The wine-coloured briefcase that was used to hold the notes, letters, drafts and cassette tapes of Singapore’s late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew has come to symbolise his dedication, and ambitions for the nation.

The briefcase, which Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat referred to as “the red box” when he wrote about it last year, has been adopted in several initiatives for children. These were launched yesterday to coincide with Mr Lee’s birthday, which falls on Sept 16.

In one initiative, little red cardboard boxes that look like Mr Lee’s briefcase will be given out. Each contains items such as a storybook that touches on compassion and a journal that teaches graciousness.

About 20,000 of these boxes will be given out on Children’s Day – on the first Friday of October, or Oct 7 this year – to pre-schools taking part in the Early Childhood Development Agency’s Start Small Dream Big project, where children work with their centres and parents on community projects.

Yesterday, St James’ Church Kindergarten also marked its inaugural Red Box Day, an annual effort to showcase its children’s community projects and encourage them to dream big for Singapore.

A look at Mr Lee and his family life

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Its senior principal, Ms Jacqueline Chung, said symbols were important as a teaching tool.

“The red box is a way of introducing to children this very abstract concept of the future of Singapore and how we can contribute to it,” she said.

“It’s not just about Mr Lee. It’s about his hopes and dreams, which, we hope, will continue in the hearts of the children.”

Some of the pupils’ community projects and dreams for Singapore – ranging from a car-less nation to spacious hospitals for seniors – were presented as craft work displayed in red boxes at the kindergarten’s campus in Gilstead Road in Newton yesterday.

Earlier this year, some 1,000 of its pupils raised about $16,000 for charity in one day by selling handicraft.

Also launched at the kindergarten yesterday were a Red Box Activity Book and an educators’ guide for the activity book.

They complement another children’s book, What’s Inside The Red Box, which was launched last year and focuses on what Mr Lee did for Singapore.

The guide was developed by teachers from the kindergarten, while the books are published by The Straits Times Press and sponsored by Mapletree Investments.

Some 6,000 copies of the activity book and guide will be given to pre-schools in the Start Small Dream Big project.

At the launch yesterday, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin said: “What we have in Singapore today is very much a result of (Mr Lee’s) efforts over the years – all the different slips of paper that cumulatively added up in the box.”

He added that the projects launched yesterday help to start children on the journey of caring about other people’s needs.

Business development manager Ruchika Saluja, 36, said she is glad her son took part in community projects at St James’ Church Kindergarten. He had made handicraft to raise funds for the Singapore Association for the Deaf.

“Kids in Singapore are generally quite privileged, so it is good that he learnt about social needs and was encouraged to give back to society,” she said.

This article was first published on September 17, 2016.
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Whether next year’s presidential election is one reserved for candidates from the Malay community will depend on addressing several legal issues.

But these will be sorted out and a decision made by the time amendments to the Constitution are tabled in Parliament next month, Law Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday.

Reserved elections are among proposed constitutional changes accepted by the Government this week.

“Ultimately, it’s for Parliament to decide,” he said at a Straits Times Roundtable discussion on the Government’s White Paper reviewing aspects of the elected presidency.

On Thursday, the Government accepted a review panel’s idea of a “hiatus-triggered framework” to ensure minorities become president from time to time.

Under this model, an election is reserved for a race if no one from that group has been president for five continuous terms.

A look at the presidents of Singapore

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The Straits Times, Zawiyah Salleh, New Nation, Wee Kim Wee, The Business Times, The New Paper, The Ong family, Lianhe Zaobao

Yesterday, panellist and Institute of Policy Studies deputy director Gillian Koh asked if the clock for such a provision will start from 1991, when the elected presidency scheme was introduced through amendments to the Constitution, or 1993, when Mr Ong Teng Cheong was the first president voted in by the people.

If it starts from 1991, the next presidential race – which must be held by next August – must be reserved for Malay candidates.

There has not been a Malay president since Mr Yusof Ishak, who died in office in 1970. But if it starts from 1993, there must be one more open election before a reserved one kicks in in 2023.

Mr Shanmugam replied that there were legal issues to sort out before giving a definitive answer.

He did not elaborate, but said earlier this month that the Government was asking the Attorney-General for advice on aspects of the panel’s proposals to ensure representation of all major races in the office of the president.

Observers say one issue is defining who counts as an elected president: while Mr Ong was the first popularly elected president, his predecessor Wee Kim Wee, although chosen by Parliament, was the first to exercise discretionary powers due to a special provision inserted into the Constitution when the elected presidency scheme was introduced in 1991.

Mr Wee was president from 1985 to 1993.

Another is ensuring that the provision complies with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which Singapore signed last year and is expected to ratify next year.

But he added: “Certainly, by the time the Bill is tabled in Parliament in October, we’ll be in a position to say where the clock starts.”

This article was first published on September 17, 2016.
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The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is urging lift owners to modernise their lifts for greater reliability and performance.

