SBS Transit's bus drivers will soon get an extra set of special eyes to help them look out for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists on the roads.

The intelligent camera sensor, called Mobileye, will be mounted at the front of the bus and alert drivers through a dashboard display unit when they are too close to the vehicle in front, and if a pedestrian or cyclist comes into their path.

SBS, the country's biggest bus operator, plans to install the Israeli-designed advanced driver assistance system (Adas) on more than 3,000 buses by the end of 2018, The Straits Times has learnt.

Last month, the company awarded a $1.3 million contract to local distributor Chuan-Fa Auto to install the system on a first batch of 750 buses by the end of this year.

SBS chief executive Gan Juay Kiat said: "Mobileye is a system that aids our bus captains by serving as an extra pair of eyes to alert them to potential risks that may come into their paths. This reduces the incidence of accidents."

SBS is believed to be the first operator in Singapore to have an Adas installed across its entire fleet.

The Mobileye system is also able to detect lane markings, and will alert drivers when they stray out of their lanes without using their turn signals.

Warnings are given to the driver in the form of visual and audio alerts through a small dashboard unit.

For example, if the "headway" or the following distance between the bus and the vehicle in front is two seconds or lower - a parameter customised by SBS - an alarm will sound and an icon of a car will light up on the display unit.

The Mobileye sensor is able to continuously monitor the distance and relative speed of objects on the road, and provide early warnings to drivers to make the necessary corrections.

SBS has finished testing Mobileye on 30 buses being used for passenger service in a trial that began in November 2014.

It involved a "blind phase" in the first few months, during which the Mobileye system was installed and turned on, but the dashboard display unit for bus drivers was not activated.

This gave SBS the opportunity to measure the bus drivers' driving behaviour and to log down the number of warnings which were triggered by the system.

Mr Ng Chin Sheu, senior manager for bus safety at SBS, said: "After Mobileye was switched on for the bus captains, and with coaching from instructors on how they drove, we found there was a marked improvement in their driving behaviour, with fewer triggers logged."

SBS bus driver Kang Yen Yen, 39, who was involved in the pilot, said in Mandarin: "Once, a small car suddenly cut into my lane, and with the Mobileye warning, I managed to slow down and avoid a collision."

"While on the road, we are always mindful of safety, so we are not totally reliant on Mobileye. Still, it's an extra help," she said.

It's a Lush Green makeover for new bus fleet

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The Straits Times

This article was first published on May 6, 2016.
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Whether you are at City Square mall in Johor Baru (JB) or the Ban San Street terminal near Bugis on any evening, you might find yourself accosted by touts hawking taxi services to "Singapore? Singapore?" or "JB, JB?".

After agreeing on a fee which can range from $10 to $30 per person, passengers are ushered into a car or multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), joining others to make the trip across the Causeway.

These informal - and illegal - cross-border taxis have been around for more than a decade but have proliferated in recent years, aided by technology and the spread of social media platforms.

A Straits Times check found at least 20 making use of apps like Facebook or WeChat to advertise and organise services. Mostly Malaysia-registered vehicles, some even provide on-call, door-to-door rides that pick up groups of 10 to 12 in Singapore and take them to tourist attractions in Johor like Legoland Malaysia.

The convenience of the unsanctioned services speaks volumes. Some have more than 10,000 page likes and receive a steady stream of inquiries.

Their growth has made licensed cross-border taxi drivers cry foul, even with rules being relaxed in 2012 to allow them to pick up and drop off passengers anywhere in their own countries.

Currently, there are 173 and 187 taxis from Singapore and Malaysia respectively that are licensed to ferry passengers across the border, according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), with a total of 400 permits available. They charge fixed fares, with a trip from the Ban San Street terminal to JB's Larkin bus terminal costing $48 per taxi, or RM80 (S$27) in the opposite direction.

A spokesman for the Singapore-Johore Taxi Operators' Association, which represents Singapore taxis, said that profits for taxi drivers have plunged by 50 per cent from 2014 mostly because of the intense competition from illegal services.

"It is unfair because some of these drivers do not have to meet safety or insurance requirements. We're losing our business to them because we can only drive our passengers to designated spots in the other country, while they go door-to-door," said the spokesman, who asked for enforcement to be stepped up and for some relief to be provided in the form of financial subsidies.

The LTA said it issued warnings to four offenders for operating illegal taxi services from Ban San Street terminal in 2014, and prosecuted four last year for the same offence.

At the JB Sentral train station, JB City Square mall and the Ban San Street terminal last week, touts were active despite the signs warning against them.

The night before the Labour Day long weekend found at least five at the Ban San Street terminal within a two-hour window. They parked their Malaysia-registered vehicles along the intersection between Arab Street and Queen Street, and were seen driving passengers away after negotiating fares.

A Singaporean cross-border taxi driver, who wanted to be known only as Mr Tay, said it was difficult for the authorities to nab these operators. "The officers show up in uniform and the touts will disappear immediately when they see them," said the 70-year-old.

