Dr Ng Eng Hen told reporters that such incidents may not necessarily involve military ships, but rather fishing boats or other civilian vessels.
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Countries need to look for practical ways to defuse South China Sea incidents: Ng Eng Hen
At least 8 dead, 19 missing after China landslides: Xinhua
Beijing – At least eight people have died and around 19 are still missing after devastating landslides swept through two eastern Chinese villages, local authorities told the official Xinhua news agency Saturday.
Heavy wind and torrential rains brought by Typhoon Medi triggered the landslides on Wednesday, burying dozens of homes from the villages of Sucun and Baofeng in Zhejiang province’s Suichang county.
More than 4,000 rescue workers with 180 diggers were scrambling to find survivors but persistent rain and poor road conditions had hindered rescue efforts, the agency reported.
Video footage of the landslide on social media showed torrents of water and rock pouring down a mountain towards houses in the valley below while terrified onlookers screamed.
Typhoon Megi had already claimed one life on Wednesday morning, when a flash flood tore through the home of a villager in the coastal province of Fujian, according to reports.
At least 2.09 million people from three provinces have been affected by the typhoon, which has destroyed roughly 1,200 houses, the People’s Daily reported Saturday.
The storm is estimated to have caused China 5.53 billion yuan (S$1.1 billion) in damages.
The typhoon smashed into Taiwan earlier in the week, leaving a trail of destruction and killing seven as it raked across the island.
It also caused an estimated Tw$1.31 billion (S$57 million) in agricultural damage and left more than four million households without power.
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19 crew members still onboard arrested Hanjin ship
About 6km off the east coast of Singapore is a ship that has been anchored for more than a month.
The Hanjin Rome was arrested on Aug 29 after its owner, South Korea’s Hanjin Shipping, was sued for owing its creditors $7.3 billion.
A ship arrested in Singapore must remain in its waters until there is a resolution.
Since the arrest, the container ship’s 24 crew members – 11 South Koreans and 13 Indonesians – have been stuck on board with no idea of when they can go home.
On Tuesday, Captain Moon Kwon Do and four of his crew – two South Koreans and two Indonesians – were granted permission to be repatriated.
Although he was relieved to go home, Captain Moon, 36, told The New Paper that he was worried about the crew members still onboard.
When he steered his ship into Singapore waters on Aug 29, he thought it would be another routine call to port, where it would refuel and replenish cargo before departing to the Middle East, where its cargo was bound.
But at 9.20pm, he received news that his ship had been arrested.
Captain Moon spoke to TNP while he and his two compatriots were heading to Changi Airport from the PSA Building on Alexandra Road at 8pm on Tuesday.
He said he was allowed to leave the ship only because of a family emergency at home.
“I found out my grandmother has intestinal cancer. My uncle told me that she does not have more than a week to live,” he said, adding that his thoughts were with his grandmother, wife and eight year-old twin daughters back in South Korea.
“Every day, I call and talk to my wife and my daughters.”
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Photo GalleryHanjin’s captain allowed to ship
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STUDENTS
The two South Korean crew members said they were allowed to leave because they are university students doing their apprenticeship.
The reasons for the repatriation of the two Indonesians are not known.
Responding to TNP’s queries, the Sheriff of the Supreme Court said arrangements were made for the repatriation of five crew members on Sept 26 and they were allowed to disembark the next day.
The Sheriff’s Office added that the order of arrest applies only to the vessel, not to its crew. It is therefore common practice for the crew to request to be repatriated.
The arrested vessel must maintain the minimum manning requirements of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
Captain Moon said he was shocked to find out his ship had been arrested because he and his crew had no idea their employer was in deep financial trouble.
He said: “In my 16 years with Hanjin, never did I imagine that this would happen to my company.
“I immediately called the headquarters in Busan for help.”
Hanjin filed for bankruptcy two days later on Aug 31.
“It became clear that we were going to be here for the next one, two, who knows, six months,” said Captain Moon, who told his crew not to give up hope.
He tried to keep up a brave front and cracked jokes during dinner to lighten the mood.
But when he was alone in his cabin, he said, “there were times I felt like bursting open the windows and doors”.
In the month after its arrest, the crew survived on two shipments of food supplied by a ship chandler, one on Aug 29 and another on Sept 17, worth about $5,400 and $ 6,800, respectively.
“There was Indonesian food, meat, lamb. Also, Korean ramyun (instant noodles), of course,” said Captain Moon.
