The former President held a number of roles across trade unions and associations, and lent his support to several other organisations. Many of them paid tribute to him after his death on Monday (Aug 22).
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‘Our people’s leader’: Organisations pay tribute to late former President S R Nathan
People from all walks of life turn up to pen tributes to ex-president S R Nathan
SINGAPORE – People from all walks of life have turned up at the Istana to pay their respects to the late former president S R Nathan.
The Straits Times and Channel NewsAsia both reported that people started to arrive minutes after 6am to pen tribute to Mr Nathan at the Istana, where condolence boards have been set up.
The first to turn up was a buddhist monk, 60-year-old Reverend Lee Tay Liang Shifarong. He said he had met Mr Nathan many times during commnunity events, The Straits Times reported.
Self-employed computer engineer Lin Rong Xiang, 34, said he took the first train in the morning to go to the Istana. He told Channel NewsAsia that he could not sleep the night before, after hearing news of Mr Nathan’s passing.
A 68-year-old security guard said he went to the Istana right after his night shift. “I feel very sad because he’s a very good man and has done a lot things for Singapore,” he was quoted as saying. “We lost a good President.”
A group of about 20 students from nearby School of the Arts also turned up before class started, The Straits Times reported.
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Mr Nathan’s body arrived at his home at Ceylon Road at about 10.30am. The family will be holding a private wake until Wednesday. The Straits Times said that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrived at the home of Mr Nathan just before noon.
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Singapore’s former president S R Nathan dies
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The good, the bad and the ugly
The curtains came down on the Rio Olympic Games yesterday morning (Singapore time).
Rio Olympics 2016 Closing Ceremony
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Here’s what went right and what went wrong at the first Olympics to be held in South America.
BIG NAMES, BIG PERFORMANCES
Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt didn’t put a foot wrong in Rio, unlike other members of the swimming and athletics fraternity.
Phelps took his gold medal haul to 23; Bolt (above) to nine with a “triple-triple” of 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles for the third Olympics.
Both men have now retired as Olympians, leaving potentially gaping gaps in the Games portfolio.
ZIKA, NO FEAR
Leading tennis players, the world’s top four golfers never made it to Rio, fearing the health consequences of the mosquito-borne disease.
As it turned out, the stories proved more dramatic than the facts.
FEEL-GOOD FACTOR
For the first time, a team of refugees took part at the Games.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said they were treated like “rock stars” in the Athletes’ Village with competitors asking for selfies.
It was 10-strong and included Congo’s Popole Misenga who won over the judo arena crowd by making the second round where it took a world champion to beat him.
The team also featured Yusra Mardini, a teenage swimmer from Syria who braved a Mediterranean crossing in a leaky dinghy, and compatriot Rami Anis who fled the war-ravaged nation in 2011 to avoid being enlisted into the army.
Kosovo appeared at their first Olympics and took only two days to get their first gold – Majlinda Kelmendi in the judo.
Fiji got their first medal by winning the rugby sevens.
Tennis player Monica Puig gave Puerto Rico their first gold at a Games; hammer thrower Dilshod Nazarov (left) did the same for Tajikistan as did Cheick Sallah Cisse for Ivory Coast in taekwondo.
Highlights from Olympics 2016
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LADIES FIRST
The United States and Australia sent teams to Rio that had more women than men.
The US had 292 women in their squad and 263 men while Australia had a 212/207 split.
SAFE AND SOUND?
There was little escape from the daily, grim tally of shootings and robberies in the crime-plagued city.
On the night of the opening ceremony, two people were fatally shot near the Maracana Stadium.
An Australian photographer lost tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment in an Ipanema coffee shop and then saw the thief two days later wearing his Olympic jacket with accreditation number. AFP also lost a lot of equipment.
Chinese 110m hurdler Shi Dongpeng lost his laptop to another well-planned thief.
The man vomited on Shi and was chased by a Chinese journalist who was with Shi who went to the restroom. When he returned, his belongings had disappeared.
Portugal’s Education Minister Tiago Brandao Rodrigues was held up at knifepoint.
IS THERE ANYBODY THERE?
