Tenants at 33-year-old Princess Theatre Building are relocating or closing for good.

My Paper understands that some received notices to move out by end-August.

At NTUC club Happy Days, a notice on its door said it is closing on Aug 29 and reopening at Bedok Point on Sept 2.

The McDonald’s outlet will have its last day of operations on Aug 28.

The building, which is being demolished, is understood to be owned by OE Group, which owns Overseas Emporium at People’s Park Complex. 

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SINGAPORE – National University of Singapore (NUS) president Tan Chorh Chuan said it was not the university’s intention to do away with orientation, days after it declared a suspension of all student-organised freshman activities.

Speaking at the Freshmen Inauguration Ceremony on Monday (Aug 1), Professor Tan apologised to freshmen for recent controversies that have clouded their first days at NUS.

In an unprecedented move last Friday (July 29), NUS shocked students with an announcement that it was suspending orientation activities “with immediate effect”.

The decision came after a video emerged of freshmen of both sexes being dunked repeatedly in a pond in Sheares Hall on July 27, as well as a recent New Paper report on increasingly sexualised games, including the simulation of rape scenes, at orientation camps.

“For the vast majority, orientation is an exciting, positive and memorable experience – learning about a new environment, making new friends, and having a foretaste of the myriad of academic and co-curricular options at NUS,” he noted.

“The University does, however, expect orientation activities to be fully respectful of the dignity of all those participating, and, in recent years, we have put in place many measures to help ensure this.

“In particular, we make our stand very clear: we do not condone behaviour, games and activities that denigrate the dignity of individuals and that are sexualised.

“It is very disappointing that a few in our student community have clearly not internalised this.”

Despite the “time-out” enforced by the suspension, Prof Tan stressed that moving forward, NUS was not doing away with orientation.

“We want to work with you to rethink how to do orientation in more meaningful ways so that all students, especially freshmen, will get to enjoy the orientation experience,” he added.

“There are a wide range things to consider, and we need the time and space necessary to do so over the next few weeks and months.”

Prof Tan also called for the NUS community, including the public, to strongly support its annual charity Rag and Flag day by the NUS Students’ Union (Nussu), which kicks off on Tuesday.

Nussu had apologised on Sunday to the freshmen who underwent sexualised activities, branding the activities “indecent, reprehensible and not condoned”.

NUS suspends student-led orientation activities

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Video screengrabs, Stomp

This article was first published on August 1, 2016.
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The Ministry of Manpower yesterday called on operators of what it calls “factory converted dormitories” (FCDs) to improve the housing conditions of foreign workers.

FCDs are dormitories for foreign workers that are housed in partially converted factories or other workplaces.

Last Friday, foreign worker advocacy group Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) published photos of lapses that it observed during visits to FCDs.

The MWC claimed to have discovered instances of unhygienic sleeping quarters with bedbugs and other insects, dangerous overloaded electrical points and dirty and poorly maintained cooking areas.

It said in the Facebook post that it had shared the findings with MOM.

Minister of State for Manpower Teo Ser Luck, who oversees foreign manpower management matters, yesterday visited an FCD at a Pandan Road shipyard, operated by ASL Shipping, which houses 226 foreign workers.

He said: “We are looking into MWC’s suggestions.

“I’m heartened to know that for this company, ASL Shipping, that despite difficult times, they are still putting workers’ welfare as the top priority and will not take shortcuts and will not cut down on any of the amenities.

“The place they sleep in is air-conditioned and you don’t see many (dormitory operators) providing that.”

However, he added that from feedback the MOM had gathered about other dormitories, there are some that have “a big gap to close in terms of meeting just the normal standard”.

ASL Shipping’s dormitory manager Anthony Tan said: “The welfare of the workers is my responsibility, if there are any problems we will try our best to help.”

Despite challenges such as competition and rising costs, the company upgraded the dorm’s Wi-Fi routers about six months ago at a cost of more than $5,000 to allow the workers to stay in contact with their families back home easily.

Executive director of ASL Shipping Ang Kok Leong said: “The shipping industry is challenging at the moment but the safety and welfare of the workers is something the company cannot compromise on.”

Mr Teo will meet FCD operators at an Aug 24 seminar to discuss dormitory management issues and regulatory housing standards as well as bring up good practices that were observed during inspections. There are about 1,000 FCD operators in Singapore, housing an estimated 80,000 foreign workers.

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A 34-year-old man was found dead at Haig Road Market and Food Centre on Sunday (Jul 31).

Stomp contributor Roger came across the incident at about 6pm and alerted the citizen journalism website.

The man was found in the toilet and police officers had cordoned off the toilet area, the contributor told Stomp.

