He was looking forward to having dinner with his colleague at Leisure Park Kallang last Saturday.

But as Mr Teong Hien Sing turned and drove his Toyota Altis into the open-space carpark near Stadium Road, a shock awaited him.

A speeding Nissan GT-R slammed into the front right side of his car, shattering a headlight and causing the vehicle to spin nearly 180 degrees.

A video of the crash has since gone viral on the Internet. At road safety community site Beh Chia Lor, the video has garnered more than 379,000 views as of yesterday evening. The video was also a hit on citizen website Stomp.

CRASH: A video of the accident has gone viral. It shows the Toyota Altis (on left) being rammed by a speeding Nissan GT-R in the carpark near Leisure Park Kallang. PHOTOS: INTERNET/ BEH CHIA LOR

The crash left Mr Teong, a contractor, with injuries to his ribs. His passenger, Mr Islam Rafiq, 30, escaped serious injuries.

A shaken Mr Teong, 65, told The New Paper (TNP) at the accident site that evening: “If it had been a second later, he would have hit me in the driver’s seat.

“It could have been much worse.”

The crash, however, left both vehicles seriously damaged.

Other than a shattered headlight, the front of Mr Teong’s Toyota was badly dented, while the front bumper of the GT-R got dislodged and its bonnet was left in a crumpled mess.

Mr Teong says the whole incident happened so fast and he did not have time to react as his car spun out of control from the impact.

“The GT-R was going very fast and I was so shocked. By the time I realised what happened my car had been hit and had stopped spinning,” said Mr Teong.

On Saturday, when TNP first spoke to the alleged driver of the GT-R, Mr Herman Shi Ximu, 18, a full-time national serviceman, he denied being behind the wheel.

But when contacted on the phone yesterday, he said he was “fully responsible”.

He added that the accident was due to his unfamiliarity with the car, which he says he owns.

“The car I was driving accidentally switched to manual. My unfamiliarity with the powerful manual setting caused me to speed,” said Mr Herman.

The GT-R is equipped with both automatic and manual transmissions. The top speed for the car is around 307kmh and it is able to go from zero to around 96kmh in 2.9 seconds.

PRICEY CAR

On sgCarMart, the car retails for $448,800.

Mr Herman, who told TNP that he got his driving licence four months ago, said that he is used to driving the car on automatic transmission.

“I’m a good driver. My theory test and practical driving tests, I passed them all in one shot,” he added.

When TNP asked Mr Herman if he was racing in the carpark that evening, he repeatedly denied doing so. He explained he was ferrying photographers from one side of the carpark to another. TNP understands that the photographers were there to shoot a gathering of sports cars.

It is not known if Mr Herman’s car was part of this event.

On Monday, the police posted a statement on Facebook saying an 18-year-old man had been arrested on Monday for his suspected involvement in a case of dangerous driving and taking part in an unauthorised speed trial.

His driving licence was suspended with immediate effect.

TNP understands that the man in question is Mr Herman.

Motorists found guilty of taking part in an unauthorised speed trial can be jailed up to six months, and fined between $1,000 and $2,000 for the first offence.

On subsequent convictions, they can be jailed up to a year, and fined between $2,000 and $3,000. Vehicles involved may be forfeited.

For the offence of dangerous driving, convicted motorists are liable to a fine of up to $3,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both. A fine of up to $5,000 and/or jail for up to two years applies for repeat offenders.

“The Traffic Police takes a stern view on such dangerous road behaviour as it puts the lives of the drivers and other road users at risk,” the police said.

Correction note: An earlier version of this storystated that an 18-year-old man had been arrested on Saturday. This is incorrect. He was arrested on Monday.

This article was first published on Aug 31, 2016.
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If you’re planning on holding a meeting or conference in Asia, you might want to consider doing so in Singapore.

Compared to other Asian Pacific cities for business travel, Singapore is less costly than Hong Kong, which tops as the most expensive city for business travel. 

In fact, Singapore is ranked as the fifth most expensive location, according to findings from the latest Daily Rates research published by ECA International.

After Hong Kong, the second most expensive location for business travel is Dhaka in Bangladesh, followed by Seoul as third most expensive and Tokyo as fourth.

Updated annually, ECA’s Daily Rates reports provide average costs for hotel accommodation, which makes up the bulk of any daily allowance, as well as meals, drinks, laundry, taxi transport and daily essentials.

