SINGAPORE - Patrons of the Chinatown Complex Food Centre were surprised to see that a popular food stall there appeared to have been suddenly shuttered without warning.
The stall in question used to be home to "Ma Li Ya virgin chicken", a well-established stall selling soya sauce chicken rice at the hawker centre. It is situated less than 50m away from the Michelin-starred Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle stall.
According to Shin Min Daily News, a patron to the food centre had seen people tearing down the signboard at the stall on Feb 4. Since then, the stall has remained shut, without any notice given announcing its closure.
Photo: Shin Min Daily News
However, a worker at a neighbouring drinks stall, Mdam Lai, told Shin Min that the stall had not closed down for good, but that its owner, Madam Siew, was merely taking a break.
Said Madam Lai: "I last saw Madam Siew on Feb 1. She told me then that it was her last day at this stall, and will be re-opening her business at another stall in two months."
Shin Min managed to contact Madam Siew, who said that she had chosen to move to a new location because her current stall owner had other plans for the stall, and that her new stall would be situated close by in the same food centre.
She also told the Chinese evening daily that she is planning to spend time with her family during her two-month break, and may even go overseas for a holiday to recharge her batteries before re-opening her business.
Photo: Shin Min Daily News
Madam Siew added that despite being shut for less than a week, she had already gotten numerous calls from regular customers who miss her soya sauce chicken, and asking when exactly she would be returning again.
Last year, Shin Min had reported that Madam Siew is believed to have been a teacher to Mr Chan Hon Meng, the man behind the Michelin-starred soya sauce chicken rice stall at the same hawker centre. She had also revealed that her success had been due to the soya sauce she uses, which is brewed based on a secret family recipe.
After Ms Ang Hwee Chuin's family moved into their new apartment in Kallang two months ago, all three of them started falling sick.
"My husband had fever, I had rhinitis flare-ups and my kid had a non-stop leaky nose and chesty cough," said the 37-year-old freelance consultant.
Mould, she discovered, had grown on the external back panels of the wardrobes in two of the rooms.
Ms Ang contacted the furniture retailer last Tuesday, and it told her it would not be replacing the two-month-old wardrobes.
It said: "We regret that as the mould existed due to the environment, it is not covered in our store's policy."
In humid Singapore, mould on furniture is not unheard of.
Over the past five years, the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) has received 38 complaints about mould on furniture, said executive director Loy York Jiun.
In a response to queries by The Straits Times, the company that sold Ms Ang the furniture said: "Due to the humid climate in Singapore, we do occasionally have customers coming to us with similar enquiries.
'WELL-VENTILATED'
"As mould grows in damp conditions, rooms should be kept well-ventilated. Each case is looked at on a case-by-case basis, to assess the recovery options for customers."
Ms Ang said the cupboards were assembled and placed in the flat last November, one month before they moved in.
The flat's windows were left slightly ajar during that period.
She paid about $2,000 for the wardrobes and said they were the only furniture items in the apartment to have mould.
Experts said there are many reasons why mould could grow.
Mold Buster's Feng Huinan told ST that mould growth is complex. Determining the origin of an infestation involves many factors, he said. These range from how porous the furniture material is to how often air-conditioning is used, and even how frequently a home owner travels.
Mould, said Mr Feng, could grow within 48 hours.
To prevent it, home owners should avoid introducing moisture into the house.
For instance, the floor should be dried quickly after mopping.
Both the interior and exterior of the home should be kept clean as dust can contain mould.
josehong@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Feb 9, 2017.
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Three new Ministry of Education (MOE) kindergartens will open in Punggol next year to cater to the high demand for pre-school services, bringing the total number of such kindergartens to 18.
In a new move, all eligible Singaporean Nursery 2 children enrolled at four upcoming My First Skool and PAP Community Foundation (PCF) "early years centres" in Punggol will also be guaranteed a Kindergarten 1 place in a nearby partner MOE kindergarten, in the year they turn five. This will take effect from 2019.
These early-years centres will admit children up to the age of four. After which, the children may be placed in one of the three new MOE kindergartens or an existing one co-located with Punggol View Primary.
The new MOE kindergartens will be co-located with Oasis Primary, Punggol Cove Primary and Waterway Primary.
They will offer about 120 places each, a four-hour kindergarten programme, as well as before- and after-school care, up to 7pm.
Education Minister (Schools) Ng Chee Meng said yesterday the new kindergartens will help meet the rising demand for pre-school places by families with young children in growing estates such as Punggol.
Regarding the new collaboration among MOE, My First Skool and PCF, the ministry's divisional director for education services, Mrs Loke-Yeo Teck Yong, said this model will enable the early-years centres to take in more children aged two months to four years.
Their remarks come three weeks after the Government announced that four more mega childcare centres will be built by the middle of next year.
At the start of the Nursery 2 year, parents of eligible children in the early-years centres can choose whether to accept an offered place at a partner MOE kindergarten.
There will also be places available for children who are not from these centres.
Registration for Kindergarten 1 admission for 10 of the MOE kindergartens will be held on April 1 and 3.
For the remaining eight kindergartens, registration takes place on April 8 and 10. Open houses at those pre-schools will be held on April 1 and 8.
A Dutch-led team will help create the new Jurong Lake District, beating out four others with its vision.
