A video going viral on Facebook shows a group of helpful citizens who came together to rescue a man trapped in a burning flat at King George's Avenue.

Yesterday (Dec 14), Stomp contributors Gilbert and Muzammil alerted the citizen journalism website to the incident where a man who was trapped in a unit that caught on fire at Block 805 in King George's Avenue at around 1.20pm.

Today (Dec 15), Stomp contributor Gerek alerted Stomp to the Facebook video showing many men gathering outside the burning unit, and one of them is seen taking a red bucket filled with water to splash into flat.

The man trapped is seen waiting by the gate, looking rather petrified. Bright red marks can be seen on his face.

He could be seen covering his nose and mouth with a towel, while someone said to him: "You just sit first, do not think first."

The helpful neighbours then gather outside the unit's corridor window, trying their best to retrieve the key to the gate.

Thick grey smoke can be seen emerging from the flat, while the residents continue to splash buckets of water at the burning unit.

Shortly after, police officers and a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer armed with compressed air foam arrive at the scene.

The man in the flat then screams: "Please! Help! I'm in pain! Please open my door! Please!".

Police officers gave residents instructions to clear the area for them to continue their rescue effort.

The video also shows SCDF fireman transporting the water jet to the burning flat.

The man was eventually rescued.

SCDF confirmed that the man, in his 20s, was subsequently conveyed to Singapore General Hospital for burn injuries.

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As more Singaporeans buy their spectacles on the Internet, the Government has issued tighter rules on who can do so.

Only those aged 16 and above can make the purchase, and they must have a valid prescription from an optometrist registered with the Optometrists and Opticians Board.

The new guidelines for online sales of prescription glasses, announced on the board's website on Tuesday, "is to ensure that proper assessment and management are in place to safeguard the interest of the public against dubious sources of sales".

Previously, there were no restrictions.

The board, an official governing body in the Ministry of Health, also issued advisories for optical practitioners, retailers and consumers.

To get a prescription that will allow one to buy glasses online, a consumer has to be aged 16 and above, with myopia of below 600 degrees and astigmatism below 200 degrees.

A valid prescription has to include, among other conditions, the consumer's date of birth and identity card number, the date the prescription expires - usually not longer than two years - and a written assessment that the consumer does not have any existing organic eye disease or systemic medical condition that will affect vision.

REGISTERED

Online retailers must be a business registered in Singapore, with a physical outlet that provides after-sales services such as adjustment of spectacles.

Practitioners who do not follow these guidelines may be subject to disciplinary action, as it may be regarded as professional misconduct, said the board.

The Singapore Optometric Association, an industry body of optometrists, said it had raised concerns to the board over the growing trend of consumers purchasing spectacles and contact lenses online.

mellinjm@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on December 16, 2016.
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Singapore had the highest global average peak Internet connection speed in the third quarter of this year, and ranked third in the world in average Internet connection speed, according to a new report.

South Korea and Hong Kong took the top spots in average connection speed at 26.3 megabytes per second (Mbps) and 20.1 Mbps, respectively, according to the Akamai State of the Internet report for Q3, released by Massachusetts-based content delivery network services provider Akamai.

Singapore came in at 18.2 Mbps, but led the pack in average peak connection speed at 162 Mbps, with Hong Kong and South Korea trailing behind at 116.2 Mbps and 114.2 Mbps, respectively.

This is the fifth consecutive quarter for which Singapore has snagged the top spot.

This article was first published on December 16, 2016.
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The contruction work for Changi Airport's latest passenger terminal building, Terminal 4 (T4), is completed, said the Changi Airport Group (CAG) in a statement on Friday (Dec 16).

The next stage of its development will be focused on its interior fittings, as well as preparing it for operations.

Construction work on the terminal, located at the southern end of Changi Airport, started in early 2014. It is slated to open in the second half of 2017.

In addition to the two-storey passenger terminal building, the construction involved the development of two multi-storey car parks to provide 1,700 parking lots, a two-storey taxi holding area as well as three vehicular and pedestrian bridges.

A 69m-high ramp control tower has also been constructed to enhance air traffic controllers' management of aircraft movements, added the statement.

The T4 project involved 4,000 workers at the peak of its construction works.

Mr Yam Kum Weng, CAG's executive vice president of Air Hub Development, said: "The past three years have been an intense and exciting journey for CAG and our project partners.

"We worked closely with the architects and contractors to ensure that the development works were carried out according to plan, and witnessed the transition of our vision from architectural blueprints to fruition."

sujint@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - Ground handling firm Sats has given its workers at Changi Airport smart watches paired with hands-free headsets to help them operate better and faster.

The workers on the tarmac escort planes to the parking gates after they land and prepare the aircraft for the next departure.

Sats is believed to be the first in the world to deploy the use of such technology for airport ground operations.

