It is one setback after another for beleaguered petrochemical producer Jurong Aromatics Corporation (JAC).

Just as the firm's receivers were completing talks on a tolling agreement, a fire that razed one of its storage tanks last week also destroyed all hope of the plant on Jurong Island restarting any time soon.

JAC, whose US$2.4 billion (S$3.2 billion) plant had been idle for the whole of 2015, went into receivership in September last year. The Business Times reported in December that four to five proposals had been made to the firm's receivers Borrelli Walsh.

Market analysts told BT that Borrelli Walsh had started talks with BP on a one-year tolling arrangement, and was hoping to start up the plant in April or May.

Under the arrangement, BP would provide feedstock to JAC and take up all of its output, thus freeing JAC from market risks. JAC, in return, would receive a fixed processing fee.

JAC can produce 2.5 million tonnes of transportation fuels such as fuel oil and petrol and 1.5 million tonnes of aromatics each year. The latter includes paraxylene, better known as PX, which goes into making polyester.

Starting up in the second quarter would have allowed JAC's products to enter the market at a time when prices for PX are usually firm, and when margins for PX producers have been good, according to analysts.

BT reported last year that 2016 would represent a window of opportunity for JAC to start up in a more profitable climate.

A source close to the talks said both the receivers and BP had been pushing for the plant to start up soon. But the fire that broke out in the plant has put paid to these efforts - for now.

One of JAC's oil tanks caught fire last Wednesday afternoon. The intense blaze, which resulted in the tank collapsing, took about 150 firefighters five hours to extinguish.

The tank, which measures about 40m in diameter and 20m in height, contained light crude oil, or condensate, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). According to Borrelli Walsh, the condensate in the tank was from 2014 when the plant was first commissioned.

A SCDF spokesman said the tank, which has a capacity of 2.5 million litres, was about 10 per cent full. The value of the oil is below US$75,000, said Anu Agarwal, vice-president of chemicals at market data provider Argus Media.

All activity at the plant has now been halted while the SCDF and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) conduct investigations into the cause of the fire, said a Borrelli Walsh spokesperson.

An MOM spokesperson said that a stop-work order has been issued to stop tank storage operations while investigations are ongoing, to ensure that control measures are in place to prevent a recurrence.

Asked how much damage the fire has caused to the company, the Borelli Walsh spokesperson replied: "That's what we are assessing now. A lot depends on SCDF's and MOM's decisions as well."

How much the fire would affect the proposed arrangement with BP is uncertain for now. "Where we proceed from here really depends on what happens to the plant," she added. It is unclear if the talks over the tolling arrangement with BP will continue. BP declined to comment.

JAC had started operations in August 2014 - three years later than the originally planned date of 2011 due to difficulty obtaining funding during the financial crisis - just as the market for PX turned sour.

It stopped operations in December that year to "recalibrate" its production process, but subsequently ran out of working capital. Before it went into receivership, JAC's largest shareholders were South Korean refiner SK Energy (30 per cent) and Chinese polyester maker Jiangsu Sanfangxiang Industrial Group (25 per cent).

Other significant owners include entrepreneur Vijay Goradia of Houston-based chemicals firm Vinmar Group (10.5 per cent), Swiss trader Glencore (10 per cent) and Indonesia's Sridjaja family (9.5 per cent).

Thai KK Industry, EDB Investments and Indian multinational conglomerate Essar Group rounded up the rest of the equity interest.

This article was first published on April 27, 2016.
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The drivers of a taxi and a sports car were injured when the vehicles collided near Geylang late on Monday night.

Police said they were informed of the incident at the junction of Guillemard Road and Geylang Lorong 22 at 11.05pm.

The grille of the silver taxi was mangledand torn off, while the black sports car was partly crumpled on its right side.

The taxi driver, 57, and the other driver, 47, were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the police said.

Lianhe Wanbao reported that the taxi was making a right turn while the car was going straight when they collided.

This article was first published on April 27, 2016.
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When he was 14, Goi Jia Jian faced a phishing scam on the online role-playing game, RuneScape.

His account was hacked and all his hard-earned winnings were stolen.

He was furious and devastated.

Not wanting to fall victim to such a scam again, he wanted to learn how to prevent such scams from happening to others. He searched online for ways to prevent phishing scams.