KCAP Architects&Planner's proposal comprises four large interconnected parks, buildings 30 to 40 storeys high each with a rooftop garden, and a canal that borders the district centre.
This will be Rotterdam-based KCAP's first project with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
Ms Yvonne Lim, URA's group director for physical planning, emphasised that the vision from KCAP's team was aspirational, and many details had yet to be finalised.
However, she said its proposal won because it "had given very sensitive focus on 'green' and 'blue', with ideas to weave new waterways and greenery from the gardens into the entire district, thus giving it a very distinctive identity".
Innovative proposals to transform Jurong Lake District into a district of the future.
Aerial view of Jurong Lake District.Photo: Urban Redevelopment Authority
The 360ha site will comprise three precincts: Jurong Gateway, Lakeside and Lakeside Gateway.
It will function as Singapore's second central business district and will be the location of the terminus for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail.
Ms Lim added that URA liked its focus on walkable streets and interactive public spaces for social activities.
KCAP will next work with government agencies to draw up detailed proposals for the district.
The public will have the chance to give feedback on these proposals in the middle of the year. URA will work with KCAP and relevant agencies to incorporate the feedback, where appropriate, before finalising the masterplan by year end.
The Straits Times understands the plan will be implemented in stages over the next 10 to 30 years once construction begins.
josehong@sph.com.sg
249369
2016-01-07 11:33:47
Photo Gallery
What goes on in a lesser-known treasure trove in Jurong
Four months after a fire destroyed the livelihood of 51 stallholders in Jurong West, many have resumed business at a temporary wet market set up at a basketball court.
The oldest stallholder, Mr Neo Chwee Eng, 82, who sells yong tau foo, is grateful to be back in business as he is the breadwinner in the family.
The fire on Oct 11 destroyed a 31-year-old wet market and coffee shop at Block 493, Jurong West Street 41.
A privately-run coffee shop at adjoining Block 494 was also badly damaged.
Florist Teo Yew Ngee, 67, said he has had a 35 per cent drop in customers.
He said: "Some regulars said they were too lazy to walk here. There's no sheltered walkway here, so we don't have business when it rains."
Construction of a new two-storey complex comprising a market and eldercare facilities is set to begin later this year and is due to be ready by end-2018.
Jurong GRC MP Ang Wei Neng told TNP that the new complex is still in its design stage, and he visited stallholders at the temporary market over Chinese New Year.
He said: "They are happily settling down. All 35 stalls are taken up and business is almost back to normal.
"More than half of the cooked food stalls have settled into nearby coffee shops."
A group called Stand Up for Singapore raised about $32,000 for 22 hawkers in the Block 494 coffee shop.
Mr Wally Tham, 39, the group's founder, said it started the crowdfunding project because hawkers in the privately-run coffee shop were not receiving help, unlike those in the Block 493 market, which is owned by the Housing Board.
bxliew@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on February 9, 2017.
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What does a $240,000 meal for 20 people look like? It seems many netizens are now aching to know.
A video which surfaced on social media purportedly shows a family feasting on the infamous $240,000 reunion meal at Feng Shui Inn restaurant at Resorts World Sentosa.
At first glance, the video has all the trappings of an opulent dinner that fits a $240,000 bill: A private room, a massive table, a wide lazy susan surrounding a huge steamer containing Chinese delicacies and seafood. And to make things more posh, waiters line up in rows to serve guests at the table while a dedicated restaurant staff can be heard describing the dishes through the sound system.
Explains the massive bill that came with the meal? Probably.
Except that the video is not related to Singapore's priciest meal - the latest of such deceptive news flooding the Facebook timelines of unsuspecting netizens, this time leeching on the buzz created by a photo of the $240,000 Feng Shui Inn receipt.
Alert netizens were quick to flag out that the restaurant in the video was serving Taiwanese cuisine, while Feng Shui Inn serves Cantonese cuisine.
The video, which is circulating on Facebook and Whatsapp, has been shared more than 700 times on the former.
A Facebook user by the name PM Koo also shared a video from Youtube showing the exact same video, revealing that the footage was actually shot at a restaurant in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
A restaurant staff can also be heard in the video informing diners that one of the dishes is 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall', which is absent on the $240,000 receipt.
Alert netizens debunking the source of the video.Photo: Facebook screengrabs
The decadent meal at Feng Shui Inn restaurant made headlines on Wednesday after a photograph of the staggering bill went viral.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the group of 20 dined at the restaurant for reunion dinner on Jan 27, and dishes ordered include one geoduck clam, which cost over $1,000, and 15 "special" dishes which racked up a staggering $55,320.
The diners also splurged $72,000 on two bottles of Chinese Moutai liquor, and $61,000 on five bottles of top-ranked French wines.
grongloh@sph.com.sg
334783
2016-11-03 17:10:38
Photo Gallery
This could be the world's most expensive potato chip
NINE out of 10 Uber cars in Singapore are being used at any one time, contrary to reports which said a significant part of Uber Singapore's fleet is idling in carparks.
In an interview with The Business Times yesterday, Uber Singapore general manager Warren Tseng said the cars that have been "deemed idling in carpark lots" are either new cars being inspected, having the In-Vehicle Unit (IU) installed or cars that have just been returned and are being cleaned.