Showcasing the capability on Thursday (Dec 15) to Second Minister for Transport Ng Chee Meng and other industry players, Sats said the smart watches enable the dissemination and receiving of information and data such as work schedules and instructions.

Previously, such communication was done manually. For example, changes in operations had to be communicated manually or the details printed out again, adding to the time required.

By using technology which boosts efficiency, Sats is now able to reallocate resources for greater productivity, the firm said.

The smart watches are paired with bone-conductor headsets via Bluetooth, allowing technical ramp personnel to make and receive hands-free calls; increasing safety and ease of collaboration.

The headset solution was designed in partnership with Temasek Polytechnic

"In an industry that is becoming ever more competitive, constant innovation and productivity gains are essential," said Mr Alex Hungate, Sats' president and chief executive officer.

Mr Kevin Shum, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said the initiative is the latest in a series of innovative productivity projects supported by the CAAS Aviation Development Fund.

He said: "Tapping on innovative technologies, we will continue to redesign airport jobs and upskill our workers to sharpen Changi's competitiveness and strengthen our position as a global air hub."

Sats also announced on Thursday that it had been awarded accreditation by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to train ground handlers in 10 countries regionally.

The programme will equip ground handling staff with knowledge and skills based on industry best practices.

Mr Conrad Clifford, IATA regional vice-president for the Asia-Pacific, said: "Air travel in Asia is expected to grow exponentially, but there is still a deficit in trained personnel to meet the demand.

"It is also crucial that ramp and apron services keep up with the most recent industry developments. With expertise in Asian aviation, coupled with Singapore's status as a world class air hub, Sats is well placed to enhance ramp handling services training across the region."

The new programme is scheduled to begin in March.

Sats will be the exclusive IATA training provider for ground handlers in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and Myanmar. It is also a non-exclusive training provider for India.

This article was first published on Dec 15, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Thursday (Dec 15) said it is looking at the possibility of conserving the National Aerated Water Company's building.

The disused bottling factory, a two-storey building off Serangoon Road, is considered to be one of the last remaining structures from Singapore's industrial past.

Here are five things you may not know about the National Aerated Water Company.

1. COMPANY MOVED INTO THE BUILDING IN 1954

In 1954, the company moved into this building that cost $500,000 then, making 48,000 bottles of aerated water per day.

It was part of the booming industrial scene in Singapore and produced popular soft drinks like Sinalco, Kickapoo Joy Juice, Green Spot and Royal Crown Cola.

The red and cream industrial building is two storeys high and done up in an art-deco style.

It has been left derelict for years after it stopped producing bottled drinks.

In 1964, the company opened a $350,000 plant in Kuala Lumpur, producing 50,000 bottles of Sinalco with 40 workers.

The company's statistics showed that sales increased by 30 per cent every year, with 1.3 million bottles of Sinalco sold in Malaysia in 1963.

2. OUT OF BUSINESS IN THE 1990S

National Aerated Water Company wound up in the 1990s, as the bottling industry faced higher production costs due in part to rising fuel prices.

Health authorities had also reportedly started discouraging the public from taking carbonated drinks in the 1980s.

3. ALL IN THE FAMILY

The company was started in 1929 and was run by three brothers: Ching Kwong Yew, Ching Kwong Kuen and Ching Kwong Lum.

They had in turn benefited from their father, who had run a ship repair company.

4. EMBROILED IN LEGAL TUSSLE

In 1982, Kwong Kuen transferred shares to his brother Kwong Yew to be held in trust for him.

The National Aerated Water Company off Serangoon Road.

Kwong Kuen died of cancer in 1985 when his son, Paul, was 14.

Paul believed that the trust assets were to be transferred to him when he turned 30, according to what his father had repeatedly said, but faced difficulties when he tried recovering them upon reaching that age.

The judge ruled in Paul's favour in December 2009.

5. LAND IT STANDS ON SOLD TO A MALAYSIAN DEVELOPER FOR $47 MILLION

Malaysia-listed developer Selangor Dredging said in early December that it was buying a freehold site in Serangoon Road from National Aerated Water Company for $47 million.

Savills Singapore, the property's exclusive marketing agent, told The Straits Times that apart from the $47 million land cost, there would be an additional $22.66 million payable in estimated development charges to intensify land use from an industrial to residential purpose.

This article was first published on December 15, 2016.
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One of music teacher Philip Tan's favourite exercises is to ask students to randomly give him phone numbers.

The digits are matched with musical notes that are strung together to create original melodies.

"Once students add rhythm, phrasing and harmony (to the melody), they are amazed," he said.

This constant search for creative ways to teach music is one of the reasons that Mr Tan, 43, is on a shortlist of 50 teachers to win the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2017.

The US$1 million (S$1.4 million) award, dubbed the Nobel Prize for teaching, was started three years ago by Dubai-based education charity Varkey Foundation to raise the profile of teaching worldwide.

