SINGAPORE – The Republic of Singapore Navy launched its third Littoral Mission Vessel (LMV), called Unity, on Thursday morning (Oct 13) at Singapore Technologies Marine’s (ST Marine) Benoi Yard.

Overseeing the launch ceremony was Senior Minister of State for Defence Ong Ye Kung. Also in attendance was Mr Ong’s wife, Mrs Diana Ong, who launched the vessel.

The first and second LMVs, Independence and Sovereignty, were launched on July 3 last year (2015) and April 16 this year (2016) respectively. They are currently undergoing sea trials.

The Navy’s newest ships, the LMVs will replace the Fearless-class patrol vessels, which were in service for about 20 years.

The Singapore Navy’s Littoral Mission Vessel

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Mindef, Republic of Singapore Navy, AsiaOne

Faster and more versatile than the current vessels, the LMVs can also be quickly configured with software and equipment to take on a variety of missions, including unmanned systems and helicopter operations.

The 80m-long vessels were designed to be operated and maintained with a lean crew of 23, compared to the Fearless-class ships which require 30.

The navigators, warfighters and engineers all work in a unique integrated command centre, which contains the ship’s bridge, combat information centre and machinery control room. In other ships, these functions would be located in separate areas.

The LMVs also feature a “stacked mast”, which allows the crew to access more than 90 per cent of the ship’s system components. This saves time on maintenance as the ship does not need to be docked to be maintained.

Mr Ong said the ship featured a “Uniquely Singapore” design, bringing together the efforts of the Navy, the Defence Science and Technology Agency, ST Marine and defence technology industry partners.

In his speech, Mr Ong, who is also Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills), noted the significance of the ship’s name and said that Singaporeans had to be united in the face of challenges, including increasing terror threats.

“Unity is our strongest defence against any sort of attack,” he said.

“We must be united in our goal for a harmonious and peaceful Singapore, and stand together to guard against the growing terror threat.”

This article was first published on Oct 13, 2016.
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A $20,000 donation by a company, drawn from its in-house fund, has helped lift the financial woes of a 56-year-old widow whose only child has recently undergone surgery, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

He suffers from a chronic condition in the heart.

The cheque was handed on Wednesday through the Chinese evening daily to Lee Li Leng, who was greatly moved by the gesture.

The company – which drew the money from a fund that collects 10 cents every month from each of its employees and a dollar-for-dollar match from the boss – does not want to be identified.

The fund is used solely for charity, said Wanbao.

Ms Lee has brought up her son by taking on two jobs a day after her husband died 24 years ago.

He had a rupture in the aorta, the main artery in the heart.

In early 2013, just when she thought her worst days were over as her son had graduated from Singapore Polytechnic and started working, she was dealt another blow.

The son, now 26, was diagnosed then to be suffering from aortic dissection, a condition he had inherited from his father, after his skin suddenly turned purplish.

In the next three years, he experienced two aortic wall ruptures.

Last month, on doctor’s advice, he underwent a surgery to alleviate the condition.

To raise the money for the bill, Ms Lee, who earned only $1,000 plus a month in her last job as a mobile phone sales representative, had to pawn all her valuables.

She also has to continue paying for her housing loan.

The company came to learn of her plight and decided to help.

Ms Lee revealed that she had stopped working since his son’s operation so that she could look after him .

“Before I could clear all the previous medical bills, I have chalked up another one,” she lamented.

“Recently, the HDB also asked me to pay $8,000 for the renovation of the lifts.

“This help has come at an opportune time to help me solve my current problems,” she added gratefully.

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In 2002, the wife of one of the founding directors of food and beverage company Yeo Hiap Seng made a will, leaving one house each to her eldest son’s two children.

Over the years, Ng Lay Hua made more wills. By the last one in 2012, she had cut the two grandchildren out completely. Instead, she left the two houses to her younger son Henry, whom she also appointed as the sole executor.

Despite a challenge to the validity of the later wills by eldest son Charles and his two children, the High Court upheld it and found that Madam Ng had the necessary mental capacity to make her last will.

In a 79-page written judgment released on Wednesday, Senior Judge Andrew Ang concluded that Madam Ng’s decision to disinherit the two grandchildren was not made on the spur of a moment.

Madam Ng, a devout Christian, had openly declared to family members that she was not leaving her grandson any inheritance as she was disappointed in him for marrying a non-Christian and for not attending church regularly.

The matriarch did not give a specific reason for excluding her granddaughter from her will.

Madam Ng suffered from depression in the last years of her life but her mental illness was not serious enough to affect her decision to exclude the two grandchildren from her will in 2012, said Justice Ang.

“I find it difficult to accept that just because Madam Ng suffered severe depression, her testamentary disposition had to be set aside,” he added.

Madam Ng, whose husband Yeo Chee Kiat is a grandson of Yeo Hiap Seng founder Yeo Keng Lian, had two sons and two daughters. Her husband died in 1985.

Her estate included a detached house in Sian Tuan Avenue, a semi-detached house in Watten Terrace, a detached house in Hua Guan Avenue and a portfolio of stocks and shares.

In 2002, she willed the Sian Tuan house to Charles’ son, the Watten Terrace house to Charles’ daughter, and the Hua Guan Avenue house to Henry and the daughter of her eldest daughter Wee Tsan.

By 2012, the Sian Tuan Avenue and Watten Terrace properties were willed to Henry instead, making him the main beneficiary. Henry is married with no children.

Justice Ang said Madam Ng’s decision to leave the bulk of her estate to Henry is “consistent with the high likelihood that he was her favourite son”.

The judge noted that Henry cared for Madam Ng in her old age, spoke to her in a quiet and gentle manner, managed her affairs, chauffeured her around, attended worship services with her and took her out for meals.