Swathes of empty seats, notably at track, were a major source of embarrassment for organisers, particularly with some events seemingly sold out and no tickets available to buy on the official website.
The behaviour of fans who jeered athletes and fought with others also caused concern.
NOT THE BEST KEPT VILLAGE
Rio’s image was battered when cost-cutting led to economies in the Village. The Australian team at first refused to stay in the sprawling complex, claiming it was unsafe and unclean. The British team employed their own plumber while Japanese athletes were reported to be carrying out their own repairs.
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A lot of teams said though that, while basic, the village was just fine.
MEN BEHAVING BADLY
Ryan Lochte (above) was condemned as the ultimate “ugly American abroad” for his made-up story that he and three teammates were robbed at gunpoint. In fact, the four swimmers had only been stopped by security and made to pay compensation for drunkenly vandalising a gas station bathroom.
European Olympic chief Patrick Hickey (above) was arrested at his luxury hotel and then detained in a high security prison, facing charges of involvement in a ticket scam, ambush marketing and conspiracy over the sale of Rio Olympics tickets at inflated prices.
Boxers Hassan Saada of Morocco and Namibia’s Jonas Junias Jonas were arrested on charges of “sexual assault” on chambermaids working in the Athletes’ Village.
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AND FINALLY…
STARTED WRONG, ENDED RIGHT
Brazil set the target of being in the top 10 in the medals table and did not make it.
Judoka Rafaela Silva got the hosts’ only gold in the first week. They ended with six.
But thank goodness for Neymar (above). The football team started with lacklustre 0-0 draws against South Africa and Iraq and were roundly lambasted by their diehard fans.
But Brazil got it right on the night when superstar Neymar scored the winning penalty in a shoot-out victory over Germany.
It was the hosts’ first football gold and was also sweet revenge for the humiliation of their 7-1 World Cup semi-final loss to the same opponents two years ago on home soil. – AFP.
BY THE NUMBER
45: Women make up 45 per cent of the 11,303 athletes competing at the Rio Olympics.
487: The number of athletes from the Youth Olympics competing in Rio, en route to winning 60 medals.
AUG 5-21: RIO 2016
How much Olympic athletes get for their gold medals
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Finally seeing the flying fish in the flesh
Some sounds in sport are invariably linked with athletes. Maria Sharapova’s grunt, the haka of the All Blacks and the “twack” that Michael Phelps makes at the starting block as he slaps his arms behind his back.
With this being the American swimmer’s last Olympics, it was my last chance to watch him race live and see that famous warm-up routine which I’ve viewed countless times on YouTube.
Three straight nights I was at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio but missed Phelps each time due to a clash of scheduling and was beginning to lose hope of catching the greatest swimmer of this and any generation.
Finally, the Olympic gods answered my prayers and I found myself high up in the rafters for the 200m individual medley final and Phelps was in Lane 4.
He had already won three golds in the preceding days, bringing his tally to a ridiculous 21 golds.
Highlights from Olympics 2016
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Yet legends in our minds always seem larger than in reality. How could the Phelps of 2016 possibly live up to the zenith of 2008 and his perfect eight golds from eight finals in Beijing?
He is 31, the oldest of the eight finalists, but looked in phenomenal shape and even from my position, silently admonishing myself for not bringing binoculars to Brazil, exuded an unmistakable aura.
This was, after all, an event he had won for the past three Olympics, alongside the 100m butterfly, and his most successful individual event at the Games.
He drew his full 1.93m frame upright, stepped onto the block and hunched over in position.
Then those long arms – they extend 2.03m tip to tip, Vitruvian Man he is not – fell on either side and like cables of flesh, he whipped them across his back.
Crack. Crack. Even from where I was standing – how could I sit – the sound was clearly audible. Imagine what went through his neighbours Ryan Lochte and Kosuke Hagino’s heads when they heard it.
Phelps was one of the slowest off the blocks but made up ground quickly and cruised home in 1min 54.66sec, almost two seconds faster than Hagino, who is nine years younger.
It was simply a majestic swim, so powerful and smooth as he glided through the water. The great ones really do make the impossible seem effortless.
