You wake up, read the latest news updates on your mobile phone, retweet some interesting comments, and post your own reactions. Just another ordinary day, right?

Wrong. If you are not careful, that retweet or comment might land you in legal hot water.

Former journalist Sidek Kamiso found himself in that predicament early last week when a band of plain-clothed policemen banged on his door at 4.40am to arrest him for an alleged Twitter insult. They had not only come for him at an ungodly hour but also reportedly jumped over the fence to forcefully nab him.

After checking their identification, Sidek had let them in, although they did not produce an arrest warrant. The police officers then searched the house, confiscating his phone and laptop before dragging him away in handcuffs to the police station.

The conduct of the police and the nature of that alleged offence notwithstanding, how many of us would have just opened the door when the intruders commanded, "We are the Police! Open the door!" and let them in?

Confirming the police officers' identity first is extremely important, stresses Sevan Doraisamy, executive director of human rights advocate group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram).

Many Malaysians are too quick to obey whatever the police tell them to do without first confirming the officers' identity, says Sevan.

"We always advise the public to ask the police to identify themselves and show their identity card when they are stopped on the street by someone who claims to be the police or when the police go to their house," he adds, highlighting the public workshops on human rights and the police that Suaram has been holding for more than a decade.

It is normal for policemen on duty on the ground to be in plain clothes, which is why it is crucial to establish their identity.

Senior level police officers, from the rank of Inspector and above, carry blue IDs, while constables and below carry yellow cards. Reserve police carry white IDs while red is for suspended policemen.

According to Suaram, when making arrests, conducting raids, roadblocks or body searches, a police officer of at least the rank of Inspector (with a blue ID) must be present.

"You can also ask them which police station they are from and call it to verify the officers' identity," says Sevan.

Another safeguard against unlawful arrests or violations of a person's civil rights is the police warrant.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar has asserted that an arrest warrant was not necessary when the police arrested Sidek at his home in Petaling Jaya, as the alleged offence, over a tweet on the death of PAS spiritual leader Datuk Dr Haron Din, fell under the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998.

"For this offence, a warrant is not needed. For offences under the (CMA) Act, there is no need for warrants. There is no need for a warrant to detain and no need for a warrant to search homes," he reportedly said.

The local legal fraternity was quick to refute him.

According to lawyer Siti Kasim, who represented Sidek's family, a warrant was necessary in his case as arrests made under the CMA generally requires a warrant.

Lawyer Syahredzan Johan concurred, explaining that although the police have general powers to make arrests without warrants, they can only do so for offences that are listed as seizable offences under the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), namely those carrying the maximum jail sentence of three years and above.

But for offences under the CMA which carry a maximum jail term of one year, the police would need a warrant when making arrests, he reportedly said.

Conceding that the details of the law might be beyond a layman's grasp, Sevan advises members of the public to always demand for a warrant when they are being arrested.

What is important, he adds, is that any arrest can only be made after adequate investigation has been conducted on a case.

"You cannot be arrested if you are a witness or just to assist the police in an investigation.

"Always ask if you are being arrested, and for what charge or under what Act. There is no harm in also asking for the warrant," he notes, adding that in any CMA case, the investigation should first be conducted by the country's Internet regulator, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), before any police arrest.

And just like in the American cop movies and television series, when we are arrested in Malaysia, our fundamental rights are guaranteed, as stipulated under the Federal Constitution, the amended CPC and the IGP's Standing Order on Arrest, says Sevan.

Just don't expect to be read the Miranda Rights, those words many of us have grown up hearing on the telly: "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."

Still, as stated on the Malaysian Bar website, our right to remain silent and refuse to answer any questions when arrested is guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.

Under the Constitution, a person also has a fundamental right to be informed of the grounds of his arrest as soon as possible, as well as a right to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice.

These rights are clearly spelt out and reiterated under Section 28A of the CPC which came into force in September 2007: An arrested person has the right to be informed as soon as may be the grounds for this arrest; to contact a legal practitioner of his choice within 24 hours from the time of his arrest; to communicate with a relative or friend of his with regards to his whereabouts within 24 hours from the time of his arrest; and the right to consult with his lawyer and the lawyer is allowed to be present and to meet the arrested person at the place of detention before the police commences any form of questioning or recording of any statement from the person arrested.

"We always advise those arrested to remain silent in order not to unknowingly incriminate themselves or be forced to make a confession. You can also say, 'Saya jawab di mahkamah.' (I'll answer or say it in court)," Sevan notes.

As for family members, he advises them to get the name of the police station that the arresting police officers are from and are taking their loved one to.

At the police station, he adds, they need to get the name of the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case and his or her contact details.

"The good thing now is that the police' public communications have greatly improved, and the IO will usually give out their handphone numbers to the family members," he says, commending Sidek and his wife, Norlin Wan Musa, who is also a former journalist, for knowing and exercising their rights when the police took Sidek to the Johor Baru police station without informing her, and when they allegedly intimidated her and tried to harass their children.

Unfortunately, says Sevan, many Malaysians don't know their rights when they get arrested, making it easy for errant police officers to intimidate them or abuse their rights.

Lawyers for Liberty executive director Eric Paulsen concurs, stressing that the police also need to act responsibly and reasonably, in accordance to their Standard Operating Procedure when conducting an arrest.

"The laws like the CPC and IGP's Standing Order clearly protects a person's fundamental liberties, but they are also general, especially in their wording.

"They were drafted with the expectation that the police would act reasonably and without bias in accordance to their SOP," he says, describing the police conduct in the arrest of Sidek and two others in relation to the "Twitter insult" as excessive and an abuse of police powers.

Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) chief Tan Sri Razali Ismail urges the police to defend civil liberties in Malaysia rather than repress the exercise of human rights.

