Most parents of children with special needs want new laws to promote the rights of their children, and better pre-school education for them, a survey has found.

The survey polled 835 parents with special needs children aged nine and below and was commissioned by the Lien Foundation, a philanthropic house.

Findings released yesterday showed that close to three-quarters of parents polled agreed that new laws are necessary.

The poll also asked parents about challenges faced in raising their special needs children, and how the public acts towards them (see chart on key findings). Of parents with children in pre-schools, fewer than half felt their children had adequate support from the pre- schools – be it from teachers, the curriculum or facilities available (see chart).

Close to half of the parents of pre-schoolers also said it was difficult to enrol their children in pre-school, usually because there were pre-schools that were unwilling to admit the child, or because of inexperienced teachers.

On a broader level, 77 per cent of the respondents supported the idea of inclusive education, an approach that caters to both children with and without special needs.

The Lien Foundation said laws could help promote inclusiveness and suggested that the Compulsory Education Act, which makes primary school education a must, be extended to special needs children.

It said in a statement: “This would set a baseline of access to education for these children and ensure a commitment to their education needs.”

Its chief executive Lee Poh Wah said Singapore is an exception among places that came up tops in education rankings, such as Hong Kong and South Korea, “because unlike them, we have yet to introduce laws to support inclusion in education”.

Lien Foundation programme manager Ng Tze Yong added that the committee behind the 2012-2016 Enabling Masterplan – which guides the development of policies and services for people with disabilities – had recommended that children with special needs be included under the Act by 2016. But no update on this was given in a progress report released in April, he said.

Parents of children with special needs, while noting that it could be more inconvenient for their children to attend mainstream schools, said they wanted their children to socialise with their typically-developing peers.

Ms Sally Kwek, 39, founding editor of an online parenting magazine, moved her nine-year-old daughter out from a primary school – after staff asked that she hire a shadow teacher to help the child cope, which was too expensive to do so – to a special education school.

“She has friends, but she’s less exposed to what life will be like when she grows up in the real world. That in itself is also a disability,” she said.

Children with and without special needs stand to benefit from more inclusive education, she added. The former would better understand what is socially acceptable; the latter would learn how to respond to people with disabilities.

Weight-management coach Lawrence Ng, 44, who has a son with autism, hopes teaching can be differentiated to suit children’s varied learning styles.

For Mr Izaan Tari Sheikh, 32, an executive director in a bank, his able-bodied daughter learns alongside special needs children in a pre-school. He said: “I have not seen the teachers showing any less attention to my child than to those with special needs. She also seems to show more concern for others.”

KEY FINDINGS

28 per cent regard Singapore as inclusive

About half felt their key service needs were being met – in transportation (58 per cent), medical and dental (55 per cent) and childcare (54 per cent)

43 per cent wanted more financial help from the Government, and close to 60 per cent of those with a monthly household income of $7,000 to $9,900 felt this way

Four in 10 think their special needs children spend too little time in the community outside school; among these, 31 per cent said it is difficult to spend time in public spaces as they feel judged by others

Around one in three have heard adults directing insensitive remarks at their special needs children

Almost half said their special needs children do not have friends without disabilities

61 per cent said they or their spouses are the primary caregivers; among this group, two in five quit their jobs to take care of the child

This article was first published on July 5, 2016.
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The Boy Who Lived lives again, bringing with him a new wave of Pottermania, nine years after the release of the seventh – and supposedly final – Harry Potter book.

J.K. Rowling’s saga, which started with an orphaned boy wizard, continues on July 31 with Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Parts I and II, a script book of an upcoming, sold-out London play based on a story by Rowling, playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany.

Its Singapore distributor, Pansing, anticipates a demand of about 100,000 copies for the eighth story in Rowling’s Harry Potter series – more than the demand for all three books in the Hunger Games series combined.

Booksellers here are already gearing up for the arrival of the new book with special promotions and planned launch parties. Some are seeing sales of previous books in the series pick up.

A Pansing spokesman says the response to the new book, which it expects to be the biggest title of the year, has been “very enthusiastic”. Orders have been rolling in from booksellers since May.

“We’re excited about it… We hope new readers will pick up the series and be fascinated by the world of Harry Potter and fans will continue to be enthralled by it,” he says.

The story picks up 19 years after Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows and features a grown-up Potter – now a Ministry of Magic employee – and his middle child Albus Severus, who struggles to come to terms with his family’s legacy.

When the hotly anticipated seventh book Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows was released in 2007, Penguin Books Singapore brought in about 300,000 copies – half for sale here and the other half in Malaysia – according to newspaper reports then.

It was the series’ biggest launch.

Popular, which has 28 bookstores here, is already in the throes of Potter fever, with staff donning wizard hats.

Customers can also snap a photo of themselves with life-sized standees for the book, which are out in some of its stores, and stand a chance to win prizes.

A Popular spokesman says pre- orders, which started pouring in from mid-April, have been “overwhelming”.

They are now in the thousands, about five times that of other “well-acclaimed book titles”.

Those who pre-order a copy of the latest book from now until July 31 will enjoy a 10 per cent discount.

Home-grown brand Times, which has seven bookstores here, has been encouraged by the response it received since preorders opened on May 26.

Meanwhile, Books Kinokuniya started getting inquiries about the new book as early as February, when news about it broke.

It has been taking reservations for the book since early April, says its children’s books buyer Jane Low. Customers who have pre-ordered the book stand a chance to win a Harry Potter chess set.

Bookstores declined to reveal the number of copies they have ordered, but Kinokuniya has asked for a quantity “comparable” with its previous orders for the rest of the series, while Popular will have “sufficient stocks to meet the demands of customers”.

