Mr Syafarin Sarif, chairman of the People's Power Party (PPP), has shared numerous articles on his Facebook page which seem to imply that a shooting incident that occurred last week in Orlando, USA, was staged.

One of the articles he shared on Tuesday rubbishes the tragedy which took place on Sunday (June 12) in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, when gunman Omar Mateen opened fire and killed 49 people.

It claims the event was staged and that the victims interviewed by media were actors.

Mr Syafarin followed up by sharing numerous other videos and links that claim the Orlando shooting was not real.

He shared a photo posted by Facebook user Akemy Ben Mandy, captioned: "Orlando Hoax Shooting. Speaking of crisis actors, this guy's injuries sure healed pretty damn quick."

When sharing the post, Mr Syafarin wrote in Malay: "Those who want to lie, be a bit smarter about it."

Mr Syafarin was a candidate in the September 2015 General Election, and was part of a PPP team that contested in Chua Chu Kang GRC. The team picked up 23.09 per cent of the vote, losing to the People's Action Party team.

The Straits Times reported last year that Mr Sarif, 39, was a consultant at a research and consulting firm.

He was elected chairman of the PPP in December 2015.

xiuhuil@sph.com.sg

See also:

Obama to console grieving families in Orlando

Orlando death toll revised down to 49 plus shooter: Authorities

Gunman in Orlando club shooting was a regular: Report

Orlando shooter's wife tried to talk him out of attack

SINGAPORE - 62 farms located in the Lim Chu Kang areas have had their tenures renewed to the end of 2019.

The Government had earlier informed these farms that their leases would be expiring next year and that the land was to be used for redevelopment. The farmers were also informed that the new farm sites would be available for tender by the end of last year.

However, due to the extensive land preparation works required for these new sites, the leases have been extended to allow for a sufficient transition time for farmers.

Additionally, all new agricultural land will now be leased for 20 years, instead of the previously announced 10 years. This policy change comes as the Government emphasises its commitment to supporting local farmers and local food production. 

Ms Tan Poh Heng, CEO of Agri-food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said: "In order for our agriculture sector to grow, it is important for us to understand our farms' challenges and concerns. AVA has been engaging our local farms regularly and farmers have given us feedback that investing in technology and automation requires a longer pay back period."

"The longer 20-year lease tenure will provide more certainty to farms and enable them to invest in intensive, highly productive technologies that operate on minimal manpower," she added.

prabukm@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - A Singapore design team claims to have come up with a solution to coping with aches and pain in the office - a jacket that massages your muscles and attempts to correct your posture.

Controlled by a mobile app and able to run for around three hours after a USB charge, 'Aira' uses air pressure devices inside the jacket which expand to target pressure points and produce the sensation of a massage.

Lin Wei Liang, the CEO of designers TWare, said the jacket was a practical office aid for people who had developed posture problems from sitting at a desk for lengthy periods or spent too long hunched over a mobile device. "What we have here is much more invisible, discreet, something that you can wear just like a normal hoodie or jacket, and yet you can get that massage without people noticing," he told Reuters.

Lin said his company was in the process of securing a patent for the jacket, which retails at US$119 (S$160) and has been developed with more than US$75,000 of funds raised using crowdfunding website, Kickstarter.

However, not everyone is convinced.

Physiotherapist Michelle Tong agreed it could be used to de-stress but was unsure about its ability to treat pain. "You question whether the person would develop a tolerance to it," she told Reuters. "Each time they're using it, they end up having to apply a high pressure each time, just to get the same effect, as you would if you were taking painkillers for the long-term."

SINGAPORE - The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will be introducing tighter measures to enhance the safety and reliability of lifts in Singapore. 

Each of the 59,000 passenger lifts in Singapore will now require a BCA permit, on top of a permit issued by an Authorised Examiner (AE) before it can be operated. Previously, a lift only required an AE permit to operate.

BCA further added that this permit would have to be renewed annually. 

Other measures also include specific outcomes such as ensuring lift brakes are well-maintained at all times. Lift car doors and lift landing doors should also be operational at all times and reopen upon activation of door protective devices.