"In essence, the police should be the face of human rights, and not a face of intimidation, even as the police needs to be the bulwark of the country's security. Regulations are being promulgated in a sweeping fashion that will have the effect of threatening democratic practice and undermine the fundamental liberties enshrined in the Federal Constitution," he had reiterated in his speech at the Malaysian Bar's International Law Conference in Kuala Lumpur last week.

Khalid has given assurances that the police are subject to the laws and regulations enshrined in the Constitution.

"If we flout the laws, action will be taken against us. We are also subjected to the laws and regulations under the Constitution. So are the Members of Parliament," he told a press conference after a dialogue with Universiti Utara Malaysia students in Sintok, Kedah, on the role of undergraduates in overcoming national security threats.

Universiti Sains Malaysia criminologist, Assoc Prof Dr P. Sundramoorthy agrees that nobody should be above the law, especially the police.

"Police personnel who violate criminal laws and other regulations will have to face the consequences. Everyone who gets arrested has equal rights under the Federal Constitution and the CPC, irrespective of the nature of the case, so the police and the prosecution need to adhere to the law without bias. If they did not follow the SOP that is clearly spelt out then they should have to face the legal consequences, "he says.

Critically, he adds, it is important for the general public to be aware of the laws of the land and their rights.

"Especially now that social media is an integral and pervasive part of our day-to-day lives. People need to be aware of the law - you make choices in life and you need to face their consequences.

"Similarly, you make your choice of tweeting and retweeting something or posting anything and making comments on social media, so you will have to bear the consequences."

And as Dr Sundramoorthy puts it bluntly, "If you are so good at using social media, you should also be able to source the relevant information on the law and your civil rights online.

"If you are an expert on social media, you should be able to Google the dos and don'ts of when you are arrested, from the Malaysia Bar website and other civil society groups."

Pop culture has worked a powerful magic in South Korea, turning it into one of the coolest places on the planet, which begs the question: How can Singapore get in on the act?

The Hallyu fever, which started around 20 years ago, had overtaken Japanese pop that held sway from the 1980s to the early 1990s, and shows no sign of cooling.

Hallyu, a term that broadly refers to the Korean wave, covers K-pop music and TV dramas and movies, and extends into fashion, food and beauty. Its success has had a substantial influence on South Korea, not just in cultural terms but also in adding some dazzle to an economy more associated with shipbuilding and electronics.

Observers say Singapore could grab a slice of this cultural cash cow, given its multi-ethnic and multicultural society and innate exposure to Western influences. But the country lacks its own entertainment culture.

"The immediate step is... to create national awareness of the Singapore pop culture content. Only when Singapore has established a firm national culture can we combine other foreign factors to create a culture content that's uniquely Singapore," says Mr Joongshik Wang, partner at Ernst & Young Corporate Finance.

CONTENT EXPORT AND TOURISM

Data from the Korea Creative Content Agency showed that the content industry's exports - including music, games, broadcasting and knowledge information - rose 10.5 per cent over 2014 to US$58.3 billion (S$79 billion ) last year, markedly up from the US$43 billion in 2011.

While there are no official statistics on K-wave's impact on the South Korean economy, CIMB Private Bank economist Song Seng Wun estimates that it probably contributes 3 to 5 per cent to the country's gross domestic product.

The South Korean economy grew at 2.6 per cent last year - down from 3.3 per cent in 2014 - largely due to slumping exports and manufacturing. Tourism-promotion officials said about 10 per cent of tourists who visited South Korea last year were there purely because of Hallyu.

Inbound tourist numbers fell 6.8 per cent last year from about 14.2 million in 2014 to 13.2 million, owing to the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak.

The numbers, however, are expected to pick up in the coming years as the Visit Korea Committee embarks on a campaign - 2016- 2018 Visit Korea Year - to promote the Winter Olympics in 2018 which will be held in Pyeongchang from Feb 9 to 25.

"We are using Hallyu as a leverage to induce more people to come to South Korea. It can help to support tourism," says Ms Han Kyung Ah, secretary-general of the committee.

Visitors from China almost touched six million last year, followed by 1.8 million from Japan. Only 160,153 visitors from Singapore went to South Korea last year, down from 201,105 in 2014.

"We are trying to diversify and capture more tourists from other continents, such as the Middle East and America," says the committee's marketing general manager, Ms Chung Juyoung.

The latest tourism campaign will feature 52 Hallyu cultural festivals and the Korea Grand Sale next month, similar to the Great Singapore Sale, among many things.

It is hoped that the series of events can boost tourist arrivals to 20 million a year.

PACKAGING HALLYU

Observers told The Straits Times that the sustained appeal of Hallyu was no fluke and its success had to do with state support and concerted industry effort to stay ahead of the curve.

"Since the popularity of K-Pop and Korean drama started to boom in the late 1990s, the South Korean government has been increasing its financial support towards the Korean culture business. This included launching a US$1 billion investment fund to support the pop industry in 2005," says Mr Wang.

Ernst & Young notes that the South Korean government has invested around US$5.2 billion or 1.4 per cent of its Budget in culture and media, with the goal of increasing it to US$7.8 billion, or 2 per cent of the Budget, by next year.

Initiatives included increasing the number of Korean Cultural Centres and Korean language centres around the world. The King Sejong Institute, for example, has 143 centres in 57 countries, and plans are afoot to set up one in Singapore by the end of the year, to encourage the learning of the Korean language.

CROSS-SELLING

Mr Song, who has been following K-wave trends for 15 years, says "effective cross-selling" was a key success factor. "They are good in tying everything together. There's the music and drama, but the pop stars, actors and actresses portray a certain style or look that in turn created demand for fashion and skincare products or cosmetic procedures," Mr Song adds.

Media firms including S.M.Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and CJ E&M Corporation have been credited for their ability to churn out stars, and create captivating content and well-produced music videos. A widely known example is pop star Psy's Gangnam Style, which spawned a distinctive dance that became a worldwide craze. The song has garnered over 2.6 billion YouTube views since it was posted in July 2012.

