SINGAPORE: Fitting in seamlessly, 17-year-old Ben Davis did not look out of place during national team training at Geylang Field on Tuesday (Mar 20).

There was hardly time to catch up with his friends in Singapore having touched down at Changi Airport earlier this week, as the Fulham Under-18 player was put through his paces in his maiden training session with the Lions.

The national team are preparing for their first game of 2018, where they will face Maldives in a friendly at the Singapore Sports Hub on Friday. They will also face Taiwan in their final Asian Cup qualifier away next week.

Having seen Davis – whose father Harvey owns the JSSL Arsenal Soccer School in Singapore – in action up close during training, national coach V Sundramoorthy had a positive assessment for the teen, based on what he observed. “Ben is a talented young player and I wanted to see more of him,” said coach Sundram.

“In training, we can see that he has good technique as he keeps the ball well. As for the tactical and physical part of him, we can definitely work on it.”he added. “I don’t think he looked out of place in training, give him a couple of sessions and he should be okay.”

Davis, however, admitted to feeling the jitters in the beginning, which he soon overcame during the session. “I felt a little awkward at the start as I was the youngest and they’re all really big,” said the Singaporean. “But on the pitch I felt more comfortable. I just need to build more chemistry with the rest and I think I can play really good once I built up that understanding.”

Feeling honoured to be given his first senior call-up, the former Singapore youth international is aware that he has much to prove and that he may not be guaranteed a start against Maldives. “I’m really looking forward to the friendly and hopefully I can get some playing time,” he said.

OWNING THE MIDFIELD SPACE

After the training session on Tuesday, coach Sundram was overheard discussing with Davis on how to bring out his best.

Playing regularly as a defensive central midfielder with Fulham’s youth team in the Under-18 Premier League in England, Davis says he is adaptable to a number of attacking roles.

“I’m currently playing as a holding midfielder, but when I was with the Singapore Under-16s I was playing as a ‘false-nine’ striker, left midfielder and central attacker,” he explained.

“But my best position is the central midfield area, as I can control the game better from the centre and that’s where I play regularly in Fulham as well,” added Davis.

That space in the starting 11 with the national team, however, is currently occupied by stalwarts Hariss Harun, Safuwan Baharudin and Shahdan Sulaiman, who are almost certain starters for the Lions.

It is, though, a welcome selection headache for coach Sundram, who will be looking to best utilise Davis, should he decide on playing him. “He plays in centre mid, and we will try to use him more as an attacking player because of his ability,” he said.

“Let’s see where he slots in well, and we’ll see in future,” added Sundram.

FINDING HIS FEET IN FULHAM

While he is currently enjoying regular game time in the U18 Premier League in England, that was not the case when he first arrived last July. He is currently on a two-year scholarship with Fulham, who are third in the second-tier of English football.

“Back in Fulham, I was down at the start and then there were days when I went up,” revealed Davis. “It’s really unpredictable as you can be high in one moment, and the next you’re down again.”

“There were days when things simply didn’t go my way a lot of times before, and even I thought it was never going to end. But if you keep going things will get better, that much I know,” he added.

Knuckling down was the only way for Davis, as his abilities soon became apparent with the youth coaches at the club. “Right now I’m feeling really good because the coach has been happy with me, and I’ve been getting regular playing time by starting regularly,” he said.

“I hope to just do well and carry on playing to get more experience.”

His progress is certainly good news for Singapore coach Sundram, who is hunting for his first win of the year to lift his team out of its winless funk. “The boys that are playing abroad are coming back and some are playing locally, and so it’s about integrating them together,” he said, on the task he has at hand.

He added: “We don’t have much time, as it’s only a couple of days before the Maldives game … and so we have to organise them and see how we move toward the game on Friday.”

SINGAPORE: In six years’ time, come 2024, it’ll cost passengers S$62.30 to depart from Changi Airport in passenger fees and levies. That’s an 83 per cent spike from the current S$34. To cushion the impact, travellers will start paying S$47.30 this July, a gradual increase.

A chunk of the charges will go to the airport’s development, in particular, the construction of Changi East, a project that’ll consist of the airport’s fifth terminal, to handle 70 million passengers, and its third runway.

