SINGAPORE: It was a gray, cloudy Friday morning, and the sun had not yet fully risen on the first day of school for the freshmen at Yishun Junior College (YJC). But despite the early hour, the atmosphere was festive, and almost upbeat.

As the familiar strains of a pop song blasted from the loudspeakers, about 900 freshmen – dressed in a sea of different school uniforms in a multitude of colours – streamed into the school, heading straight for the noticeboards set up in the school’s parade square to look for their orientation groups. Student leaders dressed in navy blue tees were out in full force, keeping an eagle eye out for lost students, welcoming them enthusiastically and directing them to assemble in the school hall.

Settled into their different orientation groups in the hall, the new students seemed a little quiet and uncertain, perhaps due to first day jitters or the early hour. Many sat quietly in their seats, even as the student leaders launched into an exuberant cheer war, egging the freshmen to join in.

But fast forward to Tuesday (Feb 6), and it was a strikingly different scene. Despite it being only the third day of orientation, most students appeared to be at ease with their new friends. Dressed in matching maroon tops with the word “Evolution” – the theme of this year’s orientation – emblazoned across the front, most were sitting in groups, laughing loudly and teasing each other while waiting for the day’s activities to begin. Some began singing a raucous birthday song at the front of the hall, which quickly spread as more students joined in. 

“You all look a bit more orientated now,” Innova Junior College (IJC) principal Michael de Silva quipped as he welcomed the new students to his school for this leg of their orientation programme: A race around Woodlands and Yishun involving pit stops with team challenges and lots of games. 

IJC, which will be merging with YJC next year to form the new Yishun Innova JC, was one of four JCs that did not take in any new students this year. It has, however, worked closely with YJC to plan the orientation programme for this batch of incoming freshmen, which the principals of both schools stressed will be shared by both colleges. 

For incoming freshman Raphael Fernandez, getting the chance to play games and break the ice between himself and his future classmates was especially appreciated.

“I was a bit afraid and apprehensive on the first day of school because I’m not really the extroverted type,” he said. “But through these activities, I managed to find new friends, and I’m excited to spend the next few weeks with them.”

MERGED SCHOOLS, MERGED NAMES…AND MERGED MASCOTS

With the merger of YJC and IJC next year, these freshmen will become the pioneer batch of the new Yishun Innova Junior College. And planning the orientation for this pioneer batch of students was no easy task: Not only was it important to plan a programme that gave these new students ample opportunities to bond and make friends, but there was also a need to ensure there was an equal representation of both schools’ heritage and culture.

“We wanted our students to be open-minded and seek to understand, and also to try and combine the strengths of both colleges,” said Karthikesan Kumar, YJC’s head of PE and CCA, and the teacher overall-in-charge of the orientation. “So we reminded the organising committee that there had to be a give and take.”

But the 60-odd student leaders from both colleges who formed the organising committee rose to the challenge with aplomb – and a healthy dose of creativity.

In naming the new houses, for example, one issue the organising committee faced was to reconcile the two vastly different themes both colleges had for their houses, explained Shatihish Rajandran, a house captain from IJC. At his school, he said houses were named after constellations like Aquila and Sagittarius. But at YJC, they were named after areas in the college’s vicinity, like Pierce, Admiralty and Rodney.

“Both sides have very enthusiastic house committees and we had to come together to make decisions,” he said. “We also didn’t want to take our own identity and force-feed it to the JC1s, but rather to come together to form a merged identity they would feel at home with.”

“So instead of coming up with an entirely new name and identity for each of the houses, why not put both the houses together to form a merged house, which we can now call a tribe?”

This meant that Shatihish’s Aquila house would be combined with YJC’s Rodney house to form Roquila. Taurus and Admiralty became Admirus, and Seletar and Sagittarius, Sagitar.

The mascots of the respective houses were also merged, leading to some interesting pairings.

“Admiralty’s mascot is a panther, while Taurus is a bull,” explained Shatihish. “So when the houses came together, we formed a panther with horns.”

“The part of Taurus that IJ wanted to keep was the horns to show the ferocity and passion of a bull, so that got incorporated. Both colleges’ cultures were upheld.”