The industry would need fairly deep pockets to roll out new bands regularly, as the cost of training, marketing and music production could easily run into hundreds of thousands of US dollars per K-pop group. The production cost for a drama could come in at around US$400,000 per episode, says Seoul-based production company A Story, which produced one or two works a year, including the crime thriller Signal that did well in China recently.

"Since K-drama became popular outside South Korea..., we have become more cautious about not being negative, or making negative remarks, on Japan or China, especially if we have any sensitive political issues," says Mr Oh Seung Joon, a producer at A Story.

The glitz and glamour of the South Korean entertainment industry has had a hand in lifting the medical tourism sector as well - as thousands flocked to the country for a little nip or tuck to improve their looks.

Last year, South Korea welcomed about 340,000 medical tourists - though the breakdown on the exact number that had cosmetic procedures done was not provided.

The health and wellness segment is an area that the South Korean government wants to promote further, with a view to attracting one million medical tourists by 2020.

LURE OF K-WAVE

Riding on the K-wave, S.M. Entertainment last year opened SM TOWN at COEX Artium - a six-storey K-pop complex boasting a state-of-the-art theatre, recording studios, a large gift shop and a cafe with food named after popular bands like SHINee, Super Junior and EXO.

Singaporean Oon Yong Xin was at the gift shop when The Straits Times visited the place during a trip organised by the Korean Culture and Information Service for some ASEAN journalists.

"Since 2010, I have been visiting South Korea every year. I'm into K-pop, I took up the Korean language and I really like their culture, style and food," said Ms Oon, a 26-year-old pre-school teacher.

Corporations also sign up celebrities to attract customers. Seven Luck Casino, operated by the state-owned Grand Korea Leisure (GKL), appointed actor Lee Min Ho as the face of the casino this year and he has been featured in its domestic and international marketing campaigns.

Mr Peter Kim, director of GKL's public relations team, says: "Our main clients are from Japan and China, but we see some from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. They usually come here due to K-dramas or Hallyu."

FORECASTING GLOBAL TRENDS

Successful as Hallyu is, the South Koreans are still exploring new ideas to stay ahead. Cel Academy - a training centre for content creators - is adding new programmes on virtual reality and augmented reality next year to help students tap opportunities from "digital convergence".

The academy's culture creative director, Professor Koh Joo Won, says: "The convergence between advanced IT technology that South Korea has and traditional cultural content can become a new growth engine. We want people to create new things or a new market."

Mr Song notes that many K-pop groups feature members who could connect with their overseas fan base, citing girl band Twice - which has among its members two Japanese and a Taiwanese. "While K-pop started out more domestic-centric, many bands now have members of different nationalities, and this helps with marketing them abroad," Mr Song notes.

While it may not be possible to fully replicate what the South Koreans have done, the success of Hallyu as a tool for expanding South Korea's soft power and cultural engagement with the world makes for an interesting case study.

SOUTH KOREA AT A GLANCE

CAPITAL CITY: Seoul

GDP GROWTH IN 2015: 2.6 per cent

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 3.6 per cent

MONTHLY AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME: 4.3 million won (S$5,295)

POPULATION: 51 million

wongsy@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on September 26, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - Mr Ngien Hoon Ping has been named as the new chief executive of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) following last month's resignation by the incumbent, Mr Chew Men Leong.

Mr Ngien, an LTA board member, will serve as chief executive-designate from Oct 31 before taking over from Mr Chew on Nov 12.

Mr Chew, 48, will be joining the private sector after two years on the job.

Mr Ngien is currently the Deputy Secretary (Performance) of the Ministry of Finance, an appointment he has held since July 1, 2013.

He had served in the Singapore Armed Forces for 26 years and held various positions before joining the finance ministry.

The 47-year-old is a graduate of the University of Manchester, with a Bachelor of Engineering (First Class Honours) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. In 2002, he was awarded a Postgraduate Scholarship (Specialist Development) to study at the National University of Singapore, where he subsequently graduated with a Master of Science in Industrial and System Engineering.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - Movie buffs in Bedok can look forward to the opening of a new cineplex in the first quarter of 2018.

Golden Village will be operating the cineplex at the four-storey Princess Theatre Building, which has been closed for a redevelopment project worth approximately $30 million.

The new cinema will have six screens and around 600 seats, said a joint statement by Golden Village and OEGroup, which owns the 33-year-old building.

There will also be restaurants, karaoke bars, a cyber sports cafe and shopping options, the statement added.

"Over the years, residents of Bedok have been requesting a cinema. When we were presented with such an opportunity with the redevelopment project of Princess Theatre, we seized it," Golden Village's chief executive Clara Cheo said.

"Apart from a wide variety of exciting, not-to-be missed blockbusters and compelling alternative content, residents in Bedok can look forward to an unparalleled level of comfort, convenience and value at our new cinema."

huizhen@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - SPH Magazines' titles won a total of five awards at the Media Publishers Association Singapore (MPAS) Awards 2016 held today (Sept 26).

The annual awards recognise outstanding and creative work produced by the magazine publishing industry in Singapore.

The Peak's quarterly spin-off title, The Peak Selections: Gourmet & Travel won Food Media of the Year for the third year running, as well as Video Media of the Year (Online). The magazine has already won many accolades and awards since its inception six years ago.

Luxury lifestyle magazine ICON was named Chinese Media of the Year, while Her World, Singapore's most-read women's magazine, was named Women's Media of the Year. Harper's Bazaar, the go-to-guide for Singapore's best-dressed women, was awarded Front Cover of the Year (Licensed).

"The accolades from the MPAS Awards have again raised the bar and attest our leadership in the publishing industry," SPH Magazines' chief executive Loh Yew Seng said.