To aid this voluntary move, the BCA has drawn up a list of recommended features.

These safety-improving features include a battery-powered automatic rescue device that can bring a lift to the nearest landing and open the doors if there is a power failure.

Said BCA chief executive officer John Keung: “The BCA will be issuing an advisory to lift owners and the industry, and we encourage all lift owners to consider lift modernisation to further improve the standard of existing lifts in Singapore.”

There are about 61,000 passenger lifts here, including about 24,000 in public housing estates.

Woodlands residents stranded for 4 hours after all 3 lifts break down

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Stomp

In response to queries, a Housing Board spokesman said: “The BCA’s recommended list of modernisation items to enhance the performance of older lifts will be applied to HDB lifts as well.”

The Ministry of National Development and the HDB will announce the details next week.

Asked why the move was not mandatory, a BCA spokesman noted that many lifts already have some recommended features such as the automatic rescue device.

“Existing lifts, with proper use, regular maintenance and inspections, are safe to use. However, they can be further enhanced to make them more reliable and improve their performance,” he added.

The BCA’s list of features is based on industry consultation and benchmarked against safety standards, taking into account findings from lift audit checks and recent lift incidents here and abroad.

An international panel of experts supported the idea of voluntary modernisation and the list of items.

Industry players said the recommended features are common in newer lifts, but may be hard to install in lifts older than 20 years.

Lifts installed since 2009 have to comply with official standards that prescribe some of these features, noted Ken-Jo Industries managing director Kenneth Lim. For older lifts, the ease of retrofitting varies by feature, he said, adding: “You need to see whether the structure and the design make it feasible.”

Dr Lai Weng Chuen, a committee member of the Singapore Lift & Escalator Contractors & Manufacturers Association, said it might be better to simply replace very old lifts.

“Sometimes, the cost (of retrofitting) may be so prohibitive that it makes sense to overhaul,” he said.

Property manager AsiaMalls Management confirmed that its lifts already have four of the eight recommended features. It is checking whether its lifts also comply with the remaining four.

“We work closely with the BCA and are committed to working in partnership with them to ensure all the lifts in our six malls are fully compliant,” said AsiaMalls Management managing director Tan Kee Yong.

The BCA is working to improve the lift industry in other ways. To attract workers, it is looking at setting out a defined career path for lift technicians and industry professionals, to “provide clarity… and boost confidence about their prospects in the industry”.

For lift maintenance, the BCA is reviewing whether to have a structured methodology. It is also looking at using remote monitoring and diagnostics to raise productivity.

This article was first published on September 17, 2016.
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A 26-year-old freelancer thought she found a good deal when she saw an online offer for an iPad Air 2 at just $400, when this can cost about $900 at Apple’s online store.

But she ended up forking out a total of $1,000, including payments for various “fees”, for a gadget that was never delivered, after falling prey to an online seller who claimed his shop was in Changi Airport.

This was just one of a number of online purchase scams involving electronics stores at Changi Airport.

Some sellers claim that their stores are in the airport’s transit area, with their inaccessibility making home deliveries of orders necessary. They usually ask for payment upfront, but do not deliver the goods.

Mr Leong Chang Woei, operations manager of electronics retailer Sprint-Cass, estimates that there have been 20 cases of such online scams since last October.

Sprint-Cass, which runs six electronics outlets under different names in the airport’s public and transit areas, does not sell its goods online.

A recent bogus site, www.e-gadgetmini.com, used the name of its Terminal 2 shop.

“In April or May, there was a spike (in cases), and we updated our Web page with a notice warning consumers to be alert,” said Mr Leong.

The trend of online purchase scams involving airport shops is part of a rise in online purchase scams in general.

Overall, they increased from 846 cases in the first half of last year to 995 in the same period this year.

Mr Leong said online advertisements linked to his shop started appearing on online marketplace Gumtree last October.

He said the conmen would show consumers “identity cards” and “documents” to back their claims that they were from Sprint-Cass. “People trust them, and a few actually pay them.”

Changi Airport Group said it is aware of such scams and has received feedback from a member of public.

A spokesman said: “We work closely with tenants and the police in investigations and would advise customers to exercise prudence in making purchases online.”

In the case of the freelancer, who gave her name only as Hui Xian, the seller claimed his shop was on the second floor of Changi Airport’s Terminal 3.

He asked her to pay an “insurance and Value-Added Tax fee” totalling $250 on top of the $400 for the iPad Air 2. The $250 was supposedly refundable upon delivery.

She told The Straits Times that she transferred money to the seller, and asked for a receipt and tracking number, but received neither.

She became suspicious when the seller went on to ask for a “yellow card fee”of $150 for delivery and a $200 “clearance fee” for Customs.

She eventually made a police report. His supposed shop in Changi Airport – “Vertu Gadget Store”- did not exist.

