SINGAPORE — DBS Paylah! users will have an additional method for cashless transactions via QR codes on their Paylah! mobile application, the bank announced on Thursday (April 13).
Citing low barriers to entry, DBS said in a press release that the use of QR codes will allow small businesses and even hawker stalls to adopt cashless payments without the need to lease payment terminals or pay for wiring.
To receive payments, merchants or individuals can use DBS PayLah! to generate their own QR code, which they can display at their premises or send to others via social or online channels. To pay, customers can use the app to scan the QR code and proceed to make a payment. For instance, a customer who purchases an item for $10 can scan the merchant’s QR code with the PayLah! app to make payment to the merchant. As such, small businesses may still adopt cashless transactions without the need to set up payment terminals.
In addition, QR code payments through PayLah! on NETS terminals at over 2,000 merchants will be made available within the next two months, and the bank plans to increase the number of merchants to 10,000 by the end of the year.
QR code transactions will be made available to all PayLah! users, including non-DBS/POSB customers, as long as they have a registered bank account that offers offers FAST (Fast And Secure Transfers) services in Singapore and a valid smartphone with a Singapore registered 8-digit mobile number.
According to DBS, the PayLah! mobile wallet currently has half a million users.
A Chinese national who colluded with a casino dealer to pay him extra cash chips while playing at the casino tables was jailed for 15 weeks yesterday.
Li Zhifen, 25, a student, had admitted to 20 charges of colluding mostly with Jiang Kaiwan, 24, then a dealer with Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino, to get money from playing at Baccarat and Sic Bo tables at the casino between April 14 and May 3 last year.
Fifty-nine other charges were taken into consideration.
Jiang, who was dealt with earlier, was jailed for about 10 months for criminal breach of trust and colluding with Li and Chinese national Dong Hao, 23, also a student, to overpay them chips.
He had pleaded guilty last year to 20 of 90 charges involving $138,275.
Dong has been dealt with, having served eight weeks’ jail on six of 19 charges.
A district court heard that Jiang would either overpay winning wagers to Li at casino tables he operated or omit to take his losing bets, and might even pay out on Li’s losing bets.
Whenever Li wanted to change chips, Jiang would give him extra chips.
The chips would then be converted to cash at the casino.
In April last year, Li roped Dong into the fraudulent practice.
After each scam, the trio would meet in the toilets of MBS’ hotel tower to split the proceeds.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Randeep Singh Koonar said that some time in March last year, Jiang told Li he had unintentionally overpaid a patron at one of the tables and it was not discovered by MBS management.
After a discussion, the duo hatched the fraudulent practice to overpay chips.
In total, the three men caused the casino to lose $19,700.
Restitution amounting to $20,275 was made collectively by the trio on May 30 last year.
In mitigation, Li’s lawyer Alagappan Arunasalam said his client was a “passive follower” of Jiang, who was the mastermind and had used his client to take revenge on his employers.
He said Jiang was unhappy with the casino for the way it had handled and sided with unruly patrons whenever disputes involving Jiang occurred.
Li, he added, is remorseful for his actions, is of very good character, and has spent his free time helping out in charitable institutions.
The maximum penalty is a $150,000 fine and seven years’ jail on each charge.
Two Russians used high-tech tools for slot-machine scam
Student from China, Russian syndicate members jailed; others involved in the scams have already been dealt with
Two more syndicate members were jailed yesterday for using sophisticated technology to record gaming machines at casinos and later predicting the next mass payout of the machines.
Russians Vladislav Logachev, 41, and Andrei Egorov, 33, were sentenced to 45 months and 30 months in prison respectively.
Their accomplice, Czech national Radoslav Skubnik, 41, was jailed for 22 months last year.
Logachev had pleaded guilty to six of 16 charges while Egorov had admitted to three of 13 charges.
Over three days in May last year, the trio won $108,995 from cheating at play at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa casinos.
The court heard that some time in 2012, Skubnik joined a Russian syndicate operating in casinos in the United States, Europe and Macau, targeting slot machines from certain manufacturers.
