JAKARTA – Hopes are fading for 44 people still missing more than a day after an overcrowded speedboat carrying Indonesian migrant workers capsized and sunk in rough seas, claiming at least 18 lives.
The search resumed at first light on Thursday (Nov 3) around Batam, an Indonesian island south of Singapore, with roughly 125 personnel combing the seas for any sign of survivors, local disaster agency section chief Hardin Nafii told AFP.
“We pray that hopefully those still missing are saved, and are alive,” he said.
The speedboat was carrying 98 passengers and three crew from Malaysia to Batam early Wednesday morning when it ran aground on a reef in bad weather and capsized, the disaster agency said.
Police said the passengers were likely illegal Indonesian migrant workers returning from jobs in Malaysia, and the boat was over capacity at the time of the accident.
Mr Zainul Arifin, one of the survivors who worked at an oil palm plantation in Malaysia, said he was sitting at the back of the boat when sea water started coming aboard. Many Indonesians work in Malaysian factories and plantations.
“I had to jump off and start swimming,” Mr Arifin told Reuters in the port town of Nongsa on Batam.
Another survivor, Haryanto, 51, told The Jakarta Post that the boat departed from Johor Baru at 3am.
“After two hours of sailing, the boat was struck by strong waves and heavy downpour,” he said.
He added that the speedboat was so crowded that some of the passengers had to stand.
Mr Haryanto was saved by fishermen after floating in the water for about two hours.
The Indonesian media yesterday ran the list of names of those who were saved. They came from many parts of the country, including Sumatra, Lombok and Java islands.
The disaster agency revised upwards the passenger numbers late Wednesday from 93, saying the lack of a manifest made it difficult to establish exact figures aboard.
The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is heavily dependent on boat transport, but safety standards are lax and fatal accidents common.
More than 60 people died in December when huge waves capsized a ferry charting a course through Sulawesi province.
In 2009, more than 330 people were killed after a ferry sunk off Sulawesi island in one of the worst accidents at sea in Indonesia.
NEW YORK – The estate of Prince, who jealously guarded rights to his songs during his lifetime, has signed over control of his vast catalog to a unit of music giant Universal.
In a first-of-a-kind deal since the pop icon’s sudden death, his estate and Universal Music Publishing Group late Wednesday announced a deal under which the company will manage all compositions of the prolific Purple One.
The agreement, the terms of which were not disclosed, covers rights to all songs ever penned by Prince, which according to some estimates number more than 1,000.
The publisher is expected to seek a wider market for songs by Prince, who had fastidiously battled YouTube to take down his music and refused to stream his work on any service except rap mogul Jay Z’s Tidal.
“We are looking forward to continuing Prince’s legacy and ensuring that generations to come will know his unique brilliance,” Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, said in a statement.
The deal does not relate to recordings themselves, which in the music business are administered separately.
Labels are still bidding for Prince’s recordings, although his former home Warner Music recently announced it would put out new music from his vaults including an entire new album’s worth of music to accompany a reissue next year of his 1984 classic work “Purple Rain.”
Purple tribute to Prince
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Prince died on April 21 of an accidental overdose of painkillers and did not leave a will, with his family putting his affairs under professional administrator Bremer Trust.
The firm from Prince’s home state of Minnesota has also opened the star’s secluded Paisley Park estate to tours in an effort to stabilize the estate’s finances.
Prince had earlier dealt with Universal Music Publishing but cut ties in 2014 as he decided to go it alone.
He also had a famously complicated relationship with Warner, in the 1990s changing his name to the unpronounceable “love symbol” and writing “slave” on his cheek to protest contractual terms.
Besides his own hits, Prince wrote a slew of songs made famous by other artists including Sinead O’Connor, The Bangles and Sheena Easton.
Not if you ask Onew, leader of popular Korean boy band SHINee.
Which is why the 26-year-old is expanding his repertoire, to keep himself relevant.
The Korean star, whose real name is Lee Jin-ki, appears in Korean cable TV channel tvN’s Go Go with Mr Baek.
The cooking-travelogue programme has been airing on tvN (Singtel TV Ch 518 and 619, and StarHub TV Ch 824) since Sept 23.
It takes the hosts across several cities and towns in Asia, such as Kudat in Sabah and Krabi Town in Thailand, to cook dishes using local ingredients.
Onew, Chef Baek Jong-won, and Jung Chae-yeon of Korean girl group DIA and I.O.I are in town to promote the show.