He added that more illegal taxi operators now use minivans that can take seven to 10 passengers. "They say they are a credible business."

An illegal Malaysian operator who wanted to be known only as Andrew, said he started offering taxi services in November 2014 when he noticed there was "good demand".

Together with two partners, he operates two 10-seater Hyundai Starex MPVs and a Hyundai Elantra car between Singapore and Malaysia daily.

He admitted he was worried about getting caught. But the former insurance specialist, 29, continues to make about 20 trips a week, earning about RM$20,000 a month. Most of his customers are large families with young children and elderly members.

"It is more convenient for them as they don't have to get off a bus and queue at immigration," said Andrew.

Qigong therapist Eileen Chan, 58, agreed and said the unlicensed taxis are far more convenient, even if they are more expensive than a bus or sharing a licensed taxi. She paid $25 for a ride from JB to her home in Yishun in March when she was approached by a tout, and would consider using such a service again.

"It was getting late and taking the car through the checkpoint is much faster than if I take a bus," she said. "Hopefully they can be regulated so that passengers can be given more options."

The LTA said that any person caught using a foreign-registered motor vehicle as an unlicensed public service vehicle to convey passengers for hire and reward can be fined up to $3,000 and jailed up to six months. Vehicles used in the commission of such offences may also be forfeited.

This article was first published on May 6, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - The Elections Department (ELD) has spelled out the dos and don'ts for candidates and their supporters on Polling Day (May 7) and Cooling-off Day for the Bukit Batok by-election.

Cooling-off Day on Friday (May 6), the traditional day of campaign silence introduced in 2011, is meant to give voters a chance to reflect rationally on various issues raised at the by-election before going to the polls.

No one is allowed to canvass or visit the homes of voters on both days, while holding election meetings is also prohibited.

The wearing, using, carrying or displaying of any political propaganda - which include badges, symbols, flags, advertisements and posters - by people or on vehicles is also banned. The public should refrain from wearing any apparel affiliated to a candidate, ELD added.

Also on the prohibited list: publishing or displaying any election advertising in Bukit Batok.

In addition, the publication of election surveys and exit polls before the close of all polling stations is not allowed.

There are, however, exceptions to the rules that prohibit election advertising. These include reports in the newspapers or on radio and television, approved posters and banners lawfully displayed before the start of Cooling-off Day, the transmission of personal political views by individuals to other individuals on a non-commercial basis and the wearing by candidates of a badge indicating affiliation with their political party.

Bukit Batok by-election rally May 3

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AsiaOne, YouTube screengrabs

ELD also said that candidates and their supporters are expected to abide fully by all relevant laws, and refrain from conduct that "goes against the spirit behind the prohibition against campaigning on Cooling-off Day and Polling Day".

Candidates should as far as possible avoid visiting voters or attending public events in the constituency, where they are likely to attract public attention and may be perceived as canvassing for support.

They can attend religious ceremonies for private prayer or worship, or attend functions in the course of their work.

As for voters, polling stations will be open from 8am to 8pm on Polling Day.

They are reminded to bring their NRIC or passport to the polling stations to cast their vote, and may wish to avoid going to the stations during the morning peak period when waiting times tend to be longer.

Bringing any camera, video or photographic equipment into the polling station is not allowed. For more guidance, visit the ELD website.

Bukit Batok by-election: Nomination day

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AsiaOne, The Straits Times

This article was first published on May 6, 2016.
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Under a new agreement to strengthen partnership between the two countries, Singaporeans will soon enjoy a "tailored multi-year visa arrangement" to facilitate travel to Australia.

Currently, a Singaporean who wants to visit Australia has to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority from the Australian government. This "visa" is normally good for multiple entries within a 12-month period.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement today (May 6) that Singapore and Australia have concluded a landmark agreement that builds on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement the two nations signed last year. The planned visa arrangement was in the latest agreement.

Under the new agreement, Singapore and Australia will also recognise more degrees from universities in both countries. These include law, medical and allied health qualifications.

Up to 500 young people on each side can participate in a "Work and Holiday Maker Programme" that promotes cultural exchange by allowing them to undertake short-term work while holidaying in the other country.

sinsh@sph.com.sg

Singapore's media regulator has ordered news website The Middle Ground to take down its article on how Bukit Batok residents would vote in the by-election tomorrow (May 7)

The Media Development Authority (MDA) told the website this morning that the publication of the article 'BB BE: 50 voters in Bukit Batok' was a "breach of the Parliamentary Elections Act", said a note on The Middle Ground's homepage.

It said MDA gave The Middle Ground a deadline of 3.30pm today to remove it, but the website said it would have it down by 2.30pm.

The website said in its note: "The notice came to us this morning, saying that the report was in breach of Section 78C (1) of the Act.

"To save you the trouble of going over the legal gobbledegook, this section basically says we're not allowed to publish any electoral surveys once the writ of election is issued and until voting closes tomorrow (May 7)."

The site, whose consulting editor is Bertha Henson, a former veteran journalist of The Straits Times, said its article was "not meant to be an electoral survey".

