A 71-year-old man was evicted from his daughter's condominium unit after she claimed that he had betrayed her trust and molested their maid.
The man, in turn, alleged that his daughter wanted an Orchard estate which they had bought, for herself.
He told Shin Min Daily News that he and his wife had two daughters, and had stayed with their elder daughter since selling off their house more than 10 years ago.
When his eldest daughter started investing in real estate, he also put in $10,000.
He said:
"I asked her once if there were dividends, but she asked me to let continue the investment."
The man revealed that he had brought up the subject of dividends again last year, after opening up a joint account with her, in which they deposited $1,500,000.
The father and daughter also bought an apartment situated in Orchard for $2,500,000, under his name.
He told reporters that he had intended to stay in the unit after his retirement, while agreeing to his daughter's request to rent out the place for $6,500 monthly.
Said the man:
"I withdrew about $200,000 and deposited it into my own account, and allowed my daughter to manage the apartment under her name with the power of attorney."
However, they had a falling out in November 2016, and he moved out of his daughter's home, but she insisted on continuing to manage the apartment in Orchard.
The money in the joint account started getting depleted, and he approached the tenant and asked to have a look at the contract, but was rejected.
He decided to withdraw his daughter's right to manage the apartment, but found that she had already transferred it to her younger sister.
When reporters contacted the man's elder daughter, she claimed that she could not trust him and that the 'investment sum' had in fact been given to her.
Her younger sister further accused him of molesting the maid when their mother was still sick in bed, which her father had denied doing.
After the incident, they were forced to evict their father.
The younger daughter added:
"We have given him many chances, especially our now deceased mother.
"She loved him, and always sought to protect him."
Her older sister said that she only knew that her father had gambled away their mother's jewellery after her passing.
He also pawned off his own Rolex watch to finance his habits.
When she confronted him over the incident, he told her that it was because he did not have sufficient living expenses.
As a result, she gave him extra money to redeem it back, not knowing that her mother had already redeemed it on her own.
In response to media queries, the police have confirmed that it was investigating a case of molestation pertaining to the man.
If you're a durian lover like myself, you're probably rejoicing over the arrival of the yearly durian season.
Trips to the nearby market usually means coming home with a box (or 5) of freshly opened durians, and listening to your mum haggle over prices with the store owner in dialect.
But one of these grocery trips led me to a rather interesting store - one with a banner that caught my eye immediately.
With a caricature of a Caucasian man holding up 2 durians, the store's name wasn't of the typical '(insert Chinese name or random numbers) Durian' variety.
It was 'Durian Ang Moh', with the words '卢克榴莲' (Luke's Durian) below the drawing.
Photo: Facebook/Durian Ang Moh
Unfortunately, the ang moh in the photo wasn't at the store at that point of time, and I wondered about the Caucasian behind the business and his passion for the fruit.
Fortunately, I managed to contact Luke, and found out more about the story of the ang moh who loved durian so much, he started a business selling it.
"I Definitely Didn't Like The Taste Of It"
A polarising fruit, unlike apples or oranges, durians are either worshipped or despised - many from the former group likening its smell to rotting socks, garbage, and all things stinky.
This was what Luke Otter (30) thought so too, when he had the first taste of its custardy flesh in the form of durian cake back in 2007.
"I definitely didn't like the taste of it, and it scarred me from trying it for a few years!"
Originally from England, Luke came to Singapore as a volunteer at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, where he volunteered for 3 months before returning home to complete his university education.
After he completed his studies, the then 21-year-old moved to Singapore permanently, and has been living here ever since.
It was also as a new resident of Singapore that he decided to take on the real fruit a couple of years later.
Even though he admittedly "took a while to appreciate it", he found himself slowly getting hooked onto its creamy flesh.
Photo: Facebook/Durian Ang Moh
"After that, it became an obsession for me, I wanted to try every species of durian and learn as much as I possibly could about durian."
An interesting tidbit about this adventurous foodie - he is also a fan of 'acquired taste' foods like petai bean and stinky tofu!