TENSE
The atmosphere on the ship, however, remained tense.
“It was uncomfortable being on the ship for so long,” said Captain Moon.
“The crew members were nervous about their future and the company’s future. They did not know when they would be able to go home to see their families.”
One of the two Mokpo Maritime University students, Mr Kim Seon Kuk, 21, was glad to be going home.
The apprentice engineer said he called his family once a week.
“They told me to cheer up, not to fall ill and to eat well,” he added.
His varsity mate, Mr Byeon Dae Seung, 21, said: “Food and the conditions on board were good, but mentally, I felt trapped.
“I feel sorry for those who remained behind, unsure of when they would be able to see their families.”
Captain Moon told TNP that his No. 2, Captain Kim Young Woo, has been put in charge of the ship.
Despite Hanjin’s uncertain future, Captain Moon is determined to remain with the company.
He said: “When I joined Hanjin in 2000, I was determined to stay with the company for life.”
His parting words to his crew were: “So long, we will meet on another Hanjin ship.”
Ripple effect
The Hanjin Rome was arrested on Aug 29, after Hanjin Shipping company was sued by German shipowner Rickmers for owing its creditors some $7.3 billion.
When Hanjin Shipping and Company, the world’s seventh-largest carrier, filed for bankruptcy on Aug 31, it created a ripple effect that stranded more than 80 Hanjin vessels around the globe.
This is one of the biggest bankruptcies in the shipping industry and has affected global supply chains.
The New Paper understands that these vessels carry a wide range of cargo.
Nanyang Technological University Maritime Associate Professor Lam Siu Lee said: “If the cargoes are consumer goods, the impact would be larger and more direct on consumers. Impacts include delay of goods, disruption of shipping imports.
“If the cargoes are components for manufacturing, manufacturers’ supply chain and production schedule would be delayed.”
But she added that consumers would probably not notice a major shortage in supply because “retailers and distributors usually have some safety inventory to deal with uncertainties”.
FROZEN
The Straits Times reported on Sept 16 that the High Court had temporarily frozen all Singapore proceedings against Hanjin Shipping and its Singapore subsidiaries, pending a full hearing for all parties here on whether the freeze should continue until next January.
For now, Hanjin vessels are allowed into Singapore ports to unload cargo, assuming it is able to pay port and handling fees to do so.
Since then, it has been reported that at least two other Hanjin vessels – Hanjin Argentina and Hanjin Jebel Ali – had berthed at Tanjong Pagar Terminal and likely to have unloaded cargo.
Singapore is one of three countries that have approved an interim stay order recognising Hanjin Shipping’s rehabilitation proceedings in the Seoul courts on Sept 16, the other two being the UK and the US.
When a ship is arrested…
What does it mean when a ship is arrested?
Mr Eugene Cheng, 29, an associate specialising in shipping litigation at Gurbani and Co LLC, said: “Claimants must first have a claim against the shipowner. They then file an application for a warrant of arrest in court.
“When a ship is arrested, it means that it is unable to leave Singapore waters.
“The arrest does not apply to the crew members, who may be repatriated by the arresting party.”
Why are ships arrested?
Though there are varying reasons, Mr Cheng said it is usually because of marine related claims and the purpose of arresting a ship is to force the shipowner to appear in court and settle the claim.
Nanyang Technological University Associate Professor Lam Siu Lee said: “Another reason is that Singapore has port state control, and has the right to inspect and arrest foreign ships in Singapore waters.”
How many other arrested ships are on Singapore shores?
The Hanjin Rome is not the only arrested vessel in Singapore waters.
As of yesterday, there are seven others, the longest being the Ocean Mare, which has been unable to leave Singapore waters since April.
The map above shows their positions, according to marinetraffic.com
Mr Cheng said it is not uncommon for ships to be arrested in Singapore waters because our admiralty laws grant claimants the right to do so.
Mr S Mohan, Managing Director of Resource Law LLC, said: “Given the sheer number of vessels that call at Singapore coupled with its efficient legal system, it is common for ships to be arrested in Singapore.”
What happens to arrested ships?
Mr Cheng said it is unlikely that ships would be arrested for more than a year.
He said: “The arresting party would usually apply for a sale of the ship to prevent it from becoming a wasting asset because expenses such as port dues and crew wages will reduce the value of the ship.”
