Singapore freighter carrying armored vehicles had parked Xiamen mainland authorities notify the Government inquiries
November 26, 2016
Interfax news agency FactWire
Singapore news agency tracing carrying armored ship found a cargo ship in Hong Kong before the stop is Xiamen, Fujian Haitian pier. Customs and Excise Department source told Interfax news agency confirmed that the cargo ships moored early in the Xiamen port, inland port has been found on board military goods, Customs and Excise Department after receiving a tip Mainland law enforcement agencies to take action, rather than routine inspections found of.
Customs and Excise Department source told Interfax news agency revealed that the freighter before yet reached Hong Kong, the mainland has notified law enforcement authorities, as on a ship carrying embargoed military items, but not approval. Customs vessel after arrival, according to a tip boarded the ship to investigate and inquiries related to military items.
Dock workers have pointed out to the news agency, customs action that day with a whole team of people on board the survey two or three officers than usual routine inspections when boarding significantly more, but after entering the marina to check to indicate the vessel, action targeted.
According to news agency reporters detained by tracing the number of containers, cargo days to confirm the batch of military items for the French shipping group CMA CGM’s APL QATAR 041.
CMA CGM website freighter schedules show, scheduled cargo ship APL QATAR 041 on November 21 from Kaohsiung departure on the same day arrived in Xiamen Haitian pier, leaving the next day, arrived in Hong Kong on June 23, is scheduled to arrive in Singapore on the 29th.
After the news agency to track cargo location through AIS Automatic Identification System, APL QATAR 041 found in at 18:24 on the 21st arrived in Xiamen, stay for 16 hours on the morning of 22 10:24 Xiamen sailed away from Hong Kong.
According to records of vessel arrivals in Hong Kong Marine Department, Singapore hanging flag APL QATAR 041 23 32 8 am arrived from Xiamen to Hong Kong Container Terminal No. 8; outward vessel records show, scheduled to ship at 15:00 on the 23rd left Hong Kong, but eventually ship on the 24th morning 5:37 before leaving, go to the port of Shenzhen Chiwan.
9 originally covered with blue and gray cloth armored vehicles, after customs preliminary examination and was put on a green tent package, along with three carrying arms and military containers, at 25 am transported to the Kwai Chung Container Terminal in Tuen Mun River Trade Customs dock inspection field.
When the Hong Kong Customs reply to news agency inquiries received notification stayed Mainland intercepted batch of military equipment that the department would not comment on enforcement actions.
Chinese Department of State spokesman Geng Shuang, 25, said positive verification of the relevant circumstances, refer to foreign persons and goods in and out of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall comply with the relevant laws, but also stressed that China firmly opposes Taiwan and countries having diplomatic relations, including military exchanges of official activities.
Singapore government issued a press release last night, in response to nine armored vehicles were detained for questioning when the event acknowledged the Customs and Excise, armored vehicles and related equipment in the case of Singapore Wuzhuangbudui overseas trained to use, and refers to the days during a routine inspection by Customs and Excise, make armored vehicles and equipment connected to shipping delays. Press release noted that “Singapore, Hong Kong customs authorities forward to provide assistance, it is desirable to be sent back as soon as the goods belong to Singapore Singapore .Terrex armored Wuzhuangbudui use regular overseas training, the practice followed in the past by way of return of business in Singapore.”
For the first time since listing in 2012, the list of arts, entertainment and lifestyles has been combined, with the top three vested in unlisted people.
Let the rest of us do not know what we have done to our lives, the oldest of which is 30.
Since 2005, the Annual Living Power Rankings rank the people or groups that have made the greatest contribution to Singapore’s culture and lifestyle over the past 12 months.
At the top of the year, a musician, Nathan Hartono, 25, is a fan favorite in Chinese singing reality shows.
The second is Mr. Guo Guo, 28, who is using the cloud application to change the way music plays, and the third is directed by Wang Jiajun 30-year-old international competition.
The first three young people are in good company – just over half the list is made up of newcomers.
This is a sign of dynamism, since the public sector push to promote last year, half of the names on the list and SG50 project, which does not imply.
In fact, this year’s list is excellent because there is no government name.
One thing has not changed: the list is still dominated by men. Here the highest ranking solo woman is experienced fashion retailer Christina Weng.
Young people are leading the list this year, but let’s hope it will not be too long, we have women at the top.
SWEET SUCCESS ON SING! CHINA
1 NATHAN HARTONO, 25, singer (above)
Directly on the 1st in the vitality of the first stand is the singer Nathan Hartono.
If this seems to be an overnight success, thanks to his runner-up in the popular TV contest Sing! China, okay, no.
As Hartono said last month on Facebook: “Nothing happened overnight, I have been here for years.
He won the 14-year-old Girl Icon Talent Competition, released his debut album in 15 years, and made his debut on stage music, Spring Awakening in 2012.
However, he took part in a television singing competition, which he broke in China – every step in Singapore, ripping the audience in a final at the Beijing National Stadium on October 7th.
In the 24 hours after the end of Sing, Tencent and Youku video site views over 47 million times! China, statement star China International Media, the parent company’s show producer, Canxing Productions.
Before China’s producers lost their right to the Dutch format, “Voice of China” was hailed as China’s most successful music program.
According to the South China Morning Post, the first quarter of 2012 attracted more than 120 million TV viewers and 400 million Internet users.
It still makes Hartono surprised how great the reaction is.
He is a contender for the “Straits Times Singapore 2016” award, with Olympic gold medalist swimmer Joseph Schooling, as well as his first episode of Sing! China is the fourth most watched non-music video on YouTube this year in Singapore.
He said: “I expect there will be a response, I did not think this will be crazy.
Competition for him to open up a new market.
“If you asked me six months ago,” you will be engaged in professional in China? “I’ll be,” No, you’re crazy. It even hit my mind at one point in my career, which was a choice for me.
All the attention and the suggestion that his way means he now has the right to say no “” Because of the choice of wealth, I can not be in so many places at once. ”
First of all, though, Hartno, who is single, looks forward to this Christmas for some time.
“I want to escape to a foreign holiday, spend with my family, relax, let my brain shut down for a while.
As for his next year’s priorities, he interrupted them by saying, “Finishing new music, releasing that music, browsing that music, is a long and short one.”
He also plans to stay hot in China: “I want to do Chinese songs, it will be like I introduced in the Chinese market, right, out of the competition.”
Hartnow is not going to let him climb his head quickly over the past year.
When asked how he intended to use his newly discovered power, he smiled and said, “I’m in my way, I’m not a very demanding person, I’m not very npicky, I do not have a special diva-ish, at least Not yet, we will see this in the next few years.
Boon Chan
BUILDING OF A MUSIC EMPIRE
2 MR KUOK MENG RU, 28, chief executive and co-founder of BandLab
Mr Kuok Meng Ru, 28, Chief Executive and Co-founder of BandLab.Photo: The Straits Times
Only 28 years old, Mr. Guo Ru is already one of the largest guitar and sound equipment dealers in Southeast Asia (Swee Lee Music). A global cloud-based music application (BandLab); and a 49% stake in the iconic American popular culture magazine “Rolling Stone”.
These rapid acquisitions and the growth of his growing music-related business ecosystem made him second in the list this year.
Cambridge educated mathematics graduates are the son of palm oil tycoon Kuok Khoon Hong, one of Asia’s richest men.
The young Kuok’s turning point in music stems from his boarding school age in the UK – at the age of 11, his friends locked him in a room with an important radio album The Bends. They told him, “Listen, do not come out until you like it.
The businessman, also an amateur guitarist and singer, decided to start Ba ndLab last year, in the face of the challenges of making music in the current technological and social environment. Unlike other platforms where songs can be shared, BandLab allows collaborating in-the-art work, allowing musicians to seek feedback or collaborate with artists who like the idea.
Blues fans of the media refused to comment on his debut on the list.
Swee Lee Music, who was his managing director in 2012, was acquired a year after graduation. He extended the company from a 70-year-old local company to a 14-store-company and e-commerce platform in the region.
