“Why should you presume to tell me how my country should run?”

That’s what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told BBC HARDTalk host Stephen Sackur when asked about Singapore’s freedom of speech and trade.

Mr Lee’s comments were made during a sit-down interview with Sackur that will be aired in full today (Mar 1).

In a Facebook post, Mr Lee said he discussed “a wide range of issues, both international and domestic” when he met the host last week and elaborated on “how Singapore is navigating forward in these uncertain times”.

Over the past few days, Singaporeans and fellow netizens on the Internet space have been sharing short clips of Mr Lee’s highly-anticipated BBC interview.

It’s safe to say that his responses have sparked quite a reaction amongst many online.

Mr Lee was candid in his views on various topics that surfaced during the interview, including freedom of speech and trade in Singapore, Section 377A of the Penal Code as well as Brexit.

On press freedom and trade

Sackur sought a response from Mr Lee by saying that Tim Farron, a leader of the Liberal Democrats in the UK, had apparently suggested: “If we’re to seek a deal with Singapore, Theresa May the Prime Minister, must raise issues of freedom of expression and freedom of the press in any trade talks with Singapore.”

With that, Mr Lee offered this comeback: “I don’t see you being restrained in asking me any questions.”

After a long pause which seemed to heighten the tension in the room, Sackur replied: “No I’m not, but that’s not really the point is it?”

The Prime Minister continued: “We have no great wall of the Internet, you can get any site in the world you wish – so where’s the restriction?”

Mr Lee also highlighted his answers on this topic in a Facebook post: “The world is a diverse place. Nobody has a monopoly on virtue or wisdom. And unless we can accept that, and we prosper together and co-operate together, accepting our differences…I think it becomes difficult.”

On Section 377A

A controversial topic, Sackur attempted to get a more personal reaction from Mr Lee when they discussed Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between men.

In fact, he had pressed for the Prime Minister – not once, but twice – to give his personal take.

Sackur had asked if Mr Lee’s perspective would change, if any of his “children or grandchildren were gay”.

Mr Lee then acknowledged that if he removed the law, he “wouldn’t be removing the problem”.

He also referenced cases in the West whereby the notion of gay marriage has incited protests in various countries despite the change in attitude overseas.

His personal view?

“I’m prepared to live with it until social attitudes change,” said Mr Lee.

On Brexit

Mr Lee was straightforward and admitted that a country like the UK “may not have strengthened its influence in the world” by leaving the European Union (EU).

“It’s an enormous market that’s on your doorstep. You can’t avoid doing business with it, and if you can’t influence it, you might not have strengthened your influence in the world,” said Mr Lee.

Last year, the Prime Minister took to his Facebook page to share his thoughts on Brexit when news broke.

He had called the UK vote to leave a “turning point”.

At the 34th People’s Action Party (PAP) Conference held at Singapore Expo in December 2016, Mr Lee reminded his country to fight the trend of developed countries turning inwards, and that Singapore “must remain open”.

He told Sackur: “From our point of view, we think that Brexit weakens the EU. We are not sure it strengthens the United Kingdom.”

The full BBC HARDTalk interview will be televised today (Mar 1) at 12:30pm, 5:30pm, and 11:30pm on BBC (StarHub TV Ch 70) as well as on radio’s BBC World Service (88.9 FM) on Friday (Mar 3) at 12:06pm.

ssandrea@sph.com.sg

Ten current and former employees of waterproofing and general works company TAC Contracts were charged in court with corruption yesterday.

The men were accused of individually giving bribes ranging from $490 to more than $59,000.

They allegedly gave the money to employees of various companies as an inducement to advance TAC Contracts’ business interests.

According to court documents, the firms include Far East Organization, Stature Real Estate Enterprise and Parkway Hospitals Singapore.

Read also: 86% of S’pore execs have identified corruption in their businesses

Nine of the men are Singaporean. They are:

• Senior sales and operations executive James Tan Gin Meng, 36. He faces 150 charges involving $42,818 in total.

