To support his dream of having a home just for local books, Mr Edmund Wee had to put his own books up for sale.

Last November, he put up over 10,000 books he had accumulated since his college days.

The dream? To keep his online store localbooks.sg going.

Mr Wee, the publisher of local imprint Epigram Books, launched the store last July.

It carries 1,500 local titles, including graphic novels, award-winning fiction and poetry, children’s series, lifestyle books and works in other languages.

It has a further 8,000 titles on backlist.

Mr Wee, 64, told The New Paper: “Over the years, I always asked myself, ‘How do we make local books more popular?’ I thought of making a bookstore just selling Singapore books, but the rentals for bookstores are just too expensive.

“We started with $100,000 as start-up capital. I found that it was not enough, so I went to sell all my books.”

This included personal favourites such as the Letterpress Shakespeare set and a special edition of D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

Most of the books went for $2 to $5 and some shoppers bought boxes of these. Special editions that cost up to $100 were sold for $10.

Mr Wee raised $30,000, which will be saved for the running of the online store.

Since its launch, the store has seen a steady 20 per cent increase in sales each month.

The team is hoping to list as many Singapore books as possible.

It is also looking to include a list of out-of-print titles for customers to indicate their purchase interest, to help publishers decide whether these titles should be reprinted.

Miss Julie Hyun, 30, co-founder, said: “Local publishers are working very hard to get these stories out there and really need a platform for people to discover them.

“It is important to have this platform for people to know about Singapore titles and if they want to read, they can surely find it.”

It took about five months for the team to gather titles and reach out to other publishers, such as Ethos Books and Pepper Dog Press, which have put up their titles for sale at localbooks.sg.

Ms Sim Ee Waun, co-founder of Pepper Dog Press, said: “We were thrilled to hear about the online shop as we were also newbies to the book business.

That they were focusing on local literature exclusively was a positive and encouraging indication to us that there is growing interest and support for local literature, and a reflection that there is a growing interest in all things local.

“It is also an indication that our society is maturing, and we are finding more confidence in ourselves and our identity rather than constantly looking abroad for good things to happen.”

Ethos Books, which has published works by writers Claire Tham, Alfian Sa’at and Cyril Wong among others, was approached by the team behind the website in March.

Associate publisher Ng Kah Gay said: “We were fascinated that they were brave enough to venture into the business of selling Singapore books and literature.

“It makes sense for us as publishers to support an initiative that encourages readership and improves awareness of and access to Singapore literature.”

Mr Wee hopes the venture will be a success, though he knows it is a gamble.

He said: “I am aware that it is financially risky to start a bookshop but it still has to be done, how else will people find Singapore books?”

This article was first published on January 17, 2017.
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JOHOR BARU – Malaysians driving to Singapore on a daily basis have to deal with yet another charge – a Reciprocal Road Charge (RRC) that the republic claims that it’s imposing to match the RM20 fee Malaysia is levying on their cars.

Although the RRC is only S$6.40 (RM20), this comes on top of the other fees – the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) and the toll charges – that Malaysians already have to fork out to cross over to the city-state.

Parents, who send their children to school across the border, are especially upset and concerned that school van operators might use the RRC as an excuse to increase the already high fares.

Ivy Teh, 48, whose two children study in Singapore primary schools, said the fare had risen to RM750 per child, compared with RM350 six years ago.

The amount, she added, had been steadily rising over the years due to the fuel hike. Now, she is worried that the RRC would cause the fare to go up again.

“I have suggested to the van operator to give it at least six months or so to see if the S$6.40 RRC really causes any impact to her business before imposing another price increase,” she said in an interview here yesterday.

Housewife Choong Swee Lan, 50, said it would be a huge burden if the fare is raised again as she is currently paying RM1,400 just to send her two children to school across the Causeway.

“We are already paying so much to give our children better quality education.

“With the schools in Singapore revising the fees by 10 per cent yearly and the high cost of living here, we might stop sending our kids there,” she said.

Another motorist, wishing to be known only as Jack, 36, said it is tough for people like him who drive to Singapore frequently to meet with his business partner who runs a workshop in Jurong.

“The timing is poor as our country’s economic slowdown is already taking a toll on the people.

“I have no choice but to drive as it is hard for me to attend meetings on time if I take public transport,” he said.

