and operate mainly during office hours, when the elderly are likely to be home alone," said an HDB spokesman in response to queries.

Some even use pressure tactics, claiming that HDB will take action against them if the works are not carried out, she added.

The "required works" include replacing doors, rubbish chute covers or sewage pipes, installing security systems and repairing spalling concrete or leaking ceilings.

Some fake contractors also appear in estates with ongoing upgrading or construction works to solicit business from unsuspecting residents, the HDB said.

To tackle this problem, the statutory board has worked with the police and the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) to issue warning posters around the island.

About 2,000 of them have been put up since March, and are displayed at all the 21 HDB branches, as well as at blocks where the imposters are likely to strike.

These include newly completed developments, blocks undergoing upgrading and blocks where complaints have been received.

Consumer watchdog Case said it has received 52 reports of such cases since 2013. The police were informed of 10 cases from 2012 to 2014. A spokesman said figures for the past two years are not readily available. Last year, however, police arrested nine people from a renovation firm suspected of passing themselves off as government representatives to get business.

The firm had had many names, including Shinden General Contractor, Second Team General Contractor, Teamwork Renovation, Homework General Contractor and Upgrading General Contractor.

Such cases are considered "cheating by personation". Those found guilty face up to five years' jail and/or a fine.

Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said resolving the problem can be tricky.

"We do see some contractors closing down and setting up a new business after being flagged... with the same modus operandi," he said.

He pointed out that when a company closes down, it makes it harder for a customer to get his money back or even locate the contractor.

Consumers should be vigilant and confirm the authenticity of any contractor before engaging their services, Mr Seah said.

The HDB said residents will be given prior notice if works need to be carried out in the flats. Genuine officers are also issued with a staff card bearing their photo. Residents are advised to request identification documents for verification.

"Do not commit to anything on the spot and always take time to respond to the contractor," said Mr Seah. "Do not make any payment such as deposits until and unless the HDB office confirms that such renovation is a requirement specified by them."

If in doubt, call the HDB branch service line on 1800-225-5432 to verify a contractor's visit.


This article was first published on Dec 11, 2016.
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<p>An old woman answers a knock on her door, sees someone who claims to be a Housing Board contractor and ends up paying for a renovation job that she does not need.</p>
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Novel stem-cell procedure saves boy's leg

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When he was just seven, Javier Tan had a stem-cell transplant that was meant to save his life.

Instead, his body rejected it, and he developed a bone infection so severe that doctors thought he would lose his leg.

Finding another donor would normally have meant a wait of several more months.

Instead, he got one within weeks, and kept his leg, thanks to a novel transplant method that requires the donor to be only a 50 per cent - not 100 per cent - match. This meant that his parents, who had been ruled out before, became suitable donors.

Javier, who suffered from a rare genetic condition which caused his blood count to drop to dangerously low levels, needed a stem-cell transplant so his body could create new blood to save his life and fight the infection in his leg.

The conventional gold-standard treatment called for a complete human leukocyte antigen (HLA) match. HLA is a protein found on most cells used to match a patient and donor for bone marrow or cord blood - which contains stem cells. This time, though, doctors opted for a haploidentical transplant.

Here, specific immune cells - the T-cells responsible for attacking foreign bodies and in Javier's case, the newly transplanted cells - were removed, so his body did not reject the second batch of stem cells from his father.

It was a success.

Javier, now nine, is a healthy Primary 3 pupil. He is among over 60 people here, from three public hospitals and a cancer centre, who have undergone the life-saving haploidentical transplant since it was introduced here about a decade ago.

The relatively new transplant method allows virtually anyone to have a suitable donor, said Dr Rajat Bhattacharyya, a consultant at the department of paediatric sub-specialities at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH).

Since October 2014, doctors at KKH have treated four children with this method, two with rare immune disease, including Javier who suffered from Fanconi anaemia. The two others had cancer and bone marrow failure.

At the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), it has been used to treat about 10 adult patients since 2004, mostly those with leukaemia.

The National University Hospital (NUH), the first to successfully implement the procedure here for children, and with the largest number treated so far, has had 38 successful transplants on children since 2010, while the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) has done eight successful transplants on adults since 2011. Both mostly used the method to treat the blood cancer leukaemia.

The proportion of patients undergoing such transplants has risen at NCIS from 3 to 5 per cent in 2011 to about 10 to 15 per cent today. At NUH, the figure has risen from 20 per cent in 2012 to around 80 per cent since last year.

Without the new method, the chance of a parent being a match for his child is low, say doctors. So they have always turned to siblings, where there is a one in four chance of a match.

When that fails, the search is widened to unrelated donors, which means the wait for a perfect match can stretch many months. For people from minority ethnic groups, the search can be futile.

A haploidentical transplant provides hope for those patients who otherwise would have been unable to go through the procedure, noted Dr Frances Yeap, associate consultant at NUH's division of paediatric haematology and oncology.

Recalling her son's ordeal two years ago, Javier's mother, Mrs Vivian Tan, 34, a project manager, said she had been at her wits' end when doctors told her they might have to amputate his leg.

