A video showing an ITE (Institute of Technical Education) student beating up his schoolmate in their school's toilet gone viral.

Citizen journalism website Stomp reported that the video was posted on Facebook user Soniya Raj's page on Thursday (Feb 16).

Read also

• Students watch as 'epic' fight turns bloody
• Youth slashes another in fight on ITE campus
• Molest claim sparks fights between 20 ITE students
• Tighter security on ITE campus after slashing

A Stomp contributor said that the incident happened at ITE College East in Simei.

In the video, the bully kicks and punches his helpless schoolmate while a group of students look on.

The bully asks him in Tamil if he will do "anything like this again".

The distressed teen said that he did not do anything and raised his arms to protect his face from the repeated kicks and blows.

The bully then threatens to "break his face", before walking out of the toilet with his group of friends.

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2015-03-10 14:37:53

Photo Gallery

Video shows slashing incident at ITE College West

Source: Twitter, Video screengrabs, Stomp

Dr Yek Tiew Ming, Principal of ITE College East issued the following statement to Stomp:

"There was an assault case in a toilet at ITE College East on 8 Feb 2017. The victim has consulted a doctor, and we are rendering our assistance to him. The assailant has been suspended.

"ITE takes a serious view of the matter, and does not condone such acts. ITE College East will co-operate with police investigations."

Visit STOMP for more stories.

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2015-09-21 14:21:29

Photo Gallery

School bully slaps classmates on their heads while others laugh

Source: Facebook video screengrabs

Have you bought travel insurance yet?

You might get into trouble with Justice Bao if you don't.

Yes, Justice Bao is back! Well, sort of.

Kids these days might wonder: "Justice who?"

But those who were watching television in the '90s would probably remember Justice Bao, or Bao Qing Tian, who was a symbol of justice and honesty in ancient China.

A once popular series centred around the historical figure showed his stern hand in ridding the imperial court of corruption.

Now, the Singapore Tourism Board is bringing Justice Bao back, by pairing old footage from the television series with a new Singlish voiceover to dish out important travel tips.

In the video, voiceovers turn court officials and prisoners into ill-informed travellers who are slipshod in preparing for their trips.

Of course, Justice Bao reacted the only way he knew how - by flinging sentences at all and sundry and yelling out loud: "You think? I thought? Who confirm?"

The video has since been viewed over 100,000 times and netizens have given their stamp of approval. It's definitely a refreshing change from traditional advertisements. 

debwong@sph.com.sg

Local e-commerce Shopback is busy spreading its wings across the Asia-Pacific, with Indonesia and Taiwan among the latest additions to the marketing platform's global footprint.

Sembcorp Development, a business unit of energy, water and marine group Sembcorp Industries, has expanded its operations in countries such as China, Indonesia and Vietnam.

These are among the many companies that International Enterprise (IE) Singapore has supported over the years in the ongoing effort to help more Singapore enterprises go global.

Lee Ark Boon, the chief executive officer of IE Singapore, said internationalisation is "core" to sustaining Singapore's growth, and that his agency will continue to help local companies venture abroad.

A survey of nearly 700 companies which the statutory board conducted in the second half of last year found that their overseas revenue grew by 4.2 per cent year on year, outpacing total revenue growth of 1.3 per cent.

The survey, which collected data from the 2014 and 2015 financial years, involved companies that have internationalised, as well as those that are intending to.

IE Singapore said that more than half the companies polled had a presence in the top markets of China and Malaysia; firms are also increasingly interested in Vietnam, Myanmar and India.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) derived about 53 per cent of their total revenue from their overseas activities, a 3 percentage point increase year on year.

Among the large enterprises, the proportion is lower, but still significant - at around 40 per cent; this is up by one percentage point year on year.

Singapore's direct investments abroad (DIA) grew 2.5 per cent year on year to reach S$636.8 billion as at the end of 2015, with Asia accounting for the largest share at 54 per cent.

DIA growth in 2015 was driven by Asia, in particular emerging markets such as India, Vietnam and Myanmar; China, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia remained the top investment destinations within Asia that year.

The jobs created from companies' overseas operations were skewed towards the PMET (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) group - 61 per cent of internationalisation-focused jobs were such positions, higher than the 53 per cent for domestic-focused jobs.

The IE Singapore survey also found that overseas operations created jobs that were more likely to be skilled than domestic-only operations.

Read also: Singapore economy picks up speed in Q4, but Trump threat looms large

IE Singapore said in a statement: "While overseas expansion created jobs both in Singapore and overseas, the majority of the jobs based in Singapore went to Singaporeans and PRs (permanent residents), and SMEs had a higher propensity to send Singaporeans and PRs to take up the jobs based overseas."

Overall, the agency facilitated more than 450 projects around the world last year, with the majority in China and South-east Asia.

Seventy-five projects were related to entry into completely new markets or new lines of businesses, which enabled companies to build up a track record and boost their credibility to clinch future deals.

Another 45 were in the e-commerce space - a 181 per cent increase from 2015; this came on the back of more companies tapping digital platforms and channels to access global customers and scale up.