What happens to the crew onboard an arrested ship?
According to the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore, once a ship is arrested, anything that enters or leaves the ship has to be approved by the Supreme Court.
This includes the change of crew. Crew members would have to apply for permission from the Sheriff of the Supreme Court to be repatriated.
In an arrested ship, at least half the number of officers, engineers and crew (or watchmen/security guards) must be onboard at all times to meet the minimum manning requirement.
A mid-sized cargo vessel like the Hanjin Rome requires a skeleton staff of about 12 to 15 operational employees – half its original crew size – given its current circumstance.
Mr Cheng said: “The humanitarian thing is to repatriate and replace the old crew or change the crew on board the ship when it was arrested.
“This is because the crew did not sign up to stay in Singapore for an unknown period of time.”
This article was first published on October 01, 2016.
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Kvitova powers past Cibulkova to capture Wuhan Open title
Petra Kvitova raced to a 6-1 6-1 victory over Dominika Cibulkova in the Wuhan Open final on Saturday to capture her first title of the year with a ruthless display of power hitting.
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UN picks Thai expert to protect LGBT people
LONDON – The UN Human Rights Council on Friday appointed its first independent investigator to help protect homosexual and transgender people worldwide from violence and discrimination.
The United Nations expert Vitit Muntarbhorn will have a three-year mandate to investigate abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.
Vitit is an international law professor at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, and has served on several UN bodies, including inquiries on Syria and as a special rapporteur on North Korea.
The UN agreed on the new role in June, after the 47-member council overcame strong objections by Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries to adopt a Western-backed resolution by a vote of 23 states in favour and 18 against with six abstentions.
Human Rights Watch welcomed Friday’s appointment, saying the UN council “made history”.
“This critical mandate will bring much-needed attention to human rights violations against LGBT people in all regions of the world,” John Fisher, the group’s director in Geneva, said in a statement.
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) said the newly created role was critical to give justice to LGBTI people who have been attacked, abused or discriminated against.
“Never has there been a more urgent need to safeguard the human rights of LGBTI persons around the world,” executive director of ILGA, Renato Sabbadini, said in a statement to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Hundreds of LGBTI people have been killed and thousands injured in recent years, in violence that included knife attacks, anal rape and genital mutilation, as well as stoning and dismemberment, the UN said in a report last year.
More than 2,000 transgender and gender diverse people were murdered in 65 countries between 2008 and 2015, according to The Trans Murder Monitoring project, which is coordinated by LGBT rights group Transgender Europe.
In 2011, the UN rights body declared there should be no discrimination or violence against people based on their sexualorientation.
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Outcome from CPF Investment Scheme review expected within 12 months: Lim Swee Say
Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say adds that the process for the Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme has also begun, but would take a longer time to roll out.
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Duterte not Hitler, but wants to kill 3 million people: spokesman
Manila – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte does not want to be branded another Hitler but he is willing to kill three million people in his crime war, his spokesman said Saturday.
Duterte has faced international condemnation after on Friday likening his anti-drugs crackdown, which has left more than 3,000 dead, to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s efforts to exterminate Jews.
“We do not wish to diminish the profound loss of six million Jews in the Holocaust,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement.
“The president’s reference to the slaughter was an oblique deflection of the way he has been pictured as a mass murderer, a Hitler, a label he rejects.”
Nevertheless, Abella confirmed Duterte had intended to say he wanted to kill millions of people in the Philippines to achieve his mission of eradicating illegal drugs.
“Duterte was referencing to his ‘willingness to kill’ three million criminal drug dealers – to save the future of the next generation and the country,” Abella said.
On Friday Duterte raised the example of Hitler’s genocidal campaign to eliminate Jews, while discussing his anti-drugs crackdown.
“There are three million drug addicts (in the Philippines). I’d be happy to slaughter them,” Duterte said.
Anti-crime blitz sweeps Philippines as Duterte comes into power
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“At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have,” he said, then paused. “But you know, my victims, I would like to be (sic) all criminals to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition.”
Senior US officials, a UN rights envoy, the German government and Jewish groups quickly condemned Duterte’s comments.
The United Nations special adviser on the prevention of genocide, Adama Dieng, warned Duterte may be in danger of committing crimes against humanity.
Dieng called on Duterte to “exercise restraint in the use of language that could ‘exacerbate discrimination, hostility and violence and encourage the commission of criminal acts which, if widespread or systematic, could amount to crimes against humanity'”, a UN statement said.