"The G thinks it is. Maybe it is, maybe it's not - if you ask us, we're not 100 per cent sure, which is why we're leaving it up until about an hour before the MDA deadline," it said.

The Middle Ground pointed out that the article (photo below) was produced under its "50 Faces" long-running series which feature the views of ordinary people.

"For this particular story, we asked Bukit Batok voters over the past week about how they will vote. Not many gave answers. In fact, most went on to talk about the sort of Member of Parliament they would like to see elected," it explained.

It has decided to take the post down "because if we don't, we could be fined up to $1,500 and even thrown behind bars".

But it promises its readers that once Polling Day is over, the story should be back on the website.

chenj@sph.com.sg

Bukit Batok by-election rally May 3

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AsiaOne, YouTube screengrabs

A new repository, called MyInfo, will consolidate the personal data of Singapore residents and provide it on request to auto-fill government e-service forms.

"Citizens often ask why they need to give different government agencies the same data about themselves repeatedly for separate transactions," Mr Peter Ong, the head of the Civil Service, said at the Digital Government Exchange 2016 yesterday, when MyInfo was launched.

The Government needs to remove the "inconvenience and friction" in making e-transactions, he said.

Through MyInfo, it is hoped that filling online government forms will be less tedious .

The joint initiative by the Infocomm Development Authority and the Ministry of Finance has aspirations to eventually include commercial transactions, too, such as those for banking.

So banks could, one day, stop requiring physical documents such as income tax statements for loan or credit card applications.

Online applicants can give consent for such data to be pulled electronically from MyInfo.

The Straits Times understands that talks are being held with financial institutions towards this goal.

MyInfo now pulls residents' data - such as name, NRIC number and registered address - from six public agencies. These include the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

The data in the consolidated repository can be used for a handful of e-services provided by eight agencies now. They include the application for or renewal of work permits for domestic helpers, and new public housing and Baby Bonus scheme applications.

More services to be added next month include requests to convert a person's foreign driving licence to a local one, and to check the total number of demerit points one has accumulated.

The target is to have all 200 government e-citizen services linked to MyInfo by 2018.

Citizens have to register at MyInfo (www.myinfo.gov.sg) using their SingPass accounts, and consent to having their data shared before they can use the repository.

MyInfo's launch follows a three-month pilot from January involving 32,000 users.

Asked to comment on MyInfo, Mr Liam Maxwell, chief technology officer for the British government, said: "The biggest benefit is you only need to give the government your information once."

He was among top government officials from around the world at the biennial event which discussed e-government policies. The event was formerly known as the eGovernment Global Exchange.

On privacy concerns, Mr Maxwell said: "There is no forcing anybody. It is consent based."

This article was first published on May 6, 2016.
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SEMENTARA isu keselamatan negara ditangani oleh agensi relevan, warga Singapura boleh memainkan peranan secara peribadi bagi memastikan bahawa perpaduan masyarakat tidak berpecah-belah.

Menteri Perhubungan dan Penerangan, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, berkata demikian sebagai mengulas penahanan lapan warga Bangladesh Selasa lepas kepada media selepas sesi perbincangan bersama golongan belia pada malam hari yang sama.

"Di Singapura, sebagai masyarakat Melayu/Islam, kita harus pelihara perpaduan sosial yang ada di sini.

"Kita lihat bagaimana kita boleh berganding bahu dengan masyarakat lain bagi menentukan bahawa apa pun yang telah berlaku tidak akan memecah-belahkan negara kita.

"Ini salah satu perkara yang penting dan harus terus ditekankan," ujar Dr Yaacob yang juga Menteri Bertanggungjawab bagi Ehwal Masyarakat Islam.

Lapan warga Bangladesh yang ditahan di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) itu telah merancang melakukan serangan pengganasan di negara mereka.

Mereka berusia antara 26 dengan 34 tahun dan merupakan sebahagian daripada kumpulan yang dinamakan Negara Islam Bangladesh (ISB).

Dr Yaacob menambah bahawa masyarakat Melayu/Islam perlu "terus memperkuat tali silaturahim dalam masyarakat dan memelihara perpaduan sosial yang kita telah capai buat bertahun-tahun lamanya".

Dalam pada itu, Ketua Pengajian Dasar, Sekolah Pengajian Antarabangsa S. Rajaratnam (RSIS), Universiti Teknologi Nanyang (NTU), Profesor Madya Dr Kumar Ramakrishna, menekankan bahawa masyarakat Singapura tidak harus memulau pekerja asing.

"Sebahagian besar daripada mereka yang datang ke sini semata-mata mahu mendapat kerja dan menyara hidup mereka," jelas Dr Kumar.

Beliau berkata penahanan lapan pekerja Bangladesh itu menunjukkan kerjasama antara Singapura dan pihak berkuasa Bangladesh perlu dipertingkat, lebih-lebih lagi ini kali kedua penahanan dibuat.

"Pendidikan mengenai cara mengesan sebarang kelakuan radikal boleh juga dianjurkan bagi pekerja asing agar mereka dapat berfungsi sebagai 'mata' dan 'telinga' tambahan'," saran Dr Kumar.