Syndicate members would form teams consisting of “a master” (team leader) and “players”.
After using the devices to record the play patterns of slot machines, the master would upload the information to an unknown server for analysis and decoding.
The decoded data was then sent back to the master, who in turn distributed it to the players.
Armed with the decoded data, players returned to the same slot machines with the devices, which would alert them to when the next big payout was going to be made.
Logachev taught Skubnik and Egorov how to use the devices in Russia.
Skubnik was then sent to carry out the scam in casinos in Europe and Macau.
At the end of each job, each player would get 10 per cent of the winnings while the master would get 15 to 20 per cent, with the remainder going to the syndicate.
Some time in March last year, Logachev arranged for some syndicate members to travel to Singapore.
The members used their devices to record the play patterns on specific slot machines at the casinos.
These recordings were then analysed and the data was given to Logachev while he was in Russia.
Logachev then brought the analysed data in a laptop to Singapore.
All three arrived in Singapore on May 5 last year to commit cheating at play.
An MBS security officer alerted police to the scam on May 8.
All the winnings have been recovered by the police.
Logachev and Egorov’s sentences were backdated to May 10.
They could have been fined up to $150,000 and/or jailed for up to seven years on each charge.
elena@sph.com.sg
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 is a tapestry of languages, each with its own unique syntax and history. Some are endangered while others are thriving. In the latest instalment of a weekly series, we look at Bengali.
The Nobel Prize may be the highest accolade a writer could aspire to.
But for Rabindranath Tagore – the first non-European to win the prize in 1913, when he was 52, for poetry that the Swedish Academy in Stockholm said was profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful – the honour pales in comparison to how he is revered by Bengalis the world over.
“Tagore is the root of all,” says Mr Subhendu Mukherjee, a regular adviser and coordinator of Bengali cultural performances in Singapore.
The 49-year-old, who has been playing the tabla, a traditional percussion instrument, since he was a young child, adds for emphasis: “Tagore is everything.”
A senior piping engineer by trade, he explains that Tagore, often called the bard of Bengal, reshaped Bengali-language literature and performance art throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, up till his death in 1941.
“Almost all of the classical Bengali songs that we perform regularly today came from Tagore.”
It is known that Tagore wrote and composed at least 2,000 songs, spanning a wide range of topics, from Indian independence to the natural environment of the Bengal region.
Tagore’s dominance in classical Bengali literature and music, Mr Mukherjee adds, arose from a colossal body of work that was consistently masterful in its use of the “sweet” language.
Says Mr Mukherjee: “Bengali has a certain softness to its pronunciation, accent and tone.”
Agreeing, business analyst and recreational Bengali dancer Suchan- dra Saha, 35, adds: “I would compare Bengali to French in terms of how poetic it is as a language.”
The Kolkata native, who learnt Bengali dance throughout her formative years, says her favourite Bengali word is coincidentally “mishti”, which means “sweet”.
Mr Mukherjee and Ms Saha were rehearsing a song and dance routine at the Singapore Indian Development Association’s compound in Beatty Road.
The routine will be performed by their ensemble at the Bengali Association Singapore’s (BAS’s) annual Noboborsho celebration concert, to be held at the Singapore Chinese Girls’ School on April 22.
Noboborsho is the Bengali new year, which falls on April 15 this year. BAS is a non-profit organisation dedicated to celebrating and preserving Bengali culture and values locally, through performances and gatherings during holidays such as Holi, the festival of colours.
Performed mostly to music composed and written by Tagore and, occasionally, his contemporary, Kazi Nazrul Islam, classical Bengali dance is characterised by its extensive use of gentle, swaying movements, says Ms Saha.
“Rabindric dance, as this form of dance is called, is very atmospheric, just like the music and lyrics accompanying it,” she adds.
“I stopped dancing because of work, but I decided to start again around three to four years ago to help preserve Bengali tradition in my own way.”