It also served as confirmation that while sportswriters often deal in hyperbole, it was because anything less would not do justice to what I had just witnessed. Here was Neptune in Speedos.
All this made Joseph Schooling’s victory over Phelps the next day in the 100m fly all the more incredible. He beat that guy?
Phelps had to settle for silver but went on to be part of the victorious United States’ 4x100m medley relay team and ended his career with a gold medal.
I missed that race but it did not matter. I had seen, and heard, all that I needed.
Rio Olympics 2016 Closing Ceremony
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This article was first published on August 23, 2016.
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Consumer prices fall for 21st straight month in July
The consumer price index fell 0.7 per cent last month, as a smaller decline in the cost of private road transport offset the impact of lower retail goods prices, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Ministry of Trade and Industry said in a joint statement.
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Changes to Copyright Act due to tech developments in pipeline
The review is in view of technological developments in the past decades, and how they have led to immense changes in the way copyrighted works are created, distributed, accessed and used, says the Law Ministry.
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My son was 'a tool for revenge'
“I am broken.”
That was how Mrs Gwendoline Graffart reacted to the five-year jail sentence imposed yesterday on her estranged husband, Belgian national Philippe Marcel Guy Graffart, 42, for killing their only child, Keryan.
He was five years old when his father smothered him with a cushion before trying to kill himself on Oct 5 last year.
In a statement issued after the sentencing through her long-time friend, Mrs Fiona Miller, Mrs Graffart said she is still in a “state of profound grief and has been sentenced to a life of pain”.
Calling the sentence “too lenient”, the 40-year-old French national claimed that “the sole purpose of the (killing) was to hurt me as much as possible”, and that her son was used as “a tool for revenge”.
Mrs Graffart also alleged that recorded conversations between her and Graffart before the tragedy showed that he had repeatedly threatened her and their son.
While they were embroiled in a bitter divorce custody battle in April last year, she claimed that he told her over the phone: “If you take away my son, I will kill you.”
She also alleged that he told her in a recorded voice message at the end of July: “I will kill myself with your son.”
However, Graffart, who was Nordea Bank’s head of fund distribution for the Asia-Pacific region, was assessed to be suffering from major depressive disorder at the time of the killing, which substantially impaired his judgment.
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The Straits Times, Shin Min Daily News, Lianhe Wanbao, Facebook screengrabs, The New Paper
The initial charge of murder was amended to the lesser offence of culpable homicide, which he pleaded guilty to earlier this month.
In a detailed timeline sent to The New Paper, Mrs Graffart claimed the harassment by her husband began as early as 2014.
But in the months leading to Keryan’s death, she said she saw a more drastic change in Graffart, especially after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in early June.
Not long after her diagnosis, she returned to France with Keryan, and underwent a mastectomy.
While she was there, Graffart allegedly continued the harassment and, at one point, sent his wife “325 texts of insults and threats” in 24 hours.
After intense pressure from him, Mrs Graffart said she was compelled to put their son on a flight to Singapore with a family friend.
Keryan lived with his father for about two weeks until Mrs Graffart returned to Singapore on Aug 6.
During those two weeks, she claimed that Graffart would coach Keryan to hurt her with insults over the phone.
She said in the statement that she had gone to the police and embassy officials in Singapore and France to try to obtain protection for herself and Keryan.
After her return to Singapore, she filed a police report before applying for a personal protection order (PPO) under the Women’s Charter.
TNP was shown a copy of the application.
Pending the hearing for the full PPO, The Family Justice Courts granted her an interim expedited order as it was “satisfied that there is imminent danger of family violence being committed” against her and Keryan.
RESTRAINING ORDER
Graffart was ordered to restrain from “committing family violence” on his wife and son in the interim.
On Oct 2 last year, Graffart received his wife’s written affidavit, which was scheduled to be heard at the Family Justice Courts on Oct 6.
On the night of Oct 5, Graffart smothered Keryan with a cushion before crashing his car in a bid to kill himself. He escaped with minor injuries.