"We aim to deliver the best multi-dimensional experiences to our readers over all media platforms to meet their interests and needs," he added.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

A teenage girl has died after the private-hire car she was riding in ran into a lorry on the Seletar Expressway (SLE).

Police said that the accident happened along the SLE towards the Bukit Timah Expressway, and involved a car, a lorry and a van.

They collided near the Woodlands Avenue 2 exit at about 3.40am on Sunday. None were trapped in the vehicles, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

The van driver and two car passengers were conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat hospital, police said.

The Straits Times understands that the van's driver, a 22-year-old man, was conveyed unconscious. One of the car passengers, Goh Pei Ling, 19, has died of her injuries.

The other passenger was her sister-in-law, who had just held her wedding with Ms Goh's brother last Friday, Lianhe Wanbao reported.

They were returning to Chua Chu Kang from Pasir Ris in a Uber vehicle, the Chinese evening daily said. Her sister-in-law, 20, has taken to social media to express her grief and guilt for being unable to help save Ms Goh.

Police investigation is ongoing.

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Plans are afoot to make buses and trains more user-friendly to the infirmed and those with infants.

Responding to recommendations made by the Public Transport Council last month, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said yesterday it will roll out features to make the public transport system more inclusive.

For starters, it will soon allow open prams on board buses, and is working on a restraint system so that these devices can be secured.

It will also implement dual-speed escalators and travellators on new rail lines, starting with the Thomson-East Coast Line.

These devices will move at two-thirds the usual speed during off-peak hours, making them safer for the elderly, the infirmed and those with infants.

Eventually, all existing lines will have this feature.

The elderly, pregnant, disabled as well as parents travelling with prams will have priority queues at train stations by the end of next year.

The LTA added that it will be redesigning 800 bus stops across the island. A study will start next year, and be completed by 2019.

Then, new bus interchanges and integrated transport hubs will have nursing rooms. And new MRT lines will have washrooms with a diaper changing station, child-sized toilet seat and barrier-free facilities.

Buses with three doors and two staircases to aid commuter flow may also be on the cards.

And a new "Find-My-Way" function has been incorporated into the MyTransport.SG smartphone app.

This allows commuters to look up information on station exits, nearby bus stops and bus services to other MRT and LRT stations.

"Such information will be especially useful for commuters during train disruptions, so they can make their way to operational train stations or continue their journeys via bus services," the LTA said.

Commuters are looking forward to the measures.

Retiree Anthony Oei, 82, said having slower escalators is a good idea. "Some of them are very fast. For people like us, it can be very hard. What's the hurry, anyway?"

Another retiree, Lee Chiu San, 70, said he has no problem with the current escalator speed but "younger friends who have health problems might appreciate this".

He was also for priority queues, saying "various people deserve priority".

Mother-of-two Michell Tan, 35, said: "Having nursing facilities is a step in the right direction."

Allowing open prams on buses "is great too", she added.

"No one has the time to close prams with the babies in arm to board a bus."

Stockbroker Cole Cheong, 49, said measures to make the public transport system more user-friendly to all segments of society should go down well with the able-bodied.

"I don't think people will complain about this," he said.

christan@sph.com.sg

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Singapore's third law school has filled all 60 places in its two new programmes, after receiving close to 400 applications.

SIM University (UniSIM), which hopes to plug a gap in the legal industry by training criminal and family lawyers, took in 27 applicants for its Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme, and 33 for the Juris Doctor (JD) course, for those with a first degree.

The private university, which released these figures yesterday, said 80 per cent of the successful applicants have an average working experience of 11 years. They include law enforcement officers, court registrars, teachers and social workers. The rest are fresh school leavers.

According to the Ministry of Law (MinLaw), there are about 1,600 criminal and family lawyers here as of 2014, compared with 3,600 corporate and commercial lawyers. A spokesman said many lawyers do not practise exclusively in these areas.

While UniSIM's law graduates can practise any area of law, there will be a strong focus on criminal and matrimonial law. Both part-time courses, which start in January next year, will emphasise practice-based learning with a compulsory six-month Legal Clerkship Programme to train students to apply knowledge to actual cases.

This is separate from the training contract, a period of supervised training - typically also six months - required for entry to the Bar.

Students will take core modules in criminal law and family law, and other subjects such as social services and forensic science.

MinLaw will provide study awards for Singaporeans not eligible for government tuition grants as they had already attained a qualification with government subsidy. Each LLB recipient will get $75,000 and those in the JD programme will get $60,000.

While there has been concern about a recent glut of new lawyers, a MinLaw spokesman said the new school "is a result of the recommendations of the fourth Committee on the Supply of Lawyers, which saw a need for legal practitioners in (the criminal and family law) fields".

"The demand for legal services is market-driven. The Government cannot control the number of Singaporeans who choose to pursue a law degree overseas," he said. "Our focus is to ensure quality of practitioners and the standards of legal services are maintained."

Balasubramaniam Tharmalinggam, 40, an assistant registrar at the State Courts taking the JD course, said his passion is in criminal law. "You can actually make a difference to the lives of the accused and their family members."

ateng@sph.com.sg

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Workplace deaths in the first half of this year went up from a year ago, as did the number of minor injuries sustained at work. Major injuries, however, decreased.

There were 42 fatal work accidents from January to June this year, compared with 30 in the same period last year, according to a Workplace Safety and Health Institute report released yesterday. This is a 40 per cent increase.

The bulk of these were falls, which accounted for 16 deaths. Seven workers died from being caught between objects, such as vehicles or industrial machines, while six died from being struck by moving objects such as trucks at worksites.

Construction had the highest number of fatalities, with 40 per cent of the deaths in the first half of the year occurring in that sector. This year, there are 49 workplace deaths so far.

Just last month, a construction worker from China fell seven storeys to his death at a Woodlands Close site.

The number of overall workplace injuries also increased to 6,149 cases, compared with 6,009 cases in the same period last year.

