SINGAPORE: Google is scaling its hardware business, and this can be seen with the accelerated manner it is bringing its devices to Singapore – and the city-state is a “good model” for when the tech giant decides to do the same in the other regional markets.

Mr Rishi Chandra, vice president and general manager for Home Products at Google, told Channel NewsAsia in an interview on Wednesday (Apr 18), it had brought five products – including the newly launched Home and Home Mini – into this market in eight months and this is indicative of the market’s significance in the overall strategy.

He reiterated the stance of another Google executive, global director for Pixel business Nanda Ramachandran, who said in October that the company is taking the first steps to making Singapore an “anchored” market in the region offering most, if not all, of its hardware products.

Another step to achieving that goal was the launch of a dedicated online store for Singapore, which would give customers here local pricing, warranty and customer support. Devices like the PixelBook laptop and its artificial intelligence (AI) camera Clips are not yet available.

What this means, though, is to give a glimpse of how the Mountain View-headquartered tech giant is thinking about growing its hardware footprint globally.

Mr Chandra said: “(Singapore’s example) is a predictor to the future, and a good model to how it could enter the other Southeast Asia markets.

“But (expansion) also depends on the products (to be introduced),” the Google executive explained.

HARDWARE TO DRIVE VOICE COMPUTING VISION

More telling, however, is the way the US tech company views its hardware business in the context of where computing is headed.

Mr Chandra explained as computing shifts towards AI, hardware will be important as a driver of this shift, particularly in-device artificial intelligence.

Its second-generation Pixel smartphones is a good example of this, with AI baked into many of its key features. The single-lens camera, for instance, is powered by the company’s machine learning and computational photography capabilities and through this, make taking portraits using both front and back cameras a possibility.

Another example is the Google Home smart speaker, which is powered by its digital assistant – named, aptly, Google Assistant. And voice computing is where Mr Chandra sees exciting growth potential.

 “Globally, 20 per cent of searches on Google.com via mobile phones are done through the microphone,” he pointed. “Think about the scale of that.”

AN IPHONE MOMENT BECKONS

He acknowledged that while voice-triggered computing commands is not natural for many developed markets – “It is a training to switch from typing to speech” – this is not so in emerging ones.

Take India for example. Google launched its Home and Home Mini devices there a week before Singapore, and Mr Chandra said many of the new consumers coming online have “quickly adopted” voice computing because they never used to type for queries before.

He also pointed to the next generation as another demographic that would embrace voice computing. They are not tied to a single way of computing, but rather will choose whichever method is easier, the Googler explained.

To put in another manner, Mr Chandra said voice computing is at the stage when Apple just released its first touch-enabled iPhone device.

“Then, people weren’t used to tapping on their mobile phone screens, but over time, they got used to it,” he said.

“It will be the same with voice computing.”

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SINGAPORE: Singaporeans sell the oddest things online.

Scroll through Carousell’s millions of offerings, for instance, and you’ll find enterprising netizens hawking everything from Thai amulets and truckloads of cheap Swedish furniture to adult diapers and used underwear.

Snoopy boxer panties from a total stranger? Really?

Thankfully, there are also those who sell items that aren’t simply odd or unusual, but actually practical, useful and, dare we say, charming. We’re talking about Singapore’s local makers, hobbyists who pursue their passion in making things and taking it to the next level by selling them online.

And it’s a growing community.

Carousell co-founder and president Marcus Tan points out the healthy presence of like-minded groups on their online platform today. Handmade Crafters, for instance, has 17,000 members, while members of other groups like Handmade Leather Crafters, DIY Jewellery Crafts and Soap Making Enthusiasts also number in the thousands.

Keen to find out what ingenious products our local makers are hawking? Here’s a sampling of the more unusual ones that caught our eye.

Way better than used underwear. But that’s just us.

1. WIZARD WANDS (S$15)

Wingardium Leviosa! Harry Potter fans don’t need to make a trip to Diagon Alley – Singapore has its own wandmaker in Rekha Sandiran (@reki09).