To ensure that these new stringent measures are followed, BCA said that it would carry out audit checks on lifts to ensure that lift contractors achieve the maintenance outcomes. Penalties will be imposed on the lift contractors who are not compliant.

This move comes on the heels of a recent series of lift accidents here - including the incident at Ang Mo Kio in March this year when an Indonesian domestic helper was trapped in a lift that suddenly shot up 17 floors. The lift was eventually stuck between the 19th and 20th storeys of the HDB block. 

Lift in Ang Mo Kio shot up 17 floors

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Lianhe Wanbao, The New Paper

More recently, an elderly man toppled and injured his head while reversing backwards on his motorised wheelchair over a lift gap at his home in Pasir Ris.

He died from head injuries after he was taken to Changi General Hospital.  

Elderly man dies after toppling over lift gap in Pasir Ris

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Lianhe Wanbao, Shin Min

prabukm@sph.com.sg 

SIX months after the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) made its move from Mount Vernon to the greener pastures of Sungei Tengah, its far-flung location appears to be causing problems for the organisation.

Adoption rates of abandoned and stray animals have dropped from about 95 a month at the old premises to about 66 a month currently, the SPCA's acting executive director Jaipal Singh Gill told The Straits Times.

"Adoptions are one of the key ways that we save lives, so it's a little worrying and I think it's most likely because we are now a little bit less accessible," said the 33-year-old.

"We still have a fair number of people coming through but they tend to be visiting farms and other attractions in the area and just coming through to have a look."

Visitor numbers died down after an initial flurry of activity in the weeks after it settled into its new home in Kranji.

While there is a bus stop outside the premises that is plied by the 975 and 172 services, the nearest MRT station at Choa Chu Kang is not within walking distance.

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times

The SPCA's shelter currently houses about 208 animals, up from the 160 it hovered around at the old premises, but less than its current capacity of about 300.

Another issue posed by the new western location is that its emergency services, which respond to calls about injured or stray street animals, take longer to get to places in the east.

"If we get a call from Changi or Pasir Ris, it takes us much longer to respond, especially during peak hour when we're stuck in traffic just like everyone else," said Dr Gill. "We do ask people to stay with the animal until we get there, but that's not always possible."

The new 7,700 sq m premises is three times larger than its former one, and houses facilities such as an open-air pavilion which has hosted educational talks, a dog training session and two birthday parties, among other events.

Earlier this month, a movie screening under the stars was held at the events park in front of the building. The SPCA will host an open house this weekend with an art exhibition, public tours of the facility, games and other activities.

The space is a far cry from the cramped room that served as meeting space, dining hall and education centre at Mount Vernon.

Dr Gill, who hopes to have mini-camps and weekend events at the premises soon, added: "We have so many spaces now that we can use for education, which is so important to us. Everything else that we do, rescuing and taking in animals, it's firefighting."

Animal lover and student Amy Tan has not been to the SPCA's new premises because of its lack of accessibility but plans to attend this weekend's open house.

"With the new location, going all the way there is a bit of a hassle because I don't drive and it's far from the train station," said the 22-year-old who lives in Queenstown.

tiffanyt@sph.com.sg

Actress Rui En adopts kitten from SPCA

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Lollipop

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SINGAPORE - A taxi driver has died a day after a freak accident which caused his head to be trapped by his car door, a report said.

The accident happened on Tuesday (June 14) at the Premier Taxi headquarters at Changi South Avenue 2.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said that they were alerted to the rescue incident at around 7.50pm.

The driver is thought to have stepped on the accelerator accidentally while attempting to insert his cash card into a reader, Shin Min Daily News reported.

His car door was open, and as the car lurched forward, his head was trapped between the car door and car body.

Taxi driver dies in freak accident that caused head to get trapped

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Shin Min Daily News

The 59-year-old driver was freed by SCDF and taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he died on Wednesday (June 15).

His wife, 57, said that she was waiting for her husband to come home for dinner when she received a call informing her of the accident.

When she rushed to the hospital, he was already brain dead, she told Shin Min.

He was in good health, and they were planning to celebrate his 60th birthday on June 18, she said.

He also leaves behind two daughters, aged 25 and 30.