Major injuries - which are non-fatal but severe injuries such as amputation, blindness, or burns with more than 20 days' medical leave - dropped from 296 cases in the first half of last year to 284.

More than half of these were crushing injuries, fractures, or dislocations.

Minor injuries, however, have risen. These increased to 5,823 cases in the first half of the year, from 5,683 cases in the same period last year.

Occupational diseases fell to 400 cases, down from 441 cases in the first half of last year. Most common was noise-induced deafness, which made up 57 per cent of the cases.

oliviaho@sph.com.sg

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A hairstylist, upset that his boyfriend of eight years reneged on his promise to go public with their relationship, killed his lover after the latter avoided his calls and told him that he was "not gay".

The tragic turn of events came after Tan Chee Yeow phoned his lover's mother to reveal their relationship but the shocked woman told him "it was not possible".

The 40-year-old accused, who has a history of depression, was yesterday sentenced to 12 years' jail after he pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable homicide.

He admitted stabbing to death Tan Chin Siong, 48, an assistant vice-president at a local bank, at a busy walkway near Ang Mo Kio MRT station on the morning of Sept 4 last year.

Both men, who are Malaysians, met in Johor Baru in 2007 and started a romantic relationship, the High Court heard yesterday. That year, the accused moved to Singapore after Mr Tan told him to do so.

Their relationship went downhill in the three years before the incident. The accused wanted to be publicly recognised as Mr Tan's partner, but Mr Tan wanted to keep their relationship low profile and kept it from his parents.

The accused, who has a drinking habit, had also threatened to commit suicide several times.

Things came to a head on Aug 28 last year - Mr Tan's birthday - when the accused threw a tantrum and nagged at his lover for not keeping his promise to introduce him as his partner to his family members.

The next day, after Mr Tan left for JB to celebrate his birthday with his family, the accused called his lover's home and told his mother about their relationship.

After this, Mr Tan ignored the accused's calls and messages.

He did answer one call, however, to say he was not gay and wanted to get married and have children.

The day after, Mr Tan accompanied the accused to see a psychiatrist, who said the accused's depression had been aggravated by the couple's domestic issues.

Mr Tan was advised to delay his intended break-up while the accused was put on medication to stabilise his emotions.

But Mr Tan told the psychiatrist he wanted a break-up immediately. He also ignored the accused's calls and messages.

At about 8am on Sept 4, the accused headed for Mr Tan's flat, with a knife he had bought a day earlier.

At the walkway, he pleaded with Mr Tan to break up with him "slowly" but the latter kept quiet.

He pleaded with Mr Tan to spend time with him but the latter replied that he had to keep his family company.

Sensing little chance of a reconciliation, the accused took out the knife and stabbed his lover twice in the chest and once in the back.

A passer-by struggled with the accused, kicked the knife away and scolded him before going off.

A few others did cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Mr Tan before paramedics arrived. Mr Tan was pronounced dead in hospital at about 9.15am.

The accused stayed at the scene, wailing that he had killed someone. He was arrested and the knife was recovered from a drain.

The accused was initially charged with murder, but the charge was reduced as he was found to be suffering from moderate depressive disorder which substantially reduced his mental responsibility for his acts.

The accused wrote a letter to seek forgiveness from Mr Tan's family. "I really loved him," he wrote.

Man lies in pool of blood at Ang Mo Kio passageway

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Stomp, The New Paper, Shin Min Daily News, Lianhe Wanbao

selinal@sph.com.sg

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Budget carrier Scoot begins flying from Singapore to Sapporo, via Taipei, three times a week from Saturday.

The flight to New Chitose Airport in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, will take around nine hours and the price of a return ticket starts from $438, without taxes.

Each flight has a capacity of 335 passengers and 10 tonnes of cargo.

At a media conference yesterday, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo said the new route allows Singapore companies to partner with Japanese firms to export Hokkaido produce - including crabs, oysters and scallops - to customers "faster and cheaper".

This is important, she said, as Hokkaido is the top agricultural production region in Japan. The Japanese government has targeted an increase in agricultural exports abroad to one trillion yen (S$13.5 billion) by 2020, up from 745 billion yen today.

Mrs Teo also called for the "strongest support" to expand a bilateral air services agreement between Singapore and Japan.

"This will bring about even more passenger services, promote more flows of people, trade and investment, between and beyond both countries," she said at the press conference jointly held by the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) and the International Enterprise (IE) Singapore.

Mrs Teo also expects the new Scoot route to make it easier for Singapore tourists to visit Hokkaido.

Last year, about 300,000 Singapore tourists visited Japan, and about one in six of them went to Hokkaido.

Sapporo is Scoot's third destination in Japan, after Osaka and Tokyo, bringing the carrier's total number of flights to Japan each week to 23.

waltsim@sph.com.sg

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National utility company Singapore Power is replacing an entire fleet of 400 service vehicles with electric vans, starting with 31 battery-powered Renault Kangoos to be delivered by year end.

It is the biggest purchase of electric vehicles here. And unlike some electric fleets here, Singapore Power's is not tax-exempt.

The power giant has been a proponent of electric vehicles for about 20 years, and has included a small number of electric vehicles in its fleet in the past.

This time, it is doing a full-scale roll-out, through its electricity distribution arm SP PowerGrid.

A Singapore Power spokesman said: "SP PowerGrid plans to convert its entire fleet of service vans to electric vehicles.

"While reducing our carbon footprint, we would develop capabilities in large-scale adoption of green technologies and solutions. This would better position Singapore Power to serve Singapore as we move towards a smarter and more sustainable urban lifestyle."

She said SP PowerGrid has a fleet of 400 vehicles. "We plan to bring in an initial 31 vehicles by end of this year," she added.

Singapore Power's move is part of a growing, albeit delayed, momentum here to put more electric vehicles on the road. The island's first all-electric taxi fleet will roll out early next month.