While the cost of a typical meal out and incidental expenditure is more expensive in Singapore, higher costs associated with hotel accommodation in the Special Administrative Region (SAR) contribute to its position as the most expensive location in the Asia Pacific to undertake a business trip.

“Room rates in Singapore are among the highest out of the locations we surveyed in the region,” said Mr Lee Quane, regional director – Asia for ECA International.

“Looking at four-star hotel accommodation, rates here are the seventh highest in the region, approximately 20 per cent lower than comparable accommodation in the most expensive location, Hong Kong.”

The cheapest location in Asia for business travel is Kuala Lumpur.

Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Bandar Seri Begawan are the only other capital cities ranked within the top 10 cheapest locations for business travel in Asia.

“A combination of generally low living costs, relatively cheap accommodation options for business travellers and weak currency against the USD have contributed to these locations being where they are in our rankings,” Mr Quane pointed out.

When hotel costs are excluded, the most expensive locations in Asia that are visited by employees are slightly different.

Seoul, then, becomes the most expensive location in Asia, followed by Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore and Shanghai.

Singapore rises to fourth place in the region, overtaking Dhaka, where a shortage of suitable accommodation contributes to the high rates charged for hotel rooms.

Dhaka moves down to the 24th most expensive location in the region when hotel rates are excluded.

Hong Kong also falls to eighth position.

The cheapest locations in the region for business travellers, once hotel costs are excluded, are Karachi, Islamabad, Kathmandu and Ulaanbaatar, with costs in Karachi approximately one third of those incurred by business travellers in Seoul.

“Companies have many ways to ensure that the costs incurred by an employee during the course of a business trip are covered, whether that be via reimbursement or the provision of a daily allowance to meet such expenditure,” advised Mr Quane.

“However, what the variation in costs within the region suggests is that it is important for companies to ensure that the allowances they pay are relative to each location that they send an employee to. These should also be reviewed on a regular basis in order to account for the annual changes.”

spanaech@sph.com.sg

A tiny but potentially lethal insect has come between Singaporeans and their love of food, turning what used to be bustling food centres into almost “ghost towns”.

The fear of contracting Zika, which, like dengue fever, is spread by the Aedes mosquito, is keeping the lunch crowd away from the Sims Drive and Aljunied Crescent area.

This is where most of the cases of Zika infection have been concentrated, with 26 more cases confirmed as of noon yesterday.

The tally now stands at 82 cases, and the spread of infection has widened to the Kallang Way and Paya Lebar Way area, with at least five cases there. (See report at right.)

Locally-transmitted Zika in Singapore

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, The New Paper

No wonder Mr Ong Boon Seng, 46, gets nervous just thinking about it. In just two days, he has seen his business slump badly.

In his 14 years of running a provision shop at the Sims Vista Market and Food Centre, he has not seen such a drastic plunge in business.

“People are scared and don’t want to come here any more. My business has been badly affected,” he told The New Paper yesterday. “It makes me sweat just thinking about it.”

Pointing at the mosquito repellent patch on his shirt, he said that those working in the area were afraid, too.

“We are worried about business but also afraid of the mosquitoes,” he said. “I hope they don’t make us close shop because of this.”

Mr Joe Tan, 62, a fruit seller at the centre, said the lunch crowd is now half of what it was less than a week ago.

“It is usually packed, with queues at the stalls on a normal day,” he said.

“The stalls here sell food that is cheap and good, and they make very little profit. They depend on selling a lot to make enough money, but with half the crowd gone, it is going to be an uphill task.”

NO CALL, NO QUEUE

A woman, who has been selling porridge and noodles for a decade at the centre, said she usually gets calls around lunchtime to place orders.

But in the past two days, she has not received a single call, and there has been no queue at her stall.

The woman, who declined to be named, added: “I don’t know what exactly Zika is. I only know it is affecting my business badly.”

A pregnant woman who was buying food at one of the stalls was not aware of the Zika infections in the area.

Declining to be identified, she said: “I am not sure about Zika, so I am not too worried about it.”

What is the Zika virus?

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Reuters, The Straits Times, The New Paper, NEA

Another customer, Mr Arumugam Palani, 46, a deliveryman from a warehouse nearby, said he had never seen the food centre so empty. “I always come here for breakfast and lunch, and this is the first time I see the hawkers being able to sit down to drink coffee,” he added. There were similar scenes at almost every eatery in the Sims Drive area yesterday.