Twenty-one projects were mergers and acquisitions (M&A), an 11 per cent rise from 2015. IE Singapore noted that companies were actively using M&A to acquire technology, capability or customer segments.

Last year, IE Singapore said it helped some 37,000 companies here, with SMEs accounting for 80 per cent of that total. More than 10,000 firms received S$73.4 million in grants.

Read also: Singapore firms eye Indonesia for growth

More companies utilised the Market-Readiness Assistance (MRA) grant; 1,500 applications were approved, a 43 per cent jump from 2015.

Of these, one in five were companies that expanded outside Singapore for the first time to venture into China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and India. Around 22 per cent of all MRA grant approvals were for activities in global online retail and e-commerce platforms.

IE Singapore added that it worked together with various trade associations and chambers to help their members internationalise.

There will be a focus on South-east Asia, China and India, which are where 20 of IE Singapore's 37 overseas centres are located.

"(We) will continue to deepen our in-market presence and network, to identify and create opportunities, and help our companies seize them. Through internationalisation, companies will transform and create high-quality jobs locally and secure sustainable growth for Singapore," said Mr Lee.

This article was first published on Feb 17 , 2017.
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Singapore is set to impose a carbon price as it looks to cut greenhouse emissions to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement, The Business Times has learnt.

The government is now determining the timeline and what form of carbon pricing to take in the city-state, according to the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS).

Various countries around the world have implemented some form of carbon pricing as they seek to reduce emissions in a cost-effective manner. Singapore, too, has been studying this policy option and monitoring such international developments for some time, said NCCS.

"Alongside current measures such as regulations, incentives and capability building, a carbon price can help improve energy efficiency, lower carbon emissions and promote low-carbon technology," said a spokesman in response to a BT query. "We are evaluating when and how best to implement carbon pricing in Singapore."

The move follows other policy initiatives the government is planning to cut the country's emissions intensity to 36 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, as it had pledged under the 2015 Paris climate change pact.

It has set a target of ramping up improvement in energy efficiency in the manufacturing sector by one to 2 per cent a year from 2020 to 2030. In November last year, it also said that it is planning to tighten energy monitoring and reporting requirements for large industrial players.

Read also: COE prices close mostly lower in Dec's first round bidding exercise

The industry sector, which accounted for 59 per cent of Singapore's greenhouse gas emissions in 2012, is expected to take most of the weight of a carbon price. The petroleum refining, chemicals and semiconductor sectors made up the bulk of these emissions. The largest refining and petrochemical complexes in Singapore are owned by Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil.

Shell, together with five other European oil majors such as BP and Statoil, had during the run-up to the Paris summit in 2015called on governments to introduce a carbon price. This, they said, would discourage high-carbon options and help to stimulate investments in the right low-carbon technologies. ExxonMobil has said that it is supportive of a carbon tax. "We are committed to working with the Singapore government on this important issue to find solutions that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring Singapore's long-term competitiveness," said an ExxonMobil spokesman, adding that the group is taking action to reduce emissions in Singapore through energy efficiency initiatives such as building cogeneration plants.

Carbon pricing can take either the form of a carbon tax which puts a price on each tonne of carbon produced, or an emissions trading scheme which uses market mechanisms to price carbon.

The Singapore government had indicated that carbon pricing is an option as early as in 2010. Then, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong revealed that the government already worked with a shadow carbon price.

Read also: First COE bidding exercise for 2017 ends predominantly higher

"If there is a global regime to curb carbon emissions and that means that Singapore will have to reduce our own emissions more sharply than we are doing now, in order to comply with international obligations, then we will have to make the carbon price explicit, to send the right price signals," he said in a speech at the Singapore International Energy Week.

In the Climate Action Plan unveiled in July last year, the government said that it will be studying the need to price carbon to enhance energy efficiency efforts across all sectors.

"A carbon price would send appropriate price signals to encourage changes in energy consumption, provide market incentives for the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and low-carbon solutions, and stimulate growth in green industries," said NCCS in the document.

But a carbon price will incur costs, including affecting Singapore's competitiveness, it also noted. "Its overall impact will have to be studied."

The shift in Singapore's position comes as the idea of a carbon price increasingly gains popularity with other governments around the world. About 40 national jurisdictions and over 20 cities, states and regions are already putting a price on carbon, according to the World Bank.

Carbon prices range from about US$1 per tonne of carbon emissions in Poland and Mexico, to US$137 per tonne in Sweden, a report by the World Bank in October last year showed. In Asia, South Korea has started a national emissions trading scheme in 2015, while China aims to roll out a nation-wide emissions trading system by the second half of this year.

"A carbon price would send appropriate price signals to encourage changes in energy consumption, provide market incentives for the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and low-carbon solutions, and stimulate growth in green industries."

This article was first published on Feb 17 , 2017.
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A 59-year-old man in jogging attire was found dead at a Tampines park yesterday morning.

Police are investigating the case as an unnatural death.

A police spokesman said that they were alerted to the discovery of a body at Tampines Eco Green park, near the junction of Tampines Avenue 9 and Avenue 12, at about 7.15am.

