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Speak Mandarin Campaign apologises for using wrong Chinese character


Boon Tat Street stabbing victim told magazine he sold everything for firm

Man who went missing while picking durians was not lost but fell in forest

Metro scion Ong Jenn sentenced to two years' jail for drug-related offences

Boon Tat Street stabbing: 69-year-old man charged with murder, faces death penalty

Boon Tat St murder: Victim once sold 'everything he owned' to save business

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The victim of the fatal Boon Tat Street stabbing, identified as Mr Spencer Tuppani, was the chief executive officer of shipping firm TNS Ocean Lines.

He was also a finalist for the Outstanding Entrepreneur Award at the SICCI-DBS Singapore Indian Entrepreneur Awards 2014.

According to The New Paper, the 38-year-old businessman told August Man magazine in 2014 that he sold "practically everything he owned" to keep TNS Ocean Lines afloat.

The company became profitable again in 18 months. By 2014, its turnover had exceeded $100 million.

Boon Tat St stabbing victim was a businessman who 'sold everything he owned' to save dying firm

TNS Ocean Lines was sold to logistics company GKE Corporation for $9 million last November.

Police found Mr Tuppani lying motionless along Boon Tat Street, outside eatery A Poke Theory, on July 10 at 1.22pm. He was allegedly stabbed at a coffee shop nearby.

The unconscious victim was rushed to Singapore General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 2.13pm.

Mr Tan Nam Seng, who identified himself as Mr Tuppani's father-in-law, was arrested at the scene and charged in court today (July 12) with murder.

If found guilty, he faces the death penalty.

The 69-year-old accused was apparently heard saying at the scene, "That is my son-in-law. Don't help him. Let him die," and "I couldn't sleep at night. I have already done it. I have already stabbed him. Don't cry. I'm old already and I'm not afraid to go to jail. What's done is done."

An Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority search shows that Mr Tuppani was a shareholder of TNS Group Holdings, with Mr Tan as director, reported The New Paper.

Mr Tuppani's wife, Madam Tan Cheng Cheng, 43, is also a shareholder. Their 13th wedding anniversary would have been next Monday (July 17).

Registry of Marriages records show that Mr Tuppani had registered a previous marriage on Feb 18, 2000.

When TNP visited Mr Tuppani's four-storey Sennett Lane home in Upper East Coast yesterday, a domestic helper said it was a bad time for the family.

A neighbour, who declined to be named, said she would see Mr Tuppani, his wife, two daughters, aged six and 10, and a son, eight, and their two maids occasionally.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017 - 12:24
Others

Photos: Singapore baker's adorable chiffon cakes go viral around the world

Town Council cleaner ownself supervise ownself? Before you judge, read his inspirational story

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'Ownself supervise ownself?' That was the joke a Town Council cleaner became the subject of after a notice of his job roles went viral.

The notice showed that the cleaner, Moktar, was also the cleaning supervisor for a block under the supervision of the Marine Parade Town Council.

After the image went viral, the cleaner became the butt of netizens' jokes, who wondered why he was both the supervisor and staff.

However, Marine Parade Town Council made a post on their Facebook page to explain more about Moktar, and his unusual work roles.

In their post, Marine Parade Town Council said that Moktar, a conservancy has been working with the organisation for the past five years.

on Facebook

You have probably seen photos of Moktar, one of our conservancy supervisors, circulating on Facebook over the last few...

Posted by Marine Parade Town Council on Tuesday, 11 July 2017

He is both the cleaner and cleaning supervisor for Blocks 120 to 134 at Geylang East Central and Geylang East Avenue 1.

Moktar reports his progress to his site supervisor daily, said Marine Parade Town Council.

The Town Council also said in the post: "Moktar is aware of his overnight online sensation.

"When asked about how he feels working in the estate, he said that he is pleased to serve our residents and will continue doing his best to upkeep our estate.

"Truly our unsung hero."

The post also had a quote from a resident of Geylang East Central, Mrs Veronica Wong, who said this of Moktar: "Moktar is a polite and hardworking man. Together with his team, he always ensures that the estate is kept clean."

All of which only goes to show, don't jump to conclusions and never judge a book by its cover. There is always more to every story than meets the eye.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017 - 12:53
Others

Survey finds 9 in 10 teenage boys face social pressures to be 'manly'

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A new survey has found that 9 in 10 teenage boys report facing pressures to be 'manly' through experiences of harassment, bullying, teasing, social exclusion, and psychological and physical violence.

The study, organised by gender equality group AWARE, surveyed 809 male respondents on their experiences during secondary school.