The transplant that took place in January last year with his father's bone marrow was a success.

And after over a year out of school, Javier returned to his studies in May. He was recently awarded good progress awards in both English and Chinese, said Mrs Tan proudly. "I am definitely relieved and thankful that he has his health back," she said.

Knowledge on problem cells reduces risk of death

Early attempts at haploidentical transplants - where the donor's and recipient's tissue types are not a perfect match - frequently ended in death, mainly because of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and graft rejection in transplantation.

In GVHD, the white blood cells in the donor's stem cells attack the recipient's tissue. In graft rejection, transplanted stem cells are destroyed by the donor's body.

However, doctors now have knowledge about the specific cells that cause GVHD which have made half-matched transplants a reality.

Said Dr Rajat Bhattacharyya, a consultant at KK Women's and Children's Hospital's department of paediatric sub-specialities: "With this knowledge, you can actually select and take out these cells."

The process of removing the problematic cells using a machine takes just one day, and once the remaining cells are transplanted, it takes around 10 to 14 days for them to grow and start producing new cells in the patient's body.

Dr Frances Yeap, associate consultant at the National University Hospital's division of paediatric haematology and oncology, said another method is to administer chemotherapy drugs to patients to significantly reduce their T-cells - the immune cells which cause GVHD.

This was started by doctors in Johns Hopkins in the US and is very popular around the world, especially in countries where they do not have the set-up and facilities to do cell manipulation, she added.


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Where are the crowds?

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Tenants at Parkland Green in East Coast Park, which opened to fanfare two years ago, are struggling despite several events held there in a bid to drum up excitement for the lifestyle spot.

Six of the 11 businesses in the area next to Carpark C1 - restaurants, cafes and shops - have seen earnings drop by up to 30 per cent since January last year, the peak of business. The rest say trade has been lukewarm since they moved in when the place opened, with a handful of customers on weekdays and more on weekends.

They think this is due to several reasons: The imposition of carpark charges there about a year ago and competition from the reopened Marine Cove - a popular area with the iconic McDonald's outlet a four-minute drive away - in June this year.

In the months after Parkland Green opened in September 2014, parking was free and eateries there were packed on weekends and even on weekday evenings.

Tenants say the situation started going downhill around the end of last year and the start of this year.

To turn things around, the businesses have approached the National Parks Board (NParks) - which manages Parkland Green - several times to ask that activities be organised at the area's 1ha open lawn.

Apart from events such as a movie screening, free weekly workout classes have also been held on weekends for adults and children since August this year.

The latest initiative was held yesterday. Called A Splash Of Colour - a free event with activities such as bubble soccer (a game in which players kick around a soccer ball with their upper bodies cocooned within giant plastic bubbles), skating and roller-blading lessons, in-store promotions and performances by buskers - it was timed to coincide with the school holidays.

Some of the events are a success, say tenants, but others do poorly.

Tenants say they were told to expect at least 1,000 visitors to a movie screening event held in August, but only 100 people showed up.

At Atmosphere Bistro & Bar, business has fallen by 30 per cent since January. Its managing director Chiam Wee Leong, 32, says he expected the dip following the reopening of Marine Cove, but added that there were bigger factors at play, such as the dismal retail climate.

"If I were a parent, I'd definitely take my kids to Marine Cove because it has a big playground. The economy is doing poorly, so people are spending less where they can. Malls and many other retailers have also been hit," he says.

He started pizza-making classes for children earlier this year, in a bid to keep families coming to his establishment. The response has been good, so he plans to roll out classes to teach participants to make pineapple tarts and muffins.

The other affected tenants did not want to be named, but Mr Desmond Jose, manager of the 148-seat Patro's Sports Bar & Restaurant, says Marine Cove has "definitely taken some of our weekday lunchtime clientele".

When contacted, NParks did not elaborate on plans it had for the area, but senior director Tan Lai Kheng says: "We hope park users will enjoy these educational and fun activities and events made possible through collaborations with our partners."

For yesterday's event, the government agency bore the costs of promotional materials and chalk for the mass chalk-art activities.

The owner of skating and beach equipment retail store Hvper Sport, Mr Eddie Chua, 50, who organised the free bubble soccer, skating and roller-blading lessons for A Splash Of Colour, says he is happy NParks initiated this one-day event.

"Instead of waiting for the economy to turn, I think it will benefit all of us here if we try to band together and do something sustainable regularly," he adds.

"We have beautiful stretches of grass here. It's up to us tenants to think of how to co-host activities and use the space."

Meanwhile, taxi driver Lim Kee Long, 56, says he heads to Parkland Green every weekend with his wife and two children.

"I don't go there for the events or activities. I just go there to exercise, eat and relax with my family. It's a nice spot and I like that it's less crowded than some of the other parts of the park," he says.

Business as usual at East Coast Seafood Centre

Despite waves of change and intense competition with other areas of East Coast Park, tenants at another stretch of the park are holding their own.

A sign that reads "Business As Usual" calls out to motorists driving past the carpark entrance of the East Coast Seafood Centre and the five tenants there say things have stabilised. One of them, Enak Enak Hong Kong Tea House, has managed to improve business by about 35 per cent since June.