Mr Tseng was rebutting news reports that said close to 1,000 brand new cars, many with the Uber-owned Lion City Rental (LCR) number plates, had been sitting in a number of multi-storey carparks in Singapore.
"There are lots of cars around the city that could be easily mistaken as Uber cars. It's also impossible that our cars are idling islandwide, when we have only three pick-up points for our drivers," Mr Tseng said.
He also said that LCR "exists in response to market demand".
"There are tens of thousands of drivers in Singapore today, who recognise the opportunity to earn money flexibly. We wanted to encourage drivers to try our platform by making our rental flexible - something that the taxi companies are currently adopting," he said.
"With such flexibility, you see cars coming in and out daily. Sometimes they are parked for servicing; other times for cleaning after the driver is done using the vehicle. As an outsider, if you look at the lots, it is easy to assume they are not be hired," the head of the ride-hailing service provider said. But he declined to disclose the total number of vehicles in its fleet "for strategic reasons".
Photo: The Business Times
Mr Tseng, who moved to Singapore in 2014 after launching Uber in Thailand and Indonesia, said he wanted "to experiment owning assets" as the company grows organically here - moving away from its original "asset-light" model.
"With assets, we have a very different business model here. We are learning the workings of a car rental company and at the same time, how to grow an asset business at the speed of an app service," he said, debunking the rumour that Uber is selling off what were deemed as its idle vehicles.
Instead, the company continues to bid for Certificates of Entitlement (COE) to build its assets and the move was confirmed by car dealers and parallel importers.
Owner of second-hand car dealership Carnex Auto Ong Yuan Sheng said Uber is "still bidding" for COEs and several parallel importers, like Mr Steven Tan from ST Carz, said the private-hire player is buying cars from them.
Sia Siew Kien, Associate Professor of Information Technology & Operations Management from the Nanyang Business School at NTU, said startup funders and investors tend to be demanding and the funds raised by these startups "are typically tied to some growth or expansion plans".
"To establish its market presence, Uber not only needs to fight the incumbents but also other equally strong startup competitors such as Grab. Uber's intensely competitive behaviour is thus understandable. As a platform player, scalability is important. You can only be number one in the market. There is no place for the smaller players," he said.
"In a way, Singapore is unique as cars are generally more expensive than other countries. Consequently, the pool of private drivers willing to go with Uber and Grab is smaller. This is one way Uber and Grab can expand their driver pool to ensure ready ride availability for customers," Prof Sia added.
Uber, a global powerhouse valued at close to US$68 billion (S$95.9 billion), is focusing on organic growth as it expands into South-east Asian markets, its senior vice-president of policy and strategy David Plouffe revealed in an interview during a visit to Taipei in November last year.
And while some industry watchers felt that Uber is creating pressure on COE prices last April and May when it reportedly secured about 1,700 car COEs within just two months of bidding, Mr Tseng said "it is unfair and misdirected to assume so".
"If you look at LTA's (Land Transport Authority) data, COE prices have actually dropped from April 2015, which was a month after LCR started, to the current rates," he said.
Mr Tseng said the company's ultimate strategy: To optimise the use of every single car.
"Consider how many cars you see on the road with just one person in it. We think it's a waste as it leaves up to four other seats unused. With ridesharing and carpooling, seat utilisation per car is increased and we are getting 120 per cent out of these cars, compared to what the individual car owner is getting," he said, adding that one in three Uber rides in Singapore is an uberPOOL ride.
Co-founder of influencer marketing and media company Gushcloud Althea Lim said Uber sees itself as a car-asset company in South-east Asia and by growing its assets, it will be able to control pricing and push rivals out of the market.
Rival Grab has also upped its battle against Uber in the region. The Singapore-based company, valued at more than US$3 billion (S$4.2 billion), announced its plan to put US$700 million (S$989.2 million) to work in Indonesia, the largest of the six markets in serves in South-east Asia, over the next four years.
Its spokesman said: "Grab wants to build a multi-modal shared transportation platform made up of the widest land fleet network of taxis, private-hire cars, and personal cars. We truly believe that a multi-modal approach is the only way to reach our goal of ensuring every Grab ride arrives in less than three minutes."
Two cars were involved in a collision near Chong Pang Camp in Yishun this morning (Feb 9) at around 7.30am.
Stomp contributor Gary sent in photos of the accident, which showed the Toyota in an odd position of having half of its body tilted on top of the other vehicle.
A Land Transport Authority (LTA) officer was also spotted at the scene.
Gary said: "I saw this at around 8am so I think the accident happened about half an hour ago. It's just outside Chong Pang Camp."
"I think the two guys seen in the photos are the drivers. No injuries were spotted."
378022
2017-02-09 12:40:33
Photo Gallery
Accident involving 2 cars has one landing on top of the other
Vehicle lands on another in Kota Kinabalu The Star/ANN
Photo: The Star
KOTA KINABALU - Two women drivers escaped with light injuries when one vehicle landed on the roof of another in an accident at Jalan Karamunsing in the city here.
The 10.30am mishap attracted a large crowd of curious onlookers.
Kota Kinabalu police chief Asst Comm M. Chandra said a 54-year-old driver rammed her MPV into the back the car in front, pushing it upwards while the MPV went under the vehicle.
The MPV driver sustained slight injuries to her right leg.
The case is being investigated under the Road Transport Act.