See also:

Freak accidents and tragic deaths of famous people over the years

This article was first published on June 16, 2016.
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A well-loved canteen vendor, who had sold drinks and fruit at Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) for 62 years, died on Monday at age 85.

Yeo Kim Swee was usually the first to reach the school and the last to leave, arriving at 4am to clean the floor and leaving after the lights went out at 8pm, Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao reported yesterday.

Mr Yeo, who worked in the High School section, is said to have been jovial, well-respected and liked by teachers and students alike.

His signature papaya milk drink was popular among students, who would pay him their respects during Chinese New Year. Some gave him thank you cards and alumni returned to hand him red packets.

Known as "Uncle Chwee", the vendor would ride a motorcycle to work daily, and was even known to offer free drinks or food to needy students.

His son, Yang Qindi, 52, who also helps at the school, told Wanbao that his father had given his all to the school and stopped turning up for work only when he could no longer walk.

According to Mr Yang, his father was diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer in November. His condition worsened last week and he died at 8.50pm on Monday.

The vendor was so beloved by students that a group of them did a project on him called The Life And Times Of Uncle Ah Chwee.

They describe him on the Weebly site as working from the age of 10 at a grocery store during the Japanese Occupation, and starting work at the high school division of HCI, which was then The Chinese High School, at 22.

Mr Yeo (right), with his daughter-in-law Chen Lizhen (in apron), son Yang Qingdi and daughter. Photo: Lianhe Wanbao

Mr Yeo had also been honoured at a ceremony last March, for his "62 years of excellent service", as an "extraordinary pioneer of Hwa Chong", where he was given a "spontaneous standing ovation", according to Facebook page ProEd Consortium.

Said mathematics teacher Cai Wenwu, 40: "Sometimes, we would ask him to prepare drinks at the last minute for school activities and he never rejected or complained. That's how he was. "

HCI principal Hon Chiew Weng posted a notice on the school website on Wednesday informing staff and students of Mr Yeo's passing.

He paid his respects at the wake on Wednesday afternoon, along with other staff members.

The school also sent a wreath and Chinese couplet to the wake.

Dr Hon called Mr Yeo a low-key, loyal man who did not seek fame or reward, and described his passing as "a great loss" to the school.

The wake is being held at Block 301, Shunfu Road until Sunday morning.

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UPDATE: In a statement on Friday (June 17), the Jurong-Clementi Town Council confirmed that no one was injured in the incident.

"Our initial findings revealed that the lorry driver failed to lower the crane before driving through the linkway," the town council said.

It added that it would assist the affected car's owner in his compensation claims.

Meanwhile, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said that the affected area will be cordoned off from public access until the collapsed and damaged parts of the sheltered walkway are removed.

The authority also revealed that the professional engineer appointed by the town council has confirmed that the structural integrity of adjacent HDB blocks was not affected by the incident.

"BCA had directed the owner (the town council) to appoint a PE to carry out a detailed investigation and recommend permanent rectification works," it added.

At least one car has been badly crushed after a lorry crane crashed into a sheltered walkway at Bukit Batok West Avenue 6 at around 9.30am on Friday (June 17).

Photos of the toppled shelter at the Block 118 carpark were sent in to citizen journalism site Stomp.

The photos showed that one blue sedan was crushed by the weight of the shelter's roof.

Crane crashes and uproots pedestrian shelter at Bt Batok

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Stomp, The Straits Times, The New Paper

According to Stomp contributors, the lorry crane had knocked down the shelter's roof, sending it crashing onto the road.

The force of the crash had also uprooted the pillars of the roof from the ground, damaging the concrete path of the walkway.

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel arrived at the scene shortly after.

ljessica@sph.com.sg

seanyap@sph.com.sg

See also: Mobile crane crashes into HDB block at Woodlands Centre

Crane crashes into HDB block at Woodlands Centre

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AsiaOne reader, Stomp, The Straits Times

Civil servants will get a mid-year bonus of 0.45 of a month's pay this year, lower than the half-month payouts they received for the last two years.

The lower bonus is significant because it affects a large number of workers across various industries.

The reason? As Singapore's biggest employer with 84,000 workers, the civil service and its payouts are watched closely by the private sector as a guide for its own bonus payments.