The top 50 candidates, from 37 countries, were whittled down from more than 20,000 applicants and were picked on criteria such as achievements inside and outside the classroom, innovative and effective teaching methods, and whether they provide a values-based education.

The 10 finalists will be announced in February, and the winner revealed on March 19 at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai.

Previous winners include Ms Nancie Atwell, founder of a non-profit US demonstration school, and Palestinian teacher Hanan Al Hroub.

Mr Tan, who was the creative director for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Asean Para Games in 2015, started teaching piano at 15 to pay for his own lessons.

He said: "If I'm working with young students, instead of teaching them notes, I teach them patterns.

They arrange objects to (learn to) put a musical passage together."

The adjunct lecturer at Republic Polytechnic, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, ACS International and Lasalle College of the Arts has also taught music at many other schools - including A-level, O-level and International Baccalaureate music - and at welfare and special homes.

"When I teach (troubled youth), I use percussion instruments and then they get the chance to fight (with music), to shout as loud as they like."

Mr Tan, who is married to a music teacher and has three children, said: "Teaching music is my calling... I strongly feel I can use this as a vehicle to guide other people, simplifying complex concepts into a simple language."

He has a master's degree in music from Kingston University in Britain, and a diploma in music from Lasalle College of the Arts.

If he wins, he plans to use the prize money to fund a "creative playground" for musical learning, which would come with a surround-sound recording studio.

He also wants to set aside $120,000 for scholarships for students.

Said Varkey Foundation CEO Vikas Pota, 42: "Philip, in particular, has worked hard to raise the profile of music education, including its role in helping autistic pupils."

tohwenli@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Dec 16, 2016.
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A doctor locked in a tussle with six shareholders of a chain of beauty clinics has failed in his bid to stop them from calling any meeting to alter the firm's share capital, which would include issuing more shares.

Dermatologist Goh Seng Heng owns 13.31 per cent of Aesthetic Medical Partners (AMP), together with his daughter, Dr Michelle Goh.

They resigned in February this year as directors of AMP, a firm they founded.

They have sued six investors and shareholders who, together with Chinese national Lucy Wang, controlled 63.47 per cent of AMP.

Twenty other shareholders - owning 20.88 per cent of shares of AMP - were stacked on Dr Goh's side.

In a separate move, Dr Goh also failed to remove a freeze on assets worth up to $10 million owned by him, his daughter and Quikglow, an alleged rival firm that they set up in 2013.

The freeze is pending the outcome of a suit taken by AMP and its subsidiary unit Aesthetic Medical Holdings (AMH) against the pair this year.

It is alleged that they breached fiduciary or contractual duties, among other things, in part because of Quikglow.

The court noted that Dr Goh had sold about $50 million of his AMP shares to various parties. AMH owns about 12 aesthetic medicine clinics here.

AMP had obtained court orders restraining the pair from joining Quikglow and prohibited Quikglow from hiring their services pending the outcome of its suit.

"These two suits involve a power struggle between the shareholders and investors of a company that owns and operates outlets in Singapore which provide aesthetic laser services and skincare-related products and services," said Senior Judge Lai Siu Chiu in decision grounds released last week.

Lawyers opposing his stop-meeting bid filed in March argued he could not show at that time that they would succeed in the proposed resolutions to alter the share capital at a general meeting, pointing out the six defendants held 41.57 per cent of the shares in the firm and it was not known how 34 other shareholders owning 58.43 per cent of the shares would vote.

The judge said the court was fully conscious of the "bad blood" that existed and added that Dr Goh and his daughter wanted nothing more to do with AMP.

This was reinforced by Dr Goh's subsequent media statement and it therefore "did not lie in Dr Goh's mouth to come to court to complain (falsely) that the pending rights issue would dilute his holdings and that the status quo should be preserved pending trial," the judge said.

The judge noted the six defendants in last year's suit had intended to call a meeting to pass a resolution for a rights issue to raise funds to ensure AMP continued operating.

"It is not the function of the courts to interfere in the day-to-day running of companies," she added.

Dr Goh is appealing the decisions.

vijayan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Dec 16, 2016.
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Investors sold down shares of Singtel, StarHub and M1 yesterday after the nation's fourth telco operator was announced.

All three incumbents took a hit as investors fretted over their earnings outlook given the arrival of the new kid on the block.

TPG Telecom was named late on Wednesday as the winner of the spectrum rights bid, ending months of speculation.

The rights will start on April 1 next year, and TPG Telecom - an Australian firm - is required to roll out nationwide 4G coverage in the 18 months after that.

The market clearly did not like the news. Singtel shares were least affected, paring 0.8 per cent to $3.73 but StarHub slid 3.1 per cent to $2.81 and M1 sank 3.47 per cent to $1.95.

These reactions reflected concerns around earnings weakness and loss of market share among the incumbent players, in a market that already has a mobile penetration rate of around 150 per cent.