Duterte, 71, won elections in May in a landslide after a campaign dominated by his pledge to eradicate drugs in society by killing tens of thousands of people.
He has said the Philippines is in danger of becoming a narco state.
Since Duterte came to power on June 30, police have killed more than 1,200 people and about 1,800 others have died in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures.
Before his Hitler comments, Duterte had faced a barrage of criticism from Western governments and rights groups over the apparent extrajudicial killings.
Duterte has reacted defiantly and often with abusive language to the criticism, while insisting he is not doing anything illegal.
Duterte has branded US President Barack Obama a “son of a whore”, called UN chief Ban Ki-moon a “fool” and said “f*** you” to the European Union while raising his middle finger.
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Boston Marathon bombing makes way to TV and movie screens
More than three years after the Boston Marathon bombing, the story of the 2013 deadly attack on the race and its aftermath is making its way to both the big and small screens.
Cable channel HBO on Friday released the first trailer for its documentary “Marathon: The Patriots Day Bombing” which will be screened on Nov. 21.
The documentary uses surveillance footage, news clips and home movies to examine the bombing that killed three people and wounded more than 260 near the marathon route’s finish line in central Boston in April 2013. It will also feature interviews with first responders and survivors, and the trial, conviction and death-penalty sentencing of bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Tsarnaev’s older brother, Tamerlan, died following a shootout with police in the suburb of Watertown, Massachusetts, after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ran him over in a hijacked sport utility vehicle. The brothers, ethnic Chechens, had immigrated to the United States from Russia a decade before the attack.
The attack is also the subject of a Hollywood feature film called “Patriots Day,” starring Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Bacon, that will be released in late December and is seen as a possible awards contender.
A third film, “Stronger,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, is expected to be released in 2017.
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Millions of Chinese tourists begin Golden Week holiday
BEIJING – Millions of Chinese tourists are packing their bags for distant and not-too distant shores for the National Day holiday, with early indicators pointing to a slump in bookings for neighbouring Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The “Golden Week” break, which starts on Saturday in one of the world’s biggest mass movements by plane, boat and train, offers an important snapshot of Chinese holidaymakers and their changing tastes and habits as economic growth at home stutters.
It is also a peak season for retailers outside China looking to lift their top line. Singapore is luring Chinese shoppers with discounts and promotions while South Korea is trumpeting a month-long Korea Grand Sale.
Shinsegae Duty Free in Seoul’s Myeongdong area popular with Chinese has been making preparations since July.
“We are expecting many Chinese tourists, so we think sales will increase a lot,” shop official Ahn Joo-yeon told Reuters.
Thailand expects 220,000 Chinese visitors during the break, up about 30 per cent from last year, Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters, despite a doubling in visa fees, a spate of bombings in the south of the country and fears of the spread of the Zika virus.
Thailand confirmed on Friday that Zika had caused two cases of microcephaly, a condition that results in babies being born with small heads, the first time the condition had been linked to Zika in Southeast Asia.
“So far there has been no impact (from Zika fears) on our Thailand route,” said Wang Yanfei, market and PR manager at Shanghai Spring International Travel Service, the parent of Spring Airlines.
“We will give warnings and tips on our group notices. Team leaders will remind travellers of Zika and mosquito issues before the tour starts.”
Thailand’s tourism authority said it expects Chinese visitors to spend 7.8 billion baht ($225 million) during the Oct. 1-9 break, up 39 per cent from a year earlier.
Total tourist spending in China and by Chinese abroad is expected to surge 13.5 per cent to 478 billion yuan ($72 billion) during the holiday, according to China Travel Academy, a government-backed research institute.
That would be four times Iceland’s gross domestic product.
But the number of mainland tourists visiting Taiwan, a self-ruled island China considers a breakaway province, has taken a tumble.
The decline reflects deteriorating relations with Communist Party rulers in Beijing since President Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, took office in May.
“WE STILL WELCOME CHINESE TOURISTS”
Chinese tourists travelling alone and in groups during the holiday will slump 50 per cent from a year ago to 30,000, Taiwan’s tourism bureau said.
“The drop in Chinese tourists numbers is mostly owing to political factors,” said Chiu Chui-cheng, a deputy minister of Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan’s China policymaking body.
“We still welcome Chinese tourists.”
