Singapore – It was deemed as a landmark victory, when in 2011, Madam Choo Hong Eng won her battle against Marina Bay Sands casino in claiming the full amount of her $410,000 winnings from hitting the jackpot at a slot machine. The casino had initially denied her of her winnings by offering a car worth $250,000, claiming a malfunction with their slot machine.
Better known as “Jackpot Aunty”, Madam Choo’s high profile battle with the casino drew even more attention when she decided to give all her winnings to various charity organisations and support charitable deeds. Since then, her charity work has drawn much attention, to the extent that some call her an attention seeker trying to boost the reputation of her vegetarian eateries chain.
In the seventh episode of “The Newsmaker”, the outspoken Madam Choo shares her joys and woes of the attention her high-profile charity deeds has brought her, and how that has not stopped her from rallying for support to do more good.
“The Newsmaker” (封面人物) is one of 10 SPH-produced short form digital video series as part of a pilot Public Service Broadcast initiative. In this 13-part series, people who have made news headlines in the past share with the host Fred Lai (Content Producer, Chinese Media Group Digital) how the news events changed their lives and how they have been coping since then. All episodes come with English subtitles.
This series is also available on the zaobao.sg website and mobile app.
SINGAPORE – The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has revealed images of a decal which private-hire drivers have to display on their car’s windscreens from July 1.
The 14cm by 10cm plastic display – about twice the area of a road tax disc – must be pasted on the front and rear windscreen. The decal is tamper-evident, which means enforcement officers will be able to tell if it is removed and re-pasted.
The LTA said the measure is “to allow for easier identification of registered private-hire cars, and facilitate enforcement against offences such as unregistered cars providing chauffeured services, or private hire cars picking up passengers by street-hail”.
Owners of private-hire cars registered with the LTA on or before Feb 28, 2017, will have their first pair of tamper-evident decals affixed at no cost.
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Owners who registered their vehicles after Feb 28 will have to get the decals affixed at $20 (including GST).
They can only obtain and get their decals affixed at the following locations from next Monday (April 17):
– Vicom/JIC inspection centres
– STA inspection centres
– Uber and Grab affixing centres
Failure to affix these decals will be an offence under the Road Traffic Act. More details on the penalties will be made known at a later date.
Letters have been mailed to all registered private-hire car owners to inform them of the requirement.
The tamper-evident decals will be inspected when private-hire cars undergo regular vehicle inspections. If a decal has been tampered with, the vehicle owner will not be allowed to renew road tax for the vehicle.
This article was first published on April 13, 2017. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
SINGAPORE – Three dental surgeons and a manager from a dental company were charged in court on Thursday (April 13) with abetment by conspiracy to cheat the Central Provident Fund Board by submitting multiple fraudulent Medisave claims.
Cecil Goh Chin Chye, 47, The Smile Division’s group managing director, and Yeo Meow Koon, 46, the group practice manager, face 612 charges each, while dentists Daniel Liew Yaoxiang, 35, and Steven Ang Kiam Hau, 42, are accused of 280 and 283 charges respectively.
The total amount disbursed in Goh’s case was about $900,000. Court documents show that he was involved in treating two patients in 49 charges.
In the case of Liew and Ang, the total amounts paid out were $388,700 and $434,241 respectively.
The alleged offences took place between 2011 and 2014 and involved 29 patients altogether.
Except for Ang, the other three are also accused conspiracy to commit forgery for the purpose of cheating.
Court documents say that Liew, Yeo and Goh abetted by scheming to forge the clinical notes of two patients, intending that they be used to cheat the Ministry of Health during a Professional Medisave Audit on The Smile Division @ Hougang Central Dental Surgery between Oct 30 and Nov 20, 2012 and at The Smile Division @ CCK between Nov 8 and 25, 2013.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a press release on Thursday (April 13) that it had served notices of its intended suspension of the Medisave accreditation of the three dentists.
The dentists will be given two weeks to respond to MOH. If no satisfactory explanation is given, their Medisave accreditations will be suspended from May 5 this year. This means they can continue to provide dental treatment, but will not be able to make Medisave claims on behalf of patients.
MOH added that it will refer the matter to the Singapore Dental Council, given the severity of the alleged offences.
Goh’s bail of $500,000 and Liew’s $300,000 bail were extended.
In the case of Ang, the prosecution sought court bail of $300,000.
His lawyer, Mr Wendell Wong, argued that bail should be set at no more than $200,000.
He said his client only received a fraction of the $400,000 involved.
He said the treatments were done on the patients at rates lower than the Singapore Dental Centre and they related to only 14 patients.
District Judge Christopher Goh set bail at $250,000 for Ang.
Objecting to the $100,000 bail proposed by the prosecution for Yeo, her lawyer Tan Hee Joek said his client was a mere employee and does not get any commission.