The man, who has been identified as Mr Eddie Wee Leng Huat, was found at the entrance of the park near a canal. The Straits Times understands there were no signs of injury.

Read also: Wheelchair-bound woman found dead in Tampines

Retiree Francis Tan, 64, who was cycling past the park at about 8am, said: "There were about five or six people with me, who gathered on the other side of the canal."

The Tampines resident, who has lived in the area for about 20 years, added: "I saw the police officers take a few pictures of the body."

He added that as far as he knew, this was the first time such an incident had happened at the park.

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2017-02-14 08:16:10

Photo Gallery

Woman found dead in Tampines flat: 'I saw knife stuck in her throat,' says neighbour

Source:

The Straits Times

Lianhe Zaobao

The 36ha park has been open to the public for about six years.

A 56-year-old quality inspector, who wanted to be known only as Mr Lee, said his wife was exercising at the park around 7am when she saw two police officers in the area.

"Not many people exercise around this area of the park so early in the morning," he said.

This article was first published on Feb 17, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

The gap between top and bottom earners was at its narrowest in a decade last year, but observers say more can still be done for the lowest-earning families as their income did not grow as quickly as that of other groups overall.

For the bottom 10 per cent of households with at least one working member, the rise in income was among the smallest last year - 1.4 per cent per household member. The only decile with a lower rise was the top 10 per cent of households.

By comparison, median income growth per household member was 3.8 per cent. "This shows that more needs to be done to improve the well-being of the lowest-income households," said UniSim senior lecturer Tan Khay Boon.

DBS economist Irvin Seah attributed the smaller rise in incomes at the bottom in part to last year's 19,000 layoffs - the highest since the global financial crisis in 2009.

"The moment a sole breadwinner loses his job, the household income drops to zero," he said.

Meanwhile, Bank of America Merrill Lynch economist Chua Hak Bin said the bottom 10 per cent of households saw a "huge jump" in income in 2015, a lift that is hard to sustain. That year, their income grew by 10.7 per cent, the highest for all deciles.

"Perhaps some companies are facing pressures, and cannot reward their workers at the lower end as much this time," he suggested.

National University of Singapore sociologist Paulin Straughan said more details about those in this group - for instance, ages and occupations - should be made available.

"We need to know the make-up of the bottom 10 per cent so we can chart the way forward," she said. "If it's older workers , we have to pay attention to the effects of ageing on the low-income. If it's young graduates, then we must make sure they level up on the appropriate skills."

Households at the top saw slow growth too. Incomes for the top 10 per cent of households grew by 0.2 per cent, the slowest across deciles.

Observers said this was not surprising, given the challenging economy that has affected business owners as well as professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs). PMETs made up the majority of those retrenched last year.

Around 20 per cent of those in the top decile had earners from the financial and insurance sectors, which saw negative 1 per cent growth in median real wages.

Slower income growth among top earners also helps explain why the income gap narrowed last year. The Gini coefficient, which measures income equality, was 0.458, the lowest in a decade. It was 0.463 in 2015.

After taking into account government transfers, it was 0.402, down further from 0.409 in 2015.

Mr Seah said the dip is also the result of several Budgets aimed at strengthening safety nets, as well as policies meant to lift those at the bottom taking effect, such as lower education costs for children in low-income families. "The Gini coefficient has been trending downwards after many years of targeted and robust social policy ," he added.

Several families told The Straits Times they were bracing themselves for tougher times ahead.

Taxi driver Chia Teck Chai, 59, said his income did not change much in absolute terms last year, but he will take fewer rest days now.

"I'm getting older and not as energetic now, but if I take a break, that's less money for the month," he said.

Telco project coordinator Kenneth Chen, 33, said his income went up by 5 per cent last year.

His tip for tough times? "Save. Just because your pay has risen doesn't mean you must spend more."

This article was first published on Feb 17, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

The businessman accused of causing the fatal accident along the Ayer Rajah Expressway is out on bail of $50,000, a district court heard yesterday.

Lim Chai Heng, 53, who is represented by lawyer Yusfiyanto Yatiman, was released from remand at Changi Prison on Monday.

Yesterday, a police prosecutor told District Judge Christopher Goh that the police have completed their investigation. They are now waiting for the forensic and vehicle damage reports.

Lim is accused of driving against the flow of traffic along the AYE on Dec 19, causing an accident that killed actor Liong Kuo Hua, 37.

Read also: 1 dead, 3 injured after car goes against flow of traffic on AYE

Mr Liong, also known as Jackie, had appeared in several films, television programmes and commercials. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Lim's pre-trial conference will be held at the High Court on March 14.

Read also: Driver in fatal AYE accident charged in hospital

If convicted of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, he could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined, but he cannot be caned as he is above 50 years old.

Since the AYE incident, two other motorists have been charged in court this year after allegedly driving against the flow of traffic.

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2017-01-05 11:41:32

Photo Gallery

Vehicle caught going against traffic along AYE towards Tuas

Source:

Facebook video screengrabs

Lam Chen Wee, 26, was charged with dangerous driving on Jan 31. He will be back in court on March 1.