The centre has made the news several times since it opened in 1985. It had eight tenants then and boasted big-name restaurants such as Long Beach, Jumbo and Red House. Up till the 1990s, it was typical for diners to queue for about an hour to get a seat at the seafood restaurants there.

In 2005, it underwent a $2-million revamp by the National Parks Board (NParks). It reopened six months later with a new coat of paint, wider pavements and better drainage.

Last year, after 30 years at the centre, Red House Seafood closed to make way for a landscaped lawn. Restaurants No Signboard Seafood and Fisherman's Village also exited last year after their leases expired.

A spokesman for Red House said last year that the centre was probably on its last legs as crowds had "thinned drastically since 2004" and people could easily get seafood elsewhere, including at neighbourhood eateries.

The situation, however, seems to have improved since then.

Mr Jamal Abu Bakar, manager of Enak Enak Hong Kong Tea House, a halal seafood restaurant that opened there last April, says business was poor for the first six months. "It was very rough," the 50-yearold says, adding that business was a far cry from its other outlet at Simpang Bedok, which is usually packed.

The management decided to advertise in the media this year and started renting out its second-floor space to community centres, schools and corporate groups. Since June this year, things have improved and Mr Jamal says it is now usually fully booked on weekends.

Other restaurants on the stretch are long-time tenants Jumbo Seafood Restaurant and Long Beach Seafood Restaurant, and newer players Rong Heng Seafood and Ubin First Stop Restaurant.

A Jumbo Seafood spokesman says the outlet at the centre has seen "relatively stable business" over the past few years. "The arrival of new tenants has not had a significant impact," he says.

To stay competitive, the restaurant regularly engages with its 54,000 loyalty members and has promotional tie-ups with credit cards and other payment gateways.

Ubin First Stop Restaurant is the newest kid on the block - it moved there in July this year.

Its business development manager, Mr Joshua Sim, 30, says business has been "okay" on weekdays and gets "better" on weekends. "We are against big brands, so competition is stiff. But we have loyal customers," he says.

The restaurant moved to East Coast when its lease at Changi Village expired. "The crowd there was much better than at the Seafood Centre," adds Mr Sim.

He intends to stick it out at the Seafood Centre. The restaurant has been trying to woo customers with its signature dishes, such as sambal chilli crab, "leather jacket" fish and "manis chye", a type of kampung vegetable that the restaurant imports from Malaysia.

"We just moved here, so I expect that the first few years will be tough," he says.


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SIA 'has to engage next generation of travellers'

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Singapore Airlines (SIA) is world famous as a premium brand, with its Singapore Girl and service putting it constantly among top-ranked airlines. Yet, the main growth in air travel, especially in Asia, is driven by no-frills, budget flights.

So how does SIA maintain its premium edge and, at the same time, carve itself an increasingly bigger slice of the budget dollar? That, says outgoing chairman Stephen Lee, is a conundrum that has occupied SIA and will continue to do so.

One answer has been to start Scoot - a wholly owned budget carrier focusing on medium- and long-haul flights - in mid-2012. But taking this plunge after 40 years of flying high as a premium carrier required more than a year of soul-searching for the company, he revealed to The Sunday Times.

Would it dilute SIA's brand, being behind a budget carrier? Would it cannibalise the premium business? Would it confuse customers?

In a 90-minute interview, his first since becoming chairman in 2006, Mr Lee said: "The board members needed to go through those key issues and convince themselves. It (the decision to start Scoot) was not a very easy and obvious one."

Scoot, which now has a fleet of 12 Boeing 787 aircraft, was not SIA's first foray into budget travel. In 2003, it took a 49 per cent stake in Tigerair, which launched in September 2004, but SIA was not involved in running it.

In just over a decade, Asian budget carriers have gone from an almost-zero presence to carrying 31 per cent of global budget travellers last year, with Asia accounting for much of the growth.

Budget carriers already account for almost 60 per cent of all intra-South-east Asian travel.

Before Scoot was launched, the SIA board was "already very concerned about the rapid growth of the low-cost carriers", said Mr Lee, who will step down as chairman on Jan 1.

Discussions centred around how SIA, as an established full-service premier airline, could take part in the growth, and indeed, whether it wanted to.

With deep-pocketed Middle Eastern carriers like Dubai's Emirates expanding aggressively, supply was quickly outstripping demand, which eventually brought fares and yields down. At the other end of the spectrum, low-cost carriers like AirAsia, Jetstar and Lion Air were eating into SIA's regional business.

From a high of $2 billion in 2008, just before the global financial crisis struck, annual group profits plunged to $1.1 billion in the year ending March 2011, and to $368 million last year.

Squeezed at both ends, SIA went ahead with Scoot, took over Tigerair in March this year and recently announced that both carriers will become one when Tigerair is subsumed under the Scoot brand late next year.

This will reduce consumer confusion and pave the way for Scoot to work more closely with SIA and the group's regional arm, SilkAir, to bring more people to and through the Changi Airport hub.