But more importantly, the announcement on Tuesday by the Public Service Division (PSD) drives home the message that tougher times are ahead with a slowing Singapore economy. It also reinforces the signs economists have been flagging.

In the first quarter of this year, the economy grew by 1.8 per cent and is likely to continue growing sluggishly for the rest of the year.

This is cause for concern because the service sector, a key engine of growth, is in a slump. It grew at 1.4 per cent in the first quarter, the slowest pace since the 2009 financial crisis.

With a weaker global economic outlook, trade cannot be counted on to pull up growth either.

The Government has forecast growth of 1 per cent to 3 per cent for the full year. But private sector economists are predicting 1.8 per cent growth, down from an earlier forecast of 1.9 per cent.

In turn, employment growth has slowed.

The PSD has said that labour demand is expected to be uneven across sectors, and also warned of possible layoffs in some sectors as the economy restructures.

While the average worker may not immediately grasp the significance of the economic and employment figures, the lower mid-year bonus is a clear and early warning to moderate expectations. It will also help to drive home the need to stay relevant by learning the right skills.

For job-seekers, it is a wake-up call that there may be fewer openings. For companies, it is a sign from the Government that there is no need to shrink bonuses or salaries drastically for now, even as they take measures to deal with the economic slowdown.

This article was first published on Jun 17, 2016.
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The independent accountant appointed by the Workers' Party-run Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) has started reviewing past payments made by the town council to determine if they were improper.

Audit firm KPMG said in its third monthly report on the town council that it will study AHTC's accounting records for the period of May 27, 2011 to Nov 27 last year for the review. The records contain 6,738,319 entries.

AHTC chairman Pritam Singh on Wednesday said his town council has given KPMG specific instructions to identify all transactions involving its former managing agent companies - FM Solutions and Services and FM Solutions and Integrated Services.

He added that the town council had submitted the 32-page report to the Housing Board on Wednesday, as required by the Court of Appeal.

The apex court had directed AHTC to appoint a Big Four accounting firm to help fix governance and financial lapses at the town council, and ensure compliance with the laws.

This came in the wake of a special audit by the Auditor-General of the town council's finances.

So far, AHTC has resolved three out of 17 lapses that were still outstanding when KPMG was hired in March.

In its latest report, KPMG highlighted one lapse that was recently fixed.

It said the town council had implemented a process to monitor, investigate and address differences between bank statements and its accounting records.

Steps were also taken by the town council to fix other lapses, the report said.

For instance, the town council has started monitoring and investigating the flow of funds in and out of its temporary clearing accounts, which are used for transactions with external parties.

It has also corrected a duplicate transfer of $157,141.01 to its sinking fund, which was highlighted in the previous progress report.

KPMG said it is in the process of verifying AHTC's calculation of how much it transferred to its sinking fund for financial years 2011/2012 to 2013/2014. AHTC said it had transferred $50,176,747.

KPMG also pointed out several issues it had observed since it put out the last report last month.

It found that data for service and conservancy charges (S&CC) arrears could not be fully generated automatically, even though AHTC said its system was capable of doing so.

In addition, S&CC data for April was incorrectly extracted from a May report, resulting in an understatement of $11,400.22 due for collection.

KPMG said AHTC will have to perform a detailed test to make sure its system works properly.

It added that it had also looked into the 13 unresolved opening balances of AHTC's accounts that have been flagged by the town council's own auditors over the years.

The town council has said in the past that these issues were the reason its accounts have not been given a clean bill of health.

KPMG said 10 of these issues can be resolved by adjusting entries that were incorrectly posted.

Of the remaining three issues, two have to do with related-party transactions and one has to do with the town council's financial statements from FY 2011/2012, said KPMG.

AHTC has provided a list of entries to be adjusted, and KPMG has asked for the supporting documents.

ziliang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 17, 2016.
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The private-hire car market has surged in the last year and a half, powered by ride-hailing apps like Uber and Grab, and looks set to grow even more.

The number of rental cars has nearly doubled from 18,847 at the start of last year to 36,002 by the end of last month, according to Land Transport Authority (LTA) figures.