In an interview with The Straits Times, he said the company’s sales have more than doubled since taking over.
BandLab, on the other hand, is the flagship application of BandLab Technologies, launched last November. The global cloud community where people create, collaborate and share music has seen a six-digit download.
In July, BandLab also acquired Dutch music composer Composr, followed by the acquisition of San Francisco’s Mono, in September for musicians to produce bags, cases and sleeves.
In late September the acquisition of Rolling Stone’s stake is particularly important. This is the first time that the holding company of the publication Wenner Media allows external investors.
Beginning in 1967, the iconic magazine covers music and popular “gonzo news”, which includes the writer’s first-person perspective story. It now has a global audience of 65 million, including its digital platform and large social media.
The magazine has about 12 million readers in the US market, with 12 international editions, including four in the Asia Pacific region.
The Rolling Stones and BandLab partnership is planned by Singapore subsidiary Rolling Stone International to strengthen its presence in Asia. It will allegedly focus on field activities and marketing.
With Mr. Guo’s bold and visionary decision, BandLab and its surrounding entities seem to be investing in bigger risks. Eventually, all the signs point to the bachelor’s establishment of a musical empire.
Anjali Raguraman
CHAMPION FOR GLOBAL MUSIC EDUCATION
3 WONG KAH CHUN, 30 conductor
Photo: The Straits Times
Earlier this month, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra’s North American debut, the new entrant for the vitality of the list of Wang Jiajun command a cyclone a year.
This year, for the first time he held a concert, he crossed from Denmark (with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra) to Japan (with the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra) to Singapore (with the Singapore Opera House) around the world.
In June, he was asked to perform three orchestras in China, in the 11th hour into the ruthless old Spanish mentor Jesus Lopez-Cobos.
The door opened for Wong in May from Bamberg, Germany, who won the prestigious Gustav Mahler Young Conductor Contest.
He defeated competitors from countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Romania to become the first Asian winner of the competition.
Previous winners have achieved a successful career. Its first winner, Venezuelan master Gustavo Dudamel, steered the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela.
Wong’s collaboration with the North American band is part of a networking fellowship under Dudamel’s care.
Singapore Airlines’ flight schedules are scheduled for 2020. In fact, his agents had to refuse some concessions.
“It’s a life-changing year because of victory, and more doors are open and I can step in. The victory also earned € 20,000 (S $ 30,200) to help supplement his income,” he said. , This income is more unstable in the past.
Prior to the victory, Mr. Huang said he was “a month to a month every day,” watching his bank account reduced, he traveled around the world to watch the concert study, stay in the youth hostel to save money. Now, he has the ability to “long-term thinking.”
In June, he refused an opportunity to cooperate with the German Orchestra so that he could fulfill pre-competitive promises to implement the opera house of the Singapore Opera House.
When he does not travel, he splits his time in Berlin, Japan and Los Angeles.
Despite his busy schedule, the bachelor’s degree is about 10 trips this year. Last month, he launched the Project Infinitude project in Singapore, a four-month pilot project aimed at helping low-income children and groups with special needs access to music.
It is part of the Mahler Foundation’s Global Music Education Program, which was founded by Marianne Mahler, granddaughter of the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler.
“It was liberating to confirm that I was a conductor and at the same time I wanted to work on something important to me, and I was more aware than ever of my contribution to the community,” Wong said.
Nabilah Said
GRAND PLANS FOR SINGAPORE LITERATURE
4 MR EDMUND WEE, 64 publisher, Epigram Books
Mr Edmund Wee, 64, publisher, Epigram Books.Photo: The Straits Times
Edmund Wee, the publisher of this year’s “Vitality List”, has once again introduced Singapore’s literature at home and abroad.
The two married fathers have been on the list five times – making him one of the most popular lists since the start of 2005.
He passed his mark on Epigram Books, a local literature he founded in 2011 to champion quality.
This year, he doubled the bonus for the Epigram Books Fiction Prize, which was already the richest literary prize in Singapore when it began last year.
This year the prize money is $ 40,000, he said he bought “go begging everyone – school friends, military partners, old customers, my landlord.”
This is Singapore ‘s only unpublished novel award for English novels.
A $ 25,000 prize was given to the first author of Nuraliah Norasid, 30, of her manuscript The Gatekeeper, a young girl with Medusa’s power.
The other three nominees – Eric, Bruce Lee and Tham Cheng-E – each have $ 5,000. Last year, the finalists did not receive bonuses.
All four will have their manuscripts published next year by Epigram, which launched 52 titles this year.
Mr. Wee has also been brave enough to go to no other Singaporean publisher – to set up an overseas branch in Epigram in London.
This new branch, which began last month, will give homemade writers a well-known man Booker Prize, and only books qualified for publication in the UK.
“We can make Singaporean literature a leg and we have the opportunity to expose the wealth of our literary wealth to the rest of the world,” said Mr. Wee, who provides a six-figure bank loan to London startups.
This year is a bittersweet Mr. Wee, who last month sold thousands of his personal collection of books, raising money for localbooks.sg, a one-stop shop for online stores in Singapore.
He raised $ 30,000 for a start-up in July, and he is a director.
This means letting him cherish the scarce, such as the Shakespearean version of the printed version and D.H. Lawrence Lady Chatterley’s lover’s special edition, with an embroidered cover.
“Such a beautiful book,” he sighed. “But I thought,” We need money. I just wish I could sell more.
Olivia Oh
HOTEL HONCHO BRINGS IN BIG BRANDS
5 MR KWEK LENG BENG, 75, hotelier and executive chairman of conglomerate Hong Leong Group and property developer City Developments Limited
Photo: The Straits Times
During the year when the new hotel invaded the hotel, Kwek Leng Beng, the billionaire hotel manager, distinguished himself by co-operating a well-known luxury brand and launching a new hotel for the new millennium.
First, he appointed JW Marriott to take over the operation of the South Beach Hotel. This makes it the first JW Marriot hotel in Singapore.
The hotel is part of a comprehensive South Beach development project that opened last year and has been in operation for nine months prior to the signing of the JW Marriott Hotel. Prior to this, it is managed by the South Beach Union, by the CDL and the Malaysian real estate developer IOI group.
The union has also developed a South Beach, last year’s building on the Vitality List.
With more than 56 million members, Mr. Kwek wants to take advantage of Marriott’s loyalty program to give the hotel instant access to a large number of guests.
He also signed an agreement to build a version of the hotel, which will be completed in 2019. The luxury boutique hotel is part of a brand, started by the hotel owner dictator Ian Schrager, and is stable at the Marriott International Hotel.
Mr. Guo is pleased to be working with Mr. Schrager for the first time, although they have known each other for about 20 years. He said: “We can work in a modern hotel, it will be unexpected, refreshing and a kind.
The JW Marriott is known for its stylish interiors and excellent service.
Although he has been through the introduction of these major brands of coup, Mr. Guo also opened in June his new hotel, M society.
Sexy, luscious and Instagram rooms, the Robertson Dock’s 293-room hotel attracts millennial generations and is increasingly popular with travelers. It was designed by superstar French designer Philip Stark, who also made the South Beach Hotel.
Mr. Guo said that the hotel industry has been a long one. Brexit, for example, makes the business landscape “volatile.”
But he added: “Our main task is to look at costs, and I am also looking for opportunities, especially during these times, but it must be at the right price and not eager to get.
Natasha Ann Zachariah
TRIO WITH TASTE FOR MICHELIN STARS
6 CHUA FAMILY
Mr Robert Chua and his nephew, Mr Brian Chua.Photo: The Straits Times
In the same year, the first Singapore version of the Michelin guide caught the food and beverage scene, and the Chad family established a partnership with the Michelin stars through banking.
They are television producer Robert Chua; his brother Harry Chua, chairman of the F & B Hersing cooking company of investment firm Hersing Corporation; and Harry’s son Brian, vice president of Hersing Corporation.