All this to keep up with growth and maintain Changi’s regional hub status. The development will be funded by the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Changi Airport Group (CAG) and users – both airlines and passengers.

The gripe about the funding, of course, comes largely from passengers, some of whom will bear the cost of a terminal they may never get to use, since Terminal 5 is only expected to be operational in 2030. 

A comparison of competing airports in the region will show Changi being the most expensive in passenger charges. International passengers flying out of Incheon pay S$34, KLIA, S$26, Dubai, S$37 and Hong Kong, from S$43 to S$58.

The crucial question must be asked – is there a way for Changi to have it all: Increase capacity, maintain service levels and keep fees competitive with others in the region?

RECONSIDER LOWER CHARGES FOR BUDGET TRAVELLERS

With the hike in passenger charges, the people who’ll feel the pinch the most are budget travellers. The air fare for an off-peak flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on AirAsia can cost about S$12. 

Come July, the airport fees combined will be four times the cost of the fare – and rising. Now, not everyone can fly – at least out of Changi.

Raising passenger fees doesn’t just affect passengers. Airlines, too, and particularly those who’ve made Changi their hub will be on the losing end.

Right off the bat, Jetstar, the Australian budget airline operating a base out of Changi has announced that it would be reviewing its routes. The additional fees, it says, will bump up fares by 15 per cent to 20 per cent, resulting in a likely drop in demand. Jetstar CEO, Gareth Evans, was quoted as saying: 

Singapore is competing with Hong Kong, China and Middle Eastern hubs. People will change hubs to fly to Europe for a few dollars.

With five terminals at its disposal, Changi would do well to consider reviving the concept of the low cost carrier terminal (LCCT) – with some tweaks. After all, 30 per cent of the airport’s movement comes from low cost carriers.

Terminal 4, with its high-tech and low-manpower operations, has been held up as a model for budget terminals, without the low-cost feel. Its end-to-end automated process from check-in to boarding can reduce manpower costs by 20 per cent.

A different cost structure may, therefore, be introduced for passengers of budget airlines to make it viable for the price-sensitive traveller so that airport traffic can continue to grow while cost is managed.

WHAT ABOUT MONETISING NON-AVIATION ASSETS?

Other airports that have also launched mega development projects may have valuable lessons that Changi may glean from.

Like Changi, Korea’s Incheon International Airport has been consistently lauded by travellers and industry players. A crucial gateway for airlines, Incheon boasts a casino, golf course, skating rink and museum, aside from indoor gardens and sleeping rooms.

By 2030, the plan is to have four runways and two terminals to cater to 100 million passengers. It will continue building its cargo hub (it was the third busiest cargo airport in 2017) and have an integrated resort adjacent to the airport. The airport, which recently opened its second terminal and already has three runways, has not raised its charges.

Part of Incheon’s ability to control costs lies in its forward planning. Incheon’s masterplan, conceived in the 1990s and spanning 40 years, only consists of two mega terminals. Aside from user charges, monetisation also comes from facilities like its golf course, spa, ice skating rink and the upcoming integrated resort.

In fact, the airport had even proposed setting up a cosmetic surgery clinic in the terminal in late 2017 to ride on the country’s reputation as the leading centre for surgical makeovers, before the idea was quashed by medical professionals.

Credit, however, should be given to them for pushing the envelope and exploring various sources of revenue to fuel the airport’s development without overburdening users. The sums it has raised through this approach is significant – in its 2016 annual report, the airport announced  a topline of S$1.75 billion from its non-aviation sectors, about 65 per cent of total revenue. 

Changi, with its five terminals, has the potential of partially funding its development with non-aviation assets.

As much as critics may bemoan Changi’s upcoming mixed development Jewel for being yet another mall in an already saturated market, the joint venture with CapitaLand Malls Asia will be one such asset that will be a source of income for Changi Airport Group through its retail leases, on top of making Changi a destination airport.

But Jewel is but one of the few non-aviation sources of revenue and more options need to be explored to optimise the airport’s resources.