The Singapore episode will air on Dec 19 and Dec 26, at 10.30pm.
In an interview at the Chef’s Table at Capella Singapore yesterday, Onew, who has stayed at the top of the boy band game with SHINee for the last eight years, with hits like Ring Ding Dong, Lucifer, and View, said: “I would like to break the stereotype that the public has of idols by showing that idols can also do variety shows like this.
“It’s not that I dislike being titled as an idol or anything, so (being one) isn’t something bad.”
Unlike Onew, Jung, 18, rose to prominence this year through survival show Produce 101, which picked 11 trainees from 101 contestants from different idol agencies to become an idol group for a year.
She said: “I appreciate that many people recognise me compared to before, and the opportunity to meet many different people (through it).
“I am very new to all this so I try to work hard now, but I’d love to be an idol for (at least a few) more years.”
In the Singapore episode of Go Go with Mr Baek, the trio explore markets in Little India and Chinatown in search of ingredients to whip up some local delicacies.
BELACAN
Chef Baek was especially intrigued by belacan.
He said: “It’s not weird, but I just like it. It’s a very interesting ingredient and I think it will be (popular) with Koreans. It’s like gochujang (red pepper paste).”
The group also visited Universal Studios Singapore and S.E.A. Aquarium.
Asked for their impression of the local markets, Chef Baek said: “There were lots of different ingredients, various spices, and as a chef, I really enjoyed it. Onew and Jung Chae-yeon also enjoyed (looking at) the fish and fresh meat.”
Tekka Market, which they visited to buy meat, fish and spices, also made an impression.
Chef Baek said: “It is quite different from those in Korea so the memory is quite lasting. It is a pretty unique experience for Onew and Chae-yeon because of the whole market scene.
“I’ve visited Singapore more than 10 times already so everything is pretty familiar for me.”
When asked which food represents them best, Jung Chae-yeon chose to be sugar because she wants to be a person that everyone likes, whereas Chef Baek chose to be (beef) meat, noting that while not everyone likes it, those who do really love it.
As for Onew, he said: “I want to be like kimchi because it’s a dish that fits everyone. I think its spiciness has an impact, so I want to have a similar impact.”
tnp@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on November 3, 2016. Get The New Paper for more stories.
Driving on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) yesterday morning, he saw a damaged black car in the middle of the four-lane road.
Then he was shocked by the sight of a severed left arm on the road beside the car and a piece of railing piercing the vehicle.
When Mr Muhammad Azhari approached the car, the driver was motionless.
Paramedics later pronounced the man dead at the scene.
Mr Azhari, 32, a businessman, told The New Paper that he was travelling home at about 1.50am yesterday when he came across the vehicle near the Safti Military Institute bridge on the PIE, in the direction of Changi Airport.
After he stopped his car by the side of the expressway, he saw a severed arm near the car.
A piece of the railing, about 5m long, had pierced the car from the front bumper through to the rear – impaling the driver, he said.
He also noticed the left side of the car was badly damaged.
“It was at a right-hand bend. Instead of cornering right, the car must have gone straight and hit the railing, which then pierced through the car,” he said.
Mr Azhari said only one other driver had stopped to help. “According to the other car driver, who arrived about a minute before me, all the cars who were ahead of him just drove past,” he said.
The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at about 1.50am yesterday.
The SCDF sent two fire engines and an ambulance to the scene, where paramedics pronounced the driver dead.
The New Paper understands the driver was identified as Mr Tan Hock Hai, who was in his 40s.
Mr Azhari was so affected by the accident he posted about it on his Facebook page, as well as the JB Traffic, Road Block & Portholes Report Facebook page, to warn road users to be careful when driving along that stretch.
He wrote: “Please slow down when travelling along PIE towards Changi, at the dangerous bend under the Safti bridge. Especially those travelling on PIE from Tuas Checkpoint.”
3 HURT IN CTE CRASH
In another accident yesterday, three people were hurt in a collision between two motorcycles and a car on the Central Expressway (CTE), near Cairnhill Road, at about 8am.
The police said the three victims, aged between 32 and 46, were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
An SCDF spokesman said two of the injured were a man and a woman in their 30s, while the third victim had minor injuries.
All three are believed to have been on the motorcycles, reported The Straits Times Online.
The accident caused congestion on the expressway all the way to the Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 exit – about 9km away – according to an update on Twitter by the Land Transport Authority.