Many people may be familiar with Hong Kong’s Robert Chua, 70 years old, who in 2013 brought the Michelin starred dim sum chain Tim Ho Wan. Last month, he opened Kam’s Roast – a Michelin star’s first overseas branch of Koi in Hong Kong – in the Pacific Place.
In October, the 69 – year – old Mr. Cai Zhenhua announced at the Chinatown Comprehensive Food Center a Michelin star Liao Fan Hong Kong soy sauce chicken rice chef Chen Han Meng alliance. Less than a month later, the 2,000-square-foot Hawker Chan restaurant on Smith Street opened a lot of space.
The composition of the dynamic trio is Mr. Donnie Yen, 35, who opened a Michelin star Tokyo noodle shop Tsuta open here. This 18-seater restaurant opened last month – also in Pacific Place, and its long shuau and shio ramen for its signboards. The same mall is also the eighth of Singapore’s exports to Tim Bay.
For their savvy Michelin center strategy, Chuas – all very kind business – debuted at No. 6 Vitality List.
Brian Chua said, with the Michelin star brand cooperation, making the diners very much attention, he does not rule out the cooperation with people without stars.
In the new year, he will focus on opening another Tsuta in Singapore and will be in overseas names starting from the first half of next year in Taiwan.
Another hawker showcase is also on the cards for the first quarter of next year, and Mr Chad is also eyeing the global expansion.
The clever businessman has been comforting the next generation. His 44-year-old daughter, Cynthia, has joined the company in charge of one of its brands, while his 24-year-old daughter, Chloe, has learned to operate the ropes on board.
The two Chou brothers work independently of each other to ensure that there is “no conflict of interest” between the brands.
“I can bring Tim Haw, but my brother is successful, and Koi and hawkers (both selling soy sauce chicken and barbecue) do not conflict. Everything is separate and professional, and now, We focus on sorting out tooth problems and ensuring that food and services are up to standard.
Eunice Quek
BUCKING THE LOCAL RETAIL TREND
7 MR MUKESH JETHANAND VALIRAM, 36, executive director of The Valiram Group
Mr Mukesh Jethanand Valiram, 36, Executive Director of The Valiram Group. Photo: The Straits Times
Luxury fashion retailer Valiram Group this year did not miss any recession.
Last month, shortly after the American brand opened its first store in Southeast Asia, the Michael Kors flagship store opened in September at the same mall, it launched the Victoria’s secret flagship store at Mandarin Gallery on Orchard Road.
The two shops, covering a total area of 19,000 square feet, provide a much-needed retail lift for Orchard Road at Christmas time.
Mr. Mukesh Jethanand Valiram is the youngest of the three brothers of the Valiram family. His grandfather, Utumal Valiram, founded Malaysian business in Kuala Lumpur in 1935 and played an indispensable role in bringing the brand to the negotiations here.
A married father described the sale of the secret store in New Victoria here was “staggering” – about 30% higher than the group’s forecast.
Michael Kors’s flagship also performed better than expected.
Optimist, Mr. Valiram, debuted on the “vitality list,” but for the retail market downturn. “It is important to realize that consumerism will not go away, which is about becoming an agile retailer,” said the Malaysian headquarter in Singapore.
He said the group has expanded the number of Tumi and Kate Spade stores this year to “grow substantially” at an annual rate of 35 percent. Tumi is a US suitcase and bag manufacturer, and Kate Spade is an American fashion design company.
The Valiram Group operates nine locations, including Russia and Australia, and operates 200 brands, including Tory Burch, the US fashion brand, and TWG Tea, the premium tea brand.
This year, the group received the Excellence in Industry Award at the ASEAN Business Awards in Malaysia, recognizing businesses that affect Malaysia’s economic growth and its image in ASEAN.
Next year, the company will re-introduce the Italian shoe brand Giuseppe Zanotti – to celebrities, such as singers Taylor Swift and Gwen Stefani- welcome to Singapore.
Alyssa Woo
SECOND FILM RELEASED TO MUCH ACCLAIM
8 BOO JUNFENG, 33, film-maker
Photo: The Straits Times
Five years later, OJF first movie, Sandcastle (2010) and his second, Apprentice, released this year to prepare for the critics.
During that time, he worked with first-time actors, working with veterans and shooting in several places in Singapore, working in the Australian Grand Prison.
He hoped that his next film would not take long. “I’m looking at the issue of faith, but now is very preliminary,” Bachelor said.
An apprentice, a film about prisoners, was chosen as the “attention” section of the Cannes Film Festival this year.
At the Busan International Film Festival, it combines the Boo’s rising director award and earns a Netpac award at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Netpac or the Asian Film Promotion Network Awards are the only awards presented at non-festival festivals.
It was also selected as Singapore’s Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film category.
Boo loves to explore places of personal and political encounters. Sandcastle, put him in the vitality of the 2010 standings for the first time, is a poet’s eyes looking at a teenager, his father’s role as a student blender.
In apprenticeship, a young guards from an older colleague learns the business of dying.
A story like this requires a lot of handmade correctness and Boo thinks he has some way to go.
“For me, making movies requires a lot of life experience, I look like the filmmakers are of a certain age, I am far from where I want.
John Lui
TAKING SHOE BRAND FAR AND WIDE
9 MR CHARLES WONG, 42, co-founder of shoe and accessory brand Charles & Keith
Photo: Charles & Keith
Singapore family name Charles & Keith’s big break in September, when the authoritative star Maisie Williams was found with the brand’s wristbands at the Emmy Awards.
In the 19-year-old British actress’s red carpet look a week, all three colors of triangular bags – black, bronze and burgundy – are sold online and at the retailer’s 29 stores here.
In an interview in the September issue of the Straits Times, Mr. Wong, who made his debut in the “Life List”, said he was “very grateful for the positive feedback he has received.”
In 1996 he and his little brother Keith founded the brand, 40 years old. It started as a small shoe store in the Amara Shopping Center.
Two years later, they opened their first overseas store in Indonesia. The company now has more than 500 stores worldwide.
Brothers refused to accept the power list of interviews.
A new store at Waterway Point Shopping Center in Punggol opened in January. On Dec. 1, the organization’s Facebook page crushed a million fans.
The brand has also entered the international fashion industry this year, attracting the famous British fashion photographer Glen Luchford – is included in the Italian luxury brand Gucci favored by its 2016 autumn and winter series of activities.
Charles & Keith also attracted the attention of Japanese model Ai Ishimoto and influential influencers such as Norwegian freelance writer and designer Tine Andrea who shared their branded shoes and accessories on their social media accounts.
Last year, the Business Times reported that the company won the prestigious Retail Productivity Award for Singapore and plans to reach $ 1 billion in sales by 2020.
Alyssa Woo
PARTYING WITH THE STARS
10 MR ALEX CHEW, 31, AND MR RAJ DATWANI, 34, executive producers of Ultra Singapore
Mr Alex Chew, 31, and Mr Raj Datwani, 34, Executive Producers of Ultra Singapore. Photo: The Straits Times
This is the first time the vitality of the list of participants in two areas has made a brilliant year: event management and food and beverage.
They produced the Super Dance Festival in Singapore, where Miami’s festivals were split and achieved great success.
Despite the first day of heavy rains and the threat of Zika in the region, 45,000 party participants from 67 countries took part in the Bayfront Boulevard in September.
This also has a Bacchanalia kitchen at 39 Hong Kong Street. The restaurant won the Michelin star this year.
Mr. Chew, a newly married woman, grew up in Thailand and studied at the Singapore Management University.
“It’s hard to believe that Bacchanalia originated in a bozy afternoon popcorn brunch, which is now one of Singapore’s first few to be awarded the Michelin star,” he said.
New York-born and American-educated Datwani has an international business and real estate background. Bachelor moved to Singapore in 2010.
These gears are moving under a super-Singapore, which will be held in June.
Recognizing the fierce competition in the music festival market, Mr. Zhou said that this would be a “survival of the fittest” situation.