The big jump is twice the total growth of the preceding five years.

Besides Uber and Grab, others that have jumped onto the bandwagon, such as taxi operators SMRT and Prime, as well as motor distributor Tan Chong, have also added to the expansion.

Such companies account for an estimated 21,000 or 60 per cent of the total rental car population.

Private-hire vehicles are increasingly seen by commuters and drivers as a viable alternative to taxis.

The 21,000 or so rental cars used for picking up paying fares is quickly catching up with the total number of taxis owned by cab firms - 28,211.

This is 2 per cent fewer cabs than two years ago.

Industry players said the number of cabs being hired out has fallen more sharply.

The sizzling popularity of private-hire vehicles has prompted players to bid aggressively for certificates of entitlement (COEs).

Before LTA blocked free access to bidders' information last week, The Straits Times found that Uber-owned Lion City Rental alone had secured nearly 2,000 COEs in just two months.

Several of the newly registered cars awaiting drivers were spotted in a multi-storey carpark near Beach Road this week.

These were mainly Toyotas, Hondas and Mitsubishis bought from authorised dealers as well as parallel importers.

Uber was not reachable for comment, but head of Grab Singapore Lim Kell Jay said yesterday that "the private-hire car industry will continue to grow" as there are not enough taxis to meet peak demand.

Mirroring Uber's strategy in targeting those who want to defray the cost of motoring, Mr Lim said Grab is also "driving initiatives to reduce the cost of car ownership by enabling our drivers to have access to affordable rental cars for personal and commercial use".

The incumbents are not thrilled by these "disruptors", though.

Vehicle Rental Association secretary Jivin Tan said Uber and the like are attracting mainly people who normally would not be able to afford a car.

The National Private Hire Vehicles Association estimates there are only 6,000 to 8,000 private-hire drivers here.

Hence, Mr Tan said many private-hire cars will end up being primarily for personal use, and commuters are unlikely to be served well.

National Taxi Association (NTA) executive adviser Ang Hin Kee believes taxi operators will have to up the ante to compete.

He said: "Taxis with their transparent pricing, rigorous regime and wide coverage are an attractive option. A level playing field will enable them to remain the choice of commuters."

In April, the Government announced that private-hire drivers will be subject to medical and background screenings.

They will have to attain a vocational licence through a course and be put under a demerit point system.

Some of the NTA's recommendations were rejected, such as having uniform service quality standards for both sides.

But even as more rental fleet owners join Uber and Grab, some prefer not to.

Mr Vincent Tan, general manager of RMG Rent-A-Car, said: "The mileage of these cars will be very high, so maintenance cost will be high. We would also have to pay more for insurance."

christan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 17, 2016.
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Update (June 17) - Bali's search and rescue agency has said that the two dead tourists are from Hong Kong and Lombok, not Singapore. The incident reportedly happened last week, on June 9.

The search and rescue agency said there are no more tidal waves at the beach.

-----

A tourist from Singapore has reportedly died after being dragged out to sea by tidal waves on a beach in Bali, News.com.au has reported.

Citing Tribun Bali news reports, the Australian news website said that an unidentified Singapore tourist and a Hong Kong tourist were both at Padang Galak Beach in Sanur when the wave hit.

Some popular tourist bars, including Ku De Ta, were damaged or flooded by the waves, the website said.

Some videos of waves pounding beach establishments were also posted by tourists on the Internet earlier this month.

It was reported on June 4 that a woman from Perth and her eight-year-old sister were among five people who died after being swept out to sea in Bali. She was on her honeymoon at the time, and had been walking along the beach with her husband.

ljessica@sph.com.sg

The Manpower Ministry (MOM) has warned the public not to be duped by scammers pretending to be government officials who ask people to transfer money.

In an advisory posted on its website and Facebook page on Friday (June 17), MOM revealed that it had been alerted to cases where members of the public have received suspicious phone calls from a person claiming to be an MOM or government officer.

They would then ask the scam targets to transfer money to an account "to resolve issues related to their stay in Singapore or work pass application".

The phone number displayed on the targets' phones is 6438 5122, or the hotline for MOM's contact centre.