Mrs Graffart said in the statement: “I should not have let Keryan stay there, but I never wanted to stop Keryan from having a relationship with his dad.”
She has started an online petition in memory of her son.
She added: “It is a tragedy of the highest order, for myself and especially for Keryan.
“It is cruelty beyond measure, and from this day forward, I will be compelled to act, to fight for the truth for Keryan and for other women in the same terrible, nasty, black, helpless, horrible place.”
Judge: Sentence consistent with similar cases
Philippe Marcel Guy Graffart, who killed his son last October, was jailed for five years yesterday.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The Belgian, 42, was expressionless when Judicial Commissioner (JC) Hoo Sheau Ping read out the sentence in the High Court.
JC Hoo said that the penalty was consistent with similar cases and the accused’s action could not be condoned.
“This is a tragic case in which the life of a five-year-old child has been ended by his father in the midst of a custody fight, causing immeasurable pain and suffering to all those left behind,” she added.
On Oct 6 last year, the police found the body of Graffart’s son, Keryan Gabriel Cedric Graffart, in the master bedroom of Graffart’s 32nd-storey apartment at D’Leedon Condominium in Leedon Heights.
Graffart had earlier told a police officer at the Bukit Timah Neighbourhood Police Centre that he had “done something bad” to his son.
The court previously heard that Graffart had smothered the sleeping Keryan with a cushion between 9pm and 10.17pm on Oct 5.
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE
Graffart then tried to kill himself by ramming his car into a tunnel wall along Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE). He survived with minor injuries and was taken to Singapore General Hospital.
His son was pronounced dead by paramedics at 6.17am the following day.
A toxicology report found Zolpidem – a hypnotic medicine used to treat insomnia that is not recommended for children – in Keryan’s blood.
Describing that night’s events, Graffart wrote in a letter as part of his mitigation: “There (are) no words to say how sorry and broken I am by this tragedy. I lost my precious boy, Keryan, he was my life and my love, I was so proud of him. I never imagined this could happen.”
Graffart was found to have been depressed over an ongoing custody battle with his French wife, Mrs Gwendoline Graffart, 40.
His lawyer, Mr Ramesh Tiwary, said the couple’s relationship had deteriorated to such a level that Graffart began to feel he would not be able to provide Keryan with love and care.
His client had never touched or threatened Keryan before the night of the incident, he added.
“He had never warned or threatened that he would harm Keryan in any way,” he said.
However, Mrs Graffart had applied for a personal protection order, and was granted an interim expedited order against Graffart on Aug 11 last year.
It restrained him from committing family violence against her and their son.
Mr Tiwary said Graffart had consulted four doctors but none of them had detected that he was emotionally and mentally unwell.
Mr Tiwary said: “The accused’s (Graffart’s) state of mind was such that he was clearly not thinking clearly and was very disturbed.”
After the killing, an Institute of Mental Health doctor found Graffart to be suffering from a major depressive disorder.
Nevertheless, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz said Graffart’s psychiatric condition “neither justifies nor absolves him” from committing the offence.
“No doubt, the accused’s major depressive disorder contributed to his decision to smother Keryan… There is nothing to indicate that he lacked the capacity to comprehend his actions or to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct,” she said.
A report dated Nov 23 last year by a doctor who had examined Graffart stated that he “was cognizant of the nature and quality of his actions”.
Citing the jail terms of similar offenders in previous cases, the prosecution recommended a sentence of between five and six years’ jail for Graffart, who had been assessed to pose a low risk of danger to society.
This article was first published on Aug 23, 2016.
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Gold and gems pile up in Singapore vault as investors seek refuge
SINGAPORE – The stash of gold, silver and gems stored in the vaults and safe deposit boxes of Malca-Amit in Singapore has jumped almost 90 per cent in the past year as wealthy investors seek a refuge in a world of negative interest rates, stagnating economies…
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AVA recalls Taiwan milk tea that caused latest food fad
SINGAPORE – A Taiwan milk-tea beverage that caused quite a stir when it was launched in Singapore last month has been recalled.
The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said in a statement today (Aug 23) that it worked with the importer of the Chun Cui He brand of milk tea to recall the product.