Contractor Idzwan Idzhar Marappan, 27, who goes shopping and dining in Singapore with his friends and family every week, said he might start carpooling with others to save cost.

“As if the existing charges such as the VEP and tolls are not enough, now we have to fork out an extra S$6.40,” he sighed.

Sales manager Shareen Kaur, 30, who commutes to Singapore for work daily, said she would rather wake up much earlier to travel by public transport than pay more for the RRC.

“On some days I would drive into Singapore but with the collection of RRC next month, I won’t mind braving the crowd to take public transport,” she said.

But businessman Haziq Hakim, 30, who enters Singapore twice a week with his parents, said he will never make his aged parents take public transport.

It takes public transport commuters between 45 minutes and an hour, including time spent queueing at the immigration counters, to cross to Singapore.

And they will need to wake earlier, with some catching the buses at 3am or 4am.

For driving, it’s a breeze if traffic is smooth, as it takes only 10 to 15 minutes to cross over.

But if there’s congestion, the journey can last up to two hours. More cars are seen during the weekends.

SINGAPORE – Singapore will explore the possibility of “more training opportunities” for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in New Zealand and deepen its relationship with the country, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Monday (Jan 16).

He was speaking to the media following a meeting with his counterpart, New Zealand Minister of Defence Gerry Brownlee.

“Whether it is the US’ new president, Brexit, rising powers like China and India in this part of the world, the status quo has been changed,” said Dr Ng.

He added that it was important to strengthen relationships with “like-minded” countries during this “period of uncertainty”, noting that New Zealand and Singapore were already cooperating in platforms such as the Five Power Defence Arrangement and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.

Mr Brownlee said he hoped the relationship between the two countries would strengthen in the years to come, noting it “was one of the closest military relationships” New Zealand has.

During the meeting, the two defence ministers agreed to initiate an annual formal ministerial meeting and explore further co-operation between the SAF and the New Zealand Defence Force.

They include annual Air Force staff talks, and the establishment of two working groups – an operational working group and one for education and training.

Mr Brownlee said the Royal New Zealand Navy will use Singapore as a port while travelling through the Straits of Malacca.

Dr Ng noted the Royal New Zealand Navy’s participation of a naval task group in Singapore for Exercise Bersama Shield – a multilateral exercise involving members of the Five Power Defence Arrangements – as well as the international naval review in April (2017).

Both men also observed Exercise Thunder Warrior at the Waiouru Training Area in New Zealand.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the artillery live-firing exercise, which saw the participation of 500 Singapore soldiers.

Noting that 20 years is a “long time”, Dr Ng thanked the government and people of New Zealand for allowing Singapore to train in the country.

Dr Ng noted that the Waiouru training area is more than twice the size of Singapore, which allows the SAF to conduct live-firing of equipment that would be impossible on the island, such as the Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer which has a range of 30km.

azhaki@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Janauary 17, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – A 35-year-old man has allegedly been living at Jurong Point shopping mall for nearly four years, using the water, electricity and Wi-Fi there.

Mr Chen Jinfu, who works at an electronics factory, makes his “home” outside the mall, along walkways or at staircases there, Lianhe Wanbao reported on Monday (Jan 16).

Wanbao visited the mall in Jurong West and found him sitting on some newspapers, watching a show on his tablet device while drinking soya bean milk and eating bread.

He told Wanbao that he rents a shared room in Boon Lay, but finds the room hot and stuffy, saying he prefers to live at Jurong Point as the $250 room was “no good” and he could not get along with the other tenants.

He added that it was cooler at Jurong Point, which is open late and has a 24-hour supermarket, and that he could use the free Wi-Fi and was able charge his phone at the mall.

A spokesman for Jurong Point told The Straits Times it welcomed Mr Chen as long as he did not pose a nuisance.

“We’re heartened that shoppers enjoy using this facility,” she said, referring to the complimentary Wi-Fi the mall began offering in 2015.

“If Mr Chen Jinfu uses our facilities in an appropriate fashion without posing any nuisance or threat to the mall’s security, we warmly welcome him like any other shopper.”

Mr Chen, who is from Ipoh in Malaysia, has worked in Singapore for more than 10 years and currently earns more than $1,000 a month.

He claimed that he has never been chased away, and said he has seen others loitering in the area like himself.

When asked why he rented a place even though he preferred staying at Jurong Point, Mr Chen said that he needed a residential address for his employment pass.