Pengasas kumpulan penjagaan susulan antara agensi, Aftercare Group (ACG), Encik Abdul Halim Kader, yang juga Presiden Taman Bacaan, akur dengan pandangan bahawa masyarakat Singapura, tidak kira bangsa, tidak harus meminggirkan pekerja asing.

"Kita harus mendekati mereka terutama semasa waktu lapang mereka; jangan biarkan mereka terasing.

"Saya telah merancang dengan beberapa pihak tertentu bagi memperkenalkan sukan sepak takraw dan bola tampar kepada pekerja asing terutama warga Bangladesh pada minggu-minggu akan datang," ujar Encik Abdul Halim yang juga Presiden Persekutuan Sepak Takraw Singapura (Perses).

This article was first published on May 6, 2016.
Go to beritaharian.sg for more stories.

Singapore Democratic Party founder Chiam See Tong and his wife Lina have taken issue with an account of their 2011 meetings with current SDP chief Chee Soon Juan, with Mrs Chiam saying yesterday that it "needs clarification".

In an e-mail to The Straits Times, Mrs Chiam said she wanted to set things straight as the account in the SDP's 2015 newsletter, The New Democrat, was being circulated during the opposition party's walkabout in Bukit Batok.

"Hence our objection as there was an understanding that the details of the meetings should be kept confidential if the whole thing fizzled out. We kept (our) side of the bargain," she said, responding to queries about an article by political scientist Derek da Cunha on news site six-six.com yesterday.

Dr da Cunha had given a different take on the talks from SDP, saying he had communicated with the Chiams, who "do not wish to be used to further one man's political ambitions". Mr Chiam was a one-time mentor to Dr Chee before he was ousted from SDP in the 1990s. He went on to set up the Singapore People's Party.

SDP supporter Wong Wee Nam had written in the party's newsletter about the 2011 meetings, in which he said Dr Chee had tried to bring Mr Chiam back to the party.

Dr da Cunha said this was a distorted version of the talks. Quoting Mrs Chiam, he said SDP had proposed to have Mr Chiam return as honorary chairman, essentially as a figurehead.

"Given the condition that the proposal had to be accepted within one week, among other terms, it was a non-starter," Dr da Cunha wrote, citing Mrs Chiam.

He added that this approach of "making proposals which are really empty gestures... has been a consistent approach of the SDP under Dr Chee's leadership".

He also said the Chiams and Dr Chee had not reconciled.

Asked about this, Mrs Chiam said yesterday Dr da Cunha's article had "all the facts pertaining to the (meeting)".

She urged people to read the upcoming second volume of Mr Chiam's biography "to get a balanced perspective of the whole SDP saga... before making any conclusions".

Read also:

Lee Wei Ling: Chee tells untruths all his life

PM Lee: Chee is hypocritical and unrepentant

This article was first published on May 6, 2016.
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A kind-hearted Singapore Airlines flight attendant has won praise and admiration online after a passenger posted a photograph of her helping an elderly woman on a flight.

In a post on Thursday (May 5), Facebook user Ms Shazy Tan showed the stewardess, who has been identified as Ms Kren Choong Shi Qi, on kneeling next to an old woman in the airplane cabin.

Ms Tan recounted being seated next to a 92-year-old lady, named Draga, on a 12-hour flight from Singapore to Frankfurt. She wrote that Draga was on her way to Slovenia, where she grew up, to visit her sister.

Ms Tan said that the older woman faced many difficulties on the plane ride. She was unable to watch movies to pass time on the flight as she did not know how to work the entertainment system, and could not even turn on the light when she needed to inject insulin to treat her diabetes.

"I befriended her when she needed help with unlocking the tray as the clip was a little stuck. Saw her rummaging through her bag to figure out the glucose count machine," she wrote.

Ms Shazy then observed during the flight that Madam Draga was visibly shaking, and found out that the older woman had accidentally injected too much insulin, causing her blood sugar levels to drop.

It was then that the stewardess, Ms Choong, approached the two ladies. Ms Tan recalled: "When I explained that we were trying to get Draga's sugar levels up, Karen (sic) suggested eating an apple. Draga could not bite into the hard apple and I was touched when Karen (sic) excused herself to grab a pair of gloves and a knife to cut the apple into bite sized pieces."

Ms Choong then knelt by Madam Draga's side to assist, and even offered to feed the older woman, who politely declined the kind gesture.

According to Ms Tan, Madam Draga was surprised by the stewardess care, and also slightly embarrassed as she did not want to be seen as a liability to the crew.

However, she added that Ms Choong continued to display concern for Madam Draga. She revealed that the stewardess subsequently told her to alert her immediately should the older woman's health deteriorate further, and even took note of their seats.

Commending Ms Choong's professionalism, Ms Tan wrote: "Karen (sic) did not have to do what she did. Yet, she took it upon herself to monitor Draga once in a while to see if there was anything else she could provide to make Draga's flight experience a better one."

