He is a Muslim, but that did not stop Mr Irfan Ali from accompanying two friends on a visit to a Chinese temple on Saturday night.

He was there to observe the birthday celebration of Taoist deity Jade Emperor at the Loyang Tua Pek Kong temple.

Mr Irfan, who can speak Mandarin, has been visiting temples since he was a teenager.

“I started visiting temples with my friends when I was 16 or 17 because a majority of them are Chinese, and I was curious to find out more about the culture,” he told The New Paper.

His two friends are Mr Lee Jin Hui and Mr Chye. The trio are all aged 25.

Mr Lee said: “One is my secondary school friend (Mr Irfan) and the other, my NS mate (Mr Chye). Both of them have been friends for five years now, and we started visiting the temple together two years back.”

The Jade Emperor’s birthday was yesterday, the ninth day of the Chinese New Year, but the celebration to welcome the deity often starts the day before.

Mr Irfan felt that the celebration at the Loyang Tua Pek Kong temple was a little overwhelming.

“It is quite similar to the fasting month of Ramadan where there will be a lot of people visiting the mosque for the nightly prayer after they have completed their fasting for the day,” he said.

Devotees arrived as early as 8.30pm on Saturday, with their names, home addresses and well wishes written on joss paper to be offered to the Jade Emperor.

ATMOSPHERE

Madam Jean Tan, 40, visited the temple with her husband and two girls for the first time.

She said: “We live in Bukit Batok, but we had dinner with my sister’s family, who lives in Bedok, so we decided to come over and soak in the atmosphere.”

Madam Tan said she left it to her husband to pray for the well-being of the family.

“It is usually the man in the family who prays,” she said.

Offerings at the temple included a sumptuous spread of roast duck, fish, chicken, crab, fruits, cakes and red eggs, all laid out on a large stage.

The temple’s event coordinator, Mr Jeffery Tan, 58, estimated that the temple would have seen about 6,000 devotees from Saturday night to 3pm yesterday, when the stacks of joss paper were burnt to mark the end of the celebration and send the Jade Emperor back to heaven.

huienl@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on February 6, 2017.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

Readers Alexis Heng inquired about the procedures that same-sex couples had to go through in order to adopt a child and acquire Singapore citizenship for him or her.

He also asked if the child was eligible for the infant bonus.

Social affairs correspondent Janice Tai contacts government agencies.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development has no comment on whether a same-sex partner is able to adopt a child and whether there is a historical precedent for same-sex couples to do so.

However, the Department indicated that all potential adopters would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Factors to be considered include the situation of children and applicants, the child’s ability to raise children, parenting beliefs, family circumstances, support networks and the ability to meet children’s needs.

The best interests of the child are the primary consideration in assessing the application and matching the child to the list of potential potential recipients.

Application and citizenship are separate processes with different requirements.

Adoption does not mean that a child can be a Singapore citizen even if a same-sex partner has successfully adopted a child.

Each application for Singapore citizenship is assessed on the basis of a set of criteria for its own merits.

Children who are Singapore citizens and whose parents are married are eligible for the infant bonus benefit.

Singapore does not recognize same-sex marriage.

For children who are not citizens and adopted by a married couple, these benefits may vary depending on the age at which the child becomes a Singapore citizen.
This article was first published on February 6, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE -Former leftist trade unionist and Barisan Sosialis leader Fong Swee Suan has died.

Mr Fong, a founding member of the People’s Action Party (PAP) before he left the party in 1961 over differences of opinion about Singapore’s merger with Malaysia, died on Saturday (Feb 4) afternoon at his home. He was 85.

In a Facebook post, his son, author and cartoonist Otto Fong, wrote: “As a child, I watched every tree you tended grow into a lush green giant of sweet fruits and cheerful flowers. I remember your patient guidance for all of us, and the vast space and love you had for every quirk in our family.

“Yesterday as I took a walk with my dog, you quietly slipped away and left one last gentle smile. You must know you gave us a better land and better lives than you had yourself.”