Bail of $80,000 was offered.
Mr Hamidul Haq represented Goh and Mr Chen Chee Yen for Liew.
A pre-trial conference is scheduled for May 11.
The maximum punishment for cheating is 10 years and a fine, and similarly for forgery.
This article was first published on April 13, 2017. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
SINGAPORE – A food and beverage manager, who drove a Nissan GTR reaching a top speed of 219 kmh in an illegal race that beat a Lamborghini, was sentenced to two weeks’ jail on Thursday (Apr 13).
Koo Kwok En, 37, was also fined a total $2,500 and banned from driving for 18 months after admitting to taking part in the illegal race, dangerous driving by accelerating and travelling at very high speed, and driving without insurance coverage along Seletar Link at 12.16am on May 9, 2015.
Two other counts of racing and dangerous driving at about 12.20am the same day were considered in sentencing.
The court heard that Koo, who drove his wife’s Nissan GTR, had asked Kevin Pratama Chandra, 24, to race with him in his Lamborghini.
The duo and their friends were part of a group who had parked their high performance cars along the left side of Seletar Link that day.
At that time, Traffic Police officers on anti-illegal racing operations saw the GTR and Lamborghini drive off Seletar Link in the direction of Tampines Expressway (TPE).
When Kevin gave the “OK ready” signal to start the race, the two vehicles started moving forward and accelerated rapidly, driving at very high speeds.
Initially, Kevin was ahead of Koo who eventually overtook him. The in-car camera in the GTR showed that its speed was 219kmh briefly towards the end of the race, which exceeded the speed limit of 60kmh.
Spectators cheered at the side of the road during the race.
Neither Koo nor Kevin had a permit from the police to take part in a “competition of speed”.
Koo admitted he knew that his actions had caused danger to himself and other road users.
Kevin is claiming trial and his case is at pre-trial conference stage.
Koo, represented by Mr Raymond Lye, could have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to $2,000 and banned from driving for at least 12 months for illegal racing.
The maximum penalty for dangerous driving is a $3,000 fine and 12 months’ jail, and for the insurance charge, a $1,000 fine and three months’ jail plus 12 months’ disqualification.
This article was first published on April 13, 2017. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Hundreds of congregants of the Santa Theresia Catholic Church in Semarang, Central Java, watched a performance depicting the last days of Jesus Christ by 35 youths as part of Good Friday service.
The congregants watched the performance, which was guarded by police. Security was heightened following an explosion of firecrackers near the Santo Yusuf Catholic Church in Ambarawa, dozens of kilometers south of Semarang.
“This is my first experience watching a performance on Jesus’ last days. I am grateful for the experience and have learned a positive moral lesson from it,” said Dafa, a congregant.
Semarang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Vincentius Thirdy Hadmiarso said all churches in the area were being guarded by police. No security disturbances have been reported since the explosion, he said.
A 37-year-old local, M. Fahrudin, the alleged perpetrator of the incident, has been detained.
According to residents, Fahrudin suffers from a mental illness.
“We will work with a psychiatrist to ensure [the suspect’s] mental condition],” Vincentius told The Jakarta Post.
Security has been increased for tourists at Khao Yai National Park to safeguard them from wild elephants, as several aggressive male bulls are in heat for mating.
Park official Somchat Saeli, said on Friday that Plai Junior, a 20-30 year old male elephant that is in heat has roamed out of forest for three days now, and has been seen wandering around Thung Pong Kwang meadow near Sai Sorn reservorr in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district.
Park officials have been patrolling the road that cuts through the park in Prachin Buri and Nakhon Ratchasima to look for wild elephants and advise tourists on how to observe the wildlife safely.
Somchat said park officials have put up warning signs in Thai and English to advise tourists what to do if they encounter a wild elephant while driving. They should stop their car at least 300 metres away from the elephant and, if the animal moves towards them, they should slowly reverse the vehicle and pull over at a safe distance until the elephant goes away.
He said visitors must not use flash photography to take pictures, must not use the car horn or make any loud noises to spook the animal and they must keep the car engine running at all times.
If visitors encounter an elephant after dark, the driver must use low headlights, he said. If they find themselves surrounded by elephants, they must remain calm and try to find a route with fewer animals blocking their path and leave as fast as possible.
“You can observe the elephant’s mood easily. If it is in a good mood, it will shake its ears and its tail. If it is in a bad mood, its ears will not shake, its tail will point upward and its trunk will look stiff and still,” he said.
The youngest daughter of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has posted a short video clip on Instagram showing herself sprinkling water on her father for a blessing – a traditional Songkran celebration.
In the 27-second video posted on Instagram @ingshin21 on Thursday, Paetongtarn “Ing” Shinawatra sprinkles water on her father’s hands, saying: “I wish you health. Wherever you are, you’ll always have me. Don’t be afraid. I wish you happiness every day. And I’m with you.”