China says it is natural its tourists are avoiding Taiwan given the current tensions between the two sides and what Beijing views as Taipei’s insensitive handling of a July bus crash, deliberately caused by the driver who set the vehicle on fire, killing 24 Chinese tourists.
Taiwan’s tourism bureau does not publish estimates for mainlanders’ spending during the holiday. It projects full-year spending of T$110 billion ($3.5 billion) versus T$140 billion for 2015.
A reduced appetite for luxury due to a slower Chinese economy and a crackdown on extravagance has also hit visits to the former British colony of Hong Kong, which has been racked by pro-democracy protests and anti-China sentiment in recent years, infuriating Beijing.
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Paul Leung, chairman of the Hong Kong Inbound Travel Association, expects a 20-30 per cent slide in mainland tour groups from about 300 tours a day last year.
“For tour operators, Golden Week is no longer a golden period,” said Joseph Tung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong.
Due to short flight times and looser visa policies, South Korea and Japan have remained popular.
Beijing has protested against a US decision to deploy an advanced anti-missile system in South Korea, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, to counter missile threats from North Korea. China worries the system’s radar will be able to track its own military capabilities.
“There are some travellers putting off going to South Korea because of the THAAD issue,” said a sales official at Qucheng Travel Agency in Shanghai.
Still, all the travel groups to South Korea and Japan, with which Beijing has a rocky relationship due to a territorial row and other disputes dating back to World War Two, were sold out at major agencies two months before the holiday.
Chinese tourists in Thailand go prawn-crazy at buffet
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Support for elite Singapore athletes will be reviewed
A first Olympic gold has inspired Singapore to believe in the seemingly impossible for the future, but also got authorities thinking harder about what needs to be done to ensure success is sustained.
While a thorough post-major Games review of policies is routine, a historic outing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games means that there is a greater urgency to understand where gaps still lie.
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu said yesterday: “This is the kind of discussion we have year after year, asking ourselves, ‘Are we doing right, is the fund allocation correct?’ And the ministry will continue to do so.”
She was speaking to members of the media at the Singapore Sports Hub about the national high performance sports system, following a Rio Games where the Republic won its first Olympic gold, as well as two golds and a bronze at the Paralympics.
She added: “We will not ever say, ‘Yes, this is right.’ It will (be reviewed) every year, even as we lay down the big anchors, big pieces (of the puzzles), and every year there will be some adjustment and fine-tuning going on.
“All these medals and records inform us about the system out there and there will definitely be a lot of thinking and soul-searching over the next few months.”
Crowds gather to catch glimpse of Joseph Schooling on victory parade
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In his opening address yesterday, Sport Singapore chief executive officer Lim Teck Yin recognised that unprecedented results have led to the public appealing for more to be done for athletes.
Among them were calls for greater Government funding for athletes, especially after it came to light that Olympic champion Joseph Schooling’s parents forked out more than $1 million of their own on his road to the top of the podium.
To that, Lim said that high performance support for elite athletes is a framework that constantly adapts and it is precisely its evolution that has helped build on Singapore’s progress on the world sporting stage today.
The Sports Excellence Scholarship, of which Schooling is a recipient, is the result of constant “sharpening” of the support system.
“If you look closely at that journey, you’ll see that a lot has been done, a lot is being done and a lot more will be done,” said Lim.
“(There is a) need to continuously enhance, check the effectiveness of what we’re doing and the return on investment of what we’re getting from what we invest, to conduct a more thorough review post-Rio when we look forward to Tokyo 2020 and for the next round of scholarships.”
Progress could provide a clearer picture of what works and what needs tweaking, but the system officials and athletes work with will always be one that does not have unlimited resources.
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Photo GalleryParalympians parade for Team Singapore
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Support must therefore be given in a sustainable manner, said Minister Fu.
“We have to see how best we can apply those resources in the most effective way in the journey of these aspiring athletes,” she said.
Lim added: “We need to get creative, understand where the real value add is and apply the dollar there.”
He acknowledged that constant review and fine-tuning will mean there will be “hard decisions to be made”, but rejected the notion that non-Olympic sports should then go on the back burner.
“We constantly have to manage between a narrow focus and a broader base… the hard decisions we have to make in telling someone you’re not necessarily high priority but you have some level of support – even that requires resources.
“Now (the question is) how do we develop that systemic support that enables us to sustain (success), but also the participation of all segments of Singapore?”
This article was first published on October 01, 2016.
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