He added: “The team has started full speed ahead, next year’s festival, party members can expect it only bigger and better.”
Anjali Raguraman
HOME-GROWN INDIE ARTIST STAGES SOLD-OUT SHOWS AT MAJOR VENUE
11 GENTLE BONES, aka Joel Tan, 22, singer-songwriter
Gentle Bones, aka Joel Tan, 22, singer-songwriter.Photo: Universal Music Singapore
When the tender bones were sold in the Esplanade Concert Hall for two nights in June, it was a milestone in the local British music scene – the first solo artist with independent roots to achieve such feats.
In his first title exhibition, filled one of the most prestigious music venues in Singapore, proved that the local independent artists, more and more viewers, and the Gentle Bones income “vitality list.”
Over the past few years, he has built his fan base through social media and music and video streaming services. The show shows that his fans are willing to buy tickets in their live performances and sing their hearts out.
The 22-year-old bachelor’s second EP, Geniuses & Thieves, released a week before the Esplanade date, ranking first in the local iTunes charts.
And that, just six months ago, he and his crew faced one of the lowest points in his musical career – they stayed in Jakarta for 100 days because the sponsors of his program did not get the proper license.
Tan said he “never dared to imagine” his response to the program in Singapore.
“It’s a true validation, not only for myself, but also for my team and friends who have invested a lot of care and work with me to build gentle bones,” he said.
In September, he also won For Untied We Die and the Annual Songwriter of the Year award at the Singapore Society of Composers and Writers.
“I am very grateful to the local music scene, for me and the people who support music to maintain our collective dream has a huge impact.
Next year will be a busy for him. He is currently working to ensure live performances in the area and plans to soon return to the studio to prepare a new release.
“I really want to spend time next year trying to create something unique.
Eddino Abdul Hadi
PAVING THE WAY FOR MUSLIM TRAVELLERS
12 MR FAZAL BAHARDEEN, 53, founder and chief executive of CrescentRating, a rating and accreditation service for Muslim-friendly travel
Mr Fazal Bahardeen, 53, Founder And Chief Executive Of CrescentRating.Photo: The Straits Times
Recognizing the gap in the hospitality industry and helping Muslim travelers determine which hotels and restaurants meet their needs, Fazal Bahardeen started CrescentRating, a website for hotel and restaurant ratings, in 2008.
Next, in 2010, the annual ranking of Muslim friendly destinations around the world.
For the first time, it attracted the attention of MasterCard, and in 2014 launched the global Muslim travel index “MasterCard – Crescent”, an annual analysis and summary of the booming Muslim tourism market is expected to value 220 billion US dollars 3,900 Billion).
From a one-man exhibition in 2008, CrescentRating is now a source of information on Muslim travel to government, travel agencies and travel agencies around the world.
Mr. Fazal, married, has three children, and also regulates HalalTrip, a community platform for Muslim travelers to get inspired, book travel and publish original content; and Muslim travel warehouses, a connecting travel agency with Muslim friendly operators.
This year the company is another outstanding. ITB Asia hosted the first Halal Travel Asia Summit to discuss the development of halal travel in the major trade show for the Asian travel market.
According to Mr. Fazal, there is still a long way to go when countries are educating Muslims about their needs.
Next year, his goal is to increase the number of HalalTrip visitors from 500,000 to one million visitors a month by the middle of next year and build their community platform.
“I want to make it easier for Muslim travelers to explore the rest of the world, and I hope more and more destinations will make this happen,” Mr. Fazar said, making his debut in the vitality charts.
Lydia Vasko
CONDUCTOR IN HOT DEMAND WORLDWIDE
13 DARRELL ANG, 37, conductor and artistic director of the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra
Darrell Ang, 37, conductor andartistic director of the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra.Photo: Carole Leung
Grammy nominee Darrell Ang is a giant in the classical music scene. He made his debut in this year ‘s glorious achievement “vitality list”.
The music director of the Orchester Symphony Orchestra in France counts as a recent highlight at the Marlinski Theater in Russia and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada.
His first CD – Humen 1839, he led the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra – was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance last year.
Ang lost the Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons, who is said to be the second Grammy-nominated Singaporean.
It was this recording that inspired the management of the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra in China, who earlier this week called him the artistic director of the orchestra.
The Paris-based conductor is also recognized for his leadership at the Singapore International Music Festival.
The festival includes classical music and vocal concerts by well-known international musicians such as the European Chamber Orchestra, as well as Singaporean talents such as China Chamber Orchestra Ding Yi Music. The second edition was held in October.
Ang, who together with Singaporean violinist Loh Jun Hong held festivals many times this year to come back here to attend the conference. Sometimes, the bachelor only spent two days to fly back.
“It’s important for me to have our local people there, to have foreign musicians work with them,” he said. “It’s important that they communicate to the world.”
Nabilah Said
CREATING A LIFESTYLE ENCLAVE WITH A DIFFERENCE
14 MRS CHRISTINA ONG, in her 60s, founder of Club 21
Mrs Christina Ong, founder of Club 21.Photo: The Straits Times
Local fashion doyenne, the most famous founder and managing director of the luxury multi-label brand club 21, made it into the vitality standings this year for Como Dempsey’s opening.
The lifestyle enclave in Tanglin Village this year became headline news when it was discovered that it will not only be the restaurant of the famous French restaurant owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten, but also the legendary fashion concept store Dover Street Marketplace.
Senior fashion retailers founded by Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons are expected to open next year.
A Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant Candlenut and the Japanese restaurant Ippoh Tempura Bar by Ginza Ippoh have opened in Como Dempsey.
This is not the first time Ms. Weng has put her retail and fashion industry contributions on the list.
In 2007, when Club 21 celebrated its 35th anniversary, she was second. In the same year, she was also appointed Chairman of the National Parks Commission – a position she still holds.
In 2014, the billionaire businesswoman returned to the list of power supplies on the 4th, bringing the Como hotels and resorts to new hotels on the global map in Miami, Maldives and Phuket.
Mrs Ong married the property giants Ong Beng Seng, 70. They have two children.
According to Forbes, their estimated net worth is $ 2 billion ($ 2.9 billion).
The notorious media sh s Ong declined to comment on her inclusion in this year’s list.
Melissa Heng
THRIVING RETAIL PLATFORM FOR SINGAPORE-THEMED DESIGNS
15 MR DENNIS TAY AND MS AMANDA ENG, both 31. He is the founder of Naiise and she is its marketing director
Mr Dennis Tay and Ms Amanda Eng, both 31. He is the founder of Naiise and she is its marketing director.Photo: The Straits Times
Singapore-designed products, such as the ang ku kueh-shaped liners and shirts and notebooks printed with the singlish phrase, have been popular in the past few years.
This phenomenon is largely due to Naiise, a three-year-old multi-label store where local designers store goods.
Consumers are studying Singapore-themed products. That’s why Naiise, which started online, has expanded this year despite the downturn in the retail sector. This is why its founder is debuting the vitality of the list.
In May, it opened a flagship store in the flagship store, a 8500-square-foot space at The Cathay basement in Handy Road, and a 5500-square-foot Wonderland theme store at Suntec City Mall. It currently has five permanent stores and two pop-up windows.
It also launched the Friends of Naiise, a membership program that provides exclusive benefits; and I Eat Design, the first Naiise-designed festival.
This is not bad for companies starting from the founders’ bedrooms.
In 2013, Mr. Tay invested $ 3,000 in his own money to get Naiise away. He later served as Director of Marketing at Dr Eng. That’s right, married last year, and welcomed their first child this year.
Mr Tay said, Naiise stuck to its original spirit to support the local design even as it grew. Every week, the store launches 20 to 30 new designs, representing the 632 Singapore label so far.
Looks promising next year. Mr Eng plans to open Naiise overseas, open a store in Kuala Lumpur and open a website dedicated to London. The British capital could have been an unexpected expansion option, but he said Nazis had obtained a fair amount of orders from there.
