This article was first published on Feb 14, 2017.
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Moshe Hai Sion was 15 when Singapore fell to the Japanese on Feb 15, 1942.

Able-bodied adult Jewish men were among those rounded up and interned at Changi Prison but he avoided the internment.

“I was too young to be a threat,” Mr Hai Sion, now 90, recalled.

He was then living in a shophouse in Short Street with his father, a watch spare parts trader, and a younger sister.

His father, who was in his 60s, was too old to be interned but the family had to wear white armbands in public which identified them as Jews.

Mr Hai Sion stopped studying at St Andrew’s School to help with his father’s business. But the family got rounded up again in March 1945.

They were taken to the Sime Road Internment Camp and spent about six months there until the Japanese surrender in September.

The Japanese set up the camp at what was a Royal Air Force base to hold mostly Europeans and Eurasians.

“We heard Germany wanted Japan to kill the Jews in Singapore but the Japanese said no because the Jews here were no threat to them,” he said.

“We were locked up instead.”

At the time, Jews in Europe were systematically rounded up and killed in concentration camps.

“Life at the camp was hard. There was not enough food and we made mostly stew,” he recalled.

“Once a week, we would get a duck egg. We had to write our initials on the egg and give it to the kitchen to be cooked.”

At 18, Mr Hai Sion was considered strong enough by the Japanese to be a labourer.

He spent his days farming and was occasionally taken to Johor to log rubber trees.

Unknown to him at the time, his future wife Victoria was also interned at the female section of the camp.

“Once a week, on Sunday afternoon for two hours, the male and female internees were allowed to meet,” Mrs Hai Sion, 90, said.

The couple did not meet during their internment.

But she said life there was not all depressing: “There was a woman who would play the guitar frequently. There were also two babies born there.”

Mrs Hai Sion estimates there were a few hundred Jews in the camp.

Some knew through radios smuggled into the camp that the war had ended in Europe in May 1945.

They also had an inkling that the war was coming to an end in Singapore.

The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug 6 and 9, 1945, and Japan surrendered the next month.

“The Japanese gave us better breakfasts with eggs,” she recalled. “They were also more polite.”

Just before the war ended, Mr Hai Sion had a close shave with death.

He said a group of labourers were told to dig a tunnel but it was not finished.

“We learnt after the war that the British were planning to land in Malaya to retake Singapore and if that had happened, the Japanese were planning to put us in the tunnel and bury us. We were digging our (own) tombs,” he said.

After the war ended, the couple went back to their families.

They met a year later at a social function, got engaged in 1949 and married in 1951, raising four daughters.

The couple did not visit the Sime Road camp after the war or talk much about their internment days.

“I’d love to visit the site one day,” said Mrs Hai Sion.

Her husband continued his father’s watch spare parts trading business and has visited Japan several times for business.

Asked how he felt towards the Japanese, Mr Hai Sion said: “I bear no animosity towards the Japanese.

“We are lucky to be alive. I hope such killing of people in war does not happen again.”

tohyc@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on February 14, 2017.
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The Housing Development Board (HDB) has launched the first tranche of Built-To-Order (BTO) flats of the year, offering 4,056 flats spread across six housing projects in the towns of Punggol, Clementi, and Tampines.

The units offered in this BTO launch range from two-room Flexi to Three-Generation (3Gen) flats, HDB said in a press release on Tuesday (Feb 14).

First-time applicants will continue to get priority in flat allocation and eligible families may get up to $80,000 in housing grants.

These grants comprise the Additional CPF Housing Grant (up to $40,000) and the Special CPF Housing Grant (up to $40,000), which would allow homebuyers to pay as little as $5,0002 , $88,000, $197,000, and $378,000 for two-room Flexi, three-room, four-room, and five-room flats respectively.

Couples who wish to live together with their parents may apply for 3Gen flats in Clementi NorthArc, Tampines GreenBloom, and Tampines GreenFlora, while other multi-generation families who wish to live near each other can apply for units in Clementi NorthArc, Clementi Peaks, Northshore Cove and Waterway Sunrise II under the Multi-Generation Priority Scheme.

