In career spanning over 34 years, Peter Ho took on leading roles at ministries and PMO

Former top civil servant Peter Ho heads the list of recipients of this year’s National Day Awards.

Mr Ho, 62, who was head of the Civil Service from 2005 until his retirement in 2010, was given the prestigious Distinguished Service Order.

Four other individuals with a record of public service were awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

They are: renowned artist and Cultural Medallion recipient Lim Tze Peng, 95; former chairman of the National Environment Agency (NEA) Chew Gek Khim, 54; Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) member and former Supreme Court judge Goh Joon Seng, 81; and National University of Singapore professor and marine biologist Leo Tan Wee Hin, 71.

The awards are given out every year to recognise individuals for their contributions to Singapore.

A total of 3,959 people have been honoured this year, including members of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), community and grassroots leaders, and educators.

Getting this year’s top award is particularly sweet for Mr Ho, now chairman of the Urban Redevelopment Authority, as he shares the same birthday as the nation.

His distinguished career, spanning over 34 years in the public service, includes permanent secretary appointments at the ministries of defence and foreign affairs, and the Prime Minister’s Office.

A strong believer in a networked government, Mr Ho is credited with having galvanised various agencies to work together on key challenges.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he initiated a series of policy reviews that strengthened its ability to respond to a fast-changing strategic landscape. He also oversaw the setting up of the National Security Coordination Secretariat in the Prime Minister’s Office to respond to transnational terrorism, and helped to set up the Centre for Strategic Futures, where he remains a senior adviser.

The former SAF scholarship holder is also credited with initiating changes in the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) to bring about a third-generation SAF by modernising capabilities to better deal with new threats.

Mr Ho told The Straits Times yesterday that he was surprised and honoured at being given the award, noting that he had, even after retirement, been given the privilege to serve in many capacities.

As Singapore strives to be a Smart Nation that harnesses technology to improve citizens’ lives, Mr Ho said civil servants can and need to continue to be innovators and risk-takers.

He recounted how his team decided to outsource the development and running of Mindef’s first Internet portal for national servicemen to outside experts.

“This was heresy at that time,” he said. The Government’s response was lukewarm, but his team pressed on and the portal became a model that other agencies began to follow.

Someone has to break the mould, he added. “This underscores the basic principle: If you want to make big improvements, you cannot be timid… You must be daring enough to try new things out, and you manage the risks,” he said.

“You must be psychologically prepared for some to fail: If you have done your work properly, a few will fail, but most will succeed.”

Retired Supreme Court judge Goh Joon Seng, who was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, has been active on several boards since he left the Bench in 2000.

“I never expected, when given the honour, to serve as a member of the CPA and chairman of the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony,” he said.

Fellow recipient Chew Gek Khim, who was NEA chairman from 2008 to 2015, was instrumental in the upgrading of existing hawker centres and the construction of new ones.

Ms Chew is executive chairman of investment company Straits Trading, and also helped galvanise industry associations and companies to work with the NEA on waste minimisation and recycling efforts.

Under her watch, the NEA embarked on a programme to build 10 new hawker centres by 2017, and another 10 centres by 2027.

“It is gratifying to see the creation of more hawker centres, which indirectly help cap rising food prices,” she said. “I am also very happy to see how NEA has evolved, and it now attracts qualified and talented young people who aspire to make Singapore’s living environment even better.”

yanliang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Aug 9, 2016.
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Unexploded 2m-long ordnance discovered three weeks ago finally deemed safe to handle

For three weeks now, crew on board a Singapore barge carrying sand for land reclamation have lived in fear of their accidental cargo – an unexploded 2m-long ordnance.

It was only yesterday morning that the war relic was finally assessed by experts to be safe to handle. This means that a private firm will now dispose of it.

The piece of ordnance is said to have been carried over from Vietnam, which supplied the sand. It was found on board the vessel KNB 1, a delivery barge that loads sand from another vessel before discharging it at the reclamation site.

While the barge was discharging the sand, the war relic was discovered as it became caught between the hatch and a conveyor belt that carried the sand, a source said.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Police Coast Guard were alerted to the incident on July 18. MPA said: “A safety zone was immediately established around the site of the barge.”

The vessel, with the registration number SR 3498C, is involved in the land reclamation project for a new port terminal in Tuas.

On the advice of the Singapore Armed Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, the barge was subsequently moved from the reclamation site to Sudong Explosive Anchorage, said MPA. The site is a designated anchorage for the loading or discharging of dangerous goods.

It is believed that in the past three weeks, ordnance disposal experts from the military and a private consultancy have made repeated trips to the barge anchored off Pulau Sudong. The barge is about 40 minutes away by boat from West Coast Pier.

“As the war relic is buried under sand materials on board the barge, time is needed to carefully remove the materials first,” said an MPA spokesman.