Over the past decades, Singapore's journey to go electric has been in fits and starts, given challenges such as higher upfront costs and a lack of charging stations.

The vans will be the Renault Kangoo Maxi ZE (zero emission) - a longer version of the Kangoo. Singapore Power has ordered a mix of two-seater cargo vans and five-seater passenger vans.

Each of them has an average open-market value (cost before taxes) of around $36,000, versus $22,000 for a diesel equivalent.

According to Renault agent Wearnes Automotive, the passenger version is around $130,000 with a certificate of entitlement. The cargo version is $60,000 before COE.

However, carbon rebates accorded to these greener vehicles will make them only 10 per cent to 15 per cent costlier than conventional equivalents. The Kangoo Maxi has a stated range of 170km.

Singapore Environment Council chairman Isabella Loh called Singapore Power's move "timely, commendable and encouraging".

"Electric cars use cleaner technologies and do not have tailpipes that emit pollutants, thus reducing carbon emissions and air pollution," Ms Loh said. "With 15 per cent of Singapore's carbon emissions coming from the transport sector, adopting greener modes of transport helps set us in our journey towards achieving a liveable and endearing home as envisioned in the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015."

christan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on September 27, 2016.
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Rules-based international orders like the one represented by the United Nations are critical to the survival of small states, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told world leaders yesterday, as he outlined the predicament smaller nations face in a period of global uncertainty.

"The United Nations is essential for the survival and prosperity of small states," he said during a five- minute address at the UN General Assembly in New York.

"We are usually at the receiving end of the decisions and actions of large powers. Fortunately, the General Assembly affirms the principle that all nations large and small, rich or poor have an equal stake and equal right to participate in shaping the discourse on global issues."

Dr Balakrishnan added that a rules-based system that allows all states to deal with one another fairly was a "precondition to our existence as independent, sovereign states". "We reject the notion that might is right. This is why small states are often the strongest proponents of the UN."

He also said the uncertainty that has marked much of 2016 meant smaller countries have "had to work that much harder to stay afloat".

"Small boats on a rough sea are more likely to be tossed and turned much more than a large tanker with heavy ballast," he said.

"For our survival and prosperity, small states have to stay open and we have to stay connected to the world. But by definition, our very openness makes us vulnerable to external shocks and threats. Small states like us do not have the option of retreating inwards or opting out of the global system."

And he also had a message for large powers. He said that though competition is inevitable, international relationships do not need to be a zero-sum game.

"All countries benefit when there is peace and stability. This is essential for building partnerships and economic co-operation everywhere," he said.

Then, touching on international partnership and sustainable development, he laid out the many ways small countries have already worked together to play a role on the world stage.

He noted, for instance, how the Alliance of Small Island States had "played a catalytic role during climate-change negotiations" and how the Global Governance Group - a platform for small and medium-sized countries - has helped make the Group of 20 process more inclusive.

"Small states can play an even greater role, provided we work together," said Dr Balakrishnan.

"Ultimately, small states need the United Nations to build the framework for building partnerships, promoting development and pursuing peace and security within a rules- based system."

jeremyau@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on September 27, 2016.
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Singapore did not raise the South China Sea territorial dispute or a July arbitral tribunal ruling on the dispute at a recent multilateral summit in Venezuela, the Republic's Ambassador to China Stanley Loh said yesterday, in a letter refuting allegations made in a Chinese newspaper last week.

The actions and words attributed to Singapore are "false and unfounded", Mr Loh said in the letter about an article dated Sept 21 in the Chinese edition of the Global Times on the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit.

The NAM was formed in 1961 by a grouping of newly-independent countries that did not want to take sides in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. It meets once every three years.

In its report, the Global Times said that at the meeting held on Venezuela's Margarita Island, Singapore insisted on adding contents that endorsed the Philippines' South China Sea arbitration case against China in a document that will guide the development of the grouping for the next three years.

Singapore had attempted to strengthen the contents on the South China Sea, said the newspaper which is linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

Quoting unnamed sources, it said "the Singapore representative was flustered and exasperated, and made sarcastic remarks" on the stance of countries that opposed strengthening the contents on the South China Sea.

"The representative even used offensive words during the argument, and launched malicious attacks on the representatives of countries taking a fair position," the newspaper added.

Mr Loh, who described the report as "irresponsible" and "replete with fabrications and unfounded allegations with no regard for the facts", said Singapore is disappointed that such a report has been published.

He wrote to the Global Times yesterday to publish Singapore's rebuttal to its article but The Straits Times understands that it has not been published.

In his letter, the Singapore envoy said the proposal to update the South-east Asia paragraphs in the document was not done at the last minute nor by any single ASEAN country. Laos - as the current ASEAN chair - had conveyed the group's common position through a formal letter to Iran, the former NAM chairman, in July.

Yet, Venezuela, the current NAM chairman, had refused ASEAN's request to update the paragraphs related to the region.

This is a departure from the established practice in the NAM, which had always allowed for such regular updates without interference from NAM countries that did not belong to the region or external parties, Mr Loh said.

"The paragraphs on South-east Asia, including those referring to the South China Sea, have been part of the... document since 1992, and regularly updated based on the common position of the ASEAN countries," he added.

Contrary to what the Global Times had described, Singapore had adopted a "principled position" throughout and defended NAM principles and established practices, Mr Loh added.

During the meeting, Laos had protested on behalf of all 10 ASEAN countries to Venezuela "on its improper decision to reject ASEAN's updates".

It had also intervened in writing to the Venezuelan Foreign Minister after the meeting.

In that letter, Lao delegation leader Kham-Inh Khitchadeth expressed "deep regret" that the final document did not reflect current developments in the region with regard to the South China Sea.