This year, profits rose to $804 million for the 12 months to March 31.

Challenges will remain but "we have positioned ourselves to be able to compete successfully and we have the right tools in the box", Mr Lee said, when asked to highlight key achievements during his tenure.

For the first time in many years, SIA also has the right aircraft: the Airbus 350 which offers lower operating costs for long-haul flights than other similar-sized planes in SIA's fleet. This has allowed SIA - which has bought 67 of the planes - to expand into new markets, including launching non-stop flights from Singapore to San Francisco in October.

Even as SIA plans to pursue both markets, growth in the budget segment will outpace the demand for premium long-haul flights, analysts said. The question is what impact this will have in SIA's books.

Today, 80 per cent of SIA's revenue comes from the full-service business. "It will be different... It can be quite different" in the future, Mr Lee said, though he declined to speculate further.

According to aviation analyst Shukor Yusof of Endau Analytics, SIA will continue to focus on premium "because it still exists and will remain key for SIA's bottom line...

"But the business will never be as profitable as it was before, perhaps even a lot less. That said, full service will still continue to be SIA's bread and butter 10 years from now - easily 60 per cent to 65 per cent of annual turnover."

A key factor in the equation is how successful SIA will be in engaging the next generation of travellers, Mr Lee said - in particular those between the ages of about 18 and 30.

"What does the brand mean to them? I'm not sure that when they become financially more secure they will automatically move on to premium travel. This is a group that might have grown up with low-cost carriers, so how we engage them will be a critical success factor," he stressed.

SIA must give customers what they want "rather than we go and design the product and expect the market to follow us", he added.

"The challenges going forward are many... Whether SIA will be successful will depend on how quickly we can adjust to demand changes and whether we have the foresight to see what others cannot see.

"It will please me to see SIA succeed beyond what we've achieved today, continue to be the iconic company that it is and continue to be a leader in the industry.

"I have done what I can during my stint. It's now time for Peter to take the company forward... I will be a great cheerleader, albeit from the sidelines."

Mr Peter Seah, currently SIA deputy chairman and chairman of DBS Group Holdings, will succeed Mr Lee on Jan 1.

Competition will get tougher but SIA will fight, Mr Lee said.

With a 49 per cent stake in Indian carrier Vistara and 23 per cent in Virgin Australia, SIA is also benefiting from growth in other key markets.

One regret is failure to penetrate the Chinese market, including foiled plans to take a stake in China Eastern Airlines.

"We tried...," Mr Lee said wistfully. "We were not successful."


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Singapore's online shoppers click up a storm

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First there was online shopping, which opened the door to America's shopping malls with the help of a 'manufactured' local address and a global shipping service.

Now, enter the personal online shopper - a modern-day Santa's helper who can go where the big players don't, scouring the farthest corners of the world to fulfil your every buying wish.

Want to buy a samurai sword?

They'll find one for you in Japan.

Want astronaut food?

No problem.

Black water?

Yes there's a store for that too.

SHOPANDBOX

www.shopandbox.com

Singaporeans rank as the most "adventurous" shoppers in the region, say Rebecca Chia and Xin-Lung Tai - founders of the online personal shopping provider ShopandBox which sourced the above-mentioned sword, water and space snacks for their clients.

With an average spend of US$252 and a repeat shopper rate of 30 per cent, not everybody is buying weird things.

Most shoppers are into beauty products, especially limited edition releases and brands that can't be found here, like the trendy US-only brand Glossier and Herbivore Botanicals from Korea.

Fashion is popular too, particularly sneakers from the US, UK, Australia, Korea and Japan.

So are snacks which remind shoppers of their travels, and recently, there's been an uptick in interest in stationery, homeware, toys, baby clothes and even party accessories.

Not to mention a 3D map from France, smoking pipe and tobacco from Japan, and homemade fragrances from Korea, which are some recent purchases.

As well as a Weber BBQ pit, bee-keeping equipment and third cut timothy hay (top-grade bedding for your pet rabbit).

ShopandBox prides itself on being a truly global online service as they have over 100 "boxers" in 28 countries.

These are real people who are assigned to shoppers after they identify what they want.

The boxers buy the goods in their country, and pack them to be sent via DHL to the shopper wherever he or she lives.

"The key thing is the DHL service which we negotiated for months to get, as it gives ShopandBox customers a preferential rate," explains Mr Tai. Shoppers pay a service fee to ShopandBox, and a negotiated fee to the boxer.

The savings can range from 10 to 30 per cent, but more importantly, because there's a "real person" at the other end, it's much easier to get a hold of limited edition or unique items.

And the DHL rate and service is hard to top.

Plus there's no limit to the places customers can shop in.

"Shoppers have also ventured out to buy from Italy, Taiwan, Sweden, Brazil and Turkey besides the usual top-selling countries of the US, UK and Japan, and Korea," says Ms Tan.

AIRFROV

www.airfrov.com

SINGAPORE startup Airfrov began in March 2015 after co-founder Cai Li found himself always buying beauty products, bags and unique local snacks for his girlfriend whenever he travelled.

So he thought, wouldn't it be awesome if he could help others at the same time?

