A resident at the Residences @ Killiney was sent 11 e-mails from the condominium’s management council telling her to stop using the lifts with her dogs.

She has been ignoring the order.

Lawyers told The New Paper that generally these matters are enforced through by-laws and not rules.

And the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said the condo must get at least 75 per cent approval from homeowners before a by-law can be passed.

Lawyer Oei Ai Ling, 62, owns two mongrels, Jerry and Dogg. She said they are not allowed in the lifts because they are too large to carry. She has been told to take them in the service lift instead.

There are four 10-storey twin-stack towers and four penthouses in the condo comprising 68 units.

She told TNP that the council, which has six members, held a meeting in August and discussed rules concerning pets.

She said: “They passed these two rules (among others). One, only hand-carry pets are allowed in the (regular) lifts.

“Two, the pet’s owner is advised and encouraged to use an empty service lift.”

The lifts in Madam Oei’s condo go straight to each resident’s apartment and are operated through a keycard.

Madam Oei continues to take her dogs into the lifts as she does not think the rule is fair because it was not a decision involving all the residents.

“Right now, I am ignoring them,” Madam Oei said.

“If they try to enforce (their rule), I will take (legal) action.”

The condo is managed by JLL Residential. It referred TNP to the condo’s management council.

When approached, the council explained why it had the rule.

In an e-mail reply, a spokesman said: “Several families, particularly those with young children, had raised concerns about safety when there were big dogs using the lifts.

“We allow hand-carry pets in the lifts as they are within the control of the owners.”

The council added that it is in talks with the BCA.

NEIGHBOURS’ REACTION

Mrs Philippa Ilincic, who has been living at the condo with her family since 2013, said: “I don’t understand really, everybody shares the public spaces, and there has never been any trouble with the dogs.”

Regarding the lifts, she added: “My reaction is if it is your own home, you should have a right to use (them).”

Another resident, Ms Jolene Chua, 34, who owns a miniature schnauzer, also disagrees with the rule.

She said: “I don’t think it is a necessary rule. The other party (who is afraid of the dog) should just talk to the dog owner.”

RULE DIFFICULT TO ENFORCE WITHOUT BY-LAW

Right now, Madam Oei Ai Ling is not legally obliged to keep her dogs out of the lifts, said lawyers whom The New Paper spoke to.

Lawyer Toh Kok Seng said the Residences @ Killiney’s management council cannot punish Madam Oei, though it can request that she refrain from taking her dogs into the lifts.

He said it would be tricky to enforce the rule if it is not backed up by any by-laws – rules that residents have to obey.

A spokesman for the Building and Construction Authority said all by-laws must be approved through a special resolution in a general meeting.The special resolution is passed when 75 per cent of the condo owners vote in favour of it.

Lawyer Ronald JJ Wong said matters regarding pets in condos are generally regulated through by-laws.

This article was first published on December 3, 2016.
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A crane toppled sideways onto a construction site at Siglap Plain, near Siglap Centre, yesterday morning.

A Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesman said: “MOM is investigating a dangerous occurrence involving a mobile crane toppling at 27 Siglap Plain.

“The crane was involved in the construction of a residential house when it toppled and struck two adjacent buildings causing damage to the roofs.

“There was no injury. A full stop work order has been issued to the occupier.”

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2016-12-03 11:53:21

Photo Gallery

Toppled crane damages 2 houses in Siglap

Source:

The Straits Times

The New Paper

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WORRIED

Retiree Joseph Lee, 68, who lives opposite the accident site, said: “If it had collapsed on this side, my home would have been wrecked.

“When my wife and I saw the crane in the morning, before we left our home, we already felt worried because it looked like it could topple over.”

They were not home at the time of the incident.

A construction foreman, who did not wish to be named, was working at an adjacent site when he heard the crane crash at around 11am.

He said: “I was on the second storey of the house (I was working on) when I heard a very loud bang.

“I initially thought it was one of my men. But from where I was standing, I saw that the crane had crashed.”

A Building and Construction Authority (BCA) spokesman told The New Paper: “On site, BCA engineers observed that a localised portion of the tiled roof of a two-storey detached house at 24 Siglap Avenue and the eaves of the roof of a detached house at 29 Siglap Plain were damaged by the crane boom.”

There were 22 crane-related incidents in 2015 and 17 in the first nine months of this year.

After almost two and a half months in hospital, Thai teenager Aroonrak Jattanathammajit is ready to go home.

Along with her parents, the only child has been on an emotional journey since her car accident in September.

It landed the San Yu Adventist School student in the intensive care unit with severe head injuries.

Speaking to the media for the first time since her accident, Aroonrak, 16, told The New Paper that she is excited to return to Thailand, where she will continue treatment.

“I really miss home and I can’t wait to eat tom yam soup noodles,” said the soft-spoken teenager, who was all smiles at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital yesterday morning.

On the morning of Sept 18, Aroonrak, who came to Singapore last year to study, was reportedly hit by a car while crossing Balestier Road.

She was on her way to help out at a community outreach programme for old folk.

A police spokesman said yesterday that no arrest has been made and that the case is still under investigation.

When TNP broke the story on Oct 2, people here opened their hearts and wallets to the family, who were in distress as the teenager’s medical bills grew.

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2016-10-02 14:46:00

Photo Gallery

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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CROWDFUND

One Singaporean, Mr Dennis Yeo, set up a GiveAsia crowdfunding drive for them.

It raised more than $132,000 to help ease the family’s burden.

Aroonrak has been through two brain operations. She had a third operation on Nov 14, where doctors replaced a portion of her skull with an artificial one.

Her father, Mr Sarayuth Jattanathammajit, 49, said he is grateful to the donors, hospital staff and volunteers who had gone all out to help them. He and his wife arrived in Singapore on the day of the accident.