Since 2016, the 29-year-old corporate and training events manager has been making these at home for fellow Potterheads. To date, she has sold more than 100 replica wands.

Rekha has done everything from Harry’s and his gang, to Professors Dumbledore’s and Snape’s. Prefer a left-of-centre wand? She’s done Luna Lovegood’s. Feeling evil? There’s Lord Voldemort’s.

“It’s quite challenging to make and I like that,” she said of the wand belonging to He Who Must Not Be Named But Was Mentioned In The Previous Paragraph. “It’s white and it’s not the standard wand – it has a pointed end and a slight curve.”

These wands may not have dragon heartstrings, troll whiskers or phoenix feathers at their core, but they look pretty legit. Each one takes about an hour to create and are made of lacquer wood, clay and glue.

Not surprisingly, her clients are young adults who’ve grown up with the franchise, and they’re also quite popular as gifts. Last year, Rekha had an order for 30 wands for a Halloween party.

2. UPCYCLED TOUCH LAMPS (S$88 to S$130)

Soda cans, Milo tins and flasks – Brenton Huang (@hey.izzy) turns these into unique touch lamps.

The 37-year-old training manager in the security industry has been upcycling trash and vintage items for close to four years. He began by turning discarded acoustic guitars and ukuleles into shelves before a literal lightbulb moment, shifting to touch lamps a year ago.

“I love vintage stuff, so I combined my love for these and lamps together. I try to make things that are not only decorative but functional,” he said.

Among the more unusual vintage pieces Brenton has worked with are old irons, metronomes and even a Danger Keep Out sign. His most difficult project was a vintage typewriter.

Where does he get the stuff he works with? Right where he sells his stuff. “Every night, I scroll through Carousell lists looking for these,” he said, adding that he also holds monthly workshops on how to create touch lamps.

His next project, however, may be inspired by his two children. “There are a lot of Lego pieces around,” he said. “Maybe I can explore using them to make more lamps!”

3. PIMPED-UP NERF GUNS (S$100 to S$1,000)

There are NERF guns and there are – as James Wong (@foldgod88) describes in his Carousell account – NERF guns for “badasses”.

The 27-year-old, who works in industrial relations, has been customising these for the past two years, transforming the humble kiddy blasters into something way cooler. “I’ve loved them since I was young and I always wished I could do something more with them,” he said.

Well, he certainly did. A member of the pioneering NERF team HACK.exe, which comprises hardcore players who all modify their gear for games, Wong took it a step further by modifying these plastic toys for others.

While NERF guns aren’t illegal per se, James points out that there are strict rules that apply to toy guns in Singapore (if you bring a realistic-looking one out in public, you’re simply asking for it). Before he agrees to any job, he assesses his customers and requires them to acknowledge a Declaration of Responsible Use before proceeding to work his magic.

“You could say I’ve carved a niche within the niche; clients who look for something that can make them go ‘wow’,” he said.

4. MINIATURE LOCAL FOOD ACCESSORIES (S$8.80 to S$18.80)

Fancy a satay brooch? How about steamed pau earrings? Karyl Tan and her family (@klay.sg) have got the right miniature makan accessories for you.

Aside from the 25-year-old interior designer, the family-run “hobby-turned-side business” also includes her younger sister Kelly, her boyfriend Rolan, her aunt Stephanie, and sometimes even her grandmother.

“My aunt has been selling miniatures to collectors for about 10 years. @klay.sg came about in August 2017 because we figured that unless you’re a collector, you don’t really have a use for these miniature creations except for display in shelves.”

Popular items include the traditional nine-layer kueh and pineapple tarts – and making them can be quite complicated. “Basically, it’s very much like baking but in a much smaller scale,” said Karyl.

The most intricate accessory has been the nasi lemak brooch, she said. “Cutting the rice into tiny pieces is a challenging job, and the peanuts also require special attention.”