TEACHERS PROUD OF THEIR ‘FAMILY’ OF STUDENTS

But beyond helping the freshmen bond and make friends with each other, getting the student leaders of both colleges to work together and plan the orientation also resulted in some unexpected friendships.

“We first met a few months ago through a bonding session in YJC,” said YJC’s student council president So Ee Cheng. “The IJC student leaders came over, we had food and games and everyone got to eat and mingle with each other.”

As for IJC’s student council president Ang Ying Xuan, the cherry on the cake was a combined school trip in November 2017 to Hong Kong involving student leaders from both schools. She explained that the overseas trip – meant as a learning journey for YJC student leaders to learn about Hong Kong’s system of government – was opened up to their IJC counterparts for the first time as a means to help both sides make friends and plan the upcoming orientation.

“We were very excited to hear about this,” she said. “Overseas trips will always be fun, and we also got to room together, which helped us really get to know each other a lot better.”

Planning for the orientation began proper during this trip, and both student leaders stressed the importance of ensuring an equal number of voices from each school would be heard.

“We made sure that for every single meeting or discussion that was held, there would be an equal number of representatives from both IJC and YJC,” said Ee Cheng. She added that important issues like the theme of the orientation were discussed in groups, who each presented an idea which was then put to a vote.

The planning process was not without its challenges: Mr Karthikesan admitted to being “a little stressed” at planning for a group that was larger than YJC’s typical JC1 intake of 600-700 students. Manpower and logistics – like organising activities and booking venues across two college campuses instead of one – also had to be sorted out.

The teachers had also made a conscious decision to assign students from the different schools to room with each other during the trip, a decision that another teacher, IJC’s head of character and citizenship education Magdalene Oh, said did not go down well with some students.

“We were worried about it initially because some were not very happy that they were rooming with someone they weren’t so familiar with, instead of their friends from the same JC,” she said. “But by the end of the trip, they had grown so close that some of them even came to thank us for putting them together.”

“We needed them to work together, so if they didn’t get along as roommates, that wouldn’t have been a good start to them working together for orientation,” added Mr Karthikesan. “But I am very proud of my students.

“They have surpassed my expectations.”

As the student leaders gathered at the parade square for a group photo, laughing, chattering and teasing each other good-naturedly, it was clear that planning the orientation did not just benefit the freshmen. And it was a proud, satisfying moment for the teachers who stood on the sidelines watching them with an indulgent smile.

“They’ve become one big family,” said Mrs Oh, as shouts of “Y-I-J-C” rang out from the parade square, prompting passing teachers to stop and take photographs of the group.

“I think we’ve always told them that this was a very rare opportunity,” added Mr Karthikesan. “We would not go through another merger, and we would not go through another situation where we’d have to work so closely with another school to have a combined orientation programme like this one.

“We’re very happy with how it’s turned out.”

SINGAPORE: He ticks almost all the boxes in the cliched impression of a reformed ex-gangster: Thickset and muscled, affable and soft-spoken. But Ben (not his real name) is quite different. There are no tattoos – “I was lucky,” he says – and the 26-year-old undergraduate only started filling out his T-shirts after a four-year spell in jail.

In fact, he was once a short and scrawny teenager who, along with his friends, would brazenly fight, riot and partake in “typical, violent” gang activities – yet quake at the mention of the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act (CLTPA).

“We knew about the Act,” said Ben during an interview arranged by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) for him to share his personal experience as a Criminal Law Detainee (CLD), and as part of efforts to highlight the benefits of the Act. “Most gang members fear detention (without trial) – they all know they’ll be in prison for an unknown period.

“It’s a deterrent but at my age back then, I didn’t expect it would be me facing such consequences.”

The CLTPA allows for the detention of suspected criminals without trial – subject to annual reviews of each case – for the sake of “public safety, peace and good order”. Last year, the total CLD population in Singapore’s prisons was 103 – of which 86 were jailed for secret society activities. These have been the majority since 2015, with the rest of the numbers made up by offences such as unlicensed money-lending and drug trafficking.

On Tuesday (Feb 6), Parliament passed a bill that will extend the legislation covering detention without trial for another five years.