The new challenge is to store Singapore-designed products that are internationally attractive.
“A lot of Singaporean designers are starting to produce nostalgic products that work in Singapore but need to be developed overseas,” Mr. Tay said.
Natasha Ann Zachariah
MAKING LULU A HIT MOVIE
16 MICHELLE CHONG, 39, film-maker and actress
Michelle Chong produced, wrote, directed and starred in Lulu The Movie.Photo: Left Profile, Huat Films
With accent, exploding wigs and leopard prints in China, Michelle Chong boarded Lulu The Movie on the 16th Lifestyle of Life – she produced, wrote, directed and starred.
At the opening weekend of last month, it was opposed to the blockbuster fantasy movie “Dreamy Beasts and Place to Find They” and the Disney animated film Mirage Moana.
Although it enters No. 3, its average for each screen is higher than Moana. The film has earned $ 1.96 million since its release on November 24.
“Although” very happy “figures, Chong added:” Every movie is a risk, there is no right formula, so nothing is certain, I do not think we can foresee any kind of box office, because there are so many Things that are not within our control.
Lulu’s character, a bronze karaoke hostess from northern China, a news satire TV program “The Noose” by Chong Chong created Mediacorp.
She sees some success in the trailer as it shows the film’s very different style and format from that of The Noose, drawing interest from the audience.
The filmmaker, single, once on the list of life forces in 2012, entered the 19th for her first film success, the comedy has been famous. It was $ 1.4 million at the box office while her second film, 3 Peas in Pod (2013), earned $ 500,000.
She plans to start building a YouTube channel next year, a platform to showcase exciting original characters, and artists from her Left Profile, Pornsak Prajakwit and Lee Teng.
Boon Chan
LET’S TALK ABOUT ARTS AND CULTURE IN PARLIAMENT
17 MR KOK HENG LEUN, 50, Arts NMP
Photo: The Straits Times
Nominated Member Kok Heng Leun made art and culture part of the parliamentary debate. He acts as a spokesman for the arts and civil society, as the vitality of the list.
The two married fathers were the last list of artistic powers in 2005. That year, the theater’s art director led the theater troupe from Red and after two years of disruption to work full-time.
He has spoken in Parliament on urban planning, constitutional reform, elected bureaux and other issues.
Last month, when discussing the landmark Ellison Towers at the junction of Bukit Timah and the Selaiji Road, which was established in 1924, he asked the authorities to consider a mandatory cultural impact assessment for development projects.
In October, he supported a motion to protect key areas of the Dakota crescent. Built in 1958, the estate was redeveloped, but some residents suggested that the buildings should be used by arts groups and social enterprises or rental units.
He is also part of Ubin Fun, a network of institutions and stakeholders to learn how to make Ubon Ratcho a sustainable community.
He held an arts group meeting to discuss issues affecting them, such as the proposed amendment to the Copyright Act of Singapore. Through the Art NMP Facebook page, he and his team called for feedback on the new bill he proposed in Parliament.
He said that he was pleased to have initiated some dialogue between the authorities and civil society.
“This kind of engagement is not an immediate change, it takes time, counseling strongly disagrees with you, and your differences are a matter of record.
Akshita Nanda
A SYDNEY HOTEL TO TAKE PRIDE IN
18 MR LOH LIK PENG, 44, founder of Unlisted Collection, a restaurant and hotel group
Mr Loh Lik Peng, 44, founder of Unlisted Collection.Photo: The Straits Times
Hotel-runner Loh Lik Peng is the third most active hotel in 2013.
This year he was selected for his newest hotel, the old Claire Hotel in Sydney, Australia, and the success of several of his award-winning restaurants.
The Old Clare Hotel opened in Sydney’s Chippendale Hotel last September and won the “Boutique Hotel Of The Year” award from the Australian Hotel Guide 2016. It was nominated as Australia’s leading boutique hotel and Australia’s leading new hotel in this year’s world Tourism Awards; and this year’s Sydney Hotel Management Awards won the best hotel interior design, hotel bar and hotel restaurant awards, Mr. Loh was awarded the annual Asia-Pacific hotel.
This 62-room hotel – renovated with two historic heritage buildings, The Clare Bar and Carlton & United Brewery Management Building – is his first in the hotel scene Down Under.
The hotel’s bar, rooftop pool and award-winning restaurant, Kensington Street Social, are a highlight of the community’s focus and community, comprised of Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton and Australia’s hottest chef Clayton Wells.
Back home, Mr Loh’s modern Australian barbecue restaurant, Burnt Ends, debuted at Asia’s best restaurant on Teck Lim Road. At 30, two of his new restaurants, Cheek by Jowl and Salted and Hung, have received comments.
However, the old Claire’s success is his most proud of this year’s achievements, Mr. Loh said. “It is very gratifying to be able to succeed in a way of life in a world like Sydney.
Lydia Vasko
BRINGING DIVERSITY TO THE CONCERT AND COMEDY SCENE
19 MS LAURETTA ALABONS, 46, AND MR ROSS KNUDSON, 52, owners of LAMC Productions
Ms Lauretta Alabons, 46, and Mr Ross Knudson,52, Owners Of LAMC Productions.Photo: The Straits Times
It has been a solid year for live entertainment in Singapore. And for consistently adding to the rich diversity of gigs here, show promoter LAMC, run by married couple Lauretta Alabons and Ross Knudson, makes it to the Life Power List.
While they are not behind the biggest shows in town, the gigs they have brought in this year reached out to a wide spectrum of audiences.
Rockers caught German veterans Scorpions at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, indie music fans saw British icon Morrissey at the Marina Barrage and fans of edgy comedy were tickled by American comedienne Margaret Cho at the Kallang Theatre. The comedy shows are handled by LAMC’s sister company, LA Comedy Live.
This is the second time the company is on the Life Power List – it was also ranked in 2009.
Ms Alabons says: “We’re all about being inclusive when it comes to putting on shows. We love to look out into the audience and see a diverse crowd that crosses all boundaries.”
Mr Knudson adds: “We don’t just sit and wait for the bigger acts. We cater to the niche markets too, that’s our bread and butter. We’re blue collar, we’re down in the trenches too.”
Next year is shaping up to be an even bigger year for the 17-year-old company.
Among the shows lined up are British indie-folk singer Passenger at The Star Theatre on Jan 13; British metalcore upstarts Bring Me The Horizon at D’Marquee, Downtown East, on Feb 2; and a highly anticipated show by American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses at the Changi Exhibition Centre on Feb 25.
On the comedy front, LAMC is dipping its toes in political humour by putting on the Goodbye Obama, Hello Trump Comedy Tour at Kallang Theatre on Jan 18. It features American comedians Reggie Brown as outgoing United States president Barack Obama and Anthony Atamanuik as US President-elect Donald Trump.
Knudson says: “When we first started, going to a concert or a show wasn’t really a part of people’s lifestyle. Now I think it is part of the culture.”
Eddino Abdul Hadi
NURTURING DESIGN
20 MS CAROLYN KAN, 44, jewellery designer
Photo: The Straits Times
Making her first appearance on the Life Power List is Singaporean designer Carolyn Kan, founder of jewellery label Carrie K and the one responsible for the creation of local design collective Keepers.
Carrie K has, in its eighth year, gone from strength to strength. Besides launching collections in New York, Ms Kan also collaborated with entertainment conglomerate Disney for a collection inspired by the film, Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016).
The label also bagged awards for Designer of the Year at the Singapore Fashion Awards and Best Accessory Designer at the styleXstyle Trailblazers Awards.
Ms Kan received a special recognition award at the recent Singapore Tourism Awards by the Singapore Tourism Board.
Ms Kan, a former managing director of an advertising agency, launched Carrie K in 2009. She is married to Mr Chiew Huan Chong, 49, who is head of production at Carrie K. They have no children.
