Large numbers of dead fish were found near Lim Chu Kang jetty yesterday morning, washed up on the shore or afloat at sea.

Fish farmers attributed the deaths to low levels of dissolved oxygen in the waters of the West Johor Strait, along which about 50 fish farms are located.

The chief executive of The Fish Farmer, Mr Malcolm Ong, 52, told The Straits Times: “According to my monitoring system, dissolved oxygen levels in my farm have been decreasing since July 8.

“There was a marginal increase on July 12 but after that, it came down again and has remained low since. We have been prepared and our staff are on 24-hour standby.”

Mr Ong, who did not lose any fish beyond the normal losses, suggested that low oxygen levels could be an effect of the conditions of the waters near Lim Chu Kang.

“As we are not near an open coast, water is slow moving such that dissolved oxygen levels deplete more quickly,” he said.

Fish Farmers Association of Singapore president Timothy Ng said such occurrences are frequent in the Lim Chu Kang area. He said: “Unless the environment improves in terms of water flow, this will recur from time to time and I’m not sure how it can be stopped.”

Farms tend to install aerators that churn the water and ensure there is sufficient supply of dissolved oxygen when levels are low, although these are not always sufficient to prevent deaths.

However, none of the farms contacted by Mr Ng or The Straits Times suffered serious losses.

Dissolved oxygen levels can also differ from farm to farm, said Mr Ong, who monitors the levels and uses pumps and aerators to mitigate any negative impact on his farm. His farm has had several baby fish deaths this past week, a normal occurrence when dissolved oxygen levels are low.

According to Mr Ong, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) sent out an automated alert last Friday about the possibility of low dissolved oxygen levels, and asked farmers to be vigilant. AVA did not respond to queries by press time.

Both Mr Ng and Mr Ong ruled out the possibility of a plankton bloom as a reason for the low levels of dissolved oxygen.

In February last year, a plankton bloom, which gobbles up oxygen in the water, killed an estimated 500 to 600 tonnes of fish, affecting 55 out of 63 fish farms along the East Johor Strait.

Farms in the Lim Chu Kang area were also severely affected by a plankton bloom in March last year, with one of the farms losing all 35 tonnes of its fish.

This article was first published on July 19, 2016.
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Singapore authorities have written to the Thai government for their assistance in repatriating bank robbery suspect David Hames Roach to Singapore.

The Singapore Police Force said on Tuesday (July 19) that they have also made a “mutual legal assistance” request to Thai authorities to forward the evidence seized from the suspect.

In the event where Thai authorities are unable to repatriate the suspect directly to Singapore, the police said they will pursue his return from whichever country Thailand decides to send him to.

On July 7, Roach, who is Canadian, allegedly robbed about $30,000 in cash from the Standard Chartered bank branch in Holland Village.

He escaped to Bangkok on the same day and was arrested by Thai police in a hostel three days later.

Roach is currently held at an immigration detention centre in Bangkok.

Bank robbery at Holland Village Standard Chartered Bank

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, Twitter, Shin Min Daily News, Reuters, Baker & Cook

minlee@sph.com.sg

A group of Singapore boys heading to a football tournament in Sweden were caught up in the chaos following an attempted coup in Turkey last Friday.

While the 13 footballers, aged eight to 14, and the accompanying adults were never in any danger, they faced seemingly endless hours of anxiety and uncertainty.

The team, part of Fandi Ahmad’s F-17 Football Academy, were scheduled to stop over at Istanbul airport en route to Gothenburg, Sweden, for the Gothia World Youth Cup.

But its Turkish Airlines flight had to be diverted to Antalya airport in the south because of the attempt to overthrow Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan by a faction of the military.

The greatest concern for Mr Dan Tan, one of the six accompanying parents, was being kept in the dark about the happenings in Turkey.

He has two sons in the team: Oliver, the youngest player at eight, and Russell, 11.

Mr Tan told The New Paper over the phone from Gothenburg yesterday: “As far as I was aware, no announcements were made about the coup, at least not in English, while we were on the flight.

“Most of the passengers were not aware of the coup or diversion until we landed.”

13 children from Singapore football club stranded at Turkey airport

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F-17 Football Academy

The Singapore contingent found out about the attempted coup only after they landed at Antalya, ironically from WhatsApp messages sent from Singapore by anxious family members.

Mr Tan told TNP: “The lack of information was a bit frustrating. In times of crisis, it is important to communicate.

“The first few hours, the cellular data networks were a bit jammed and it was hard to get online. There were no TVs or announcements about the coup at the airport, so everyone was relying on the Internet and social media to get updates.”

Their unexpected stopover at Antalya airport became a 16½-hour wait before they could get to a hotel for some shuteye.

They reached Gothenburg at 11.50pm on Sunday (5.50am yesterday, Singapore time) – 32 hours later than scheduled. (See timeline above.)

