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PETALING JAYA: Singapore’s Mediacorp Channel 5 and Singaporean comedian Najip Ali have apologised for a comedy segment that poked fun at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
In a joint statement with Najip on Wednesday, Mediacorp’s chief customer officer Debra Soon admitted that the episode, which aired Wednesday last week, made references to the Prime Minister which were in “poor taste and offensive.”
“Channel 5 and the production team behind OK Chope! wish to sincerely apologise to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak for a segment on last week’s episode,” said Soon.
“We have thus pulled it from repeat telecast with immediate effect,” she added.
In the offending episode of the comedy panel show OK Chope!, Najip hosted a segment where participants were asked to fill in the blank to complete the sentence “Najib slams … for threatening Malaysia’s progress. “
The responses he received later brought in complaints from viewers.
In the joint statement, the comedian said he had spent the last few days reflecting on the comments referencing Najib he made during the segment.
“I realise how insensitive and callous I was,” said Najip, adding that he apologised unreservedly for the mistake.
The comedy segment drew the ire of Persatuan Seniman Malaysia, which on Tuesday demanded that Najip apologise by Friday, failing which the association would lodge a police report against him.
OK Chope! is a weekly live comedy panel show that looks at the funny side of current affairs. Host Vernetta Lopez and her panellists Najip, Mike Kasem, Rishi Budhrani and Sam See, attempt to ‘chope’ each other, to give their take on the latest happenings in social media, news and pop culture.
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Bangkok – Thai police are seeking ten soldiers over the fatal beating of a 22-year-old army conscript in a military prison, as the ruling junta races to limit damage from the latest abuse scandal to hit the armed forces.
The April 1 death emerged just as officers launched an annual draft that will see some 100,000 men aged 21 and over conscripted into the military for up two years.
Private Yutthakinun Boonniam, 22, died one day after he was brought to hospital from the army prison in southern Surat Thani province.
Read also: Thailand army recruit killed for waking up late, grieving mother says
Doctors said he suffered kidney failure after a sustained beating by a hard object.
Images purportedly of the victim circulated on social media showed his face swollen nearly beyond recognition.
His mother has told local media her son was beaten in the military prison for minor disciplinary offences including oversleeping and missing guard duty.
“Police have submitted the evidence and names of five army officers and five privates… to ask for arrest warrants against them,” Surat Thani’s police chief Apichart Boonsrirote told AFP on Wednesday.
“Based on police’s investigation they are involved with the victim’s death,” he added.
The death is a public relations disaster for the army as draws on young Thai conscripts to fill its ranks.
Thailand’s army chief moved quickly to condemn the death and assured the public of a swift and impartial investigation.
But rights groups have slammed the incident as the latest example of torture and abuse in the Thai military, which has run the country since a 2014 coup.
“The Thai army faces a chronic inability to end abuses against its conscripts,” said Human Rights Watch Asia director Brad Adams, blaming a “culture of impunity”.
The watchdog noted that there has been “no progress” in the prosecution of soldiers allegedly responsible for the death of another private in June 2011.
Thailand’s military has also been repeatedly accused of extrajudicial killings and torture of civilians.
The military is investigating the fatal shooting in March of Chaiyaphum Pasae, a young community campaigner in the north of the country.
But the majority of allegations of army abuse and impunity come from the insurgency-torn ‘Deep South’ of the country, where allegations of killings of unarmed or innocent civilians are rife.
Yet no military personnel have ever been brought to justice over abuses in the southern conflict.
Manila – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte faced criticism on Wednesday for defending adultery by a powerful political ally.
Duterte had said that like himself, House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez — who has made public his extramarital affairs — had “many wives”.
“This is a world of hypocrisy. Who among you here does not have a mistress?” the president said in a speech aired live on television on Tuesday night, adding it was “a non-issue”.
The comments drew sharp rebukes in the conservative and mainly Catholic nation that remains the last holdout against divorce — apart from the Vatican itself.
“All of it is sexist and misogynistic to explain improper behaviour simply by virtue of being male,” Senator Risa Hontiveros told AFP.
“It sends a message that undermines the many struggles and gains so far for women’s rights and gender equality.”
Alvarez, the country’s fourth-highest official, is an old friend and political ally of Duterte.
The politician made headlines in the past week when he publicly admitted having sired eight children, six of them with two women other than his wife.
Duterte, in the televised speech to government employees in Manila, admitted his comments defending Alvarez’s affairs were “a chauvinist statement”.
“But really there are so many women and you (have) so short a time in this world. My God!” he said in comments that drew laughter from the crowd.
“The thing there is that you’re able to support the children. That’s it.”
Duterte said that unlike married Christian Filipinos who are allowed a single wife, Alvarez “never converted to Christianity. So he is not bound by the rules of the number of women that you can have.”