Mr Fong was born in Senggarang, a town in the Batu Pahat district of Johor, in 1931.

In 1950, he came to Singapore to study at The Chinese High School, where he was placed in the same class as former Barisan leader Lim Chin Siong.

In 1952, he joined the Green Bus Company as a ticket seller and subsequently became a member of the Singapore Bus Workers’ Union (SBWU). He was elected secretary-general of the union a year later.

The students of the Singapore Chinese Middle School Students’ Union introduced Mr Fong to founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1954, and he became a founding member of the PAP.

Mr Fong was detained several times between 1955 and 1959. He was regarded as a major instigator of the Hock Lee bus strike, which quickly escalated into a riot in 1955.

When the PAP came to power in 1959, he was released and served as a political secretary under the PAP Government.

In 1961, he and close ally Lim Chin Siong broke away from the PAP to form Barisan Sosialis.

Accused of being involved in communist activities, Mr Fong was arrested together with 100 others under Operation Cold Store in 1963. He was taken to Malaysia for detention, and only released in 1967.

The ban on him was only lifted in 1990, and he returned to Singapore in 1998.

Mr Fong is survived by his wife Chen Poh Cheng, two sons and a daughter.

This article was first published on Feb 5, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

In an effort to get Singaporeans up to speed in a world with constant disruptions, the Government funded nearly 1 million – 920,000 – training places last year. This is up from 830,000 in 2015.

Some 380,000 people attended training in courses as varied as pastry-making and computer coding, up from 350,000 in 2015.

But even as more Singaporeans heeded the call to undergo skills mastery and lifelong learning, mindset change does not come easily, observed SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) chief executive Ng Cher Pong.

Have Singaporeans’ attitudes towards the perennial need to master new skills really changed, he wondered in an interview with the media last Friday, where he shared an update on the progress of the national SkillsFuture movement.

“Mindset change is not easy to measure, and it certainly won’t change overnight,” he said.

“Thus, the priority going forward would be to continue finding ways to drive a mindset change among Singaporeans.

“We don’t want to be blindly chasing numbers… we don’t want to just see numbers going up but (where) at the back of it, the mindsets haven’t really changed.”

Mr Ng said more details on engaging companies and individuals will be revealed soon.

SkillsFuture was launched over two years ago as part of a nationwide drive to encourage Singaporeans to continue upgrading their skills, regardless of where they started from.

Mr Ng gives the scheme a decent ‘B’ grade, if numbers alone told of its progress.

BUSY YEAR

Last year was a busy one for the national drive as the SkillsFuture Credit scheme, which gives every Singaporean aged 25 and older $500 credit to pay for skills courses, was rolled out.

It was introduced last January for about 2.5 million people.

More than 126,000 people, or about 5 per cent of those eligible, used it in the scheme’s first year.

Mr Ng said “there is really no rush to use it”, explaining that the credit does not expire and will be topped up at intervals.

He urged Singaporeans to think carefully and not spend the credits on any course that comes to mind.

Over 500 modular courses have been introduced at the polytechnics and universities.

These bite-sized courses, aimed at working adults, may even be “stackable” towards qualifications like degrees, Mr Ng said.

All Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and polytechnic courses are also on track to have their internship programmes enhanced by 2020.

These longer and more structured internships have clear learning outcomes and better mentorship, and are part of full-time diploma courses, Nitec, or Higher Nitec courses.

At the end of last year, two-thirds of about 290 polytechnic and ITE courses had enhanced their internship programmes.

Going ahead, some initiatives under SkillsFuture will be tweaked, said Mr Ng.

In the second quarter of this year, an online portal will be launched to help people plan for their education and training needs.

More modular courses will be rolled out with a greater push for more workplace and online learning opportunities.

SSG will also step up advisory services to help Singaporeans reach their potential.

Mr Ng said more will be done to engage individuals and firms, particularly the small and medium-sized enterprises.

calyang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on February 6, 2017.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

She had always helped to prepare lo hei for her employer’s family, and yesterday, domestic helper Miss Lal Nun Sangi, 28, got to toss the traditional Chinese New Year salad for the first time.