Yesterday’s green light for removing the war relic means relief could come soon for the crew of seven, who have been on board for the past three weeks.

“It has been three weeks. Why did they not evacuate us? I fear my life is still in danger,” said a crew member.

The barge is chartered by Starhigh Asia Pacific, which specialises in sand supply. It could not reply to The Straits Times by press time on why the crew remained on board.

Weapons and equipment editor Kelvin Wong of military publication IHS Jane’s said the typical procedure would be to clear civilians from the immediate area around the unexploded ordnance. He said: “While the authorities may have ascertained that the bomb is a dud, safety protocols would likely require the evacuation of civilians from the area, especially if the disposal experts are in the process of disarming or removing the weapon.”

He said that if the bomb was from the Vietnam War, it was likely to be a free-fall explosive. Such bombs are usually triggered by a fuse, timer or by impact, Mr Wong said.

adrianl@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Melody Zaccheus

This article was first published on Aug 9, 2016.
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A man who helped one of Singapore’s most notorious gangsters flee the country after a gangland-style shooting of a nightclub owner was yesterday found guilty – a decade after the crime.

On Feb 15, 2006, Tan Chor Jin, dubbed the “One-eyed Dragon” as he was blind in one eye, sparked an international manhunt after he repeatedly shot Mr Lim Hock Soon in his Serangoon Avenue 4 flat.

Malaysian Ho Yueh Keong, who had fetched Tan from the Woodlands Checkpoint the day before the shooting, took him back the same way about an hour after the killing.

Tan was nabbed 10 days later in a Kuala Lumpur hotel. He was found guilty of discharging a firearm and hanged in 2009 at the age of 42.

But Ho remained at large for nine years and was caught only when he tried to leave Malaysia for Batam. He was extradited in July last year.

Yesterday, Ho, now 43, stood upright in the dock and listened intently to a Mandarin interpreter as Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Wen Hsien read out the facts of the case before District Judge Tan Jen Tse.

Handcuffed, shackled and wearing prison attire – a white T-shirt and brown trousers – he pleaded guilty to one charge of harbouring a fugitive. Another count of concealing information about the murder will be considered when he is sentenced tomorrow.

Tan, better known as Tony Kia to his associates, was part of the Ang Soon Tong gang which operated in both Malaysia and Singapore. It was notorious for gun-smuggling, drugs, illegal moneylending and illegal gambling. Tan often hired Ho, also known as “Moh Tang”, to drive him from Malaysia to Singapore. Ho would be paid $50 to $100.

Read also:  20 crimes that have shaken Singapore since 1965

In late 2005, Tan bought a Beretta pistol. He told Ho in January 2006 that he wanted to kill Mr Lim.

On Feb 14, 2006, Tan asked Ho to drive him from Malaysia to Singapore in a Malaysian-registered dark blue Kia car. Tan said he might meet Mr Lim, but did not say why. They spent the night in a flat at Block 515 in Hougang.

Malaysian in One-eyed Dragon case finally charged after 9 years

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The Straits Times, Lianhe Wanbao, Lianhe Zaobao, Sin Chew Daily/ANN

The next day, Tan fired six rounds from his pistol into Mr Lim at his flat at about 7am, after he had made Mr Lim tie up his wife, maid and teenage daughter. Five bullets hit Mr Lim. Tan then returned to Hougang, woke Ho up and asked him to drive him back to Malaysia.

While in the car, Tan told someone over the phone that he had killed Mr Lim. Ho asked Tan if he really did so. Tan admitted to the murder and said he threw the pistol into a river.

Ho drove Tan into Malaysia at about 8.20am and they headed for Ho’s home in Larkin, Johor Baru. He later drove Tan to Penang in the latter’s BMW before they headed back to Muar in Johor. Tan gave him RM500 before they separated.

A few days later, Ho called Tan to say he wished to surrender, but Tan told him not to do so and he obeyed.

For harbouring a person who committed a crime punishable with death, Ho faces up to five years’ jail and a fine.

The maximum penalty for not giving information about a crime is six months’ jail and a fine.

This article was first published on Aug 9, 2016.
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When finance officer Adeline Kang went to her neighbourhood clinic to see the doctor about stomach pains and a sore throat, she was not expecting to pay more than $50 for the consultation fee.

The fees displayed at Wee’s Family Clinic & Surgery in Whampoa Drive state that it costs $40 for a short consultation and $50 for a long one.

However, she was charged $80.

When the 41-year-old queried the cost, she was told it was $40 to address each medical issue. She also had to pay $32 for medicine.

As it was her third visit to Dr Wee Chee Chau for her sore throat, she had expected to be charged less because it was a follow-up visit for the same problem.

However, Dr Wee told The Straits Times there had been no mistake. “When you have two problems, it’s like seeing a doctor twice,” he said.