The police are investigating both accidents.
rloh@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on November 3, 2016. Get The New Paper for more stories.
When she was six years old, Ms Bianca Tan had a secret even she was unaware of. She could not read.
Words move. “B” becomes “d”, “u” becomes “n”. She skips words and lines. She cannot track and focus on what is written. Sentences do not read like they make sense.
Her pre-school drama teacher thought she was talented because she could recite tales from storybooks. The teacher soon discovered that she merely regurgitated content from memory.
But Ms Tan’s mother, Mrs Zita Tan, a former social worker who co-founded the pre-school Pebble Place Development Centre, recognised the symptoms.
She asked for a psychological assessment for Ms Tan at the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS).
In 1999, Ms Tan was diagnosed with dyslexia. Despite being of normal intelligence, the difficulty she faces in reading and writing means she has a learning disability.
During literature lessons in secondary school, she would be five pages behind everyone else. Even now, at 23, she reads more slowly than her university classmates.
The learning disorder affected her emotionally.
Ms Tan planning an English and literacy lesson for children with learning disabilities. The learning material is similar to that which was used to teach her when she was younger. Photo: The Straits Times
“Because I didn’t do well in school, I regressed,” she said. Learning to read was an excruciating process, and her self-esteem took a huge beating.
“If you can’t read, you can’t do anything.”
But she learnt how to compensate. For instance, she learns more readily by watching videos and documentaries than by reading. She also loves to do anything that is hands-on, be it cooking, baking, painting or art and craft.
She is a firm believer in the proverb “it takes a village to raise a child”. She considers herself fortunate to have had patient early childhood educators and mentors who worked hand-in-hand with her parents.
That support network helped her overcome her feelings of insecurity. She also acknowledges the amount of effort and money that her parents put in to help her to thrive.
Kindergarten children at Pebble Place Development Centre working on a task that requires them to make a few tree branches stand. Through this activity, they use their problem solving skills and learn about teamwork. Photo: The Straits Times
There were her teachers at Pebble Place when she was seven to eight years old.
There was “Uncle Kel”, her former sailing coach Kelvin Tan, who went out of his way to make sure she understood his briefings, patiently repeating his explanations until she got the colours of the buoys and knew left from right.
There was Mrs Thng Siok Keng, her speech and language therapist for six years.
And then there were the staff from DAS, who helped her with special classes and educational therapy from Primary 2 to Secondary 3.
Ms Tan (second from left) at a meeting with her schoolmates at the Singapore Institute of Technology’s student lounge. Photo: The Straits Times
Inspired, Ms Tan decided at a young age to become an early childhood educator.
The pre-school sector in Singapore has faced a manpower shortage in recent years and about 4,000 more pre-school educators are needed by 2020.
Pre-school teachers earn an average of $2,200 to $3,000, based on data gathered by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) last year.
The median salary for university graduates last year was $3,300.
Outspoken and extroverted, Ms Tan graduated from Temasek Polytechnic in 2014 with a diploma in early childhood studies. She also has a specialist diploma in learning differences from DAS.
A recipient of the ECDA scholarship award, she is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in early childhood education, which is offered by Wheelock College in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).
Ms Tan (right) with her boyfriend Mr Davior Leong, 23, (second from left) and her cousins at East Coast Park, where they went to cycle and watch sailboats. Photo: The Straits Times
Since she was 14, the middle child has helped out at Pebble Place Development Centre in Paya Lebar. At the centre, she is Ms Bianca to her mother, whom she addresses as Mrs Zita.
She has an older brother, 25, who has Asperger’s syndrome, and a younger sister, 21, who is also dyslexic. Their father is a businessman.
Like her mother, whose life and work is in early childhood education, Ms Tan believes in creating an inclusive environment for children with and without special needs.
They believe in a child’s holistic development: from a curious and creative mind towards learning, to gross and fine motor skills, strong moral values, and confidence.
They maintain that through experiential learning, children can develop leadership qualities, know how to solve problems, appreciate teamwork, learn respect and how to be verbally expressive.
They also highlight the importance of collaborating with parents.
Mrs Tan’s classroom has no erasers because, as she said: “If you don’t make mistakes, how do you learn?” To her, “mistakes have to be accepted and not erased”.
Echoing her mother’s philosophy, Ms Tan feels that “your experiences in life are what shape you”.
Next year, she will head to Myanmar with her schoolmates from SIT to help set up a pre-school in Yangon.
