Singapore – Twenty-seven years of marriage, two British sons and a granddaughter could not protect Singaporean Irene Clennell from deportation, but now the feisty grandma is fighting to get back to her family.
Clennell, 52, was deported to Singapore Sunday, despite being the primary caregiver for her sickly British husband John, who she said has sunk into a mire of depression since she left.
“He was crying,” she told AFP in an interview at her sister’s cramped suburban home in the Southeast Asian city state, where she is sleeping on the sofa as she tries to find a legal way back to her family in Britain.
John had femoral artery bypass in his leg last year and suffered a subsequent hernia. Since then, she said, he has struggled to walk far and needed help dressing himself.
“Before, it was different because he was fit and well — he was able to look after himself. But now he can’t because of his condition,” she said, adding that she had been his sole caregiver at their County Durham home.
Clennell has been holed-up at her sister’s Singapore flat, talking to the media and trying to coordinate her legal fight to be allowed back into Britain since she was deported February 26.
Her British sister-in-law has hired an immigration lawyer and set up a crowdfunding campaign to cover her legal fees, which had raised more than £53,000 (US$65,000) by Friday.
Her husband is so desperate for them to be reunited he has written to a French minister asking whether they could live in France as a family, said Clennell, who arrived in Singapore with hardly any money or possessions after a period in UK immigration detention.
Clennell first arrived in Britain in 1988 and worked as a receptionist at a London hotel where she met her husband, a construction worker. She was subsequently granted indefinite leave to remain in the country.
But she lost this right after spending long periods of time in Singapore, initially to have help from her family raising her young children, and then to care for her elderly parents before their deaths.
Clennell said she now regrets leaving for so long as she didn’t realise it would create so many problems.
“I think that’s the mistake,” she said, adding it would be difficult for her husband to now move to Singapore due to his medical conditions, which require expensive care.
Her deportation has forced Clennell to again part from her two sons and her two-year-old granddaughter in Britain.
Ever since losing her right to remain in the UK, Clennell has struggled to get visas — in December 2007, she said, she was not allowed back into Britain.
“I’d bought all the Christmas gifts for my sons, my nieces and for John,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes at the memory.
“At the airport in Newcastle, I was told that I couldn’t enter the country… When they said they were going to send me back, I could hear my younger son screaming.”
After that incident, Clennell applied for leave to enter Britain in 2008 but was rejected, as were two subsequent appeals. She spent five years in India working as a forex trader.
In 2013, Clennell managed to enter as a visitor and has remained since, overstaying her visa. She reported fortnightly to an immigration centre and it was during one of these sessions in January that she was detained.
Britain’s controversial spousal visa system means that the British partner in a marriage has to prove earnings of at least £18,600 and the couple have to demonstrate long stretches of uninterrupted time living in Britain.
While the Clennells meet the first criteria, the periods Irene spent out of the country have posed a problem.
The threshold was put in place in 2012 as part of efforts to drive down the number of immigrants arriving in Britain from outside the European Union.
A spokesman from Britain’s Home Office said in a statement all applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with immigration rules.
NEW YORK – Walt Disney Co’s live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast,” one of the most anticipated movies of the year, will feature a gay character for the first time in Disney’s history, according to the film’s director.
Director Bill Condon said in an interview with Attitude, a British gay lifestyle magazine, that LeFou, the goofy sidekick to the film’s primary villain, Gaston, will come to terms with his sexuality. The character is played by actor Josh Gad.
“LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston,” Condon said.
“And that’s what has its payoff at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie,” he told Attitude.
Social media reaction was mixed. While some people welcomed Disney’s move to be more inclusive, many were disappointed with the choice of Disney’s first gay character.
Twitter user Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) wrote: “Disney’s making its first gay character with LeFou and he’s a clownish sidekick who exists to prop up his straight best friend. Great job.”
User Jessica (@xwithmywoes) wrote: “In regards to LeFou being Disney’s first openly LGBTQ character, it is bittersweet.”
Disney was not immediately available for a comment.
The remake of Disney’s 1991 animated movie, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, hits US theatres on March 17. There are already hundreds of sold-out showtimes, according to movie ticketing service Fandango.
Disney shares were up 1.1 per cent at $111.28 on Wednesday.
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) western SAFTI training area will be revamped into a new “SAFTI City” over a decade and at a cost of about S$900 million, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in Parliament on Friday (Mar 3).
“Singapore has finite land and we are building new training facilities overseas,” he said. “But at the same time, we must have world-class training facilities in Singapore itself. We must guard against over-dependence on overseas training grounds. It is not possible for all our NSmen to only train overseas as the bulk of our training is still conducted locally, especially for our Army.”
