A total of 13,800 children are on the wait list for childcare places.

Of this figure, 40 per cent are already enrolled in another childcare centre, Minister for Social and Family Development (MSF) Tan Chuan-Jin told Parliament yesterday.

Mr Tan, who was responding to a question by Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah, said many centres now have vacancies to enrol children at short notice.

“However, for a few housing estates with high childcare demand, parents may still experience waiting times that range from a few weeks to a few months,” he said.

“In particular, parents may have to wait longer if they prefer a specific centre due to its location or operator.”

Since 2012, the number of childcare places has increased significantly by over 40 per cent to more than 130,000.

To further reduce waiting times, there will be more childcare capacity in housing estates with high demand.

This includes the recently announced four large centres at Punggol, Sengkang and Bukit Panjang.

Future HDB Build-To-Order developments have been planned with larger childcare centres to meet the needs of young families.

Read also: Workplace childcare centres gain popularity

4 mega childcare centres to open in 2018

Fewer enrolling for kindergarten, more opting for childcare

This article was first published on Feb 07, 2017.
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It is now illegal for private home owners to lease out their properties for short-term accommodation.

An existing Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) guideline against any short-term accommodation of less than six months in private residences was incorporated into the Planning Act after an amendment was passed in Parliament yesterday.

The current penalties, whereby private home owners who lease their units for less than six months can be fined up to $200,000 and jailed for up to a year, remain unchanged.

Over the past year, URA has seen a 60 per cent rise in complaints about breaches of the rule in private residences, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong told Parliament yesterday.

But hope is not lost for those who want to rent their properties on popular home-sharing sites such as Airbnb.

The URA is studying the option of a new use class for owners of private residences who wish to engage in short-term rentals, said Mr Wong in his closing speech for the Planning (Amendment) Bill.

Such properties would need to be approved for that specific purpose, just like service apartments or hotels, he added.

Read also: Home sharing still up in the Airbnb​

Existing residential buildings would require planning permission for the change of use, and this would be subject to a set of guidelines that URA is currently examining.

URA is also looking into a possible reduction in the minimum rental time frame of six months.

Mr Wong said: “But whatever adjustments we may make to this minimum period, it is clear that residential homes should not be converted to daily rental of rooms or apartments without appropriate controls.”

Several MPs, including Nee Soon GRC’s Lee Bee Wah and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC’s Saktiandi Supaat, asked for clarity on the Government’s stand on home-sharing sites, citing concerns by residents over the lack of privacy and security.

Ms Lee said: “I have residents complaining to me about tourists on their floor, moving luggage in and out at odd hours of the day, disturbing their rest.”

Read also: Safety remains top priority for Airbnb​

In response, Mr Wong said URA will first work with the managing body of the development that has units with online listings, so that the residents are aware of the rules on short-term stay.

If short-term rentals persist and cause disamenities for other home owners, URA will have to step in to enforce.

Mr Wong emphasised that the Government sees a role for home-sharing platforms to continue operating in Singapore.

Head of Research & Consultancy at SLP International Nicholas Mak said it would be difficult to get approval for short-term rentals from a majority of the residents in any existing condominium.

“Perhaps landed properties could be the place for short-term arrangements because the externalities, such as any damage to the common areas, would be borne by the individual owner instead of his neighbours.”

In response to queries from The New Paper, an Airbnb spokesman said it was “disappointing” the discussion has not moved forward, noting that it has been two years since URA’s public consultation on home-sharing.

“As written, the Bill lacks the vital details that are so important to the thousands of everyday Singaporeans who take pride in sharing their extra space. Nor is it compatible with Singapore’s vision to stay ahead in an age of disruption and innovation.”

Read also: To Airbnb or not to Airbnb…

URA inspects Sembawang house used for Airbnb rentals after complaints from neighbours

This article was first published on Feb 07, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – The Schooling family has been named The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2016.

Colin, May and Joseph Schooling – aged 69, 61 and 21 respectively – beat 11 other contenders to the award, which is in its second run.

Supported by bank UBS Singapore, the award seeks to recognise Singaporeans who have put the country on the world map, persevered through great adversity or made Singapore a better place through selfless acts last year (2016).

Their win was decided after a public vote and deliberation by a 15-judge panel.

Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam presented May and Colin Schooling with the Singaporean of the Year trophy and a $20,000 cash prize during a ceremony at the UBS Business University on Monday (Feb 6).

In a video message, Joseph Schooling, who was unable to attend the ceremony due to school and training commitments in the United States, thanked Singaporeans for their support and congratulated his fellow award nominees.

“However, I feel that the two people most deserving of this award are my parents. I was the one that raced and won the Olympic medal, but without their help, their unwavering love, their contributions, I would not be where I am today.”

Since he was around six or seven years old, his parents had staunchly backed their only child’s dream of becoming an Olympic champion, shouldering burdens both mental and financial to support him.

