PORT DICKSON: A five-vehicle accident in Lukut killed four Singaporeans when a runaway lorry ploughed into their MPV at a T-junction heading to Sepang.
A police spokesperson said that three women in the MPV died on the spot after their vehicle was crushed by the lorry in the accident, which took place at 3pm on Wednesday (Jan 3).
He added that the driver of the MPV died while being rushed to the hospital, and said that the lorry also rammed into two cars and a motorcycle.
The spokesperson added that the drivers of the cars and rider of the motorcycle escaped serious injuries and said that the lorry driver ran off after the incident.
The case is being investigated under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
Photos of the accident scene show a red tipper truck which had rammed into the right side of the severely damaged Honda.
Other photos and a video also showed several people lying motionless in the Honda wreckage, crushed beneath the front wheels of the tipper truck.
Another black car was also involved, with its front heavily damaged.
SINGAPORE: Leader of the House Grace Fu has written to the Workers’ Party’s Leon Perera, requesting that he apologise in Parliament for misrepresenting facts and misleading members of the House.
In her letter dated Jan 3, Ms Fu also wants Mr Perera to withdraw the false allegations against Mediacorp.
At issue is Mr Perera’s suggestion in November 2017 that Mediacorp had put up video of a Parliamentary debate with “certain bits removed”, and that the broadcaster made a rectification only after he communicated with them.
The video in question was a clip of an exchange during the Presidential Elections Act debate in February that year.
In Parliament in November, Mr Perera said: “I do know from past experience that at times, they are edited and are not archived and made available verbatim.”
However, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Chee Hong Tat pointed out that Mediacorp had in fact rectified the clip and put the full exchange online on Feb 18, two days before Mr Perera had emailed the company.
SINGAPORE: An inter-ministerial committee will be set up in the next few months to offer more help to youth offenders, Minister for Social and Family Development (MSF) Desmond Lee announced on Tuesday (Jan 2), as he laid out his key priorities for the ministry this year.
In his first interview with the media since helming the ministry on Sep 11 last year, Mr Lee said the aim of the committee on prevention, rehabilitation and recidivism, is to provide support for youths to reduce the rate of youth offending and reoffending.
The committee will involve MSF, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Ministry of Education (MOE) and other government agencies.
The Government will also work closely with the National Committee on Youth Guidance and Rehabilitation and youth work organisations, he said.
“Every child, every young person in Singapore counts. We want to make sure that we marshal all the resources of the Government, and of the community, and of course families to make sure that they have the best shot in life even though they may have been youths at risk or youth offenders,” Mr Lee said.
Statistics from MHA show that 1,057 juveniles above the age of seven and under 16 years old were arrested in 2016. The figure represents a 30 per cent drop from the 1,516 juveniles arrested in 2015.
Recidivism rates for those under the age of 21 who have gone through MSF’s rehabilitation programmes and discharged fell from 13.8 per cent in 2010 to 10.7 per cent in 2012.
“Youth offending rates are coming down, but they still are higher than we like it to be. I think the way forward is better coordination and integration so that (we can) do more preventive work upstream when youth offenders are in the system,” he added.
This involves intervening with a more rehabilitative stance and better “wrap-around” support from Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs), the community and other government agencies for those who have completed their probation or sentence.
YOUTH RECIDIVISM STILL A CONCERN
Recidivism, especially drug recidivism, is “particularly pernicious”, the minister said,
Mr Lee said that there are cases of young people receiving interventions because they were youth at risk or become youth offenders, but who go out and mix with bad company again.
“They then get into trouble again and their life trajectory gets completely derailed. You ask any advisor, any backbencher MP, and they will be able to tell you these cases,” he said.
“They will need MSF and its partner agencies, and FSCs (Family Services Centres), and VWOs to provide that scaffolding, to provide that support more holistically, to them, to their families,” he said.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION – A TOOL FOR SOCIAL MOBILITY
He also spoke aboutearly childhood education which he sees as a tool for social mobility.