His fees vary according to the number of medical conditions, their complexity and the duration of the consultation, he explained.

Asked if there was a cap to the consultation fee, Dr Wee said: “I can’t tell you offhand, but it won’t be in the thousands of dollars.”

He added that he is a family physician and not just a general practitioner, so his charges are higher.

A check with other clinics found that their normal practice is to charge for one consultation, no matter how many medical problems the patient has.

A spokesman for the Parkway Shenton chain said: “The consultation charge at our clinics ranges from $25 to $38 per visit.

“This is a one-time charge regardless of the number of ailments presented by our patients.”

The Raffles Medical chain of clinics also said its clinics levy only one consultation charge per patient, regardless of the number of medical problems that need attention.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said there is nothing wrong with the way Dr Wee charges.

Its spokesman said: “GPs are private providers within our larger healthcare system. Clinic charging varies across clinics and patients, depending on multiple factors.

“These may include the complexity of the patient’s condition, the length of consultation, the type of treatment and medication provided, and the cost structure of the clinic, including rental and other overhead costs.”

But she added that clinics are “encouraged” to display their common charges, like consultation fees, prominently in their clinics and provide itemised receipts to patients.

However, a clinic is not obliged to charge patients the amount stated in its table of fees. The MOH spokesman added: “Clinics have the prerogative to deviate from displayed charges, where justifiable.”

Ms Kang said that she does not plan to visit the clinic again, even though her company picks up her medical tab.

This article was first published on Aug 9, 2016.
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Witness says driver kept starting and stopping, causing accident

Reports of road accidents have surfaced the world over since Pokemon Go was launched. The game became available in Singapore on Saturday, and an accident the next day in Queenstown has been linked to it.

Mr Amos Ng, an office clerk, was walking back to his Mei Ling Street home after work on Sunday night, trying to catch Pokemon Go characters along the way.

In the world’s latest gaming craze, which was launched here on Saturday, players trawl places around the country using their smartphone’s GPS system to spot and capture Pokemon.

At about 10.20pm, Mr Ng, 31, an office clerk, noticed a dark-coloured sedan around the Mei Ling Street area.

He said the car kept starting and stopping abruptly and was moving slowly.

He noticed a driver and two passengers in the car.

The driver and his front seat passenger looked to be in their 50s, while the woman in the backseat seemed to be in her 20s.

Mr Ng suspects that they, like him, were playing Pokemon Go.

He said: “I saw them taking out their electronic devices and making swiping actions (on their devices).

“I found it quite amusing at first.”

He also saw the car driving near Queenstown Stadium, which is just a minute’s drive from Mei Ling Street.

Gotta catch ’em all: Pokemon Go now in Singapore

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The Straits Times, Facebook / RSAF, Facebook/SPF, AsiaOne, Capitaland

POKESTOP

The stadium is a PokeStop, which is a place of interest where players can collect items that will help them catch more Pokemon characters.

Mr Ng passed the car and continued on his way home.

Suddenly, he heard the screeching sound of a car braking followed by a loud crash.

He turned and saw that a white car had crashed into a kerb at the junction of Mei Chin Road and Mei Ling Street.

Mr Ng said: “I noticed that the driver of the dark car had seen the white car crash, but accelerated forward in the direction of Global Indian International School.”

Mr Ng added about 30 people rushed down from nearby HDB blocks because of the commotion.

The owner of the white car, who wished to be known only as Mr Vasily, said he had tried to overtake the dark car, which was in front of him, because it was driving recklessly.

Mr Vasily, 26, said: “The man driving (the dark car) kept starting and stopping.

“I signalled right and attempted to overtake him, but he kept moving forward.”

Mr Vasily then accelerated to move out of the way.

As he was trying to overtake the dark car, his car went out of control and crashed into a kerb. His car slammed into a road railing.

A fuming Mr Vasily, whose car had to be towed to a workshop, said: “I’m very, very angry (with the other driver).”

The Singapore Civil Defence Force sent an ambulance to the site, but its assistance was not required.

No injuries were reported.

Police investigations are ongoing.

A police spokesman said the penalty for playing Pokemon Go while driving a vehicle would be the same as driving while using a handheld device.

This means a fine not exceeding $1,000, jail time of up to six months or both.

Pokemon Go: A beginner’s guide

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The New Paper

Pokemon Go-related accidents

TAIWAN, AUG 6 – A motorcyclist fell off his motorbike while playing Pokemon Go. He ended up with a fractured knee. About 350 drivers have been fined in Taiwan for using their phones while on the road since the game was launched, authorities said.

MELBOURNE, JULY 28 – A teen crashed his car into a school fence while playing the game.

ISRAEL, JULY 27 – A girl, 15, fell off her bicycle while playing Pokemon Go and she suffered a cracked skull, reported Ynetnews.

aryat@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Aug 9, 2016.
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