Dancers rehearsing their routine for the Bengali Association Singapore’s annual Noboborsho celebration concert, to be held at the Singapore Chinese Girls’ School on April 22. Inspired by the natural environment of the Bengal region, classical Bengali dance uses rhythmic, graceful movements, often set to the songs of Rabindranath Tagore.Photo: The Straits Times
Even non-Bengali speakers, such as music teacher Anand Dhamelia, who holds a master’s degree in tabla, have chipped in to help.
He will play the keyboard for the ensemble at the Noboborsho celebrations. Despite being a speaker of Hindi and Gujarati instead, the 36-year-old native of Gujarat state has performed at various BAS events for almost a decade, having discovered the association and Bengali music through his friends.
“I like listening to the rhythm and melody of the songs,” he says, adding with a grin: “Music is the universal language.”
The Bangla Language and Literary Society Singapore (BLLS) School, established in 1994 to teach Bengali as an Education Ministry-approved second language for students in local schools, exemplifies the Bengali community’s commitment to their mother tongue.
The school’s enrolment has expanded from 45 students in its first year to more than 600 today, vice-principal Shabnam Akhter, 64, says. The textbooks and mastery books used by the school were designed in collaboration with the Education Ministry.
“We try to incorporate Bengali culture into these books, including some poems by Tagore,” she says, though students are also exposed to a wider variety of work beyond Tagore.
Nevertheless, she says, Tagore’s works are regularly performed by students when the school celebrates International Mother Language Day on Feb 21 annually.
“We celebrate the Bengali language and culture in a grand manner, through music, dance and poetry recitations,” she says of the latest edition that saw more than 600 performers and audience members.
“Tagore was very inspirational in the independence (struggle) of Bangladesh and his words were very powerful in getting people to stand up for their rights.”
However, not all is rosy with Bengali-language teaching in Singapore.
Ms Akhter is concerned that children of Bengali-speaking foreigners and permanent residents will start to lose touch with their mother tongue.
She says that, of late, some of these children are either on a long wait list or have not been able to secure admission into local schools, where they can elect to learn Bengali as their compulsory mother tongue.
This has meant that some parents have resorted to placing them in international schools, many of which do not offer the language.
“The parents have to pay extra for Bengali lessons on top of the international schools’ fees,” she says.
“We are very concerned because we need new students to carry on our lessons and we do not wish for the numbers to go down.”
Facts and figures
ORIGINS
Bengal is a geographical area that encompasses the nation of Bangladesh and, in India, West Bengal, Tripura and the southern part of Assam.
The main language is Bengali, which is also the national language of Bangladesh.
NUMBER OF SPEAKERS
According to statistics by language journal Ethnologue in 2015, there are 245 million Bengali speakers worldwide.
In Singapore, there are no clear figures on the Bengali- speaking population as they are not tracked in the 2010 census.
Bengalis are considered as “Other Indians”, of whom there are more than 80,000.
WHERE TO LEARN IT
The Bangla Language and Literary Society was set up to provide Bengali-language instruction from primary school to junior college.
Bengali is a non-Tamil Indian language officially recognised by the Education Ministry as a second language.
CULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS
The Bengali Association Singapore is the largest Bengali cultural association here, with over 800 members. It holds celebrations for important Bengali holidays and observances such as Holi, the festival of colours, and Noboborsho, the Bengali new year.
hytay@sph.com.sg
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: At 21, Joseph Schooling is one of the youngest to make it to this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, a set of lists issued annually to recognise the most influential people of the moment across 10 industries.
Others include 20-year-old Chinese swimming and Internet sensation Fu Yuanhui, as well as singers Lorde and Troye Sivan.
All four were selected under the Entertainment and Sports category, which also comprises Eastern Sports Club coach Chan Yuenting, former K-pop group members Jay Park, Jessica Jung and Kris Wu, as well as Suboi, Vietnam’s “Queen of Hip Hop”.
One of China’s star swimmers Fu Yuanhui, whose onscreen manner took social media by storm during the Rio Olympics. (Photo: AFP/Philippe Lopez)
Schooling won Singapore’s first-ever Olympic gold in Rio in 2016. In a landmark year for Asia in sports, the University of Texas student outswam Michael Phelps in the 100-metre butterfly, denying the American great his 23rd gold.