Children studying at PCF Sparkletots@Marsiling. (Photo: Jalelah Abu Baker)
Mr Lee said that early childhood education provides opportunities especially to children from lower income households, giving an example of a “complex” family he met in his ward. The mother of two boys, born to different fathers, was in the Drug Rehabilitation Centre.
When Mr Lee first met the boys, they were not enrolled in a pre-school although they were of age and they could not speak or write.
“So we intervened, put the children in one of our centres, we got all the grants needed. They had to pay S$3. Even that was taken care of, and it made a lot of difference to the two boys,” Mr Lee said, adding that they were confident and can speak and write now.
Children playing at the garden at PCF Sparketots@Marsiling. (Photo: Jalelah Abu Baker)
MORE EMPHASIS ON OUTDOOR LEARNING IN PRESCHOOLS
There will also be an emphasis on outdoor adventure learning in pre-schools.
Mr Lee said getting kids outdoors and spending more time with nature is good for pre-school children’s holistic development. He cited the example of PCF Sparkletots@Marsiling, which has plenty of greenery and outdoor spaces, which adds to the quality of learning there.
“You want them to be able to go out to the outdoors to develop self-reliance, to be resilient, to pick up values, to care for each other, to look out for each other in the play area, to interact with nature, to care for the environment. he said.
All pre-schools now have to set aside at least one hour a day for physical activities starting this school year. This is up from 30 minutes previously.
“We will continue to see how we can further strengthen that opportunity, whether it is leveraging on age-appropriate playgrounds; creating spaces within childcare centres, early childhood centres; or working in parks and open areas. These are the things that we will look at in the course of this year,” he said.
Children playing with soil outdoors at PCF Sparkletots@Marsiling. (Photo: Jalelah Abu Baker)
TIGHTER COORDINATION AND INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL SERVICES
Mr Lee also spoke about how his ministry is working to better integrate and coordinate the provision of social services.
“You can have very good policies that are well-integrated, well-coordinated, but you recognise that Singaporeans’ experience of government policies is on the ground.
“Closer coordination and integration in the provision of social services and the implementation of policies is an opportunity that we must seize,” he said.
He pointed to the proposed Public Sector Governance Bill as one of the mechanisms that will allow and foster this greater integration among public sector agencies that will, in turn, allow the public sector to integrate more closely with the private sector to better support Singaporeans.
“In the course of this year and in the next few years, we will look for opportunities to strengthen coordination between our Social Service Offices, our FSCs, our ground agencies, our VWOs, both funded and unfunded services, and government agencies like HDB branch services, to better manage and solve problems for people who are of lower income or who are in crisis,”Mr Lee said.
Social and Family Development Minister Desmond Lee at a tea party for foster families at the Singapore Zoo. (Photo: Vanessa Lim)
Mr Lee added that the end result will be better support, better outcomes and ideally, shorter waiting times.
SINGAPORE: The Vulnerable Adults Bill will be introduced this by the first half of this year, announced Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee.
In his first interview with the media on Tuesday (Jan 2) since helming the ministry in September last year, he said the bill has been in the works for some time.
“We needed time to work through all the government agencies and Voluntary Welfare Organisations focused on vulnerable adults to make sure that we have the resources, we have the skills, capabilities, protocols, standard operating procedures, and the principles for intervention,” he said.
In a public consultation on the proposed bill in 2016, MSF said that it will allow the authorities the power to step in when intervention is necessary to protect and ensure the safety of those who at risk.
MSF said that by 2030, there will be more than 900,000 residents aged 65 and above, a fair number of whom would be single or have no children. Elderly who develop dementia may be unable to care for themselves.
“This is especially worrying for those who are living alone – this number is projected to increase from 35,000 in 2012 to 83,000 in 2030. Persons with disabilities are also living longer, and more are expected to outlive their parents. Frail elderly and aging persons with disabilities are especially vulnerable to abuse, neglect and self-neglect,” MSF said.