The BTO exercise this month also marks the first time that families on the Fresh Start Housing Scheme can apply for a flat since the start of the programme on Dec 1, 2016. 

The scheme aims to help families with young children currently staying in public rental flats to own a flat again. Families eligible for the scheme will be able to buy a two-room Flexi flat, with lease options ranging from 45 to 65 years, HDB said.

Those who are interested in the new flats offered in this BTO exercise can submit their applications online at HDB InfoWEB from Feb 14 to Feb 20. They can apply for only one type of flat in one town.

Applicants can also check their HDB housing loan eligibility and apply for a letter at www.hdb.gov.sg/hleapply.

minlee@sph.com.sg

Taxi giants ComfortDelGro said it wanted to simplify tickets. This can only be good news. In Singapore there are nearly 10 different rates of landing, three different billing structures, more than 10 surcharges and eight types of telephone booking fees.

The government tried to unravel the toll complexity of some of the commuters driving into private leasing operators such as Uber and Grab. But it did not make progress. The government decides to ball in the operator’s court.

ComfortDelGro is one of the largest and it has the key to the new fare structure. Others are too small to have an impact. But ComfortDelGro has never seen the need to change. It was recently threatened by the rise of private leasing companies.

A new survey commissioned by the Public Transportation Commission showed that passengers were more satisfied with private rental providers than with traditional taxis. If the sampling is truly reflective of ground emotions, it is ruined. This means that, since Uber and Grab came only three years now, they have been more satisfied than the taxi, which has been around for nearly a century.

As the most populous country in the industry, there should be no room for a private rental boom. However, since 2013, the size of the private rental fleet has tripled, and competitors.

The seemingly endless sources of funding and the know-how to identify taxi service gaps allow private leasing companies to increase their presence.

A simpler fare system can help taxi change the tide. The first should be the surcharge, which leads to yield maximization behavior. Taxis that disappear before midnight are a classic example. We can not blame the behavior of a convertible as a businessman.

In Hong Kong, there is only one objective: to the customer’s place where there is no surcharge for taxi fares. In Singapore, their whereabouts are greatly affected by the surcharge.

ComfortDelGro and, of course, have to realize that this is a drawback and fix it.

This article was first published on Feb 14, 2017.
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Q: Why do I always have the urge to pass motion when I feel nervous or anxious?

I will break out in cold sweat and if I do not find a toilet in time, I may end up dirtying my trousers. It is usually worse in the mornings.

I am okay if I am at home and not feeling anxious. I am a 38-year-old woman.

A: The condition you have described is bowel urgency, or a sudden irresistible need to have a bowel movement, which is commonly associated with stress and anxiety.

In normal circumstances, there is more active bowel activity on awakening and this explains the urge to empty the bowels in the mornings.

But, when a person is under stress, the “fight or flight system” is activated, leading to the release of hormones that may increase the heart rate, cause sweating and create an urgency to defecate.

Read also: Are you suffering from anxiety?

When this happens, the normal digestion process is halted and there is rapid emptying of one’s bowel contents, which may be watery. In some cases, it leads to faecal incontinence.

Lifestyle modifications may be useful for anxiety-related diarrhoea. You may want to consider keeping a food diary to help you identify foods that may cause diarrhoea, which, in turn, increases the risk of faecal incontinence.

Common food and drinks linked to diarrhoea include dairy products such as milk and cheese, as well as drinks containing caffeine.

It may also be helpful to avoid eating during stressful periods, as eating triggers contractions in the large intestine, leading to the passage of bowel contents into the rectum and an urge to defecate.

Read also: Anxiety can impact daily life

When lifestyle changes are made, most cases of anxiety- related diarrhoea will resolve themselves.

However, if you continue to experience faecal incontinence, you should seek medical advice.

While diarrhoea is the most common cause of faecal incontinence, there are other causes.

These include structural defects in the pelvic floor muscles which may occur due to childbirth, previous surgery or radiotherapy, weakness of the anal sphincter muscles, or a reduced sensitivity of the rectum, which is a storage organ for stools.

