Exactly 31 years ago on this day, Mr David Yeo was resting in his Kitchener Road home at 11.25am when he heard what he thought was a bomb going off.

He ran to his balcony to see a big cloud of dust where Hotel New World stood. Then he realised: The building was gone.

Mr Yeo, then a newly married 32-year-old production supervisor, told The New Paper: “I rushed down in my singlet and slippers. Police stopped me from entering the site, but after I showed them my Red Cross (identification), they let me in to help with rescue operations.”

The Hotel New World disaster claimed 33 lives.

The six-storey building was reduced to rubble in less than a minute.

Located at the junction of Serangoon Road and Owen Road, it had housed a 67-room hotel, a branch office of the Industrial & Commercial Bank and a basement carpark.

Read also: Hotel collapse hero loses fight with cancer

Mr Yeo, now 63, said: “It was very chaotic, everybody was panicking… We could hear people crying.”

The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) volunteer since secondary school started digging into the rubble with his bare hands.

Said Mr Yeo: “You couldn’t see anything because the dust was so thick, so we had to listen out for sounds.”

He eventually helped pull several people out of the rubble. They were covered in sand, and some were bleeding badly.

Mr Yeo dug for a few hours until his hands started bleeding. Other rescuers, including those from the Singapore Civil Defence Force, continued.

He said: “It took more than half an hour to pull out each person. I would have continued, but I was very tired.”

When rescue operations ended four days later, 17 survivors had been saved.

The last survivor, a 46-year-old woman, had spent 83 hours in total darkness.

On March 21, the final 12 bodies were uncovered after workers cleared the remaining rubble and removed more than 30 cars.

Mr Yeo, who now runs a digital printing company and is also a photographer, said he is still traumatised.

Read also: 30 years after hotel New World collapse, volunteers at scene look back

He said: “When I go into dark caves overseas to take photos, I still think of being in the rubble and hearing people crying. Sad memories cannot be erased.”

His experience affirmed his decision to volunteer with SRC.

Mr Yeo said: “If you join SRC, you learn a lot of things.

“If you have basic lifesaving skills, you are prepared for any emergency.”

This article was first published on Mar 15, 2017.
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She was only 17 when the Hotel New World disaster happened.

When Red Cross volunteer Pat Jeanisa Ng, now 48, called headquarters to offer her help, she did not expect to be sent into the disaster zone.

Miss Ng, who has been with the Red Cross since Primary 2, was stationed at an Indian vegetarian restaurant across the road from the collapsed hotel.

Her job was to offer food and drinks to family members waiting for news of survivors.

When her superiors wanted people who could speak Chinese dialects, Miss Ng volunteered, not knowing what she was in for.

“I didn’t know I was going to the mortuary at first, but my seniors felt I was mature enough to speak to the families there,” said Miss Ng, who speaks Cantonese, Hokkien and Hakka.

She recalled helping an elderly widow who spoke Hakka.

The woman’s only son was working in the bank in the building.

He had just graduated from university, and she had pinned all her hopes on him.

The widow was called to identify her son’s body after a few hours. She was relieved when he was not in the first room, but she found him in the next one.

Miss Ng said: “She leaned on me and wailed. We sat her down and talked to her for a long time.

“After that, I hid in an ambulance and cried for half an hour.”

Miss Ng, an arts manager in a local theatre company, has since sat on the Red Cross Youth Council and served at the command centre for the Red Cross operation in Aceh after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

She is grateful she could help the relatives of the Hotel New World disaster victims.

“Sometimes words are not necessary. My experience back then helped me to be a listening ear and to serve the most vulnerable.”

This article was first published on Mar 15, 2017.
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Singapore needs to keep a close watch on teachings or statements that are exclusivist and divisive, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said yesterday.

These have had repercussions in other countries, he noted at a gathering of Islamic religious teachers.

“Attacks claimed to be in the name of Islam have led to a rise in Islamophobia…,” said Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security.

“More importantly, no person should spread ill will against other religions or non-believers.”

The Government takes a strong stand on such teachings or statements, and “will investigate each case carefully and take action, if necessary”.