As for what other culinary inventions are in the pipeline, that depends on what buyers have been asking for. “We already have multiple requests for wanton mee and chendol!”

5. CUSTOM CAT TREES AND MORE (S$40 to S$950)

Shahari bin Shaik Mohd (@shazz55) describes himself as a “passionate wood-lover”. He also happens to have six cats at home. So it’s no surprise that for the past three years, the 49-year-old has been making all sorts of cat-related stuff.

It all began after a cat tree he bought at a pet shop collapsed under the weight of his “big babies”. Inspired by a friend’s DIY cat tree, he decided to make one himself – and it caught on. To date, he has sold between 50 to 100 cat trees. He has also started making cat houses.

Shahari, who recently opened a workshop, has a team behind him to create these feline faves using recycled tropical wood such as tembusu and kaya, and recycled pallets crates. These range from cat scratchers to 2.2m-tall cat trees.

His company’s most ambitious project is currently underway. A client has requested for a “cat paradise playhouse”, which will connect two rooms using cat tunnels and highways. One of the rooms will need to have a bed for each of the four cats. “It’s going to be a massive work,” he said. The project’s total cost is estimated to be anywhere between S$6,000 to S$10,000.

Shahari’s cats also play a part in the business. Before delivering the final product, he lets his cats test its stability. “We’re not just making and selling for a living. All the quality control comes from our cats,” he quipped.

6. ‘SINGAPORELANG’ PASSPORTS (S$7)

You won’t get past customs with these but Zinkie Aw’s (@singlishmamashop) spin on Singapore passports do make for nice gifts.

The 33-year-old photographer and instructor’s “Singaporelang” creations – in Gungho and Kaki versions – are actually a greeting card and mini-book, a merchandise spin-off from a photo series project she did in 2015.

“The design draws inspiration from an ‘award certificate’, which relates to our experience of growing up and receiving certs, and awards,” she added.

Zinkie also sells other items such as Singlish stickers, which include phrases she learned from her sister and nephew (Alamak, Nasi Lemak! Chop Chop Curry Pok!); ‘Huat-paos’ or ang paos with lucky numbers inside some packets; and a Visual Singlish Dictionary, where one can stick Singlish stickers to her corresponding photographs.

To date, she’s sold around 1,000 of these – proof that Singaporeans love their Singlish to bits. Huat, ah!

7. CUSTOM MADE-IN-SG FURNITURE (PRICES VARY)

Many makers simply use their Carousell accounts to promote their hobbies. For Syed Ahmad bin Abdul Rahman Alhabshee (@ahmad.habshee) it became a jumping-off point to pursue a bigger dream.

Today, the 29-year-old woodworker runs the four-year-old artisan furniture workshop Urban Salvation. Among his clients are the likes of artisanal perfume company Freda’d, race car driver Melvin Choo, and television personality Nadiah M Din.

And it all started with a Carousell account in 2013, when he did simple jobs such as refurbishing and varnishing furniture outside his own HDB flat. “My mom was incredibly angry with me for going from a S$5,000-job to nothing. I had no income when I started,” recalled Ahmad.

Business eventually picked up – during the first year of Urban Salvation, around 80 per cent of his business came from his Carousell customers.

Ahmad makes furniture from reclaimed lumber and, recently, new wood. He specialises in mid-century and industrial styles, and common orders include tables and TV consoles.

While the business is basically a one-man show, he does rope in freelance woodworkers to help out – and considers what he does a way to help others who share his craft.

SINGAPORE: Google is scaling its hardware business, and this can be seen with the accelerated manner it is bringing its devices to Singapore – and the city-state is a “good model” for when the tech giant decides to do the same in the other regional markets.

Mr Rishi Chandra, vice president and general manager for Home Products at Google, told Channel NewsAsia in an interview on Wednesday (Apr 18), it had brought five products – including the newly launched Home and Home Mini – into this market in eight months and this is indicative of the market’s significance in the overall strategy.