Justice Ang noted that Madam Ng had instructed her lawyer to change the wills. This was not a case where a will was prepared on instructions by someone who stood to benefit.

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The National University of Singapore (NUS) has taken action against 30 senior students for their role in inappropriate orientation activities in July.

In a circular sent to students yesterday afternoon and obtained by The Straits Times, Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS’ deputy president (academic affairs) and provost, stated the range of punishments meted out.

These included suspension for one semester, fines of up to $2,000 and mandatory community service of up to 100 hours.

Other disciplinary actions included behavioural rehabilitation programmes “focused on respect and socially acceptable behaviour”, statements of reflection on the incidents and official reprimands which will be on permanent records.

The students disciplined had roles in orientation camps, among them for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Sheares Hall and the NUS Students’ Union.

The offences ranged from “disorderly and offensive behaviour, to organising and participating in improper orientation activities that potentially put other students’ physical welfare at risk”.

The investigations involved about 400 senior students and freshmen. It included analysing media and social media content and materials related to the orientation activities, obtaining information from faculty advisors and students, as well as interviews with those involved.

Those who were found to be responsible for inappropriate behaviour were brought before disciplinary boards following the investigations.

The disciplinary process took place between August and early October.

The boards issued penalties to 30 senior students who were found to have breached the university’s regulations or its code of student conduct.

The students were given two weeks to appeal.

None was filed.

NUS suspends student-led orientation activities

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Video screengrabs, Stomp

Prof Tan noted in the circular that “many of the students involved have expressed regret and apologised for their unacceptable behaviour”.

“We hope that they will learn from this episode and grow into responsible and respectful individuals,” he wrote.

Following the incidents, counselling support has been extended to all freshmen who might have been affected.

An Orientation Review Committee, which consists of 14 people including faculty members, student leaders and alumni, was convened in late August to come up with recommendations to improve freshmen orientation activities.

The committee is expected to submit its report to NUS later this month.

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SINGAPORE – Fighting back tears, all Ms Darunee Thitchan could utter between sobs was “The King, the Thai King has passed away.”

The 52-year-old Thai visitor, in Singapore to see her boyfriend, was among scores of Thai nationals having dinner at the Golden Mile Complex on Thursday (Oct 13) night when news broke that their monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88, had died after a long illness.

Business owners and customers at the popular hangout for Thai nationals had been checking their phones for updates all night and some burst into tears upon hearing he had died.

Ms Thitchan had planned to go home next month but will now fly home on Friday.

“I loved him so much; he was like a father to me,” she said.

On Facebook, Thai users had changed their profile photos to messages saying “Love the King” and “Long live the King”, when it became known earlier that his condition was critical, but many had expected him to pull through.

“I knew he was very sick but I thought he would be able to hang on for a bit longer,” said Ms Phattharawadee Nikomwan, 29, who is unemployed.

“I am very sad. He did everything for us. He took care of the country and worked very hard,” she said.

Ms Nikomwan, said she will be visiting the Palelai Buddhist Temple in Bedok with her family on Friday (Oct 14) to pray for and pay her respects to King Bhumibol, who ruled Thailand for 70 years.

Ms Oraphan Suwanbon, 29, a shopkeeper at Golden Mile Complex, said she had been getting updates from her family through message and social media.

She will be wearing black on Friday in remembrance of King Bhumibol.

“He looked out for all Thais and treated us like family,” she said, of the well-loved monarch, the nation’s highest moral authority, who created thousands of projects to help the poor and marginalised.

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Thailand mourns passing of King Bhumibol

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Ms Suwanbon and a friend plan to fly to Bangkok at the end of the month to pay their respects to the late king at a temple there.

“He will be remembered by everyone in Thailand forever,” she said.

Ms Karnney Juntafun, 27, who is on holiday in Singapore, said she was still in shock and disbelief. She has been praying for his recovery every night since he fell ill.

“Without the king, I don’t know if Thailand will be good or bad. Many people worry about this,” said the freelance actress.

She too will be wearing black and plans to visit the Thai palace once she gets back to Bangkok next week.

“The king did everything for Thailand,” she said.

This article was first published on October 13, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

A task force set up to look at the rising cost of insurance in Singapore has suggested sweeping measures like doing away with riders that allow insured patients to get away with paying nothing towards their own treatment.

It has also suggested that insurers have panels of preferred health providers that charge reasonable fees. Patients can still opt for other doctors but this could affect the amount of their bill covered by insurance.

Premiums for integrated plans, that sit atop MediShield Life, are set to have been frozen for a year, but are poised to go up once the moratorium is lifted in November.

The Straits Times understands that premiums for private hospital plans could then rise by 9 to 15 per cent.

The task force, which was set up by the Life Insurance Association of Singapore and included members from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, also suggested medical fee benchmarks or guidelines to reduce overcharging.

Guidelines are currently not allowed here as they are seen as anti-competition.

The task force also proposed tweaks to allow insurers to raise suspected inappropriate or excessive treatments with the Singapore Medical Council.

The issue of riders, which cover the entire medical bill, clearly bothered the panel which noted that patients with riders run up bills that are 20 to 25 per cent higher than those who have to bear a share of the cost.

The task force suggested the six insurance companies offering IPs to tweak their products so patients pay a share of the bill to prevent the “buffet syndrome”, while ensuring that existing policyholders are not put at a disadvantage.

MOH called the report “timely and commendable” and agreed with it on the issue of co-payment.

“The absence of any co-payment may encourage over-consumption by some patients and over-servicing of over-charging by some healthcare providers which will eventually increase healthcare costs and insurance premiums for all Singaporeans,” it said.

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