Death-row convicts’ 11th-hour applications can lead to disrepute of system

Singapore’s top court, faced with a recent string of last-minute applications from death-row convicts, wants to put a stop to what it sees as an abuse of the court process.

Last week, the Court of Appeal comprising Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Judges of Appeal Chao Hick Tin and Andrew Phang gave notice that lawyers who submit such last-minute applications will now have to explain why they could not raise the arguments during earlier appeals.

The court pointed out how the four applications before it were the latest involving capital drug offenders who failed to satisfy the necessary requirements under Section 33B of the Misuse of Drugs Act. Introduced in 2013, it gives the court discretion in whether to impose a death sentence.

It requires an accused person to show that he was only a courier and had substantively helped the authorities to disrupt drug trafficking.

The court highlighted a similar issue in a separate case in May, involving convicted murderer Kho Jabing, who has since been executed.

“No court in the world would allow an applicant to prolong matters ad infinitum through the filing of multiple applications,” it said.

In rejecting Kho’s 11th-hour application, Judge of Appeal Chao highlighted how his lawyers presented arguments that had been made earlier.

“This case has been about many things. But today, it is about the abuse of the process of the court,” he said.

If such unmeritorious applications were allowed, it would throw the whole justice system into disrepute, he added.

The apex court took similar exception to the four applications it dismissed last week, making clear that “such a drip-feeding approach clearly squanders valuable judicial time”.

Criminal Lawyers Association of Singapore president Sunil Sudheesan said while the court will hear applications involving a miscarriage of justice based on new material, its latest signal is a reminder.

“One cannot just file an application based on the client’s instruction. One does not jump off a cliff because a client instructs one to do so.”

This article was first published on December 09, 2016.
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Her skull was fractured and her brain injured after a car hit her on Sept 18.

Doctors said about one in five patients with such injuries do not survive. Those who do usually end up severely disabled.

Despite these odds, San Yu Adventist School student Aroonrak Jattanathammajit, 16, not only survived – she can now walk with some assistance, and has regained her ability to speak.

Dr David Low, from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), who treated the Thai national, told The New Paper yesterday that her recovery exceeded initial expectations.

He added that her recovery was “remarkable” compared to many other patients with similar injuries.

Read also

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• Thai teen hit by car in September is ready to go home

Dr Low, who heads KKH’s neurological service, said: “In general, many patients who sustain such severe head injuries do not have such good outcomes.

“Typically, their injuries result in quite severe a disability and can impact their abilities to eat, speak, or walk normally. They may even become wheelchair-bound or bed-bound.”

He attributed Aroonrak’s recovery to several factors, including her determination and perseverance.

“She also received strong support from her family and friends, as well as the timely provision of multi-disciplinary holistic care,” he said.

Aroonrak was crossing Balestier Road when a car hit her. The case is still under investigation.

The teenager, who came to Singapore last year, had to go through two brain operations to save her life.

On Nov 14, she had a third operation, which lasted five hours, where doctors replaced a portion of her skull with an artificial one.

The parts of her brain that were damaged govern balance, memory and mood.

After almost three months in hospital, Aroonrak was finally discharged.

She flew home to Thailand with her parents on a Singapore Airlines flight at 4pm yesterday.

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Thai student who was hit by car ready to go home

Source:

The New Paper

Photos courtesy of Mr Sarayuth Jattanathammajit

Kansinee Boonlong

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MORE TREATMENTS

An ambulance, which was waiting for her at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, rushed her to Ramathibody Hospital, about an hour’s drive away.

Her father, Mr Sarayuth Jattanathammajit, 49, told TNP that doctors now will focus on treating her brain injuries and problems with her eyesight.

Even though his daughter’s injuries were life-threatening, Mr Sarayuth, who runs a rubber retail business, said he is willing to forgive the driver who had hit her.

He said: “I just want to move on. But I do not want to see the driver as I fear I may become emotional once again.”

Aroonrak shared the same sentiment, saying: “I will definitely return to Singapore when I am better to visit all those who have helped me.”

This article was first published on Dec 9, 2016.
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Student care teacher starts donation drive for Aceh quake victims on Facebook

Among the ruins, the survivors of a devastating earthquake in Aceh that killed more than 100 people face another day, and another nightmare.

The victims of the 6.5-magnitude quake have no homes, no belongings and no hospital. They desperately need food, clean water, medication and blankets, Aceh local disaster agency chief Puteh Manaf told AFP.