He reiterated the stance of another Google executive, global director for Pixel business Nanda Ramachandran, who said in October that the company is taking the first steps to making Singapore an “anchored” market in the region offering most, if not all, of its hardware products.

Another step to achieving that goal was the launch of a dedicated online store for Singapore, which would give customers here local pricing, warranty and customer support. Devices like the PixelBook laptop and its artificial intelligence (AI) camera Clips are not yet available.

What this means, though, is to give a glimpse of how the Mountain View-headquartered tech giant is thinking about growing its hardware footprint globally.

Mr Chandra said: “(Singapore’s example) is a predictor to the future, and a good model to how it could enter the other Southeast Asia markets.

“But (expansion) also depends on the products (to be introduced),” the Google executive explained.

HARDWARE TO DRIVE VOICE COMPUTING VISION

More telling, however, is the way the US tech company views its hardware business in the context of where computing is headed.

Mr Chandra explained as computing shifts towards AI, hardware will be important as a driver of this shift, particularly in-device artificial intelligence.

Its second-generation Pixel smartphones is a good example of this, with AI baked into many of its key features. The single-lens camera, for instance, is powered by the company’s machine learning and computational photography capabilities and through this, make taking portraits using both front and back cameras a possibility.

Another example is the Google Home smart speaker, which is powered by its digital assistant – named, aptly, Google Assistant. And voice computing is where Mr Chandra sees exciting growth potential.

 “Globally, 20 per cent of searches on Google.com via mobile phones are done through the microphone,” he pointed. “Think about the scale of that.”

AN IPHONE MOMENT BECKONS

He acknowledged that while voice-triggered computing commands is not natural for many developed markets – “It is a training to switch from typing to speech” – this is not so in emerging ones.

Take India for example. Google launched its Home and Home Mini devices there a week before Singapore, and Mr Chandra said many of the new consumers coming online have “quickly adopted” voice computing because they never used to type for queries before.

He also pointed to the next generation as another demographic that would embrace voice computing. They are not tied to a single way of computing, but rather will choose whichever method is easier, the Googler explained.

To put in another manner, Mr Chandra said voice computing is at the stage when Apple just released its first touch-enabled iPhone device.

“Then, people weren’t used to tapping on their mobile phone screens, but over time, they got used to it,” he said.

“It will be the same with voice computing.”

SINGAPORE: Google is not slowing down bringing its hardware devices to Singapore, launching its smart speakers Home and Home Mini here on Wednesday (Apr 18).

These latest devices mean the tech giant has launched five products in the last eight months, highlighting Singapore’s importance in the company’s overall hardware strategy, Mr Rishi Chandra, vice president and general manager of Home Products for Google, pointed out.

It had launched its mesh networking device Google Wifi last August, followed by its Pixel 2 XL smartphone in November and wireless earphones Pixel Buds in December.

The smart speakers will be available for purchase in StarHub, Courts and Challenger retail stores from Apr 20, Google said. The bigger Home device will retail at S$189, while the Home Mini will cost S$79, and they come in Chalk, Charcoal and Coral colours, it added.

StarHub is the exclusive telco partner for Google Home, and it said in a separate press release on Wednesday that the Home Mini will be available free for customers who sign up for its new plan – HomeHub Plus – which will bundle four services. These services include 1Gbps fibre home broadband, up to 77 channels on fibre TV, home phone line and mobile broadband, it said.

HomeHub Plus customers can choose to upgrade to the larger smart speaker for S$120, the telco said, adding that they can also buy Wemo Switch smart plug at S$59 to “augment the smart home experience”. These plugs can be used to control lights and home appliances using voice commands via Google Assistant, it said.

Google did not disclose how long the exclusive partnership is for. Mr Chandra did note it had a good experience bringing the Google Wifi here and doing so “lowered the risk in execution”, thus it continued with the same playbook for its Home devices.

