Three men helped put out a fire that broke out yesterday at a hawker stall in the popular Whampoa Makan Place food centre.

Photos and a video of the men fighting the fire at the Hi Leskmi Nasi Lemak stall at Block 90, Whampoa Drive, appeared on social media at about 1.30pm.

The video shows one man using a water hose to spray flames that licked the exhaust ducting at the top of the stall, while the other two men used fire extinguishers to blast foam through the front of the stall.

In the duration of the 37-second video, they appear to put the flames out.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at about 1.35pm.

It said the fire at the exhaust ducting of the stall was extinguished by members of the public before SCDF firefighters arrived.

There were no reports of injuries, the SCDF said.

It sent a fire engine, two Red Rhinos and a support vehicle to the scene.

Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Heng Chee How, who is MP for Jalan Besar GRC, visited the affected stalls yesterday afternoon.

chuimin@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on February 13, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – The 40m-tall tembusu tree that on Saturday (Feb 11) uprooted and killed a 38-year-old woman and left four others injured was unlikely to have fallen due to the lack of space, said Mr Lahiru Wijedasa, a former senior arborist at Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Read also: Woman killed by tembusu tree at Singapore Botanic Gardens last worked at Mastercard

The 270-year-old tembusu tree had already been there when the Gardens was established in 1859, Mr Lahiru told The Straits Times.

“It has been standing in the Gardens for more than a century since the Gardens was built. If its roots had not been able to adapt to the development, we would have seen tree failure ages ago.

“If restricted rooting was the issue, the tree would have long adapted, as there hasnt been any developments around the tree except building the road 160 years ago,” said Mr Lahiru, who is now pursuing a doctorate at the National University of Singapore.

Mr Lahiru, who was a senior arborist at the Gardens between 2006 and 2009, was responding to speculation that the tree had failed because it did not have enough space to spread its roots.

He urged members of the public to await the results of final investigations and not to jump to conclusions, adding that he had decided to speak up to clarify some of the speculations raised since the incident happened.

On suggestions that the tree might have been affected by the recent winds and rain, Mr Lahiru said the weather conditions could cause a “compromised” tree to be uprooted.

“But like a chair with four legs, one of which has been hollowed out by termites, there may not have been visual clues.

“The point is that even if measures are taken to reduce the risk by 99 per cent, there is always a one per cent chance of something happening,” Mr Lahiru said, adding that NParks has done its due diligence to ensure tree health.

On another suggestion of having mature trees inspected monthly, Mr Lahiru said this may not help in identifying the cause of the problem, if symptoms did not manifest in other parts of the tree.

He pointed out that there is already a system in place to look out for such red flags. The National Parks Board (NParks), which manages the Singapore Botanic Gardens, does detailed, twice-yearly routine inspections, in addition to the daily visual checks by arborists patrolling the grounds, he said.

NParks Commissioner of Parks and Recreation Leong Chee Chiew said in a statement on Sunday that it adopts a systematic regime of inspection checks based on the tree care standards prescribed by the International Society of Arboriculture in the United States, which is of the highest international standards.

A 2015 document on NParks’ website said such Visual Tree Assessments are a non-invasive method of evaluating diagnostic symptoms of internal defects and measuring probability of tree failure.

“Further investigations using diagnostic decay instruments will sometimes be required to quantify these defects and determine if a tree actually poses a hazard,” said the document, which The Straits Times has seen.

Mr Lahiru explained that when a tree fails due to defects either in its crown, trunk, or roots, there are usually symptoms. These could include having a receding crown, leaves turning colour, or more leaves falling off than usual.

Crown or trunk damage can be assessed easily as they are above ground. If there is a termite infestation, for example, there would be track marks. Crown failure due to excessive branching is also prevented by NParks’ practice of regular pruning.

But even if the roots are damaged, by rot or fungal infections, symptoms would be manifested above ground, by dying leaves, for example. This is because the roots of trees take in water, which is vital for the nutrition of the plant and survival of the whole tree, he said.

“In this case, there did not appear to have been such signs,” said Mr Lahiru. NParks had determined the tree healthy during its last routine inspection in September 2016.

If a red flag had been detected, the next step in tree inspection would be to use technology such as ultrasound scans. But this is not the first line of defence for arborists, as such scans are invasive – they would require metallic sensors to be drilled into the trunk. Doing so could introduce viruses and fungus into the tree, said Mr Lahiru.

Even if no red flags are detected, there are measures in place to ensure tree health, Mr Lahiru said.

NParks has said it conducts routine mulching to supplement the regular application of fertilisers, as well as pruning techniques to improve the structure and balance of trees.

The Board has also since May 2016 taken additional steps in tree pruning, such as by undertaking crown reduction and pruning prior to periods of more severe weather conditions.

This article was first published on Feb 12, 2017.
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It was his first chap goh mei celebration at Loyang Tua Pek Kong temple on Friday night.

Mr Chan Cher Hua, 38, and his wife, Madam Law Siew Lan, 37, were among the 6,000 devotees who turned up on the eve of chap goh mei for a special celebration at the temple.