When Singaporean Nora Nurdin, 32, saw and read about their suffering, she was moved to act and started a donation drive. News of the quake also struck a chord with the student care teacher as her parents live in the Riau Islands. Her father, Dr Nurdin Basirun, is the governor there.

She told The New Paper: “It has always been in me to want to give back to the less fortunate. I’ve contemplated it several times, but the quake felt like the right time for me to do my part.”

The donation drive started with a simple Facebook post shared among her immediate family members.

In the post, the items she listed included clothes, blankets and ready-to-eat food. She also listed her mobile number.

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6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes off Aceh

Source:

AFP

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Soon, her phone was ringing off the hook. When she first spoke to TNP yesterday afternoon, she had already received more than 40 calls.

“I’m really very surprised because I didn’t expect this to blow up so quickly. From morning till now, I think I received more than 40 calls.”

She asked interested donors to be patient as she tried to attend to every call as the response has been overwhelming.

Madam Nora and her husband are still figuring out how to make sure the items reach the Aceh quake victims.

The donation drive is a family effort – she will spend the next few evenings with her husband after work to collect the items from different families.

The couple, who live in Sengkang, kicked off the first round of collection around the eastern part of Singapore last night at about 8pm. As of 10pm, they had collected 11 boxes and 10 bags of supplies.

The plan is to get the items to arrive at Riau Islands, where her parents are based. The exact mode of shipping the items has not been firmed up yet, said Madam Nora.

Meanwhile, her father is arranging for a plane to transport the supplies to Aceh, she said.

When asked if it was tiring to juggle her work with coordinating a donation drive, the 32-year-old said without hesitation that it wasn’t.

Instead, she is recharged and encouraged by the responses to her attempt to help others in need.

“I like helping people. My parents have always taught me to put myself in the shoes of the less fortunate, to put others before ourselves. That’s why it’s never tiring,” she said.

Other relief agencies are also helping.

The Singapore Red Cross will pledge $50,000 and Mercy Relief sent a two-man disaster response team to Aceh to ascertain pressing needs and coordinate disaster relief efforts.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force also sent two officers as part of a five-man ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team.

fjieying@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Dec 9, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – Free snuggles from puppies delivered to your doorstep sound like a cuddly treat. But netizens have slammed the inaugural event by ride-hailing service Uber and animal welfare group SOSD Singapore, with some likening the initiative to “prostitution”.

Uber and SOSD, previously known as Save Our Street Dogs, announced the initiative on Tuesday (Dec 6), to some negative reactions from animal lovers who were worried about the dogs’ welfare.

The event, which takes place on Friday (Dec 9), invites Uber customers to request a visit from shelter puppies by tapping the “Puppies” card at the bottom of the smartphone app between 1pm and 5pm.

If successful, each customer will meet two puppies and have 15 minutes of snuggling time with the pups.

Read also: Uber Singapore to offer puppy cuddle service on Dec 9

The islandwide initiative is free, although shelter representatives will be present with donation boxes during the puppy visits.

But not all are excited about it. Facebook user Geoffrey Tang commented on SOSD’s FB page that the puppies would be “traumatised”.

Another netizen, Xue Yun W, added that pets are “not for fun and especially not a tool for marketing gimmicks”.

“I’m sure there are better ways to better encourage adoption other than prostitution of the puppies, SOSD,” she wrote.

In a response to the criticism, SOSD said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Dec 7) that it selected dogs “very carefully for the UberPuppies event, making sure that only the puppies who enjoy human interaction participate”.

“In addition, one experienced volunteer from the rehoming team is assigned to each puppy, to make sure they are not stressed,” said SOSD. “If they show signs of stress, they will be removed and brought back to the shelter or foster homes.”

Dr Jaipal Singh Gill, executive director at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), told The Straits Times that animal welfare groups often take animals out to meet the public to raise awareness of adoption while trying to find them good homes.

“As with any activity involving animals, there are potential stressors and it is thus important that the animals are accompanied by handlers who are able to recognise any signs of stress, and take steps to protect the animal’s welfare if required,” he said.

A spokesman for the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) told The Straits Times on Thursday that the event organisers do not need AVA’s approval to hold the event.

“Nevertheless, they must ensure proper transport and handling of the animals so that animal welfare is not compromised,” she added.

This article was first published on Dec 8, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – Just days before he was to celebrate his 60th birthday and Father’s Day with his family, taxi driver Ong Kha Lee died in a freak accident.