DBS analyst Sachin Mittal expects TPG Telecom to gain some 8.5 per cent of mobile revenue share by 2022, while overall revenue share can hit as high as 10 per cent of the market over the same period.

"We project StarHub's earnings to contract by 25 per cent and M1 by 41 per cent in financial year 2022 versus 2015, due to higher revenue share loss," Mr Mittal said in a note yesterday.

As a result, DBS believes StarHub and M1 shares are fully valued - its target price is $2.65 for StarHub and $1.78 for M1.

Singtel will also be vulnerable, but market watchers believe the industry leader is best placed to weather the challenges from the new entrant.

"We expect Singtel's earnings to stay resilient due to limited Singapore mobile business exposure and dominant position with enough scale to help mitigate new entrant impact," OCBC analyst Eugene Chua said in a report last week.

Only around a quarter of Singtel's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation was from Singapore, compared with the 100 per cent exposure to Singapore that StarHub and M1 have.

These factors are important as investors need to adopt a more selective approach to the telco stocks, long seen as stable yield plays around which a portfolio is built.

"In the past, given the defensive business of telcos, we would recommend investors to pick up telco stocks during such pullbacks. That, however, has changed. With the impending fourth telco entry, those with high Singapore exposure are no longer as defensive as they used to be," Mr Chua noted.

OCBC has thus given Singtel a fair value of $4.27 with a buy call. StarHub has a fair value of $3.05 while M1's is at $2.08 - both with a hold rating.

whwong@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Dec 16, 2016.
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A little-known Hindu shrine, built by workers of Malaysian train operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) at least 20 years ago, will have slightly over a month to move from its Queensway site.

The Sri Thandavaalam Muneeswaran Alayam shrine, which occupies 30 sq m, is located along the former KTM railway track, under a flyover at the intersection of Queensway and Portsdown Avenue.

After five years of engagement, officials from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) yesterday issued an encroachment advisory to the shrine's representatives, informing them they have to "remove the shrine, structures and other items by 18 January 2017".

The shrine has been occupying the land illegally for the last five years, after KTM stopped train services here and the land was returned to Singapore. Devotees pray to the Hindu deity Sri Thandavaalam Muneeswaran, who they consider a railway god.

On Monday, SLA sent a letter asking the shrine's co-operation "to vacate the state land immediately".

In the latest advisory, SLA said it had been engaging its representatives since 2011 and given them ample notice to relocate. It has also worked with agencies to source for alternatives, including co-location at other temples.

But these were rejected by the shrine's management committee, headed by provision shop owner Thirunaukarasu Adaikalam, and comprising some 20 members.

The shrine has to move because the land it sits on is not zoned for religious use and is part of the Rail Corridor, which is earmarked for redevelopment, the SLA said.

The shrine also poses public health and safety issues, as some devotees cook over open fires.

After the railway workers who built the shrine left, devotees cared for it.

Electricity and water supplies were cut, but they used a generator for power and carried water there.

Besides the 100 or so devotees, not many people visit or even know about the place.

The shrine's management is aware the occupation of land is illegal.

It has made appeals to MPs and various agencies since 2011.

On Dec 5, it submitted a petition signed by over 200 individuals to Tanjong Pagar GRC MP and Senior Minister of State for Law Indranee Rajah, appealing for the shrine to be allowed to remain or moved to a suitable site.

Civil servant Adaikalam Annadhurai, 64, the shrine's treasurer, said: "We feel a sense of belonging here. If possible, we don't wish to go. But if we need to, we would like to move somewhere nearby."

Mr Annadhurai said it is not easy to merge with other temples, as the devotees would not be able to conduct their own rituals.

"We worship a railway god, so we would like to move to a place near the railway," he said, adding that it would take more than 40 days of prayers before the deity could be relocated.

The shrine was featured last week as part of a Straits Times video feature Living City, which looks at places and spaces in Singapore that are often overlooked.

calyang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on December 16, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - Thousands of Filipinos gathered in Singapore on Friday to catch a glimpse of their president, Rodrigo Duterte, in a big show of support for a leader whose bloody war on drugs has horrified global rights groups but won support at home.

About 135,000 people from the Philippines live in Singapore, according to a breakdown of Philippine statistics for 2015.

About 70,000 of them are women working as domestic helpers, rights groups estimate, and many of them turned up on Friday - some without the permission of their bosses - to cheer their president on a visit to the city state.

"Most people love Duterte," said 43-year-old maid Arnelya, who declined to give her full name because her employers did not know she went out.

"I didn't ask them because they wouldn't have let me. I'm very lucky because my employers are on holiday," said Arnelya, who is supporting her four children back home on Mindanao island, Duterte's home region.

Hours before Duterte was due to appear at an exhibition centre near Singapore's Changi airport, cover bands, a church choir and a martial arts group took to the stage to entertain the crowd.

