SINGAPORE – As a boy in the 1960s, Mr Adaikalam Annadhurai served at Sri Muneeswaran Temple in Queensway, often helping with the preparation of food during Hindu festivals.

In 1970, the temple moved to its current location in Commonwealth Drive but the then 15-year-old devotee did not follow suit.

“I remember back then, I would also visit this small shrine next to the temple. It was left out of the move you see, so I stayed and prayed,” said the 64-year-old civil servant.

Today, after more than 40 years, Mr Adaikalam is still praying at the shrine named Sri Thandavaalam Muneeswaran Alayam Shrine.

The shrine is located along the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway track, hidden from view under a flyover at the intersection of Queensway and Portsdown Avenue. It was built by former KTM railway workers, who used to live in a row of now abandoned zinc-roofed apartments.

Mr Adaikalam and his fellow devotees came to care for the shrine after the train services between Tanjong Pagar and Woodlands stopped in 2011 and the KTM railway land was returned to Singapore.

“After the workers left, electricity and water supply was cut off,” said Mr Adaikalam. “We bought a generator for power, and water is carried to the shrine by the devotees.”

In this episode of Living City, The Straits Times Video visits the Sri Thandavaalam Muneeswaran Alayam shrine.

This article was first published on Dec 6, 2016.
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Shipping line APL has not received formal reasons for the seizure of nine Singapore infantry carrier vehicles, even after a third meeting between the company and the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department.

The armoured vehicles were detained on Nov 23.

In a statement sent out last night, the Defence Ministry (Mindef) said APL met the Hong Kong authorities from 10am to 4pm yesterday.

The company had its second meeting with the Hong Kong department for six hours on Thursday.

Both parties first met on Nov 29.

“We have not been provided formal reasons as yet for the detention of the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles,” said Mindef in its statement.

It added that it had advised APL officials to “continue to extend their full co-operation” to the Hong Kong Customs department, to expedite the return of the vehicles.

The nine Terrex vehicles and equipment that were seized had been used in a Singapore Armed Forces military exercise in Taiwan, and were on an APL ship taking them back to Singapore.

The ship was in transit in Hong Kong when the vehicles were detained.

Read also: Mindef confirms 9 armoured vehicles seized in Hong Kong

Following this, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing is opposed to countries with which it has diplomatic ties having official exchanges with Taiwan, and asked Singapore to adhere to the “one China” policy.

Both Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan subsequently said Singapore fully believes in and respects this policy.

Dr Balakrishnan also said that Singapore’s training arrangements with Taiwan are long-running and not a secret, with many Singaporean men having trained there since 1975.

The SAF conducts overseas training in a dozen or so territories, and hires commercial shipping lines to transport its military equipment. This is the norm for militaries during peacetime, Dr Ng said.

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SAF will overcome manpower issues through technology: Defence Minister

Source: The Straits Times, Mindef, tabla!, Berita Harian

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Read also: SAF deploys team to Hong Kong to secure seized armoured vehicles

This article was first published on Dec 7, 2016.
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Industry group raises awareness following teen’s suspected fatal electrocution.

Pressing a button at home regularly could save your life.

This is the “test” button, typically denoted by a “T” on the circuit breaker, a safety device found in all households and buildings.

If you press that button and all electricity cuts off, that means it is functioning. A working circuit breaker will cut off electricity in the event of a current leakage, like when someone touches a live wire, minimising the chances of fatal electrocution.

The Singapore Electrical Contractors and Licensed Electrical Workers Association (Seca) is calling for more awareness on circuit breaker maintenance, following the death of a 15-year-old boy who was apparently electrocuted while showering at home.

Tan Yao Bin suffered cardiac arrest and died despite attempts by paramedics who administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

It is believed that a cable along the shower head was exposed, in the incident at Block 233, Bukit Batok East Avenue 5.

Mr Ken Jung, vice-president of technical aspects at Seca, said: “We need to be proactive instead of reactive. We need more education and awareness on the maintenance of the circuit breaker at home.”

He also cautioned residents not to do any repair work themselves and to engage a qualified electrician instead.

The Energy Market Authority (EMA), the power systems regulator, said the circuit breaker should be tested once a month.

“This should cause the breaker lever to trip immediately and flip down. If the lever does not flip down, contact a licensed electrical worker to look into this,” an EMA spokesman said.

Explaining the importance of the circuit breaker, known as the Residual Current Circuit Breaker, Mr Jung said that it cuts off electricity when 30 milliamperes of current passes through its sensor. That has been regulated as a safe amount.

The Public Utilities Board, then the electricity authority, mandated that circuit breakers be installed in all homes by July 1985.