She and around 300 foreign domestic helpers from Indonesia, Philippines, Indian, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, gathered on Sunday (Feb 5) afternoon for Lunar New Year festivities organised by the Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (Fast) held at the clubhouse at Jalan Bukit Merah.

Miss Lal, who is from Myanmar and has been in Singapore for over four years, said: “I was always too shy to take part although my employers asked me to because they had their own family members around.

“But here I get to do it with my ‘family’.”

Besides the free lunch and lo hei, the group, which included Fast Clubhouse members and domestic helpers from agencies and shelters, were also treated to a traditional lion dance and received red packets courtesy of Fast’s sponsors.

Some of the foreign domestic helpers also sang and danced to traditional Chinese music.

Fast was started in 2005 with the aim of providing training for domestic helpers, such as eldercare, infant care and working and cooking safely.

The purpose of the event is to educate domestic workers about the festivities and let them understand and experience the traditions in multi-cultural Singapore, said Guest of Honour and FAST president Seah Seng Choon.

Said Mr Seah: “We have celebrations for each of the nationalities so that these helpers get to experience different practices of different nationalities.

“They get to have fun and at the same time learn about the different cultures, so that if they move to new employers, they don’t have a culture shock.”

Mr Seah added: “This is also our way of showing them appreciation and Fast’s gift to them.”

This article was first published on Feb 5, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote to the widow of former leftist union leader Fong Swee Suan on Sunday (Feb 5), expressing his condolences at Mr Fong’s death.

In his letter to Madam Chen Poh Cheng, PM Lee recounted how Mr Fong was a convenor of the People’s Action Party (PAP) when it was formed in 1954, and sat on its first central executive committee.

He noted that the non-communist group led by his father, founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, had later clashed with Mr Fong and his pro-communist colleagues. But he also highlighted how the non-communists were inspired by the latter’s selflessness and commitment to their cause.

PM Lee recalled in his letter how the almost wholly English-educated, non-communist group led by Mr Lee Kuan Yew found in Mr Fong and Barisan Sosialis leader Lim Chin Siong “a bridge to the Chinese-educated world”.

The non-communists and pro-communists had joined forces to “rid Singapore of the British colonialists, knowing full well that the real battle would come after the British left and Signaporeans had to decide who was to govern them”.

After Mr Fong and his leftist colleagues were arrested after a series of strikes and riots, Mr Lee Kuan Yew acted as their lawyer and visited them at St John’s Island every three to four weeks. PM Lee recalled how he would regularly take a police boat together with his parents on those trips, which he had regarded as Sunday outings.

But there was a serious purpose behind those visits for Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who spent hours trying to persuade the detainees “of the folly of the Communist Party of Malaya’s policy”, PM Lee wrote. All the detainees later signed a document which they had drafted themselves, setting out their support for the PAP’s non-communist objectives.

Mr Lim Chin Siong, Mr Fong and six other detainees were released from prison after the PAP won the 1959 general election and formed the go vernment. They were all appointed Political Secretaries in various ministries – Mr Fong went to the Ministry of Labour. “Mr Lee (Kuan Yew) and his senior colleagues were hopeful that all but Mr Lim were sincere in their declarations of support,” Mr Lee wrote.

In 1961, Mr Fong, Mr Lim and other trade union leaders split from the PAP to form Barisan Sosialis due to differences over Singapore’s merger to form Malaysia. The pro-communists also formed the Singapore Association of Trade Unions, with Mr Fong as secretary-general.

“A ferocious battle for hearts and minds ensued,” PM Lee wrote.

At a referendum in 1962, 70 per cent of Singaporeans voted to merge with Malaysia. In the general election a year later, the PAP was re-elected to office with 37 out of 51 seats, with Barisan winning 13.

“It is difficult for Singaporeans who did not live through the events to appreciate the passion of those times. This was a serious battle of ideas between two groups of people with diametrically opposed visions of our society,” PM Lee wrote.