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2016-12-15 18:51:49

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President Rodrigo Duterte's official visit to Singapore

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Organisers issued 6,000 tickets for the event but expected a much larger turnout as supporters turned up hours early.

Duterte's war on drugs, the key plank of his campaign for a May election, has claimed about 5,000 lives since July 1.

While international rights groups, organisations including the Untied Nations and leaders such as US President Barack Obama have raised concern about the extra-judicial killings, at home, the bloody toll has bolstered Duterte's standing.

Duterte retained a "very good" opinion-poll rating after six months in office, with a net satisfaction rating of 63 per cent, a Philippine polling agency reported this week.

Arnelya shrugged off international criticism of Duterte, saying restoring order was "good for foreigners also".

Other supporters held up clenched fists and banners reading: "You are not alone on your war against drugs, Mr. President" and "Duterte - Making Philippines glorious again".

"I admire the war on drugs," said 31-year-old architect Rene Tahun. "He's fighting for us, for peace, order and safety. He must be tough. If not, crime will still go on." Duterte has promised the country's millions of overseas workers to boost the economy and fight drugs and corruption, so they can come home to a better life.

Across town, in central Singapore, Lilian Taguinod, 34, was disappointed she could not go to see her president. "I love Duterte," said Taguinod, holding her employer's nine-month-old daughter. "I want to see him, but I can't go because I cannot take the day off. It is impossible for anyone else to take care of her. She's like my fourth daughter."

The Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) has been asked to relook the legislation surrounding the assault of uniformed officers, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam in a Facebook post yesterday.

This follows the sentencing on Tuesday of Albin Lim Fu Rong, 25, who was jailed 10 weeks for causing hurt to a public servant in May.

The officer, Corporal Ammy Shazwina Rizuan Ong, 27, had been responding to a taxi driver who reported about his hostile passengers when Lim attacked her.

She was speaking to Lim at around 2am when he grabbed her head and neck, and pushed her head to the ground.

As Cpl Ammy tried to protect her firearm and other equipment with her hands, Lim kicked her lower back and then walked away.

She stood up and took a few steps towards him to stop him, but fainted.

Said Mr Shanmugam: "Lim's abusive conduct was terrible on several levels. He attacked a lady. He attacked an officer in uniform, doing her duty."

He added of the jail sentence: "I have asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to relook the legislation, to consider whether this is adequate.

"I have said to MHA that anyone who attacks a uniformed officer should learn a lesson which he will never forget; and it should be enough of a deterrence to others." In the first eight months of this year, there were 328 cases of abuse of Home Team officers. This figure for last year was 344 cases - working out to almost one case per day.

In May, a 51-year-old man was jailed three months for punching an officer in the face. He had been watching two police officers detain a suspect and reacted after one of them shouted at him to move away.

That same month, an allegedly suicidal 20-year-old baker was sentenced to community service and 18 months' probation for attacking two police officers and an ambulance medic sent to help him.

In March, a 23-year-old man was arrested for slashing a police officer who was investigating a complaint near his Geylang East home.

For voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant, an offender could be jailed up to seven years, caned and fined.

This article was first published on Dec 17, 2016.
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New appointments were announced yesterday for three government agencies - the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the People's Association (PA).

The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) announced the appointment of Mr Tan Kiat How as the new chief executive of IMDA, effective from Jan 1.

Mr Tan, currently deputy secretary (cyber and technology) at MCI, will take over from Mr Gabriel Lim, who will continue to serve as second permanent secretary (communications and information).

Meanwhile, MCCY announced Dr Ang Hak Seng's appointment as commissioner of charities-designate, to be made official on Jan 16.

Dr Ang, who is currently chief executive director of the PA, will take on two other appointments - executive director at the Registry of Co-operative Societies and Mutual Benefit Organisations (RCS) and deputy secretary-designate to lead Singapore Cares, a national movement for a more inclusive society.

Dr Ang was appointed as the PA's chief executive director on April 1, 2013, after having served as a grassroots leader in Yuhua and a councillor in the South-West

This article was first published on Dec 17, 2016.
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The Workers' Party (WP) moved out of its headquarters in Syed Alwi Road on Thursday, and will be buying a property to house its future base.

It held a final meeting at the Syed Alwi shophouse that night, when members voted to amend the party's constitution to allow the property purchase.

After the meeting, they cleared out the office - their base of operations for the last three general elections and two by-elections in 2012 and 2013 - as the lease expires at the end of the year.

In a Facebook post yesterday, former non-constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong reflected on the events he attended at the headquarters. "It was amazing how many people we could pack into such a small room for those press conferences, and especially for volunteers' briefings and signing of oaths for general election polling and counting agents," he wrote. "Sometimes 100 people, spilling into the corridors!"

The party held most of its major events there, from introducing election candidates to launching election manifestos.

