Information from drug couriers has helped nab almost 90 traffickers since 2012, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday, as he defended the use of the death penalty for drug cases as a powerful deterrent against drug kingpins operating here.

He dismissed arguments by Nominated MP Kok Heng Leun and MP Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC) against capital punishment, saying they should focus on the victims instead of “just crying with the people in the death row”.

Mr Kok argued that “however much trust we have in our system… mistakes are unavoidable” and once execution takes place, “mistakes made cannot be corrected”.

Mr Yam said “the ultimate perpetrators… are often not the ones standing frightened at the gallows”.

Pointing to the opioid crisis in America, Mr Shanmugam said the scourge causes 33,000 deaths a year.

“For those with bleeding hearts… they should think about these 33,000 deaths. What percentage do you want in Singapore?”

He cited the 2006 murder of two- year-old Nurasyura, known as Nonoi, whose stepfather, a drug abuser, dunked her into a pail because he could not stand her crying.

In 2009,six-year-old Edy was dumped in the Kallang River by a drug user who was caring for him while his parents were in jail for drugs.

“Those who think we should go soft on drugs… what is your solution to the thousands of Edys and Nonois around the world who are neglected, abused and suffering?”

He added: “In public policymaking, you need a soft heart, you need compassion, and that is what defines a civilised human being, but you can never have a soft head. If the heart alone rules policy, you are done for.”

ashaffiq@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Apr 05, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Consumers can expect faster surfing and better connectivity following yesterday’s mobile airwave sale, which was the most aggressive auction seen in the past 16 years.

“There was aggressive bidding,” said Mr Denis Seek, M1 chief technical officer.

M1 secured blocks of spectrum in the premium 900MHz and 700MHz frequency bands, which it said will allow it to improve its 4G coverage and provide better connectivity.

It will also deploy new technologies to augment existing network capacity to support more users.

StarHub chief executive officer Tan Tong Hai said that the spectrum it secured will allow it to plan the road map for 5G services, which are said to be more than 10 times faster than 4G ones.

“The spectrum, however, came at significantly higher cost than previous auctions, due to the participation of an additional bidder, which led to intense competition among the bidders,” said Mr Tan.

Singtel – which paid the highest fees for the maximum amount of spectrum allowed for each telco – said the investment, especially in the premium 700MHz frequency band, will allow it to stay at the cutting edge of technology development.

“This investment puts us in a strong position to support the growth of IoT (Internet of Things) and 5G initiatives in the future,” said Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, Singtel Consumer Singapore chief executive officer.

IoT refers to day-to-day appliances like light bulbs, air purifiers and cameras which are connected to the Internet for remote management.

They can also be programmed to turn on, for example, when the air contains contaminants or when motion is detected.

Research firm Gartner estimates that the number of such devices globally – excluding smartphones and computers – will reach 21 billion by 2020, up from 4.9 billion last year.

Analysts also believe that the four telcos were bidding fiercely in the auction as mobile airwaves are becoming more scarce.

Mr Clement Teo, principal analyst at market research firm Ovum, said: “Telcos bid aggressively as the next available spectrum block will not be freed up from existing use until end 2021.”

UOB Kay Hian director of research Jonathan Koh said: “This is the highest price ever paid for spectrum in Singapore. It means telcos can no longer cut prices aggressively.”

Media and technology lawyer Bryan Tan of Pinsent Masons MPillay said that having a fourth player in the market, TPG, may put a cap on price hikes.

“A new telco is supposed to bring about more competition, not less,” he said.

itham@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Apr 05, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Planning your holidays for 2018 but not sure when to book your leave? This may help.

The Ministry of Manpower has released the dates for the 11 gazetted public holidays next year.

There are four holidays which fall on either a Monday or Friday, they are:

1. New Year’s Day (Mon, Jan 1)

2. Chinese New Year (Fri, Feb 16)

3. Good Friday (Fri, March 30)

4. Hari Raya Puasa (Fri, June 15)

However, five holidays fall on either a Tuesday or Thursday, meaning you could utilise five days’ of leave to get five more long weekends. Yay!

According to our survey, the top destinations for AsiaOne readers during long weekends are Bangkok and Malacca. What are yours? Tell us here.

candicec@sph.com.sg