A record number of private schools shut down last year, continuing the shakedown in a sector that once headlined Singapore's ambition to be an education hub.
Even more are expected to exit the scene this year, as the authorities prepare to enforce new and stricter rules.
Last year, 25 private schools deregistered with the Committee for Private Education (CPE), including big names such as Nanyang Education Institute and M2 Academy, which opened with a bang in Orchard Road just three years ago. In 2015, 17 schools shut down.
There are 293 registered private schools currently - the first time that the number has dropped below 300 since 2012, when tough new rules weeded out hundreds that could not meet the standards required of them.
The latest bloodletting in the sector means that the plan of building a Global Schoolhouse in Singapore, which aimed to enrol 150,000 foreign students by 2015, has effectively been shelved.
Mr Brandon Lee, director-general (private education) of SkillsFuture Singapore, said the restructuring is inevitable and will continue as the Government shapes the sector to better serve the needs of students and the economy.
He added: "Existing players need to be committed to continuous improvement to make their programmes more industry relevant and robust."
Industry watchers say more may exit the industry in the next few months, as the CPE, which oversees the industry, introduces new measures to better protect students and make information more transparent for them.
Among other things, private schools that offer degrees will have to take part in an annual graduate employment survey run by the CPE.
Private schools will also require a minimum paid- up capital of $100,000.
CPE officials said most of the schools closed voluntarily amid tougher business conditions, and some have decided to focus on shorter skills-based modular courses, in line with SkillsFuture.
Schools not offering degrees, diploma or full-time courses at the post-secondary level need not be registered with the CPE.
In the event of a closure, the CPE works closely with the school to ensure students' interests are protected.
The school is required to finish teaching a course or ensure that its students can transfer to other schools with the same programme.
The current student enrolment figures at private schools are not available, but figures reported in 2015 - 77,000 locals and 29,000 foreigners - already showed a drop in numbers.
Media reports five years ago said there were about 100,000 locals and about 35,000 foreigners enrolled in privately run schools.
The number of local students is also expected to fall further as the Government has pledged to increase the yearly intake for the six universities to cover 40 per cent of the cohort.
Mr Lee Kwok Cheong, chief executive of Singapore's biggest private school, SIM Global Education, expects the shake-up to continue as rules are tightened further.
Management Development Institute of Singapore secretary-general R. Theyvendran also thinks more private schools will exit the scene.
"That is not necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully, the quality players will remain and have some support to grow their business," he said.
sandra@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Feb 09, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Singapore is facing a major challenge in its water security in the next 50 years, and the impending rise in water prices - which sparked debate when it was announced on Tuesday - is only a small part of the solution.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said yesterday at a Pre-Committee of Supply consultation session - attended by 35 members of industry, academia, non-governmental organisations and the public - that having a culture of "revulsion" towards water wastage was much more critical to the country than worrying about the cost of water.
Industry will have a growing role in perpetuating this culture, as it is already using more than half (55 per cent) of Singapore's water. By 2060, this is predicted to hit 70 per cent of Singapore's total water demand, which itself is expected to double by then.
Nevertheless, Mr Masagos said the Government will give due consideration to economic factors in setting the price of water.
"While we need to recover its cost, we cannot do so by sacrificing the competitiveness of Singapore to attract industries to come here," he said.
This might not happen, noted Mr Lee Kok Choy, managing director and Singapore country manager of Micron Semiconductor Asia, who said: "The cost should be whatever it takes to cover the cost of manufacturing water... but it is a very small percentage of total cost (for companies) and it won't drive industry out (of Singapore) if all you do is just cover cost."
Participants at the event said the price increase would motivate decision-makers at companies to take action to reduce water usage.
Suggestions for this were tabled at the session, such as incorporating water-saving measures in the design stage for buildings and industrial processes, rather than trying to improve efficiency later.
Mr Jagadish C.V., chief executive of Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Co, suggested incentives to encourage the right culture in reducing water consumption.
"When you increase the cost of water, there should be incentives that are linked to social responsibility. For example, if you increase (water price) by 1 cent, you give a rebate of 0.45 cent to the industries that are already recycling 45 per cent (of water). The message is, if you are socially responsible in recycling, you pay less," he said.
Although Singapore's water consumption rate of 151 litres per capita per day is considered low among developed cities in Asia, many European countries have water consumption rates below 140 litres per capita per day.
In 2015, the World Resources Institute ranked Singapore highest in water risk alongside six other countries, most of which are in the Middle East.
Photo: The Straits Times
How industry can cut its usage
Industry users could do more to lower their water footprint by recycling or reusing more of the precious resource.
Top water users here include wafer fabrication companies, which use water as a cleaning agent, as well as other firms that use large amounts of water for cooling purposes.
Professor Ng Wun Jern, executive director of the Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), said an imminent price hike would raise operating costs for the industry and drive it to consider changing processes to use less water.
One way would be to treat the waste water such firms produce and reuse it internally, such as for flushing toilets, said Dr Cecilia Tortajada, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Water Policy, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
"Some companies are already improving the efficiency of their water usage, but there is definitely room for improvement," she added.
At the Pre-Committee of Supply Consultation Session with Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli yesterday, participants from the industry said that industrial water consumption data for benchmarking and comparison is not yet available.
Such data would help them in their efforts to implement more water-efficient practices.