"I spent hours reading up about programming on the Internet and I found it very interesting," said Mr Goi, who is now 20.

"My Computer Studies subject in secondary school also sparked my interest to learn more about computer programming."

He went on to pursue a Diploma in Information Technology in Temasek Polytechnic (TP) and will graduate next month.

"I feel more confident now that I have knowledge in how the systems actually work and knowing what flaws a system shouldn't have," he said.

Mr Goi even shone on the world stage. In July last year, along with two other course-mates, he almost topped the Microsoft Imagine Cup Competition, a global technology contest for students on ideas that can impact the world.

BRIGHT FUTURE

The team came in second, beating 10 of the other 11 teams in the world citizenship category of the contest in Seattle, Washington.

They won US$10,000 (S$14,000 at the time) for their idea, Mozter - an automated mosquito surveillance platform that uses a sensor to detect and analyse the different types of mosquitoes.

"It was very unexpected because the competition was very intense and the other teams had very good ideas as well," said Mr Goi.

He hopes to become a software engineer at a tech company like Google, Microsoft, Twitter or Facebook.

He will be among only three recipients of the Lee Kuan Yew award from TP on May 6.

This article was first published on April 27, 2016.
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Temasek Polytechnic will be presenting 11 awards to its top students from next week during their graduation ceremonies. Tracy Low spoke to three students on what drove them to success.

When Joy Sim was 14, she saw how her grandmother battled with Type-2 diabetes.

Miss Sim felt helpless back then, but that experience motivated her to do a Temasek Polytechnic (TP) Diploma in Applied Food Science and Nutrition, from which she will graduate next month.

Now 19, Miss Lim is equipped to help prevent the risk of people falling victim to such illnesses.

"My grandmother's condition really inspired me to want to know more about nutrition.

"I didn't know that food had such a strong power to influence health," she said.

Her grandmother, who lives with her, is now 96 and no longer suffers from diabetes after controlling her diet. Initially, Miss Sim wanted to be a dietitian.

But after completing her internship at Changi General Hospital's dietetics department, she changed her mind.

"Dietitians actually prescribe diets for patients who are already suffering from an illness.

"And this reinforced my belief that prevention is better than cure.

"So I want to become a food scientist or a metabolic researcher instead, to work in the field of studying diabetes," said Miss Sim.

At TP, Miss Sim also showed a social conscience, raising money for charity.

She shaved off her hair for Hair for Hope in 2014 and raised more than $11,000 for the Children's Cancer Foundation.

"Actually I wanted to do it when I was 10 or 11 because I had a childhood friend who suffered from leukaemia.

"But I never had the guts to do it until two years ago."

She attributes her fund-raising success to friends, relatives and a staff member of the school who sent an e-mail to the whole school.

"That was how I raised more than $11,000," she said.

Miss Sim will be among only three recipients of the Lee Kuan Yew award from TP on May 6.

This article was first published on April 27, 2016.
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You may have remembered the name and face but just couldn't place it.

Then again, it doesn't matter now that we know that the People's Action Party's Mr Murali Pillai and the Singapore Democratic Party's Dr Chee Soon Juan are the two confirmed candidates for the straight fight at the May 7 Bukit Batok by-election polls.

Still, one can only applaud Uber driver Shirwin Eu, 32, for his valiant efforts at attempting to run as an independent candidate.

Operative word being: Attempting.

You see, yet again he tried, and failed to qualify.

Cue slow clap.

via GIPHY

The last we saw this guy was at the General Election 2015 when he first tried to run as an independent candidate for Bukit Panjang SMC.

He didn't qualify then because he couldn't find people to back him up.

This time was even worse.

He didn't have the paper documents, assentors or the $13,500 deposit.

All he seemed to have, is a whole lot of hope.

His antics have only left Singaporeans scratching their heads trying to get round why he even thought he had a chance in the first place.

That million dollar question was answered when he spoke to the media outside the Nomination Centre on Wednesday (April 27), revealing a little too much for his own good.

At least we know now, Shirwin. Thanks.