RIDE ON CAPITAL MARKETS

Closer to home is another competitor with big plans.

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) had earlier in 2016 introduced a price hike to fund its third runway project which will be operational in 2024. The airport will continue to function with its current two terminals with upgrades added along the way.

By 2030, like Incheon, HKIA expects to handle 100 million passengers, 66 per cent of Changi’s future capacity. Whose crystal ball is clearer? Only time will tell.

HKIA’s third runway is being built at a cost of S$24 billion and will be paid for wholly by the airport authority, without taxpayers’ money.

Funds will come from three sources and, clearly mapped out, is the proportion of funding – users (18 per cent), borrowings (49 per cent) and the airport’s surpluses (33 per cent). The transparency in which HKIA has laid out its plans is admirable and makes the public relations exercise of announcing the price increase less onerous.

The Singapore government has yet to come up with the cost of the development other than it being “tens of billions of dollars” and it has said it’s still exploring funding options.

The Airport Construction Fee in HKIA, which users have started paying, will be fixed for the period of time it takes to repay the borrowings, estimated to be by 2030. Departing passengers will be charged between S$12 and S$30 depending on the class of travel, distance, and point of origination.

In comparison, Changi’s surcharge for the airport’s development will start from S$10.80 in July and increase S$2.50 every year up to 2024 by which time all departing passengers will contribute $25.80 to the airport’s development fund.

The Singapore government has rejected tiered charges, citing fairness for all passengers. However, passengers who are paying for a terminal they may never use in the future may bristle at the unfairness of the pre-funding.

Part of HKIA’s borrowings will come from bank loans – S$3 billion to S$5 billion – while S$5 billion to S$7 billion will come from institutional bonds and S$850 million from retail bonds. The financing costs of bonds are cheaper than bank loans.

In his recent Budget speech, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat encouraged statutory boards and government-linked companies to tap on capital markets to finance critical infrastructure, with the backing of the government. A month later, LTA issued their bonds and saw an overwhelming inflow of S$1.2 billion in half a day.

READ: A commentary on the borrowing plan for infrastructure financing opening up the Singapore Government’s fiscal envelop.

The Changi Airport Development Fund, set up in 2015, has received S$4 billion so far from the government. Parliament has mandated part of CAG’s surpluses to be channelled to this Fund, under the Aviation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill passed in Parliament on Monday (Mar 19).

Like HKIA and LTA, the airport could look to bonds and, for the added benefit of good public relations, give Singaporeans a stake in an icon they hold dear by issuing retail bonds as well. With Changi’s consistent performance and the government’s guarantee, these investments will likely be oversubscribed.

Ultimately, an airport holds significant economic value to a country as the gateway for the movement of goods and people. Singapore’s geographical position must be optimised by the best facility but at a cost that will not overburden users and taxpayers and reduce the airport’s competitiveness.

Air travel has become a necessity and using an airport may even be seen as a right by citizens. Pricing its services must be a careful and open exercise with all possible funding options explored and explained even further, not just to airlines and passengers, but also to Singapore residents who will be funding the expansion both as taxpayers and users of the airport. 

Karen Lam is the host of Power List Asia and author of the upcoming book Power Talk: Insights form Asia’s Top Entrepreneurs.

SINGAPORE: Since the announcement of fresh tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into the United States, Kim Ann Engineering has been drawing up contingency plans. 

Even though it does not export any of the levied metals to America, the homegrown specialty metals supplier remains wary of an “indirect hit”. 

“We have many clients who prefer or have specific requirements to use US-made specialty metals,” said chairman and managing director Lau Tai San. The soon-to-be-imposed tariffs can bump up raw material costs for American producers who may, as a result, increase the prices of finished specialty metals, he added. 

“This will mean higher costs for us and our customers, and that is my concern.” 

To prepare for such a scenario, the company has been working out back-up plans with its customers. In particular, the aerospace and defence original equipment manufacturers that are reliant on such specialty steel and aluminium products. 

“We are asking them to be prepared for higher costs,” Mr Lau told Channel NewsAsia. “If not, they must give us new projections to either purchase more metals in advance or find replacements from Europe.” 

