Operations at the logistics hub in the Toh Guan area of Jurong East expected to begin in two months
Amazon has signed a lease for nearly 100,000 square feet at Mapletree Logistics Hub – Toh Guan in the Jurong East area, sources have told BT.
This is expected to serve as a fulfilment centre for its e-commerce business as well as offices. Operations are expected to begin in two months.
Mapletree Logistics Trust (MLT), the owner of the six-storey ramp-up warehouse facility, declined to comment when contacted by The Business Times.
The facility has about 656,600 sq ft net lettable area that was completed this year.
Photo: AFP
Earlier this week, TechCrunch reported that Amazon, which does not currently offer local services in South-east Asia, is working to enter the region through a launch in Singapore. The plan is to launch selected services in Singapore within the first quarter of 2017, it added.
In the CBD, the tech giant occupies slightly more than 50,000 sq ft of offices in leased premises at Capital Square.
Its cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services (AWS), operates data centres here. Talk in the market is that AWS is planning to build its own data centre in the Jurong data centre park in the Sunview Way/Sunview Road locale. JTC is understood to have earmarked 10 plots of land for the dedicated data centre park. JTC awarded the first site to Telekomunikasi Indonesia International Pte Ltd in 2014. Its facility has been completed.
Photo: Reuters
As for AWS, word on the street is that it is looking at being allocated four plots in the park. JTC’s spokeswoman declined to comment. AWS’s spokeswoman in Singapore too declined to comment but added that the division has set up data centres in multiple locations here since 2010.
Demand for outsourcing of data centres was traditionally fuelled by financial institutions and other organisations needing to back up data for disaster recovery and business contingency planning purposes – in the aftermath of the 911 tragedy.
This source of demand, however, is now being dwarfed by cloud computing, which is experiencing exponential growth because of e-commerce, the Internet of Things, smart cities and big data, say market watchers.
Jack Ma, Photo: Reuters
Another e-commerce giant, Alibaba of China, is also expanding in Singapore in a big way. It has a 10.2 per cent stake in Singapore Post and recently received the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s approval to raise this to 14.4 per cent.
In addition, Alibaba owns 34 per cent of SingPost’s e-commerce logistics subsidiary, Quantium Solutions International. In April, Alibaba bought a controlling stake in Singapore-based e-commerce site Lazada for around US$1 billion.
Alibaba office in Hangzhou, China, Photo: Reuters
Alibaba is said to have even bigger ambitions in Singapore than Amazon. Talk in the market is that Alibaba and/or its co-founder Jack Ma in his private capacity are looking to invest in prime CBD office space in addition to scouting for warehousing facilities for the group’s e-commerce operations in Singapore.
Market watchers have been speculating for some time now on whether Alibaba/Mr Ma would be keen on the white site in Central Boulevard with a mandatory office component being offered at a state tender that will close on Tuesday (Nov 8).
This article was first published on Nov 5, 2016. Get The Business Times for more stories.
SINGAPORE – The “cardboard uncle” was lying on the road, bleeding, after he was hit by a taxi.
But all he wanted to know when passers-by rushed to his aid was: “Where is my trolley? Where is my trolley? I have two packets of biscuits inside.”
The accident happened at the junction of Yishun Avenue 3 and Sembawang Road at about 2.30pm on Thursday.
The elderly man, later identified as Mr Wong Kum Chew, 63, was crossing the road at the junction with his trolley when the taxi, which was making a left turn, hit him, witnesses told Lianhe Wanbao.
One of the passers-by who rushed to help him, Ms Irene Lim, 36, a marketing director, told the Chinese evening daily that she saw the accident and rushed over.
She found Mr Wong lying on the road near his trolley loaded with cardboard, with cuts, grazes and blood all over his body.
“It was heartbreaking seeing him like that,” she said.
An eyewitness told Wanbao that the impact of the crash knocked Mr Wong to the ground and sent him tumbling for about 2m.
“Thankfully there were many others who came together to take care of him. Hopefully, more or less, that would have lessened his pain,” she said.