Instead of the usual seller-listing marketplace, shoppers post requests which serve as "job ads" to travellers.

An Airfrov request normally takes a week to be fulfilled, and if it's not, the request will be kept open for 30 days for other travellers to take up the task.

"About 80 per cent of our requests receive offers from travellers," says Mr Cai.

Travellers earn tips on top of the price paid for the requested item. Airfrov charges a service fee of seven per cent plus S$2 on top of the amount the customer is prepared to pay.

The traveller deposits the goods at the Airfrov collection centre, and is paid only when the customer has acknowledged receipt.

What are people buying? Beauty products from Japan and Korea, foodstuffs from all over the world, and limited edition collectibles from Japan.

This year's bestsellers include Ichiran Ramen packets from Japan, Kraft Handi Snacks from the US, the limited edition Adidas 3D mesh bag which travellers brought back from Australia, Hong Kong and UK.

Unique requests included also include commemorative 100 baht banknotes featuring the late Thai king, coffee beans from a store in a small alley in Paris and even PSLE assessment books because they were sold out in Singapore!

Often, because products are cheaper overseas, it's still worth getting them through Airfrov like Nan milk formula from Australia, which cost S$160 for six tins instead of three tins here.

"And you'd save over S$50 to buy Jo Malone cologne from the UK, and save 20 per cent for Pandora charms if you buy them in Australia," says Mr Cai.

PERSONAL SHOPPER JAPAN

http://personalshopperj.com

Singapore shoppers are the top customers (over 700) in Southeast Asia of this Japanese start-up, says CEO Ryuto Matsuda who's also an antique dealer licensed by the Japanese police department.

Top shopping categories are fashion, followed by electric guitars, Japanese car parts, fishing tackles and bike helmets.

"As for unusual requests, I've had Singapore shoppers asking for the Furo Oke (the wooden Japanese bath tub, and the Namahage tribal festival mask."

The average spend of the Singapore shopper is 16,276 yen (S$203), although the average Hong Konger spends at least twice the amount.

Mr Matsuda is an art auction agent who started his business in Yokohama City in 2011.

His first customer was an Australian who wanted to buy a Shisa (lion-dog) statue.

He had the advantage because very few retailers ship outside of Japan and even if you find what you want online, the store may not accept a Singapore credit card.

"Some buyers may have forgotten to buy a souvenir, or they're interested in buying limited edition products sold exclusively in Japan," he says.

Personal Shopper Japan charges 10 per cent of the total item cost, with a minimum charge of 1,500 yen (S$19) for each store.

So if you receive a Christmas gift pack of squid ink cheese crackers and green tea granola from Kyoto, you'll know the real truth: Santa's workshop isn't in the North Pole anymore - he's moved to cyberspace.


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When friendly banter turns lewd and crude

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Over four days in August last year, a 28-year-old woman was subjected to text messages containing sexual advances made by a senior officer with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

As a result of her making a police report, he lost his job and was later charged in court with one count under the Protection from Harassment Act (Poha).

"I want women to know that bad behaviour from bosses or clients is not something they need to tolerate," the woman, who cannot be identified, told The New Paper.

The offence occurred when she was working with an events company which has SCDF as its client.

She is not the only one to take action since Poha was enacted in November 2014, but her case has raised the profile of an issue that has been gaining traction.

According to the State Courts, there were 1,233 alleged Poha offences - not limited to sexual harassment - between November 2014 and July this year.

There were also 222 applications for protection orders (PO) during that period.

A PO is issued by the court to stop a harasser and is taken out after victims of harassment first make a police report.

State Courts figures do not say how many of the Poha reports relate to complaints of a sexual nature.

But the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) said that last year, 267 people reported to its Sexual Assault Care Centre of being victims of sexual harassment.

About 50 cases were of a non-physical nature but the majority complained that the harassment involved inappropriate touching.

What constitutes sexual harassment?

Mr Rajan Supramaniam, managing director of Hilborne Law, said sexual harassment can be physical, visual or verbal.

And this includes suggestive remarks and unwanted sexual jokes.

It can be through letters, materials of sexual nature, text messages or e-mails.

When touching is involved, it can even lead to a more serious crime. "Outrage of modesty, which covers physical contact, comes under the Penal Code. There are elements of force and assault, and is criminal in nature," said Mr Rajan.

Sexual harassment is a more pertinent issue now because both genders share more common spaces, said Miss Yeo Miu Ean, founder and president of Women Empowered for Work and Mothering.

"For example, chat apps are pervasive these days, and sometimes in a group with a mixture of men and women, there may be lewd jokes and pictures sent, which make certain parties uncomfortable," she said.

How common is sexual harassment at the workplace?

There are no official figures and Mr Erman Tan, president of Singapore Human Resource Institute, said many cases may go unreported.

"People won't want to make a big deal of such things, so some just suffer in silence.

"They think they can just let go and forgive the harasser, and so continue to be victimised."

Mr Tan said some human resource (HR) departments do have policies clearly stating that physical contact or verbally implied meanings are disallowed, and the rules are implemented company-wide.