She said there are other electronics sellers online claiming to operate from the airport’s transit area and one even sent her photos, supposedly of his identity card and passport, to prove his trustworthiness.

A check by The Straits Times showed that the seller does not live at the address on the IC he showed. The unit appears to have been rented out, and his number was “not available” when ST called.

Last week, the seller to whom Hui Xian paid $1,000 challenged her to make a police report, claiming that she lost the money as she had not followed his instructions.

His original post is no longer online.

When ST called the seller’s number, it was not in use.

Read also: 34 investigated for online scamming

Online shopping fraud on the rise

Online purchase scams have been on the rise, increasing from 846 in the first half of last year to 995 in the same period this year.

From 2014 to last year, scams involving e-commerce rose as well, by around 30 per cent, with more than 2,100 victims cheated of some $1.76 million in total.

Victims are often told to pay in advance for an attractively priced item.

They are sometimes asked to make further payments for Customs duties, delivery charges and taxes for their purchase – which is never delivered.

Online crimes have been a concern for the police, with their rise over the past few years pushing up annual crime statistics.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said earlier the police would fight such crimes through tough enforcement, community partnership and public education.

In a public education exercise last month, the Marine Parade Neighbourhood Police Centre installed vending machines that offered power banks and charging cables for $1 each – what came out held scam advisories instead.

Read also: Smart but scammed

This article was first published on September 17, 2016.
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Scam victims from China who allegedly lost $1.6b look for clues in Singapore

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The Straits Times

The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) will use fingerprint scanners to verify the identity of NSmen taking their Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) in Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) camps.

No timeframe has been given for the implementation of this technology which is already in use in eight SAF camps, but not for NSmen – or operationally ready national servicemen – booking in to take the IPPT.

However, Mindef said in its statement that NSmen taking their IPPT in camps will have to have their fingerprints scanned when this technology is introduced at all SAF camps.

On Tuesday, a man was jailed for his role in a scam in which he helped NSmen pass their IPPT. A total of 69 NSmen have been disciplined in relation to this case – 58 were with the SAF, six were with the Singapore Civil Defence Force and five with the Singapore Police Force.

Mindef also said it has stepped up verification measures to apprehend IPPT cheats.

“Cheating goes against the core values of the SAF and reflects on the integrity of the soldier. Officers and warrant officers caught cheating are no longer fit to command and can have their ranks removed in addition to fines imposed,” it said in its statement.

Already, checks at the camp gate and during IPPT registration have become more stringent, The Straits Times understands.

More thorough checks are being made to ensure the face of the NSman matches that on the identity card (IC) presented.

There is also closer scrutiny to ensure that the details on an NSman’s IC match those submitted when he registered for the test online.

Checks carried out as the fitness test is conducted have also been stepped up.

Several NSmen who took the test on Wednesday noted that checks have indeed become more stringent.

Project manager Luo Zhigen, 34, said that at the push-up station, everyone had their faces checked against their IC photos.

All ICs were also scanned at that station, he said, adding that this was a first.

A few, however, said loopholes remain.

Customer service officer William Tan, 27, said test administrators did not check that those completing the 2.4km run were using their own IC and tag, which can be swopped with others before the run.

An NSman, who only wanted to be known as Mr Ang, said he did not think any camp guard or IPPT test administrator checked his face against his IC photo.

But the 24-year-old Singapore Institute of Management student added: “If they have to check every photo, I won’t be able to come out (after finishing the test) in an hour.”

jkoh@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on September 17, 2016.
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The two workers sacked by transport operator SMRT Corp over a fatal track accident in March will submit appeals next week.

SMRT has given them until next week to appeal, and the National Transport Workers’ Union is helping them to do so, said labour chief Chan Chun Sing yesterday.

The union will discuss the next steps after the appeals are filed, he told reporters on the sidelines of a dialogue with human resource professionals.

Earlier this week, SMRT fired Mr Rahmat Mohd, 49, who drove the train that struck and killed two SMRT trainees undergoing on-the- job training on the tracks near Pasir Ris station on March 22.

2 SMRT staff die in incident on MRT tracks

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Mr Nasrulhudin Najumudin, 26, and Mr Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, were part of a group of 15 sent to investigate a possible fault with a track equipment.

The other employee who was dismissed is believed to be part of the work team on the track that day.

SMRT, which conducted an internal probe into the tragedy, said the accident occurred as safety measures, such as deploying watchmen to look out for approaching trains, were not followed. Besides firing the two workers, SMRT sent verbal and written warnings to other staff.

In an internal e-mail message on Wednesday, SMRT Trains managing director Lee Ling Wee said: “Individual performance grades were recalibrated downwards across various levels of the Trains team, including senior management.”

Mr Chan said the union will continue to engage with SMRT to “see how we can best manage this issue”.

Read also: 

This article was first published on September 17, 2016.
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