So, here are 5 reasons why Shirwin Eu was destined to fail from the onset:

1. He has no friends

via GIPHY

2. He thinks he's an attractive potential candidate who's young and honest

via GIPHY

3. He said he's in it for the fame and wealth

via GIPHY

4. He does not know what Bukit Batok residents want

via GIPHY

5. In fact, he admitted he does not even know what he can offer

sujint@sph.com.sg

Bukit Batok by-election: Nomination day

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AsiaOne, The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - Get ready your cameras. The former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (TPRS) will be open to the public this Labour Day, the Singapore Land Authority announced on Wednesday (April 27).

It will be open from 9am to 6pm.

This time round, shutterbugs will be pleased to know that a photography contest will be held in conjunction with the open house.

The contest, where participants are encouraged to submit photos of iconic state properties such as the TPRS, will be held from May 1 to June 12 with the theme "Celebrating Places and Memories" .

The open house will also include an exhibition by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Titled WOMEN: New Portraits, her works will feature women of outstanding achievement including artists, musicians, CEOs, politicians, writers and philanthropists.

The exhibition is open to the public from April 29 to May 22 at TPRS Main Hall as part of a 10-city global tour.

For more information, go to www.ubs.com/annieleibovitz

debwong@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - High taxi rental, long hours at the wheel and sometimes the odd fare evasion to boot, doesn't make life easier for taxi drivers.

Least of all not for one driver, who wants to be known as Danny. He told citizen journalist website Stomp that a female passenger whom he picked up along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 on April 23, failed to pay her fare.

According to Danny, upon reaching the destination, Block 459 Yishun Avenue 11, the passenger claimed that she needed to retrieve money "from upstairs".

The fare was $11.50.

Danny said that he then requested she leave her particulars or handphone number as he was afraid that she might make a run for it.

While she refused, she consented to leave her small bag in the car.

That was the last Danny saw of her.

When the passenger failed to return after 20 minutes, Danny inspected her bag.

He told Stomp: "I took a closer look at the bag and found that it was a broken bag with rubbish in it. There was also a crushed ATM transaction slip from Republic Polytechnic inside."

He has since filed a police report.

debwong@sph.com.sg

Girl evades taxi fare by leaving behind bag full of rubbish

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Stomp

TWO elderly people have been cheated of nearly $26,000 in what is known as an "apple scam". The victims are told to put all their valuables in a plastic bag for a ritual, only to find out later that the items have been replaced with apples.

Scammers employing this tactic made a resurgence last month, with the police investigating two cases and reminding residents to be on their guard, Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao reported yesterday.

Wanbao understands that the two victims are elderly folk. The scammers used their usual ploy, telling the elderly that their relatives and friends were in danger of misfortune but a simple ritual would keep them safe.

The victims were coaxed into placing cash and jewellery into a plastic bag, which the scammers prayed over.

They would then leave with a word of caution to the victims not to open the bag until several days later, but the victims would do so only to find that the bag contained apples, water bottles or other cheap items.

The police confirmed the reports and said investigations are under way.

The scammers usually travel in groups and are highly practised, Wanbao reported.

They take different roles, including one as the "salesperson" to introduce the scheme, another as someone who has benefited from the ritual and a third to carry it out.

Neighbourhood police centres have sent out reminders to residents to beware of these scammers, who largely target the elderly.

Residents in Marine Parade have received flyers warning against falling for the apple scam.

Yishun North Neighbourhood Police Centre posted a similar advisory on its Facebook page earlier this month.

It advised the public to "be wary when approached by strangers who offer to help you perform rituals to prevent misfortune" and to refrain from handing over cash or valuables to anyone.

In late 2013, a group of five apple scammers from China made off with $430,000 worth of cash and jewellery.

Two members of the gang were arrested at the airport and given respective jail sentences of four years and 10 months and three years and five months.

More details of this scam and others are provided on www.scamalert.sg, a site operated by the National Crime Prevention Council.

myp@sph.com.sg

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TEN years after they were first earmarked for redevelopment, four blocks of flats in the mature Ang Mo Kio estate are finally facing the wrecking ball.

Come February next year, blocks 246 to 249 along Ang Mo Kio avenues 2 and 3 will be torn down to make way for new homes.

The open-air carpark between these yellow and white 12-storey blocks, which are 39 years old to 40 years old, will also be demolished.

Most of the soon-to-be vacated site, across the road from Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, is zoned for residential use under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's latest Master Plan.

The 42,584 sq m demolition site, about the size of six football fields, will be hoarded up for safety, a Housing Board spokesman said.