Since it was posted online, Ms Tan's post has garnered over 8,100 likes, and has been shared over 1,600 times. Many commenters also praised Ms Choong's dedication, with some even calling on the airline to recognise her kind actions.

This is not the first time that Singapore Airlines' cabin crew has won praise for their good service. Last November, another flight attendant was widely praised after she was photographed helping to cut up a young child's food on the flight.

seanyap@sph.com.sg

SYDNEY - Singapore will invest up to US$1.67 billion (S$2.27 billion) in Australia's defence infrastructure and hike troop numbers it sends for training, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Friday.

The new agreement also includes commitments to open markets and trade and increase collaboration in science and research, he said, adding it would create thousands of jobs in northern Australia.

"We will jointly develop military training facilities in northern Queensland which will be fully funded by Singapore," the prime minister told reporters.

"Singapore will invest up to two-and-a-quarter billion dollars (US$1.67 billion) in the expansion of two of our most important military training facilities," he said, naming Shoalwater Bay and Townsville.

Turnbull said upgrading the Free Trade Agreement between the countries would make it much easier for Australians to live and work in Singapore.

"This is a great day for the Australian Singapore relationship," he said, dismissing concerns that deeper ties between Canberra and Singapore could rankle China.

Some 6,600 Singaporean troops already train each year in northern Australia. Under the new deal this will climb to 14,000, staying for 18 weeks instead of the current six, trade envoy Andrew Robb said.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) signed with Canberra last year was "an ambitious package covering many aspects of our relationship".

"Our two countries are politically like-minded, strategically aligned and economically complementary. We have much to gain by working closely together," he said in a statement.

Singapore is Australia's fifth-largest trading partner, with gold and crude petroleum key exports.

As it looks to Asian markets for growth, Australia will encourage greater collaboration in research with Singapore and locate one of its five start-up "landing pads" in the city state to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.

This year's DBS Marina Regatta will feature a 16-metre long slide you can have fun with.

The slide is Southeast Asia's tallest inflatable water slide and will be sloping at about 45 degrees, said a press statement by DBS Bank on Thursday (May 5).

Visitors will be travelling at 50km/h down the slide, which allows four people to ride simultaneously.

Over the weekends of May 28 and 29 and June 4 and 5, event attendees can also enjoy a pop-up urban beach at The Promontory at Marina Bay.

It will be the size of almost three Olympic pools and can accommodate up to 400 people.

Other activities available include stand-up paddling, stand-up yoga, kayaking and obstacle courses for children. Some of the region's top dragon boating teams will also be racing at the event.

Art lovers can also expect to see the sale of items by local designers at the beach's art market Shop House. The market will be housed in shipping containers, which double as viewing decks at night for the evening's beach concert.

The concert will be the regatta's first beach concert and will feature local artistes such as indie band Take Two and iNCH.

There will also be a food village, Chow House, which will serve bites such as Fika's Swedish meatballs and Kerbside Gourmet's Char Siu Pork Collar Bao with Achar.

The event begins at 11am and ends at 10pm and the slide is open to the public from 11am to 8pm on both weekends. It costs $10 for five rides and all proceeds raised will go to non-profit organisation SPD.

For more information about the event, visit www.dbsmarinaregatta.com.

stephluo@sph.com.sg

A 61-year-old stall owner in Tampines did not hesitate to go to the police after finding $2,000 in cash on Friday (May 6).

According to Shin Min Daily News, Mr Huang Yong Cai found a dark-coloured pouch when he opened his stall in the morning at 6am at Block 478 Street 44 in Tampines.

When Mr Huang's maid opened the pouch, the pair discovered that it contained a pile of $50 notes.

He said: "We counted the amount and there were 40 pieces of $50 notes, which is a total of $2,000. We also found a red packet containing a few hundred dollars and a small purse with some money."

Mr Huang said that since the amount of money in the pouch wasn't small, he didn't want to leave it in the original spot where it was found. Instead, he brought it to the nearest police station at about 10am that morning.

"I was afraid that the owner of the pouch had an urgent use for the money in it and I let the police handle the matter," he said in the report.

Inside the pouch, Mr Huang said that there was also an NRIC and other cards, Shin Min Daily News reported.

From the NRIC, it was established that the owner of the pouch was a regular customer of a nearby coffee shop at Street 45 whom Mr Huang recognised.

stephluo@sph.com.sg

Landmark agreement will deepen economic links, military co-operation and cultural ties

Singapore and Australia have inked a "landmark" agreement to raise bilateral co-operation to "unprecedented levels" in security, trade and the arts and culture.

A key area is a defence co-operation deal that will give Singapore troops, who have been training in Australia since 1990, access to more military areas for 25 years.

Under the deal, which both governments announced yesterday, Singapore will reportedly spend up to A$2.25 billion (S$2.25 billion) to expand the military facilities in Shoalwater Bay and Townsville in Queensland.

Both sides also reviewed their 2003 free trade agreement to hammer out a deal to deepen integration of their economies and strengthen Singapore's position as the go-to hub for Australian businesses and service providers to tap growing opportunities in Asia.