Virtually all (97 per cent) boys reported to have experienced violence or gender-policing for being 'gay/girly', or committed violence against other boys for being 'gay/girly'.

For example, they had teased or insulted other boys for having feminine characteristics, or used words like 'sissy', 'pondan', 'ah kua' or 'gay' to refer to someone's behaviour, or have been on the receiving end of such bullying.

Photo: AWARE

82 per cent of respondents have committed physical violence against others boys and/or transgender women or girls, while 74 per cent of respondents have experienced physical violence.

The survey also found that more than 20 per cent of respondents have been physically aggressive towards transgender women, or have actively gone to public areas where transgender people are known to be, in order to tease, insult or make rude gestures at them.

Photo: AWARE

Boys who have been pressured to be more gender-conforming were four times more likely to commit violence against and six times more likely to experience violence from other boys, and to have lower self-esteem.

"There's an overwhelming connection between boys facing pressure to be 'manly' and boys using physical violence as well as verbal and social cruelty on one another," said Ms Jolene Tan, Head of Advocacy and Research at AWARE.

"Parents and teachers need to reflect: when we tell boys to 'take it like a man' or 'stop being a girl', we are perpetuating a pattern of violence. The education system, too, needs to step in: by actively facilitating conversations respect."

Mr Daryl Yam, one of the panelists at the roundtable for the survey findings, said: "I was subject to a fair deal of bullying as a kid. Teachers and classmates openly taunted me for being a 'guniang' or an 'ah gua', and it had a twisted effect on my personality, and my ability to form friendships with people." 

"It led to very self-destructive behaviour, and the only thing it taught me was that masculinity - this constant pressure to be 'a man' - was an ideal that constantly led to ruin," he added.

Other significant results from the survey include:

  • Some boys who were seen as 'weak' and 'girly' were reported to be sexually abused: One respondent reported that these boys “were raped”, while another said, “They (were) touched inappropriately to make them cry.”
  • Boys who were seen as 'weak' or 'girly' were socially excluded: ​Said one respondent, "They were socially outcast by most of the people they met and had little or no good friends around them." Another said, "They were not included in sports, projects and outings. Also, they would be a hot topic to speak about when everyone is bored."
  • Violence experienced by boys who were seen as 'weak' and 'girly' is normalised and trivialised: ​Said one respondent, "If they said how they felt when someone insulted them, they would say to take it like a man and stop being such a girl."

thanhb@sph.com.sg

Wednesday, July 12, 2017 - 14:21
Others

Photos: Similar-looking Chinese characters that people mix up all the time

1MDB probe: Former BSI banker Yeo Jiawei gets 54 months' jail for money laundering, cheating

Photos: Boon Tat Street stabbing victim sold everything for company

Boon Tat Street stabbing: 69-year-old man charged with murder, faces death penalty

1MDB probe: Ex-BSI banker gets 54 months' jail for money laundering, cheating

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SINGAPORE - A Singapore court jailed a former wealth manager of Swiss bank BSI for four and a half years on Wednesday for money laundering and cheating in a case linked to an investigation involving the Malaysian fund 1MDB.

The former banker, Yeo Jiawei, is serving a 30-month term on charges of perverting the course of justice by urging witnesses to lie to police and destroy evidence during the investigation into illicitly transferred funds linked to Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Yeo, 34, who denied perverting the course justice last year, pleaded guilty to money laundering and cheating on Wednesday.

"The two schemes to secretly profit were dishonestly concealed from BSI Singapore ... and resulted in the accused earning in excess of US$3.5 million (S$4.8 million) in illicit profits," the public prosecutor said.

Graphic: The Straits Times

Prosecutors also allege that Yeo played a central role in the illicit movement of S$23.9 million of 1MDB-linked funds both while he was working at the now defunct BSI Bank Singapore, and afterwards.

Singapore's central bank announced in May that it has ended its review of banks with 1MDB-linked transactions.

As part of its two-year review, Singapore shut down the local units of BSI Bank and Falcon Bank due to failures of money laundering controls and improper conduct by senior management, froze millions of dollars in bank accounts and charged several private bankers.

A spokesman for BSI was not immediately available for comment on Yeo's sentencing.

Stefano Coduri, group chief executive of BSI bank stepped down after the closure of its Singapore operations last year and the bank said it had undertaken steps to strengthen management, including introducing a new chief risk officer and appointing a new group legal counsel.

Two other former BSI staffers have been convicted and sentenced on charges stemming from the money-laundering investigation linked to 1MDB.

Founded by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who previously chaired its advisory board, 1MDB is the subject of money laundering investigations in at least six countries, including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.