Challenger’s chief marketing officer Loo Pei Fen also said its ValueClub members will get S$20 off the smart speakers when they pre-order at their stores or via its online portal Hachi.tech.

The smart speaker market has been identified as a growing one by research firm Research and Markets, with its January 2018 report stating the market is worth US$2.68 billion this year and is expected to reach US$11.8 billion by 2023. The other major players in this space include Amazon and its Alexa-powered devices, as well as Apple’s HomePod devices with its digital assistant Siri.

“The growth of this market can be attributed to rapid proliferation of multifunctional devices, growing trend of personalisation, rising disposable income, and increasing number of smart homes,” it said.

“However, issues related to connectivity range, compatibility, and power restrain the growth of the smart speaker market.”

WANTED: LOCAL DEVELOPERS

Google said users of its Home devices here will be able to access the latest news from Channel NewsAsia and Straits Times, among others, play songs from Spotify or watch content from YouTube and Netflix (Chromecast is needed for this).

Other local organisations that have come on board the voice-activated speaker platform include Singapore Airlines, National Library Board, OCBC Bank and Bus Uncle. It declined to reveal how many developers here are working on bringing their services on to the platform.

“To help Singaporeans enjoy easy and fast access to more services and content, we’ve enabled Actions for the Google Assistant with the launch of our developer platform, Actions on Google, in Singapore,” the company said.

“This means lots of your favourite brands can build for the Google Assistant.”

GOOGLE SINGAPORE STORE COMES ONLINE

Beyond the devices, Mr Chandra revealed that a dedicated Singapore online store was also launched.

To commemorate the launch, consumers can get the Home Mini in Coral only from the online store, while those who buy a Pixel 2XL smartphone will get a free Home Mini, he said. Other products available in the store includes the Pixel Buds, Google Wifi and Chromecast.

Mr Mickey Kim, director for Product Planning and Partnerships for hardware products at Google Asia Pacific, shared during the briefing that products bought from the newly launched online store will get local warranty and support. Devices bought from other markets will not have local warranty, but consumers can get customer support, he clarified.

As to how the online store plays in the overall hardware strategy for Singapore, Mr Chandra told Channel NewsAsia that it acts as “another forum to tell the Google story”, such as promotional opportunities and the flexibility to offer exclusives.

Asked if there are plans to open a physical store here, following in the footsteps of the competition like Apple, the executive said: “This is not a priority right now.”

SINGAPORE: When 34-year-old general manager Sherie Low logged into her KrisFlyer account on Sunday (Apr 15), she discovered that the bulk of her frequent flyer miles had been cleaned out under the names of four Russian individuals she did not know.

Of the 76,769 miles she had, just 769 were left. 

Ms Low, who said she first registered for an account on Singapore Airlines (SIA)’s frequent flyer programme 10 years ago, told Channel NewsAsia she had last logged into her account to redeem miles in mid-March. 

Shortly after, between Mar 24 and Mar 25, four redemptions were made for Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt, Germany to Saint Petersburg at 12,500 miles each, and another 26,000 miles were converted to points for Virgin Australia’s Velocity frequent flyer programme. 

The redemptions were made in the names of four individuals – Ms Kseniia Migel, Mrs Elena Migel, Mr Matvei Kotliar and Mr Andrei Migel – holding Russian passports. According to screengrabs shared with Channel NewsAsia, all four had been added as nominees to her account on Mar 23, just a day before they started making redemptions. 

KrisFlyer nominees can use a member’s miles to redeem tickets and flight upgrades. 

Ms Low told Channel NewsAsia that once she noticed the suspicious activity, she called the KrisFlyer hotline. 

The airline’s representatives said they did not want to give her “false hope” that she would get her miles back and could not give her a timeline for the investigation, she said. 

They also said their investigation team would get back to her within 24 hours, but only called back the next day to “reiterate the same thing” which was that “they don’t want to give me false hope”. 