Mr Lee said on Tuesday that unlike in the youth sector, where there are several intervention opportunities, adults do not have similar support systems.
“In between, you have child protection, you have the youth justice system. We don’t quite yet have a similar mirror in the adults’ environment,” he said.
“The Vulnerable Adults Bill will complement existing legislation and help to provide us with powers to intervene where we really have to,” he added.
BILL WILL ALSO SUPPORT CAREGIVERS
Mr Lee said the Government has to recognise that vulnerable adults, have the autonomy to decide for themselves what kind of caregiver arrangements they would like, Mr Lee said.
“You don’t want to take away the autonomy of families to decide what works best for them. At the same time, you don’t want to be completely incapable of intervening in deserving cases, where you really need to come in and support the vulnerable adults,” he said.
While ill-treatment, abuse, violence or neglect can be deliberate, sometimes it is because of caregiver stress, Mr Lee said.
“A person gets neglected because the caregiver cannot take it anymore – and we may need to intervene, not only on the part of the vulnerable but to be able to ensure that the stressed caregiver gets the necessary support, he said.
MAKING DEPUTYSHIP FOR ADULTS EASIER
Acknowledging the difficulties caregivers face in representing vulnerable adults, Mr Lee wants to make it easier for them to be appointed deputies.
He noted that the Assisted Deputyship Application Programme (ADAP)) that has been rolled out at special education schools has worked well.
That is a simpler way for parents who have children in special education schools to be appointed as deputies to support their children and make decisions on their behalf,
“Moving forward, we want to look at how we can expand ADAP to graduates of special education schools, those who have already graduated, those who are in disability activity centres, how we can help their parents apply in a quick and easy way to be appointed deputies for them,” he said.
FINDING WAYS TO HELP VULNERABLE SENIORS
Mr Lee also noted that there are more seniors living alone or feeling isolated.
A poor senior who is homebound can be served by a network of befrienders, meal delivery services, home nurses, housekeeping services and social workers.
“The key is to marshall the resources of the government, of ground agencies, of VWOs, grassroots, and volunteers, to be able to support these senior in different ways,” he said, such as bringing them to the clinic or hospital and providing them companionship, essentially building a relationship with them.
While many VWOs already do things informally for seniors who are ageing in the community, “they find the gap is in helping the seniors- who are beginning to suffer mental disability through the onset of dementia with their finances- to buy things, groceries, to apply for home care services, home nursing services,” he said.
A 38-year-old Land Transport Authority (LTA) security auditor who preyed on young boys from mid-2015 to last March, was jailed for 15 years yesterday (Dec 3).
Soffiyan Hamzah, who went by the Facebook moniker “ItsmeDeedeeYourfrenlyfren”, had targeted 15 minors in all.
Before handing out the sentence, District Judge Jasvender Kaur said that he was a serial offender and added: “The law exists to protect young persons.”
Soffiyan pleaded guilty last month to eight counts of sexual penetration involving minors below 16, reported The Straits Times.
Seven other similar charges and 68 others of commercial sex with boys below 18 were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Four counts of sexual grooming and three charges under the Films Act, including being in possession of 453 obscene films, were also taken into consideration.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong told the court yesterday: “The accused placed all of the victims at risk of harm by exposing them to the risk of transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, as no protection was used for all of the sexual acts.”
She added that Soffiyan had told one of the victims, then 14, to do “a porn star-like pose”. He then asked him to take pictures of his own private parts.
Soffiyan also recorded a video while performing oral sex on another victim, then 17.
Soffiyan was known to his victims as “Dee or “Dee Dee”.
None of them knew his real name.
In his Facebook profile, he said that he was gay and that he would perform oral sex on anyone.
He also stated that the would pay and some of his victims were given $100 after every encounter.
He would meet the boys near MRT stations most of the time for what he would describe as his “work”.
The court heard that most of the sexual encounters took place in a toilet at JCube shopping centre in Jurong.
The case came to light when one of his victims told his teacher about the encounters.