Brandon Ng Hai Chong, 30, was charged with the same offence on Jan 12 and will return to court on March 23.

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2017-01-06 09:12:31

Photo Gallery

11 hurt in 5-vehicle accident on AYE

Source:

Lianhe Wanbao

First-time offenders convicted of dangerous driving can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $3,000.

Repeat offenders can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000.

This article was first published on Feb 17, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Commuters affected by a spate of delays resulting from faulty track circuits on the East-West MRT Line may have to wait for at least a year before the glitches are resolved.

Half a dozen track circuit-related delays, on the Clementi-Joo Koon stretch of the line, have occurred in the past 11/2 months alone.

The most serious delays were on Jan 23, Jan 19 and Jan 4, when train services were disrupted for four hours, 21/2 hours and one hour, respectively.

The most recent incident was on Sunday.

SMRT said most of the incidents - which took place during peak hours - were traced to faulty track circuits, which help to keep trains at a safe distance from each other.

But the rail operator could not say why it has not been able to resolve the repeated glitches nor cite a cause other than the age of the line, which is close to 30 years old.

The Straits Times understands that there were times when technicians sent to fix a circuit fault would get a "no fault" reading on their diagnostic equipment.

SMRT suggested in its reply that the glitches - reminiscent of the signalling faults which bedevilled the Circle Line in August, September and November last year - would go away once the signalling system is upgraded next year.

"There are more than a thousand track circuits on the NSEWL (North- South and East-West Lines)... As a safety precaution, trains within the faulty track circuit would be required to be driven manually and at a slower speed. This, in turn, could cause trains behind to slow down," said a spokesman.

This causes congestion, especially during peak hours, when trains are travelling closer to one another.

"We are working on replacing all track circuits as part of a resignalling project. In addition, the new signalling system, being more advanced than the current system which was installed 30 years ago, will be more reliable as it is built with multiple redundancies."

SMRT had also said the disruptions were not related to the recently installed sleepers.

The four-year project to upgrade sleepers on the North-South and East-West lines, from older timber sleepers to hardier concrete ones, was completed last month.

It was supposed to bring smoother and safer rides.

Stockbroker Cole Cheong, 50, who takes the train from Boon Lay to Raffles Place, said the recent frequent delays have been frustrating.

"They only put up a sign saying trains between this station and that station will be delayed for 20 minutes. But, in reality, the delay is 45 minutes," he said.

"It is very confusing because no one tells us what is the real problem."

National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der- Horng said "train operations are usually more complicated at the end of a line and, because of that, the number of circuits will be higher" in such a location.

Even so, he said he does not know why other extremities of lines have not experienced such a high incidence of track circuit faults.

"I am not sure if it has to do with the Tuas West extension works," he added, referring to a 7.5km extension that was supposed to open last year, but has since been delayed to the second quarter of this year.

Singapore Institute of Technology assistant professor (engineering cluster) Andrew Ng said: "While upgrading the signalling system, condition-based maintenance strategy can be implemented. Both hardware equipment in the signal equipment room and trackside equipment can be regularly inspected, repaired or replaced to reduce the risk of track circuit failures."

christan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on February 17, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

More bankrupts were discharged last year than at any time in a single year as the Insolvency Office upped its efforts to help deserving cases.

This happened before a new framework kicked in last August which, among other things, raised the minimum debt that needs to be owed before a person may be made bankrupt, from $10,000 to $15,000.

Last year, some 4,359 individuals were released from their debts, up from 3,499 in 2015.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Law Ministry (MinLaw) said the record number was the result of the Insolvency Office increasing its efforts to discharge deserving cases from bankruptcy before the implementation of the Differentiated Discharge Framework.

Besides the new minimum debt level, the framework creates a more rehabilitative regime and sets out fixed exit points for bankrupts to be discharged.

If prescribed conditions are satisfied, first-time bankrupts can generally be discharged between five and seven years.

"These clear timeframes will give bankrupts an incentive to adhere to their payment plan, their conditions of bankruptcy, and seek gainful employment as a means of achieving their discharge," said the Insolvency Office website.

Repeat bankrupts will generally be eligible for discharge within seven to nine years.

For applications made from Aug 1 last year, bankrupts are discharged either by the High Court, which has to be satisfied by the grounds presented during the hearing, or by the Official Assignee (OA).

The OA has to certify that the bankrupt has met the relevant term in bankruptcy and paid the total contributions in full, among other things.

Around 1,800 people fall into bankruptcy a year, said MinLaw.

"The OA will manage the cases to ensure a certain level of parity in the treatment of existing and new bankrupts, while balancing the interests of the creditors and the bankrupts. Cases most likely to get discharged would be those where the bankrupts have been cooperative and where all administrative matters have been concluded," it added.

The main reasons for bankruptcies include overspending, business failure and unemployment, said MinLaw.

In addition to moves by the OA to rehabilitate bankrupts, the Community Justice Centre (CJC) set up a satellite office - launched last month - at the Supreme Court.