In response to Stomp’s queries, the police confirmed that they had received a call requesting for assistance at about 5.24pm on Sunday at 14 Haig Road.

Upon arriving at the scene, they found the man lying motionless in the toilet.

He was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

The police are investigating this unnatural death.

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RESIDENTS at a Housing Board flat in Marsiling had to queue for water on Sunday as the supply was cut off for over four hours.

The incident happened at about 3.30pm at Block 180C, Marsiling Road, Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday.

About 420 families were affected, according to the Chinese newspaper, which found residents queuing for water with buckets in hand.

One resident, who gave his name as Mr Su, a 67-year-old retiree, said the supply had been disrupted at about 3.30pm.

“I was preparing to boil water when I realised that there was none coming from the tap, and found out that the supply had been cut off only when I checked with my neighbours,” he told Shin Min.

He thought the matter would be resolved quickly.

But when that did not happen, he followed his neighbours downstairs to collect water.

Housewife Liao, 35, lamented that she had planned to rest at home and cook dinner for her family. She had bought groceries in preparation, only to be stalled by the sudden interruption in water supply.

“I couldn’t cook after that and our family had to eat out.”

A Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council spokesman told My Paper yesterday that its Essential Maintenance Service Unit (EMSU) first received a call from a resident at 4.41pm.

“The tap at the wash bay was turned on for residents to collect water while site investigation was ongoing,” added the spokesman.

After EMSU was unable to trace the fault in the pump system breakdown, the town council contacted its electrical term contractor. The water supply resumed at 8.05pm after power supply was restored to the pump room.

myp@sph.com.sg

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AFTER taking on board the views of hundreds of commuters, the Public Transport Council (PTC) has released a raft of recommendations to make rides more comfortable and less daunting for everyone, including families, seniors and wheelchair users.

To address overcrowding in front sections of buses, the PTC has suggested designing the vehicles in a way that would encourage commuters to move to the back.

It is proposing reduced escalator speeds at train stations to make them safer for seniors.

The recommendations were distilled after a six-month public consultation which began in December last year.

It involved seeking the views of over 2,500 commuters via in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and face-to-face surveys.

The results of the exercise, submitted last week to Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, were made public yesterday.

Some of the biggest concerns from commuters included crowding on public transport and in stations, issues of reliability and ease of access for families and the disabled.

PTC chairman Richard Magnus said the inaugural report gives a baseline for the authorities to study how the public transport system can be improved.

“This is the first time after a face-to-face survey… that we are able to say quite factually that this is what commuters are actually looking at and what they are concerned with,” he added.

The report is the first since the PTC took on the role as advisor to the Transport Minister in January.

While the council maintains its primary role of regulating fares, it was also tasked then with making recommendations on how to improve public transport.

In its report, the council has made several recommendations, such as allowing open strollers on buses which will make it easier for families with small children to travel.

At the moment, parents have to fold up the strollers when they board buses.

Other ideas include designing bus stops with more comfortable seats and with more space so commuters find it easier to navigate during rush hour.

The full report is available online on the PTC website.

Responding to the report’s recommendations, Mr Khaw said Singapore needs to make its transport system friendlier to seniors and young children, as the population ages and the Government tries to boost the birth rate.

He added that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will study the report and “strive to put into practice the many useful recommendations”.

The LTA said it would issue a response to the report in the next few months.

SIM University senior lecturer Park Byung Joon said since public transport assets and facilities – such as buses and soon, also trains – now belong to the LTA, it will be easier for them to push through changes.

“Now it will be all up to the LTA, what they want to do with it,” said Dr Park.

dansonc@sph.com.sg

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WASHINGTON – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mrs Lee celebrated an early National Day with more than 500 Singaporeans at the Singapore embassy in Washington, DC on Sunday (July 31) evening (Monday morning Singapore time).

Speaking to the crowd at the start of the evening, Mr Lee said: “We have much to celebrate because we have spent 50 years together and are now embarking on the next 50 years, the second half century of our nation building journey.”

The Prime Minister is in the United States for an official visit and will be hosted to a state dinner by US President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday (Wednesday morning Singapore time).

Also at the National Day celebration were Members of Parliament and Cabinet ministers including Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S Iswaran, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing and Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung.

PM Lee visits Washington

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AFP, The Straits Times

While National Day songs played in the background, many tucked into Singaporean favourites such as chicken rice, satay and mee siam. For those with a sweet tooth, there was also Milo and local kueh.

Said Mrs Salwa Salim-Perry, 32, a Singaporean business owner who had just moved to the US two months ago: “It feels so good to be here, to hear people speaking Singlish around me. I feel like I’m connected to home again.”

This article was first published on Aug 1, 2016.
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