Water around the world is generally priced too low, Singapore included, experts said. A price hike would nudge users to think twice about how water is being used.
Dr Ng Yew-Kwang, the Albert Winsemius Chair Professor of Economics at NTU, said: "As a rule, utility prices are too low rather than too high in virtually all cities/countries."
But while both price and non- pricing strategies could help reduce water demand, people need to understand that water is scarce, said Dr Tortajada. "
Many people know about climate change but don't see it as something that our behaviour will have an impact on," she added.
<p>Singapore is facing a major challenge in its water security in the next 50 years, and the impending rise in water prices - which sparked debate when it was announced on Tuesday - is only a small part of the solution.</p>
When Ms Tan Li-Lin and her husband returned from work last Tuesday, they thought their five-room Punggol flat had been burgled.
On the floor were shards from the dining table's glass top, which had shattered and sent fragments to as far as the bedroom hallway.
After checking that nothing else was amiss, the couple realised that the glass had shattered on its own.
"Thankfully no one was at home when it happened," Ms Tan, a 33-year-old who works in communications, told The Straits Times. "It was just painful to clean up - they (the shards) had got into the couch, carpet, everywhere."
The dining table, bought for about $2,000 from a furniture store at Marina Square about three years ago, had no visible cracks or chips on the tempered glass top, she said.
In a separate incident on Sunday, a Turbo Italia tempered glass top gas stove shattered in a Pasir Ris flat.
Both gas cookers and dining table furniture are subject to safety regulations under consumer product safety authority Spring Singapore.
Tempered glass is commonly used for glass tops of gas and electric hobs as well as table tops as it lasts longer and is more impact- and heat-resistant, Spring said.
Glass experts said spontaneous shattering occurs only in tempered glass.
But there is no cause for panic, they said, as such cases are not common.
Also, tempered glass implodes, shattering into small pieces with rounder edges than that of normal glass, reducing the risk of injury.
A check with the Consumers Association of Singapore found that it has received nine complaints since 2014 about furniture with glass parts shattering, and five complaints about shattering glass stoves and cooker hobs.
Experts said tempered glass is about four times stronger than untreated glass as it is strengthened through heat.
But the tempering process creates surface stress which, combined with nickel sulphide inclusions created during the glass manufacturing process, can cause the glass to spontaneously shatter months or years later.
Lower-quality glass contains more sulphide inclusions, which increases the likelihood of spontaneous shattering, experts said.
A safer option is laminated glass, which is two layers of glass joined by an adhesive. The glass surface holds together even when broken, as the broken pieces stick to the adhesive.
But laminated glass can be nearly twice as expensive.
Business development manager Gary Lee of Singapore Safety Glass said consumers can also ask if tempered glass has been heat-soaked, a process that tests for spontaneous breakage.
Safety film can be applied to tempered glass, or a tablecloth placed over table tops to avoid injury if shattering occurs, he said.
Meanwhile, Turbo Italia's distributor Happiness Pte Ltd told The Straits Times it had conducted a joint investigation with gas supplier City Gas and found that the product was not faulty.
It added that it has maintained a 0.1 per cent glass shattering incident rate.
Safety tips for using tempered glass gas cookers include avoiding the use of oversized or heavy cooking utensils, as well as the use of aluminium foil or other materials to cover the tempered glass top or overspill trays, said Spring.
Consumers with safety concerns related to household electrical, electronic and gas products or consumer goods can contact Spring.
tiffanyt@sph.com.sg
Additional reporting by Jose Hong
This article was first published on Feb 09, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
SINGAPORE - A businessman who is accused of driving against the flow of traffic along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) on Dec 19 and caused a fatal accident, was offered a bail of $50,000 on Thursday (Feb 9).
On Jan 3, Lim Chai Heng was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder for causing the death of Mr Liong Kuo Hua, 37.
Mr Liong, who was also known as Jackie, was an actor who had appeared in several films, television programmes and commercials. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Thursday, Lim appeared via videolink from Changi Medical Centre.
The court heard that according to a report from the Institute of Mental Health, he is of sound mind and fit to plea.
Bank robbery suspect David James Roach, 27, is being investigated by the police in Thailand for failing to report to Thai customs that he was carrying more than US$20,000 (S$28,300) when he entered the country last July (2016).
Travellers going in and out of Thailand are required to declare to customs if they are carrying more than US$20,000 or its equivalent.
The development comes seven months after the Canadian national was accused of robbing the Holland Village branch of Standard Chartered Bank of $30,000 on July 7 last year.
Roach allegedly handed the teller a note with his demands, then fled to Bangkok with the money on the same day.
Three days later, he was arrested at a backpacker hostel and has been in remand in Bangkok since.
He was found with 700,000 baht (S$28,300) in cash, as well as a notebook detailing his escape plan, which included stopovers in Chiang Mai and Dubai.
Shin Min Daily News reported on Wednesday (Feb 9) that Roach, who has hired a lawyer, has been transferred from Bangkok's immigration detention centre and is currently held in prison.
Last July, the Singapore authorities wrote to the Thai government, asking for assistance to repatriate Roach back to Singapore.
A month later, the Attorney-General's Office in Bangkok reportedly rejected Singapore's request. Singapore has no extradition treaty with Thailand.