According to tender documents, the demolition project is estimated to cost $800,000 and is expected to be completed by September 2018.

The four blocks, along with adjacent blocks 250 to 252, were announced for the HDB's Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers) in June 2006. Under this scheme, old blocks are torn down and residents are offered new replacement flats with a fresh 99-year lease at subsidised prices.

All the residents had moved out by the end of 2012 and many relocated to newly built blocks nearby, along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.

Blocks 250 and 252 were demolished in 2013 and new flats are currently being built there.

Blocks 246 to 249, however, were given a new lease of life as rental homes in 2013.

Blocks 246 and 247 are on the HDB's Interim Rental Housing Scheme, which provides needy families with temporary housing at subsidised rates.

Meanwhile, blocks 248 and 249 are being used for the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS), which provides temporary homes to families waiting for their new flats to be completed.

These tenants will be provided with alternative homes if they still need temporary housing as the demolition approaches, HDB said.

Some 72 Sers projects have been completed since the scheme's inception in 1995.

Chef Melvin Tan, who is renting a three-room flat at Block 248 while waiting for his Toa Payoh flat to be built, said HDB had informed him about the demolition.

The 43-year-old, who lives with his wife and two children, added that he will miss his current neighbourhood.

Other former residents were less nostalgic. Said Ng Choon Kiang, 55, who is unemployed: "The flats there are very old and most of the shops in the area have moved out. It's time to tear them down."

yeosamjo@sph.com.sg

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A BUS captain was jailed for a week yesterday for causing an accident which resulted in an elderly passenger's foot being amputated.

SMRT driver Lau Pik Choong, 53, drove off while 88-year-old Ting Lang Kin was alighting, causing her to fall onto the road before the bus stopped again - with her leg lodged under its rear left tyre.

Lau, a Singapore permanent resident from Malaysia, pleaded guilty to a charge of causing grievous hurt by a negligent act. He will be barred from driving all classes of vehicles for 18 months after his release.

A district court heard that at 1pm on April 3 last year, Madam Ting was at the back of bendy bus service 913 near the rear exit.

She pressed the buzzer to alight at Woodlands Centre Road and remained seated until the bus came to a halt.

She walked slowly due to her age, and before she could reach the exit, Lau closed the door. A passenger pressed the buzzer and Lau opened the rear door again.

As the elderly woman was on the last step, with one foot on the ground and the other on the kerb, Lau drove off without closing the door.

The court heard that he did not check his mirror or a monitor on his dashboard. Madam Ting's left leg was run over by the vehicle's rear left tyre.

Passengers shouted at Lau and he immediately stopped the bus. He slowly reversed the bus in order to free her leg.

Madam Ting was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where the front of her left foot was amputated. She was hospitalised for seven weeks.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Dillon Kok asked for one to two weeks' jail, noting that Lau had been grossly negligent.

In mitigation, Lau, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded against a jail term, as it would result in him losing his job.

Passing sentence, District Judge Eddy Tham told Lau: "You, as a public bus driver, owe a high duty of care for the safety of all the commuters on the bus.

"As the victim was moving slowly, you ought to have paid more careful attention to the victim. You have no excuse."

Madam Ting, now 89, is a widow with five children and two grandchildren. SMRT has apologised to her family and suspended the driver.

The maximum punishment for causing grievous hurt by a negligent act which endangers human life or the personal safety of others is two years' jail and a $5,000 fine.

amirh@sph.com.sg

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SINGAPORE - The routes of SMRT bus services 75 and 167 will be amended from Sunday (May 1), as Anderson Bridge in the direction of St Andrew's Road will be closed off to buses and heavy vehicles.

The routes of both services will be amended to ply Esplanade Drive instead.

Both services will skip the bus stop along Fullerton Road, in front of the Victoria Concert Hall (bus stop code 02011), and call at the bus stop at Esplanade Bridge along Esplanade Drive (bus stop code 02111).

There will be no change to the routes in the other direction towards Fullerton Road.

ljessica@sph.com.sg

Singaporean citizen Mohammad Noh Bin Abdul Salam was forced to cancel his 33th birthday party in Bali on Friday after Ngurah Rai Airport customs officers arrested him for bringing drugs onto the island.

The cafe employee in Singapore was found to bring 10 ecstasy ( MDMA ) pills and some LSD in the form of "happy paper", which has been more widely known as "blotter acid" since the 1960s.