Back in Singapore, Schooling received a hero’s welcome that included a victory parade plus “free flights for life” on AirAsia.
Earlier that year, Vietnamese entertainer Suboi famously rapped for then-US president Barack Obama as he beatboxed.
The 27-year-old told Forbes: “That was a life-changing moment … The most powerful man in the world comes to Vietnam and then asks you to rap for him… in Vietnamese.”
In 2015, Suboi became the first Vietnamese artist to be invited to the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.
A total of 300 individuals across 10 industries were named in the Forbes list.
Australian Kayla Itsines, who has gone on world tours to teach her brand of personal training. (Photo: Kayla Itsines’ Facebook page)
Fitness sensation Kayla Itsines, Malaysian businesswomen Neelofa and Vivy Yusof, as well as Lazada’s Martell Graf von Hardenberg were among the most influential in the Retail and Commerce category, while Chinese model Liu Wen and Korean celebrity makeup artist Pony Park represented the arts.
Assistant professor John Ho from the National University of Singapore, whose “research focuses on wireless technologies for bioelectronics” was also recognised.
I would like to add a cautionary note to Mr Teo Xiang Zheng’s letter in support of teaching philosophy in schools (Philosophy focus can come in handy; April 2).
He argues that philosophy can help foster problem-solving skills, creativity and critical thinking.
But schools have been imparting such skills for hundreds of years without teaching philosophy. Much hinges on what is meant by “philosophy”.
Academic philosophy is largely discursive, in the sense that it does not involve extensive empirical investigation.
Real-world problem-solving relies heavily on empirical analysis, and not just “armchair” reasoning.
Many philosophical questions have no immediate practical application.
For example, questions commonly discussed in academic philosophy include: “How do you know you are not dreaming now?” and “Can a robot feel pain?”
Is the discussion of such abstract questions a good use of school time?
Philosophy also asks questions of profound importance to many people, for example, on the nature of reality, the existence of God, and the difference between right and wrong.
These are not merely academic questions to most of us. They are issues that we each grapple with in our own lived experience.
However, should schools be allowed to even broach such questions to impressionable young children?
Should such matters be left to individuals to reflect on in their personal time?
How are teachers supposed to avoid inadvertently steering discussions to favour their own views on these questions? How are they to respond to parents who accuse them of doing so?
There is merit to open-ended discussion in schools, but the topics need to be carefully chosen.
They do not have to come exclusively from academic philosophy, and the inquiry can involve empirical investigation to foster a wide range of skills.
Ben Gibran
This article was first published on April 13, 2017. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
From places of worship and educational institutions to the former residences of prominent figures, 72 buildings here have been gazetted as national monuments.
This is the latest in a weekly series revisiting these heritage gems. Each is a yarn woven into the rich tapestry of Singapore’s history.
In the afternoon sun, the Church of St Teresa glows on Bukit Purmei – which means “beautiful or picturesque hill” in Malay.
From afar, the stunning building is impossible to miss. Its exterior ivory walls, rendered with fine granite chippings, conceal the interior of steel-reinforced concrete.
Two towering belfries house five bronze bells, each with its own history. Weighing between 118kg and 965kg, each has its own distinct tone and was made at the Cornille-Havard bell foundry in Normandy, France, in 1927.
The five bells cost close to 3,500 Straits dollars in total then, and were donated by parishioner Joseph Chan Teck Hee that year to the church, which was then under construction.
Each of the bells has a name inscribed on it – Teresa, Joanna, Francisca, Catharina and Rosalia – the names of Mr Chan’s five children.
The church’s imposing dome, sitting like a crown jewel, completes its Romano-Byzantine style.
The design was inspired by the iconic Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, Paris, which is also on a hill.
Said volunteer church worker Joseph Silverayan, 76: “Unlike the more modern churches, the Church of St Teresa has retained the typical church architecture since 1929.”