Former Punggol East MP Lee Li Lian wrote in a Facebook post yesterday: "I can still remember the day I was first introduced as a WP candidate in 2011.

"The small office in the room offered us a place to cool down and practise our speeches."

Various groups in the party, such as the central executive council and the youth wing, also held regular meetings at the premises.

Weekly open houses also took place there. But this was discontinued in August as people now prefer other forms of engagement, such as attending Meet-the-People sessions to see the MP of their choice, a WP spokesman said.

"There is a sense of nostalgia and renewal as we leave the headquarters to write a new chapter... We have gone through many trials, but we have only one mind focused on Singapore and one heart set on Singaporeans," the party said in a Facebook post yesterday.

The WP is hoping to get its new premises by next year to coincide with its 60th anniversary, ideally in the north-east of Singapore, where the party is most active and the WP-held constituencies of Aljunied and Hougang are located.

The WP also thanked donors who contributed to funds for the new building and for the party.

"We are laying the bricks now and we hope to have good news to share with you soon," it said.

This article was first published on Dec 17, 2016.
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There were scenes of confusion yesterday morning as shoppers and employees went to 313@somerset, only to find that the shutters were down and entrances barricaded.

The Orchard Road shopping mall was closed for 31/2 hours yesterday, amid the peak Christmas shopping season, following a fire that broke out at one of its stores on Thursday night.

Security guards had to turn away shoppers and store employees.

The Straits Times understands that the cause of the fire, in the storeroom of clothing store Ripcurl on the fourth floor, was of an electrical nature.

The mall's general manager Cheryl Goh, who would only say that it was working with the authorities to investigate the cause, said the closure was for testing, cleanup and rectification works.

She apologised for the inconvenience caused to retailers and shoppers at the mall, which is managed by Lend Lease.

An employee from clothing store Mango, who wanted to be known only as Ms Neba, found out the mall was temporarily closed only when she arrived for work at 9.55am.

When security guards told the employees who were waiting around that the mall was likely to open only after noon - its official opening time is 10am - some left, while others told The Straits Times they were going for a coffee break.

Ms Neba and three of her colleagues were redeployed to the Mango outlet in Ion Orchard.

Some employees were allowed to enter the mall temporarily to take what they needed from their shops.

Undergraduate Regine Lau, 22, was there at 11am with her mother and sister intending to do some Christmas shopping before their 12.30pm appointment at Salon Vim.

"The salon told us to go to their Wisma Atria outlet instead. It is okay - we can shop at the other malls in Orchard Road instead."

The mall reopened at 1.30pm, but with the escalators on one side closed for maintenance.

A sign at Ripcurl said it was closed until further notice.

Next to it was gift shop Precious Moments, where business resumed despite the lingering smell of smoke in the air. Sales assistant Liew Mei Xin, 20, said the night before, she had noticed big clouds of smoke coming out of Ripcurl.

"An employee of (hotpot restaurant) Hai Di Lao called the police. I just took my things and ran out. I was very scared," she said.

Ms Liew said her shop was cleaned up by the time she got in at 1.30pm.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire around 10.25pm on Thursday. The blaze was put out using a single water jet, while the mall's sprinkler system was also activated, said an SCDF spokesman. A woman was taken to Singapore General Hospital after shehad a fall.

The closure meant that stores lost nearly four hours of sales.

Sales assistant Teh Chee Foong, 20, of sports retailer I Run, said: "We would have lost some customers. Hopefully we can just pay half-day rental and get compensation."

Between January and last month, there have been 14 fires in Orchard Road, compared to 16 in the whole of last year, said the SCDF.

Last December, there were a few fires in the precinct, with one at a Lucky Plaza restaurant and two involving Christmas decorations.

Street decorations outside Peranakan Place along the shopping strip had caught fire, while a Christmas tree outside Knightsbridge mall also went up in flames.

mellinjm@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Chew Hui Min

This article was first published on Dec 17, 2016.
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Grabbing that extra slice of bak kwa during Chinese New Year may be less of a guilt trip in a few years' time.

The traditional barbecued pork snack is going the healthy route, thanks to a team of Nanyang Polytechnic students.

And popular retailer Lim Chee Guan is taking the bite.

The NYP team devised a way to harness soya bean residue - a by-product that would normally be thrown away - to turn out a crispier version of bak kwa that is also packed with dietary fibre.

About 30,000kg of soya bean residue - called okara - is rendered useless and discarded here each day.

Scientists have been finding ways to recycle it - okara has been turned into a solution to grow yeast by a team at Nanyang Technological University, and converted into mock meat floss by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore.

The students are the latest to tap into the rich source of dietary fibre.

To create a healthier alternative to bak kwa, a six-month project was started with the support of manufacturer Lim Chee Guan Food Industries to incorporate okara into the company's secret bak kwa recipe.