"The question of South China Sea is a matter of vital interest for peace, stability, security and co-operation in South-east Asia," he added, and asked to put on record ASEAN's collective reservation that the relevant paragraph was not updated.

kohping@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on September 27, 2016.
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Marriott International is bullish about its prospects in Singapore and plans to add more than 1,000 rooms to its local portfolio in the coming years.

It said it could create as many as 2,000 jobs in the next three to five years to support the expansion.

Marriott operates 11 hotels in Singapore, following the completion of its $13 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide last Friday.

It is upbeat about the local hotel industry's outlook despite the large incoming supply of rooms in the market, executives said yesterday.

With the addition of Starwood's portfolio, Marriott now has 30 hotel brands globally under its umbrella, creating the world's largest chain with more than 5,700 hotels and 1.1 million rooms in over 110 countries.

Their loyalty programmes - Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest - have a combined 85 million members. Members can link accounts to continue enjoying benefits.

Its stable of hotels in Singapore comprises the Marriott and Ritz- Carlton brands, as well as Starwood's Design Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Four Points, Le Meridien and St Regis.

"We have about 3,000 rooms operating between nine brands, we have another 1,300 rooms under construction as we speak that will be ready in the next couple of years," said Mr Rajeev Menon, chief operating officer for Asia-Pacific (excluding Greater China) at Marriott International Asia-Pacific.

In December, the South Beach hotel in Beach Road will be rebranded as JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach.

Upcoming brands include Edition, The Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio and a 250-room Courtyard by Marriott in Novena, which will open next year.

Mr Menon noted that another brand with good potential in Singapore is Moxy Hotels - boutique hotel for budget-conscious travellers - which will be launched in Bandung, Indonesia, later this year.

The group is confident demand will catch up despite concerns about the oversupply of rooms in Singapore, with some analysts expecting several thousand new rooms to hit the market by 2018.

The occupancy rate for its hotels here ranges from 80 to 85 per cent.

Mr Menon noted: "Intra-Asia travel is the biggest growth story in the next decade and for decades to come. You see that Singapore is getting ready with the (Changi Airport) Terminal 4, Terminal 5. That is going to bring considerable amount of travel and tourism into this market."

In addition, Singapore's ability to keep its offerings fresh will give the hotel industry a boost.

"It used to be a one-day destination, where people stop over to go to Malaysia or Thailand, but now they stay three to four days and that's because Singapore has actually reinvented itself," said Mr Stephen Ho, chief executive for Greater China at Marriott International Asia-Pacific.

The group employs about 3,800 staff in Singapore, and says it is hoping to add 2,000 jobs in the next three to five years as it expands its presence.

Upcoming plans include sourcing for bigger office space to house the employees from Marriott and Starwood, who are now based at different locations.

Marriott is also looking at building up its business in the Asia-Pacific, where it has a total of more than 500 hotels in operation across 20 brands.

"We have a lot of markets in the Asia-Pacific that are still under-developed and don't have enough hotel rooms and could use more, especially in China where the middle class continues to grow," Mr Craig Smith, president and managing director at Marriott International Asia-Pacific, said yesterday.

Apart from China, Marriott also sees further growth opportunities in Japan and India. It operates 79 hotels with 18,000 rooms in India, and has a further 100 hotels under construction.

wongsy@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on September 27, 2016.
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SINGAPORE - Singapore's total population by the end of June this year stood at 5.61 million. This is made up of 3.41 million citizens, 0.52 million permanent residents (PRs), and 1.67 million non-residents.

Total population growth - at 1.3 per cent this year - has remained "relatively stable at about 1.2 per cent to 1.3 per cent since 2014", the Department of Statistics (SingStat) said in its Population Trends 2016 report released today (Sept 27).

The annual growth rate of citizens was at 1.0 per cent; while the number of PRs in Singapore actually shrunk, with the growth rate at minus 0.6 per cent. Growth rate of non-residents was 2.5 per cent, compared to 2.1 per cent and 2.9 per cent in 2015 and 2014 respectively.

The National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) said in its Population in Brief 2016 report that non-resident population growth (2.5 per cent) was higher as "there was stronger growth in the number of Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) and dependants of Singaporeans who are on Long-Term Visit Passes".

"The increase in FDW population growth reflects Singaporeans' rising desire to augment their own care for their children and elderly," the report added.

Median age up

Median age of the resident population (citizens and PRs) edged up ever so slightly to 40.0, from 39.6 a year ago, according to SingStat. Median age of citizens is also up to 41.0 from 40.7, NPTD said.

Gender ratio steady

The gender ratio of residents held steady from last year to remain at 49.1 per cent male and 50.9 per cent female. There are 963 males per 1,000 females, according to SingStat.

Citizen marriages highest in over 10 years

NPTD said in its report that "citizen marriages in the last two years was the highest in more than a decade", with 23,805 citizen marriages in 2015. The median age at first marriage remained stable at 30.1 for men and 27.9 for women.

A third of citizen marriages last year involved transnational couples, it added.

Citizen births increased

Number of citizen births increased in 2015, for the second year, to 33,725. Total fertility rate for residents was "relatively stable" at 1.24 in 2015, the NPTD report said. It was down ever so slightly from 1.25 in 2014. Median age of citizen mothers at first birth remained at 30.3.

sinsh@sph.com.sg

Suspects involved in the foiled plot to fire a rocket at Marina Bay had planned to launch the strike from a hill in Batam, said Indonesia's counter-terrorism chief Suhardi Alius.

The launch site in Taman Habibie, famous for a stairway locals call "the 1,000 steps", is located about 17km from Singapore's shoreline and just over 18km from the iconic Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.

General Suhardi, who heads the National Counter-terrorism Agency, said members of the Batam-based militant group had been measuring elevation points and the distance from the hill to their target in Singapore.

"It's true that they only did surveys and measured the angle of elevation from Habibie hill to Marina Bay, but Bahrun Naim had plans to send expert technicians to make the explosives and to prepare for the strike," he said on Monday.