Noting that modern warfare and peacekeeping missions alike are now much more likely to take place in built-up cities instead, Dr Ng said: “The new SAFTI City will allow any battalion to fight across different terrains successively as they will do in real-life missions. It will therefore have both urban and conventional terrain. In the urban setting, there will be low houses and high-rise buildings. In the open terrain – jungles, hills and rivers to cross.”
“But the signature change will be that state-of-the-art training simulation technologies will be designed into new physical facilities to replicate distinct operating environments.”
SAFTI City will span 88 hectares, about the size of Bishan town, and comprise two sectors of extensive road networks and more than 200 buildings.
The first sector, located at the northern edge of the Poyan Reservoir, will prepare soldiers for Island Defence competencies in places like Jurong Island, against a backdrop of a petrochemical complex, warehouses, container parks and industrial buildings.
The second sector focuses on training homeland security, disaster relief and civil contingency response operations. It will simulate Singapore’s dense urban environment through basement carparks, dense clusters of shophouses, high-rise interconnected buildings, a bus interchange, an underground MRT station with multiple surface exits, low-rise residences and rubble.
SAFTI City will also be equipped with Battlefield Instrumentation and video cameras to allow real-time tracking of the servicemen’s and unit’s combat actions. The data will be collated and processed using intelligent analytics software and packaged into learning materials.
Added Dr Ng: “There will be interactive targets and battlefield effects such as artillery attacks that will allow our soldiers to train more realistically and provide feedback about how well they performed. When completed, SAFTI City will take our NS training onto a much higher level of realism and effectiveness.”
OPTIMISING TRAINING ON LIMITED LAND
In the areas surrounding SAFTI City, three new Instrumented Battle Circuits (iBACs) will be developed in existing SAF training areas in Pasir Laba, Ama Keng and Murai.
The iBACs address Singapore’s space constraints with design and landscapes to allow intensified and more efficient training in smaller plots of land.
They come with features like interactive avatars as well as simulated artillery bombardment and airstrikes to create realistic and immersive training environments to train small-unit fighting skills, said Dr Ng. “Different scenarios can be configured for both peacetime contingency and conventional military operations,” he added.
The Pasir Laba iBAC will facilitate light, motorised and mechanised infantry training for up to three companies and feature platoon battle courses.
Meanwhile, Ama Keng can accommodate concurrent training in mounted operations by two platoons, and allow soldiers to execute battle drills from on-board combat vehicles such as the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles, Bionix Infantry Fighting Vehicle and the Leopard 2A4 Main Battle Tank.
Murai’s iBAC will feature nine section-level battle lanes for infantry sections to train their cognitive and psychomotor skills using customised mission scenarios.
SOLDIER STRONG
Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung also announced that a new Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance (CESP) will be operational at the end of 2017.
“This centre will focus on fitness regimes, soldier nutrition, pre-habilitation regimes to prevent injuries, and rehabilitation to help injured national servicemen recover,” said Mr Ong. “The centre will also integrate training packages on resilience to enhance the mental strength of our soldiers.”
The CESP will provide a comprehensive and scientific approach through programmes and methods developed by research specialists. It will also look at enhancing soldier performance during training and other operational uses, by collecting anthropometric data to allow the SAF to design systems that are more ergonomic.
MINDEF also said the CESP would look into fitness and recovery programmes to support soldiers after full-time National Service.
If you’re a big fan of hearty, old-school dim sum, you might want to journey to Hua Nam Restaurant soon.
The 49-year-old institution that dishes out flavours of the 1970s in an ageing shophouse at Upper Thomson Road will shut for good at the end of March, reported Shin Min Daily News today.
The third-generation owners, who are already in their 60s, told the Chinese paper that they want to retire soon and would not be passing the business to an external party.
Hua Nam restaurant in 2011.Photo: The Straits Times
Founded by their grandfather, Mr Siew Hoy Yean, it began as a roadside hawker stall in the 1950s before moving into the coffeeshop in 1968.
One of the current owners, Mr Sam Siew, 54, told Shin Min that they churned out 1,000 steamers of hand-made dim sum every day during its heyday.
But competition from new eateries and the construction of an MRT line in front of the shop have taken its toll on shop profits.
The HOTTEST 1-for-1 weekend movie tickets promotion at Shaw Theatres is back by popular demand! From 7 Jan 17, SAFRA members pay $12.50 at the counter and get another ticket for FREE.
Spunky Mandopop star Tanya Chua and her French boyfriend have reportedly called it quits on their short-lived romance, reported Lianhe Wanbao today.
The news came as a surprise to supportive fans and the media, who were celebrating their Parisian-style relationship with the couple on social media only months ago.
The most telling sign of the break-up was the recent disappearance of their lovey-dovey photo together from her Instagram account.
The Singaporean singer, who had kept mum on the split, told the media less than six months ago that she was seeing pastry chef Johann Martin, an instructor at Bellouet Conseil School in Paris, where she did a baking course.