Said Mr Teo: “It has taken many years for us to build a cohesive society, united as one people regardless of race or religion. We must focus on what we have in common rather than allow others to divide us.”

Read also: NUS suspends academic while it investigates his involvement in case of imam’s remarks

His speech in Malay was made at the annual retreat of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), a group of local Muslim scholars who spend time with terror detainees to counter their misunderstanding of religious concepts.

Mr Teo said the threat of terrorism to Singapore and the region is at its highest level in recent years. As the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) faces severe pressure in the Middle East, its fighters are likely to disperse and find new battlegrounds.

Mr Teo suggested ways the RRG could help in building a united and cohesive society.

Read also: NUS prof suspended over remarks on imam case

Firstly, it can counsel individuals at risk and detainees to support their rehabilitation.

He said they tend to be younger, have no prior terror links and were self-radicalised by extremist propaganda.

RRG co-chairman Ali Mohamed said the trend of younger people being radicalised by material on the Internet makes his group’s work more challenging.

“…The next individual to be self-radicalised could be someone dear to us,” Ustaz Ali said.

For this reason, the RRG needs to go beyond rehabilitation to strengthening the unity among communities so people embrace those from different races and religions, he added.

Read also: Inter-faith publication to be given to Unesco

His call dovetails with Mr Teo’s second point that the RRG can play a “peace-building” role, by promoting understanding among different religions.

Said Mr Teo: “By working with other communities and religious groups, we can show how Islam as a religion is inclusive and consistent with our nation’s values.”

Thirdly, the RRG can continue to strengthen the understanding of Islam in our multi-racial and multi-religious context.

The RRG also discussed ways to stay relevant and respond to the evolving landscape of terrorism, such as expanding its pool of women teachers. It began recruiting female religious teachers in 2005, and a quarter of its 44 members are women.

Ustazah Nur Irfani Saripi, 31, who joined in 2008, said the main role of women teachers used to be counselling detainees’ wives.

“But our roles have changed because we are seeing young women who are also influenced by extremist ideology.”

This article was first published on Mar 15, 2017.
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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) say they continue to feel the immediate pain of manpower constraints and high operating costs – issues they believe the Budget did not do enough to address.

The Government should provide some relief by adjusting the two to one workforce ratio of Singaporean to foreign workers, SME bosses argue.

The views were expressed yesterday at a panel discussion, where Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry as well as Culture, Community and Youth, listened to the concerns of some 300 SME owners.

One of them, Mr Nick Lee, questioned why the Government has not loosened the foreign worker levies for industries in which Singaporeans clearly do not wish to work.

This year’s Budget saw the deferring of foreign worker levy hikes for the marine and process industries, but there was no levy reduction across the board.

In response, Ms Sim reiterated the Government’s long-held decision to make sure Singaporeans make up two-thirds of the workforce.

But some flexibility would help alleviate the near-term squeeze SMEs are experiencing, said Mr Kurt Wee, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (Asme).

“We don’t want to become like Dubai, with a ratio of one local (worker) to nine foreigners.

“But it is not inconceivable that – as we have further developed our infrastructure – we can consider a ratio of one (Singaporean) to two (foreign workers),” he said.

ADJUST

Mr Wee said the Government can adjust this gradually, while maintaining the current strict control over work permit and S Pass applications, to “give businesses a bit of breathing space”.

The suggestion won significant backing in a show of hands when the audience was asked whether they think the Government should consider loosening the ratio.

Ms Sim said the Government is constantly exploring the balance between giving businesses enough workforce supply and ensuring infrastructure is not strained.

She said: “As the Government, we are conscious of this sentiment among businesses.

“But in our conversations with residents – especially those not in the business sector – many have said we could do with fewer foreigners. I hope there will be more public discussions on this issue, because the perspectives haven’t really met one another.

“Businesses are key to Singapore’s future. Understanding that there’s a business perspective to how we organise our society is very important.”

Panellists urged SMEs to approach the 12 SME Centres islandwide to seek business solutions.

These are one-stop destinations offering a range of services, including workshops on capability upgrades and advice on government schemes.