“Singapore’s history would have been utterly different if Mr Lim and Mr Fong had prevailed. Fortunately, they did not, as several of those who took their path recognised years later, after the dust had settled,” he added.

PM Lee also stressed that the battle was not one between “good men and women on one side, and crooks and charlatans on the other.”

“There were dedicated, and disciplined, deeply courageous people on both sides,” he wrote. “Indeed, Mr Lee and his colleagues liked and respected their opponents, admiring them for their simple lifestyles, selflessness and commitment.”

Mr Fong met Mr Lee Kuan Yew for the last time in Sept 2009 in the old Parliament House at the launch of ‘Men in White’, a book on untold stories of the PAP. They shook hands warmly, and stood next to each other for a photograph.

PM Lee cited how Mr Lee Kuan Yew wrote that the PAP learnt “the meaning of dedication to a cause” from Mr Fong and his colleagues, who were prepared to sacrifice everything for their cause.

The late Mr Lee said their dedication prompted the PAP to set “high standards of personal integrity and spartan lifestyles to withstand their political attacks. They were ruthless and thorough. We became as dedicated as they were in pursuing our political objectives.”

PM Lee also noted that in his obituary note on Mr Lim in 1996, Mr Lee Kuan Yew recalled his differences with Mr Lim were ideological and deep, but never personal. “He would have said the same of Mr Fong,” PM Lee said.

Read the full letter here

This article was first published on Feb 5, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

An 80-year-old Singaporean wanted for his alleged role in a multimillion-dollar scam in the United States had name-dropped prominent Singaporeans such as Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh, 79, to lend credibility to the scheme.

He also claimed to have been an employee and scholarship recipient of Shell Singapore.

The Straits Times obtained a personal profile document believed to be used by Ho Fook Kee while he acted as a broker for the US$50 million (S$70 million) scam.

The US scam involved Ho and five accomplices who allegedly impersonated US government officials to lure at least 12 victims to invest in a fraudulent scheme known as the “Cities Upliftment Programme”.

The profile came from a Singaporean investment consultant who had expressed interest in investing with Ho and received the document from him through a US business partner.

Attached was also a photocopy of what is believed to be Ho’s passport.

The document, which stated his name as Ho Foo Kee instead of Ho Fook Kee as sources confirmed, or F. K. Ho as written in his passport, listed what appears to be his illustrious career in local and international oil, gas and engineering industries.

It also claimed Ho worked in Shell Singapore, in roles including petroleum chemist and consultant.

But its spokesman said there were no records of Ho working in the positions described or as a scholarship holder.

The document also listed notable lawyers and public servants as character references, though those contacted by ST said they had not been contacted by any victims.

Professor Koh, who was listed as a “former classmate and personal friend”, told ST Ho’s name did ring a “distant bell”.

When shown a picture of Ho, Prof Koh said he remembered him as a secondary schoolmate but has had no contact with him since leaving school in 1957.

MISSPELT

Former Law Society president T. P. B. Menon and Lieutenant-General (Retired) Ng Jui Ping were also mentioned as Ho’s friends, but their names were misspelt.

When contacted, both had no recollection of anyone fitting Ho’s description.

Lawyer Teo Eng Leong, who was also listed as a personal reference, said he did not know Ho well and met him only a handful of times a few years ago when he visited his office for notary public services.

He remembered him because Ho’s passport did not state his full name, saying: “When he showed me his passport, it was just his initials (stated there)”.

A Singapore mobile phone number belonging to Ho was also listed, but calls to the number went unanswered.

Ho is being investigated by the Commercial Affairs Department here and is on bail for a case unrelated to the US scam, sources told ST.

According to indictment papers for the US scam, Ho and five others had allegedly told victims that the scheme was backed by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

They promised investors “exponential” returns, where a US$1 million investment could yield US$150 million in less than four months, and allegedly swindled victims all over the world. Among the victims is one here who was allegedly approached by Ho in 2015 and put US$1 million in the scheme.

Two months ago, Ho was charged with five counts relating to committing wire fraud and impersonating a US officer, among others.