Volunteer lawyers are available there on Thursdays for a start, as many bankruptcy cases are heard on that day, said CJC executive director Leonard Lee.

The move comes as more people are seeking legal advice from the CJC - an independent charity - on bankruptcy issues.

There were 2,704 bankruptcy applications made by individuals last year, up from 2,587 in 2014, according to MinLaw statistics.

CJC saw 61 such cases in the second half of last year at the State Courts, under its on-site legal advice scheme.

This is an increase from the 49 cases it saw from January to June that year.

In one instance, a man's company was sued by his creditor after his employee leased a car in his firm's name for $61,000, said Mr Lee.

The employee, who was also his friend, signed the agreement without the company's official stamp while the owner was away for more than two months.

The employee then went missing.

In visiting the CJC, the business owner sought advice on whether his bank loans would be affected by the bankruptcy claim and his next course of legal action. A lawyer advised him accordingly.

Lawyer Rajan Chettiar, who has been volunteering with the CJC at least once a month for three years, said the new centre is helpful as individuals filing for bankruptcy likely cannot afford a lawyer.

He said demand for such legal advice may continue to increase.

"Times are bad, and many people cannot pay off their debts," he added.

"Filing for bankruptcy can be one of the better ways out so they don't have to deal with creditors, but the challenge is the consequences. In a month, we receive at least five new callers at our law firm enquiring about bankruptcy and this has been consistent in recent years."

4,359
Number of individuals who were released from their debts last year.

3,499
Number of such individuals in 2015.

vijayan@sph.com.sg

byseow@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on February 17, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

A three-firm consortium has won a $34.9 million contract to partner the authorities on both sides of the Causeway to oversee the set-up of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR).

The consortium, made up of WSP Engineering, Mott MacDonald and Ernst & Young Advisory Services, beat seven other competitors.

Both Canada-based WSP and Mott MacDonald, which is headquartered in Britain, had worked on the 345km Taiwan High-Speed Rail, as well as the upcoming 1,300km California High-Speed Rail project in the United States.

Read Also: Consortium wins joint contract to oversee KL-S'pore HSR

The 350km Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR is slated to be completed by end-2026 and cut travel time between the two cities to 90 minutes.

The consortium - which will have offices in both Malaysia and Singapore - will assist the Land Transport Authority (LTA) here and MyHSR Corporation, a unit under the Malaysian Ministry of Finance.

It will help develop technical and safety standards for the project, as well as provide project management support and technical advice.

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2016-07-19 21:21:01

Photo Gallery

Singapore-Malaysia ink landmark High Speed Rail MOU

Source: The Straits Times, The Star/ANN, AFP

It will also help prepare the tenders relating to joint aspects of the project, such as the appointment of a company to provide and maintain assets such as trains and signalling systems.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan emphasised the importance of the tender to appoint the assets company.

"This will be one of the largest railway tenders in the world," he said in a Facebook post yesterday.

Read Also: KL-Singapore High Speed Rail gains momentum

The "collective expertise and extensive experience" of the consortium in other international HSR projects allows MyHSR and the LTA to kick-start the preparation of joint tenders for the project, said LTA chief executive Ngien Hoon Ping.

The appointment of the consortium comes a month after Aecom Singapore won a $24.6 million contract to conduct an advanced engineering study for the Singapore stretch of the HSR.

The two developments mark the "next chapter" in delivering the HSR project, said Mr Ngien.

azhaki@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on February 17, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE - The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore is investigating a case of cat abuse in Toa Payoh.

The cat, named Mei Mei, was missing for about a week before her body was found in the bushes by a cat feeder, Mr Joseph Wong.

It often wandered around Toa Payoh Lorong 2, said Ms Ho Sin Huay, who wrote about the incident on Facebook.

"Her eyes had been gouged out, and the fur on the lower half of her body, including her tail, had been stripped off," Ms Ho said on Facebook

She told The Straits Times: "It's very apparent that it's the work of a non-animal."

Ms Ho, 39, said this is the first time they have come across an obvious case of abuse in their area.

Mr Wong, who was shocked by the discovery, wrapped the body up in towels and put it in the dumpster, she said.

Following two recent abuse cases, the Cat Welfare Society has put up an appeal on Facebook for people who find the bodies of abused animals to report it to AVA to help in their investigations.

Read also: 2 cats found dead in Yishun, 1 with throat slit

"We cannot stress how important it is that abuse be reported to AVA quickly and the body of the animal be secured until it is retrieved. Otherwise, all efforts are lost in bringing justice for our cats," the post read.

Another cat was found dead in a riser in Pasir Ris on Feb 13.

The Toa Payoh case was not reported to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), it said.

"It is very distressing and concerning to hear of any case of animal abuse. Anyone with any information on the case should step forward and contact the AVA," said SPCA executive director, Dr Jaipal Singh Gill.

He said that the number of cat abuse cases reported to SPCA have not increased in the last three years.

"However, we are now seeing more cases being shared via social media and other platforms," he added.

AVA is appealing to members of the public who have information on the case to contact the agency at 1800-4761600.

All information provided will be kept in strict confidence, AVA said.