"We denied it because we are not in the position to consider it," said Mr Amnat Chotchai, director-general of international affairs at the Attorney- General's Office. He did not elaborate on the reasons.
The Thai authorities cancelled Roach's right of stay in the country after Singapore issued a warrant for his arrest. But as an immigration offender, Roach would be deported back to Canada if he cannot be extradited.
However, Mr Amnat told Shin Min that they have yet to receive such a request from the Canadian authorities.
Shin Min reported that investigations into Roach's customs offence started in November and took about 70 days. The case has since been handed over to Thai prosecutors.
Thai immigration police chief Nathathorn Prousoontorn said Roach would return to the immigration detention centre once the customs offence case is completed. "The immigration police will then follow instructions on whether to extradite him to Singapore or deport him back to Canada," said Mr Nathathorn.
When contacted by The Straits Times, a spokesman for the Attorney-General's Chambers here said: "The Singapore authorities remain in touch with the Thai government on the repatriation of suspect David James Roach to Singapore and the return of evidence seized from the suspect."
This article was first published on February 9, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
It has yet to open to the public but the new name of the revamped museum at the former Ford Factory - Syonan Gallery - has already raised a eyebrows.
Some ask if it is an appropriate name, saying that it seems to be honouring the Japanese Occupation. Singapore was renamed Syonan-to by the Japanese in 1942. It means "Light of the South".
The name Syonan Gallery is emblazoned across the entrance of the World War II museum in Upper Bukit Timah Road. The full name is Syonan Gallery: War and Its Legacies.
The museum, operated by the National Archives of Singapore (NAS), reopens next Wednesday on the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, following a year-long revamp.
Heritage expert and law professor Kevin Tan said: "I think a more appropriate name might have to be found as it suggests a celebration of the time. The frontage could be more sensitive."
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the National Library Board, which oversees the NAS, said the name was selected in consultation with the public via focus group sessions which included history academics, museum guides, students and parents.
Its spokesman added: "Syonan is a historical name easily recognisable and associated with the Japanese Occupation..."
The museum was also the site of the British surrender of Singapore to the Japanese on Feb 15, 1942.
Minister for Communications and Information, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, and the media were given a tour of the museum yesterday.
Some do not see a problem with the name. Retired teacher K. Nadarajah, 89, who survived the war, said "enough time has passed".
Heritage blogger Jerome Lim said that while the name has negative connotations, it can "jolt those less aware of the horrors associated with the war".
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A woman who lived to 105 climbed seven floors and ate garlic daily, her family said after the centenarian died on Monday (Feb 6).
Madam Chen Zhen was an independent woman, her third son Ye Jinxi, a 70-year-old factory worker, told Lianhe Wanbao in a report on Thursday (Feb 9).
He said the mother of seven would do the laundry, bathe herself and climb seven floors at her flat in Ang Mo Kio before she turned 103.
Mr Ye told Shin Min Daily News in a report on Thursday (Feb 9) that his mother had moved to a third-floor unit in Ang Mo Kio more than 30 years ago.
She would climb seven floors daily to the 10th floor, where her eldest son lived, as she did not dare to take the lift.
Mr Ye told Wanbao that a doctor had said his mother was very healthy without any common old-age ailments in a health check-up two years ago.
Madam Chen had grown weak after a fall at home a year and a half ago, and was wheelchair-bound.
Her condition took a turn for the worse on Jan 31, when she began having breathing difficulties.
She was taken to hospital, where she was in a coma for a week and died in Tan Tock Seng Hospital at 2am on Monday, Shin Min reported.
Madam Chen, who was a kind and jovial woman, loved eating garlic and would eat cloves of it cooked or raw, which could have contributed to her good health, said Mr Ye.
This article was first published on February 10, 2017.
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Upset that Mr Moss Salleh, 79, had thrown his belongings, a 91-year-old resident suffering from dementia pushed the fellow resident at the corridor of a nursing home, a coroner's court heard on Thursday (Feb 9).
Nurses at the Lions Home for the Elders at Bishan Street 13 heard a loud sound and found Mr Moss lying motionless and unresponsive at about 9.30am on Aug 18, 2016.
He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead at 2.55pm.
State Coroner Marvin Bay found the death of Mr Moss to be a tragic misadventure.
Mr Moss had been living at the home since mid-2015 while the other party, whom the court referred to as Mr A, had been residing there since May 2013.
Both had dementia, among other ailments.
Mr A's medical history included major depressive disorder, speech disability and the bachelor also showed signs of Parkinson's disease.
He had told a senior consultant psychiatrist and his niece that he was upset that Mr Moss had thrown his postcard out of the window.
According to the psychiatrist, Mr A had no intention of hurting or killing Mr Moss, and lacked the criminal intent to cause harm, given his cognitive deficits and underlying dementia.
The psychiatrist said the patient became severely depressed over his medical problems after his move to the home. He was assessed to be suicidal and was on anti-depressants in June 2013.
His condition stabilised after that but he had occasional spells of health-related anxieties and mild paranoia about his things being stolen.
In his findings, Coroner Bay said Mr A's act appeared to be a sudden impulsive reaction.
"I should add that the existence of the postcard, whether as an actual document, or a figment of Mr A's imagination, cannot be separately verified, as no postcard has ever been recovered by Home staff," he said.