Depending on the medical assessment, your doctor will do the appropriate diagnostic tests to determine the cause of your incontinence.

Dr Daphne Ang

Senior consultant, gastroenterology and hepatology, Changi General Hospital

This article was first published on Feb 14, 2017.
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A Bruneian lawyer who practises in Singapore created legal history yesterday by becoming the first national from ASEAN to be appointed a Queen’s Counsel.

Dr Colin Ong, 49, has been recognised as “an undisputed superstar” in the market and he is reputed to be exceptionally fast in absorbing points and extremely patient, according to leading legal directories.

He has worked as counsel in major cases in Brunei, the United Kingdom and Singapore, as well as an arbitrator across major cities in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Dr Ong has also been a visiting professor of law for over 20 years at several universities in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

He was awarded the coveted appointment letter from Queen Elizabeth II through the Lord Chancellor of England and Wales at a grand ceremony held at the House of Lords in London yesterday.

Dr Ong told The Straits Times yesterday: “I could not have done this without the opportunities provided by many. I am indebted for the strong support from St Philips Stone Chambers (where he works as a barrister) and am equally grateful to my colleagues and friends from Singapore who have carried me along the journey.

“My family has been my continuing source of strength. ”

The QC title is bestowed upon the most capable of English lawyers with proven mastery in law and great ability in courtcraft.

In complex business and commercial disputes, Dr Ong has led teams that have included senior counsel in Hong Kong and Singapore, and other QCs. In Singapore, he practises out of Eldan Law LLP.

Law Society president Gregory Vijayendran lauded his historic feat, and said: “Dr Colin Ong is the first Singapore lawyer to be appointed a Queen’s Counsel in the United Kingdom. The Singapore Bar is proud of his unique achievement.”

He noted Dr Ong was one of the pioneer thought leaders on ASEAN cross-border legal convergence in the late 1990s .

Senior Counsel Michael Hwang said: “Although Colin is not a Singapore home-grown talent, he is well known in Singaporean as well as ASEAN legal circles, and has been involved in many arbitration cases in this region and Asia.”

Dean of UniSIM’s law school, Professor Leslie Chew, said Dr Ong showed leading Singapore lawyers are considered on a par with the best of the English Bar.

Senior Counsel Chelva R. Rajah recalled that when he began practice 45 years ago, it was the QCs from England who came out to the East to appear in courts here.

“Now we see a movement the other way,” he said. “A lawyer practising in our part of the world becoming a QC to be retained to appear in the English courts. It is indeed a brave new world!”

vijayan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 14, 2017.
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Everyone gets a few colds or bouts of flu in their lifetime, sometimes every year. Still, some parents may feel anxious when their child gets the sniffles. Are colds caused by wet hair or cold climate? Is medication the way to go?

Here are seven facts that parents should know.

1. It’s normal for babies to get a runny nose, fever or cough every other month

Dr Michael Wong, deputy medical director of Raffles Medical, said that healthy babies, toddlers and pre- schoolers catch a bout of cold or flu six to eight times a year on average.

Dr Natalie Epton, a paediatrician and neonatologist at SBCC Baby & Child Clinic in Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, said some studies show that babies under two years may fall sick up to 12 times a year, or about once a month.

This is normal and does not mean that your child has a poor immune system or is sickly, Dr Wong added.

Contrary to old wives’ tales, colds are not brought on by exposure to cold air, so do not over-swaddle the baby if the weather is fine. This can make her body temperature rise.

“In other countries, flu seasons tend to coincide with cold weather, but they are not related. Neither are colds caused by being exposed to cool air, having wet hair or wearing wet clothes,” said Dr Wong.

He added that it is the baby’s immature immune system which makes her fall sick more easily.

There are other factors, like being exposed to germs at an infant-care centre or unwell siblings who spread the virus to the little one.

2. Most colds and flu clear up on their own in a week or two

Colds and flu are respiratory tract infections. The flu hits harder than a common cold as the symptoms are usually more intense.

Your baby may be lethargic, eat poorly and have a fever, Dr Wong said. She may also develop a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat and cough, Dr Epton added.