This article was first published on Feb 17, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE - A sinkhole appeared on a road in Ang Mo Kio on Friday (Feb 17) evening.

The sinkhole, which was about a metre wide, appeared at about 6pm along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, near Ang Mo Kio Techplace 1.

Workers were seen cordoning off the hole, which was in the middle lane, with orange cones.

The Land Transport Authority had said in a tweet at 5.57pm that there was an "obstacle on Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 (towards Luxus Hill Road) after Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2".

In response to The Straits Times on Friday night, water agency PUB said it received a report of a 1m sinkhole in the vicinity of its reinstated water pipe laying trench at the centre lane of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 at 5.30pm.

PUB's contractor was immediately mobilised, it said.

"Road reinstatement work is in progress and is estimated to be completed by early tomorrow morning," said the PUB spokesman.

lydialam@sph.com.sg and seahkp@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 17, 2017.
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SINGAPORE - The 2016 GCE A-level examination results will be released next Friday (Feb 24).

Candidates from schools may collect their result slips from their respective schools on that day, from 2.30pm onwards, the Ministry of Education said in a press release on Friday (Feb 17).

Private candidates will be notified of their results by post, with the result slips mailed to the address they had registered with the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB).

Those private candidates who are eligible for SingPass can also use their accounts to obtain their results online.

This can be done over the Internet Examination Results Release System (iERRS) on SEAB's website at www.seab.gov.sg, from 2.30pm that day.

This article was first published on Feb 17, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

The car industry could not put the brakes on consumer grouses last year as it remained the top source of complaints for the fifth year in a row, the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) said yesterday.

The number of complaints concerning cars increased slightly to 2,916, up from 2,907 in 2015. But it was still almost double that of the beauty industry, which came in second with 1,537 complaints. Electrical and electronics (1,363), contractors (1,269) and clubs (1,126) round up the top five.

Overall, the total number of complaints received by the consumer watchdog declined from 22,319 in 2015 to 19,102 last year.

Of the complaints pertaining to cars, about 60 per cent involved pre-owned cars. The number of complaints about defective cars jumped from 844 in 2014 to 1,477 last year, to make up about half of complaints against the industry.

To address the high number of complaints of defects in cars, Case will hold an educational roadshow in conjunction with World Consumer Rights Day on March 16 and 17.

The Singapore Vehicle Traders Association (SVTA) said it will be introducing an updated checklist at the roadshow for consumers to consult before buying pre-owned cars, said first vice-president Raymond Tang.

The SVTA also encourages its 370 members, made up largely of used car traders, to send cars for inspection to make sure they are in good condition before sale, he said.

"Used cars can be ones that are owned for a few months or left with a few months, and the condition is completely different," said Mr Tang. "We are working with Case to educate consumers on what to look out for before they buy."

Complaints about clubs - comprised mainly of fitness clubs - made the most dramatic jump, rising from the 10th most complained against (623) in 2015 to fifth last year (1,126).

This was largely due to the closure of gym chain California Fitness last July, which prompted some 600 complaints about prepaid membership fees and unutilised gym sessions.

Complaints about defective goods increased from 3,912 in 2015 to 4,319 last year. Defective car complaints topped the list, followed by electrical and electronics products and mobile phones.

Another top grouse last year was pressure sales tactics in the beauty industry, Case said.

Consumers are encouraged to patronise CaseTrust-accredited spa and wellness businesses, which are committed to a five-day cooling-off period and a "no selling" policy in the treatment room to deter the use of pressure sales tactics, the watchdog said. There were 697 accredited businesses under the scheme as of Jan 31.

Complaints about businesses that collected large pre-payments before abruptly shutting were spread across industries such as beauty, furniture, hair, cars and travel last year, said Case.

It said it would continue to engage the authorities and advocate better pre-payment protection, as well as review and strengthen prepayment protection for CaseTrust- accreditation schemes.

This article was first published on Feb 18, 2017.
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Most Housing Board residents will pay higher service and conservancy charges (S&CC) from June 1.

The fee hike by 15 People's Action Party (PAP) town councils will range between $1 and $17 a month.

But it will be implemented in two stages, with the second rise taking effect on June 1 next year.

The increase will also apply to HDB shops and offices, as well as markets and cooked food stalls, the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council said yesterday.

Its chairman, Dr Teo Ho Pin, is also the coordinating chairman for the PAP town councils.

This is the second time that PAP town councils are raising S&CC charges in the past three to five years. In 2012, seven of them raised their fees, citing higher electricity, maintenance and operation costs. The rest did so in 2014 for similar reasons. Before that, fees at most town councils had remained unchanged for almost 10 years.

• INCREASES FOR HOMES

• $0.50 - $9 From June 2017.

  $0.50 - $8 From June 2018.

The reason for the latest increase is the higher costs of cleaning services plus pest and vector control.

Town councils also have to set aside more funds for lift replacement and maintenance, following a spate of lift breakdowns in public housing estates last year.

In the first hike in June, home owners will pay from 50 cents to $9 more a month, depending on flat type.