From 'Hungry Ang Mo' To 'Durian Ang Moh'
Previously a motivational trainer for Adam Khoo for several years, he created a blog, Hungry Ang Mo, in 2009 as both a hobby and a means to document all the vegetarian and vegan food places in Singapore.
His pet project soon became very popular, and he even has a special section dedicated to reviewing durian sellers.
Reading through his durian-related posts, his passion for the fruit is evident, as he describes each variety in great detail, putting our meagre knowledge (think about it: how many types of durian can you name?) to shame.
"One of my most popular posts was 'Trusted Durian Sellers in Singapore', where I gave a detailed list of all the sellers who I believe were honest."
At the moment, he has put the blog on the backburner, given that he had reviewed most of the vegetarian places in Singapore already.
But while many of us love to eat durian as much as the next Singaporean, setting up a durian business is on a whole new level.
To Luke, however, it "seemed like a natural progression".
"I had been writing about durian on my blog for a few years, but always wanted to do more with durians. […] I felt like I achieved what I wanted to achieve with Hungry Ang Mo, it was time for a new challenge!"
"When They See An Ang Moh, They See An Easy Victim"
Previously a Sengkang-ite, Luke would cycle, several times a week, to Hougang to buy durians - the closest location that has durian sellers.
However, the durian lover kept getting cheated by dishonest sellers who were hoping to earn an extra dollar from him.
"I went to several sellers and got cheated every single time. When they see an ang moh, they see an easy victim. I was over-charged and deceived almost every time."
It was also through this storm that he found his lighthouse - Ah Teck, an experienced durian seller with over 25 years of experience.
"He was the first honest durian seller that I met. He never cheated me or took advantage of me, and always gave me good durians. Back then, I knew nothing about durians, he could have cheated me very easily, but he never did."
Photo: Facebook/Durian Ang Moh
Soon, they built a friendship, as Ah Teck taught him the ins and outs of selecting the best durians.
Eight years later, the unlikely friends met up again, as Ah Teck brought Luke on a 'Durian Holiday' - which entailed durian farm visits and "durians for breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper and in between".
It was also during the holiday that the duo decided to embark on the 'Durian Ang Moh' project.
"They Can't Believe That An Ang Moh Is Opening Durians"
Luke never had a formal education in Mandarin or any Chinese dialect, but over the years in Singapore, he had managed to pick up a decent amount of Mandarin, and communicates with his partner using it.
"Although my Mandarin still has a lot of improvement needed!"
Given that durian sellers are typically middle-aged Chinese uncles or aunties, an ang moh peddling the fruit is something rare - almost mind-boggling, actually.
"Typically, [customers] find it shocking and/or humorous. They can't believe that an ang moh is opening durians."
Photo: Facebook/Durian Ang Moh
"There is a minority of people who will assume the durians are not good, or assume that I know nothing about durians - 'Ang moh know how to eat durian meh?' But overall the response has been very positive."
But he believes that the growing acceptance is mainly due to Singaporeans liking to see expats making an effort to integrate into local culture - something he feels other expats don't do enough of.
"Often, expats coming to Singapore linger within expat bubbles and don't really understand what Singapore culture really is, which I think is a wasted opportunity."
"Whereas for myself, I am married to a Singaporean, I stay in a HDB, I eat in hawker centres, most my friends are Singaporeans - full integration. So I think for locals they find something like this refreshing."
Embracing Delivery Services To Reach More Customers
Following the rise of durian shops opting to deliver their goods to Singaporeans craving for the fruit, Luke is also doing the same for his stall.
"Not many Singaporeans have the time to come to the stall in Hougang, so we thought it would be great to bring the durians to them."
He also noted that since durians aren't allowed on public transport, given its pungent smell, "delivery solves that problem".
Typically, he uses Lalamove ("a fantastic company especially if I have last minute deliveries") and a handful of trusty riders for deliveries.
While business for him is brisk (on a good day, he receives up to 50 orders), he admits that this season is not as profitable as previous ones as supply is low.