"This is because companies don't want to be faulted that they are condoning such acts, or that they never protect their employees."

While multinational corporations and larger companies already have these HR policies, that might not be the case with small firms, said Mr Kurt Wee, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises. He said SMEs may lack an official policy on harassment as their HR frameworks are less formal.

"If any such incidents arise, business owners will handle it personally. Any feedback from staff will be investigated, and if it's reportable, then relevant action will be taken."

But even if they have these policies in place, some companies might choose not to actively implement them, said Ms Corinna Lim, executive director of Aware.

"They are fearful it might make harassment an issue, when it wasn't one before. They fear that if employees are aware of what harassment entails, there might be an increase in complaints," said Ms Lim.

She said that besides a clear policy, staff also need training because it will send a message to the perpetrator to stop, and empower the victim to stop the harasser.

Mr Rajan said existing HR policies may not be comprehensive as there is still "a grey area" as to what constitutes sexual harassment.

"The definitions may not be clear. Sometimes, both parties are flirting and both are consensual.

"But then suddenly one feels offended by the other, and files a complaint. In such a case, it would be one person's words against another."

Ms Lim said most harassment cases are escalations.

"It always starts with less threatening acts like holding one's hand for longer than necessary or certain suggestions or over-friendly remarks.

"It may then proceed to more serious acts just as brushing the victim's private parts."

Mr Tan said he encourages victims of sexual harassment, in or out of workplaces, to stand up for themselves and send a message that no one is above the law.

The victim in the SCDF case did just that.

On Dec 2, the former SCDF officer was given a discharge amounting to an acquittal after the victim agreed to compound the offence with compensation of $4,000, which she later donated. An apology was also to be read out in court.

She told The New Paper: "But what I hope is for the public to know what had happened, and that he should not be able to do this again."

The law on harassment

Victims of harassment, including that of a non-sexual nature, can turn to the law for help.

The Protection from Harassment Act (Poha) provides civil and criminal recourse for victims of harassment. It was passed in Parliament on March 2014, and enacted that November.

Victims may apply directly to the courts for a protection order (PO), which is used to stop a harasser.

Breaching the PO is a criminal offence, with penalties ranging from fines not exceeding $5,000 to jailtime not exceeding 12 months, or both. For repeat offenders, the penalty increases to $10,000 or jail time not exceeding two years, or both.

"For Poha, the victim usually knows and is familiar with the harasser, and there has been repeated attempts of harassment," said Mr Rajan Supramaniam, managing director of Hilborne Law. "The PO is basically to tell the harasser to refrain from any more of such actions, and to safeguard the victim."

Ms Corinna Lim, executive director of the Association of Women for Action and Research, said victims who file a police report for harassment have two options to take the case to court.

The first is through the Magistrates' Court, which is a criminal court. The second is to take up an application for a PO in the civil court.

Unlike the Personal Protection Order (PPO) under the Women's Charter where a victim can directly file for such an order, a PO generally requires a lawyer to make the application, said Ms Lim.

"It thus may be quite expensive and the processes are more cumbersome than the PPO." Besides cost, the process is more cumbersome too. Ms Lim said the police cannot act when there is a breach of order until the victim goes to court and files a complaint.

"As a victim, you generally just want the police to step in and protect you, which is why most people would go straight for the criminal remedy and file a complaint in the Magistrates' Court."

Besides the law, a Tripartite Advisory on Workplace Harassment was issued in December last year to encourage bosses to take all nature of harassment seriously.

It was drafted by the Manpower Ministry, National Trades Union Congress, and Singapore National Employers Federation, among others.

Employers have been advised to set up a hotline for victims to report harassment safely, and provide better training for human resource personnel to deal with such cases.

Male victims may have it worse

Mr Rajan Supramaniam, managing director of Hilborne Law, said that while victims of sexual harassment are generally women, he has handled "quite a number of cases" in which the victims were men.

"For sexual harassment, I've had a couple of male victims coming to me for enquiries and consultations only. None actually pursued the matter in court. They were touched inappropriately at the workplace, or in public places such as shopping malls and dance clubs."

He has also handled cases of non-sexual harassment.

"Usually what happens is the parties break up on a bad note, and then one begins to victimise and harass the other. It's the same methods, such as sending text messages, spreading false rumours and allegations, and turning up at the workplace of the victim."

Some harassers were women, he added.

Male victims of sexual harassment are in a more difficult position than their female counterparts, although the law is gender neutral, the Association of Women for Action and Research's executive director Corinna Lim told The Sunday Times.

This is because of societal perceptions which make men feel more "shame", she added.

"The victim may feel ashamed and find it hard to talk to anyone about it because the incident may raise questions about his sexuality," said Ms Lim.

"As homosexuality is still a taboo topic, they will be wondering, 'How do I tell anyone about this?', and this adds another layer of complication as to whether to go public."

On top of this, some men may feel that people will think badly of them for not being able to stand up for themselves.


This article was first published on Dec 11, 2016.
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11th Hour may just clinch the deal

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Many app developers daydream about the ultimate exit strategy: To be bought over for millions of dollars by a big corporation.