Scheduled to take effect on Friday, the latest move as part of US President Donald Trump’s “American First” agenda will see tariffs of 25 per cent being meted out on all imported steel and 10 per cent for foreign aluminium. 

This marked another round of US protectionist measures, following the import duties slapped on washing machines, solar energy cells and panels two months ago, and has since hung over the world’s stock markets like a dark cloud while prompting criticisms from countries across the globe. 

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said Singapore is “concerned” by the US’ decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, as well as the potential impact on companies here. 

It has also “registered (its) concerns” regarding the duties on imported solar cells and modules, and has been “engaging the relevant US departments on this”. 

“We are closely monitoring developments on this issue and will continue to engage the US and our companies on the next steps,” MTI’s spokesperson said in an emailed response to Channel NewsAsia. 

“TRICKY SITUATION”

Over at building materials supplier M Metal, managing director John Kong said he will likely be keeping an eye out for movements in the US dollar and prices of the base metals in the aftermath of the tariffs.

Both are “critical elements” for the company’s profit margins given that the local firm purchases steel and aluminium coils in US dollars, he explained.

While the greenback has come under pressure of late and is expected to remain so, the price direction of the metals has been less forthcoming. Some analysts believe a displacement of steel products to other parts of Asia could depress prices in the short term, but others say otherwise.

DBS chief economist Taimur Baig, for one, noted that the US tariffs would not change the global supply-demand dynamic for steel.

“It is also unlikely that producers in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan will have to divert their steel exports elsewhere, creating a global supply glut outside of the US. China’s goal to reduce steel output will be a far more dominant factor in driving steel supply and prices in the coming years,” he said.

But even if lower prices for the imported metals do occur, few will be cheering.

“It will be short-lived and given the uncertainty, we won’t take the chance to buy more,” said Mr WF Chan, general manager of local precision engineering firm Clefton Precision.

And just like Mr Kong, Mr Chan reckoned that any tariff-related fall in costs will be overshadowed by fears over the possibility of foreign retaliation against American tariffs.

“If we see retaliations from the other countries, I think the repercussions will hit all the way so I would think I’ll be more concerned about that than what the tariffs alone can do.”

Mr Douglas Foo, president of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF), thinks that an escalation in American tariffs, which risk tit-for-tat moves from other countries, could see local firms that have manufacturing facilities elsewhere become “collateral damage”.

This boils down to how the local manufacturing scene has evolved. While processes like product design, as well as research and development, remain done in Singapore, homegrown firms are increasingly expanding their production bases overseas. 

“For example, a company that manufactures a solar panel can have the design done in Singapore, but the actual manufacturing is done in another country. If that country does not get an exemption from the US tariffs, there will be an indirect impact,” Mr Foo said. 

One SMF member company that thinks it could be caught in such a “tricky situation” is Watson E P Industries. 

According to group executive director Joyce Seow, the contract manufacturing firm is “particularly concerned” about its factory in China which assembles and manufactures products, such as professional loudspeakers. 

“Even if the tariffs are not targeted at China, we have shipments that are sent globally to the various distribution centers our clients have all around the world. There’s no direct impact for now but our main concern is a possible trade war. If that happens, could we get caught in between somehow?”

MINIMAL IMPACT FROM TARIFFS, TRADE WAR IS THE REAL WORRY: ECONOMISTS

Economists that Channel NewsAsia spoke to echoed similar sentiments.

Official statistics showed Singapore’s domestic steel and aluminium exports to the US totalled S$11.8 million last year, accounting for 0.07 per cent of US-bound domestic exports. It was a slight decrease from S$12.9 million in 2016. 

Meanwhile, US-bound exports of solar panels was approximately S$230 million in 2017, making up about 0.7 per cent of the country’s total shipments to the US. In 2016, the figure, which includes both domestic exports and re-exports, was about S$390 million. 

Singapore “does not have significant washing machine exports to the US”, according to the MTI. 

Given that the city-state is not a major exporter of the levied items, with most of the solar exports likely to be re-exports from the region, “a direct impact on Singapore, if at all, would therefore be very marginal,” said DBS senior economist Irvin Seah. 