He said Mr A appeared to have been unable to anticipate or appreciate the consequences of his action when he vented his anger at Mr Moss.
"This being the case, Mr Moss' demise from the fall he sustained in the Home, must be regarded as a tragic misadventure," said Coroner Bay.
He said he was heartened to note that the home has taken steps to increase monitoring of its residents to detect stressors for timely intervention.
There is no substitute for conscientious and thorough monitoring of cognitively impaired residents in homes, added Coroner Bay.
He said it can be difficult to anticipate if such residents will put themselves or others in positions of jeopardy if they are left unsupervised given their medical and mental frailties.
The Straits Times understands that the Attorney-General's Chambers agrees with the coroner's findings that there is no foul play involved, and no further action may be taken.
This article was first published on February 10, 2017.
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This year's Chingay Parade will take viewers back in time, with a re-enactment of 1970s performances, such as The Blossom Flowers Ladies and Heavenly Blessings.
Adding to the nostalgia, local xinyao heavyweight Liang Wern Fook, famous for his hit song, Friendship Forever, will also take the stage.
An ensemble of international performers and performing groups have also been lined up for the parade, to be held on Feb 10 and 11.
The three-hour fiesta, taking place at the F1 Pit Building near the Singapore Flyer, will feature performing groups from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan.
The grand finale will showcase simulated weather effects, including rain and snow, while 1,000 members of the People's Association Youth Movement take centrestage.
On Thursday morning, Mr Nah Juay Hng, chairman of Chingay Parade Singapore 2017 EXCO and group director (engagement cluster-arts & culture) at People's Association, led reporters on a preview of performances by the international groups.
"The parade will showcase the friendship between Singapore and other performing countries", he said.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be the guest-of-honour for the first parade on Feb 10, while President Tony Tan will grace the second show on Feb 11.
Other leaders such as Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong will also attend.
The event, in its 45th year, is expected to draw a crowd of 160,000 people.
This article was first published on February 10, 2017.
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Of late, we have been hearing about how Singapore is becoming more and more expensive each year.
ECA International, a global HR consultancy firm, published a survey recently on the cost of living in various cities in the world. Unsurprisingly, Singapore's ranking went up by two positions in 2016, as our island state ranked 16th.
Exhibit 1: Top 20 global rankings for most expensive cities in the world
Graphic: The Straits Times
This leads us to the next question of how expensive Singapore will be if we continue on this trajectory in the future of becoming more expensive.
But first, let us take a look at how Singapore has performed in the last few years after the Global Financial Crisis (GFC).
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How Singaporeans can lower their cost of living
Source:
Inflation has come down quite significantly in the last two years
To start off, inflation as defined by Investopedia, is the rate at which general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and consequently, the purchasing power of currency is falling.
In short, it simply means our currency is losing its ability to buy the same amount of goods as time goes by (e.g. chicken rice today cost $3.50, compared to $2.50 10 years ago).
Inflation is generally highly correlated with the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth. In the last two years, GDP growth for Singapore has been at an all time low since the end of the GFC. Inflation likewise has actually been negative (i.e. deflation).
Given the current situation, we expect Singapore to enter into a new norm with low growth and relatively lower inflationary pressure in the future.
Exhibit 2: Deflation in the last two years
Food: How much will my chicken rice cost in 2050?
We recently went to a famous food centre located in the Central Business District (CBD). A bowl of fish soup had just increased its price from $4.50 to $5.00, a staggering 11.1 per cent increase.
Being the curious team we always are, we asked the storeowner what caused their price increment. We were told it was due to inflation. We were surprise to hear that, as we thought inflation has been declining, as seen in Exhibit 2. Why did the hawker raise his prices then?
Unlike overall inflation, food prices have never turned negative before in Singapore. Being in a country with no natural resources, we tend to be more vulnerable to prices set by others.
The average 10-year food inflation was 2.9 per cent, slightly more than all-inflation of 2.4 per cent.
Using the 10-year food inflation rate, we should be expecting the $3.50 chicken rice today to cost about $9.16 in 2050, or 2.6 times the amount today.
Graphic: Dollars and Sense
Exhibit 3: Food price has not declined since 1990
Source: Singstat, Graphic: Dollars and Sense
Shelter: Things are not expected to be very bright here
Ever since 2009 to 2013, when cooling measures were introduced to curb the surge in housing prices, the housing market has become dull and unexciting. Price levels have been declining for multiple years. More significantly, from 2015 to 2016, inflationary pressures for housing have been in the negative zone.
Deflation for 2015 and 2016 was 3.5 per cent and 4.1 per cent respectively. Nonetheless, this deflationary pressure will not last indefinitely as the bulk of our wealth is still pegged to our homes. Therefore, we are expecting housing price inflation to be along the 10-year average for all-inflation at 2.4 per cent.
What this means is that we can expect a house that cost $400,000 today to be about $902,000 by 2050, 2.3 times the amount today.
Graphic: Dollars and Sense
Exhibit 4: Housing prices have been weak in the last few years
Source: Singstat: Graphic: Dollars and Sense
Education: A long-term pain
Unlike housing prices, education inflationary pressures have less correlation with Singapore's economic growth. This comes with our "Lifelong Learning" motto that we have adopted for Singapore. Inflation, on average, remains stubbornly at about 3 per cent since the mid-90s.