Speaking through a Thai interpreter, Mr Jattanathammajit, who runs an ailing rubber retail business, said: “She will need to continue her treatment in Bangkok, but we will never forget how the people in Singapore have helped us.”

The family plans to return to Thailand next Thursday.

Aroonrak will be staying at the Rama Hospital in Bangkok for about four months. She will hopefully be discharged as an outpatient after that, said Ms Kansinee Boonlong, the Thai Association Singapore committee member who has been visiting the family regularly in the hospital.

She said Aroonrak has been doing her physiotherapy exercises. On Monday, she took her first steps since the accident unassisted.

“We were all so amazed. I had goosebumps when she started walking by herself,” said Ms Boonlong.

On Thursday, Aroonrak was even given permission to leave the hospital for a two-hour outing with her parents, Ms Boonlong, and another friend.

They had ice cream, and also took a drive down Orchard Road to see the Christmas lights.

While therapy to get her back on her feet has been tiring, Aroonrak said she does not mind.

“It’s good for me. And if I practise more, I get more tired and I can sleep better at night,” she said.

She also thanked her well-wishers and donors, saying: “I’m so grateful for what they have done. I never thought that people would be so kind, and I’m so thankful.”

HE WILL GIVE FINAL $34,000 TO FAMILY

An October report about the teen’s plight in The New Paper moved Mr Dennis Yeo, 44, who works in a non-profit organisation.

He set up a GiveAsia crowdfunding drive for Aroonrak Jattanathammajit. The campaign, which saw 925 people donate, raised more than $132,000 in two weeks.

Thanks to Mr Yeo’s efforts and those of other well-wishers who made donations directly to the family, the Jattanathammajit family were able to pay Aroonrak’s medical bills, which amounted to around $142,000.

VISIT

Mr Yeo will be visiting Aroonrak and her family today to hand them the final portion of the funds raised, which is about $34,000.

It will be used to offset future payments for the teen’s recovery in Thailand, he added.

Mr Yeo said: “It’s been such a journey.

“I’m really glad that she’s going back to Thailand, it means she’s on her way to recovery.

“The most important thing is that she can continues to be happy, because that will help her recover faster.”

This article was first published on December 3, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and United States President-elect Donald Trump had a telephone conversation, and spoke about the friendship between their countries.

PM Lee also invited Mr Trump and his family to visit Singapore.

This is what he wrote in a Facebook post on Friday (Dec 2):

“Spoke to President-elect Donald J. Trump on the phone to congratulate him on winning the US presidential elections.

“We talked about the close and long-standing friendship between Singapore and US. We co-operate in many areas – economic, defence and security, education, and people-to-people.

“Our relations have endured through nine US Presidents, and Singapore wants to work with the incoming Administration to further strengthen ties.

“I invited Mr Trump and his family to visit Singapore, and looked forward to meeting him in person soon.”

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2016-11-09 16:14:33

Photo Gallery

Donald Trump wins US presidency in stunning upset

Source:

AFP

Reuters

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This article was first published on December 2, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

As you unwind this festive season, do keep your guard up for the threat of terror attacks.

Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday that this threat in the region is stronger than that of last year because the extremist beliefs of terror group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has taken root in South-east Asia.

Though ISIS was wounded by military setbacks in the Middle East, pockets of people closer to home are receptive to such ideas, he added.

Mr Shanmugam pointed to a series of actions that could indicate a looming threat. Towards the end of last year, Indonesia detected clear signals of an attack and arrested several individuals. Still, Jakarta was struck by bombs in January, killing eight.

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2016-01-14 12:36:05

Photo Gallery

Blasts heard in Indonesian capital Jakarta, at least 3 dead

Source: Twitter, Internet screengrabs, AFP, Reuters

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A similar uptick in terrorism-related arrests is now taking place in Indonesia, he noted, adding that Singapore agencies are working closely with their Indonesian counterparts.

He noted that some of those picked up were protesting against the Jakarta governor but planned to use the event for terror purposes.

He was speaking of the possibility of a terror attack here at a luncheon yesterday, organised by the Foreign Correspondents Association here.

The threat comes from three groups – those who return from fighting in Iraq and Syria “battle-hardened”, those freed from detention but who still harbour radical inclinations, and those radicalised online by ISIS propaganda.

He noted that ISIS has called on its supporters to carry out attacks at home if they are unable to travel to Iraq and Syria.

The number of attacks by individuals using everyday items such as knives and vehicles to kill went up significantly after that.

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2015-04-20 16:13:06

Photo Gallery

ISIS activities in Southeast Asia

Source: BHM, The Star/ANN, Royal Malaysian Police, Utusan Malaysia, AFP, Reuters, YouTube screengrabs

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While security agencies are on high alert, getting Singaporeans to be vigilant is an uphill task, said Mr Shanmugam.

“From the perspective of the people, everyone is winding down for Christmas.

“It is safe to say that trying to get our population to understand and realise what we are up against is very much a work in progress that has got a long way to go,” he said.

The situation is not a surprise, he said, as Singaporeans have grown accustomed to living in a safe country, and so they take security as a given.

But it prompted the Government to launch SGSecure in September, a nationwide movement to increase people’s preparedness and resilience in a crisis, such as a terror attack.

Asked if he thought Singaporeans would stay united after a terror attack here, Mr Shanmugam said he believed Singaporeans would rally together.

But he cautioned that if the attacks are repeated time and again over a sustained period of time, differences in society may develop like they have in countries such as France and the United States.

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2016-10-18 08:02:14

Photo Gallery

Singapore holds largest islandwide counter-terror exercise

Source:

The Straits Times

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ziliang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on December 3, 2016.
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