She hands Thaksin a garland, which he takes and then kisses his daughter on the cheek. After that, he hands her a small square-shaped souvenir, possibly a Buddha image.
There are a few other unidentified Thai people present in the scene wearing black and white flower shirts, typical during the Songkran festival.
The caption of the video is: “Happy Thai New Year to all the Thai people.”
It is not known where the video was taken.
Hundreds of Thais both on Instagram and Facebook where the video was shared expressed support and gave blessings for the Shinawatras, especially Thaksin, who has been radically affected by the political conflict in the past decade.
He fled Thailand in 2008 before he and his wife Pojaman Na Pombejra were due to face corruption charges in court over a dubious land purchase. His wife and his three children still live in Thailand.
BANGKOK – Hoards of revellers armed with plastic water guns poured onto Thai streets on Friday (April 14) for a second day of watery warfare to ring in the kingdom’s traditional new year.
Known as Songkran, the Thai holiday is celebrated by paying respect to elders and sprinkling water over Buddha figures at local temples.
But the festival has also become one of the world’s biggest – and booziest – water fights.
Every April rowdy street parties erupt across the nation as hundreds of thousands of Thais and tourists don floral shirts and drench each other with brightly-coloured water pistols.
Similar but smaller water festivals are also held in neighbouring Buddhist countries like Myanmar and Laos.
The burst of colour was especially striking this year in Bangkok, where many people have worn only black and white for the past six months to mourn the October death of the deeply revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Many see the soggy celebration as a fun-filled respite from the sweltering heat that grips Thailand during its hot and dry season.
But the military junta that came to power in 2014 has tried – mostly in vain – to rein in the revelry with bans on skimpy clothing and restrictions on alcohol.
The generals have also struggled to curb drink driving, which surges during the holiday week, earning it a reputation as Thailand’s “Seven Deadly Days”.
Authorities reported 167 road deaths over the first three days of this year’s festival – a toll only marginally lower than the 181 deaths recorded over the same period last April.
The number of accidents was also up slightly, according to the Interior Ministry, with nearly half of the crashes involving drunk drivers.
SINGAPORE: A mosque named after Singapore’s first President Yusof Ishak was officially opened on Friday (Apr 14) by his widow Noor Aishah.
The ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister-in-Charge for Muslim Affairs Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.
The Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands will serve not only the needs of the Muslim community, but will also reach out to non-Muslims in a bid to foster multiculturalism – a value the former head of state stood firm on while he was in office.
Back in 2014 – the same year when plans for the mosque were first unveiled by Mr Lee in his National Day Rally speech – Dr Yaacob urged the mosque to hold as many programmes as possible to bring non-Muslims closer, instead of just serving the socio-religious needs of the Muslim community.
For instance, non-Muslims will be able to use some of the mosque’s new facilities, such as the multi-purpose hall and the conference room. There are also features that are signs of inclusiveness, including lifts and ramps for older worshippers, a dedicated praying area for women and more spaces for families to pray.
Members of Parliament Ong Ye Kung, Khaw Boon Wan and Masagos Zulkifli, along with several members from the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs), representatives from nearby schools, and Mr Yusof’s family members and friends from Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei were also at the opening ceremony.
Naming the mosque after the former head of state pays tribute to his contributions and is in line with the nation’s efforts to honour its pioneers, said the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS).
The prayer space of the mosque was consecrated by Singapore’s Mufti Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram. It will be able to accommodate 4,500 people and will help ease the crowd situation at An-Nur Mosque, which was previously the only mosque serving the Woodlands and Admiralty areas. The new mosque will also help meet the increasing demand for prayer spaces.
What’s unique about this mosque is its look – it breaks away from the grand domes and instead, has the feel of a Malay house. The design of the mosque drew inspiration from Mr Yusof’s official and private residences, and blends traditional mosque characteristics with the heritage of the “Malay world”, the Nusantara.
The colours used on the stained glass windows in the mosque represent Islamic and Malay art heritage. (Photo: MUIS)
The Yusof Ishak Mosque, which cost S$18 million to build, is one of 71 mosques in Singapore and the 26th to be funded by the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund, which all working Muslims in the country contribute to.
SINGAPORE — Type in @muffincan into a Google search, and you’ll find pictures of Muffin, a Shih Tzu with over 63,000 followers on Instagram.
The nine-year-old dog (a male which loves eating, according to its Instagram introduction) belongs to Can Zhi Ying, a freelance art teacher.
The dog is pictured eating treats, licking its nose, and wearing ridiculously adorable outfits, from a “mermaid” suit to hats and bow ties.
Can, 28, started Muffin’s feed in 2013. Her mission was to make him famous.
“I noticed that dogs were very popular on Instagram and thought that Muffin could be famous, too,” said Can, who got Muffin from a Pasir Ris pet seller for S$1,200.