Filipino critics dispute his comments, saying that while Muslim men are allowed to marry more than once, adultery is a criminal offence.
Duterte, 72, whose first marriage was annulled and who is in a long-term relationship with another woman, has openly boasted about having mistresses and using Viagra to have sex with them.
“Who isn’t entitled to happiness? Ask these lawmakers, how many of them have two, three or four mistresses? Ask them,” Duterte said on Sunday in his first public comments on the Alvarez controversy.
Duterte’s defence of adultery smacks of a double standard, said Elizabeth Angsioco, national chairwoman of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines.
“These are men in positions of power so it’s unacceptable and appalling that they just speak lightly of these things. It’s very dangerous,” Angsioco added.
Duterte was elected by a landslide last year largely on a promise to kill tens of thousands of drug dealers and other criminals.
During the election campaign, the US and Australian ambassadors criticised Duterte for saying he had wanted to rape a “beautiful” Australian missionary who was murdered in a 1989 provincial prison riot in the city where Duterte was mayor.
He reacted angrily to that criticism, saying his remarks had been misinterpreted.
After serving in the public sector for 36 years, Singapore’s first female Permanent Secretary will retire from the administrative service.
Ms Lim Soo Hoon, Permanent Secretary (Finance) (Performance) at the Ministry of Finance, will retire on April 30, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a press release yesterday.
After her retirement, the 58-year-old will continue to contribute to the public sector as a senior fellow of the Civil Service College.
She will also continue as chairman of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) Board.
Ms Lim served in various capacities in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Communications and Information and the former Ministry of Labour.
In 1999, she became the first female officer to become Permanent Secretary.
As Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development, she strengthened social policies and spearheaded programmes such as the Singapore Sports School and the development of policies to promote pro-family practices like work-life balance.
She held several roles in her distinguished career, helping set key human resource policies for the public sector as Permanent Secretary (Public Service Division), Prime Minister’s Office, in 2005.
In this role, she helped establish milestone development programmes for senior leaders, roll out re-employment policies for older workers in response to an ageing population, and looked at job redesign to help provide junior staff with more employable skills.
In 2012, Ms Lim was appointed Permanent Secretary (Finance) (Performance) in the Ministry of Finance, where she oversaw the ministry’s central role in creating a high-performance government through efficient use of resources and integrating key programmes, processes and systems across government agencies.
Ms Lim also contributed to the widening of digital services in the public service and helped promote more data-sharing within the government and with the public.
She introduced a range of initiatives to raise the professionalism and capabilities of the procurement and finance specialist communities.
She also played a significant role overseeing the establishment of the Pioneer Generation Office, which has benefited many pioneers.
For her contributions, Ms Lim was awarded the Silver Public Administration Medal in 1998 and the Gold Public Administration Medal in 2004.
After she steps down, Mrs Tan Ching Yee will be the only Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.
lydialam@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 4, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Lahore, Pakistan – At least four people have been killed in a blast which appeared to have been an attack targeting a census team in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore Wednesday, officials said.
“It appears to have been an act of terrorism,” Punjab provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah said in televised comments, adding that two soldiers and two civilians had been killed.
Rescue officials and police confirmed the toll, with a police official saying the census team had been the target of the attack.
Madam Mary Ho has made about $100 just by being at home since she signed up as a “parker” in January.
The 64-year-old housewife’s Housing Board flat in Hougang is one of about 40 residential collection points under local start-up Park N Parcel that online shoppers can use to avoid missed deliveries at home.
“Parkers”, which also include 60 commercial collection points such as retail stores, minimarts and cafes, are paid $1 for each parcel delivered to their address.
For a $2.50 fee, shoppers can choose from a list of locations and collection hours on Park N Parcel’s website.
Co-founder Erik Cheong, who quit his job as a stockbroker last year to start the company, said the idea came from his girlfriend, who had her online purchases delivered to the home of her aunt, who lives three blocks away.
“I would miss deliveries because of my busy work schedule, but she (his girlfriend) didn’t have that problem. So I thought there are retirees, students and home business owners that can do parcel collection for passive income,” said Mr Cheong, 28.
Madam Ho receives between 30 and 50 parcels a month.
The service, which was launched in January and has had about 500 users, aims to triple its number of collection points to 300 by year end.
“Our goal is to have two to three per block, so you can pick up (parcels) from as close as your next-door neighbour’s (home),” he said.
Park N Parcel conducts basic screening of residential parkers, and users also can leave reviews of parkers on the website.
It is one of several players in the logistics industry that have turned to self-collection solutions for parcels in the growing e-commerce marketplace.
Most of these solutions involve self-collection lockers, such as SingPost’s POPStations, which have grown to a network of 143 locations since 2013.