• Sales manager Ng Kok Thai, 34. He faces 88 charges involving $59,074.50.

• Sales executive Justin Heng Lye Chai, 34. He faces 44 charges involving $31,076.

• Sales and operations executive Sim Kah Wah, 35. He faces 17 charges involving $6,790.

• Former sales coordinator Donald Chang Poh Lung, 37. He faces 11 charges involving $5,562.60.

• Sales and operations executive Thomas Ler Tze Pin, 35. He faces six charges involving $2,453.

• Sales and operations executive Aaron Wong Wentong, 34. He faces two charges involving a total of $3,885.

• Former sales executive Ng Weng Boon, 40. He faces two charges involving $490.

• Former sales executive Chan Hon Kai, 47. He faces two charges involving $1,750.

Read also: Fight against corruption: Singapore’s experience

The 10th man, sales and operations executive Alagappan Suriyanarayanan, 38, is an Indian national. He faces 46 charges involving $36,839.50.

The 10 men allegedly committed their offences between January 2011 and February 2014.

They will be back in court on March 21.

Two of their alleged accomplices from the same firm, company director Donald Ling Chun Teck, 43, and former sales and operations executive Lee Zhijian, 34, were dealt with in court in December last year.

Ling was sentenced to 30 months in jail on 20 counts of corruption involving $182,581, with 517 charges taken into consideration.

He is appealing against the sentence and is out on $200,000 bail.

Lee was sentenced to a total of 15 months and four weeks in jail, plus six strokes of the cane, on six corruption charges and two charges of unlicensed moneylending harassment.

He is also appealing against the sentence and was offered bail of $60,000.

The maximum penalty for each count of corruption is a $100,000 fine and five years in jail.

This article was first published on Mar 01, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

A district judge denied bail to Malaysian businessman John Soh Chee Wen on Tuesday, as prosecutors added seven new charges of witness tampering to the alleged “mastermind” of the 2013 penny stock crash and suggested additional involvement manipulating the stock of ISR Capital.

The judge said that the totality of the evidence, which included allegations by the prosecution that Mr Soh had previously used a fake Indonesian identity to enter and leave Singapore, suggested that Mr Soh was a flight risk. The judge also accepted the prosecution’s portrayal of Mr Soh as a “protagonist” in the 2013 crash and who “has significant influence over the supporting cast”.

Mr Soh now faces 188 charges related to the penny crash, in which the collapse of Asiasons Capital (now Attilan Group), Blumont Group and LionGold Corp in October 2013 triggered a massive sell-off in low-priced stocks on the Singapore Exchange.

Read also: Soh Chee Wen ‘mastermind’ of penny stock crash: Prosecutor

Prosecutors have already charged former Ipco International chief executive Quah Su-Ling and former Ipco interim CEO Goh Hin Calm in the case, which has been described by investigators as the largest securities fraud case in Singapore. Bail was previously set at S$4 million for Quah and at S$750,000 for Goh.

The bail hearing notably linked Soh to the probe of ISR, an investment services company whose stock remains suspended amid investigations.

Read also: “I’ve survived worse,” says businessman involved in 2013 penny stock crash

Shares of ISR plunged on Nov 24, the day Soh was arrested. The investigation into the stock began a week later, on Dec 2, which led to certain evidence being seized, the prosecution said.

The evidence suggests that Soh was manipulating ISR while still under police bail, prosecutors said.

Soh allegedly exercised influence over key decisions at ISR while being an undischarged bankrupt, contravening the Companies Act; and is believed to have abetted insider trading by asking remisier Gabriel Gan to buy ISR shares ahead of an announcement.

Read also: Trio face 365 charges over penny stock crash

In written submissions, Soh’s lawyer, Senior Counsel Tan Chee Meng of WongPartnership, argued that the prosecutors have offered no evidence to demonstrate Soh’s involvement in ISR.

In an oral reply, Mr Tan added that his client would be “stupid” to attempt to manipulate ISR “in this time and age where every trade can be traced”.