Agreeing, Maybank Kim Eng economist Chua Hak Bin also noted that the percentages of steel, aluminium and solar panels in Singapore’s total exports to the US are “relatively minute”. Therefore, consequences from the latest tariffs will likely be “indirect” and “contained”. 

He added that “sector-specific tariff targets” also tend to have “very limited impact on overall trade” as they can be offset in various ways, including currency movements. 

As a small and open economy that is highly trade-reliant, the greater risk for Singapore therefore lies in whether the “current situation escalates into a full-blown trade war”. 

“Singapore has thrived over the years due to globalisation so the worry should be whether this is the beginning of a bigger shift towards a greater protectionist trend across the board; whether this will invite retaliation and erupt into a trade war that is specifically targeted at China,” Dr Chua said, referring to fresh comments from the White House about how US President Trump is mulling fresh punitive measures against Beijing over its “theft” of US intellectual property. 

“These are hints that Trump may adopt more tariffs that could hit out and invite China to retaliate. If that keeps escalating and marks the start of an inward shift, that’s the risk.” 

A GLIMMER OF HOPE?

But if the haunting spectre of a global trade war materialises, DBS’ Mr Seah said the US-Singapore free trade agreement (FTA) could come in handy as a safeguard. 

“If tariffs start getting imposed on things that originate from Singapore, like semiconductors or higher value-added components, that will be an issue. 

“But Singapore has invested significant resources over the decades to safeguard trading linkages with all our partners. Now that we see emerging trade protectionism, particularly from the US, that’s when all the legally binding agreements will be very useful,” he said. 

On a broader level, the inking of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) earlier this month also offers some hope that cooler heads prevail. 

“Protectionism and inward-looking policies are not sustainable solutions for the economic challenges plaguing many countries. Businesses, however, have good reason to be optimistic as opportunities can still be found in regional initiatives and agreements,” said Mr Ho Meng Kit, CEO of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF). 

When implemented, the CPTPP will serve as a “greater and easier access” for companies for both goods and services, added Mr Ho. 

“SBF will be doing its part to support the successful implementation of the CPTPP by promoting the new economic opportunities it offers to our companies, especially SMEs.” 

For Watson E P Industries, the CPTPP is a “positive news” and the company has begun research on how it can tap on the multinational agreement. 

But in the meantime, any announcement coming out of the White House will likely remain high on its radar.

“We are worried that this could be the tip of the iceberg and may lead to things that would impact us in a negative way,” Ms Seow told Channel NewsAsia. “We hope this ends even before it starts, of course.”

SINGAPORE: Firefighters worked deep into the night on Tuesday (Mar 20) tackling a raging blaze on Pulau Busing, in what the Singapore Civil Defence Force said was expected to be an “extended firefighting operation”. 

128 personnel and 31 firefighting and support vehicles were deployed for the “massive operation”, SCDF said in an update at 11.46pm, more than five hours after the fire broke out.

The fire involved an oil storage tank on Pulau Busing, one of the islands off the southern coast of Singapore, which is home to oil and chemical storage facilities.

“Radiant heat from the affected oil storage tank poses a major challenge to the firefighters as they move forward while maintaining a safe distance. Despite the challenge, SCDF firefighters and members of CERT (Company Emergency Response Team) are still pressing on,” said SCDF. 

The oil storage tank that is on fire belongs to Tankstore, which has a facility on Pulau Busing for storing petroleum and petrochemical products.

The fire was “quite severe”, a Tankstore source told Reuters, asking not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

No casualties have been reported.

Photos posted on social media show a thick plume of smoke billowing from the island.

A 29-year-old Channel NewsAsia reader, who did not want to be named, said she saw smoke rising from the island since 6pm.

Ms Nicky Ng, 48, told Channel NewsAsia she saw the smoke from the condominium she lives in near Harbourfront.

“It was about to rain and (we) heard thunder … when (we) looked at the sky, saw smoke in the sky and then saw it coming from the offshore island,” she said.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said that there has not been any increase in pollutant levels, and that it would provide updates should there be changes in the air quality situation.