The Bali Customs and Excise Office's prosecution and investigation chief, Husni Syaiful, said Mohammad Noh was arrested upon his arrival at the airport via Malaysia on AirAsia flight AK 376 on Tuesday afternoon. He said it was the office's K-9 team that found something suspicious in Mohammad's luggage. "When we examined it, we found 10 MDMA pills and one piece of happy paper," Husni said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Officers said Mohammad told the police he bought the drugs in Malaysia. "He said he was preparing the drugs for his birthday party in Bali," Ngurah Rai Customs and Excise Office head Budi Harjanto said.

Budi claimed it was probable Mohammad Noh was not only a drug user, but also part of a drug ring that aimed to test the security in Bali airport.

"He claimed he himself would use the drugs, but we still have to investigate his claims. He could be part of a drug ring," he said.

Mohammad Noh will be charged with violating Article 113 of the 2009 Narcotics Law, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment and a Rp 10 billion ( S$1,019,171 ) fine. He was handed over to the police on Wednesday for further legal processing.

SINGAPORE - Three new members have been appointed to the 16-member Public Transport Council (PTC) from May 1 to April 30, 2019.

The three new members include Adrian Chua Tsen Leong, divisional director of Ministry of Manpower's Manpower Planning and Policy Division; Fang Chin Poh, general secretary of the National Transport Workers' Union; and Dr Kwoh Chee Keong, secretary of the Keat Hong Citizens' Consultative Committee.

Three other members who will be stepping down are Chan Boon Fui, senior director or the Public Service Division; Tay Bok Hock Louis, chairman of Bukit Panjang Community Sports Club; and Toh Hock Poh, president of the Metal Industries Workers' Union.

The council's mission is to keep public transport fares affordable for commuters while ensuring sustainability of the system. On top of that, it also advises the Government on how to enhance service quality and travel experience.

ljessica@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - The North-South Corridor (NSC), which connects towns in the northern region to the city centre, is expected to be completed around 2026.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a statement on April 28 that it will be calling for several tenders for the construction of the 21.5km expressway, which will commence in 2017.

It will be Singapore's first integrated transport corridor featuring continuous bus lanes and cycling trunk routes.

The NSC is expected to reduce bus travelling times from Woodlands, Sembawang, Yishun and Ang Mo Kio to the city by up to 30 minutes, and also make bus connections between residential towns along the NSC faster.

North-South Corridor to be completed around 2026

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

LTA

A cycling trunk route will also link up Park Connector Networks and the dedicated cycling path networks within HDB towns along the entire corridor to the city centre.

"The NSC underpins our commitment towards a car-lite Singapore, by optimising our land transport infrastructure to better meet the needs of all Singaporeans," said Mr Chew Men Leong, LTA chief executive.

Preparatory works for the construction of the NSC have already been carried out along the corridor.

ljessica@sph.com.sg

It's safe to say that it hasn't been the best of weeks for SMRT Corporation. One must feel for its senior management and crisis communications team as they tackle one mishap after another.

A power fault was the cause of a major breakdown of train services on three MRT lines and one LRT line on Monday evening. This was the first time so many lines were down at the same time, stranding thousands of commuters during one of the busiest travel times of the day. The trip caused blackouts and cut off the air-conditioning at the affected stations, which also lost power except for emergency lighting.

The North-South and East-West lines were disrupted for about half an hour, and the Circle Line for about an hour. It was worse for those wanting to ride the Bukit Panjang LRT, as trains started moving again only after a more than two-hour delay.

Things didn't get much better on Tuesday morning, when a traction power fault halted train services between Kranji and Woodlands MRT stations on the North-South line. This was the line's third stoppage in a week.

Monday's disruptions occurred just hours after SMRT announced the findings of an investigation into the deaths of two of its staff last month. The operator said that a failure to follow proper safety measures before allowing the work team to get onto the train tracks had directly caused the tragedy. The safety lapses included not providing early warnings to the work team.

It's worth noting that Singapore - with a vehicle population of one million and nearing its peak - is already taking baby steps towards becoming a car-lite society, and encouraging more people to take buses and trains as their main mode of getting around. As Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan put it recently, a car-dominant model is unsustainable given Singapore's land constraints, and he hopes Singaporeans will eventually cherish public transport as an indispensable part of their daily lives.