Bahrun Naim is an Indonesian militant believed to be in the Middle East fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

General Suhardi was speaking at a closed-door dialogue with local editors and senior journalists in Jakarta.

ISIS activities in Southeast Asia

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He added that Bahrun had coordinated the plot with the cell in Batam using social media, similar to how he is suspected to have communicated with other local militants in Indonesia.

Indonesian police have since arrested six members of the cell, including its leader Gigih Rahmat Dewa, who was allegedly Bahrun's point man for the rocket attack on Marina Bay.

Bahrun is also believed to be linked to a 17-year-old who tried to blow himself up inside a Catholic church in Medan on Aug 28; and Nur Rohman, another suicide bomber who tried to attack a police station in the city of Solo in Central Java in July.

National police chief Tito Karnavian had said that the teenager had "directly contacted" Bahrun, while Nur Rohman was said to have learnt to build bombs from Bahrun over Telegram, a smartphone messaging application.

General Suhardi said those were examples of how prevalent terrorist groups are making use of social media including Facebook, YouTube and Telegram.

"An example is Batam, where Katibah Gonggong Rebus received orders from Bahrun through social media," he added, referring to the KGR, which literally translates to Boiled Snails Cell, led by Gigih.

wahyudis@sph.com.sg

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SAF 'on guard against terror attack'

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SINGAPORE - A 2-year-old boy at the centre of an ongoing hostage situation that has dragged on for more than 17 hours has been rescued by the police.

The man behind the hostage drama has been arrested.

"The safety of the boy is of paramount importance to the Police. The boy is currently unharmed," the police said in an earlier statement.

The police said that they were alerted to the hostage situation at a unit at Blk 462 Sembawang Drive on Sept 27 at 6.44pm.

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Hostage situation at Sembawang Drive

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Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the 39-year-old man had locked himself in the house with the boy following a dispute with the boy's family members.

Officers from Ang Mo Kio Division, Crisis Negotiation Unit and Special Operations Command responded to the incident. A fire engine, a red rhino, two fire bikes, an ambulance, and three support vehicles were also dispatched by the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

The police have advised the public to refrain from speculating on the incident, and to stay away from the cordoned-off area of the flat block.

grongloh@sph.com.sg

Singapore's total population reached 5.61 million in June, up by 1.3 per cent from the previous June, latest population figures released yesterday showed.

The number of residents and foreigners saw stable growth, similar to the past few years, but small shifts in the make-up of the population are taking place.

Last year saw the highest annual number of Singaporean babies born in over a decade.

More maids are also working here to take care of children and the rising number of elderly people. And more dependents on Long-Term Visit Passes are here to be with their Singaporean family members.

These developments reflect the calibrated approach to immigration over the past five years.

The trends are also likely to persist as baby-boomers' children start families, while their parents' generation gets older, observers said.

"The trends, particularly the need for foreign domestic workers, will continue, given our rapidly ageing population," said National University of Singapore sociology professor Tan Ern Ser.

But this dependence could be lessened if seniors stay healthy longer and relatives or neighbours help take care of them. More locals could also take up caregiving jobs, he added.

This year's Population in Brief report showed the citizen population grew by 1 per cent, or some 34,000 people, to 3.41 million this June.

There were just under 30,000 new permanent residents last year, a figure that has stayed fairly constant since 2012.

The non-resident pool grew by 2.5 per cent over the same period, to 1.67 million people.

Last year also saw a bumper crop of 33,725 citizen births. This was the highest number of births in more than a decade.

Citizen marriages were similarly up - the 23,805 marriages last year was above the average of 21,900 marriages a year over the past decade.

Singapore continues to age, with more baby boomers - those born from 1947 to 1965 - retiring.

There are now 4.7 working-age citizens to each citizen aged 65 and above, compared with 6.9 in 2006.

Kang Soon Hock, who heads the social science core at SIM University, said the figures may spur a rethink of the retirement age and making sure people have enough for retirement.

This dependency ratio is projected to hit 2.3 in 2030, and the report said this trend "can only be alleviated over the longer term with more citizen births and immigration".

The Government said it will continue to grant between 15,000 and 25,000 new citizenships a year, mostly to those with family ties or who studied, worked or lived here.

charyong@sph.com.sg

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Two new patrol boats will ply the waters around the Marina Reservoir, providing extra pairs of eyes during major events such as the National Day Parade or Formula 1 Grand Prix.

They replace older boats in the ongoing efforts to enhance the Police Coast Guard's maritime crime-fighting and counter-terrorism capabilities, said the Singapore Police Force.

Yesterday, it commissioned the boats, Archerfish and Tigerfish, which are ready to be deployed immediately.

They will support the police's overall security operations when major events are staged at the Marina Reservoir.

The Police Coast Guard, which carries out security operations along the Singapore River, Kallang Basin and Marina Reservoir, may now be deployed nearer to the shoreline and to patrol waterways near Parliament House during big events.

The new boats, with their superior equipment over the older vessels, are designed for longer hours of operation and for boarding and search operations in the reservoir and rivers, said the police.

They are faster than their predecessors - able to travel in excess of 25 knots - and can pursue and engage intruding crafts.

"We encounter quite a number of vessels intruding into the no-go zone (during events)," said Inspector Lee Hong Tat, 34, who has been with the Police Coast Guard for 15 years.

"Previously, we wouldn't know until someone calls but with this boat and the radar, we know... and we can act fast."

Capabilities include an automatic identification system, satellite gyro positioning system, voyage data recorder and closed-circuit television system.

Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, said at the commissioning ceremony at the Marina Barrage that attacks in Europe and in the region had shown the damage a few can cause.

He emphasised that the boats are the coast guard's "key response to threats that are detected through our surveillance".

"Radicalised people could exploit the reservoir to mount attacks," said Mr Lee.

byseow@sph.com.sg

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