Under her Facebook name Kiki Koh, Ms Low posted an account of the alleged hack on SIA’s Facebook page on Tuesday. 

“As a Singaporean and a loyal supporter of SIA, although I could choose other loyalty programmes (for) my credit card miles, I always chose SIA,” she told Channel NewsAsia. 

“But after this incident, probably I will look for an airline with a better security system.”

SINGAPORE AIRLINES SAYS INVESTIGATING MATTER

In response to Channel NewsAsia’s queries, SIA said: “Singapore Airlines can confirm that we received this complaint from our KrisFlyer member regarding the loss of her KrisFlyer miles. We are currently investigating this issue and we will be following up with the customer directly.”

“Singapore Airlines is also aware that some KrisFlyer member accounts may have been compromised due to possible phishing. We are monitoring these accounts closely and will work with relevant authorities in their investigations, if required. 

“We have also reached out to the affected members and advised them to take various measures to prevent further phishing. These include using stronger passwords, changing their passwords regularly, using a reliable anti-virus programme and logging in to their KrisFlyer accounts only via the official SIA website at www.singaporeair.com.

“CANNOT HAVE SUCH A FLIMSY SYSTEM”

While there were alerts about the redemptions sent to an email address linked to her Krisflyer account, Ms Low said that the account is inactive and she did not check it.

Ms Low said she thought that KrisFlyer should update its system security. Currently, members can log into their accounts using their membership account number and a six-digit PIN. 

“At the very least it should be protected with a one-time password,” she said. “They cannot have such a flimsy system that allows hackers to get into accounts so easily and also add nominees so easily.”

One other person recently posted on SIA’s Facebook page about an alleged theft of KrisFlyer miles. A user called Abhishek Singh wrote on Feb 25 that he had reported a theft of his miles three days before but had yet to see any outcomes.

On Saturday, SIA had also sent out an online security advisory via email to KrisFlyer members, asking them to be wary of phishing emails that could be targeting their accounts. 

“Reports on phishing attacks have been on the rise in recent months. We would like to advise our customers to be wary of unsolicited emails, messages and phone calls that claim to be from Singapore Airlines,” the company said in the advisory.

SINGAPORE: Football giants Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will go head to head at the Singapore National Stadium for the International Champions Cup (ICC) from Jul 26 to Jul 30.

Event organisers Relevent and Catalyst Media Group announced on Tuesday (Apr 17) that the 2018 ICC, currently in its sixth instalment, will take on a new global format featuring the largest number of clubs, matches and venues to date.

This year’s Cup features 18 top-tier clubs playing 27 matches across the United States, Europe and Singapore. This will also mark PSG’s first visit to Singapore.

CMG chairman and president Patrick Murphy said: “The support we witnessed in Singapore … last year was phenomenal, and we are excited to return to the National Stadium as this year’s only Asian stop in a revamped global tournament format.”

Kicking off the tournament on Jul 26, Atletico will face Arsenal in a highly anticipated meeting.

The two teams have been drawn to play each other in the semi-finals of the Europa League and are one step closer to qualifying for the UEFA Champions League next season.

France’s most successful team, PSG, will lock horns with Arsenal on Jul 28 in a rematch of their 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage. Of the four previous meetings between PSG and Arsenal, all but one have ended in draws. In 1994, the North London team beat the French outfit by one goal.

The final match on Jul 30 will pit champion of Ligue 1, PSG, against Atletico – only the second time both teams have met on the pitch.

Legends from each of the participating clubs – Robert Pires of Arsenal, Jose Luis Caminero of Atletico Madrid and Maxwell Scherrer of Paris Saint-Germain – were in Singapore to mark the launch of the tournament and to announce the fixtures.

Deputy chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board Melissa Ow said: “We are pleased to be the only Asia-Pacific stop of the revamped International Champions Cup this year, making Singapore an attractive destination for fans within and beyond Asia this July.”