Recordings of conversations between Soh and Mr Gan, which were found on Mr Gan’s laptop, as well as testimony from former LionGold business and corporate development director Peter Chen Hing Woon and former analyst Ken Tai Chee Ming, led prosecutors to add the witness tampering charges. The prosecution alleged that the recordings included Soh instructing Mr Gan to “deny everything” and rehearsing answers to give to investigators.

Read also: Penny stock crash’s alleged mastermind John Soh Chee Wen arrested

Soh’s lawyer argued that the testimony of those individuals were unreliable, given that they were facing potential charges themselves and may have an axe to grind against Soh.

Mr Tan also disagreed with the portrayal of his client as a flight risk, arguing that if Soh could or wished to abscond, he would have had many opportunities between October 2013 and his arrest in November 2016. Even after prosecutors told a court in January 2016 that they expected to charge Soh by the end of that year, he remained in Singapore, albeit with his Malaysian passport confiscated.

Citing the recorded conversations between Soh and Mr Gan, deputy public prosecutor Teo Guan Siew argued that Soh had remained in Singapore not because he thought he was innocent, but because he did not think that investigators had enough to convict him. Given that Soh now knows the full extent of the charges against him and that prosecutors have allegedly detected witness tampering, Soh may have more motivation to flee, DPP Teo said.

Commotion broke out in the courtroom when it was revealed that the prosecution was alleging that Soh had tried to leave Singapore by boat while on police bail; that attempt failed because the boat malfunctioned, prosecutors said, citing testimony from Soh’s former girlfriend Cheng Jo-Ee. Mr Tan dismissed that as hearsay.

Prosecutors also said Soh used to travel in and out of Singapore with an Indonesian passport under the name of “Didi Supardi”, a fake identity, until January 2000. They further alleged, based on testimony from Soh and others, that he had crossed Singapore’s borders between 1999 and 2002 even though the immigration authorities had no record of those passages.

Mr Tan argued that links between Soh and Didi Supardi were tenuous, and that some of the testimonies on this matter were inconsistent with the evidence.

Even if the court felt that Soh was a flight risk and capable of tampering witnesses, it could address all of those concerns with strict bail conditions such as electronic monitoring devices and prohibitions against contacting certain people, Mr Tan said. Keeping Soh under the prison’s strict restrictions hindered his ability to prepare a proper defence for a complex case, the lawyer argued.

“Let not a conviction be secured because of Mr Soh’s inability to prepare a proper defence,” Mr Tan said. “We are sure the prosecution is not seeking to secure a conviction at all cost.”

But the prosecution disagreed, saying that Soh was capable of getting around those restrictions, and if he were allowed bail, “there will either be no trial, because he will abscond, or there will be no fair trial, because the witnesses will be tampered with.”

The court did grant Soh slight consolation: A local phone call.

Mr Tan said Soh wanted to call Quah Su-Ling.

This article was first published on Mar 01, 2017.
Get The Business Times for more stories.

A district judge denied bail to Malaysian businessman John Soh Chee Wen on Tuesday, as prosecutors added seven new charges of witness tampering to the alleged “mastermind” of the 2013 penny stock crash and suggested additional involvement manipulating the stock of ISR Capital.

The judge said that the totality of the evidence, which included allegations by the prosecution that Mr Soh had previously used a fake Indonesian identity to enter and leave Singapore, suggested that Mr Soh was a flight risk. The judge also accepted the prosecution’s portrayal of Mr Soh as a “protagonist” in the 2013 crash and who “has significant influence over the supporting cast”.

Mr Soh now faces 188 charges related to the penny crash, in which the collapse of Asiasons Capital (now Attilan Group), Blumont Group and LionGold Corp in October 2013 triggered a massive sell-off in low-priced stocks on the Singapore Exchange.

Read also: Soh Chee Wen ‘mastermind’ of penny stock crash: Prosecutor

Prosecutors have already charged former Ipco International chief executive Quah Su-Ling and former Ipco interim CEO Goh Hin Calm in the case, which has been described by investigators as the largest securities fraud case in Singapore. Bail was previously set at S$4 million for Quah and at S$750,000 for Goh.