They are part of a 12-member group involved in Project Myanmar, an overseas service learning project that will help to set up classrooms and work on interior environment and design.
Dyslexia led her onto the path of early childhood education, and she hopes to apply “everything learnt in polytechnic and university” to help others.
This article was first published on Nov 03, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
At the corner of Block 201D, there is Ali’s Hairdressing & Beauty Salon. Looking for O Smile Shoe? Turn right and it is round the corner.
Visitors trying to navigate the maze of shops at the foot of HDB blocks often get lost. But now, shoppers in Tampines Street 21 can refer to large, luminous digital signboards along the walkways.
Similar to shopping mall directories, these screens display maps of HDB shops in the neighbourhood, and point out the nearby ATMs, AXS and SAM machines.
Going digital has taken the heartland quite a while. But Tampines Merchant Association has taken the plunge in the hopes that it can help the heartland shops in its neighbourhood resist stiff competition from suburban malls and online retailers. Shops in other parts of Singapore said they may follow in its footsteps.
“It’s like a giant iPad,” joked Mr Andy Ang, 45, who owns electronics store Music Point Entertainment at Block 201D. “We rely mostly on regular customers, but maybe these (digital displays) can lead more people from elsewhere to us.”
Prior to the initiative’s launch in August last year, there were only signs which indicated shop names and their unit numbers.
A total of 18 digital signboards have popped up in four of the blocks in Tampines Street 21.
These are no ordinary directories either – they come with in-built closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to help reduce crime.
They can also intermittently flash announcements about neighbourhood events and shop promotions.
Tampines Merchant Association, which oversees about 200 shops in the area, hopes it will help more people locate shops easily.
“The digital displays are visually clearer and more appealing,” its chairman Kwek Hong Lim, 40, told The Straits Times, comparing them to traditional noticeboards. “We also save some time in updating the content.”
Funds for the installation and maintenance of these directories were pooled by some of the shop owners. And while the idea to include cameras first came about to deter vandalism of the new gadgets, it soon evolved into a greater crime surveillance effort.
The police gave their input on the possible locations, camera angles and CCTV specifications for these directories.The footage, which covers some blind spots of existing police cameras, is streamed to the merchant association’s office and can be retrieved when necessary.
Shop owners described the directories as helpful. Fruit shop owner Teng Teck Chung, 58, said: “Some new customers said they found us because of the signboards.”
K&K Aquarium & Bird Centre’s manager Low Chia Siong, 44, suggested that the monolingual directories should consider displaying information in other local languages.
“Some of the older folk may not understand English,” he said.
Office cleaner Subbulakshmi Nadeson, 67, who has lived in the area for 20 years, said the surveillance cameras on the directories make her feel safer. “It’s good to have extra eyes watching. If anything happens, the police can have evidence and track the culprit.”
In a bid to draw more footfall to the shops, Mr Kwek’s association has plans to take its digital revolution further. Next month, it will launch a free Wi-Fi network for customers and shopkeepers to use.
This could inspire shops in other estates to do the same. Clementi Town Shop Owners’ Association chairman Lim Hai Teck, 57, said of the digital displays and Wi-Fi: “These are good ideas that make things more convenient for everybody.
“Cost might be a problem, but it’s definitely something we can explore.”
This article was first published on Nov 03, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Traffic offenders in China are given a taste of their own medicine as a new punishment has them staring at headlights in full beam for a whole minute.
Violators of the traffic headlight rules regarding when and where it is viable to have headlights in full beam are made to sit on a stool for one minute while staring into blinding headlights set to full beam, reports South China Morning Post.
They are also fined 300 yuan (S$61.40), as well as made to recite regulations regarding when full-beam headlights should be safely used.
Netizens have mostly given positive feedback for this new punishment, especially considering the accidents that have occurred due to drivers being dazzled by full-beam headlights.
Authorities normally dock points off drivers’ licenses for breaching regulations, or fine them from 100 to several hundred yuan depending on the gravity of their indiscretion.
Shanghai’s Ada Scallion Pancake shop reopened on Yongjia Road on Friday after owner Wu Gencun reached a cooperative agreement with an online food ordering company.
His old location was forced to shut down in September because of licensing issues.
Wu’s scallion pancake, which is said to have followed the same formula in the 34 years since the shop opened in 1982, has been dubbed the most authentic of its kind in Shanghai.
The shop caught more attention after it was featured on a BBC food show, which brought a surprisingly big crowd of new customers earlier this year.