To get the best taste and colour, the students ran almost 100 trials with three ovens to test for the optimal temperature and baking time. The team's method involves baking the meat, which is healthier than cooking it on the grill. They also swopped pork for chicken so more people can enjoy the snack.

Ms Danice Peh, 19, and Ms Lai Xue Er, 21, food science and nutrition students, members of the team of four, would spend hours in the laboratory each day.

"Lots of people started calling us the bak kwa girls because we were always in the lab baking bak kwa," said Ms Lai with a laugh.

The team stumbled upon the new version by accident, when they rolled the mix too thinly and cooked it too long. The result was thin crispy strips of bak kwa.

Said Mr Muhammad Haziq Md Hasan, 20, a business management student: "I was scraping them off the tray to throw them away but decided to taste some and realised it was really nice."

It was so tasty that he and fellow business management student Iann Prasetya Hussi, 19, who were in charge of marketing the product, convinced the company to consider a crispy version instead.

A spokesman for Lim Chee Guan Food Industries said that as customers are becoming more health- conscious, it has been wanting to develop a bak kwa snack with improved nutritional value, one that can be consumed every day and not just during Chinese New Year.

The team is in talks with the firm to mass produce their bak kwa.

Ms Peh and Ms Lai have been offered part-time jobs during their school break this month to further modify the recipe to make it even healthier. This includes increasing the fibre content and reducing the salt and sugar in the marinade.

They will also help to come up with a manufacturing process.

Ms Lina Tan, the students' co-supervisor and senior lecturer of the food science and nutrition course at NYP, said she hopes that the healthier bak kwa will hit the market in one to two years.

Tests by an external laboratory have found that the students' bak kwa has around 4g of fibre per 100g, which means it can be marketed as a "source of dietary fibre".

Quek Jing Yi, 18, also a food science and nutrition student at NYP, said he was initially sceptical about his classmates' creation, expecting it to taste bland. "It turned out to be quite flavourful. It does not taste like the traditional bak kwa but there is still that familiar taste."

"I liked that it was crispy. You can eat it like potato chips."

This article was first published on Dec 17, 2016.
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The first operator to run "three in one" eldercare services - nursing home, senior care centres and home care - will be in Ang Mo Kio and Hougang.

Under the Integrated Operator Scheme, first announced in April, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will appoint such operators to encourage services to be integrated and achieve economies of scale, so they are more affordable.

The first call for proposals was made by MOH last month on government procurement website GeBiz, and the locations given.

The appointed integrated operator would have to run facilities at three sites:

• A senior care centre at Block 364, Upper Serangoon Road (in the Hougang Meadow Housing Board estate);
• A senior care centre in the same location as a polyclinic at 21, Ang Mo Kio Central 2 ; and
• An eldercare facility, comprising a nursing home with a senior care centre, at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.

These will be built and owned by MOH, and leased to the appointed operator to run.

MOH told Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao that it decided to pilot the integration scheme in central Singapore "in view of immediate needs and ready sites". It may extend it to other parts of the country, "subject to market conditions".

This is part of the ministry's efforts to provide quality and affordable care to the elderly as the population ages, with those aged 65 and above expected to double to 900,000 by 2030.

The senior care centres in the three sites will provide daycare, dementia daycare and rehabilitation services, and can serve a total of about 200 seniors a day.

The nursing home will provide nursing and rehabilitation care to patients who need more time to recover after being discharged from hospital, and will have an estimated 180 beds.

Home care services will also be provided out of these facilities to about 200 frail and home-bound elderly residents living in the area.

The facilities are being constructed and scheduled to be run from 2018.

MOH said in its tender that it hopes to appoint the operator that can "best... integrate the different forms of aged care services so that seniors can receive continuous, seamless and person-centric care even as their care needs evolve".

It said the appointed operator should also work closely with the National Healthcare Group, which manages the polyclinic in the second site, to provide coordinated care. Non-profit and commercial players can bid for the tender, which closes on Feb 3 next year.

Mr Lee Kim Siang, chairman of Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society, which has several eldercare centres in Ang Mo Kio, said the group intends to put in a bid.

He said: "We know the people in the area and we've had some economies of scale, so I think we can meet the required quality standards.

"Operators may be able to offer more holistic care through this scheme and this could help free up beds in acute hospitals too."

This article was first published on Dec 17, 2016.
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Malaysia and Singapore will take further steps to guarantee the crucial supply of water from the stressed Johor River, said Singapore's Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.

He said the prime ministers of both countries had resolved on Tuesday, at a Leaders' Retreat, to take "timely and appropriate measures" to augment the supply of natural water to the Johor River.

While he did not reveal what measures would be taken, he said Malaysia and Singapore will look at "many schemes that have already been proposed", and decide based on technical feasibility, cost and speed of implementation.

Mr Masagos made the comments after an annual meeting here with his Malaysian counterpart, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Jaafar.