Mr Ong had opened the driver’s door of his silver Premier taxi to pick up some cash that he had dropped, while still belted to his seat at the cab company’s headquarters in Changi.

But the taxi moved forward and closer against a wall, wedging his neck and right hand between the door and body of the cab.

He was taken unconscious to hospital, where he died the next day, on June 15, three days before he would have turned 60.

On Wednesday, State Coroner Marvin Bay found Mr Ong’s death to be an unfortunate misadventure.

The coroner found no basis to suspect foul play. The accident was captured on closed-circuit television and seen by eyewitnesses.

“The evidence thus shows that Mr Ong had likely and unintentionally released the foot brake when he had reached forward out of his car in an attempt to pick up items that had fallen to the ground.

“As his car was in the ‘drive’ mode, the vehicle had continued to move forward, wedging him between the wall and his car,” said the coroner.

“Mr Ong’s sad demise does underscore the importance of ensuring that a vehicle’s brakes are fully deployed before any attempt is made to leave the vehicle,” said Mr Bay.

Automatic transmission cars should be placed in “park” mode, as there is a tendency for them to continue moving slowly forward if the “drive” mode is not disengaged, he added.

The coroner’s court heard that Mr Ong had gone to the company HQ at 23, Changi South Avenue 2, to fuel up at about 7.35pm on June 14.

As he was about to make payment to a cashier for $26 of diesel at 7.42pm, he accidentally dropped some $10 notes and a payment slip on the ground.

The cashier advised Mr Ong to drive forward to exit first and make payment later but he opened the door and reached towards the floor to pick up the cash and payment slip.

The taxi moved forward, trapping him. He died the next day in hospital.

A forensic pathologist certified Mr Ong’s death to be from traumatic asphyxia.

This article was first published on Dec 9, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – Cleaner Teo Ino Meo, 68, will soon fulfil her dream of seeing snow for the first time.

Online travel agency Klook and budget carrier Scoot are collaborating to send Madam Teo to Hokkaido after her holiday plans went awry when travel agent Sky Travel & Tours shuttered its doors on Monday (Dec 5).

The sudden closure left the widow, who paid $2,400 for a week-long Hokkaido tour, and other Sky Travel customers in the lurch.

Madam Teo had learnt hours before her flight on Monday that the tour would not proceed through a text message the agency allegedly sent to its customers.

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Agency closure hits Japan tour group; elderly cleaner left in the lurch

Source:

The Straits Times

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When the team at Klook read about her plight they decided to help her, said social media and content manager Beatrice Lee, 25.

“We’re in the travel business and it is within our power to help,” she said.

“What more it’s holiday season and this poor woman got her holiday stolen from her.”

Klook will be meeting Madam Teo and her travel companion Madam Beh Choon Ann, 80, on Friday to discuss details of the trip.

Read also: 

STB revokes licence of shuttered Sky Travel

Singapore Tourism Board revokes licence of S Travel Pte Ltd

Said Miss Lee: “Nothing is concrete yet, but we do want to give Madam Teo and her friend a good break.”

Madam Teo had saved up for months before deciding to travel to Japan to experience snow for the first time.

Scoot will also chip in to fly the elderly women to Hokkaido.

The airline’s spokesman said: “We were excited to come on board when Klook approached us to fly (Madam Teo) to Hokkaido to realise her dream of enjoying a well-deserved vacation there.”

Scoot is also offering a 20 per cent discount on flights to Hokkaido for those registered on the same tour as Madam Teo, using the promotional code SUREFLY, which is valid until Dec 11.

Another reader who was so moved by the cleaner’s plight was business owner Julia Lee, 32, who intends to start a crowdfunding campaign to settle accommodation for the trip.

She suggested raising funds for the elderly woman in a comment on The Straits Times Facebook page on Wednesday (Dec 7), and has received over 100 requests from people interested to contribute.

She added: “We plan to raise about $4,000 but we’re still ironing out the details; Madam Teo doesn’t want to handle cash and we also want to be as transparent as possible.

“We’ll work something out so we can fulfil her dreams.”

In a statement on Tuesday, the Singapore Tourism Board said a Notice of Revocation of Travel Agency Licence had been served on Sky Travel.

As of Thursday, the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) said it has received 13 complaints about the closure of Sky Travel.

This article was first published on Dec 9, 2016.
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