The ministry urged people who received such calls to be vigilant, emphasising that it would not ask individuals to make a payment to a third party's bank account through a telephone call.

"Our officers will not make such calls to request for fund transfers," MOM said, adding that it had advised affected individuals to lodge police reports.

It also stressed that individuals should not transfer any money or provide their personal information.

MOM said that it was taking such incidents seriously as they would undermine public trust in the ministry.

It also urged those with information about such incidents to call the police hotline at 1800 225 0000 or dial 999 for urgent police assistance.

Top 7 scams in Singapore and more

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

www.scamalert.sg

Hundreds of local men fell for sex scams and lost thousands

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The New Paper, Internet screengrabs, Lianhe Wanbao, Stomp

seanyap@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) has apologised for mistakenly publishing an outgoing employee's name when posting recruitment advertisements on various job portals.

In the advertisement, which was for a permanent position at the statutory board, the vacancy had been given the job title: "Replacement for Kenneth Yeo Wee".

In a statement on Facebook on Friday (June 17), IDA explained that the mistake was made by one of its human resource (HR) team members, who was new to the recruitment publishing tool.

"The HR staff officer who committed the error has also been counselled and we are reviewing our procedures to ensure that this does not happen again," the authority said.

It added that it had since apologised unreservedly to Mr Yeo, and regrets any unhappiness caused.

Although subsequently taken down from the recruitment portals, the lapse was seized upon by netizens and screenshots were quickly posted on a number of online forums.

One Facebook page even created a meme based on the error.

The mistake also triggered various reactions on social media, with a number of users pointing out the irony that it was the organisation in charge of regulating the IT industry in Singapore that had made such an error.

seanyap@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - Facebook has updated its resources to include new tools that will help users across the world reach out better to friends who might be experiencing suicidal or self-injury thoughts.

First announced on Tuesday (June 14), the tools were developed in collaboration with mental health organisations, along with input from people who have personal experience with self-injury or suicide.

In Singapore, Facebook has partnered with local non-profit suicide prevention centre Samaritans of Singapore to launch the tools.

With them, users can now reach out directly to those who post something on Facebook that raises concern about their well-being.

They can also report the post to Facebook, which has teams working around the clock to review the reports that come in.

The teams will prioritise the most serious reports and send help and resources to those in distress.

Among the expanded resources now available include the options to reach out to a friend, contact a helpline or view tips that will help cope with different problems.

"In rare cases of clear imminent risk of suicide, Facebook reaches out to local authorities so that they can do a welfare check to provide support to the person and hopefully prevent their death," the social media platform said in response to queries from The Straits Times.

More information on how to support yourself or a friend can be found on Facebook's Help Center here.

This article was first published on June 17, 2016.
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Four in 10 maids have to share their rooms, a survey by a migrant worker advocacy group has found, with a "surprising" number having to bunk in with men. And this is a situation that could leave them vulnerable.

While interviewing maids for a report on their living conditions, Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) found that about 40 per cent of them share a room.

The findings were based on responses from 429 maids. Of the 171 who shared rooms, 11 did so with males aged 12 to 19, and another 11 shared a room with an adult male.

TWC2 executive committee member and past president John Gee said the findings were surprising.

The group released advance results from the survey to The Straits Times on Thursday.

The results are drawn from interviews with 472 maids, conducted from June 2014 to last month, and will form a longer report that will be published later.

TWC2 treasurer Alex Au said maids could be sharing a room with male family members who are elderly or have disabilities, but "she should have a right to a place of her own".

He added: "If she is sharing a room with a male who is bigger and stronger than her, that makes her highly vulnerable."A Manpower Ministry spokesman, in response to queries, said maids should not be made to sleep in the same room as a man or male teenager to protect their modesty.

Employers who contravene this regulation can be fined up to $10,000 or face a jail term of up to a year or both. However, exceptions may be made if the adult male is elderly and disabled, and requires care, and the maid agrees to the arrangement.

The Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) released a report last year, which found that about a quarter of the 670 maids surveyed shared a room.

In the past six months, the group said it has encountered at least four cases in which maids said they shared a room with a man.

Home executive director Jolovan Wham recounted a case in which a maid shared a bedroom and toilet with her employer's 18-year-old son.