“Secret society members are aware of the CLTPA, and it helps us keep them at bay,” said Inspector Eric Toh, an investigation officer with a decade’s work at the SPF’s Secret Societies Branch. “If not, they will cause much more problems; and influence much more people to join their gangs.

“The CLTPA remains a key legislative tool which is highly effective in suppressing secret society activity.”

TURNAROUND

Ben was 14 when he first joined a gang, and 18 when “a few incidents” led to police showing up at his house and informed him he was being arrested under the CLTPA.

“My parents were sad, upset,” he recalled. “Me, I was shocked, confused, totally lost and angry at the same time.

“My first few days in there, I just kept thinking how and when I could get out and back to my family. I didn’t know what to do in prison, and where I could go after. You’re basically doing nothing for 23 hours in a room … you will think a lot.”

But keeping CLDs locked up means witnesses can come forward knowing they are safe, said Insp Toh, 40.

“During investigations, we need to call up witnesses to tell us what actually happened. With the Act, they don’t have to be in fear and can come give us the evidence we need,” he outlined.

“We are then able to incarcerate the suspect, and this helps keep the secret society situation under control. This is why we have the CLTPA.”

Life in prison as a CLD still gave Ben, an Institute of Technical Education student then, an opportunity to further his studies.

“This officer told me to do something with my life, and recommended me to sign up for O-Levels,” he said. “I realised that maybe I could do this, and after one year was transferred to the prison school, where I went on to do my A-Levels too.

“It was a challenge because there was a lack of resources. News that came to us was two months old, but we made do with what we had.

“I wanted to prove to myself that I was actually capable of doing things right … and doing my family proud,” Ben related.

“The first year, I was praying to get out. But the second and third, I somehow didn’t think of that, because I had a goal in mind – to pursue my studies. So I used the time to focus on my studies and keep myself occupied.”

Right after taking his A-Levels, Ben was told he would be released. “It felt like my road had been planned out … and everything would be smooth,” he said.

REINTEGRATION

Out of jail, Ben found a job, started applying to universities – and was placed under police supervision for a year. This stopped him from meeting his former friends, going to “high-risk” areas like entertainment outlets and staying out past 7pm. He also had to report to a police station every week – but said these measures helped prevent him from joining the gang again.

Not everyone is as fortunate. In Parliament recently, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam revealed that of out of the current CLD population, about 17 per cent had been placed under detention previously.

The Act, in and of itself, is not sufficient to prevent the proliferation of street gang activity in Singapore, said Insp Toh. “So the police adopt a strategy of both enforcement and preventive education.”

Reformed individuals like Ben are also part of these initiatives. Two years ago, he volunteered with children at risk – and also children with mental disabilities – until his university schedule got in the way.

He also agreed to this interview because he saw it as “necessary and important” to tell his story. “At my age back then, maybe you’re curious or not that mature yet, so you get rebellious and you make mistakes,” Ben stressed.

“But whatever you do, reflect on what’s the consequences of your action before you execute it. Don’t follow what I did, don’t follow in my footsteps; enjoy your teenage life instead.”

He is now belatedly doing so as a student, though his age often leads to probing from younger schoolmates. “I’m someone who doesn’t like to hide, it’s quite tiring,” said Ben. “So I will share what I was back then. They’re mostly quite open … after some time, they treat you as normal.”

Statistics for the number of ex-CLDs going on to higher education and employment were unavailable, making it unclear how common Ben’s success story is. But does he believe his experience points to the usefulness of the CLTPA? Does he see the existence of a law allowing detention without trial to be absolutely essential? 

“It really depends,” Ben said carefully. “But for my case, without my detention, I wouldn’t be studying today. And maybe … I wouldn’t be alive.”

SINGAPORE: You spot an online advertisement for a replacement battery for your e-scooter that costs just S$30 – a staggering 10 times cheaper than the original one.

For many consumers, the choice is pretty obvious – so long as it does the job, go for the better bargain. But safety could be the trade-off here.

A recent episode of Talking Point showed just how lithium-ion batteries – used in personal mobility devices (PMDs) such as e-scooters, and electronic devices such as handphones, laptops and power banks – can pose fire risks.

Along with the growing popularity of PMDs here in recent years, there has been a spike in fire incidents involving them – a 52 percent increase in 2017 from the same period in 2016.