AVA was quick to note that the recalled product did not pose a food safety risk. The product was recalled because it contains L-theanine, which is not on the list of permitted food additive in Singapore.
However, AVA advises consumers who “have any health concerns” to consult their doctor or to “seek medical advice”.
Only “Just Drink – Milk Tea” has been recalled. The latte beverage from the same brand, which was launched together with the milk tea beverage, is not affected, AVA said.
Singaporeans went on a frenzied quest for the Chun Cui He milk tea and latte beverages after they were launched last month and promptly sold out.
The drinks, costing $2.80 each, made their debut at 7-Eleven stores here on July 13.
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Politicians, celebs share personal encounters with S R Nathan, the "people's president"
SINGAPORE – Long before “selfie” was the in-thing, Mr S R Nathan had been taking photos with people he met.
This not only helped put people at ease with the president, it also endeared him to the people.
While his official photos that used to hang on walls of government buildings have long been removed, still on display are photos of Mr Nathan – a self-confessed foodie – at hawker stalls, which is proof of the man’s popularity.
Mr Nathan passed away at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) on Aug 22 at 9.48pm at the age of 92. He had been hospitalised at SGH since July 31, when he suffered a stroke.
A day after his passing, tributes to the late Mr Nathan, Singapore’s sixth and longest-serving president from 1999 to 2011, have been pouring in with many local dignitaries, celebrities and Singaporeans sharing their encounters with the “people’s president”.
Singapore’s former president S R Nathan dies
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Many ministers were nervous about their first meeting with the then-president, but how Mr Nathan responded surprised them.
Senior Minister of State Indranee Rajah called Mr Nathan “a President for all Singaporeans” in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
As a new Member of Parliament after the 2001 General Election, she had been worried about how to introduce herself to the then-head of state.
“I needn’t have worried. He looked up, saw me, beamed, called my name and crossed the room to clasp my hands in a fatherly manner to congratulate me on being elected,” she wrote.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen posted a photo of a fond memory that he had with Mr Nathan in 2002. He wrote: “President Nathan had sworn me in, when I first entered politics in 2002.
“My wife and I accompanied them on their official trip to South Africa and other nearby countries. We liked each other’s company and over the years, our families became friends.”
Mr Ng said he would marvel at how much Mr Nathan had accomplished in his life and yet he still wanted to do more even past 90 years old.
Singer Wang Leehom also posted a photograph he had taken with Mr Nathan and wrote: “I’ll always remember your warmth, humor and kindness.”
Mr Nathan, who lives at Ceylon Road, would often take walks or go jogging at nearby East Coast Park.
ONE FM 91.3 radion deejay Andre Hoeden posted on his Facebook page: “I’ll miss seeing you walk along East Coast Park in the mornings. You always replied when I wished you “good morning”. It made me happy to know that you were a humble man! Rest in Peace Sir!”
Mr K F Seetoh, founder of food guide Makansutra, shared one encounter he had with the former president at East Coast Park when he was on his daily run: “You wanted to try our nasi lemak but your aide said no as it would defeat the purpose of the run.”
“I know you have touched many more people in your meaningful life,” Mr Seetoh added.
Had the privilege of living in the same street as #SRNathan for 4 years. A great leader, Singapore will sorely miss. Rest in peace, sir!
— T-Man (@thyag1994) August 22, 2016
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Other condolences from various embassies and the international community:
My deepest sympathies to the family of former President Nathan. He was a true patriot who served Singapore with distinction.
— Jonathan Austin (@jaustinNZ) August 22, 2016
Former President Nathan on his state visit to New Zealand. RIP. pic.twitter.com/G1nQf1blrq
— Jonathan Austin (@jaustinNZ) August 22, 2016
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Singaporean people and government following the passing of former President S.R. #Nathan
— France in Singapore (@FranceinSG) August 23, 2016
Our deepest condolences to the family of former President SR Nathan and the people of Singapore. https://t.co/CG1FlPgvhB
— Mongolian Embassy SG (@MGLEmbassy_SG) August 22, 2016
A look at the presidents of Singapore
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