The Meteorological Service Singapore told The New Paper yesterday that the highest rainfall levels in Singapore this month were recorded on Jan 23 at Kallang (106mm), Buona Vista (105mm) and Queenstown (100.8mm).

This is compared to the highest level recorded on Jan 22 last year, in Buona Vista (72.4mm).

The wet weather this month has caused flash floods in Singapore but has improved water levels at the Linggiu Reservoir in Johor, from 20 per cent last October, to 30.8 per cent yesterday, said the PUB.

The level of the reservoir, which is Singapore’s main source of water in Malaysia, is up from the 27.5 per cent a week ago and is a marked improvement from the historic low of 20 per cent recorded last October.

SINGAPORE – The Court of Appeal has agreed to hold off judgment in the case of two Sarawakians convicted of murder for the 2010 Kallang slashings.

This, in the light of the recent arrest of the final suspect, who had been on the run for six years.

The court, comprising Judges of Appeal Chao Hick Tin, Andrew Phang and Judith Prakash, was ready to deliver its verdict on Wednesday (Jan 25) on the fate of Micheal Garing, 28, and Tony Imba, 38.

However, the court agreed to defer the judgment till Feb 27, to give defence lawyers the opportunity to interview the alleged accomplice in prison.

Micheal and Tony were part of a gang that went on a late-night robbery spree in the Kallang area in May 2010, severely injuring three victims and killing a fourth.

In 2015, Micheal was sentenced to death for murdering 41-year-old construction worker Shanmuganathan Dillidurai, while Tony was sentenced to life imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane.

A third gang member, Hairee Landak, 23, was sentenced in 2013 to 33 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane for armed robbery with grievous hurt.

Read also: Remaining suspect in 2010 Kallang murder, violent robbery case arrested

The fourth, Donny Meluda, went on the run but was arrested earlier this month in Malaysia and handed over to Singapore police on Jan 18. He was charged with murder on Friday and has been remanded for further investigations.

While on the run, he changed his name to Abdul Rahman Abdullah.

In the case of Micheal and Tony, multiple appeals were filed. The prosecution appealed against Tony’s sentence, Micheal appealed against his conviction and sentence, while Tony appealed against his conviction.

The appeals were heard in September last year.

On Wednesday, at a hearing for the Court of Appeal to give its decision, lawyers Ramesh Tiwary and Amarick Gill, acting for Micheal and Tony respectively, asked the court to defer delivering its judgment.

Mr Tiwary said he wanted to apply to be allowed to interview Donny after the police have completed investigations.

“His testimony would be relevant… whatever he says may undermine the prosecution’s case or assist the defence,” he said.

The prosecution did not object.

This article was first published on January 25, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – The decision to release nine Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) armoured vehicles reflects the good and friendly relations between Hong Kong and Singapore, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.

Speaking to reporters after an event on Wednesday (Jan 25), Dr Ng said shipping firm APL has given its assurance to expedite the return of the Terrex infantry carrier vehicles once they are released by the Hong Kong authorities.

“Hopefully the Terrexes can leave Hong Kong soon, and arrive in Singapore to celebrate reunion for Chap Goh Mei,” he said.

Chap Goh Mei, or the 15th night of Chinese New Year, is the last day of Chinese New Year celebrations. This year, it lands on Feb 11.

APL has also said it will transport the Terrex vehicles directly from Hong Kong to Singapore without making any stops, Dr Ng said, adding that it would take about a week to ship the equipment back.

Read also: Hong Kong to return 9 SAF Terrex vehicles to Singapore: MFA

On Tuesday, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun Ying had replied to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s letter to inform him that the Hong Kong authorities have completed their investigations and will be releasing the Terrex vehicles to Singapore through carrier APL.

Hong Kong Customs had, on Nov 23, detained the nine Terrex vehicles and other equipment on board a container ship transiting there. The vehicles were bound for Singapore after an SAF military exercise in Taiwan.

The shipment was impounded because vessel owner APL failed to provide appropriate permits for the vehicles, the South China Morning Post reported.

Earlier this month, Dr Ng told Parliament that PM Lee had written to Mr Leung to request that the vehicles be returned.

Hong Kong Commissioner of Customs and Excise Roy Tang said on Tuesday that Hong Kong had completed its investigation of the suspected breach and that the investigation might lead to criminal prosecution.

On Wednesday, Mr Tang told reporters the shipper could move the vehicles after all relevant paperwork had been completed, Reuters reported.

“We did not identify any information which points to the possibility of the Singapore government being involved in the breach of the licensing conditions,” Mr Tang added.

This article was first published on January 25, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

People go crazy for barbecue pork this time of year in Singapore, with lines typically forming round the block for the grilled treat.

This year however, people are buzzing about the lines of foreign workers – most, if not all in blue-collar jobs – standing in line for their employers, at just S$5 ($3.50) an hour.

Some have deemed this exploitation, while others say it’s fair game.

Some of these workers told news outlet Today that they were happy to earn extra cash.

“I slept three hours (last night),” said Pandiyaraj, a sewer maintenance worker, who was back in line for a second day.

The 28-year-old started queueing at 5:15am together with his three colleagues for his supervisor, and bought 50kg worth of the pork.

For this, he earned S$5 (US$3.50) an hour, or S$30 over two days. He also received half a day off.

But one migrant worker welfare group in Singapore says it is an exploitation of cheap labour and demeans workers.

Many of Singapore’s foreign workers typically come from parts of South Asia such as southern India and Bangladesh, and are here on a work visa.

And that’s the grey area. Strictly speaking, they can only perform work in the occupation stated on their Work Permit cards – which wouldn’t be standing in line for barbecue pork.

“Foreign workers can hardly say no to their bosses because their employment is dependent on the goodwill of their employers,” Jolovan Wham of the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics pointed out.

But many on social media disagreed with Wham, saying that the workers might be in need of spare cash. “As long as the workers are willing to earn that extra money, why not? To us [the money] is nothing but [to] the workers it’s extra bonus,” said one commenter on Facebook.

Read the full article here

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SINGAPORE – As Singapore prepares for Lunar New Year celebrations at the weekend, the older generation in the fast-changing city-state is worrying who will take over traditions such as making costumes for the lion dance and baking”nian gao” steamed cakes.

Tham Wing Thong is working with 15 employees in Tai Chong Kok bakery, founded in 1935, to turn out “nian gao”, a sticky rice flour cake customarily eaten during the festive season.

“Keeping tradition helps us Chinese retain our culture,”says Tham, 79, the son of the founder. “Nowadays, society has changed with a new generation of people, so it is now on the shoulders of us, the older generation, to retain the tradition and pass it on.”

Henry Ng, one of Singapore’s few remaining makers of lion dance costumes, says interest in the craft spurred him to carry on the tradition, but his children show little interest.

“I think nowadays the markets are based more on technology and they are changing,” he says, adding that his children would do better to get jobs making use of their classroom educations.

Ng started in the trade in the 90s, after tiring of his office job, and makes all his creations by hand, from the bamboo frame that shapes the lion’s head to intricately-painted faces, producing about 60 to 70 heads for lion dancers every year.

Each costs about $1,250, roughly six times more than factory-made ones, and takes anywhere from five days to a few weeks to make.

Read also: The endangered lion in the lion city

With no one for the craftsmen to pass their skills down to, however, their patrons will eventually feel the loss.

“I’ve eaten at that ‘nian gao’ place for almost my whole life, so it brings back very nice memories,” said a customer at the Tai Chong Kok bakery who gave her name only as Jane, a student in Australia who is back home for the holidays.