For commercial units, the rise will range from 9 cents to 27 cents per square metre, and for cooked food stalls, from $2.70 to $23 more a month.

In the second increase next year, home owners will pay from 50 cents to $8 more a month.

For commercial units, the hike will range from 5 cents to 21 cents more per square metre, and for cooked food stalls, from $2.50 to $17.50 more a month.

The statement noted that as the charges by each town council are different, individual notices on the new rates will be sent to residents.

It said, among other things, that cleaning costs, which account for 20 per cent of annual expenditure, have risen over the years as companies spend more on mechanisation, training and progressive wages for their cleaners.

It also said the new fees will help the town councils to build up their sinking funds for new and improved lifts. The amounts required "are significant and will continue to grow as our estates get older".

Town council chairmen interviewed said a new rule requiring town councils to set aside 14 per cent of their income for a new lift replacement fund from April - on top of existing sinking fund contributions - is a financial strain, despite additional government grants of at least $63 million a year to help with lift costs.

Jurong-Clementi Town Council, which raised its S&CC in 2014, needs to do it again because a further $4.2 million is needed for the new fund, said its chairman, Mr Ang Wei Neng. "We cannot sustain such a drain on our operating funds indefinitely, and have to raise S&CC as a last resort," he said.

Piano teacher Catherine Lim, 54, who lives in a four-room flat in Clementi Avenue 4, said: "It will be manageable for people like me who are middle-income." She now pays $55.50 a month.

Sales account manager and sole breadwinner Ong Boon Hua, 35, pays $42 in S&CC for a three-room flat in Tiong Bahru he shares with six others. He said: "I have no choice but to pay it, but I hope the town council will give us a breakdown of how much these services cost."

The statement said town councils will work with MPs and community organisations to help residents struggling to pay their S&CC.

The Government provides S&CC rebates in its annual Budget. Last year, one- and two-room homes got rebates totalling three months, while three- and four-room homes got two months' worth of rebates. In all, the Government paid out $86 million to about 840,000 homes.

Mr Pritam Singh, chairman of the Workers' Party-run Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, said it would make an announcement in due course, but he declined to say if fees would go up. It last raised S&CC in 2014.

This article was first published on Feb 18, 2017.
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Housing Board residents in all 15 People's Action Party town councils will pay higher service and conservancy charges from June 1.

The reasons include higher expenses for cleaning and pest control, as well as for lift maintenance and replacement. The increase will be in two phases, with the second to be implemented on June 1 next year. This year's hike will range from 50 cents to $9 a month for HDB one-room to executive flats.

The Workers' Party-run Aljunied-Hougang Town Council also said it would make an announcement in due course.

SEE TOP OF THE NEWS

This article was first published on Feb 18, 2017.
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Victims reporting an alleged rape to the police will no longer have to suffer more stress of being taken to a public hospital for the necessary examination.

If the alleged sexual assault is reported within 72 hours of the incident, a victim can be attended to instead at a new centre in the Police Cantonment Complex, by specialists from the Singapore General Hospital.

The One-Stop Abuse Forensic Examination (OneSafe) Centre was one of the initiatives announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) yesterday, following a review of investigation and court procedures dealing with sexual crimes.

"One of the key issues is... to encourage victims to come forward and make the whole experience something that doesn't add to their trauma," Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said at a press conference yesterday.

This will make it easier for victims to lodge a report and undergo an examination.

The new centre began operations last month and, in its pilot phase, will see adult rape victims who do not require other medical attention.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Tan Chye Hee, who is also the director of the Criminal Investigation Department, said the police see an average of about 150 rape cases a year. Most are reported after 72 hours of the alleged offence.

Officers who come into contact with victims can always be better trained, said Mr Shanmugam, and the police are working with the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) to develop a training video to do so.

Based on the experiences of Aware's clients at its Sexual Assault Care Centre, the only specialised service here for victims, the video is intended to help sensitise officers to victims' experiences during the investigation process.

It is expected to be ready by the third quarter of this year, said MHA.

To encourage victims to come forward in reporting sexual crimes, the police and Ministry of Law (MinLaw) are also expected to publish an information pamphlet that will educate victims on investigation and court processes.

The pamphlet will include the care and support measures that are available.

New measures will extend to court processes too, with MinLaw looking at how to reduce stress on victims.

This could include enhancing restrictions on cross-examination in court and finding new ways to better protect their privacy.

Both ministries will review the punishment for sexual offences as well, said Mr Shanmugam.

"In many cases, women are assaulted and the assaulter deserves to be punished seriously," he said.

But he also recognised the need to strike a balance in measures, as some accusations are false.

"Within that framework, how to make the trial process less intimidating, more accommodating for the victim and also to make the process of cross-examination less vexatious for the victim - those are the things we are looking at."

MHA and the Ministry of Social and Family Development are also studying different interviewing models for sexual abuse of children that occurs within a family.

This longer-term collaboration aims to reduce the need for victims to recount traumatic experiences repeatedly to different officers.

This article was first published on Feb 18, 2017.
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Advocacy group the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) welcomed initiatives to enhance support for sexual crime victims, but said it hoped improvements would help address the under-reporting it has observed of sexual crimes.