This included making the difficult decision of sending him to US college preparatory institution Bolles School to train when he was just 14, and spending more than $1 million to pay for his education and training, with the sum partially funded through loans.

They also lobbied for three years to get him a deferment from national service in 2013 to prepare for the Rio Olympics.

​

Last year (2016), the David and Goliath tale of how Joseph Schooling had defeated Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, to bring home Singapore’s first Olympic gold brought a nation together and inspired younger Singaporeans to reach for their dreams.

The other finalists for Singaporean of the Year award include security officer Peter Lim Kok Seng, 55, social worker Sudha Nair, 59 and social entrepreneur Jabez Tan, 42.

They each received $5,000 from sponsor UBS.

This article was first published on Feb 6, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – A new rat infestation has been discovered in Bukit Batok, raising fears that the infestations that were discovered in 2014 and 2016 might be making a comeback.

Of the 12 residents The Straits Times spoke to on Monday afternoon, 11 said they have spotted the rodents scurrying around the Housing Development Board estate at Bukit Batok Street 52 in the past week. When The Straits Times visited the estate, one rodent was spotted foraging for food beside a grass patch.

A spokesman for the Town Council said it is carrying out weekly pest-control efforts using measures recommended by the National Environment Agency, including glue traps and rat poison.

The spokesman said 26 rats have been killed since last October and rat poison is regularly sprayed around burrows when residents report them.

However, some residents felt that the pest-control measures were ineffective.

Read also: 

Rat infestation earns eatery suspension, fine

Oh rats! Rodent scourge on the rise, say experts

Rats resurface in Bukit Batok

“The rain washes away the rat poison, so the rats are not always killed,” said a retiree living in Block 523, who declined to be named.

He said he has made several complaints to the Town Council, fearing a repeat of the December 2014 infestation near Bukit Batok MRT Station, in which more than 300 rats were found and killed.

This article was first published on Feb 7, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE – Hawkers at Beauty World Centre’s fourth-floor food centre face an uncertain future, as a deadline to move out by Feb 11 has been extended to an unspecified date.

Stallholders told The Straits Times on Monday (Feb 6) they are unsure whether they can stay on, with a potential sale of the privately-owned food centre complicated by a lack of communication from management.

To date, the authorities have not been informed of any intentions for it to close. In a statement to ST, the National Environment Agency said it has not received any notice from the licensee on intentions to cease business or cancel its licence. The centre’s food shop license is valid until November this year.

The Straits Times reported last April (2016) that a mystery buyer had offered $17.5 million to buy the open-air food centre at the strata-titled mall in Upper Bukit Timah and redevelop it in into an air-conditioned food court.

Stallholders said that the status of the sale is uncertain as not all have agreed to it.

But they were issued notices around Chinese New Year by a trustee for the food centre, which stated that they would have to move out by Feb 11. Continuing operations beyond this date would incur fines from the authorities, the note said.

However, they were later told on Sunday (Feb 5) that they would be able to stay on until further notice, with rumours of the extension lasting until May.

The food centre’s managing agent Wisely 98 declined to comment when queried by The Straits Times, deferring questions to one of the food centre’s trustees, Mr Lai Chong Lee.

Mr Lai, who operates a stall at the food centre, has not been seen in several days, hawkers said.

Several of the 41 stalls at the food centre have moved out in recent weeks, including burger stall Hanbaobao and ramen stall Buta Kin.

Mr Sam Kin Sun, owner of Buta Kin, said that he had moved out on Jan 26 as he was told that the food centre would be closing on Feb 11. Mr Sam, 34, will be reopening his stall at a coffeeshop in Bedok later this month.

Madam Annie Cheong, 64, who has run the Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle Rice stall for five years, said that she will take a break before reopening elsewhere if the hawker centre is sold.

Another stallholder of 10 years, who declined to be named, said: “Everyone is very uncertain about what’s going on – we don’t know if we should order more stock or start looking for a stall elsewhere.”

“Some of the other owners have already started moving their equipment out only to be told later that they could continue operations.”

This article was first published on Feb 7, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia’s deputy foreign minister said the country will defend its maritime borders and sovereignty, if newly discovered historical facts prove that Pulau Batu Puteh belongs to Malaysia.

The island, some 40km east of Singapore at the eastern entrance of the Singapore Strait, is known as Pedra Branca in Singapore. Britain, and later Singapore, has maintained control over the island since the 1850s.

The Star Online quoted Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican as saying on Sunday that, while the Malaysian government would continue to foster good ties with Singapore, it would also explore the possibilities of gaining sovereignty over the island.

“In 2008, when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague gave the island to Singapore, it did not tarnish our relationship,” he said.

“Trade between Malaysia and Singapore has even increased.”

In the meantime, Rear-Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri K. Thanabalasingam, who was part of the Malaysian team which argued its case at The Hague in 2008, believed there is fresh, compelling evidence to support Malaysia’s call for a review, the New Straits Times reported.