Durians are also more expensive now, even for sellers, due to large exports to China.
"Now is the most challenging time to make an income selling durian, and a lot of sellers are feeling the pinch."
He's game to take on the challenge, however, and states that it's "not an impossible obstacle" to still win the sales game.
"I believe the business has changed and requires more of a broad-spectrum approach - for example, having a strong digital and social media presence."
The Future Of Durian Ang Moh
Photo: Facebook/Durian Ang Moh
As the durian season ebbs away, does Luke still see himself continuing with the business in the long term?
"I have a long term goal of how I want this business to grow. Now, we are just at the beginning stages, so there is a long way to go!"
JOHOR BARU: A Singaporean youth fell to his death from the ninth floor at an apartment building in Larkin here.
Ng Teck Ann, 19, who was autistic, was found dead at around 8am Tuesday.
His 53-year-old mother, who was resting in her room prior to the incident, made the shocking find after hearing the sliding door leading to the balcony open.
"I went out of my room to see that my son was not in the living room and decided to look out from the balcony," she said.
It is learnt that the mother and son moved to Malaysia about five years ago.
Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Shahurinain Jais confirmed Ng's death, adding that the unemployed victim was staying alone with his mother as his father had passed away.
More than 1,400 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in a delivery truck were uncovered by Singapore Customs officers last week, with the 706 cartons hidden beneath banana leaves.
A 21-year-old Indonesian man, Suryadi Memet, has been sentenced to 17 months' jail today (Aug 15) for dealing with the contraband of unpaid duty amounting to about $85,000.
Officers had trailed a truck at midnight on Aug 5, as it delivered boxes of goods to the Geylang Serai Market.
The boxes were declared as food items, according to the local trading company's import permit.
The goods belonged to different owners but the local trading company had allowed itself to be declared as the importer of the container.
When the truck arrived at the market, Singapore Customs officers saw Suryadi waiting nearby to collect the boxes from the truck.
Officers moved in to conduct a check on the boxes in the truck, where they found the 1,445 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden under banana leaves.
Photo: Singapore Customs
Suryadi was arrested at the scene, while the trading company that took up the import permit for the container is currently under investigation.
According to the statement, the duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded amounted to about $85,550 and $6,230 respectively.
Offenders who contravene the Customs Act and GST Act can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years.
Repeat offenders who are caught with more than 2kg of tobacco products will also face mandatory jail time.
Photo: Singapore Customs
Vehicles used to commit such offences may also be forfeited.
A person guilty of making an incorrect declaration may be fined up to $10,000 or the amount of duty and GST, whichever is higher, and/or imprisonment for up to 12 months.
Members of public with information on smuggling activities or evasion of Customs duty or GST can call the Singapore Customs hotline on 1800-2330000, email customs_intelligence@customs.gov.sg or use Customs@SG mobile app to report these illegal activities.
A 31-year-old woman was arrested yesterday (Aug 14) for allegedly driving a car into the swimming pool of Skypark Residences at Sembawang Crescent on Aug 8.
Stomp previously reported on the incident where eyewitnesses said they saw a woman who claimed to be a passenger of the car making several calls at the scene.
She reportedly told residents that her companion had left to get help but was nowhere to be found after that.
The condominium's security guard had given the man and woman directions but they made a wrong turn and ended up driving onto a lawn.
After jamming on the brakes, they ended up in the pool.
The New Paper reported on the woman's arrest and understands that another suspect may be involved.
[Updated, Aug 16]: The music school has since apologised after a parent took to Facebook to complain that a flute instructor had cancelled his son's lesson because of his son's condition, reported The Straits Times.
Yamaha Music School is investigating a father's claim that one of the school's instructors refused to teach his 12-year-old son because he was autistic.
Ivan Lim took to Facebook yesterday (Aug 14) to talk about what had happened to his son, Alex.
Alex's grandmother had only recently enrolled him at Plaza Singapura's Yamaha Contempo Music School and had explicitly informed the staff that Alex was autistic and required a teacher who had the experience and ability to manage that.