Inside, the church’s centrepiece is its baldachin, or canopy.
Hewn out of solid granite, it is crowned by a round dome, also known as a cupola.
Behind the baldachin, three columns of six stained glass windows adorn the plain white wall.
As sunlight pours in and accentuates the striking colours of the window images, each depicting an event in the life of St Teresa, come to life.
She was born as Marie Francoise Therese Martin and entered the Carmelite Convent at age 15 after numerous attempts.
She died of tuberculosis in 1897 at age 24.
She was canonised in 1925 and made the Patroness of Foreign Missions in 1927.
These window panels have been part of the church since they were donated by parishioners in 1931.
Meanwhile, its front altar rails and pews have been there since 1929.
The church’s stately design is a huge draw for weddings, and as many as two marriages take place there almost every Saturday, said Mr Silverayan, who has been with the church for more than 60 years.
Ms Veronica Tan, 53, who has worshipped at the church since the mid-1970s, said: “I formed friendships that last till today, met my husband and married in this church.
“Being part of the church community is like being in a kampung. We worship, learn, play, and celebrate together.”
The idea to build the church was floated in 1910, to serve Hokkien- speaking Catholics from Fujian, China, and those living in Kampong Bahru, Spottiswoode Park, Cantonment and Telok Blangah.
However, it was only in 1923 that Father Emile Joseph Mariette, the parish priest of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, began planning for the Church of St Teresa’s construction.
The plot of land on which it sits was bought in 1925 for 26,000 Straits dollars.
As it was believed to have been bought through St Teresa’s intercession, the church was named after her.
The church officially opened on April 7, 1929, nearly two years after its foundation stone was laid.
Tragically, Father Mariette was killed by a falling plank in March 1928 during its construction.
Since it opened, the church has served as a place of both worship and refuge.
During World War II, it housed women who sought protection from Japanese soldiers in Hood Lodge, an adjacent building which the church bought in 1935.
After the Japanese surrender, it housed an orphanage for 85 boys, aged between six and 14, who were affected by the war.
The church also provided shelter to stranded Caucasians during the 1950 Maria Hertogh riots.
And it later provided accommodation to those affected by the 1961 Bukit Ho Swee fire.
Today, close to 3,000 parishioners attend the church, which was gazetted as a national monument on Nov 11, 2009.
Reflecting on its history as a sanctuary, Mr Phillip Tan, a 62-year-old parishioner, said: “The church welcomes everyone, Catholic or non-Catholic. It is a gathering place where people of all faiths can eventually come together to understand and appreciate each other without prejudice.”
raynoldt@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 13, 2017. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
EVERY sport espouses virtues such as character building and team bonding, the values of integrity and sportsmanship, and the cognitive process of volition.
With rugby comes the five core values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship – developed as a tradition from the first time a young player shakes hands with his opposite number, leading to a life-long friendship.
In Singapore, we have witnessed this cementing of relationships in the way the national players of yesteryear – the likes of Natahar Bava, John Koh, Song Koon Poh, Allan Wee, Shee Lay Toon, Mohamed Rashid and Sumadi Sarkawi – have maintained their friendships with regular meetings to catch up over jugs of beer.
This bunch of “comrades” are also planning to publish a book next year to commemorate the 40th year of their historic 1978 Malaysia Rugby Union cup triumph, outmanoeuvring a taller and weightier Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment team along the way to victory under the guidance of illustrious coach Bava.
On Wednesday, at an Air New Zealand- sponsored coffee session at the InterContinental Hotel’s Baker and Cook restaurant, three All Blacks Sevens stars – Trael Joass, Sione Molia and Iopu Iopu-Aso – underlined these values as they humbled themselves to serve coffee and try their hand at preparing teh tarik to the delight of an appreciative crowd.
The unique Kiwi hospitality over flat whites, cappuccinos and lattes was also a lead-up to the eighth HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series at the iconic Sports Hub this weekend.