“Muffin has many cute quirks,” she said. “He often sticks out his tongue, so it looks as though he’s smiling all the time,” she said.
She, and other pet owners with animals that are popular on Instagram, will be at a meet-and-greet session on Saturday (April 14) at the second annual Pet Expo.
Her strategy was to amplify the cute factor with accessories that she owned, but was not using. Hair ties, clips with flowers on them and more have all been used on Muffin.
Can started with 300 followers, but that number jumped to a few thousand after one picture was reposted by Barkbox, an American company that sells monthly subscription “boxes” with pet treats and toys. Its Instagram account currently has over 1.3 million followers, and its repost helped shoot Muffin to Insta-fame.
From then, Can began spending on costumes for Muffin. She has some 100 in a collection, ranging from suits to Halloween-themed costumes. She has spent around S$400 to build the collection.
Hashtags were key to building a following, said Can. She would use everything from #ilovemydog to #worldofcutepets.
Today, Muffin’s followers grow steadily. When Can got the feed started, she would post two to three times a day, but can sit back and relax a little now that Muffin’s fame has grown. She only posts once a day, but each post can generate at least 1,000 views.
A recent popular post, uploaded a month ago, features Muffin getting a haircut. It garnered over 1,100,000 views.
Can cannot quite put her finger on why certain videos or pictures grab attention, although trends help.
The haircut video, for example, showed Muffin getting a “round” hair cut, and perhaps that is why it got so much attention, she said. Grooming, by the way, is sponsored by her pet groomer, thanks to Muffin’s fame.
Muffin and Can will be at the Pet Expo on Saturday (April 15), along with other famous Instagram pets of Singapore.
Asked if she wants Muffin to star, say, in commercials, and Can — also has a personal Instagram feed but keeps it low-key as she is a “private” person — said that she would consider offers. But ultimately, she simply enjoys the attention Muffin gets.
“Just let him be famous,” she said.
She will be at a meet-and-greet session with other pet owners with Instagram-famous pets, at the PetExpo on Saturday (April 15).
BUNNIES AND KITTIES ON THE RISE
It is not just dogs, naturally, that steal the spotlight on Instagram.
Anything cute and furry will generate views, as Angel Liew, 21, will tell you. The trainer in an e-commerce business is the owner of two adopted rabbits, Eskimo and Kiwi, a five-year-old orange Holland lop Dutch mix and two-year-old chestnut Netherland dwarf. Pictures and videos are posted under @eskimoloaf, and the Instagram feed has some 32,200 followers, some from the US and Europe.
Liew started the account in 2014, when her friends complained that her personal feed contained too many pictures of the rabbits.
“There are many posts of them being loving and sweet together. Eskimo dotes a lot on Kiwi,” Liew enthused. Pictures and videos of them sleeping, eating and being bathed take pride of place on the account.
The post that made them famous was one of Kiwi eating a piece of coriander that really shot them to popularity.
Kiwi is “tiny and short”, Liew said. “When vegetables are large or long, he will stand on his hind legs, tilt his head back” and greedily try to eat as much as he can without stopping, she said.
The video garnered 31,687 views. It helps that Kiwi seems to enjoy Liew’s attention.
“He seems to know how to pose for photos,” she said. Her strategy is to simply let the rabbits be themselves, and let the views come in.
The key is to “build trust with your pets … (and) make them happy” as these will lead to good pictures and videos — and, eventually, fame.
“There are likes and comments coming in (all the time), and I do enjoy reading them and talking to people about (the rabbits),” she said.
One cat that is making waves in the Instagram world is KingKing, a five-year-old short haired cat. It goes by the name of @fantastic_kingdom and has some 10,500 followers.
Owned by marketing executive Chen Xiu Hui, 31, who adopted KingKing in 2012.
KingKing is the star of the account, but Chen’s other cats, KiraKira, another short-haired cat; Kismet, a flamepoint Himalayan; and Kylila, a Persian, all feature in daily posts.
The cats doing tricks, such as KingKing high five-ing Chen, will do well on Instagram, she said.
But at times, the cats just being natural also generate hype.
The most popular video post for the feed is a video of Kylila watching a YouTube video of birds. “She looked into the screen, then turned her head to look at the camera,” said Chen, adding that it was as though Kylila was aware that it was being filmed.
The cats grooming each other, play-fighting and sleeping are all winners with viewers.
Like other pet owners, Chen gets a thrill out of her pets being conversation-starters.
“I’ve been keeping cats for the past 15 years. Before Instagram, I’d post pictures of them on Facebook, and share cute things about them with my friends,” she said. “Now, I get people from all over the world becoming aware of them.”
Pet Expo is on from April 14 to April 16 at Singapore Expo Hall 7. The meet and greet will be held on April 15, from 4pm to 5pm.
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