A Singapore Armed Forces officer, Lieutenant Colonel (Dr) Timothy Teoh, told Wanbao: “I was worried that (Mr Wong) had suffered a fracture. So I checked his injuries, his back and body to make sure nothing was fractured.”
Staff from a McDonald’s outlet nearby also brought water to clean his wounds, reported Wanbao.
A police spokesman told The New Paper they were alerted to the accident at about 2.40pm.
A 63-year-old male pedestrian was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
MEAGRE EARNINGS
Mr Wong later told Wanbao that he would collect cardboard pieces near his home every day. He earns about $6 to $7 a day.
The elderly man – who lives with his wife and son – would do so to help out his son, who is the family’s sole breadwinner and earns about $1,000 a month.
“I take the opportunity, while I’m still fit, to walk about and collect cardboard to sell. It’s not just helping my son, but I also stay healthy,” he said.
Taxi reverses into woman collecting cardboard, and kills her
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The New Paper
Ms Lim, who remained by Mr Wong’s side until the ambulance had left the scene, told TNP that she and her husband later pushed Mr Wong’s trolley back to his home.
They took about 30 minutes.
“Even my husband, who is of a big build, was drenched in sweat by the time we were done,” she said.
“The elderly Mr Wong has to do this every day. It must not be easy and we really respect him for his perseverance.”
TNP understands no one has been arrested so far. Police are investigating the accident.
This article was first published on Nov 05, 2016. Get The New Paper for more stories.
Elderly cardboard collectors in Singapore
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SINGAPORE – She is a regular at the 7-Eleven store in Killiney Road because her 10-year-old son, who has Williams syndrome, has been attending speech therapy lessons nearby for more than five years.
And the store employees are aware of the boy’s special needs.
But on Tuesday, Madam Elaine Chan’s encounter with a female customer who objected to her son’s behaviour in the store turned nasty.
The 44-year-old, who works in a bank, said that despite her telling the woman that her son is a child with special needs, the woman verbally abused her, calling her useless for giving birth to him, and called him a b******.
Williams syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that causes learning disabilities and developmental delays in children. Those with the syndrome, however, tend to be sociable, friendly and endearing.
The single mother told The New Paper: “My son loves fans and whenever he sees one, he wants to play with the buttons on it.
“The counter staff at 7-Eleven are very patient. They are fine with my son going into the room behind the counter to let him touch the buttons on the fan.”
But at 8.45pm on Tuesday, the female customer told Madam Chan off for letting her son enter the room.
“I thought she was an off-duty employee, which would sort of give her the right to scold my son,” said Madam Chan.
“I told her he’s a special needs child and usually people would understand. But she replied, ‘All the more you have to control your son.'”
When Madam Chan tried to explain about her son and his special needs, the woman raised her voice and became even more aggressive.
Madam Chan then realised the woman was not a 7-Eleven employee and decided to film her with her smartphone in the hope that it would make her leave. But the woman continued scolding her and called her son a b******.
In the video, the woman, seen to be wearing a straw hat and covering her face with a piece of cloth, yelled at Madam Chan in Mandarin: “You are useless. Why must you give birth to a special needs child?”
She then hit Madam Chan’s hand with her handbag, causing Madam Chan to drop her phone.
“My (11-year-old) daughter started crying because she thought the woman had hurt me, so I went to comfort her,” said Madam Chan.
The loud noises also scared her son and he covered his ears with his hands.
After the woman left the store, a police officer walked in and Madam Chan told the officer about the incident. The officer went to look for the woman, but was unable to find her.
Madam Chan subsequently shared her 37-second video of the incident on a WhatsApp group for parents whose children have Williams syndrome.
Her friend Janet Yeo, who was in the group, later posted the clip on Facebook.
She told TNP: “I was upset that Elaine had to go through this.
“As a parent of a Williams syndrome child myself, I feel sad when my child gets disapproving stares from strangers.