Items from more than 10 partner merchants, including Taobao, Uniqlo and Zalora, can be delivered to a selected POPStation at no extra charge.
Missed SingPost deliveries can be collected from nearby POPStations, where the collection rate is more than 99 per cent, said SingPost.
Local logistics start-up blu, which provides end-to-end services for retailers such as warehousing, order and inventory management, automated fulfilment, and last-mile delivery, launched its bluPort parcel terminals last October. There are 41 of these terminals, offering same-day self-collection for purchases from local retailers within its network.
“The potential for home-grown e-commerce is huge, but it has remained largely untapped due to the persistent and costly fragmentation in the supply chain,” said blu’s founder Prashant Dadlani.
Logistics firm Ninja Van launched Ninja Collect, a network of about 20 lockers and 100 commercial collection points for its deliveries in 2015, and aims to double these by the end of the year.
Self-collection helps to make deliveries more efficient as volumes are consolidated, it said.
The firms said they are supportive of the planned nationwide locker system announced last year, which will maintain competition while ensuring the inter-operability of lockers by different market players.
Discussions on the model to be adopted are ongoing, according to the Infocomm Media Development Authority, which is the lead agency for the project.
Human resources executive Joy Tan, who picked up a parcel from Park N Parcel’s Madam Ho last week, said it reduced the hassle of missed deliveries and long waits at the post office.
Said the 28-year-old: “It’s a lot more convenient, as I can pick it up after work or at the weekend.”
Parcel pick-up solutions
PARK N PARCEL
BLUPORT
POPSTATION
NINJA COLLECT
tiffanyt@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 4, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
The woman was blamed by her mother-in-law for giving birth to a son with autism.
She, too, felt she had done something wrong for having a disabled child.
A child with autism may have difficulties expressing himself or communicating with others.
She became depressed.
Her husband, a taxi driver, stayed out to escape from the misery at home.
The family also turned vegetarian “to atone for their sins”, hoping this would improve the boy’s condition.
At times, overwhelmed by his behaviour such as scratching or banging of doors, the family caned him, which made things worse.
Recounting the story, Ms Woo Pei Foon, head of family services at St Andrew’s Autism Centre, said the child, who is now a teenager, is attending the autism school run by St Andrew’s.
This is one example of a family crumbling under the strain of raising a child with special needs, although the St Andrew’s staff are helping them manage their turmoil and handle the boy better.
Across Singapore, many other families struggle daily with caring for loved ones with special needs.
The birth or diagnosis of a child with a disability – or multiple disabilities – brings about severe challenges and much grief, which is often left unsaid and buried deep within.
Parents also wrestle with anger, guilt and denial.
This struggle could go on for years and blow up in big or small ways, if not addressed.
Mrs June Tham, a veteran in the special needs field, said: “When a child is diagnosed, it’s the loss of their hopes and dreams for the child. Parents would ask, ‘Why me? What did I do wrong? Will my child have a future?'”
Finances are also tight, as the mother often gives up her job to care for her child.
Weighed down by caring for a child who may never be independent, coupled with existing marital woes, some marriages collapse, social workers say.
So it came as no surprise when a large-scale survey commissioned by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) found that caregivers of those with disabilities experienced a higher level of stress and strain than the average person.
Those working with children with special needs know of mothers who fell into depression and, in a few tragic cases, either killed themselves or their child.
In 2014, the mother of a seven-year-old autistic boy pushed him out of their ninth-floor window to his death.
The mother, who was diagnosed with major depression and had defaulted on treatment, was reportedly seized by thoughts that her son was the reason for her exhaustion and marital woes.
So, providing support for caregivers to help them cope is critical, especially before they get to breaking point.
It is also critical for the well-being of the child with special needs and other children in the family.
Last month, NCSS said it was developing a network of support for caregivers and will set up a Disability Caregiver Support Centre.
The centre aims to reach out to parents whose children were recently diagnosed with special needs as they often struggle with accepting and coping with the diagnosis, thus affecting family relationships.
It also wants to help ageing caregivers of adults with disabilities, who may experience burnout after decades of caregiving.
The centre will work with agencies such as special education schools to link parents to counselling, peer support groups and other help.
It will also drive research in the area and pilot new initiatives with social service organisations to support caregivers, among other things.
This new centre signals the ramping up of support for caregivers, which is much needed.
Now, some charities serving those with disabilities are already providing some support for caregivers, but more can be done.
For example, groups like St Andrew’s Autism Centre and the Down Syndrome Association have support groups for caregivers to share experiences and learn how to better look after their children.
There are also training courses run by various groups to better equip caregivers in their roles.
Traditionally, parents get some time off from caregiving when their children are in school or at day activity centres, where therapy and other services are provided.