Even at the Geylang East Centre Market and Food Centre, which is located just outside the boundaries of the Zika cluster, stallholders bemoan that their business have dropped by 20 per cent.

Mr Alan Leow, 60, who runs Guan Kee Wanton Noodle, pointed at the many empty tables when asked if his business had been affected.

“It is definitely quieter than usual, but I am still making ends meet,” he said.

Like many others, he is worried that the situation could get worse. “But what can we do?” he added.

At the coffee shop at Block 45, Sims Drive, a woman from the drinks stall said business was poor.

A beer promoter working there had been the first case of locally transmitted Zika infection.

The Straits Times reported yesterday that the sale of mosquito repellents and patches in five Guardian outlets in Aljunied had tripled from last week.

But Madam Catherine Ng, 51, who owns a sundry store at the Sims Vista Market and Food Centre, told TNP that she stopped selling repellent patches after her last batch expired earlier this year due to a lack of demand.

“I would have maybe three people coming to me every year asking for insect repellent,” she said.

Then yesterday, she had to turn away five people trying to buy repellent from her.

While the stallholders are worried about their businesses and health, they are quietly hopeful that the preventive measures being taken by the authorities will be successful and will return confidence to the area.

Mr Leow said: “Just because this has happened, we cannot stop our business and stay at home. Life goes on.”

Read also: Singapore goes to war against Zika

This article was first published on August 31, 2016.
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The school bus driver thought the 11-year-old boy had fallen asleep in his seat.

But when he tried to wake the boy upon reaching Maris Stella Primary School yesterday morning, the Primary 5 pupil did not respond.

He was later pronounced dead at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).

The New Paper understands the boy was on his way to school when he became unresponsive.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a call at about 6.55am yesterday and sent an ambulance to the school.

Police received a call around the same time yesterday asking for help “at 80, Bartley Road”.

UNCONSCIOUS

They found an 11-year-old boy unconscious when they arrived and he was taken to KKH, “where he was subsequently pronounced dead at about 8.46am,” their spokesman said.

The family told media that the parents were in Singapore at the time of the incident.

An SMS that was circulated around Maris Stella Primary yesterday informed all of the incident and asked them to pray for the boy and his family.

One parent, who declined to be named, said the boy had a fever on Mondayand was sent home early.

He said: “The school principal spoke to his class and told them about the news. We heard he was an only child and his parents are currently out of the country.”

Mrs Woo Soo Min, principal of Maris Stella Primary, said in an e-mail to TNP that the school was “saddened by the passing of one of our students”.

“We are in touch with the family and are providing assistance and support to them during this difficult time. We are also providing emotional support to affected staff and students. As the police is investigating this case, we are unable to comment further,” she said.

Police are investigating the unnatural death.

Correction note: An earlier version of this story said TNP understood that the boy’s parents were overseas at the time of the incident. Family members have told media that the parents were in Singapore. The story has been corrected.

This article was first published on Aug 31, 2016.
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A signalling glitch affecting the Circle Line remained unresolved for a second day yesterday, as operator SMRT said it was working with the Land Transport Authority and systems supplier Alstom to fix the flaw.

Since Monday morning, commuters using the Circle Line have faced long waits, slower trains and overcrowded stations.

The Straits Times understands the system stabilised on Monday evening, but the glitch resurfaced yesterday morning to the ire of commuters. One tweeted at 7.24am asking why there were no announcements about the delay. “The train is not moving between Holland Village and Farrer Road,” he posted.

Others said trains had stopped at stations for extended periods. User Alex Hilton tweeted at 8.37am: “Singaporeans. Avoid Circle Line interchange at Botanic Gardens this morning.”

Singaporeans. Avoid Circle Line interchange at Botanic Gardens this morning 🙁 pic.twitter.com/ArMgdfr6sO

— Alex Hilton (@alexhilton) August 30, 2016

SMRT said it had been “carrying out tests and investigations overnight into the signalling issues that affected train services on the Circle Line”.

“The fault relates to wireless communication between the signalling equipment on the train and the signalling equipment on the track,” a spokesman said, adding that the company was working with the LTA and Alstom “to rectify the issue as soon as possible”.

At around 5pm, the operator tweeted to warn that journeys on the line would take up to 10 minutes longer.

It also reminded standing commuters to hold on to handrails as the trains may brake “intermittently”.

In November 2012, when the line was about three years old, the LTA decided to replace 120km of its power supply cables. The work cost $15 million and took a year and a half to complete.

This article was first published on August 31, 2016.
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