His alleged accomplices included five Americans and alleged mastermind, Rienzi Edwards, 55, a Sri Lankan.

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

A 57-year-old man drowned after he allegedly tried to wash his hands, which had been soiled with dog droppings, at the Kallang River on Saturday afternoon.

The incident sparked a nearly two-hour search by authorities for his body.

The victim, Mr Suhaimi Abu Bakar, had been spotted near the river at Block 14A, Upper Boon Keng Road around 2.30pm.

An eyewitness, Mr Liu, who was fishing nearby, told Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao that he had seen Mr Suhaimi take some newspapers from a rubbish bin.

“I was not sure if he wanted the newspaper so he could spread it on the floor to sit down, or to read it,” said the 33-year-old Mr Liu, who works in a glass factory.

Mr Liu claimed that the newspapers had been smeared with dog droppings, which caused Mr Suhaimi to dirty his hands. The latter then climbed over the railings and was seen trying to wash his hands in the river.

“Ten minutes later, I heard a ‘plop’ sound and when I turned around, he (Mr Suhaimi) was nowhere to be seen. I ran over but the water was murky and I could not see much,” Mr Liu said.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted around 2.45pm.

It conducted surface search operations and deployed two pairs of divers, who recovered Mr Suhaimi’s body from the river around 4.30pm.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Mr Suhaimi’s close friend, 61-year-old Mr Kamrudin, told Wanbao they had arranged to meet for one of their regular chats in the area, which they had fond memories of as they had grown up there.

“At the time of the incident, I had left him alone for a while to buy drinks. By the time I returned, there were lots of police officers and I found out he had fallen into the river,” said Mr Kamrudin.

SCDF also dispatched a fire engine, two fire bikes, a Red Rhino, an ambulance and a support vehicle to the scene.

A police spokesman said the incident is being investigated as an unnatural death.

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

Mrs Cindy Tan was browsing through her Facebook feed last Wednesday when a post caught her attention.

In one of her groups – Skyline I & II @ Bukit Batok, created for residents of the new HDB flats in Bukit Batok Street 22 – fellow member Robin Zhang had posted about a lift at Block 296B malfunctioning at 10.30am.

The lifts are from Sigma Elevator, which has been banned from tendering for new HDB projects since October 2015 due to poor performance and installation delays.

Mr Zhang, 29, said the lift stopped suddenly at the sixth storey while going up to the 18th storey. This was after it went up and down several times.

When the doors opened, he nearly fell out of the lift as it had stopped 20cm above the landing floor.

A reader of The New Paper for more than two decades, Mrs Tan contacted the paper via Facebook message.

TNP published the story on Friday, and the incident has since been brought to the attention of Bukit Batok Member of Parliament Murali Pillai.

DEPENDENT

In a Facebook message to TNP, Mrs Tan said she is glad the issue is now under investigation.

Mrs Tan, who will be moving into Block 296A by the end of next month, said: “My unit is on the 35th storey, so I am dependent on the lift. Plus, I have two young kids – one who is turning four this year and another turning one in May.”

Another story, which was also published last Friday, started via an e-mail tip-off.

A reader had spotted volunteers from Free Food For All (FFFA), a charitable organisation, wearing T-shirts with the name “GT Credit” printed on them.

The volunteers were distributing 100 bags of food and necessities, worth $5,400, at Block 811, French Road, on Jan 21.

FFFA had unknowingly accepted donations from an unlicensed moneylender called GT Credit, which also happens to be the name of a licensed moneylender.

Lawyers consulted by TNP said no offence was committed since the food drive was not related to moneylending, and GT Credit was not using the event to promote moneylending activities.

Charity Council chairman Gerard Ee said charitable organisations should do due diligence and conduct background checks on their donors and sponsors.

For sharing such news, hotline callers will each receive a $100 Texas Chicken voucher. We value your calls and e-mails, so keep them coming.You can call us on 1800-733-4455, SMS or MMS 9477-8899, or e-mail us at tnp@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 6, 2017.
Get The New Paper for more stories.