In the past few years, a few charities have initiated respite programmes on weekends, where parents get short breaks to rest, relax and recharge.
Parents can leave their special needs children at AWWA on Saturdays for a few hours.
There is a $10 registration fee and the service is free.
Short breaks do wonders to prevent burnout, social workers say.
What is needed is more respite services that are affordable and accessible.
Any other support services for caregivers also have to be affordable, as many families with special needs members have stretched finances.
But beyond the provision of services, the challenge is also to convince parents – who often neglect their own needs – to use respite and other support services.
The other challenge is to find adults with disabilities who are not using any services, and their caregivers, who may need help but do not know where to go for aid.
To this end, more outreach work is needed.
Reaching out to these families cannot be done by social workers alone, but by grassroots volunteers and even neighbours, who can all be trained to look out for them.
Finally, the Government’s drive to promote inclusiveness and enhance understanding of the various disabilities has to be an ongoing one.
Mothers get no peace of mind if family members continue to point fingers at them for the children’s condition.
Parents may think twice about taking their children out if members of the public stare at them or make unkind remarks.
A 56-year-old housewife, who wanted to be known only as Madam Neoh, is used to people staring at her 22-year-old son, who suffers from cerebral palsy and cannot communicate.
She is thankful for a supportive husband and in-laws.
Still, it is exhausting to attend to her son’s every need, from taking him to the toilet to feeding him.
Money is also a concern as her driver husband earns about $2,000 a month, and she constantly worries about who will care for her son after their deaths.
Twice a week, AWWA staff visit her home to provide physiotherapy and other therapy services for her son.
The service is highly subsidised and she pays less than $40 a month.
Madam Neoh said: “I have no free time of my own but when the AWWA staff are at my home, I can relax or do some housework.”
theresat@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 4, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
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Samsung announces availability of Galaxy S8, S8+ and Galaxy Tab S3 in Singapore
Samsung today announced the availability of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, the smartphone that pushes the boundaries of traditional smartphones with its seamless hardware design and variety of new service offerings.
Seoul – Nuclear-armed North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, in what analysts said was a warning ahead of a China-US summit at which Pyongyang’s accelerating atomic weapons programme is set to top the agenda.
South Korea’s defence ministry said the missile – launched days after Pyongyang warned of retaliation if the global community ramps up sanctions – had flown 60 kilometres (about 40 miles).
The incident represented a “threat to the peace and stability of the whole world”, Seoul said, while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe labelled it a “grave provocation”.
In a terse statement, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: “The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.” The launch – a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile – will fuel international concerns about the hermit state’s weapons programme.
Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.
– Trump-Xi meeting –
The latest launch came after President Donald Trump threatened the US was prepared to go it alone in bringing the North to heel.
His comments, in an interview with the Financial Times, were interpreted as an effort to up the pressure on Beijing ahead of a summit on Thursday and Friday.
Trump will host China’s President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for their first face-to-face meeting, where the growing tensions on the Korean peninsula are expected to be high on the agenda.
The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted that Beijing holds the key to stopping its errant neighbour and is not doing enough to control it.
China is North Korea’s sole major diplomatic friend and a key trading partner that supplies the isolated state with much of its hard currency in the face of stringent global sanctions.
But Beijing is wary of putting too much pressure on North Korea for fear of the unpredictable consequences if the regime collapses.
Chang Yong-Seok, a researcher at the Seoul National University’s Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, said the missile test was Pyongyang’s way of warning China and the US.
It was “a show of force to demonstrate its might against potential extra deployment of US troops and weapons near the peninsula”.
“There is a possibility that the North may take it up a notch and stage another nuclear test … depending on the outcome of the summit.”
– ‘Reckless’ –
North Korea’s foreign ministry on Monday assailed Washington for its tough talk and for an ongoing joint military exercise with South Korea and Japan which Pyongyang sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion.
The “reckless actions” are driving the tense situation on the Korean peninsula “to the brink of a war”, a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.
The idea that the US could deprive Pyongyang of its “nuclear deterrent” through sanctions is “the wildest dream”, it said.
The hardened US stance followed recent North Korean missile launches that Pyongyang described as practice for an attack on US bases in Japan.
In February the North simultaneously fired four ballistic missiles off its east coast, three of which fell provocatively close to Japan.
Last August Pyongyang also successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile 500 kilometres towards Japan, far exceeding any previous sub-launched tests, in what the North’s leader Kim Jong-Un hailed as the “greatest success”.
A nuclear-capable SLBM system would take the North’s threat to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a “second-strike” capability in the event of an attack on its army bases.
Analysts say that while Pyongyang has made faster progress in its SLBM system than originally expected, it is still years away from deployment.
Pyongyang is barred under UN resolutions from carrying out ballistic missile launches or nuclear tests.