In an update on their website, Arsenal announced that their Singapore fixtures against Atletico and PSG will be their only matches outside Europe this summer.

Arsenal Chief Executive, Ivan Gazidis, said: “It will give some of our many fans in the region the chance to see the team in action and I know playing against Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain will produce two exciting matches and give the team some very good preparation ahead of the new season.”

Mediacorp will return as the official broadcaster, and will be screening all 2018 International Champions Cup matches live on Toggle. Selected matches, including all three matches in Singapore, will also be screened live on oktoSports.

Ticket sales will begin at 10am on Apr 30 via the Sports Hub website and Sports Hub Box offices.

2018 International Champions Cup Singapore fixtures (National Stadium):

• Thursday, Jul 26 – Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal
• Saturday, Jul 28 – Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain
• Monday, Jul 30 – Paris Saint-Germain vs Atletico Madrid

SINGAPORE: Shooter Martina Lindsay Veloso won Singapore’s second gold medal at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday (Apr 12), after winning the women’s 50m rifle prone event in a new Games record. 

The achievement comes on the back of her first gold medal of the Games on Monday in the women’s 10m air rifle event, which she also did in record-breaking fashion. 

This is also the first time the Nanyang Polytechnic student is competing in the 50m rifle prone event at a major Games.

The 18-year-old Veloso finished the rifle prone finals with a final score of 621, ahead of India’s Tejaswini Sawant who scored 618.9. 

The previous record of 620.7 was set in 2014 by New Zealand’s Sally Johnston. 

“I didn’t know I was leading at all. When I placed my rifle down, all the cameras were swarming at the back so I guess I won,” Veloso told oktoSports. 

“I’m just glad I did what I’m supposed to do. In the beginning, I was a bit nervous as I didn’t know what to expect. 

“To medal and win a gold medal, it’s unbelievable.”

Singapore’s other shooter in the event, Jasmine Ser, finished in fifth place with a 615.6 score. 

SINGAPORE: The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Tuesday (Apr 17) said it is “reviewing” future football matches played at Yishun Stadium and is in discussions with Sport Singapore “to run them smoothly”.

In an email to Channel NewsAsia, the spokesperson pointed out the FAS has had competitive matches, including Centre of Excellence matches, played at the stadium.

The comments came after Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC Lee Bee Wah on Monday refuted a report by The Online Citizen alleging she had instructed the floodlights at Yishun Stadium to be switched off, causing a football match between Warriors Football Club’s Under 19s and FAS Football Academy Under-18 on Apr 10 to be suspended in the 69th minute.

Warriors FC then said in a Facebook post on the same night that the match was suspended due to “floodlight failure” and the outcome of the match will be decided by the FAS.

Contradicting this explanation, ActiveSG chief Lai Chin Kwang said in a statement on Monday that training sessions and matches at Yishun Stadium typically end at 9pm. However, the football match in question was “overrunning by a few minutes” and he said staff should have “exercised the flexibility to allow the match to be completed”.

Mr Lai also apologised to the FAS, coaches and players for the episode.

A Sport Singapore official confirmed the review, telling Channel NewsAsia over the phone that both parties are in talks to prevent what happened on Apr 10 from reoccurring. 

He reiterated that all bookings at Yishun Stadium end at 9pm and organisers using the venue will have to ensure their activities end at the time.

While the stadium’s operating hours are up to 10pm, the official clarified that two floodlights facing the private estate nearby, The Estuary, will be shut off an hour earlier. “(The remaining lights) are bright enough for most people’s use, but may not be bright enough for a football match,” he added.  

Channel NewsAsia understands the decision to turn off the two floodlights at 9pm came earlier after dialogue between ActiveSG and residents at The Estuary over complaints about the floodlights.

FAS did not comment on Channel NewsAsia’s other queries on whether it knew that two floodlights at the stadium are shut off at 9pm and, if they did, why matches kick off at 7.30pm knowing that they could be disrupted.