Rugby has a special place in the Singapore sporting landscape. It was the sport that the late former deputy prime minister and defence minister Goh Keng Swee rooted for as he campaigned for a rugged Singapore.
He initiated rugby at the Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association and encouraged schools to take up the sport. In fact, the National Schools C-Division boys still play for the Shield that’s named after him.
With that as the backdrop, Wednesday’s event had a special significance as the All Blacks stars spoke about how the game has helped not only their careers but also their lives.
Joass, a 23-year-old hard-running midfielder in the 15-a-side game, had the most inspiring story, coming back from heart surgery two years ago with the guts and gumption of true-blue rugby warrior.
He said: “I played rugby union, rugby league and football from the age of five, and I chose the first because it taught me the best values, such as friendship, camaraderie, fighting spirit and even about how to use negative energy in a positive way.
“When I was 19, it was discovered that I had a heart condition leading to feeling faint and a loss of breath. It was a low point in my career and I went through surgery. In fact, I was told that the problem was life threatening.
“But I stayed the course, lifted my spirits. Now I’m back in the grind, and I would like to give back to the sport that gave me so much.”
His remarkable comeback saw him being drafted into the national team earlier this year and he believes that the All Blacks will bounce back after going through a transition period when they lost many senior players.
So, too, the 26-year-old loose forward Iopu-Aso, who went through a severe bout of depression following a nasty run of injuries. But he soldiered on, as most rugby players do, to ensure that he was back on the playing field.
Meanwhile, three other All Blacks players – Sam Dickson, Vilimoni Koroi and Tone Ng Shiu – joined sponsor AIG in packing and distributing food parcels with charity organisation Food from the Heart for the underprivileged living in Geylang Bahru.
With Air New Zealand, the All Blacks have spent much time up in the clouds, but as the six stars who unceasingly signed autographs and posed for selfies showed on Wednesday, they have always kept their feet on the ground, as taught by the sport.
This article was first published on Apr 13, 2017. Get The Business Times for more stories.
I applaud the Government’s efforts to moderate the number of immigrants to ensure Singapore’s continued attractiveness as a place to work and live in.
However, I understand that Singapore will always need immigrants.
I suggest that we increase immigration fees to ensure that permanent residency (PR) applicants genuinely want it, and bear a larger cost of processing their cases.
Currently, PR applications cost $100.
This does not fully reflect the benefits to the applicant or the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) processing costs.
Fees for PR equivalents in developed countries in the West are much higher.
For instance, in Britain, it costs £2,297 (S$4,014) for an Indefinite Leave To Remain.
Still, applicants pay the fee because they value the benefits of the status.
Keeping such fees low results in the Singapore Government receiving more applications than it intends to grant.
Why not increase the PR application fees steadily over the years, maybe aiming for a few hundred dollars, and charge per individual, rather than a flat fee per application?
This will cut down the number of applicants who are just trying their luck, and reduce the ICA’s costs and workload.
The same can be done for citizenship application fees.
The additional revenue could be used to boost the Government’s resources or reduce fees for citizens.
Ernest Chen Zhengkai
This article was first published on April 13, 2017. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
“Exercise has helped me play better… You must be fit and be able to control your breath. Especially when the phrases are long, and when the last note is very long,” said Mr Tan.
He is as much a part of Bukit Batok as the quarry itself, having lived in the neighbourhood from the days it was a laid-back kampung and seen the beginnings of the nature park in 1988.
Mr Tan’s flute music finds an audience in former fishery wholesaler Michael Ong and his wife Phyllis Peh, who live across the road from the park, and visit the place to walk every morning.
Said Madam Peh, 54, who is a housewife: “Because of the granite, there’s this echo. It’s very different from listening to a CD at home. Every time he finishes a tune we’ll clap and he’ll feel very motivated.”
Mr Ong, 58, who visited the park for the first time only last year, after being diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer, said: “I didn’t know there was nature and fresh air so close to home.”
Despite undergoing chemotherapy, he is active and in good spirits, helped by the fresh air and long walks.