The bail hearing notably linked Soh to the probe of ISR, an investment services company whose stock remains suspended amid investigations.

Read also: “I’ve survived worse,” says businessman involved in 2013 penny stock crash

Shares of ISR plunged on Nov 24, the day Soh was arrested. The investigation into the stock began a week later, on Dec 2, which led to certain evidence being seized, the prosecution said.

The evidence suggests that Soh was manipulating ISR while still under police bail, prosecutors said.

Soh allegedly exercised influence over key decisions at ISR while being an undischarged bankrupt, contravening the Companies Act; and is believed to have abetted insider trading by asking remisier Gabriel Gan to buy ISR shares ahead of an announcement.

Read also: Trio face 365 charges over penny stock crash

In written submissions, Soh’s lawyer, Senior Counsel Tan Chee Meng of WongPartnership, argued that the prosecutors have offered no evidence to demonstrate Soh’s involvement in ISR.

In an oral reply, Mr Tan added that his client would be “stupid” to attempt to manipulate ISR “in this time and age where every trade can be traced”.

Recordings of conversations between Soh and Mr Gan, which were found on Mr Gan’s laptop, as well as testimony from former LionGold business and corporate development director Peter Chen Hing Woon and former analyst Ken Tai Chee Ming, led prosecutors to add the witness tampering charges. The prosecution alleged that the recordings included Soh instructing Mr Gan to “deny everything” and rehearsing answers to give to investigators.

Read also: Penny stock crash’s alleged mastermind John Soh Chee Wen arrested

Soh’s lawyer argued that the testimony of those individuals were unreliable, given that they were facing potential charges themselves and may have an axe to grind against Soh.

Mr Tan also disagreed with the portrayal of his client as a flight risk, arguing that if Soh could or wished to abscond, he would have had many opportunities between October 2013 and his arrest in November 2016. Even after prosecutors told a court in January 2016 that they expected to charge Soh by the end of that year, he remained in Singapore, albeit with his Malaysian passport confiscated.

Citing the recorded conversations between Soh and Mr Gan, deputy public prosecutor Teo Guan Siew argued that Soh had remained in Singapore not because he thought he was innocent, but because he did not think that investigators had enough to convict him. Given that Soh now knows the full extent of the charges against him and that prosecutors have allegedly detected witness tampering, Soh may have more motivation to flee, DPP Teo said.

Commotion broke out in the courtroom when it was revealed that the prosecution was alleging that Soh had tried to leave Singapore by boat while on police bail; that attempt failed because the boat malfunctioned, prosecutors said, citing testimony from Soh’s former girlfriend Cheng Jo-Ee. Mr Tan dismissed that as hearsay.

Prosecutors also said Soh used to travel in and out of Singapore with an Indonesian passport under the name of “Didi Supardi”, a fake identity, until January 2000. They further alleged, based on testimony from Soh and others, that he had crossed Singapore’s borders between 1999 and 2002 even though the immigration authorities had no record of those passages.

Mr Tan argued that links between Soh and Didi Supardi were tenuous, and that some of the testimonies on this matter were inconsistent with the evidence.

Even if the court felt that Soh was a flight risk and capable of tampering witnesses, it could address all of those concerns with strict bail conditions such as electronic monitoring devices and prohibitions against contacting certain people, Mr Tan said. Keeping Soh under the prison’s strict restrictions hindered his ability to prepare a proper defence for a complex case, the lawyer argued.

“Let not a conviction be secured because of Mr Soh’s inability to prepare a proper defence,” Mr Tan said. “We are sure the prosecution is not seeking to secure a conviction at all cost.”

But the prosecution disagreed, saying that Soh was capable of getting around those restrictions, and if he were allowed bail, “there will either be no trial, because he will abscond, or there will be no fair trial, because the witnesses will be tampered with.”

The court did grant Soh slight consolation: A local phone call.

Mr Tan said Soh wanted to call Quah Su-Ling.