Judging from the cheery photos on her latest Facebook posts on her holiday in Italy, Chua doesn’t seem to be moping over the break-up.
Known to be strong-willed, Chua had told the media before: “I’m not sitting at home and crying my eyes out because I don’t have a boyfriend. That’s not how women are supposed to be represented – there are other things we can do to feel worthwhile.”
The award-winning singer previously dated Austrian musician-producer Bernhard “Lupo” Groinig and Singaporean composer-producer Eric Ng.
Indulge in 10 pieces of Colonel’s Original Recipe® chicken or Hot & Crispy Chicken for just $19.90 when you order via KFC Delivery. What’s more, add-on 6pcs Nuggets and 2 med Whipped Potato for just $8 with every Bucket ordered
The royal cremetion ceremonies for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej later this year will run for five days.
Photo: The Nation/Asia News Network
Although the dates have not yet been finalised, the committee organising the royal cremation ceremonies has already come up with a draft schedule for the important occasion.
Photo: The Nation/Asia News Network
The late king ruled Thailand for seven decades from 1946 to 2016. Throughout his reign, he was dedicated to his people and widely loved and revered throughout society.
Every day in recent months, people have flocked to the Grand Palace to pay respects before his body.
The draft schedule of the royal cremation ceremonies was released this week, after HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn attended a meeting of the committee on Wednesday evening.
The five-day schedule includes a royal merit-making ceremony at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall at the Grand Palace on the first day.
On the second day, the royal cremation will take place at the Royal Crematorium at Sanam Luang.
The royal remains will be collected on the third day.
Another royal merit-making ceremony will be held on the fourth day to bless the remains, which will occur at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall.
On the fifth day, food will be served to monks at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall before the Royal Urn is brought to the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall.
Six grand processions are planned for the ceremonies.
During the five days, there will also be performances and exhibitions in honour of the late king.
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King Vajiralongkorn takes part in Chinese funeral rite for the late King Bhumibol
It’s the weekend! Hang out and party hard. Use promo code STARZ and enjoy $8 off the taxi fare for trips made between 11pm and 5am from 3rd – 5th March.
In 2015, Ishan Siva Ramanathan announced his intent to climb the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, to his parents after they came out of the cinema hall having watched survival thriller Everest.
It didn’t matter that the movie told the devastating story of a group of climbers who had to fight for their lives after a catastrophic blizzard hit them – there were casualties, sadly – while they were on the mountain. The 16-year-old was determined to make the journey.
Ishan was awed by the footage of the mountain and emboldened by the challenge it presented and knew that he wanted to make his way to what he describes as “the most spectacular place on Earth”.
Understandably, his parents were thrown for a loop by his declaration. But when they realised that his immediate plan was to trek to the Everest Base Camp (EBC) – which at an altitude of 5,364m (3,500m lower the peak of the mount) was a somewhat more achievable challenge for someone relatively fit – they cautiously got behind the idea.
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“My first instinct was to refuse. In fact I did say that I wouldn’t let him … not in my lifetime, at least,” says Yasodha Selvaratnam, Ishan’s mother.
“But when he explained that he would go only as far as base camp, I relented. Because of the fact that Ishan was so determined, we felt we had to support him through it. We made sure we booked a company that was experienced and had a good track record. We had conversations with the owner of the tour company several times and asked those who had used the company before and were pleased and relieved to have good feedback,” Ishan decided to climb for a cause and since he’d spent some months as an intern at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) last year, he decided to use his climb to raise funds for the Ideas Academy, a secondary learning centre for stateless and undocumented children.
So on Oct 10 last year, Ishan left for Nepal on his own. Upon his arrival at the airport in Kathmandu, he was met by the tour operator and another climber, John William Strode from the United States, who had also just flown in. There would be another two men – Johnson Lim, a Filipino and Andrey Garcia, a Brazilian -joining them the next day. Ishan wasn’t fazed at being the youngest of the four climbers.
Ishan’s adventure to Everest Base Camp has been the best trip of his life.Photo: Ishan Siva Ramanathan
“I wasn’t too worried. I was relatively fit as I play a lot of sport in school. I play tennis, basketball and football, and on weekends, I walk and hike. I was just worried about developing altitude sickness. That was the main thing on my mind,” he says, adding that he’d successfully made it to the peak of Mount Kinabalu when he was 14.
The first two days of his adventure were spent in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, where the four climbers visited temples and heritage sites mostly to get acclimatised to the high altitude – it was 1,400m in Kathmandu itself. On the 12th, they left for Lukla (dubbed the gateway to Mount Everest) at the break of dawn, marking the start of his 10-day adventure.
The flight to Lukla, which Ishan describes as being “interesting”, was an adventure in itself.