Not Mr Tan Jun Yuan, the earnest 30-year-old behind 11th Hour, a mobile app which clues users in on last-minute food deals.

"You don't run a business with an exit in mind because if you're always thinking about three years down the road, you won't build your foundation properly.

I want to build something serious, something which changes lives," says Mr Tan, who hopes his app will help to reduce food wastage.

The lean and lanky man has other dreams, one of which is to be like the entrepreneurs whose lives he has read about so much in books.

"People still remember Henry Ford and Milton Hershey," he says, referring to the founders of the Ford Motor Company and Hershey Chocolate Company respectively.

"Sometimes I tell myself: Why must I keep reading about other people? Why can't it be me?"

The youngest of three children of a taxi driver and a housewife grew up in Hougang.

He was rambunctious, and had one singular obsession during his formative years: basketball.

"I'd wake up before the sun was out, shoot hoops, hit the gym and play again before sunset until 10pm," says the former student of Charlton Primary and Sengkang Secondary.

In fact, the game so ruled his life that he opted for the polytechnic instead of going to junior college after his A levels.

"It was a stupid decision.

There was a basketball tournament and because the poly term started six months later than junior college, I decided to enrol in the hospitality course at Temasek Poly.

I wanted more time to train for the tournament," he says.

Although he graduated, he did badly. "It was quite tough to get into the course because it was popular but I had no interest in it. I probably would have done a lot better if I had applied myself but I didn't," he says.

The day came when he suffered a burnout from basketball.

"I realised that I was missing out quite a bit on life, I had no other interests. So I cut back. I still play it now but more as a hobby."

National service beckoned.

"Because there was no more basketball, I gave it my all," he says with a laugh. "I was the best trainee in my platoon and made it to Officer Cadet School."

An army buddy then introduced him to a book which he claims turned his life around.

"It was The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People," he says, referring to the bestseller by Stephen R. Covey. "I'd never read self-help books before that." The book, he says, jolted him out of his complacency.

"I realised I could have made better decisions, and exercised more control and taken more responsibility for my life. But my biggest takeaway was that I could choose my response to situations."

A voracious appetite for books of the same genre kicked in; he also devoured volumes chronicling the lives of business icons such as Steve Jobs and Ted Turner.

Doing a business degree after national service was a no-brainer.

He got into Singapore Institute of Management, enrolling in a business degree programme conferred by the University of Manchester.

"I wanted to do really well, so I went all out, and studied and studied and studied," he says with a laugh. He ended up with a first-class honours degree, coming out second in his cohort.

Because his "ego needed affirmation", he also took the test administered by Mensa, the organisation for people with extremely high IQ. He passed, which put him above the 98th percentile, or in the top 2 per cent of the population.

While waiting for his final-year results, he decided to put his entrepreneurial mettle to the test by forming a company just to run an event.

Called the Ultimate Sales Challenge, it was open to students from tertiary institutions. The idea was to get different teams to outdo one another in selling a range of products.

"We gave them a cut of what they sold, and also ranked them," he says.

He wrote to different suppliers, and the first to respond was Mr Henn Tan, head honcho of Trek 2000, the company which invented the thumb drive.

"He said he wanted to meet me, and we had a four-hour meeting," he says, adding that the company eventually supplied him with a range of products for the competition, including thumb drives, disk drives and Wi-Fi cameras.

"We attracted nearly 20 teams from different institutions and, in 11/2 months, sold nearly $50,000 worth of products," he says, adding that the company he formed made about $9,000. "It wasn't much but it gave me a big confidence boost. I realised I was recession-proof."

When he could not decide on a suitable business to start after graduation, he decided to get some working experience.

After a brief stint as a management trainee with security firm Certis Cisco, he joined Trek 2000 as a product manager for nine months.

The itch to start a business did not go away.

Much to the surprise of many of his peers, the first-class honours graduate then decided to become a hawker instead.

"My mother has a very good bak kut teh recipe, so I thought: Why not make a business of it? I wanted to start small; the investment would not be so big. Also, I saw an opportunity. If it worked, I could do a chain in hawker centres," he says.

He invested $14,000 of his savings and took up half a stall in a coffee shop in Toa Payoh with his mother.

The first few days were quiet. On a hunch, he decided to write to KF Seetoh, founder of food guide Makansutra, who visited his stall, intrigued by a bak kut teh hawker with a university degree.

Seetoh wrote about him and, soon, other publications came a-calling.

"Business just roared to life. I was soon selling 150 bowls a day, which was as much as I could handle," he says, adding that he and his mother pulled long hours each day.

One thing stood between him and his plans for expansion: difficulty in hiring workers.

"We raised our rates from $7.50 to $9 an hour, but there were no takers. Some would show up for just one day, some said they didn't like washing dishes, one even stole our money," he says.

In fact, the situation got so dire that he threw in the towel barely half a year later.

"It was a very public failure. But if I had so many problems with just one outlet, can you imagine what it would be like with 20?"

The media attention, however, prompted other entrepreneurs to offer him words of encouragement, such as not to give up his entrepreneurial dreams and to take the failure in his stride.