This includes easing trade restrictions to allow more trade flows between both sides; making it easier for businesses to bid for government contracts; and increasing the limits on acquisition by Singapore investors in Australia.

Singapore was Australia's fifth- largest trading partner last year, with bilateral trade amounting to S$20.2 billion. Australian investments in Singapore were worth A$50.7 billion in 2014.

There is also good news for Singaporean visitors, whose Australian visas are valid for only 12 months. Under the pact, Australia will issue multi-year visas, a move that will benefit the 400,000 Singaporeans who visit Australia every year.

The agreement comes a year after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Australia's then Prime Minister Tony Abbott signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) agreement. Other initiatives in the new agreement include:

• More mutual recognition of professional qualifications, with priority for engineers and accountants.
• Australian start-ups will get greater access to Asia to showcase their products and services with the help of Singapore as an innovation "landing pad".
• Up to 500 young Singaporeans will be able to work or study in Australia for up to 12 months under a new "Work and Holiday Maker Programme".
• Singaporean artists, art groups and performers can tap into a S$5 million fund over five years to stage their works in Australia.

Yesterday, the leaders of both countries welcomed the "landmark" pact.

In Canberra, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull likened his country's new level of relationship with Singapore to that with its neighbour and closest ally, New Zealand.

PM Lee called it a "win-win deal" that will benefit both sides and pledged to move quickly to implement the various measures. He said in a statement that the two countries are "politically like-minded, strategically aligned and economically complementary".

"We have much to gain by working closely together. The CSP will draw our two countries closer, economically, politically and at the people-to-people level," he added.

Mr Lee was scheduled to visit Australia at the end of the month but the trip has been postponed as Mr Turnbull is expected to call an election, likely on July 2.

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said that even if there were a change of government after the July elections, he was confident that a new government would be committed to honouring the pact.

"We know that the Australians are good for their word. They have always complied with agreements that they've signed," he said.

jermync@sph.com.sg

See also: More SAF troops to train in Australia after expansion of facilities

Singapore 64th in world military strength ranking

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AFP, Reuters, The Straits Times

This article was first published on May 7, 2016.
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Choose from 380 programmes that provide training in core and specific domain skills

Fresh graduates and professionals can now sign up for infomation and communications technology (ICT) training programmes via a new portal launched by the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA).

They can choose from a directory of 380 training courses and certifications, which are part of the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA).

TeSA was announced by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in this year's Budget.

It is one of the initiatives to mitigate the manpower shortage in the ICT sector to help in Singapore's push to become a Smart Nation, in which technology is used to improve people's lives.

TeSA programmes will cover two main areas:

• training in core ICT skills such as cyber security and software development which can be applied across all businesses, known as TeSA Core, and
• training in specific domain skills such as finance and healthcare for existing ICT professionals, known as TeSA Sector.

Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim gave these details in a speech yesterday at the Nanyang Polytechnic School of Information Technology graduation ceremony.

"We know that the demand for ICT skills is getting more specialised. For example, banks are not just looking for ICT professionals with strong foundations in data analytics, but also professionals who understand the financial industry, and who can apply their skills to complex financial transactions and analyses," he said.

Adding that job placement will be a priority of TeSA, he said: "Our objective is not just to train more ICT professionals, but to help them get better jobs and advance in their careers."

The courses on offer at the new portal (www.infocommtalent.sg) are based on the National Infocomm Competency Framework and include some covered by a funding scheme for Singaporeans called the Critical Infocomm Technology Resource Programme Plus.

Thirty-four organisations, including the National University of Singapore Institute of System Science, Singapore Management University and NTUC Learning Hub are providing training.

Singtel has also committed to train 130 professionals for cybersecurity job roles under a new Cyber Security Associates and Technologists programme.

The agency has set up a programme office. It will oversee the formation of a governing council and sector committees comprising employers. More details will be given in the next few weeks, IDA said.

joseow@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on May 7, 2016.
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SCDF re-gears community programmes so people are better prepared to react to terrorist threats

Community programmes that once trained volunteers in lifesaving skills will be re-geared to focus on terrorist threats so that Singaporeans can better look out for one another.

These programmes will train individuals as "Community First Responders" who can react to emergencies before police and civil defence forces arrive. The hope is to have citizens trained at a basic level at least so they know how to help themselves and their families get out of harm's way.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) revealed this shift in its Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP) and Emergency Preparedness (EP) Day schemes at its annual workplan seminar held at ITE College East.

Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said the changes, which kick in later this year, would help save lives. He told SCDF officers at the closed-door seminar: "From SCDF's perspective, to have many well-trained volunteers around the neighbourhood will significantly reduce fatalities, increase the chances of survival and reduce the pressure on response times from emergency vehicles."

He added: "We will equip... participants with life-saving skills and emergency preparedness procedures, and they will be given advisories on what to do in the event of a terrorist attack and how to keep themselves and others safe."