The Ministry of Home Affairs announced new measures yesterday including a centre at the Police Cantonment Complex where adult rape victims can undergo medical examinations without having to go to a public hospital.

Aware, which runs a Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC), said its clients have often met with frustration and difficulty in reporting alleged assault.

This is because they have to make multiple trips to different agencies, experience long waiting times for interviews or examinations, and find themselves giving statements about an incident several times.

"By combining medical assistance, forensic examination and police reporting, this initiative has the potential to make the reporting process much less onerous and stressful," said Aware.

Last year, 41 per cent of the 338 people who reached out to the SACC did so in connection with an incident of alleged rape - making it the most frequently reported offence there.

But Aware's head of advocacy and research Jolene Tan said: "A majority of our clients do not report their experiences to the police." This is often out of fear they will not be believed or do not have enough evidence to back their accusations.

Lawyers also welcomed extending greater protection to sexual crime victims by reducing the stress of court processes on them. Mr Rajan Supramaniam said: "Sometimes, victims may break down during cross-examination and this could lead to psychological harm in the long run."

Ms Tan Bee Keow, director of youth service at the Singapore Children's Society, said re-telling an assault experience could be traumatising, especially if interviews by different parties take place over time.

She said she was heartened that the authorities are studying multidisciplinary interviewing models for children who have been sexually abused by a family member. "Different professionals look for different information, but this may overlap," she said. "If everyone can come together... and guide the victims by their various fields of expertise, that would help."

Seow Bei Yi

This article was first published on Feb 18, 2017.
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He has been a bus captain for 33 years, but Mr Koh Teck Heng, who drives bus service 190 between Choa Chu Kang Loop and Eu Tong Sen Street, has no intention of retiring anytime soon.

The 62-year-old chief bus captain even recruited his sister to join SMRT as a bus captain nine years ago.

Madam Koh Guek Khim, 53, who drives the feeder service 300 in Choa Chu Kang, said in Mandarin: "I had been a housewife all my life and wanted to take up something challenging."

Mr Koh, who is a father of two and grandfather of four, was initially driving in the Kranji area for bus operator Trans-Island Bus Service before it got subsumed under SMRT Corporation in May 2004 following a merger.

Read also: Driving same bus services brings brothers closer

Much has changed since, he said. "We didn't have air-conditioning in the buses then, only a large window that we manually slid up and down".Mr Koh said the most challenging part of mentoring younger bus captains is when they overlook the safety aspect of driving.

He said: "Even when I see my sister on the road while I am driving, I will wave to her briefly but still keep my eyes on the road."

He also takes time to mentor his younger sister outside of work.

Madam Koh, who is a mother of four and grandmother of two, said: "He is like my coach and he will give me tips on reversing a 'bendy' bus, driving safely and bus routes."

She also shared that being a woman bus driver has garnered her compliments.

She said: "Some commuters have commended me for being courageous enough to drive a 12m-long vehicle".

The siblings are motivated to continue providing Singaporeans with good service.

Mr Koh said: "I am happy when my commuters are happy, it is as simple as that."

This article was first published on Feb 18, 2017.
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These siblings do not just work together, they even drive the same bus service.

Brothers Foo Kim Siong, 50, and Foo Kim Ming, 47, used to ply the route from Woodlands to Ang Mo Kio on the 169 service.

Commuters often used to mix them up, said the younger Mr Foo.

He told The New Paper in Mandarin: "If they missed the 169 bus (that my brother was driving), they would be confused when they boarded my bus as we looked alike back then."

They have worked for transport operator SMRT for 18 years. Mr Foo is now a chief bus captain and his older brother is a senior bus captain.

Mr Foo said they used to work in their family's minimart business in Kulai, Malaysia, until it was hit by the economic downturn in 1997.

A year later, on a friend's recommendation, they packed their bags to come here and have not looked back since.

CLOSER

Both agreed that working together has brought them closer as they could share their experiences and tips with each other.

The older Mr Foo said: "The initial years were tough because we were so unfamiliar with the roads, but we helped each other along the way."

They traded stories of how they had to clean up vomit from ill commuters and resolve verbal fights between passengers.

Today, they no longer have a fixed bus service to drive.

Read also: Sibling bus captains prove age is no matter

They are stationed at Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange and would take on the service that requires a driver.

One of the perks of the job is becoming friends with regular commuters, they said.

The duo bantered about who is treated better by their friends.

The younger Mr Foo said: "I received more red packets than my brother last year because I worked on the first day of Chinese New Year."

His brother replied: "But I have commuters who pack dinner for me when I am on the night shift."

Mr Tan Kian Heong, managing director of SMRT Buses & Roads Service, said: "I'm very happy to see our people working together, united in purpose and bonding as one 'SMRT family' to serve our commuters."

He added that having the siblings work together is a testament that people trust SMRT Buses to "provide a meaningful and fulfilling career for them and their families".

Mr Tan said: "We care for our people and want to nurture and develop them to their fullest potential."

chualel@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 18, 2017.
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