Chap goh mei marks the 15th and final day of Chinese New Year.

ATMOSPHERE

Adding that the event was bigger than expected, Mr Chan said: “It is super festive, we’re soaking in the atmosphere.

“The best food we’ve tried is the prawn mee. But we didn’t come here for the food, we came to pray and ask for (good) health for the whole family.”

Like Mr Chan, many were there for the first time.

First-time attendee Jenny Yip, 60, joined a neighbour who has attended the event for at least 10 years. They both live nearby. Ms Yip said she prays at the temple often but had no idea there were such big celebrations over the Chinese New Year period.

She added: “If I am free next year, I’ll definitely come.”

The temple has celebrated chap goh mei with free food and getai performances for more than 10 years, said chairman of the temple, Mr George Peh.

This year, devotees were treated to local favourites such as Hokkien mee, laksa and chicken rice.

There was also a getai performance, hosted by film-maker Jack Neo and comedienne Tay Yin Yin.

Director Ivan Ho and some of the cast of Take 2 also made an appearance to promote the movie.

Lead actor Ryan Lian said: “I used to come to Loyang (Tua Pek Kong) to pray and also for the Chinese New Year celebrations almost every year.

“I was overseas for the past three or four years during Chinese New Year. When I realised I was coming to Loyang this year, I was quite excited.”

Mr Kester Chew also celebrated chap goh mei for the first time at the temple. The 22-year-old national serviceman was introduced to it by his girlfriend, Miss Lim Jia Hui, 21, who attends the festivities every year.

Mr Chew said: “It brings back that feeling when you were young and your parents took you to the temple.

“It is up to us youngsters to continue the tradition of celebrating Chinese New Year like this.”

hmang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on February 13, 2017.
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Four days after Mr Goh Jeok Teng met Ms Chen Haihong, they decided to get married.

That was in May 2011 and the couple were brought together by their relatives.

They registered their marriage in August that year.

Mr Goh, now 52, and Ms Chen, 35, both work as Tower Transit bus captains.

They have a four-year-old son.

There are at least five married couples who work at Tower Transit.

The third public transport provider started operations in Singapore last May, it also has operations in London.

It operates 26 bus services at three bus interchanges – Clementi, Jurong East and Bukit Batok.

Tower Transit has had a “Happy Valentine’s Day” message on its bus electronic signage since Friday.

Years back, when Mr Goh learnt that Ms Chen – who was living in Hainan, China – would be in Singapore to visit a niece, he took a gamble and met her.

He said: “I was in my forties and still unmarried. Little did I know, I’d get the top prize.”

Ms Chen said: “On the first day we met, he asked me what time I had to be home. I felt he really cared about me and respected me.”

After they got married, she quit her job in Hainan and moved to Singapore.

In 2015, the couple joined Tower Transit as bus captains because they wanted more time together.

Ms Chen works the afternoon shift on feeder bus 284 at Clementi Bus Interchange, while Mr Goh, an interchange supervisor, rotates around interchanges and the Bulim Bus Depot in Jurong West.

LUNCH

When they are on the afternoon shift, they have lunch together before work.

But when they are on different shifts, they get to meet for only 15 minutes a day.

Mr Goh said: “It is not very long, but I look forward to it because we get to share our day with each other.”

Mr Glenn Lim, Tower Transit’s group communications director, said: “The job of a bus captain is challenging. They work on weekends and over festivals, and that requires their partners and families to be understanding.

“The couples in Tower Transit know the rigours of the job and support each another through it.”

He blows her kisses on the road

Whenever Mr Toh Swee Wai, 38, knows he and his wife, Ms Teh Pooi Kam, 37, will be on the road, he keeps a lookout for her.

Just so he can blow her kisses as their buses pass each other.

The Tower Transit bus captains met in 2000 when he was 21, and she was 20.

They got married that same year.

Both originally from Johor Baru, they are now Singapore permanent residents.

They are among at least five married couples at Tower Transit and have two sons aged 17 and 14.

Mr Toh joined SBS Transit in 2000, and Ms Teh joined shortly after.

He joined Tower Transit in January last year and his wife followed suit in November.

She said: “If we work in the same company, we can eat and travel together. We get to spend time together.”

Ms Teh drives feeder services 284 and 282 in Clementi and rotates between morning and afternoon shifts.

Mr Toh drives all routes and is on the afternoon shift.

He said: “When I know that my route will pass hers, I will keep a lookout for her. If we happen to cross paths, I will blow her a kiss and wave at her.”

They also go for lunch and dinner breaks together.

When she gets home from work exhausted, Mr Toh gives her a massage.

She said: “We are really compatible. I am timid, but he is brave. I like to talk, and he listens. Without him, I will not dare to try anything. I will hold on to him for life.”

When asked what was the secret to their marriage, Mr Toh said: “There is no secret. Once you think about how your life will be without the person, you will see how important he or she is.

“For me, I can’t imagine my life without her.”

tanpya@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on February 13, 2017.
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