“I believe he is armed with some strong, sufficient and substantial (evidence) that is relevant to initiate the revision, based on new facts from declassified documents released by the British government,” he was quoted as saying.

But he told the newspaper that time is essential in determining if Malaysia’s case warrants a hearing.

“It may become a problem if (it turns out that the) documents were declassified much earlier and we only found out about its contents recently,” he said.

“We (could still) apply, but the ICJ will entertain us only if the new evidence is very pertinent for a revision. The new evidence must be serious enough to affect the outcome of the earlier decision.”

The ICJ found on May 23, 2008, that sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh or Pedra Branca belongs to Singapore, sovereignty over Middle Rocks belongs to Malaysia and sovereignty over South Ledge belongs to the state in the territorial waters of which it is located.

A key consideration in its decision was a letter dated Sept 21, 1953, in which Johor’s top official informed the British authorities in Singapore that “the Johor government does not claim ownership of Pedra Branca”.

The court said in its 2008 ruling that it considered this correspondence and its interpretation of central importance for determining the understanding of both parties about sovereignty over the island. It found that Johor’s reply showed that “as of 1953, Johor understood that it did not have sovereignty over Pedra Branca”.

But last Friday, Malaysia’s attorney-general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali said in a statement that the country had filed an application to revise the ICJ’s judgment over the three islands.

Read also: Johor Sultan seeks to reopen Pedra Branca case

DECLASSIFIED

The ICJ said in a press statement on Friday that Malaysia cited three documents declassified by Britain to support its application for a revision. They are: Internal correspondence of Singapore colonial authorities in 1958, an incident report filed in 1958 by a British naval officer and an annotated map of naval operations from the 1960s.

These items were discovered in the UK National Archives between Aug 4, 2016 and Jan 30, 2017.

“Malaysia claims that these documents establish the new fact that ‘officials at the highest levels in the British colonial and Singaporean administration appreciated that Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh did not form part of Singapore’s sovereign territory’ during the relevant period,” the ICJ said.

“Malaysia argues ‘that the court would have been bound to reach a different conclusion on the question of sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh had it been aware of this new evidence’.”

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “Singapore is studying Malaysia’s application and documentation closely and has formed its legal team to respond to Malaysia’s application”.

The team includes Attorney-General Lucien Wong, Professor S. Jayakumar, Professor Tommy Koh and former chief justice Chan Sek Keong.

This article by The Straits Times was published in The New Paper, a free newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM)said it expects all employers to excuse their employees from work if they are on sick or hospitalisation leave, in accordance with doctors’ instructions.

This was in response to a report by The New Paper on Saturday over the way Singapore Airlines (SIA) views employees who use their medical certificates (MCs).

Last week, SIA stewardess Vanessa Yeap, 38, was found dead in a San Francisco hotel room. She was reportedly ill two days before the incident.

A Facebook user, Mr Philip Lim, then claimed SIA crew would avoid taking sick leave as it would affect their chances of a promotion. He also claimed SIA rewards its flight crew if they maintain an MC-free year. The airlines refuted his claims.

TNP quoted two SIA stewardesses who agreed with Mr Lim’s post and felt the company’s MC practice should be reviewed. They said cabin crew members were afraid to take medical leave as it might affect their promotion and contract renewal.

Read also: 

SIA air stewardess found dead in San Francisco hotel room

SIA refutes netizen’s claims over MC rules

Following the report, 10 readers, most of whom claimed in their e-mails to be current or former SIA employees, contacted TNP. Some agreed with Mr Lim’s comments while others shared unpleasant experiences taking MCs while with SIA

In response, MOM yesterday issued a statement saying it expects all employers to excuse their employees from work if they have an MC.

Its spokesman said this would allow employees who are ill to obtain medical care and recover and can prevent further transmission of contagious illnesses at the workplace.

The spokesman added: “Paid sick and hospitalisation leave is a basic protection under the Employment Act and is also a core benefit in collective agreements… employers should avoid penalising an employee solely based on his consumption of sick leave.”

The ministry added that employers should appraise their employees fairly by taking into consideration “ability, performance and contributions”.

The ministry urged employers to clearly communicate their employment terms to employees to avoid misunderstanding.

Employees who feel penalised for taking sick leave can approach the ministry for help.

Under the law, employees with six or more months of service get a minimum of 14 and 60 days of paid sick and hospitalisation leave, respectively.

When contacted to respond to MOM’s statement, SIA replied with the same statement it had sent to TNP on Friday.

The spokesman said: “Crew members who are given medical leave are encouraged to rest and recuperate at home. Operating with an MC is a disciplinary lapse…

“As with all other businesses, employee productivity and attendance at work are important for a successful airline operation.

“Although crew attendance is a component in the performance management process, we would like to emphasise that crew performance is measured across many other factors.”

This article was first published on Feb 7, 2017.
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