“Labelling them ‘useless and a ‘b******’ is way too much. So I shared the video on Facebook to create awareness and to seek the public’s understanding for special needs children and their parents.”
Madam Chan said: “I was shocked that someone would use such profanity. This is the first time something like this has happened to me.
“At most, people would give me disapproving stares because my son may be doing things that are unusual.
“But when I explain that Ian is a special needs child, they would understand.”
She said she had seen many negative comments online about the woman, but she did not approve of such comments.
UPSET
“I was upset because she was ignorant and made my daughter cry, but I think we shouldn’t judge her,” said Madam Chan.
“Instead, we should highlight the people who are caring and compassionate towards special needs children because there are a lot of them around.”
Dr Carol Balhetchet, senior director for youth services at the Singapore Children’s Society, said strangers should respect the mother of a child with special needs.
“I think all she wanted to do was make a statement about what was wrong (the boy’s action of going to the room behind the counter), but instead she spiralled into anger and attacked both the mother and her child, which was disrespectful,” she said.
“What she used to label the child is appalling and insensitive. It was uncalled for.”
Dr Balhetchet said that in such cases, people should respect the mother and the child with special needs.
“Leave the mother to deal with the child,” she advised.
“Give them space, and be more sensitive and supportive, and maybe advise the mother to be a bit more careful if their child is running around as they may hurt themselves.”
Worker who indulges boy: Kids are kids
Photo: The New Paper
It was the first time such an incident has happened to Madam Elaine Chan. But she has also encountered many caring and compassionate people.
One such person is Mr Joe Liew, 45, who works at Rice Roll And Porridge, a coffee shop two doors away from the 7-Eleven at Killiney Road which Madam Chan and her son frequent.
Her son, 10, who has Williams syndrome, has a tendency to touch the buttons on fans and it annoys most shop owners, she said.
But Mr Liew is one of the rare few who are kind enough to let her son have his way, to Madam Chan’s gratitude.
And Mr Liew is not even aware that the boy has special needs.
He told The New Paper in Mandarin: “No matter what, we cannot scold someone else’s kids or their parents like that. It hurts their dignity.
Imagine how the kids would feel?”
AFFECTED
Mr Liew said what affected him the most was the woman insulting Madam Chan’s parental skills.
“If I were the parent, I would be very sad because how you raise your child is a personal thing,” he said.
Mr Liew, who has worked at the coffee shop for about five months, said he lets the boy play with the fan buttons because “kids are kids”.
“I’m the youngest at home, so I have no younger siblings to play with. I’m always more than happy to play with and be nice to children,” he said.
Kids with Williams syndrome very sociable
The Williams syndrome is a genetic condition that affects many parts of the body.
It is characterised by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays and learning disabilities. These often occur alongside striking verbal abilities, highly social personalities and an affinity for music.
The syndrome affects one in 10,000 people worldwide, and occurs equally in both males and females, and in every culture.
Unlike disorders that can make connecting with your child difficult, children with the Williams syndrome tend to be sociable, friendly and endearing.
But there are also major struggles – many babies have life-threatening cardiovascular problems. Children with the syndrome need costly and ongoing medical care and early interventions (such as speech or occupational therapy).
As they grow, they struggle with things like spatial relations, numbers and abstract reasoning, which can make daily tasks a challenge.
As adults, most people with the Williams syndrome need supportive housing to live to their fullest potential. Many contribute to their communities as volunteers or paid employees.
Source: Williams Syndrome Association
This article was first published on Nov 05, 2016. Get The New Paper for more stories.
ZHEJIANG – A restaurant in Wenzhou, eastern China, was ordered on Thursday (Nov 3) to pay 237,000 yuan (S$47,000) to a woman who suffered severe burns after a waiter poured hot water over her head, Sina reported.
The incident happened at Mr Hotpot, a restaurant in Wenzhou in August 2015.
The woman, surnamed Lin, was eating at the restaurant with friends and family, including her mother and her seven-month-old son.
She asked the waiter, surnamed Zhu, to add hot soup to their pot, but he failed to do so. When she asked a second time, he told her that the pot did not need topping up.