The centres are supported by Spring Singapore, but operated by trade chambers such as Asme or the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Spring assistant chief executive Chew Mok Lee said the centres together serve about 36,000 SMEs a year.

whwong@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 15, 2017.
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Muslim couples where at least one party is under 21 must attend a marriage preparation course before getting hitched under proposed changes to the law governing Muslim affairs in Singapore.

The Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth (MCCY) yesterday said this requirement is one of several proposed changes to the Administration of Muslim Law Act (Amla), for which the Government is seeking public feedback.

The pre-marriage education, aimed at helping couples to navigate marital issues, will have to be approved by the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Read also: Woman rejects man’s marriage proposal, shouts: ‘Your family doesn’t even have a toilet’

Replying to queries by The New Paper, an MCCY spokesman said: “Through the mandatory marriage preparation programme, minor couples would be able to make informed decisions about the marriage and be better prepared for the adjustments and challenges that they will face in the next stage of their journey.”

Ustaz Ali Mohd of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) called the proposed change “beneficial” for minor couples.

“It will benefit the community, teach them about responsibility, encourage them to manage their finances,” he said.

“The course will prepare them to have a good life and for the future.”

Read also: Key to marriage: ‘The plural of spouse is spice’

Under the proposed changes, such couples must also get their parents’ consent to get married.

Currently, minors in a Muslim marriage are not required by law to get parental consent, said MCCY.

“Support from the extended family, including parents and guardian, especially in the crucial first years of their marriage is critical to help younger couples build a strong marriage foundation for a lifetime of commitment,” said its spokesman.

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The MCCY also proposed to enshrine a current requirement for parties filing for divorce to be referred to a support programme at any stage during the proceedings.

This is aimed at instilling a more “child-centric” approach during the divorce process.

Read also: Marriages up slightly, but fewer babies born last year

Other proposed changes to Amla aim to give the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) greater say over the appointment of trustees of endowment properties.

These include steps like requiring Muis’ approval in writing before a new trustee can be appointed to a wakaf (an endowment of property bequeathed by Muslims) and obtaining Muis’ consent before any proceedings on the removal or appointment of wakaf trustees.

A draft of the Administration of Muslim Law Act (Amendment) Bill is available on the websites of MCCY and Reach.

The public has until 6pm on April 13 to submit their feedback by e-mail or post to MCCY.

This article was first published on Mar 15, 2017.
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The number of motor accidents in Singapore rose sharply last year, but the total value of motor insurance claims actually fell.

In trying to reconcile the two contrasting trends, the General Insurance Association (GIA) suspects that the rise of private-hire cars may have played a part.

Their drivers may have contributed to more accidents.

Also, since they typically pay higher amounts out of their own pocket while making a claim, they are unlikely to claim for minor accidents.

5-YEAR HIGH

The GIA said yesterday that motor accident reports last year soared to a five-year high of 161,361 – nearly 8 per cent higher than the 149,511 reports made in 2015.

To the GIA’s surprise, despite more accident reports, the total value of motor insurance claims fell 8.5 per cent to $494.4 million.

The total vehicle population also slid a little to 956,430 as of the end of last year, from 957,246 in 2015.

The association said it is investigating the reasons behind the higher number of accident reports.

GIA chief executive Derek Teo noted that there are more private-hire cars on the road, and many of their drivers are young and inexperienced.

Said Mr Teo: “This emerging trend could contribute to the increased number of accident reports. We will find ways to capture data relating to this segment of drivers.

“If our suspicion is right, we will engage with relevant stakeholders and the authorities to address the issue.”

In recent years, the number of Uber and Grab drivers has soared.

The insurance excess, or the sum the claimant pays when making a claim on a car insurance policy, is usually high for private-hire cars.

The sum ranges between $2,500 and $5,000, compared with between $750 and $3,000 for normal cars.

This may discourage some private-hire cars owners from claiming for minor accidents.

The GIA said it is unlikely that the rise in accident reports will lead to higher premiums for all motorists.

Mr Teo said: “We will find out what are the trigger points for the increased number of accident reports and apply pricing changes for the specific segment of drivers, if necessary.”

The motor insurance industry stayed profitable, with underwriting profit at $87.4 million, down 27.7 per cent from 2015.

lornatan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 15, 2017.
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