Most smartphones have a single cell battery, but a PMD’s battery pack can contain as many as 35 cells, noted Associate Professor Palani Balaya of the National University of Singapore Centre for Energy Research & Technology.

WHY BATTERIES GO BOOM

While a lithium-ion battery is being charged, the ions move from the positive to the negative electrode at a fairly high voltage of 3.7 volts – much higher than the 1.5 volts in a typical alkaline battery.

These ions move through a liquid electrolyte which is highly flammable – and that is why when one overcharges a lithium-ion battery, it overheats and can even explode.

To demonstrate, Dr Balaya overcharged a single battery cell, applying more than 5 volts instead of the recommended 3 volts.

The cell was observed slowly bulging, and then it began to emit smoke before abruptly exploding in a spectacular orange burst.

“If this explosion happened at the pack level, it would be a very massive one,” he pointed out.

WATCH: When a cell goes boom (2:41)

This is why every rechargeable battery contains a battery management system (BMS) that prevents it from overcharging.

However, inferior quality and non-original batteries often do not have good BMSes, and are unable to stop charging, which is why they pose a fire risk, explained Dr Balaya.

In another demonstration, he showed how the temperature inside a battery from a reliable manufacturer did not rise beyond 3°C during the charging process – while another battery from an unreliable source heated up by as much as 10°C. He warned:

Every time a cell warms up, you are evaporating the liquid electrolyte into gas. The local pressure builds up and it leads to an explosion.

Batteries do carry certain certifications to show that they have been tested for safety. But this system is not fool-proof because the certifications may be easily duplicated.

Talking Point host Diana Ser went online to find out more about cheap batteries, discovering that many are unbranded, with the sellers unaware of where these batteries were made.

UNCERTIFIED CHARGERS ALSO UNSAFE

While the consequences of using a cheaper and potentially unreliable battery can be dire, using an inappropriate charger can be just as disastrous.

A certified charger will typically feed the correct prescribed electric current for the battery. One not from the same original supplier as the battery could feed too high a current.

In a recent crackdown here, 175 unregistered e-scooter chargers from various suppliers were seized by safety authority Spring Singapore.

Mr Jay Jin, who owns e-scoooter outlet Kernel Scooter, had to learn about applying for the SAFETY mark certificate when he set up shop about a year ago.

This process includes sending the power adapters’ blueprints to the relevant agencies, where they run vigorous tests to ensure these adaptors meet the safety requirements. The process takes about one to two months and costs about S$300 to S$400.

“There are some sellers, mostly home-based, who may not apply for this thing because of the cost factor,” he said. “And some may not be aware that all electrical appliances that involve batteries and power adapters need this certificate.”

A PMD charger with a SAFETY mark means that the voltage advertised on it is accurate, and the mark – which can be in the form of a sticker or engraved on the device – applies not just to PMD but also other chargers in general.

Handphones and even powerbanks which use lithium-ion batteries can overheat and explode when not charged properly.

DO SELLERS AND BUYERS CARE?

Despite this, some retailers Talking Point spoke to didn’t think the Spring SAFETY mark was important. One shrugged off the notion that a charger she was selling without the mark could be a fire hazard.

“There is no such thing, it won’t happen,” said the retailer confidently.

One consumer said that SAFETY mark or no, price came first. She explained: “For me, if I can charge my phone, I will just go for the cheaper option.”

Perhaps, though, it would be better to burn a small hole in one’s pockets buying a legitimate product – than to risk burning down one’s house.

Watch this episode of Talking Point here.

SINGAPORE: In the heart of port operator PSA’s newly expanded Pasir Panjang Terminal, the Republic’s long-term maritime ambitions are being put to the test.

A fleet of 30 driverless vehicles deployed to move cargo containers around the terminal are in the vanguard for the move to the Tuas mega port. Over 1,000 of these battery-powered four-wheelers will be developed for Singapore’s future port.

Towering above these vehicles is the world’s largest fleet of automated yard cranes – numbering nearly 200. At Tuas, that figure will rise to almost 1,000.

These are just two examples of the automation systems that PSA is looking at with Tuas in mind. And the lessons to be learned will be vital.