“Our guide told us to use the word interesting instead of scary when talking about the flight. We left on a 12-seater plane and as the small aircraft sailed through a sea of clouds, the majestic peaks of the Himalayas emerged and it looked just like in the photos. It was amazing, but then came the landing at the Lukla aiport which has the shortest runway in the world – only 500m – that is carved into a mountain ridge (sitting perilously by a three-kilometre drop).
“Thank goodness we had a really experienced pilot because the strip is in between a concrete wall and the cliff. The margin for error is very small … overshoot a little and we’d hit a concrete wall; undershoot and we’d go down the cliff,” he explains.
Ishan claims that he wasn’t too worried though, as he had confidence in their pilot, to which his mother stifled a gasp, almost successfully.
Ishan caught a glimpse of Mount Everest only on his fourth day trekking. This photo, taken near Namche (one of their pit stops along the way) shows a statue of Tenzing Norgay, the first person to ascend to the peak.Photo: Ishan Siva Ramanathan
The four climbers began their trek the next morning and though the days were long and cold, the views were spectacular and well worth the effort. There were many highlights during the nine-day trek – charming villages, watching mountain yaks carry supplies and gas tanks to the villages along the way, meeting friendly villagers and fellow climbers, taking in the beautiful scenery along the way and of course sightings of the various mountains in the Mahalangur range of the Himalayas.
They got their first glimpse of Everest only on their fourth day of trekking and it was, as anticipated, quite spectacular. But it was an unexpected experience at a monastery about a third of their way up that gave them the extra push to reach their destination.
“We visited the (Dawa Choling Gompa) monastery … it’s kind of a ritual for climbers. The monastery has really strong energy and monks from all over the world come to visit or live there. We had the chance to sit in on one of the prayers during which I felt my leg tingling. I didn’t think much about it and assumed it was just pins and needles from sitting down for so long. But when we came out, our guide asked us if we’d felt anythng unusual during the prayers. When I told him about the tingling and the others reported similar experiences, he smiled and said what we’d felt was the energy from the monastery. That was something totally unexpected and special,” he shares.
After Tengboche, the journey became considerably more challenging not just because the route became steeper but because the altitude began to have an effect on the climbers.
“Up until Tengboche, I was very aware of my surroundings and I was taking a lot of photos. But after we left, I found it difficult to focus on much else other than my next step and I didn’t take many photos. The altitude was starting to have an effect on me,” says Ishan.
Ishan with his climbing buddies at the end of Day 5, an extremely gruelling day. Here, they are posing with the peaks of Lhotse and Nuptse in the background.Photo: Ishan Siva Ramanathan
And as if the altitude wasn’t enough to deal with, Ishan soon fell ill with a fever and flu. Thankfully, they’d reached their next pit stop and he could rest for the night after taking some medicines – one of his fellow climbers was a doctor and had some drugs with him. The next morning, though still ill, Ishan had to force himself to push on as they had to keep to their schedule.
“I had no choice … we had to move on. And I was determined to keep going as I didn’t want to be left behind. We walked about nine hours that day, including brief rest stops at a few places. I was just so worried that I wouldn’t be able to continue on to base camp. That was my biggest fear from the start,” says Ishan.
This fear was amplified when one of his fellow climbers, Johnson, fell desperately ill due to altitude sickness at the final leg of the trek and had to stop.
Thankfully, he pulled through and made it to EBC on Oct 16 where he snapped a photo with the Malaysian flag which he carried along with him.
“It was worth it. I felt a range of emotions … relief, contentment and just sheer joy at having made it. But to be honest, it only fully sank in a few days later when I was recollecting my journey. I couldn’t believe I did it … it was definitely the best time of my life and certainly the best adventure,” he says, with an unmistakable grin of achievement.
Also, Ishan managed to raise slightly more than RM17,000 for the Ideas Academy.
Ishan Siva Ramanathan may only be 16 but he achieved his goal to reach Everest Base Camp on his own (with a guide and friends he made along the way), proving to himself that sheer will and determination can translate to success.Photo: Ishan Siva Ramanathan
Ishan admits that he is by no small measure inspired by his grandmother, Mahamalar Ramanathan, who at 79 is travelling the world, one mountain at a time, the latest being Japan’s Mount Fuji which she climbed a year and a half ago.
He has also his parents to thank as they not only financed his trip but allowed him the freedom to chase his dreams.
“I want him to be independent too. Many children these days tend to be over-parented,” says Ishan’s father, Siva Ramanathan.
“They have maids, drivers and a whole host of other people to help them and they end up unprepared for the real world. This was one of the reasons we decided to send Ishan to boarding school (Kolej Tuanku Jaafar in Mantin, Negri Sembilan). This trip was a big risk and a lot of people warned us against it but we decided to let him do it.”