To maximise his savings, Mr Chen goes to Johor nearly every weekend to buy daily necessities.

He visits his retired parents in Ipoh only once a year during Chinese New Year as it is “not cheap to travel there”.

Mr Chen is apparently not the first to seek unconventional lodgings.

Two weeks ago, there were reports of a woman who lived in Changi Airport while renting out her three-room flat.

lydialam@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on January 17, 2017.
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As the founder of motoring website Motorist.sg, Mr Damian Sia’s job involves notifying people online about recent traffic news, including accidents.

On Sunday, he was a split second away from being a witness for the first time.

Mr Sia, 29, was driving along Koon Seng Road in Joo Chiat to pick up his two dogs from a grooming session when he saw a Deliveroo motorcyclist on the other side of the two-way road.

Moments later, he heard a crash. He looked behind in his side mirror and saw the rider on the ground and a car stopped at the junction.

Mr Sia said: “The driver and passengers (from the car) immediately got out and ran to the motorcyclist. Other people also rushed over to help, but I was driving away from the accident so I couldn’t stop.”

VIDEO

A video posted on Facebook on Sunday showed the 23-year-old male Deliveroo motorcyclist crashing into the left side of a car at the junction of Koon Seng Road and Tembeling Road.

The rider flew from his bike and tumbled over the car, landing on the other side.

A police spokesman told The New Paper that the motorcyclist was taken conscious to Changi General Hospital and investigations into the collision are ongoing.

The video garnered nearly 2,000 shares.

A Deliveroo spokesman confirmed that the rider works for the company but declined to comment further, citing the rider’s privacy.

Mr Nigel Chen, 24, a student who lives near the site of the accident also noticed the commotion.

“Accidents often happen there, probably because there aren’t any traffic lights or proper crossing,” he said.

When asked to comment on the incident, operations manager at the Singapore Safety Driving Centre, Mr Gerard Pereira, 59, said: “It is clear in the picture that there is a stop line in front of the car. The car should be giving way to the rider, so the car is at fault.

“But we tell riders to practise defensive driving because they are not protected. Riders should also look out for traffic and drive with their lights on.”

This article was first published on Jan 17, 2017.
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The elderly couple were heading home after a medical check-up at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) yesterday afternoon.

Barely an hour after leaving SGH, the couple found themselves back in hospital again, this time at the National University Hospital (NUH), after the SMRT bus they were in collided into the rear of a SBS bus in Clementi.

Mr Mohamed Yunos Dawood, 67, was on SMRT Bus 61 with his wife when he heard a loud crash and broken glass started flying towards him.

He managed to shield himself and dodged the shards, but the impact caused him to hit the left side of his face.

Behind the driver’s seat, his wife was screaming in pain.

The bus they were on was involved in an accident with another at the junction of Ulu Pandan Road and Clementi Road at about 2.34pm.

Ten people, including Mr Mohamed Yunos and his wife, were taken conscious to NUH with minor injuries, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

After the crash, Mr Mohamed Yunos immediately helped his wife get off the bus.

The left side of her face was swollen due to the impact.

He said the bus’s door frame fell inwards, hitting the coin box next to the driver’s seat.

“I felt like a hero and everything,” he said. “But after we got out of the bus, I started to feel dizzy.”

Mr Mohamed Yunos said the bus was not very crowded at the time. Most of the passengers were in shock and some were injured.

Among the injured was a Filipino woman whose face was bleeding.

The driver of the SMRT bus also helped the injured passengers alight.A 20-year-old Ngee Ann Polytechnic student, who was on his way to school, was also injured.

His grandmother rushed down to the scene and told The New Paper at the hospital: “He called me and he could not really speak because he was in shock. He had to pass the phone to an SCDF officer, who told me what happened.”

BLOOD & STITCHES

According to his grandmother, the boy had to have stitches and was bleeding on the inside of his mouth.

Mr Mohamed Yunos was relieved that he and his wife did not sustain any serious injuries.

He said: “I just thank God that nothing happened. If the bus door had fallen more towards the left, I would have been really hurt. If it fallen more towards the right, my wife would have been badly injured.”

SMRT spokesman Patrick Nathan said SMRT was assisting police with investigations and reaching out to the injured parties to render assistance.