Unhappy at his response, she immediately posted a complaint about the restaurant’s service on microblogging site Weibo and tagged the Weibo account of one of the restaurant’s shareholders.
Zhu found out about the negative review and confronted Lin. When Lin refused to remove the review, he returned with a pot of hot water and poured it over her head.
He also pulled Lin from her chair and rained blows on her. Zhu gave Lin a forceful kick even as shocked customers and waiters pulled him away from her.
Lin was admitted to the intensive care unit with severe scalds to 42 per cent of her body.
The incident was captured in a video.
Zhu, 17 at the time, was sentenced to 22 months in jail. His youth was considered in the sentencing.
Lin had asked for about 570,000 yuan in compensation, but the court found that the restaurant had paid for some of Lin’s medical fees and thus reduced the compensation.
This article was first published on Nov5, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Mark your calendar! The next Popeyes Day will be happening on Sunday, 6 November 2016 with the best deal highlight of 5 pieces of mild/spicy Bone-in-Chicken going for just $5.90.
SINGAPORE: The annual Mediacorp Subaru Car Challenge kicked off on Saturday (Nov 5) at Civic Plaza, Ngee Ann City.
Four hundred contestants from nine countries – Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam – are competing for a Subaru XV 1.6 I-S worth S$69,600 without Certificate of Entitlement (COE). The competition is into its 15th year.
Last year, 33-year-old Vietnamese national Nguyen Phuoc Huynh, became the competition’s first regional winner. He beat 400 contestants, keeping his palm on a Subaru car for 77 hours and 58 minutes. The winner of the 2014 edition, G Jaishanker, clocked 82 hours and 16 minutes.
The endurance competition requires all contestants to place the palms of their right hands onto specified palm decals on their assigned Subaru cars and keep it there until one contestant remains. The longest-standing contestant will be declared the winner.
Contestants are entitled to a 5-minute break (with the exception of the 7pm break) once every six hours – 7am, 1pm, 7pm, 1am – each day. During the family break at 7pm, one family member, above 12 years old, is allowed to enter the arena.
Additional break benefits will be given to participants with supporters who take part in the online game at toggle.sg/carchallenge.
This year’s contest includes a Family Relay Fiesta which will feature a series of fun challenges that pit families against each other.
SINGAPORE – No special needs child will be denied an education because of a lack of finances.
This was the assurance the Ministry of Education (MOE) gave yesterday, highlighting how parents have different avenues for help, from voluntary welfare organisations to government aid schemes. It also pointed out how, on average, it spends 2½ times more on a special needs child than a mainstream student in supporting their education.
Yesterday’s announcement that children with moderate to severe special needs must attend publicly funded special education (Sped) schools from 2019 was welcomed by the sector.
But parents had also been hoping that the long-awaited move would see the Government absorbing more of the costs involved in schooling a special needs child. These range from transporting a child needing a wheelchair to school, to other needs such as speech and occupational therapy.
Singaporean children in mainstream schools pay up to $13 a month in fees. The fees are similar for those enrolled in more than half of the 20 Sped schools. But in some cases involving more severe conditions, the fees can climb to as much as $350 – although needy families can apply for this to be waived.
Dr Victor Tay, president of the Association for Persons with Special Needs, said that raising a special needs child can leave families financially strapped.
“There are cases where one parent has to stay at home to take care of the child, and the family’s earning power drops,” he said, adding that more subsidies for them could be helpful.
Housewife Juliah Kasiman, 35, takes her son, who has cerebral palsy, to a hospital for speech and occupational therapy every three months. “It costs about $90 each time, after government subsidies, and it’d be good if this could be further subsidised. Caring for special needs children is not cheap.”
Some parents also called for the subsidies to be extended to private education. Housewife Goh Pin Pin, 43, said her eight-year-old son, who has global developmental delay, enjoyed his time at a mainstream kindergarten, so she enrolled him in Victory Life Christian School, which caters to both special needs and mainstream children. It costs $600 a month.