Community volunteers will be taught skills including first aid and fire-fighting, and be classified into three tiers, according to their skill level. At the lowest tier are "emergency prepared citizens" who, after a 45-minute online course, are expected to know how to help keep themselves and their families safe.

The top two levels are "bystander responders" and "volunteer life-savers". They will have to go through training of 21/2 and 4 hours respectively at the five SCDF Division Headquarters around the island.

These volunteers will learn basic first aid, CPR and fire-fighting skills, before moving on to more advanced techniques such as infant CPR. They will also learn how to react in various scenarios, such as during a bomb threat.

Explaining how the SCDF was recalibrating its approach, Commissioner Eric Yap said: "From building awareness on emergency preparedness, we will now level up the core competencies of the community to be first responders during emergencies."

All of SCDF's 20,000 full-time national servicemen and operationally ready national servicemen will also be part of the group of first responders, when they are not on duty or serving their in-camp training.

A group of 1,000 NSmen will be part of SCDF's new Public Shelter and Resilience Unit. While they will be equipped with fire extinguishers and first aid kits, they will also go door to door to spread the SG Secure message and information on fire safety and emergency preparedness. SG Secure is a national movement that aims to build community resilience against the terror threat.

Mr Shanmugam said getting this message across to people was half the battle, adding that they would come forward to become volunteers if they believed in the cause.

Also unveiled at the seminar were new technologies SCDF plans to incorporate. These include a more advanced ambulance (see graphic), and a prototype exoskeleton suit, which will allow firefighters to carry casualties or heavier loads for a longer time.

Two upcoming support vehicles - the mass decontamination vehicle (MDV) and the Fire and Rescue Operations Support Tender (Frost) vehicle were also revealed.

The MDV has eight shower cubicles inside the vehicle and two other decontamination lanes outside, that can allow up to 140 casualties to be decontaminated each hour.

Meanwhile, the Frost vehicle carries both breathing apparatus and ventilation equipment used for damage control - combining support functions that used to be fulfilled by two different vehicles.

dansonc@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on May 7, 2016.
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Up to 25,727 Bukit Batok residents will go to the polls today to elect a new MP, after having had some time to reflect on the by-election campaign and mull over their decision on Cooling-off Day yesterday.

The cooling-off period also meant both candidates - Mr Murali Pillai, 48, of the People's Action Party (PAP) and Dr Chee Soon Juan, 53, of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) - could rest and recharge after nine days on the hustings.

Today, nine polling stations across the Bukit Batok single-member constituency will open at 8am, and close at 8pm. The polling stations are at two school canteens, six void decks, and one HDB pavilion.

Polling stations have also been set up at 10 Singapore missions abroad for the 52 eligible Bukit Batok voters to cast their ballots.

The seat for Bukit Batok SMC was vacant following the resignation of its PAP MP David Ong on March 12 over allegations of an extramarital affair with a fellow party member.

Since the hustings began on April 27, both candidates have gone out to win hearts and minds.

Mr Murali of the PAP said he would do his best to make Bukit Batok a better place for its residents, while Dr Chee, secretary-general of the SDP, said he would speak up for Singaporeans in Parliament.

Yesterday, both men used the cooling-off period to bond with party activists and family members.

Mr Murali had a zi charlunch at a coffee shop in Jurong West with party members from the PAP Bukit Batok branch. He had met representatives of some voluntary welfare organisations earlier on in a nearby block to discuss collaborations, he told reporters.

The head of commercial litigation at law firm Rajah and Tann also had breakfast with his family - something he has not had time to do when the campaign was in full swing. He is married to geography teacher N. Gowri and they have four children. "The nine days have been rather intense so I took time to catch up with my family and had breakfast with them," he said.

"All these things are happening outside Bukit Batok. We are closely observing the cooling-off rules."

On the SDP side, Dr Chee, a father of three, and his party members laid out fruits, snacks, and drinks on mats for an afternoon picnic at the Botanic Gardens with some 30 party members and volunteers, including Dr Chee's wife Huang Chih Mei.

Dr Chee spent the rest of the day with his family, an SDP spokesman said. SDP has also got a police permit for supporters to gather at Bukit Gombak Stadium from 8pm tonight, when polls close, to await the result.

PAP is not organising a public gathering, but Mr Murali and his team will gather at the party's Bukit Batok branch for the result.

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The Straits Times

Bukit Batok by-election rally May 3

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AsiaOne, YouTube screengrabs

This article was first published on May 7, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - The Elections Department announced that 12,303 Singaporeans have turned up to cast their votes in the Bukit Batok by-election by 12pm today (May 7).

That is 47 per cent of the 25,727 registered electors in the constituency, it said in a statement.

Bukit Batok residents started voting at 8am when the polls opened.

It's a straight fight between the People's Action Party's (PAP's) Murali Pillai and Singapore Democratic Party's Chee Soon Juan.

The by-election was called last month after the previous member of parliament, PAP's David Ong, resigned in March over an alleged extra-marital affair with a grassroot volunteer.

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The Straits Times

Dr Chee told The Straits Times that he had been going around the different polling stations "to make sure everything is okay" this morning.