Two days after he closed down his stall, he landed a job at Incite, a market research consultancy, thanks to his taxi-driver father.

"My dad was my biggest publicist. He would always boast about me to his passengers. and one of them was the managing director of this UK consultancy. He asked to see me and offered me a job," he says.

For more than two years, he buckled down to his job as a treasury and market research consultant. By then, he had also completed his Chartered Financial Analyst exams.

The idea for starting 11th Hour had also started percolating in his head.

"I used to have about 10 or 15 bowls of bak kut teh left over each day. Because of the herbal broth, they could not be stored, and there was no space in my fridge any way.

"It was a waste. The economy-rice business across from my stall was worse; they threw away a lot every day," he says.

The time, he felt, was ripe for an app that allows food and beverage (F&B) merchants to offer last-minute deals and cut down on food wastage.

He says the app will also help cut the risk of cannibalisation that F&B merchants inevitably face if they have daily one-for-one deals at closing time.

"It's a deals by distance. If you like a deal, you go to the merchant. And merchants are free to create any deals they like," he says.

Mr Tan rallied a team together to get the idea off the ground.

Many nights were spent brainstorming the idea, but because all of them held down full-time jobs, progress was slow.

"The commitment level was just not there, we failed to launch."

A second attempt was started with a former colleague from Certis Cisco.

They approached an app developer which said the company would help to build it for equity.

"After four months, we found the work to be really shoddy. So the second time, we failed again."

The third time around, Mr Tan decided to put up $45,000 of his own money to make the business work; his partner put in $5,000 for a 10 per cent share. By then, he had also taught himself programming and tech design.

"I made up my mind to reinvent myself to be a bit of a tech guy," says Mr Tan, who designed the app's interface.

They found another app developer which turned out to be much more competent.

It took one year, including beta testing, to roll out the app in October. He quit his job, roped another partner on board, and got down to marketing 11th Hour.

In just two months, more than 7,000 users have signed up for the service. Mr Tan has also managed to rope in more than 200 merchants, including the Paradise Group, Wine BOS and Julie Bakes.

"I think the market can easily stomach 3,000 merchants. I'm singularly focused on 11th Hour now," he says, adding that he is in deep negotiations with several interested investors.

"We are very optimistic about this. We are already thinking about taking this overseas."

Currently seeing someone, he thinks discipline, more than motivation, is vital for success.

"If I say I will wake up at 7.30 every day to do this, I will. If I say I will meet 20 merchants a day, I will not stop until I knock on the 20th door.

"That is discipline, and discipline will see me through."


This article was first published on Dec 11, 2016.
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Kids raise $41,000 to help the less fortunate students

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They are aged just two to six years old, but they raised thousands of dollars for less fortunate students.

Some 2,000 children at 27 Star Learners' childcare centres did handicraft and came up with games for a fun fair on July 30 where over 4,000 people showed up.

The event raised $15,000 for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (SPMF), which supports students from low-income families.

The fund gives pocket money to students whose families earn not more than $625 in per capita gross monthly household income.

Each month, primary school pupils receive $60, secondary school students get $95 and those in junior colleges, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education get $120.

Star Learners' chief executive Tan Meng Wei said the children were creative, with kids at one childcare centre even running a cafe during the fair.

"They decided on the menu, prepared the food, served and took payments. They were told about SPMF and worked with dedication to raise the money."

Pre-schools have also joined in the fund-raising.

St Anne's Kindergarten sold cookies and greeting cards in October to raise $1,280.40, while Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Pre-School made snowskin mooncakes in August, raising $3,420 for the fund.

Instead of buying gifts for Teachers' Day, students at Ngee Ann Secondary School put up $10 to name a teacher he or she would like to honour.

The initiative raised $2,420.

Last month, Primary 6 pupils from Nanyang Primary School organised a one-day bazaar.

Some of them got their parents and teachers to commit to buy cookies and crafts.

They raised $28,000 this year, and $16,000 last year.

In total, schools, from pre-school level upwards, contributed $41,000 to SPMF this year.

Ms Tan Bee Heong, SPMF general manager, said: "It is heartening to note that the young are stepping forward to raise funds, and to help their schoolmates and other students who need financial support."

The fund has received $5.5 million from corporates and individuals so far, and is on track to raise $6 million this year.

In October, SPMF started a partnership with the Education Ministry so that needy students can apply to be SPMF beneficiaries through 300 schools.

Previously, students could apply only through 68 disbursing agencies.

The eligibility criterion for the fund was also raised from a per capita gross monthly household income of $560 to $625.

Since October, SPMF has received 5,700 applications through schools.

Ms Tan said she expects to see more students applying for help next year as the process becomes more accessible and convenient.

"We will have to increase our disbursements to support these students and we hope the public will donate generously to support our cause," she said.

For more information visit www.spmf.org.sg or call 6319-2121.


This article was first published on Dec 11, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

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<p>They are aged just two to six years old, but they raised thousands of dollars for less fortunate students.</p>
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Sunday, December 11, 2016 - 17:00
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