“If education in private schools can be subsidised too, in cases where parents show that private schooling is the best option for the child, that’d be great,” she added.
Experts in the disability sector recognised the significance of the policy change as a key step towards inclusiveness.
Ms Anita Fam, who was on the expert panel which recommended in 2012 that special needs children be included in the Compulsory Education Act by this year, called it an “important breakthrough”.
Dr Kenneth Poon, from the National Institute of Education’s early childhood and special needs education academic group, said it recognises that “every child should have access to education, including those with special needs”.
This article was first published on Nov 05, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
SINGAPORE – Nine-year-old Jarene Hong, who studies at a special education (Sped) school, has a rare condition that affects her face and throat muscles.
Called Moebius Syndrome, the condition makes her unable to swallow and she has to be fed through a tube in her stomach. It does not affect her intelligence, but her speech is unclear.
Her mother Sally Kwek had enrolled her in a mainstream primary school a few years ago, but that lasted only six months.
Staff there were supportive, said Ms Kwek, but she withdrew her daughter after she was asked to hire a shadow teacher to offer Jarene more support. That would have cost her $2,500 to $5,000 a month, which she could not afford.
For the last two years, Jarene has been studying at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore School.
School days last up to five hours daily, and she takes English and maths lessons in a class of just six children. In a mainstream school, school days are longer and a class usually has 30 to 40 children.
“With the small class size and every teacher being well trained in teaching special needs children, there isn’t a need for shadow teachers at the Sped school,” Ms Kwek said.
“Jarene is now in a school where her teachers believe in her, accept her differences and are committed to bringing out the best in her.
“In this environment, she picks up life skills such as self-discipline and responsibility, and learns what is socially appropriate.”
She also noted that the school instils a lot of self-worth in the children, teaching them to be resilient.
Ms Kwek, 40, is the founding editor of SpecialSeeds.sg, an online magazine for families with special needs children. She hopes more can be done to support such families financially.
She pays $20 a month for school fees and $200 for a feeding tube that lasts eight months, among other things, but said other families have it tougher as she need not pay for medication or wheelchairs.
In a survey commissioned by Lien Foundation this year, 43 per cent of 830 parents with special needs children aged nine and below said they did not receive enough financial help from the Government, and close to six in 10 of those with a monthly household income of $7,000 to $9,900 felt this way.
“There are financial aid schemes for the needy, but the sandwich class is most affected,” said Ms Kwek. “Compulsory education should come with better funding support for whatever it takes – including assistive devices and shadow teachers.”
This article was first published on Nov 05, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
China’s top internet regulator released controversial new rules on Friday requiring the country’s live-streamers to hold a broadcasting license.
The restrictions put forward by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) will mean anyone who uses or provides content which could be considered as threatening to social order or the country’s security faces punishment.
Similar laws are in place in China for other media services though the county’s booming live-streaming industry is the latest to be targeted with strict restrictions.
Dr. Rogier Creemers, a researcher in the law and government of China at Leiden University, told CNBC in a phone interview on Friday that Chinese authorities can be particularly stringent in order to cover against every eventuality.
He went on to add: “Everyone and their sister can upload content which naturally presents a problem for the government. Primarily these rules are to make sure that live streaming can be managed more easily by the authorities.”
‘Narrow the playing field’
In April 2016, the CAC and other authorities criticised the rapid growth of live-streaming warning that the younger Chinese population were being exposed to damaging activity such as pornography and terrorism.
Credit Suisse Group experts have forecast the industry could more than double in 2017, soaring to $5 billion, as a result of an exponential increase in young mobile users.
Critics of the new rules argue that the new restrictions, which are set to come into effect from December, will be of significant benefit to established live-streaming companies while damaging the chances of success for smaller competitors.
Mark Natkin, managing director at Marbridge Consulting, told Reuters: “One of the things the government always wants to do is narrow the playing field to a smaller number of higher profile known entities, ideally ones that have a better track record of cooperating with the government.”
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