Home-grown design collective Keepers, which Ms Kan started in 2011, also found a permanent home this year at the National Design Centre. It previously occupied a pop-up space in Orchard Green, at the junction of Cairnhill and Orchard roads, for 16 months until January this year. The shop carries local labels such as chocolatier Demochoco, stationery brand The Paper Bunny and scarf label Binary Style.
The friendly designer, who is also known to advise and mentor younger Singapore designers and creatives looking to start their own business, has not given much thought to her accomplishments this year.
“I’ve so many projects going on, you don’t always stop to think about what we have done as a team.”
On making it to the Life Power List this year, she says: “I was like, ‘What? Really?’ It is such an honour to be on the list with such amazing luminaries.”
Melissa Heng
This article was first published on December 25, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
In the 1950s and 1960s, The Straits Times was staple reading in the home of iconic Malaysian cartoonist Mohammad Nor “Lat” Khalid.
His pen name Lat is the truncation of “bulat”, Malay for “round”.
As the rotund raconteur recalls in his just-launched autobiography Lat: My Life And Cartoons: “We always had The Straits Times in the house. The headlines were always about Singapore and there were cartoons by Ping… There was also the Gambols strip (and) the Tarzan and The Cisco Kid strips too.”
Those were, however, not Lat’s only influences.
His father, army clerk Mohd Khalid Mohd Noh, would buy him second-hand British comics such as The Beano and The Dandy – by the kati or catty (one kati is about 605g) at Ipoh’s weekly night market.
In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times here on Dec 10, just before he launched his auto- biography at Books Kinokuniya, the 65-year-old mused: “The Beano and The Dandy were perfect for children because even if we didn’t know how to read or know the meaning of English words, the pictures were attractive.”
Lat, who was a former crime reporter with Malaysia’s Berita Harian and The New Straits Times (NST), proves as adept with words as he is with line drawings.
The concise, gliding narrative captures his firm, strident voice neatly and precisely.
He wrote it with Syed Nadzri Syed Harun, a former group editor of The NST Group.
As a boy, Lat would also pore through by-the-kati second-hand magazines such as National Geographic, Life and Post, which his late father loved to read.
Lat said his father could not afford the Classics Illustrated graphic novel series of abridged literary classics such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers and Howard Pyle’s The Merry Adventures Of Robin Hood.
“They cost about RM3 (S$1) each. You’d have to borrow them from Chinese friends,” he said.
No matter.
His parents were just as supportive with money for the India ink and drawing blocks their son needed to publish his first comic strip at age 13 in 1964, when he was in Primary 6.
It depicted a beggar in a corridor and the Majallah Filem (Film Magazine) published it.
Shortly after, a Penang publisher paid him the then princely sum of RM25 for his 24-page comic book Tiga Sekawan (Three Friends).
That was no mean feat because he was growing up in the Golden Age of Malay cartoons, whose leading lights were Rejab “Rejabhad” Had, Raja Hamzah and Halim Teh.
Rejabhad, a soldier, wrote him letters of praise and later became his mentor.
In the interview, Lat said: “At one time, I was a bit jealous because my father was always laughing at Rejabhad’s cartoons… and a relative would say, ‘You should draw something that is local (like Rejabhad), not your stories about boys and girls with jeans’.”
Lat added: “At that time, if you wore jeans, that meant you were either from Singapore or you had money.”
Well, with 52 years of cartooning under his belt, an internationally acclaimed TV animation series and a movie and musical based on his life, Lat now has the last laugh.
suk@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on December 25, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
It is the golden age for women’s rugby and Asia has the potential to be at the forefront of that unparalleled expansion.
Developing the sport within the region will be one of Wang Shao-Ing’s key priorities over the course of her one-year term on World Rugby’s newly formed women’s advisory committee.
Earlier this month, the 39-year-old national women’s head coach was invited to join the international governing body, the first Singaporean to be appointed to any World Rugby advisory committee.
She said: “There are more than 30 unions in Asia and it’s very diverse, unlike Europe for example.
“There are so much possibilities for growth here.”
According to a report this year commissioned by HSBC, the sponsor of the World Rugby Sevens Series, women’s rugby is the fastest-growing sport in the world.
In 2012, there were 200,000 registered women players and that year was the inaugural season of the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series.
There are now two million female players in more than 110 countries and that figure is estimated to hit six million by 2026.
Asia’s role cannot be understated, noted Wang, who is also an adjunct law lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic.
Japan and Hong Kong have qualified for next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup in Ireland, the first time two Asian countries will compete since the 1994 edition, when Japan and Kazakhstan featured.
The 2019 men’s version will be hosted in Japan, the first staging in Asia.
Gender parity in sport is still a pipe dream but progress is being made, with Wang pointing to last week’s election of Farah Palmer as the first female member on the New Zealand Rugby board.
She said: “There’s greater representation of women in governance these days and the Rio Olympics also gave women’s rugby a lot of visibility.”
Wang served as the sole judicial officer for both the men’s and women’s rugby sevens competitions in Rio, and her latest appointment was confirmation of her technical competency, said Singapore Rugby Union president Low Teo Ping.
He added: “She’s proven herself at the regional and international level and is committed to promoting the women’s cause.
“Shao-Ing’s legal background is also valuable and coupled with her clear passion, makes her a well-rounded choice by World Rugby.”
Last year’s Singapore SEA Games, with the hosts’ women’s team winning a silver, has also provided a fillip on the domestic front.
Since taking charge of the national team in July last year, Wang has seen greater interest at open trials.
The 21-woman first team is now complemented by a 20-woman second-string squad, evidence of a depth that was missing in the past.
The Republic finished fifth at this year’s Asia Rugby Women’s Sevens Championship and national captain Alvinia Ow Yong is confident of cracking the top four at next year’s event.
Wang said: “It’s a big year for us. We want to do well at the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur and try to improve our ranking.”
jonwong@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on December 25, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
The center of Rochor, with its iconic yellow, green, red and blue tones, may soon disappear, but its community spirit lives in Kallang Trivista.
The above-mentioned Dayton Pathway Development Project, which was completed in June, has been developed into a majority of the residents living in the center of Lo Wu, a developer of commercial and residential portfolio.
Of the 567 households in the center, 504 chose to move to Trivista in Kallang.
This means that three of the five units residing in the new Kallang block once lived in the center of Rochor.
The Straits Times reported last Thursday that most have already collected their keys and moved into the 808-unit HDB project, though a few households still remain at Rochor Centre, which will soon be demolished for redevelopment.
Although the white and blue exteriors of the Kallang development seem drab compared to the multicoloured Rochor Centre, resident Catherine Quik, 56, said keeping the Rochor community spirit intact is more important than the colour of the paint.
“Every so often, I will bump into my old neighbours at the lift lobby and we’ll greet each other and chat. Of course we still miss our old homes, but we are all slowly adapting to the change,” she said.
The clinic manager upgraded from a three-room flat to a four-room flat. She collected her keys in July and moved into her new unit in September.
Another resident, who gave her name only as Madam Pang, 65, recounted a recent community potluck at the void deck: “The people here all know one another. It feels like old times.”
It also helps that Kallang Trivista was built with community features in mind, she told The Straits Times.
Trivista features two large roof gardens – equivalent to the size of 12 tennis courts – on the sixth and seventh storeys of the multi-storey carpark.
HDB project Kallang Trivista, completed in June, houses most of the residents from the iconic Rochor Centre (above), which will soon be demolished.Photo: The Straits Times
The roof gardens have yet to open but there are plenty of resting spots, an auditorium and a community plaza on the ground level where residents can hold activities and interact.
An activity centre for seniors has opened at Kallang Trivista and a minimart will soon open too.
At a site visit last Tuesday, HDB’s deputy director of landscape implementation, Miss Tay Bee Choo, said efforts were taken to enhance the biodiversity of the area and attract birds and butterflies so that residents can feel close to nature.
Ninety-one species of tropical plants add a green ambience to the development.
Said Miss Tay: “We tried to bring back the tropical plants that used to grow in the 70s and the 80s.”
HDB has built 175 carparks with rooftop gardens in recent years.