The victim, then 15, was introduced to Soffiyan by his brother, then 16, who was another victim.
The younger boy met Soffiyan twice.
The boy’s teacher alerted the police on Mar 10 last year and Soffiyan was arrested three days later.
Read the full story on The Straits Times.
Singapore
Thursday, January 4, 2018 – 11:32
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Farah Daley
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LTA security auditor jailed 15 years for having sex with 15 boys
Once a prolific Japanese adult video (JAV) actress, Sola Aoi has since transitioned into mainstream media and gained international fame. She has starred in numerous dramas, both in Japan and other countries.
She also made her debut as a voice actress for the anime “Henkei Shoujo”, a show about girls who transform into vehicles. But her biggest announcement so far does not involve her successful career; it comes from her recent marriage to a relatively average man.
Aoi describes on a blogpost that her new husband, DJ Non, is “neither handsome nor rich,” but has helped remove her uneasiness of being the star of numerous adult films in the past.
Photo: Twitter/aoi_sola
According to the blogpost via SoraNews24, Aoi does not regret making adult films nor does she feel embarrassed about how society views them. Aoi sees her husband as an “awesome guy” for accepting her and her past.
DJ Non may not have a celebrity’s reputation as his wife. But his outlook and attitude managed to win over Aoi, nonetheless.
Despite Aoi’s success in moving away from her JAV roots, she appears to still be a one-in-a-million case. To help other JAV actresses leave behind their adult entertainment past, a new rule would give them the right to stop distribution of works where they starred in. Former JAV actresses may avail of this option once the movie has been out on the market for five years.
The new rule will take effect in spring and would automatically cover actresses who enter into contracts starting April 1, 2018, according to a report by Japanese news site Mainichi Shimbun via SoraNews24.
Prior to signing contracts, new actresses will also need to be specifically informed that adult video production involves the filming of actual and non-simulated sexual intercourse. The disclaimer also states that other people may find out about the actress’ appearance in a JAV film. The risk of sexually transmitted infection is also stipulated.
As for Aoi, she assured fans through an Instagram post that she’s still the same Sola Aoi they’ve come to love, despite her wearing a wedding band.
SINGAPORE: Reports of damaged and faulty cars from Singapore’s first electric car-sharing company should be “expected” as it can also happen with personal cars, said BlueSG on Wednesday (Jan 3).
Cases of such incidents came to light when photos of damaged BlueSG cars were posted on a public Facebook page on Sunday.
The electric car-sharing service officially launched less than a month ago on Dec 12.
When asked for the number of BlueSG cars reported damaged or faulty since its launch, BlueSG said there have been “a handful”.
On Dec 31, photos of the electric cars were posted on Facebook page SG Road Vigilante; one car had a broken front car plate and a dent on the bonnet of the car.
Channel NewsAsia understands that the incident did not result in any injuries.
One car had a dent on its license plate and the hood as well. (Photo: Facebook/Minghui Ming)
Another photo of a different car showed a black scratch on its front bumper.
One of the cars had a black scratch on its front bumper. (Photo: Facebook/Minghui Ming)
On the same day, another Facebook user Paul Chua posted pictures of the electric car being towed away at a Shell petrol station on Facebook page Singapore Taxi Driver.
The electric car was seen being towed away at a Shell petrol station. (Photo: Facebook/Paul Chua)
BlueSG said it was aware of such incidents and is working closely with its insurers and the responsible drivers.
“With more than 5,000 trips to date, it is expected that there will be few incidents as it can happen with any personal car,” said BlueSG.
The company added that it will not comment on precise figures regarding accidents.
“Nevertheless, the total number reported is in the range of a handful of cases, which needs to be related to the number of trips,” said the company.
It added that an accident with a BlueSG car “does not always involve responsibility from a BlueSG driver”.
A drunk woman screamed profanities, hit and bit two people in separate scuffles after she refused to pay her taxi fare.