Viruses that cause colds and flu typically clear up on their own in one week to 10 days, and are not usually considered dangerous for most kids, said Dr Epton.

Do take your child to the doctor when you notice any of these signs:

– Fever in a baby two months old or younger.

– Fever of 38.9 deg C or higher at any age.

– Ear pain.

– Breathing difficulties.

– Your child looks pale or blue.

– Excessive crankiness or sleepiness.

– Signs of an infection that isn’t going away, such as a fever lasting more than three days, thick and dark-coloured phlegm, and a cough that gets worse.

– Your child is lethargic and becomes increasingly irritable.

– Poor feeding, with signs of dehydration.

3. Antibiotics won’t speed up recovery

As both the common cold and flu are caused by viruses, antibiotics can’t help and won’t speed up the recovery process. They work only on bacterial infections.

Dr Wong said: “Antibiotics are not effective in treating colds or flu. They may be necessary only if the cold becomes complicated by a bacterial infection or pneumonia.”

He cautioned against giving your child any leftover or unused antibiotics as it may lead to antibiotic resistance and other side effects.

Consider a flu jab to protect your baby, as the flu tends to make children more miserable than a cold. In some cases, it may lead to dangerous infections like pneumonia.

A flu jab is recommended for kids who are six months to five years old, according to the Health Promotion Board. This is available at polyclinics and most private clinics

Breastfeeding also protects against these viruses, as antibodies in breast milk help boost a baby’s immune system and ward off infections, Dr Wong said.

4. Skip OTC medication – opt for plenty of fluids and rest

According to Dr Wong, a specific treatment is usually not necessary in most cases.

What your sick baby needs is plenty of rest. That means shelving activities that may over-stimulate her, as well as encouraging more naps and earlier bedtime.

Give her more fluids to help loosen phlegm and soothe the throat, as well as replace water lost from the body during a fever, Dr Wong said. For babies under the age of six months, “fluids” mean breast milk or formula.

It is not safe to play doctor and give your baby over-the-counter (OTC) medication like antihista- mines, decongestants and cough syrup.

The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) said OTC cough and cold medicines are not effective in children under six years old and can have dangerous side effects.

No medication will make your baby’s illness go away faster, but if she has a fever, infant paracetamol can help to relieve discomfort.

Parents may give babies older than three months paracetamol, or ibuprofen to those older than six months, said Dr Wong. Check with your doctor on the correct dosage.

Babies under the age of three months who are running a temperature usually require a hospital stay.

5. Decongest your baby’s nose with a nasal spray.

Babies and toddlers have narrow airways which make it harder for them to clear secretions like mucus when they have a cold.

To ease a stuffy nose, you just need a saltwater nasal spray, Dr Epton said. Use this with nasal decongestant drops, which can help constrict blood vessels in the nose and reduce mucous production.

Some studies show that applying infant-friendly vapour rub on the chest of babies older than three months may help ease symptoms, Dr Epton added.

Use only vapour rubs formulated for babies and not the adult version, which may be too strong and can cause a burning sensation on the skin.

6. Switch off the air-conditioning

Avoid placing your child directly in front of a fan or air-conditioning as this may worsen her nasal congestion, said Dr Wong. It could also dry up and further irritate the inside lining of the nose.

He suggested humidifying the air to ease a stuffy or runny nose. But use only cool-mist humidifiers.

The AAP does not recommend using warm-mist humidifiers and hot-water vaporisers as they can cause accidental burns or scalding.

7. Flu-proof your kid – start by washing your hands

Cold and flu viruses are spread by tiny air droplets, which are released when an infected person coughs or sneezes, said Dr Wong.

They can be spread indirectly when you touch your baby’s nose and mouth with hands that have come into contact with contaminated surfaces.

So if you are feeling unwell, put on a mask, or cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue away and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

This article first appeared in Young Parents magazine. Young Parents, published by SPH Magazines, is available in digital and print formats. Go to www.youngparents.com.sg to subscribe and for more parenting stories.

This article was first published on Feb 14, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.