This article was first published on Mar 01, 2017.
Get The Business Times for more stories.

When Dr Albert Hong was hospitalised in 2013 for pneumonia, he was given a 20 per cent chance of survival – and he lived.

The pioneer architect’s close encounter with death prompted him to do more for the community.

Soon after that, the philanthropist donated $30 million to the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong yesterday shared the story behind Dr Hong’s donation to SUTD, which has named its largest lecture theatre after him.

In his speech at the dedication ceremony, Mr Goh called Dr Hong a good friend who had confided in him after recovering from pneumonia in 2013 that “there must have been a reason why God let him live”.

So he decided to give away most of his wealth.

Mr Goh, an SUTD patron, suggested that he contribute to the university and its students.

Today, the Albert Hong Lecture Theatre seats up to 530 students and is designed as a central meeting venue for discourse and knowledge exchange, SUTD said.

The donation will aid in advancing teaching and research goals and provide more bond-free scholarships and bursaries, it added.

Prior to SUTD’s formation in 2009, Dr Hong had advocated for a second school of architecture apart from the one at the National University of Singapore.

Dr Hong and his firm designed landmarks such as Ion Orchard.

In his speech, Dr Hong, 82, chairman of RSP Architects Planners and Engineers, said he was not born into a wealthy family.

But his mother, who lived frugally, managed to send him to London to study architecture.

There, he took on part-time jobs including working during the winter at an ice-cream factory in Birmingham, where he contracted severe pneumonia, which continues to afflict him today.

He said: “My aim is straightforward – to help the underprivileged receive the education they deserve. No deserving student should be denied formal education because of lack of financial support.”

About 100 SUTD scholarships are disbursed every academic year.

Other donations to schools

• The Lee Foundation, which is synonymous with the late Mr Lee Seng Gee, a longstanding chairman of the foundation and the Lee Rubber Group, donated $50 million to the Singapore Management University (SMU) in 2004 and $30 million to the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2005.
• The Hotel 81-Choo Chong Ngen Bursary was launched in SMU in 2015, following a $2 million donation by budget hotel magnate Choo Chong Ngen, founder and executive chairman of the Hotel 81 chain.
• In 2013, SMU renamed its student counselling base the Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre after a donor who had pledged $1.6 million to it. Mrs Wong made her fortune in ship equipment and supplies, tin mining and the hotel business.
• Professor Saw Swee Hock, a demographer and statistician, donated $30 million to launch a new school at NUS in 2011. The money went towards researching cost-effective ways of improving public health that are relevant to Asia.

melodyz@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 01, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

In a cruel twist of fate, a 67-year-old retiree suffered a fatal heart attack moments after catching a rare monster, ‘Lapras’ last Sunday (Feb 26), 5.30pm at Marina Bay Sands (MBS), near an entrance to Bayfront MRT Station.

The deceased’s 66-year-old wife told reporters that during the time of the incident, the deceased was out hunting for Pokemon at MBS, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

According to her, her husband would regularly visit the site to catch Pokemon ever since the launch of the game, ‘Pokemon Go’.

On the day of the incident, the family had met up for a meal together to celebrate a family member’s birthday.

After the meal, the deceased went home to change before heading to MBS to catch Pokemon.

Said the heartbroken wife:

“There was a sudden call from the hospital after 6pm.

“They (The medical staff) told us to come see him one last time.

“At that moment, I knew things were bad.”

She also told reporters that her husband had a history of cardiac disease, and when she received the call from the hospital, she instantly suspected that her husband had suffered a heart attack.

According to a statement issued from Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), at 5.30pm on Feb 26, paramedics conveyed a man to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

The man died shortly after being admitted.

GPS readings on the deceased’s handphone showed that the deceased had indeed been catching Pokemon at MBS, and that he had managed to capture a rare ‘Lapras’ and a second generation monster, ‘Granbull’ before the heart attack was triggered.

The deceased was considered an avid player, having captured over 200 kinds of Pokemon and a player level of 28.

Read also: Grandfather shot and killed while playing Pokemon Go

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