According to Ivan, the teacher who was assigned to Alex had no problems with this the week before.
Alex had enjoyed his first lesson and was excited for his next one but was left heartbroken when the instructor cancelled the class just 75 minutes before it was due to start.
Ivan arrived at the school a few minutes before Alex's lesson was supposed to start on Friday (Aug 11) at 8.15pm when he saw him sitting in front of the school's reception looking "shattered".
Alex's grandparents were speaking to the staff and when Ivan joined them, he found out that the teacher did not want to teach Alex because of his autism.
Ivan wrote that when they wanted to speak to the instructor personally, one of the staff members said:
"He is not used to talking to so many people at the time."
After insisting, the flute instructor, who is described as "a balding man probably in his 60s", came out of his studio to speak with the family.
According to the post, he gave the following reason for not wanting to teach Alex:
"I discussed with my wife, and she said cannot teach. So I cannot teach him."
When Ivan asked him when he had this discussion with his wife, he replied it was the day after his first lesson with Alex.
Ivan then asked him why he waited until 75 minutes before the second lesson to inform the family to which the instructor replied, "I have my reasons".
The argument between Ivan, Alex's grandparents and the instructor escalated to a point where one of the instructor's students stepped in to take his teacher's side.
"He told grandma, 'Are you trying to make a hassle?' I don't know what that means, but he stuck his finger in front of her face aggressively, and also announced that he was going to call the police, which I suspect he eventually did," wrote Ivan.
"I told the man, who was shielded by several Yamaha staff members, to face me, but he didn't, so I called him a coward and a dog. Which may have been a little too strident on my part. And unfair – to dogs. He continued to taunt me from behind his human shield."
Ivan and his family eventually left, seeing that there was little more that they could do.
Ivan ended his post saying how disappointed he was with the school and the teacher for letting this happen.
Although the family was upset and frustrated for Ivan, it was heartbreaking to see the look of disappointment on Alex's face.
A staff member from Yamaha Music School informed Stomp on the phone today (Aug 15) at 12.25pm that the school is investigating the incident.
Several batches of Ribena concentrate products have been recalled from Singapore shelves as a precautionary measure, after some products were found not to meet quality requirements.
In a statement from the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore on Tuesday (Aug 15), it said the withdrawal of all pack sizes of the specific batches has been completed.
The affected products include Blackcurrant & Strawberry (expiring Feb 2018), Blackcurrant & Apple (expiring May 2018), Blackcurrant & Glucose (expiring May 2018), and Blackcurrant (expiring June 2018) flavours.
According to the statement, during the company's routine quality check, it discovered a faulty bottling machine which allowed air to enter random bottles. As a result, affected bottles may spoil before the stated expiry date.
Consumers may contact Ribena's consumer hotline at 1800-645-9551 or email marketing.sg@suntory.com for enquiries.
Police have arrested a 48-year-old man who is suspected to be connected to a case of murder at the roadside of Block 165A Teck Whye Crescent this morning.
At 4.42am, police received a call requesting for assistance after the body of a 35-year-old man was found lying motionless on the pavement near the void deck.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene at about 4.55am.
Employers, you need to do something about this - more people in Singapore are getting fed up working for you.
Their main gripe: Not getting the right opportunities to learn and grow.
A survey covering more than 42,000 employees from various industries conducted last year found only 73 per cent of Singaporeans were satisfied with their companies, which is four percentage points lower than in 2014.
Released yesterday (Aug 15), the Mercer's Singapore Employee Engagement Index indicated that the growing dissatisfaction reflects the consistent decline in employee engagement in Singapore over the last three years.
Mercer, an international consultant for advancing wealth and career, noted a global upswing in employee engagement, while more Singapore workers felt their bosses were not engaging them enough. The local dissatisfaction is nearly 10 per cent below the global average of 82 per cent.
Only 68 per cent of Singaporeans would advocate for their companies as good employers compared to the average of 76 per cent in the Asia Pacific.