She said she felt uncomfortable because she suspected he was behaving lewdly in the same room.

The Centre for Domestic Employees, which is run by the National Trades Union Congress, said it has not encountered such issues.

But its executive director of strategy, Mr Shamsul Kamar, said: "We would like to reiterate that it is the responsibility of the employers to provide acceptable accommodation that respects the privacy and modesty of foreign domestic workers."

Maid agents agreed. Mr Karl Tan, 77, owner of Inter-Mares Management Services, said: "It is terribly unacceptable for a maid to share a room with a male, unless he is physically handicapped."

A 40-year-old Indonesian maid, who declined to be named, told The Straits Times that she shares a room with her employer's 23-year-old son, who has intellectual disability.

The man cannot speak clearly and she once woke up to find him feverish and in need of a doctor.

"He is unable to tell us that he's in pain," she said. "If I am in the same room, I can keep an eye on him and alert his parents."

The maid added that she does not feel uncomfortable sharing a room with him. She has been working for the family of six, and living with them in their four-bedroom condominium unit, for about 16 years.

She said: "I've seen the boy grow up. I treat him the way I treat my own children."

ljessie@sph.com.sg

oliviaho@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 18, 2016.
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Most parents are aware of the rules governing the use of car seats for children and always belt up their children when on the move.

A Straits Times street poll of 50 parents on Wednesday found that nearly 75 per cent of parents ensure that their children are secured in car seats, as required by law.

On Tuesday morning, a Honda sedan skidded and crashed into a tree in Lentor Avenue, killing a woman and injuring her husband and two children.

Ms Sim Yee Ling, 33, who was seated in the back with her elder son Tan Yu Sen, six, was pronounced dead at the scene. The boy suffered spinal injuries. Her younger son, Wei Quan, three, sustained head injuries, while her husband Simon Tan, 42, who was driving, suffered a brain haemorrhage.

It remains unclear if they were wearing seat belts.

Drivers and passengers in motor vehicles are required by law to wear seat belts, unless medically exempted. The law also requires passengers under 1.35m to be secured with an appropriate child restraint or use a booster seat or adjustable seat belt, barring some exceptions.

In recent years, the number of drivers who failed to wear seat belts fell from 9,757 in 2013 to 7,375 last year, Traffic Police data shows.

Civil servant Vincent Teo, 34, who has a three-year-old son, said the recent accident "shows that you can never be too careful".

He added: "My child sits in a booster in the back of the car with his seat belt fastened at all times. We're very aware of safety while driving."

However, some parents flout the rules as they find child car seats inconvenient, or rely on their driving skills for safety. Software developer Pang Gin Dee, 33, said: "We used to have a baby seat… but now, since my kid is four years old, we don't use a booster seat; just seat belts.

"Boosters are too bulky and we need to fit other things, like prams, in the car. Accidents and injuries still can happen... I think it's how you drive that matters most."

Ms Linda Chia, 32, who works in software support and has a son in pre-school, also finds booster seats inconvenient. She said her son uses a booster seat, but not for short drives, or when the car is full.

"I know it's not that safe. I'll always try to hold on to him, just in case the car stops abruptly," she said.

Under the Road Traffic Act, drivers and passengers found not using a seat belt or appropriate restraints can be fined up to $1,000 or jailed up to three months, or both.

Mr Bernard Tay, president of the Automobile Association of Singapore, said: "A properly fitted child restraint system can reduce fatal injuries by up to 80 per cent for toddlers and 90 per cent for infants."

A car's passive safety elements, such as the body shell, airbags, seat belts and headrests are not designed specifically for protecting children, and will not protect them properly during an accident, he added.

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Lianhe Wanbao, Shin Min Daily News

feliciac@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jun 18, 2016.
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A Bangladeshi construction worker paralysed after a worksite accident was awarded about $600,000 in damages and costs by the High Court yesterday.

Mr Tarun Kumar Saha Manoj Kumar Saha, 32, suffered spinal injuries after he was knocked down from behind by a reversing forklift on Feb 3, 2013.

Deployed to do general renovation works at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, he was dealing with the driver of a crane, which was running, so he could not hear the vehicle reversing towards him.