Using NUS' undergraduate tuition fees for AY06/17, the average 4-year fees would be at about $33,720 (excluding courses like dentistry, medicine, law and music).
With 3.3 per cent education inflation rate per annum, we are looking at fees of $102,000 from today, an increase of 3 times from today.
Graphic: Dollars and Sense
Exhibit 5: Education inflation stubbornly remains high
Source: Singstat: Graphic: Dollars and Sense
The simple conclusion here is that the amount of money that we will need for basic cost areas such as food, shelter and education would become a lot higher in the future. Hence, we need to save and invest today so that we can prepare ourselves financially for the future.
The rhetoric of earning a keep and just saving up does work well for the baby boomers because they live in an era where wages actually do keep up with inflation. However, we are living in a new world today where wages remains relatively flat while costs continue rising mercilessly.
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6 items S'poreans who want to save money shouldn't buy in S'pore
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DollarsAndSense.sg is a website that provides bite-sized and relevant articles to help Singaporeans make better financial decisions.
Cheered on by the throbbing rhythms of the urumi melam drums, and his friends and family, Mr Sangar Munusamy prepared himself mentally.
The 48-year-old has been carrying kavadis for the past eight years and this year was no different - he once again carried a kavadi, weighing more than 35kg, to honour Hindu deity Murugan.
"The feeling I have now can't be expressed in words," he said, as he was overwhelmed with pride and joy.
Mr Munusamy, who works in sales, was among the thousands of devotees in Serangoon Road who participated in this year's Thaipusam festivities.
The annual Hindu festival, which falls on the full-moon day of the Tamil month of Thai, is celebrated in honour of Lord Murugan, who represents virtue, youth and power.
From the early hours of yesterday until midnight, devotees embarked on processions from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road to Sri Thendayuthapani Temple in Tank Road, about 3km away.
An estimated 50,000 people thronged the streets to mark the festival. More than 10,000 carried milk pots as offerings, and about 300 carried kavadis - decorated steel and wood structures - to celebrate the fulfilment of their vows.
For the second year running, live music has been permitted at the Thaipusam procession.
Like last year's festivities, live music was played in Short Street, Hastings Road and near Dhoby Ghaut Green, featuring nadaswaram (a double-reed wind instrument), thavil and urumi melam (Indian drums) players.
The number of music transmission points, where recorded music is broadcast from speakers, along the procession route also increased from nine to 23 this year.
"The music gives us more energy to carry the kavadi," said Mr Munusamy.
The procession was organised by the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB), Sri Thendayuthapani Temple and Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple.
HEB chairman R. Jayachandran said he is thankful that the devotees contributed to a well-organised event last year. "It is because of this that the authorities worked with HEB to provide more transmission music points," he added.
Last year's procession was the first in 42 years where live music was played. A ban was introduced in 1973 to restrict the playing of musical instruments because of a history of rivalry and fights between competing groups, which disrupted the procession. Live music performances have always been held in temples.
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Hindu devotees in Singapore and Malaysia celebrate Thaipusam in 2017
The rule was relaxed in late 2015 after HEB held 10 feedback sessions with 116 members of the Hindu community.
Procession organisers hope to work with the authorities to offer more live and static music at the festival next year.
Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung witnessed the Thaipusam festivities inside both temples for the first time yesterday. Said Mr Ong: "It is a festival that symbolises good triumphing over evil, and the devotion and faith we have in that principle.
"It is a universal principle, not just shared by Hindus, but by all Singaporeans and humanity."
The Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) Changi Naval Base will soon get a new name.
The 86ha naval facility's name will include RSS Singapura, after one of the RSN's first vessels, The Straits Times (ST) has learnt.
The new name, "RSS Singapura - Changi Naval Base", will take effect on May 15.
ST understands that the Ministry of Defence will make more announcements in the coming months.
The renaming is believed to be one of the initiatives to commemorate the RSN's 50th anniversary.
The RSS Singapura was one of three ships which the then Singapore Naval Volunteer Force (SNVF) - which was officially founded on May 5, 1967 - started with.
It was a former Japanese minelayer that was berthed at Telok Ayer Basin and was used by the SNVF as its headquarters from 1966 to 1968.
Two other ships, the RSS Panglima (Malay for "warrior") patrol craft and RSS Bedok, a former police patrol craft, plied the waters.
The RSN has also previously named a land-based facility after a vessel. The title of "RSS Panglima" is now prefixed to Changi Naval Training Base, which is near Changi Naval Base. The RSS Panglima was decommissioned in 1991.
Dr Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies' maritime security programme, said: "Naming a shore-based installation after a ship is not unique, and is practised by other navies."
Dr Koh said the name "RSS Singapura - Changi Naval Base" will serve as a reminder of the RSN's history and build esprit de corps.
"It is something to be proud of. The RSN has progressed from having rickety old gunboats to becoming a modern fleet comparable to some of the best in the world."
Mr Adrian Villanueva, 77, a business consultant, got married on the ship in December 1965. He was a naval volunteer reserve officer from 1963 to 1966.
"The RSS Singapura was used as a headquarters and for training, and for functions to host dignitaries and naval officers. It is an excellent name for a naval base," he said.
Changi Naval Base was officially opened in 2004. The RSN's other naval base is in Tuas.
This article was first published on Feb 10, 2017.
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