Another 126 multi-storey carparks with rooftop greenery are under construction, its spokesman said.
Madam J.J. Ong, 70, said she looks forward to growing guava trees at the community garden as some residents at Rochor Centre used to trade guava leaves, using them as a herbal treatment.
The retiree said: “It is good that there are these areas for us. There’s less air pollution and the greenery is nice.”
Despite having lived at Rochor Centre since it was completed in 1977, she will not be revisiting her old home before it is demolished.
“There’s no point going back to see Rochor Centre now. It is a memory. Now I just want to look forward,” she said.
ngjunsen@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on December 25, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Australia’s plans to develop a large site in northern Queensland as a training area for Singapore troops has run into trouble after farmers, who would be forced to sell their land, opposed the move.
The farmers say they do not oppose the training deal with Singapore but feel the land sale was unfair, and came as a “complete surprise”.
They have called for the government to look at other locations, saying the properties have been held by their families for generations, and include fertile grazing land.
The proposal would involve about 23 farmers selling 200,000ha of farmland – nearly three times the size of Singapore.
The site near Townsville forms part of an A$2.25 billion (S$2.4 billion) deal signed by Singapore and Australia during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit in October.
Under the deal, Singaporean troops would increase their presence in Australia from next year, and train at Townsville and another site farther south in Shoalwater Bay.
By 2021, up to 14,000 troops will train for 18 weeks a year, compared with about 6,600 troops who currently train for six weeks.
Australian troops would also use the training area.
The deal has been welcomed by the local community and will give a much-needed boost to the economy, which has suffered from the end of the mining boom.
After a series of meetings in recent weeks between farmers, MPs and defence officials, the federal government last week agreed to review its plans for the site and has ordered an independent review into the impact on the local community.
The government also said it will consider two alternative sites nearby, even though the Defence Department previously said these alternatives were “unsuitable”.
Resources and Northern Australia Minister Matthew Canavan said the Singapore deal would provide a significant boost to the region but the government also wanted to maximise opportunities to develop agriculture and water infrastructure.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Mr Canavan said: “The Singapore defence deal and the investment that will flow from it represent a great opportunity for central and northern Queensland.
“In recent weeks, the Department of Defence has been consulting widely with local landholders and community members.
“A socio-economic impact assessment will be conducted by KPMG as well as a broader masterplanning process in 2017.” KPMG is an auditing and advisory firm.
It is believed the original site near Townsville was chosen because it features a variety of terrain types that will allow troops to train in different battlefield conditions.
The dispute has attracted growing media attention and is becoming a headache for the ruling coalition, which fears the issue could cost it public support in the state.
A lawyer representing several landholders, Mr Ian Conrad, said the farmers supported the Singapore deal but believed the proposed training site was unfair because it covered fertile land that was close to an abattoir and port.
Mr Conrad added that the farmers did not learn of the proposed forced sale until late last month and the move came as a “complete surprise”.
He said: “Most of the farmers have been on the land a long time, and always planned to pass it on to their children and grandchildren. Their whole life is attached to the land.”
Several prominent Queensland-based politicians have backed the farmers, including far-right MP and One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson, and long-serving popular independent MP Bob Katter.
This has worried the conservative coalition, which has been trying to stem a loss of support in Queensland to One Nation and Mr Katter’s party.
Ms Hanson and Mr Katter have both visited the region and addressed local farmers.
During a visit to the area on Dec 16, Ms Hanson said she welcomed the Singapore deal and its potential boost to the region but insisted that it should not hurt local agriculture.
She said: “I can understand it will bring a lot of money to the area and benefits to Queensland but not to the detriment of farmers. We need this (land) because if we lost it, we will never get it back.”
Defence Minister Marise Payne, speaking to The Courier Mail last week, said the government will now consider two alternative locations near the town of Pentland, to the west of the original site, and Greenvale, which lies a little farther north.
Singaporean troops will also train at an expanded site in Shoalwater Bay, where they have been training for more than 20 years.
For now, the federal government is wedged between its immediate political needs, the concerns of the farmers and securing the best interests of Australian and Singaporean troops.
Jonathanmpearlman@gmail.com
This article was first published on December 25, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
In the flight from New Zealand to Singapore, flying thousands of meters of air, Mr. Grant Rollinson is mainly in his body.
He completed an expedition in 2013, climbed to the north and south of the island’s highest peak, but his adventurous soul again uneasy.
He was not an airplane, he thought, why not try the journey through land and sea?
After two years of planning, the big task will become a reality.
On Jan. 3, Singapore’s permanent residents will begin a 12,000-kilometer journey, which is almost a year-long “boating from home”.
Mr. Rollinsen will try to reach Darwin, Australia’s Northern Territory, from Singapore, through the Indonesian archipelago, and ship his $ 120,000 rowboat.
Kiwi will then cycle 4500 km south-east to Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, and the ship will be delivered to the end of the cyclical phase.
He would then travel through the Tasman Sea for another 3,000 kilometers to New Plymouth in Taranaki.
“From there, it only had a 40-kilometer cycle back to my parents’ house in Stratford,” said Mr. Rawlinson at Lafr dock last week.
“I hope I can get home at Christmas.
“The Sunday Times:” As far as I know, no one has tried this route, so there are many unknowns, no logs for reference, and years of research to plan the trip. ”
His goal may not be possible, 42-year-old, who resigned his job as a regional sales manager focused on the trip, not enough to doubt.
After all, climbing over the world for more than a decade – he adjusted the Mount Everest in 2012 – taught him that he did not reach the peak.
The expedition budget was US $ 250,000, with a number of sponsors.
At the end of this personal commitment, there is neither silverware nor fame, only the quiet satisfaction that the explorers like Mr. Rawlingson seek.
“This is really about the journey, not the destination, and I believe that if we are willing to push our limits, we have great things,” said former NFL 7-Player.
The physical cost will be enormous. In the first stop from Singapore to Australia, Mr. Rawlinson and teammate Charlie Smith will alternate one to two hour shifts and keep rowing for weeks.
One will stay in a narrow cabin while the other drives 750kg (including supplies) of fiberglass boats forward.
They estimate that they will need a month to reach Bali, where they will rest for about a week.
Mr Rawlinson’s wife Stephanie and one-year-old twin Rachel and Kate will meet there.
Mr. Smith, a 26-year-old British who works as a project manager in Singapore, said: “We want to travel at a speed of about 4-5 kilometers. In good conditions, we can see that we are up to 100 kilometers per day .
He will only participate in the first rowing leg. Last year, he was introduced to Mr. Rawlinson by a familiar person and jumped into the “once in a lifetime” adventure.
In the last year’s intensive training program, Mr Smith added 11 kilograms to his previous 84 kg frame, and the power will come in handy for the difficult work ahead.
They will carry two sets of clothes and about 150 kilograms of food – mainly freeze-dried food, from curry to roast lamb and pasta, can last about 40 days, daily consumption of about 6000 calories.
Both expect to consume a similar amount of calories per day through rowing.
Mr Smith, a fanatical climber in England, added: “It will be the most physical thing I have ever done.
Both were trained for more than 300 hours.
They spent two weeks in Singapore, Bintan and Batam, spent a week together at sea.
However, there is no amount of practice to prepare a man in a 6.8m craft boat by the sea crossing with the rearview mirror fixed to the stern; they retreated after all.
“There are so many dangers,” Mr. Rawlinson said.
“We can be hit by a ship, hit by a storm, break our equipment, get sick or get stuck in a pirate, and you really do not know what to do.
At least the ship is equipped with the latest technology to give them every chance of success.
The solar panels at both ends of the process generate electricity for a large number of electrical devices, including pumps that convert seawater into potable water, a GPS-positioned satellite communications terminal every 15 minutes, and a weather-updated satellite communications terminal every day.
It can get very lonely surrounded by so great, though Mr. Rawlinson seems to prefer long introspection.
This will be life stripped down to its barest form, he said.
“You eat, sleep and row.”