Tuas, when it’s fully developed, is going to be the single largest fully-automated terminal in the world,

Mr Nelson Quek, PSA Singapore’s head of Tuas planning, told Channel NewsAsia, on Looking Ahead. The two-part special (premiering Feb 7, 8pm) examines how Singapore’s mega infrastructure projects are positioning the nation for the future.

THE HIGH STAKES INVOLVED

The benefits of automation are tied to the very purpose of constructing the Tuas mega port: To keep Singapore as connected as ever to the world and to stay ahead of the game, at a time when countries in the region are investing heavily in their port capabilities.

The project is set to cost billions of dollars and span more than two decades. And the stakes are high – not least because the maritime sector contributes 7 per cent to the economy and over 170,000 jobs.

The maritime ecosystem here supports many home-grown companies, including small and medium enterprises, in areas from manufacturing to logistics to technology.

And with PSA giving up its city terminals by 2027 and the Pasir Panjang Terminal by 2040, when the Tuas mega port will be completed, the industry’s future will singularly lie in the new port.

For success to come, “the Tuas that we’ll operate must be different from the port that we run now”, said PSA International group chief executive officer Tan Chong Meng, who added: “Tuas, for us, is an opportunity to reset.”

WATCH: The construction feat involved (2:37)

THE QUEST TO BE BUSIER…

By year’s end, PSA’s existing terminals will be able to collectively handle almost 50 million 20-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of cargo annually, a measurement based on the standard ship containers, which are either 20 or 40 feet long.

The Tuas mega port will eclipse this with a capacity of 65 million TEUs – almost double the 33.7 million TEUs that passed through Singapore last year.

By 2040, demand along the Straits of Malacca alone will be in excess of 100 million TEUs, according to Mr Tan.

“So it’s a question of our … scale and our market position – that we desire to maintain the strength of PSA within our neighbourhood,” he said.

Singapore is already the world’s second-busiest port, with an average of 60 vessels calling daily. 

While Shanghai is the busiest owing to a large domestic demand, Singapore is the top trans-shipment hub, handling almost one-seventh of the world’s trans-shipment containers.

TO BE FASTER…

Important as this role is, however, the trans-shipment business is also highly competitive, with rivals “from Busan (South Korea) all the way to Europe”, added Mr Tan.

That is why Singapore must earn its business “every day”, said Mr Nicolaj Noes, the Asia-Pacific head of operations for Maersk Line, the global leader in container shipping.

“It’s a little bit like when you decide where to fly to on holiday. Your first choice is … to fly directly,” Mr Noes said.

“(To) go through a trans-shipment hub like Singapore, there has to be a value proposition there … Singapore has to offer a more cost-efficient solution. It has to offer more flexibility; it has to offer wider choices.”

That is where automation will help. 

Said Mr Quek: “With automation, the performance can be a lot more predictable and consistent. And that’s very important to customers … (Shipping lines) also want speed and to turn around their vessels faster.”

He added that the Tuas mega port will have a “superior layout to enable a more efficient trans-shipment operation”, and along with that, faster service.

TO GO BIGGER

The new port, with 8.6km of wharves, must also cater for the trend of ever-larger container ships. Maersk’s Triple-E vessels, for example, are 400m long and among the world’s biggest ships.

“One vessel can carry about 111 million pairs of sneakers,” said Mr Noes. Seven vessels can carry enough sneakers for everyone in Europe to get a new pair. “That gives a good idea of the dimension of the vessels.”

The Danish company is working closely with PSA, and on that front, Mr Noes said: “There is the understanding (that) there has to be infrastructure that supports large vessels.”

HOW BUSINESSES CAN BENEFIT

Beyond striving to remain the world’s top maritime capital (a title it has earned for three consecutive years) and Asia’s best port (29 times and counting), Singapore can create more opportunities for local companies with the Tuas mega port.

Said Mr Tan: “Through innovation, we imagine a future that … would be able to support both Tuas as a port and the Tuas hinterland, so that future manufacturers and commercial, industrial and logistical players will all benefit from the future possibilities.”

That includes start-ups like visual effects firm SideFX Studios, one of the two top finishers at the recent Smart Port Challenge organised by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA). The firm has harnessed virtual reality to train crane operators and engineers.