The Straits Times reported in May that Johor is studying plans to divert water from two rivers to the Linggiu Reservoir located upstream of the Johor River to ease water shortages that have hit the state in the past few years. The reservoir collects and releases rainwater, pushing seawater back into the sea to ensure the river water is not too salty to be treated.

One of Singapore's four taps besides reclaimed water (Newater), desalinated water and local catchment water, the Johor River supplies nearly 60 per cent of the Republic's current water needs.

But dry weather this year has raised fears over whether Singapore can continue to rely on Malaysia for the 250 million gallons per day of raw water under a water agreement which runs until 2061.

Yesterday, Mr Masagos noted that despite installing a barrage over the river mouth to prevent the intrusion of salt water, fresh water levels were still precariously low.

The Linggiu Reservoir was currently at 26 per cent of its capacity, he said. The reservoir was at 80 per cent at the beginning of last year, and 35 per cent in April this year.

"On the back of the dry monsoon season next year, it is probably not going to recover very quickly," he told reporters. The dry monsoon season usually runs from May to September, but has been affected by climate change. This year, for example, the reservoir started to dry up around March.

Mr Masagos said the barrage is now fully operational mechanically - automatic deployment will begin only in March - increasing the yield of treated water as plants no longer need to be shut down when the river gets too salty.

"What that means is that salinity intrusion has been resolved. I have been monitoring, and it has been very effective. But the natural flow of the Johor River is not enough to meet the needs currently of the Johor population as well as the Singapore population should Linggiu dam fail," he said.

Under the two countries' water agreement, Singapore is obliged to sell 5 million gallons of treated water to Johor each day. But PUB this year provided Johor with up to 16 million gallons of water a day as it was forced to undergo rationing.

Yesterday, delegations from the two countries discussed issues such as land reclamation works in the Strait of Johor and efforts in combating haze.

Both Mr Masagos and Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi told reporters that all stakeholders need to recognise that the ecology of the waterway is linked to the value of developments along the shared strait, and it is in everyone's interest to take environmental concerns seriously.

On the haze, Mr Masagos said he was confident the Asean road map on transboundary haze would lead to a "haze-free Asean" by 2020.

This article was first published on Dec 17, 2016.
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Investigations by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) revealed that four main lapses had led to an accident at a Fusionoplis worksite in 2014 that resulted in the deaths of two workers.

The findings were released by the ministry yesterday, after contractor GS Engineering & Construction Corp was handed a record $250,000 fine for failing in its duty to take adequate measures to ensure the safety and health of its employees at work.

The maximum prescribed fine under the Workplace Safety and Health Act is $500,000.

GS was engaged to build an 11-storey tower and an 18-storey tower with three basements at the worksite. The project started in November 2011 and was scheduled for completion by March 2014.

On Jan 22, 2014, five construction workers were instructed to load an air compressor onto a platform suspended by a tower crane at the edge of the seventh floor of the 11-storey tower, in order to move it up to the eighth floor.

When the air compressor was loaded, it rolled away from the edge of the building, causing the loading platform to tilt.

Two workers could not move away in time and fell out of the loading platform together with the air compressor.

Bangladeshi nationals Rajib Md Abdul Hannan, 24, and Ratan Roy Abinash Roy, 28, fell to the ground and died from multiple injuries.

Investigations by MOM's Occupational Safety and Health Division found four lapses.

First, it found that GS had failed to ensure that all workers were trained to use the loading platform.

Only one of the two workers had attended training conducted by a supplier of the lifting platform; there were no records to show that the other man was trained to install and dismantle the platform.

Second, MOM found that GS had failed to implement a safe system of work.

The company had a safety management system at the worksite, including a "permit to work" system for high-risk activities such as lifting operations.

However, there was no application for a permit for the lifting of the loading platform. There was also no lifting plan implemented for the safe lifting of the platform.

In addition, contrary to safe work procedures, no qualified lifting supervisor was present to supervise the lifting of the loading platform.

Third, MOM found that GS had failed to ensure that no loose objects were on the loading platform.

Fourth, GS had failed to ensure that the workers wore safety harnesses that were anchored securely to effectively arrest falls.

In any event, GS did not provide a lifeline, so the team would not have been able to anchor their harnesses, even if they had worn them.

This article was first published on Dec 17, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - A 36-year-old man trapped under a taxi at a carpark in Ang Mo Kio died on Friday (Dec 16) night.

The police told The Straits Times on Friday that they were alerted at 8.49pm to an accident involving a taxi and a 36-year-old pedestrian at the carpark at Block 475, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it dispatched five vehicles including an ambulance and a red rhino.

SCDF officers used a hydraulic spreader and an airbag to free the man, but he was pronounced dead by paramedics on the spot.

The male taxi driver was arrested for causing death by a negligent act.

The Straits Times understands that the accident occurred as the taxi driver allegedly did not notice the man.

Police investigations are ongoing.

This article was first published on Dec 16, 2016.
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