The pancake, a traditional breakfast in Shanghai, sells for five yuan (S$1) each at the new location.
The line is always long and each customer is allowed to buy a maximum of two pancakes. It is said that some scalpers even buy and sell the pancakes for as high as 50 yuan each.
“Dear Thelma” is a relationship advice column that appears in The Star, a publication that is part of the Asia News Network.
Dear Thelma,
I am a senior citizen with two wonderful sons. Both are married and doing well.
I want to relate this incident involving a bad decision which I now regret.
Four years ago, I was living in my parents’ house. My father bought me a house in Petaling Jaya.
Two years after my father passed away, my eldest son asked me to transfer my house to his name so that he could move in with his wife. Out of love for him, I did just that. I reminded him that I would be staying with him once my mother was no longer around as my siblings would be selling the family house.
After my mother passed away, my siblings sold the family house. So I went to live with my son.
When I arrived at the house, my son told me that his mother-in-law, whom I shall refer to as X, was already staying with them. I did not mind initially. But after a few months, I came to realise that X is a very domineering woman, and sets the rules for the house.
My son bought two TV sets – one for the family hall on the first floor, and the other for the living room on the ground floor. The TV upstairs is for X’s use since her room is upstairs, while the TV in the living room is for my use since my room is on the ground floor.
But X insists on using the TV on the ground. I always give in to her but when she is not watching TV, she would not allow me to watch either!
I told her that the house is mine and that I had told my son I would be moving in with him one day. She pointed out to me that the house now belongs to her son-in-law and her daughter had asked her to stay with them.
I complained to my son but he has not been able to solve the problem. Now I live in misery and regret my decision. What should I do? I cannot stand the sight of X. I want to warn others to be careful: Your kindness may result in misery. – Miserable
9 tips on how to get along with your mum-in-law
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Dear Miserable,
Your predicament has less to do with your kindness and more to do with a lack of consideration from X. Some might even go so far as to say that your son is abdicating his duties to look after you.
No one can judge your decision to transfer the house over to your son. You were acting as a caring parent. You did what you did because you thought it was your duty as a father, and in the belief that your son would look after your welfare.
Your son must realise that looking after you is more than just providing you with a roof over your head, food to eat, and a television. His duty involves making sure you are happy and comfortable.
Therefore, he has to try harder to get his mother-in-law to respect you and your boundaries. It is not just about watching television. It is more than that. It is also about respect.
Perhaps X is insecure in the knowledge that her position in the house is precarious. She is living with her son-in-law, who may one day ask her to go live with one of her other children. She is likely over-compensating and trying to assert her power and control over you. Hearing your assertion that the house is yours probably increased her insecurity.
Of course, this is not your responsibility. It is up to her daughter and your son to make her feel comfortable and welcomed in their home. If she is not feeling that way, perhaps that is the problem.
It is not just your son who has to address this issue. His wife must also play an active part in allaying her mother’s concerns. The house seems to be big enough for all of you, so space is not the issue.
On your part, is there an olive branch that you could extend to X? Is there some way that the two of you could be friendly, if not friends? Some people find that it is easier to connect with each other through activities where they have a shared interest.
Seeing that she is being accepted may help X feel a little more secure in the house, and ease up on being territorial.
Sometimes it could also be a matter of communication. How you say something is as important as what you say. This does not mean you have to bend over backwards to be nice. Being aware of the tone of speech, for instance, is an easy way to communicate without the other person feeling threatened. Keeping steady eye contact is also important.
These are little things you can do to help ease the tension between you and X. Ultimately, though, your son and daughter-in-law have to step in to help you find a solution that makes everyone happy.
Compromise will be required from all parties. Everyone is going to have to let go of something just a little for all of you to feel happy. What you can give up, and how much you can compromise is something you have to decide for yourself.
You may also find that it is not a matter of compromise, and that X is just not a nice person. Still, your son and daughter-in-law are going to have to make some decisions to make your life more comfortable as it is, after all, your house albeit in your son’s name. That is something you should not be expected to compromise on at all.
There is nothing wrong in being kind and nice. It does not mean one is a weak person, or that the person can be taken for granted. When you are nice, you are putting the needs of the other person ahead of yours. The other person has a moral duty and obligation to treat that act of kindness responsibly. That is the problem here. Your son and daughter-in-law have to take their responsibilities seriously. Please do not stop being kind. – Thelma