UPDATES

During the delay, the accompanying parents made sure the other worried parents back in Singapore were given regular updates about their children, said Mr Tan.

He and the other five parents sent pictures and also got the children to call their parents to assure them that they were fine.

For many of the kids, it was their first time travelling on a long-haul flight. But the boys showed resilience by remaining calm, whiling away the long hours at Antalya airport kicking about and playing card games.

Mr Tan said the adults tried to explain the situation as simply as possible to the young ones.

“I’m not sure if they really understood what was going on. I don’t think there was a need to scare them,” he added.

“We just told them there was a flight delay and there was a serious situation in Turkey.”

After finally clearing immigration, they took a bus to a hotel in Antalya, where they joined a long queue with other stranded passengers waiting for a room to rest for the night.

After barely five hours of sleep, they went back to the airport to catch a 7.35am flight to Istanbul.

Mr Nabil Yusoff, director of the F-17 Football Academy, was concerned about flying to Istanbul, the centre of the attempted coup, but they had no other choice.

Mr Tan was full of praise for Singapore Airlines (SIA) employees, who worked together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Singapore embassy in Turkey, to make transport arrangements for the team.

“SIA did a very good job in helping us get through the mess in Istanbul,” he said.

Mr Tan made special mention of SIA’s Istanbul station manager Lim Chuan Kai who liaised with Turkish Airlines to fast-track the team’s boarding of a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Copenhagen, Denmark.

The only direct flight from Istanbul to Gothenburg that day was full.

SIA’s station manager in Copenhagen arranged for a private coach to take the team from the airport to its hostel in Gothenburg.

The boys arrived at the athlete’s village close to midnight on Sunday.

The Gothia Cup is the world’s largest youth football tournament, featuring about 1,600 teams from around the world.

In its 2014 debut, the F-17 team came in third out of 165 teams.

After about six hours of sleep, the boys were up yesterday morning to prepare for the opening ceremony and their opening match against Ghana at 10.30pm (Singapore time).

Ghana beat Singapore 6-0.

TIMELINE (S’PORE TIME)

Singapore to Istanbul, Friday

F-17 Football Academy team boards flight at 9.50pm. Expected arrival in Istanbul at 9.25am, Saturday, but flight is diverted to Antalya.

The plane circles airspace for about 1½ hours. Pilot informs passengers about diversion but does not give reason.

Antalya Airport, Saturday

Plane lands in Antalya Airport, about 700km from Istanbul, at 9.05am.

The team is stuck there for 16½ hours, with little information on the coup or new flight timings.

At around 12.30am on Sunday, they clear immigration. Some bags are missing.

At 1.20am, they are taken to a hotel in Antalya to spend the night.

Antalya, Sunday

They sleep for about five hours in hotel before taking a 10am bus back to Antalya Airport.

They retrieve their missing baggage and take a flight to Istanbul at 12.50pm.

Istanbul, Sunday

They arrive in Istanbul at 2pm and are met by Singapore Airlines ground crew, who make special arrangements for them to clear customs.

They are taken to Turkish Airlines Business Class lounge to rest while waiting for their 7.50pm flight to Copenhagen, Denmark.

Copenhagen, yesterday

After the four-hour flight, the team arrives in Copenhagen at midnight.

They were met by ground crew, who arrange for a 1am coach to take them to Gothenburg, Sweden.

Gothenburg, yesterday

They arrive at the athletes’ hostel at 5.50am.

After about six hours of sleep, they get up for breakfast and training.

They play first match against Ghana at 10.30pm.

aryat@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on July 19, 2016.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a travel advisory on July 18 for Singaporeans travelling to, or living in, Belgium.

It strongly advised Singaporeans to take all necessary precautions for their personal safety, by watching the local news and following instructions issued by the authorities in Belgium.

It added that Singaporeans should stay vigilant, and avoid crowded areas and public gatherings if possible. It also advised Singaporeans to stay away from areas where police operations are being conducted.

Belgium’s national terrorism threat level is now at three, with four being the highest threat level. This indicates a “significant and probable” threat, said MFA.

Belgium has boosted security ahead of its National Day celebrations on Thursday (July 21).

MFA reminded travellers to purchase comprehensive travel insurance and familarise themselves with the policy coverage.

Singaporeans are strongly advised to eRegister with the MFA so that they can be contacted if needed.

Singaporeans who require urgent consular assistance can contact the Singapore Embassy in Brussels or the MFA Duty Office (24-hours).

Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Brussels

85 Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

Telephone: +32 2 660 2979

Email: consvc@mfa.sg

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Duty Office (24-hours)

Tanglin, Singapore 248163

Tel: +65 6379 8800 / 8855

Email: mfa_duty_officer@mfa.gov.sg