SideFX co-founder Ng Teow Koon said: “This is where we’re coming in with the traditional players (in the Tuas area), to build up this space with all these exciting technologies and make use of it to bring it to the next-generation port.”

Software provider Glee Trees, the other top finisher last year, is working to streamline cargo and shipping processes with its artificial intelligence platform Gleematic.

Digitalisation is already opening up growth areas in Singapore’s logistics sector, which employed over 230,000 people in 2015. It has been ranked by the World Bank as Asia’s top logistics hub for a decade now.

Infrastructural investments like the Tuas mega port will further “translate into new capabilities, new opportunities for companies to get in on the game and grow Singapore together”, agreed Supply Chain and Logistics Academy CEO Ian Dyason.

PSA’s Mr Quek thinks that early engagement with stakeholders such as the community, the industry and relevant agencies – in addition to the takeaways from the technology trials – will indeed be “critical to the success of the project”.

Careful planning is also needed, said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, who cited the Jurong Industrial Estate as an example of the efforts required for such projects to succeed.

“But the very fact that we’ve stayed so competitive as an economy owes a great deal to our connectivity,” he added as he highlighted the port’s role in the import and export of raw materials and cargo “at very competitive rates” for businesses.

THE FOUNDATION STONES

As Singapore now looks ahead to the mega port at the western end of the island, the work there goes on round the clock.

By 2020, the first of the project’s four phases will be completed. The land reclamation for all the future terminals, which has just crossed the 40 per cent mark, will also finish at the same time.

Over in the Pasir Panjang Terminal, container equipment specialist Alan Lee is one of the few who has already had a glimpse of what the future port will be like.

A 23-year veteran, Mr Lee had to move up and down the yard cranes previously. Now that the cranes are fully automated and no longer require an operator each, 18 to 25 workers in the control centre handle 186 cranes at a time.

“It has been very good for me – improving myself, enhancing my skills,” he said. “For future ports like Tuas and also the world that’s advancing, it’s relevant for me to upgrade … so that I can keep up the good work.”

Thus the foundations for the Tuas mega port are being laid, not only with concrete on reclaimed land – but also with skills, technology and automation.

Catch the 2-part special Looking Ahead, which explores mega infrastructure projects that are positioning Singapore for the future – such as Changi Airport Terminal 5 and Tuas mega port (Feb 7, 8pm SG/HK) and Jurong Lake District and the integrated waste management facility (Feb 14, 8pm SG/HK).

SINGAPORE: An aircraft that was taking part in the Singapore Airshow caught fire after an accident at Changi Airport on Tuesday (Feb 6) afternoon, delaying about 170 flights.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said that at 1.24pm, an aircraft from the Black Eagles aerobatic team from the Republic of Korea Air Force skidded and crashed into the grass verge at the side of Changi Airport’s Runway 1 and caught fire.

The aircraft was taking off for the flying display programme at the Singapore Airshow when the incident happened, CAAS said. 

“The pilot sustained light injuries and is being treated,” it added. He was given a check-up at the airport clinic and later discharged, Changi Airport Group (CAG) said.

Eyewitness Gerald Searle, 51, was at the airport waiting for his flight to Australia when he saw the accident.

“I saw the plane spin sideways, flip over and then slide down the runway upside down,” said Mr Searle. “It burst into flames, though most at the rear.”

Close-up photos, which appear to have been taken from the runway, have emerged online. They show the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle plane lying upside down on the grass which is covered with white foam.

In an advisory posted on its Facebook page, CAG said that the airport’s emergency service put out the fire. 

Runway 1 was closed to facilitate investigations by the authorities before the aircraft could be removed.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused,” it said.

Airport authorities said Runway 1 reopened at about 7pm.

“The runway was checked thoroughly and cleaned up to ensure that it was safe and ready for operations before it could be reopened,” CAG said.

A total of 170 flights were delayed for an hour or more, it added in an update at about 10.30pm.

“Due to the incident, operations at Changi Airport were impacted as it was operating with just one runway instead of two,” it said. “Flight operations are expected to return to normal later tonight.”