The incident was first reported on Dec 8, 2016, after Stomp contributor Eyeza alerted Stomp to two viral videos of the woman’s brutal assault on a taxi driver and a female security guard.
The woman, Taiwanese broker Dina Huang Chih-Yung, 31, was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Tuesday (Jan 2) for hitting and biting the taxi driver, Mr Cheng Teck Wei, 43, on his arm on Dec 7, 2016.
Huang also received a $1,000 fine for abusing the security officer, Ms Jeiv Anay Alimithu, 39, on the same night, reported The Straits Times.
CaptionPhoto: Credits
Two other charges were taken into consideration in the sentencing.
The court heard that Huang had boarded Mr Cheng’s cab at Marina Bay Sands Tower 3 on the night of the incident.
She fell asleep after boarding cab to Skysuites@Anson condominium in Enggor Street.
Reports show that she had consumed at least 700ml of sake prior to boarding the taxi.
After reaching her destination, Huang alighted and walked away without paying the fare.
This prompted Mr Cheng to dash out of his taxi and grab Huang’s bag to prevent her from leaving.
In response, Huang hit Mr Cheng’s arm and tried to kick him as she attempted to wrestle the bag away from him.
However, Mr Cheng held onto the bag.
During the process, Huang hit Mr Cheng at least four times, and screamed at him in Mandarin, asking him to let go.
Mr Cheng compiled and released his grip.
Huang then walked away while hurling vulgarities at him.
She told Mr Cheng that she would wait for the police to arrive and that she ‘had a lot of money’.
A security supervisor attempted to mediate the situation and advised Huang to cool down.
However, Huang started to hit Mr Cheng on his arm once again while shouting vulgarities at him.
In the ensuing scuffle, Mr Cheng’s glasses fell and were chipped.
Huang then went into a Japanese restaurant nearby and complained to an assistant manager that her bag had been snatched from her.
The manager then accompanied her out of the restaurant, and Huang approached Mr Cheng again.
She and Mr Cheng became engaged in another scuffle.
Ms Jeiv Anay, a security officer who arrived at the scene, tried to calm Huang down, but was bitten in her left hand, and hit on her head.
Huang also hit her hand twice and hurled vulgarities at her as well.
When police officers arrived, they observed that Huang was reeking of alcohol.
She reportedly fell asleep as she squatted outside the Japanese restaurant while waiting for the officers to issue her a ‘case card’.
She also staggered while being handed the ‘case card’.
Huang’s lawyer, Mr Sunil Sudheesan, together with Ms Diana Ngiam, said that his client only reacted the way she did as Mr Cheng had taken her handbag.
He said that she had consumed alcohol due to work commitments, and she accepted responsibility for her actions, adding that she was very remorseful.
Mr Sudheesan revealed that Huang’s company was extremely sympathetic and supportive of her, and would continue to employ her.
Huang cried after receiving the sentencing.
She could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined up to $5,000 for causing hurt.
For abusing the security guard, she faced up to six months’ jail and a $5,000 fine.
If you’re born in the year of the Pig, you might want to note that the most auspicious time to deposit money in the bank this year is from 1pm to 2.59pm on Feb 4.
This date, known as Li Chun, marks the beginning of spring in the Chinese lunar calendar.
But don’t fret, there are other less auspicious but still favourable times to bank in your money throughout the day. Different zodiac animals will have specific auspicious timings to make deposits as well.
At least three such timetables have been released online so far, more than a month in advance of the first day of Chinese New Year, which falls on Feb 16 this year.
Many Singaporeans believe that depositing money into their bank accounts on Li Chun day will help boost one’s wealth and prosperity for the rest of the year, and long queues usually form at cash deposit machines and banks islandwide on the day.
Aside from banking in money, Li Chun is also associated with a number of other traditions. It is said that those who manage to balance an egg will be guaranteed good fortune.
However, some say the idea of ‘lucky deposits’ on Li Chun is a myth.
Whatever the case is, perhaps it’s worth remembering that for some of us, simply having money to bank in may already make you luckier than most.
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