“We are monitoring the air quality closely, especially in the southwestern region of Singapore,” NEA said.

“The prevailing winds are currently blowing from the northeast and the air quality has remained in the good to moderate range,” it said.

There have also been no spikes in the PM2.5, sulphur dioxide and other air pollutant levels, it added. 

SINGAPORE: A 50-year-old man was arrested for criminal intimidation and suspected drug-related offences on Tuesday evening (Mar 20) after he locked himself in his home at Ho Ching Road with two family members, the police said in a Facebook post.

The incident started at about 1pm, when the police and Central Narcotics Bureau were conducting a joint operation. 

When the suspect saw the officers, he refused to open the door and locked his family members and himself in the house. He then armed himself with a knife and threatened to harm the officers if they entered the unit.

Officers from the Special Operations Command later gained entry into the unit at about 5.50pm. The man’s elderly father and girlfriend were not harmed, said police.  

Substances believed to be controlled drugs and other drug paraphernalia were found in the unit, police added. 

The police also clarified that the incident was “not a hostage situation”. Media reports had earlier claimed that a suspected “hostage situation” involving an armed man was ongoing at Ho Ching Road . 

Channel NewsAsia saw a karambit knife placed next to a police shield at the corridor near the third-floor unit following the operation. It was later covered up by a box. 

Multiple police and Singapore Civil Defence Force vehicles were also seen at the scene.

An inflatable life air pack had also been set up at the foot of the block.

A neighbour, 78-year-old Mr Ng Eng Ann, told Channel NewsAsia that he did not hear any noise throughout the operation. 

Police and SCDF officers had gone to his fifth-floor unit around 1pm as they needed to use his unit to cast a net down to the suspect’s unit on the third floor. 

“Between 1pm to 6pm, there were about 20 police and SCDF officers who came in and out of my unit,” Mr Ng said. 

Mr Ng added that a family of three lived at the third-floor unit, including an elderly who is about 80 years old. 

SINGAPORE: A fire broke out on Tuesday (Mar 20) on Pulau Busing, one of the islands off the southern coast of Singapore.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a tweet at about 6.30pm that it is responding to the incident. 

The fire involved an oil storage tank, said SCDF in an update at about 7.15pm, adding that members of the Company Emergency Response Team (CERT) are conducting firefighting operations.

No casualties have been reported.

The oil storage tank that is on fire belongs to Tankstore, which has a facility on Pulau Busing for storing petroleum and petrochemical products.

The fire was “quite severe”, a Tankstore source told Reuters, asking not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Photos posted on social media show a thick plume of smoke billowing from the island, which is home to oil and chemical storage facilities.

A 29-year-old Channel NewsAsia reader, who did not want to be named, said she saw smoke rising from the island since 6pm.

Ms Nicky Ng, 48, told Channel NewsAsia she saw the smoke from the condominium she lives in near Harbourfront.

“It was about to rain and (we) heard thunder … when (we) looked at the sky, saw smoke in the sky and then saw it coming from the offshore island,” she said.

This is a developing story. Please refresh for updates.

SINGAPORE: The police said on Tuesday (Mar 20) that an incident at Ho Ching Road was “not a hostage situation”, following initial media reports of an armed man having taken people hostage.

A 50-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday evening (Mar 20) after he locked himself in his home with two family members, the police said in a Facebook post.

Nobody was injured during the incident at Block 114 Ho Ching Road, the police added.

Channel NewsAsia saw multiple police and Singapore Civil Defence Force vehicles at the scene.

An inflatable life air pack had also been set up at the foot of the block.

Media reports had earlier claimed that a suspected “hostage situation” involving an armed man was ongoing at Ho Ching Road . 

SINGAPORE: A 40-year-old drug abuser was sentenced to two years’ jail on Tuesday (Mar 20) for taking his girlfriend’s two-year-old son hostage in a Sembawang flat in 2016, sparking a 17-hour stand-off with the police.

Muhammad Iskandah Suhaimi was convicted of four charges last November – for kidnapping, possessing and consuming methamphetamine, as well as for illegally possessing a knuckleduster.