Thai Airways flight TG414, which was scheduled to depart at 3.55pm for Bangkok, was delayed until 7pm. The flight was delayed as the incoming aircraft could not land because of the incident, Channel NewsAsia understands.

According to the Changi Airport website, a number of AirAsia flights were also delayed by about two to three hours, including flight AK706 to Kuala Lumpur, flight FD356 to Bangkok and flight QZ362 to Bandung.

Other delayed flights include a Lion Air departure to Jakarta (JT155) and a SilkAir flight to Penang (MI352).

The South Korean Air Force has launched an investigation into the cause of the accident as well as the potential damage caused, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency. 

“I was sorry to hear about the incident with the Korean Black Eagles but glad the pilot is safe,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a Facebook post on Tuesday night.

SINGAPORE: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China are set to hold its first maritime exercise at the end of this year.

The move was welcomed by ASEAN defence ministers, who held an informal meeting with Chinese Minister of National Defense Chang Wanquan in Singapore on Tuesday (Feb 6). 

The ministers also welcomed stronger relations between ASEAN and China and discussed ways to improve practical cooperation. 

“For those of us who have been around for long enough, we know that Mr Chang Wanquan is a good and solid friend of ASEAN,” said Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in his remarks at the start of the meeting.

“He has done a lot personally to bring our bilateral defence relationship between ASEAN and China forward.” 

General Chang noted China and ASEAN have become strategic partners and that in 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping had suggested forming a China-ASEAN community of common destiny. 

Since then, General Chang said ASEAN and China have increased interactions, strengthened defence exchanges and cooperation and built a strong friendship. 

General Chang also noted when he met the ASEAN defence ministers in Clark, Philippines, in October last year, the 19th China Communist Party National Congress was taking place. 

“Under Xi Jinping’s leadership, we have entered a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This has given greater vitality for China’s development and more opportunities for cooperation with the international community, including ASEAN countries.”

General Chang is in Singapore for an introductory visit from Feb 4 to 8.

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JOHOR BARU: A search-and-rescue operation is underway for two Singaporeans believed to be missing at Gunung Pulai in Kulai, Johor. 

The duo were reported missing in the forest at about 5.55pm on Monday (Feb 5).

Kulai district police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said the operation involved 28 officers from the state fire and rescue department, police and state forestry department.

“As of 11am today, the two Singaporeans, a man and a woman, have yet to be found,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

China Press Johor reported on Monday that the mountain was closed and the hikers entered through a mountain trail. The report also said it is believed that the woman hurt herself and the man tried to call for help on his phone. 

The report quoted residents in the area as saying that the pair parked their Singapore-registered car in front of a house and entered the mountain trail at about noon.

Several posts on Facebook identified the woman as Clarice or Lum Jie. 

Facebook user Aiping Chua said she might have been in the company of someone by the name of Dominick Tan. 

Another friend, Chloe Quek, wrote that Lum left her house at about 8am on Monday morning and was last seen in a green top, tights, backpack and running shoes. 

“We are very worried for her and grateful if you may help share this post or have a look out for her,” Ms Quek said. 

SINGAPORE: Smoke spread through Orchard Towers on Tuesday night (Feb 6) after a fire broke out. 

When Channel NewsAsia was there at about 8.10pm, firefighters and police were already at the scene. 

There was an acrid smell like that of burning rubber or plastic in the air.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted at about 8pm to the fire at 400, Orchard Road.

The fire involved the contents of a bar top, SCDF said.

Firefighters, donning breathing apparatus sets, extinguished the fire using one waterjet and one compressed air-foam backpack.

About 60 people evacuated the building before SCDF arrived.

There were no injuries reported.

The crowd appeared calm and held on to their drinks as they evacuated from the building, which houses a large number of bars and nightclubs.

SINGAPORE: Smoke spread through Orchard Towers on Tuesday night (Feb 6) after a fire broke out. 

When Channel NewsAsia was at the scene at about 8.10pm, firefighters and police were already at the scene. 

There was an acrid smell like that of burning rubber or plastic in the air.

The crowd appeared calm and held on to their drinks as the police evacuated them from the building which houses a large number of bars and nightclubs.

Channel NewsAsia has reached out to the Singapore Civil Defence Force for more details.