Here are reasons for their growing unhappiness
1. NOT GETTING OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AND GROW
One in three workers have found it difficult to shine and meet career goals in their organisation.
Twenty per cent said they were not receiving the necessary feedback from immediate supervisors to improve themselves.
2. COMPANY DOESN'T SUPPORT NEW IDEAS
Despite strong government support for innovation, one in three workers felt their company didn't support the development of new ideas.
While 85 per cent of employees were proud of their company's products and services, three in 10 felt their company did not make any innovative efforts to improve them further.
3. BOSSES DON'T LISTEN TO THEIR VIEWS
Workers said they were left out of the decision-making process, which led to their frustration and disapointment.
To worsen matters, one in three felt it's best not to speak up "for fear of negative consequences", according to Mercer.
Almost everyone - 95 per cent of employees - want to be rewarded for a wider range of contributions. Who doesn't?
Mercer noted the arrival of digital-savvy millennials in the ageing workforce, which could have caused the fundamental shift in what employees value.
5. BAD MANAGEMENT
Nearly half of Singapore employees said their companies were not properly organised for them to work effectively together.
They also felt work processes and procedures did not help them meet customer needs efficiently.
Graphic: Mercer
CONCLUSION
The results of the survey have indicated that lack of productivity and innovation are areas of concern for workers too.
In fact, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pointed out last month (July) that Singapore would continue to face challenges with improving productivity and boosting innovation even though its economy is expected to pick up momentum.
Mr Kulshaan Singh, CEO of Mercer in Singapore, said improving employee engagement would help not just businesses to perform better but also for the economy as a whole.
This view is widely acknowledged, he said, adding that engagement would enable Singapore to optimise its human capital.
"If performance and productivity are a combination of individual talent and engagement, the best way to optimise talent is to ensure it's engaged. Although this seems obvious, many organisations still struggle to build the work environment they need to fully realise engagement in the workplace," he said.
Some of Mercer survey results are encouraging, like how 8 in 10 Singaporeans are proud to work for their company and willing to go the extra mile. But the longer-term trend is worrying as employee engagement here has declined consistently over the last three years, in marked contrast to the upward trend across the globe.
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Stomp contributor Yvonne said she suffered itchy bite marks after flying business class with Singapore Airlines from Brisbane to Singapore on flight SQ 246 on May 26.
Yvonne told Stomp in a phone interview that it was a red-eye flight and she woke up from her sleep after feeling a sudden itch on her legs.
According to Yvonne, the bites were made by bed bugs.
"I was wearing pants so I didn't see the bites until I went to the washroom," said the Stomp contributor.
She then went to a stewardess who tended to her and took photos of the bites telling her that she would report the matter and get back to her.
"I waited for a few weeks but did not hear anything from the airline," said Yvonne.
That was when she decided to post about the bites on the carrier's Facebook page.
Photo: Stomp
"They then informed me to message them directly so that they could correspond with me via email.
"I received an email from them telling me that they were happy to reimburse my 'basic medical fees' but when I replied for clarification, I received no reply."
Yvonne said that she has been sending emails to the company every week since then and sent her latest email last week, but still hasn't received a reply.
In response to Stomp queries, a Singapore Airlines spokesman said:
"We have been in contact with the customer regarding her experience and take such feedback seriously. During the flight, our crew provided antiseptic wipes and cream to the customer, and there was subsequent follow-up to offer to reimburse medical expenses that she may have had.
"We wish to assure our customers that our aircraft undergo regular cleaning. In addition to cleaning that takes place after each flight, there is a scheduled programme of regular deep cleaning as well as for pest treatment on all of our aircraft."
Yvonne shared her story with Stomp after reading about a woman who claimed she had been bitten by bed bugs while flying on low-cost carrier Scoot between Singapore and Hong Kong.
It has been almost three months since the incident but Yvonne said that the scars from the bites still remain:
"I am unable to wear skirts or shorts without getting questions from friends and looks from passers-by.
"The bites may have dried but the scars may be there to stay."