Mr Murali also said that he's "lost count of the stations" he visited, since he started before 8am.

The Straits Times said that voters started queueing at some polling stations as early as 7.30am.

sinsh@sph.com.sg

The Elections Department (ELD) will give people an early indication of the possible result of today's Bukit Batok by-election shortly after polling closes at 8pm.

It will announce a sample count of the votes, which it did for the first time in last year's general election.

The ELD's aim in releasing the result is to prevent unnecessary speculation and reliance on unofficial sources of information while counting is still under way.

Tonight's sample count result will be derived from a random count of 100 ballot papers from each of the nine polling stations in Bukit Batok, and then weighted to account for the difference in the total number of votes cast at each station.

The result will be given in percentages, rounded off to the nearest whole number.

The sample count process has been done as an internal check against the final result in past polls, although GE2015 was the first time the sample count was made public.

At last year's general election, Singaporeans had a fairly reliable indicator of how votes went in each of the 16 group representation constituencies and 13 single-member constituencies by 11.15pm.

The first set of sample count results - which had included Bukit Batok - came in at 9.37pm.

Comparatively, the first official result came in at about 11.30pm, and the last after 3am. The official result for Bukit Batok was announced at about 1.20am.

The sample count results had correctly indicated all the eventual winners, even in the close contest of Aljunied GRC where there was a recount.

Its difference from the full count was below two percentage points in all but one of the 29 constituencies.

In Bukit Batok, the sample count showed Mr David Ong of the People's Action Party getting 74 per cent. It was 26 per cent for Mr Sadasivam Veriyah of the Singapore Democratic Party, and zero per cent for independent candidate Samir Salim Neji.

This proved comparable to the final result, in which Mr Ong took 73 per cent of the votes, Mr Sadasivam got 26.4 per cent, and Mr Samir had 0.6 per cent.

The sample counts have a confidence level of 95 per cent, with a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

This means it is still possible that, despite a sample count result of 54 per cent to 46 per cent, the latter candidate could end up winning.

But the chance of such a swing taking place is less likely than when the difference is smaller, say, 51 per cent to 49 per cent.

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times

Bukit Batok by-election rally May 3

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AsiaOne, YouTube screengrabs

This article was first published on May 7, 2016.
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IT is exactly eight weeks to the day since David Ong, the former People's Action Party (PAP) lawmaker, vacated his Bukit Batok parliamentary seat and resigned from the ruling party.

On Saturday, the 25,727 eligible voters of the single-member constituency (SMC) in western Singapore will once again have to exercise their duties as citizens to elect a new Member of Parliament (MP).

There are two faces on their poll cards, and they will have to mark that all-important "X" next to the one they believe is most capable of handling the demands of the job.

In one corner of the ring is the PAP's Murali Pillai, a 48-year-old who heads the commercial litigation department at law firm Rajah & Tann; in the other is the Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) secretary-general Chee Soon Juan, a veteran politician five years older.

Over the past nine days of campaigning, and even well before that, both men spent the bulk of their waking hours - with fellow party members and volunteers in tow - combing every nook and cranny of the ward.

This is Mr Murali's second attempt to become an MP. He was appointed the PAP's branch chairman in Paya Lebar in 2012 and then deployed as part of the party's five-member team to contest in Aljunied at last September's general election (GE).

That team eventually came up short against the incumbents from the Workers' Party (WP), losing narrowly after a recount of the votes.

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The Straits Times

As for Dr Chee, he is taking part in his fifth election on the SDP ticket, and hoping for a much different result from his first four outings.

He first contested the Marine Parade by-election in 1992, and then the general elections in 1997, 2001 and 2015. He lost them all, pulling in 24.5 per cent, 34.86 per cent, 20.25 per cent and 33.4 per cent respectively.

Both candidates have endured a punishing schedule of late to get this far. Now, all that is left is for the by-election's Returning Officer, Energy Market Authority chief executive Ng Wai Choong, to announce the results at around 11pm or so.

In what is a first for a by-election in Singapore, the Elections Department will reveal the sample count result first, most likely before 10pm. This is derived from 100 ballot papers picked out at random from each of the nine polling stations.

By-election battle for Bukit Batok SMC

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The Straits Times, The New Paper, Lianhe Zaoabao, Berita Harian

These sample scores have been tallied for several elections but were first made public at last year's GE. They are meant to prevent speculation and misinformation from unofficial sources while counting is still going on.

Whoever emerges the winner on Saturday night will eventually be sworn in to join the other 88 elected MPs - 82 from the PAP and six from the WP - in the House, as part of Singapore's 13th Parliament.

leeuwen@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on May 7, 2016.
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Three men were spotted helping an elderly woman to cross the road near People's Park Centre on Thursday (May 5) at around 10pm.

Stomp contributor Koh said he noticed that the woman had an injured leg.

Koh shared with Stomp:

"I was crossing the road and I saw three young men with a kind heart helping an old lady with leg problems to cross the road!

"So happy to see young men in Singapore doing good things. Makes me feel good staying here! Hope good things can be shared around!"

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