But for that to happen, there must be an excellent public transport system - dependable and convenient. So commuters are naturally aggrieved that the train network's reliability has once again been called into question. There should be greater transparency and clarity when it comes to explaining the reasons behind a disruption, as well as the specific measures taken to rectify the identified faults.

Mr Khaw's recent announcement in Parliament that the government will invest heavily in preventive maintenance as well as hardware replacement and upgrading is welcome; this week's breakdowns only serve to heighten the sense of urgency.

There will invariably be some trade-offs that the public will have to accept along the way. Mr Khaw has called for commuters to allow operators to open some of the MRT lines slightly later in the morning (or to shut them earlier at night) in order to give engineers more time to perform necessary maintenance and upgrading.

Another crucial task at hand is to win back the public's trust and confidence. Those affected by the breakdowns can get refunds within a 14-day period at any train station, but there have been calls for more compensation. For instance, some bemoaned the fact that they had no choice but to take a taxi during the peak period because of the disruptions - with fares costing many times more than a train trip. After a lengthy disruption, a move to offer free train rides to all (perhaps for a day or two) is a small investment that could pay big dividends for SMRT: the goodwill earned from commuters would go a long way towards repairing the corporation's battered reputation.

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Stomp, The Straits Times, Wesley Sng

This article was first published on April 28, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - The public should beware of a fake Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) website which is phishing for visa application numbers and passport numbers.

The website has the following url: www.immisg-mom.in.

In a statement released today (April 28), the ICA urged members of the public to "exercise caution" and to "not unwittingly fall prey to such fake websites". 

It said that people who access its official website have not had their data compromised, and that it has filed a police report.

The ICA also added that attempts are being made to shut down the website.

Screengrab of the fake ICA website

This is the second incident involving a fake ICA website.

Earlier this month, ICA also released a statement requesting the public to exercise caution against a fake website phishing for passport numbers. 

SINGAPORE - People's Action Party (PAP) and Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) will be holding rallies for the Bukit Batok by-election, tomorrow (April 29).

According to the Police Elections Permits Office, PAP's Murali Pillai will be conducting a rally at Bukit Gombak Stadium from 7pm to 10pm.

SDP's Chee Soon Juan will be holding a rally at the field along Bukit Batok Industrial Park A from 7pm to 10pm.

The rallying period is from April 28 to May 5. 

Bukit Batok by-election: Nomination day

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AsiaOne, The Straits Times

Both candidates submitted their nomination papers yesterday (April 27) at Keming Primary School, and have since begun campaigning. 

Polling Day for the by-election will be on May 7.

prabukm@sph.com.sg

THE warm weather in Malaysia has ruffled some feathers, leading to fewer eggs and a small rise in their prices at some shops in Singapore, although others are holding prices steady for now.

Prices rose by 10 cents for 10 eggs on Monday, Mr Tan Lau Huah, chairman of the Eggs Import/Export Trading Association, told The Straits Times on the same day.

One reason is that cake shops are buying more eggs to meet demand for the upcoming Hari Raya Puasa holiday on July 6. But Mr Tan also cited the hot weather in Malaysia.

"It's too hot so the chickens eat less and lay fewer eggs," he said. His association's 25 egg supplier members get 80 per cent of their eggs from Malaysia, he added.

A 68-year-old owner of an egg stall at a market in Toa Payoh Lorong 1, who wanted to be known only as Mr Liao, told Lianhe Wanbao he raised prices by one cent per egg.

This was in line with the price hike by his supplier.

He sells about 2,000 eggs a day.

Mr Liao, an egg seller of 48 years, said: "If I don't raise (prices), I'll make losses."

Ang Seng Eggs Supplier, which has been in the business for more than 30 years and supplies to restaurants and cafeterias, has also raised prices by one cent each.

The firm imports eggs from Johor Baru and Malacca, said director Sam Ang, 51.

He added: "On top of it being too hot in Malaysia, there's the problem of water shortage so costs are rising."

The chickens need water and have to be cleaned.

Egg prices at several wet market stalls and provision shops, as well as major supermarkets, appear to be stable.

An NTUC FairPrice spokesman said prices of its eggs have remained stable, "other than the typical fresh food price fluctuation".

alexong@sph.com.sg

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