Thrown a metre by the impact, he was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he had surgery to stabilise his fractured spine and right ankle.

Mr Tarun also received psychiatric treatment at the hospital, underwent rehabilitation and and was discharged into a private nursing home some two months later.

Through his lawyer, Mr Pritam Singh Gill, he sued his employer, sub- contractor Choon Construction, and the main site contractor, Hup Yew Sen Construction, for negligence.

The defendants, whose lawyers were from United Legal Alliance, at first argued that Mr Tarun was partly, if not wholly, to blame. But in October last year, both contractors accepted 85 per cent liability, leaving the sums payable to be assessed.

After a two-day assessment hearing, which ended yesterday, Judicial Commissioner Valerie Thean ordered that Mr Tarun be paid $323,700 for pain, suffering and loss of future earnings and $225,721 to meet medical expenses, contingencies and costs of appliances and materials for continued care.

The judge awarded another $50,000 in legal costs.

For Mr Tarun, the compensation was small comfort.

"Got money, but cannot do anything," he told The Straits Times.

He came to Singapore in 2010, and moved up from construction worker to become an assistant to the site supervisor.

He was an active sportsman, and had plans to marry, but his fiancee left him when he became disabled.

Mr Tarun said when doctors first told him he was permanently paralysed, he was devastated. He thought of suicide.

An only son and sole breadwinner, he now lives with his parents, aged 75 and 70, in their village home some 300km from Dhaka.

He said: "My parents became depressed when they saw me in a wheelchair. I was still depressed but kept it to myself. I pretended to give them confidence as I knew if I showed them that I was sad, they could go into deep depression and become sick."

He needs a male nurse, who goes to the house daily to attend to him.

He left for Dhaka last night. "My village is not like Singapore. Not much a handicap can do or go to."

This article was first published on Jun 18, 2016.
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The first person found to have drug-resistant tuberculosis in the recently discovered Ang Mo Kio outbreak was also the first to be diagnosed in an older TB cluster, the Ministry of Health (MOH) revealed yesterday.

The man was the index case in that drug-resistant TB outbreak reported in 2013, which was traced to three cybercafes in Parklane shopping mall. In a statement yesterday, an MOH spokesman said the man had been coughing for four months before he was diagnosed in 2012.

However, he defaulted on treatment shortly after his diagnosis.

"Efforts were made by the TB Control Unit and MOH to locate him, but he was not residing at his registered address and was uncontactable for about five weeks," the spokesman said.

When the authorities located him, he was served an order under the Infectious Diseases Act and isolated for treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Communicable Diseases Centre.

He was discharged to continue his treatment as an outpatient only when he was deemed no longer infectious.

The TB Control Unit also screened the man's close contacts, including users of the cybercafe, as well as two flatmates.

"There is currently no evidence to suggest that there was similar spread to persons outside of the close contacts," said the MOH spokesman.

In the earlier cluster he was involved in, six people were treated for multi-drug-resistant TB after falling ill between February and December 2012.

Five of them had frequented cybercafes at Parklane shopping mall in Selegie, while the last was a family member.

This week, MOH revealed it had identified another cluster of multi-drug-resistant TB cases at Block 203, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.

Unlike the previous cluster, however, this was a "highly unusual occurrence" as the four households involved did not know or interact with one another.

Typically, TB requires "close and prolonged" contact between two people to spread.

But one of the six, Mr Effandy Rahmat, told The Straits Times he used to frequent a cybercafe at Parklane four or five times a month, though he has not been back there for years.

"That was when I was 18 - I would spend maybe 12 hours there each time," recalled the 25-year-old. "But my NS (national service) health check-up didn't find any problems."

MOH had screened 147 residents and former residents for TB by 5pm yesterday.

Eleven children were given appointments at the TB Control Unit, as the tests were different.

MOH officers and grassroots volunteers have also reached out to more than three-quarters of the 160 households to inform them of the situation.

One resident who had screening was retiree Hong Zhai Sun, 66, who said: "I thought why not, since it's free. I also want to make sure that my health is good."

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The Straits Times, The New Paper

This article was first published on Jun 18, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.