SBS spokesman Tammy Tan said five passengers on the SBS bus were injured, with one taken to hospital for treatment.

“We have been able to get in touch with four of the injured and are still trying to get in touch with the fifth. We will, meanwhile, assist the police in their investigations,” she said.

This article was first published on Jan 17, 2017.
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2015-06-04 18:17:31

Photo Gallery

28 sent to hospital after 3-bus crash in Changi Road

Source: The Straits Times, Shin Min Daily News, The New Paper

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In about three years, birdwatchers can enjoy watching feathered fowl from the rainforests of Africa, the flooded savannahs of South and Central America and the Australian bushland, all in Singapore.

They need only to pay a visit to the new Bird Park in Mandai, when the park, relocated from its current premises in Jurong, opens its doors to the public.

The new park will allow visitors to be immersed in multiple landscapes and vegetation so that they can see the birds just as they would in the wild. The birds will also be flying freely in large aviaries within the new park, a move that will heighten the experience for visitors.

HORNBILLS & PARROTS

Colourful birds of paradise, orange-beaked hornbills and vocal parrots are some of the birds that will be part of the avian collection, which is one of the most significant to date.

These details were given by developer Mandai Park Holdings yesterday during a ceremony to celebrate the start of the development work on the hub of the five wildlife parks it is building in leafy Mandai.

Mr S. Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry), was the guest of honour.

The Bird Park, as well as a new Rainforest Park, will join the existing trio of attractions there – the Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Night Safari.

The hub, which will also include accommodation options, is expected to fully commence operations by 2023, with earlier phases, including the opening of the Bird Park, to be done by 2020.

The Bird Park, Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Night Safari offer visitors the experience of walking through habitats from all over the world. But at the Rainforest Park, the focus will be on South-east Asian biodiversity.

Animals that live in rainforests – from below the ground to the tree canopies – will have their time in the spotlight.

The park will take visitors on a journey from an underground cavern to boardwalks at the ground level and up ramps to aerial walkways that reach the tree canopies, where they can interact with arboreal apes.

There will also be trekking and adventure activities at the new park.

“We plan to offer highly differentiated experiences at each of our five wildlife parks, augmented by indoor displays and a variety of food and beverage offerings,” said Mr Mike Barclay, chief executive of Mandai Park Holdings.

The massive Mandai makeover will include public spaces, such as green landscaped decks for picnics and boardwalks along the edge of Upper Seletar Reservoir, which can be used by the public free of charge.

These plans, as well as the results from an Environmental Impact Assessment, have been approved by the Government.

“Reviews and discussions on Mandai’s rejuvenation have been going on for several years with various stakeholders. With the necessary government approvals now obtained, we are delighted to mark this milestones with our partners today,” said Mandai Park Holdings chairman S. Dhanabalan.

The Mandai area sits right outside the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, and nature groups had voiced concerns that development works could negatively impact the wildlife.

But Mandai Park Holdings stressed that the development will be done sensitively. For one, the development will take place on degraded land.

It also voluntarily commissioned an Environment Impact Assessment, following which changes were made to development plans.

One of the most significant is the swopping of locations of the new Rainforest Park and Bird Park – this puts the bulk of the Rainforest Park to the north, instead of the south of Mandai Lake Road, where there are more mature trees that can be incorporated into the park.

It also agreed to have a vegetated buffer area between the park boundaries and the nature reserve, ensuring that the development will not go right up to the fringes of the reserve.

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

Singapore’s ninth Attorney-General (A-G) Lucien Wong (right) was sworn in at the Istana yesterday in a ceremony presided over by President Tony Tan Keng Yam.

Mr Wong, 63, will serve a three-year term. He was also be appointed a member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights for a term of three years.

He takes over as the Government’s top legal adviser and public prosecutor from Mr V. K. Rajah, who retired last Saturday.

Mr Wong told The Straits Times that he is honoured by the opportunity to serve as A-G.

“I have been extremely impressed by the quality of the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ (AGC) officers and their work, as well as the dedication and professionalism displayed by them,” he said. “I look forward to working with them to build on the foundations laid by my predecessors, in particular by my immediate predecessor A-G V. K. Rajah, who has instituted several transformational projects within the AGC.”

Mr Wong was chairman and senior partner of Singapore’s largest law firm Allen & Gledhill. He has over 30 years of legal experience, specialising in banking, corporate and financial services.

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