Najib has denied any wrongdoing and said Malaysia will co-operate with the international investigations.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017 - 14:48
Others

Singapore Night Festival 2017 celebrates 10 years by bringing back its popular acts

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Singapore Night Festival (SNF), which turns 10 this year, will be looking towards the future by reflecting on its past. 

To commemorate the festival's journey, SNF invites visitors to take a walk down memory lane with 10 returning local artists and artist groups.

The 10 acts include: Bloco Singapura, Timbre Music (presenting the New Stream Brass Band), Peranakan Sayang, Flamenco Sin Fronteras and Nawaz & Friends, ZingO, Instigator Afrobeat Orchestra, Grapple MAX Dojo, The Brass Barre, Starlight Alchemy, and Mind Magic Mistress.  

Photo: AsiaOne

While the full line-up of acts and venues won't be revealed until closer to the festival date, we know that these previous crowd favorites will be returning with fresh, new perspectives on their craft.

For example, here are three artists/groups that will be coming back with revamped visions:

Singapore's very own illusionist Ning Cai, previously known as Magic Babe Ning, is returning to the festival as Mind Magic Mistress after learning an entirely different school of magic: mindreading. 

Photo: Image courtesy of Ning Cai

This year, she will be accompanied by trained psychologist and hypnotist Paul Brook. The two mentalists will be performing a 45-minute interactive show called Pain/Pleasure for those 18 years and older.

Visitors can expect to experience the Hypno-Dungeon where "your mind holds you down and others take charge," Pleasure of the Feather, where you feel like you are being touched even though nobody is around, and the 'Toy' Shop, which has been proclaimed to be a visit that will "leave you doubting reality."

Another exciting act to look forward to is the Night Festival Showdown, performed by Grapple MAX Dojo, a pro-wrestling collective that just launched last November.

Co-Founder of the dojo Greg Ho, who performed at SNF in 2014, is returning with students from a variety of backgrounds, from entrepreneurs to doctors to actors, all ranging from 17 to 40 years of age.

Photo: Image courtesy of Grapple MAX Dojo

Strikingly, because the dojo is known for "no rings, no ropes, no barriers," audiences can actually come extremely close to the wrestling performers, right up to the mat! But rest assured, the group ensures it is completely safe.

While each and every one of the returning 10 artists or groups will have electrifying new performances in store for visitors, we wanted to lastly highlight the return of Starlight Alchemy.

The multidisciplinary performance arts collective consists of local and international artists specialising in the manipulation of fire and LED lights to produce captivating and thrilling visual effects. 

The installation, called 'The Flower of Life and the Infinite Self' is a geodesic bamboo dome with interior walls mounted with geometrically arranged convex mirrors that form dynamic reflections of visitors as they walk around the dome. 

Artist's impression of the installation dome.
Photo: Courtesy of Starlight Alchemy

While new talent will always be a part of SNF's magic, this year is all about celebrating the community that makes it possible. Plus, those who've fallen in love with these performers in previous years now have a chance to see some of their favorites again at the place where it all began.

The admission-free festival will run from Friday, August 18 to Sunday, August 26 from 7.30pm - 12am, with performances on the 24th, 25th, and 26th.

Photo: AsiaOne

thanhb@sph.com.sg

Wednesday, July 12, 2017 - 19:32
Others

Netizens pick on Singapore beauty pageant contestants over their looks

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It's tough being a beauty contestant, whether you're drop-dead gorgeous or not much of a looker.

Invariably, there would be unkind remarks one way or another - from sexist ones to the downright crude at every contest.

The finalists of last Saturday's Miss Singapore Beauty Pageant were not spared either as they were mercilessly cut down by some netizens after a reportedly less-than-flattering photo of the group went viral over the weekend.

They criticised the girls for not having good looks and wondered if the contest was a joke.

Photo: Singapore Beauty Pageant's Facebook

Then they unleashed their barbs again today when the organiser put up a group photo of the girls after their hip-hop workout at a gym on the pageant's Facebook page. But the girls also had supporters from the internet who told them not to be disheartened as physical looks alone do not sum up the full meaning of being a beauty.

Photo:Singapore Beauty Pageant's Facebook

Well, it's understandable that most of the contestants might not look as stunning like those in Miss Universe or Miss World pageants which expect far higher standards. And the girls probably know that.

So why be so harsh on participants who were having fun in lesser-known contests, which also help to promote international friendships on smaller platforms?

To the girls, please have a swell time as you boost your fitness, confidence and deportment together. We love your enthusiasm.

Comments by a supporter on Facebook.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017 - 18:25

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