Mr Ong used to pull 16-hour workdays. Nowadays, he takes time to listen to the bubbly song of the Straw-headed Bulbul, which is found in the park and very few other places in Singapore.
Sometimes they are greeted by raucous troops of white-crested laughing thrushes with their funky white-crested heads and black eye bands.
The granite quarries of Singapore – there are at least 18 dispersed across Bukit Timah and Pulau Ubin – fuelled the country’s development from the 19th century.
Along with sand quarries in Bedok and Tampines, they supplied construction material for everything from roads and Housing Board flats to landmarks like Fort Canning and St Andrew’s Cathedral, and even the lighthouse on Pedra Branca.
It almost never crosses the mind, but granite is an essential part of everyday life.
It is everywhere – in the walls of homes and offices, in the Pan-Island Expressway that crosses the country.
You could say it is the bedrock of Singapore’s bustling economy, and much of it came from the hills in Bukit Timah and Pulau Ubin.
Granite is now imported from other countries. Although only a small fraction – perhaps less than 10 per cent by area – of Singapore’s granite had been extracted, the quarried areas were difficult to reclaim for economic use, said Mr Michael Lee, a former geologist with the Public Works Department from 1972 until the last quarry closed in 1999.
The granite workers and their machinery are long gone, but their legacy lives on in the scenic beauty of the cliffs and lakes they left behind.
Mr Wong Tuan Wah, group director of conservation at the National Parks Board (NParks), said quarrying affected Singapore’s biodiversity as natural habitats were destroyed or fragmented.
However, the agency has resurrected some quarries as nature parks with shelters and basic amenities and enhanced the habitat, such as by installing floating wetlands.
The agency also manages former quarries on Pulau Ubin for sports like kayaking and mountain biking.
In 2005, Red Bull World Cliff Diving Championship 2002 winner Joey Zuber even dove off a cliff at Kekek Quarry on Pulau Ubin to promote the sport in the region.
Quarry scenes were very different years ago, when mining activities were at their height.
Every piece of granite was born out of a “big bang” as explosives blasted them out of the rock face.
Mr Lee remembers having to deal with incidents of “flying rocks” in the course of his job to ensure that safety regulations were observed in the country’s granite quarries.
The danger zone is hard to gauge but it is on the order of a few hundred metres, he said.
But the heavy granite was worth its weight.
Singapore has two slightly different types, called Bukit Timah Granite and Gombak Norite.
The latter is harder and darker, with a higher proportion of minerals containing iron and magnesium, while the former has a higher proportion of silica.
Mr Lee said both are very durable and serve as excellent material for construction, compared with inferior materials like limestone or sandstone.
“Geology has bestowed on Singapore two resources side by side. The granite and sand industry played a significant role in building Singapore,” he said.
And as icing on the cake, the quarries can still be enjoyed by thousands today.
linyc@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 13, 2017. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Friday sees Sunrise on the Bandwagon Riverboat where you can enjoy two decks of dance and electronic music by DJs from Germany, Thailand and Singapore.
The boat will not move from Marina South Pier which means you can come and go as you please between 10pm and 8am the next morning.
Tickets are $55 on the door.
Those into local indie music will be in for a treat with the first CITY65 Music Festival on Saturday from 1pm.
This family-friendly event is $50 on the door, and takes place at Tin Hill Social Kitchen & Bar at Horse City on Turf Club Road.
On Easter Sunday, there are about 2 million buffet brunches going on! Check AsiaOne for where to makan.
For the kiddies, the Singapore Philatelic Museum will be having a day of fun family activities, live performances and egg craft from 10am for free.
If you don’t know, now you know.
To catch Simi the Party Girl, listen to her on OneFM‘s #1 Breakfast Show with Glenn Ong and The Flying Dutchman on Thursday mornings.
Find out what she gets up to on AsiaOne’s social media! Follow @sphasiaone on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and @simiaut0matic on Snapchat.
Long weekend means only one thing to our Party Girl – more time to go out and enjoy yourself! Here's what to get up this weekend from club nights to concerts. Happy Easter weekend!