The reason was simple.
As French Nobel Prize-winning author Andre Gide once wrote: “One does not discover new lands without first consenting to lose sight of the shore.”
jonwong@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on December 25, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Two Singaporean women were among 14 people who died yesterday, police said when a bus stopped suddenly 6 meters from the north-south freeway near Johor Bahru.
Another 16, including six other Singaporeans, were injured in the accident, which occurred around 4 am.
The police told the Sunday Times that six men and seven women and one girl were among those killed on Christmas Eve.
The two dead Singaporeans were Ms. Au Poi Kiew and Ms. Hamimah Mamo.
No other details are available immediately.
Although Azuma Ayub said that the bus is likely to be out of control in its drivers, has been speeding, the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
“Some survivors are seriously injured, and we can not interview them,” Asman said.
The inspection revealed that there was no indication that the Alisan Gold Coach was braking on the 150-meter lawn of the highway, which the police said did not attempt to slow down before the bus fell off the motorway.
By bus From Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur.
All the dead and wounded were taken to the Sultanah Fatimah Hospital in Muar.
At least four survivors were discharged.
The six wounded Singaporeans included a woman.
Seven Malaysians, two from Myanmar, and one other person’s nationality have not yet been confirmed.
Johor Fire & Rescue Department received a distress signal at about 4 am. Its deputy director Mohd Yusof Mohd Gunnos said the roads were in good condition and did not rain.
Ahmad Fahmi Khairuddin, 19, claimed that the bus was speeding before seeing it “flying from the highway” against the concrete wall below.
Mr. Ahmad Fahmi played a board game with three friends at his home at 3:25 am, about 100 meters from the accident.
“The sound was three times the tire explosion, and I heard screaming help from my friends and I helped carry whatever the victim could move,” he told Bernama news agency.
One of the men who died was Nor Saidatul Akmal Idris, 21, who will be married on Jan. 29, the Malaysian daily Berita Harian reported.
Bernama also reported that Myanmar national Ralza Uk’s plan to celebrate Christmas in Kuala Lumpur was broken after his face and arm injuries.
“When the bus dropped, I felt it floating, but I was still in my seat, and suddenly, I felt pain in the body and could not move,” the 25-year-old said.
In response to the accident, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, chairman of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (Miros), called on the government to set up a transportation safety board as an independent government investigative agency for civil transportation accidents.
The setting up of a board was a key recommendation set out by an advisory panel following a bus crash in Genting Highlands in 2013 that killed 37 people.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement: “We are saddened by the tragic bus accident. The Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Baru is in close contact with the Johor authorities. Our consul-general and MFA officers are at the hospital in Muar to assist affected Singaporeans and their next of kin.”
shannont@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on December 25, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
A massive project to replace every timber sleeper on the North-South and East-West MRT lines (NSEWL) with hardier, concrete ones has been completed, The Sunday Times has learnt.
A total of 188,000 sleepers across the two MRT lines were upgraded over a four-year period, with rail workers installing the last concrete sleeper on the westbound tracks at Clementi MRT station last Tuesday.
Sleepers help to hold the tracks in place. Worn-out ones can mean a bumpier ride for commuters and, in extreme cases, pose a safety risk.
The project’s completion marks a milestone in the renewal of the 29-year-old NSEWL and commuters can expect a smoother and more comfortable ride.
During the project, speed restrictions had to be imposed for about four- to six-week periods on sections of the tracks where sleepers were newly laid, to give them time to settle on the ballast bed.
The last of these speed restrictions is expected to be lifted early next year, so trains will return to normal speeds of up to 80kmh, instead of being capped at between 40kmh and 60kmh.
The sleeper replacement project is one of several concurrent efforts – which include upgrading the signalling, third-rail and power systems – to boost the reliability and lifespan of the island’s oldest and most-used MRT lines.
Concrete sleepers have a lifespan of 50 years, more than twice that of the wooden ones.
While the replacement of the 96,000 sleepers on the North-South Line (NSL) was finished in April last year, the schedule to upgrade the 92,000 ones on the East-West Line (EWL) was nearly thrown off-track.
Due to the massive July 7 disruption last year which crippled the NSEWL and affected more than 400,000 commuters, access to the tracks for re-sleepering works was temporarily suspended so investigations could be carried out.
To make up for lost time, SMRT closed stretches of the EWL earlier to extend off-service hours, giving rail workers more time on the tracks.
Certain EWL stations were also opened later on Sundays.
Besides smoother journeys, commuters can also expect trains on the NSL to arrive at shorter intervals of 100, instead of 120 seconds, in the first quarter of next year.
This is when an upgraded signalling system becomes operational, allowing each train’s exact location and speed to be relayed to a computer, so trains can run closer together.
For the EWL, signalling upgrading works are more than 80 per cent complete, and the system will be operational in 2018.
When the entire NSEWL moves to the new signalling system, capacity will be boosted by 20 per cent.
National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der Horng said the upgraded signalling system and planned addition of new trains will be key to improving the overall level of service.
Dr Park Byung Joon, a senior lecturer at SIM University, added that engineers must continue to work on the rail power system, which has been the cause of breakdowns.
On April 25, the NSEWL, Circle Line and Bukit Panjang LRT were disrupted due to a power trip.
With the re-sleepering done, there will be more resources available, he added.
In October, the Land Transport Authority said it was “considering upgrading to a brand new power supply system”.
This article was first published on December 25, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.@sph.com.sg>
South Koreans gathered in central Seoul on Christmas Eve, braving the cold to protest against President Park Geun-hye and demand the Constitutional Court promptly carry out her impeachment trial.
Saturday’s rally, the ninth of its kind since October, had a festive mood, with some protesters dressing up as Santa Claus.
Before the main part of the rally, which was a march toward the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae at 6 p.m., there were events such as a Korean traditional percussion performance and concerts led by singers Jatanpung, Maya and rock band Every Single Day at Gwanghwamun Square.
“I feel like I’m here to attend a concert, not a protest. It actually feels good because I do not have to think about the current political crisis which gives me a headache,” Jo Jin-hae, 39, told The Korea Herald.
People also sang Christmas carols, but changed the lyrics to incorporate phrases like “Park Geun-hye should resign.”
Rally organizers said Saturday’s rally was more focused on allowing citizens to celebrate the Yuletide season.
“We are here to forget about all the sadness and frustration from the past several months, because it is the holiday season and citizens will eventually win,” said a staff member of the organizers, who was preparing for the rally.
Candlelight vigils will continue until the Constitutional Court rules in favour of the people and Park is permanently removed from office, the staff member added. Next week’s protest on Dec. 31 will be another festive event.
On Christmas Eve, the streets were filled with families, friends and couples, bundled up in padded coats and masks due to the cold weather.
“We could have visited a warm place to celebrate the year-end holiday, but I thought being here at Gwanghwamun Sqaure at this time — a historical moment for South Korea — is more meaningful and memorable,” said 28-year-old Kim Se-yeon who joined the protest with her boyfriend.
Despite chilly air, rally organizers said some 550,000 citizens gathered in Seoul as of 6:30 p.m. to demand Park’s ouster, surpassing 8 million citizens who have taken part in the protests since the first rally was held on Oct. 28.
Families with children participated in events such as caricature drawing and hanging wishes for the new year on a Christmas tree.
President Park, who is embroiled in a corruption scandal involving her friend Choi Soon-sil, was impeached by the parliament on Dec. 9. She is now preparing for a legal battle at the impeachment court.
Earlier in the day, the president’s staunch supporters gathered to call for the Constitutional Court to dismiss the parliamentary impeachment of Park and reinstate her.
Pro-Park civic groups such as Parksamo — an abbreviation of “people who love Park Geun-hye” — waved the national flag in front of Seoul City Hall chanting, “Get out, zombies with candles!”
The head of Parksamo said that at least 100,000 conservative supporters took part, while police put the number at 6,000.
S Korea President Park Geun-hye may have undergone various anti-aging medical procedures