Mr Jung added that water is a good conductor of electricity and that without a working circuit breaker to cut off the electricity, it would find a path through the body to go to the ground.

“Any path it takes will burn the internal organs. If it goes through the heart, victims will typically die,” he said.

Only 10 per cent of people who experience electrocution survive and, even then, they are likely to experience health problems.

The EMA advises residents not to touch an open electrical outlet or electrical switch with wet hands as this can lead to current leakage and potentially fatal electric shocks.

A spokesman said people also should not “piggyback” multiple plugs into one socket by using multiple adaptors, because overloading power points may lead to overheating and fire.

She also said residents should verify that those hired to do electrical works are EMA-licensed.

Mr Jung said Seca would like to work with the authorities to promote awareness of the role of the circuit breaker through videos and posters.

He added that other countries like Malaysia regularly use the media to educate their citizens on the importance of ensuring their circuit breakers are functioning.

Ms Hemavathi Panneerselvam, 29, said she thinks many people in Singapore, including herself, take safety for granted.

The accountant said: “We are lucky that in the past, our circuit breaker was working, even though we didn’t check it.

“I will be checking it regularly, because now I know it can save lives.”

Read also: Boy, 15, possibly electrocuted in shower

This article was first published on Dec 7, 2016.
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Singapore and Malaysia will sign the bilateral agreement for the high- speed rail project in Kuala Lumpur next week, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said yesterday.

Datuk Seri Najib told reporters in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, that Singapore had requested a bit more time as it needed the President’s approval before inking the pact.

Both countries had been scheduled to sign the agreement at their Leaders’ Retreat, initially planned for Monday.

The meeting was postponed.

Read Also: Singapore-KL High Speed Rail: What you need to know

Malaysia’s national news agency, Bernama, cited Mr Najib as saying: “Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called me and asked for a little bit of time to brief their President.”

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Singapore-Malaysia ink landmark High Speed Rail MOU

Source: The Straits Times

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Mr Najib added that, under the Singapore Constitution, the guarantee of such a project would need approval from the President.

“We will be signing the agreement next week. (PM Lee) is coming to Kuala Lumpur,” Mr Najib said.

Singapore officials declined to comment, but The Straits Times understands that the signing will take place in Malaysia next week.

Read Also: 2026 start for S’pore-KL high-speed rail ‘realistic but not easy’

PM Lee told Bernama in an interview last week that both sides had made “very good progress” on the agreement, which will spell out details of matters such as cost sharing and how the project will be built and operated.

Once signed, tenders for an advanced engineering study and works can be called.

The high-speed rail will cut travel time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes. Construction of the 350km line is expected to start in 2018, with trains running by 2026.

This article was first published on December 7, 2016.
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Does a night’s stay at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) for $70 sound too good to be true? It is.

Several people who had booked rooms at that price were left disappointed after MBS informed them via e-mail that the price was an error.

Instead, it offered them the rooms at $450 per night with a $100 credit on their final bill.

Mr Joel Tan, 25, a project manager, is angry at the increased cost of his reservation.

He said he found the deal on MBS’ website on Nov 28. He immediately booked a stay for March 31 to April 7. He received a confirmation e-mailthe same day but was informed on Monday about the change in price.

“I am disappointed that MBS is not honouring its obligations. It has to take responsibility for the mistake,” said Mr Tan.

He told The New Paper he had booked the room for friends who are flying here in March.

He has yet to let them know about the change in price as he is waiting to see if MBS will do anything else.

Another customer, Mr Clarence Chen, 28, had booked a room from March 31 to April 7 for his family.

Mr Chen said he was disappointed when he received an e-mail about the new price.

He said: “I am now thinking of selecting another place for my staycation because of the way MBS tried to resolve and downplay its error in pricing.”

When contacted by The New Paper, an MBS spokesman said the room rate error “arose in connection with a promotion for stays ending March 31, 2017”.

“Only guests who booked through this promotional page and planned to arrive on 31 March were affected,” said the spokesman.

She said no credit cards were charged upon booking. MBS is investigating the cause of the error, and it apologises for the inconvenience to its guests.

The spokesman added that MBS’ terms and conditions state that the hotel has the right to correct the rate or cancel a reservation (after directly contacting the person) if the rate has been incorrectly posted.

The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) told TNP that as payment was not made at the time of booking, the hotel is likely to dispute the validity of the contract. It also noted that in MBS’ terms and conditions, any reservation is subject to its confirmation.

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But Case added that consumers can attempt to negotiate for an amicable resolution since confirmation of the booking was received by the consumer.

In a separate case in December 2014, Singapore Airlines allowed about 400 passengers to fly business class although they had bought tickets at economy-class prices due to a pricing error.

This article was first published on Dec 7, 2016.
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