It also did not comment on whether clubs playing at the stadium are aware of this particular situation.  

According to FAS’ website, the next U-19 League match at Yishun Stadium will take place on Apr 24 between FFA 18 and Hougang United FC U19, and there are seven more to take place there till Jul 2. 

SINGAPORE: Four suspected drug abusers were arrested and drugs worth more than S$288,000 seized in an operation by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on Monday afternoon (Apr 16).

The drugs seized consisted of about 2kg of heroin, 1kg of cannabis and 870g of Ice, CNB said in a news release on Tuesday. 

Officers arrested one of the suspected drug traffickers, a Singaporean man, and his female companion, a suspected drug abuser, near a carpark at Ubi Avenue 2. He had put up a “violent struggle to resist arrest” and officers had to subdue him, CNB said.

A jackknife was taken from him and heroin, cannabis and Ice were later recovered from a car. 

The suspect was earlier seen meeting a Malaysian man, who was arrested near the junction of Jalan Eunos and Changi Road. Officers seized heroin, Ice and cash of S$25,400 from him and his motorcycle.

Meanwhile, a 58-year-old Singaporean man, who is believed to be associated with the Malaysian suspect, was arrested near Blk 10 North Bridge Road. Heroin was recovered from a bag he was carrying and from his pocket.

Investigations into the drug activities of all suspects are ongoing, said CNB. 

SINGAPORE: Conveyancing lawyer Kang Bee Leng was fined S$10,000 on Tuesday (Apr 17) for failing to flag to the authorities a suspicious transaction involving more than S$5 million by a Chinese tycoon to buy property in Sentosa Cove.

This was despite her suspicion that the money was linked to a multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme in China after reading reports of her client’s arrest.

Kang, the 56-year-old managing director of Sterling Law Corporation, pleaded guilty to the charge on Tuesday morning. She could have been fined up to S$20,000.

A property agent, Tan Yen Hsi, referred Zhang Min to Kang in October 2015. Tan described Zhang, the president and CEO of Yucheng International Holdings Group, as a “high-net-worth client”.

Kang was to represent Zhang in transactions to purchase a property in Sentosa – 38 Lakeshore View – for S$23.8 million.

Kang never met her client in person. They corresponded by email, through which Zhang provided her identification documents, payslips and income tax records needed for the purchase of the property.

Between October and November 2015, Zhang paid more than S$5.4 million towards the purchase of the property, including S$1,190,000 for the Option to Purchase, S$12,581 in conveyance fees to Kang’s law firm and S$4,278,600 in stamp duties to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore.

When Kang tried to contact her client on Jan 12, 2016, a day before the scheduled completion of the property purchase, but she received no response. She called Tan, the property agent, who told Kang that according to reports, Zhang had been detained by Chinese authorities.

Kang discovered Zhang’s Yucheng Group was under investigation for fraud in relation to its peer-to-peer lending platform Ezubao, and that Zhang had been detained since Dec 8, 2015.

Kang called Zhang’s husband to tell him that payment for the Sentosa property was due, but he said that he had no idea where his wife was after she had been arrested. 

A few months later, Kang read that Ezubao was a Ponzi scheme worth S$10.8 billion. Reports also said that Zhang, was also the girlfriend of Ding Ning, the chairman of Yucheng Group, and he had bought Zhang lavish gifts, including a property worth US$20 million in Singapore. 

Although Kang became suspicious that the money Zhang used towards the purchase of the Sentosa Cove property represented criminal proceeds from the alleged Ponzi scheme, she did not flag the transactions or file a Suspicious Transaction Report.

The Commercial Affairs Department received information in February 2016 of Zhang’s intention to buy the Sentosa Cove property, and of Zhang’s legal troubles in China. An investigation led the CAD to Kang. 

The CAD has seized S$4.2 million paid to IRAS for stamp duties.

Tan, the property agent, has been charged and will appear in court later this month.