In total, he was sentenced to five years’ jail and six strokes of the cane on Tuesday.

A District Court heard that on Sep 27, 2016, at about 4pm, Iskandah told his girlfriend – the boy’s mother – to buy him a pack of cigarettes.

The 33-year-old left the flat with her son in tow. However, Iskandah grabbed the boy and pulled him back into the unit, locking the door. 

Iskandah had confiscated the keys to his girlfriend’s fifth-floor flat at Sembawang Drive weeks before, Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Koh told the court. The woman and her child cannot be named due to a gag order.

Stranded, the woman turned to her mother, who went to the flat to persuade Iskandah to let her grandson go.

Iskandah refused, and proposed a “trade”. He wanted his girlfriend to enter the unit alone in exchange for her child. Afraid that he would hit her like he had done before, the woman refused.

The grandmother called the police at about 6.45pm.

Negotiators from the Crisis Negotiation Unit were deployed, but their efforts to get him to release the child were not successful.

“The accused was aggressive, impatient and highly agitated”, and the police refused to accede to his demands, said the prosecutor.

At one point, Iskandah consumed methamphetamine in front of the police while still barricaded inside the flat with the child. “This act was calculated as an affront to the authority of the police,” the prosecutor added.

At about noon the next day, when Iskandah went to use the toilet, a Special Operations Command team forced its way into the flat by breaking a window.

They rescued the two-year-old boy, who was asleep during most of the negotiation process, said the prosecutor.

Iskandah later admitted that he kept the child as collateral, afraid that his girlfriend would call the police on him for taking drugs. Two urine samples confirmed he had consumed methamphetamine that day.

A knuckleduster and a packet of methamphatatime was found in the unit. The boy’s mother admitted the drugs were for her and Iskandah to share. It is not clear if the woman has been charged.

Seeking a five-year jail term and six strokes of the cane, the prosecution said Iskandah is “a danger to society”.

He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in May 2017, which was “likely to have been exacerbated” by his methamphetamine addiction, according to one of six psychiatric reports.

Another report stated that Iskandah does not believe he is mentally unwell and has refused medication. “He remains psychotic, with active paranoid delusions and continues to be ambivalent about his (drug use),” the report stated.

However, despite his psychiatric condition, Iskandah was “well aware of the wrongfulness of his actions and was in full control of his faculties” when he kidnapped the child, said the prosecutor.

His actions were “calculated and deliberate” – to prevent his girlfriend from “getting rid” of him by using her child as a bargaining chip, she argued.

The prosecutor added that Iskandah “appears to have no rehabilitative potential”, pointing to his track record of violence, including a conviction for attempted rape in 2009.

In mitigation, Iskandah pleaded for a lenient sentence, pointing out that he did not hurt his girlfriend’s son. 

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) introduced the Vulnerable Adults (VA) Bill in Parliament on Tuesday (Mar 20), proposing measures to better protect those who may not be able to adequately care for themselves and “have fallen through the net of family and community support”.

Such individuals may include the elderly, as well as people with disabilities and special needs.

Key initiatives include state intervention powers for MSF officers to enter the homes of suspected VAs, assess their condition, obtain information, examine records as well as temporarily relocate them to either designated facilities or the care of a competent person.

The Bill also allows MSF to apply for court orders ranging from protection-related ones to requirements for caregivers to undergo counselling. It additionally suggests affording protection for those who come forward with information on alleged abuse or neglect of VAs.

Penalties for offences committed against the vulnerable “will not be taken lightly” and enhanced should the Bill be passed into legislation, said MSF in a press release. These include voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint and harassment. The ministry also wants to amend the Women’s Charter to increase penalties for contravening a protection order.

“The Bill will be a law of last resort, because personal care arrangements are matters for individuals and families to decide on … The State will only intervene if absolutely necessary,” said MSF. “Early identification and protection of VAs require strong family and community support.”

The ministry emphasised that the Bill would prioritise the welfare and best interests of the VA. Those with the mental capacity have the right to decide how they wish to live and whether to accept assistance. In other cases, their “views, wishes, values and beliefs must be considered”, said MSF.