Both have seen sales of previous Harry Potter instalments spike since the eighth book was announced, with Popular selling five times the usual number.

For Kinokuniya, “the fever seems to be growing by the day”, says Ms Low.

And when July 31 rolls around, some bookstores – including Kinokuniya’s Ngee Ann City main store and Jem outlet, and 15 Popular branches – will open at 7.01am to coincide with the international release of the book.

Fans can expect a little bit of magic then, with booksellers here going all out to celebrate the launch.

Kinokuniya will throw its HP8 Magical Party at all four stores, with plans that include a cosplay contest and prize giveaways.

A selection of limited quality, “highly coveted Harry Potter premium merchandise, which we have specially sourced from overseas” will be up for sale too. Kinokuniya is also working with patisserie Paul Singapore to come up with a Harry Potter-inspired treat for early-bird customers on the day of the launch.

Fans looking for a party can also head to Popular’s flagship store at Bras Basah Complex. Those who pre-register for the bash will receive goodie bags, while those queuing at other stores will get special gifts.

More details of the party and gifts will be released on the Popular website and its Facebook page. Times and MPH Bookstores will announce their launch plans and promotions at a later date.

But for MPH, Potter fever looks to be muted so far. Its merchandising manager Matthias Low says MPH, which has three stores here, has yet to see serious inquiries about the new book that have resulted in a confirmed preorder.

“We are taking a cautious approach of our initial stock commitment with the distributor,” he says. “After all, this is just a script book of a West End stage play.”

MPH has sold massive numbers of Rowling’s books, with her seven Harry Potter books selling an average of 10,000 copies each over the years. The final Harry Potter book enjoyed “huge sales”, but that, notes Mr Low, was in 2007 – “almost a generation ago”.

Sales have since flatlined and, since the release of the last Harry Potter film in 2011, MPH has “hardly sold any copies of Harry Potter”.

This article was first published on Jul 05, 2016.
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A self-styled spiritual “master” was yesterday sentenced to 12 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for raping a woman who had sought help from him to get rid of “ghosts” in her flat.

Ow Siew Hoe, 49, also known as Ow-Yong Siew Hoe, had admitted in March to sexually assaulting the 35-year-old in 2014 when she became drowsy after drinking a cup of “holy water” he had given her.

When she later confronted him about what he had done, he claimed he was forced to use his sperm to save the ghosts he had fought and hurt as, otherwise, she or her husband would have died.

In sentencing Ow yesterday, Justice Chan Seng Onn noted that he caused the woman to feel suicidal and to suffer trauma, resulting in her experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Your heinous sexual acts have inflicted a lasting psychological impact on the victim,” said the judge, as Ow kept his head bowed.

Justice Chan noted that Ow had abused the woman’s trust and belief that he had spiritual powers and “methodically planned” to lure her to his flat by exploiting her fear of the supernatural.

In February 2014, the Malaysian woman, who is married to a Singaporean, began to believe there were ghosts in her flat after observing her pets behaving strangely.

The sales assistant suspected the “presence” had something to do with her father-in-law and his girlfriend, who recently moved in with her and her husband.

She confided her fears to her husband but he did not share her suspicions.

She then sought advice from her mother-in-law, who told her that her sister knew a “powerful master” – Ow – who could help her.

On Feb 20, 2014, after checking her flat, Ow told her there were “dirty things” in the unit but he could help her get rid of them.

Over the next few days, he created the impression that the matter was serious and urgent, and told the woman to go to his flat to collect items to protect her against the supernatural beings.

On the afternoon of Feb 25, when she went to his flat, Ow told her to drink some “holy water”. As she became drowsy and giddy, he led her to a room, took off her clothes and raped her. She tried to push him away but was too weak to do so.

After the rape, she met her husband for dinner but did not tell him what had happened.

That night, she called Ow and asked him why he had raped her.

Ow told her that he had fought with the “ghosts” in her flat and hurt them. He told her that she or her husband would have died if he had not saved the ghosts.

On Feb 27, after talking to two friends, she made a police report. Ow was arrested the next day.

Yesterday, in seeking 12 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane, prosecutors noted that two years on, the emotional and psychological scars have not healed. The victim still has flashbacks and fears going out alone.

Deputy Public Prosecutor David Khoo urged Justice Chan to infer that Ow had drugged the woman, although there was no conclusive evidence. Sedatives, such as Xanax and Dormicum, were found in Ow’s flat and there was no other reasonable explanation for the woman suddenly feeling weak, said the DPP.

Ow’s lawyer, Mr Ramesh Tiwary, noted that by pleading guilty, his client had spared the victim the trauma of testifying in a trial. He said that Ow had been alone with other women who consulted him but he had never misbehaved, and “totally regrets” what he had done.

This article was first published on Jul 05, 2016.
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Two paintings that former China tour guide Yang Yin said he had bought for wealthy widow Chung Khin Chun were actually purchased even before he became her private tour guide in 2008, a court heard yesterday.

Dr Tan It Koon, a retiree who has known Madam Chung for over 40 years, took the stand on the second day of the trial involving Yang’s criminal breach of trust charges, and gave his account on the two paintings in question.

Yang, 42, is accused of misappropriating $500,000 and $600,000 from the 89-year-old widow on two separate occasions. He previously claimed he used the latter sum to buy six paintings on Madam Chung’s behalf.

However, Dr Tan said Madam Chung and her late husband Chou Sip King bought one painting – which depicts horses and people – during a trip to China which he had accompanied them on. Dr Chou died in 2007.

Dr Tan, a former specialist in laboratory medicine, said he bought the other painting entitled Red Leaves And Three Horses himself in 1990 at Bras Basah Complex on behalf of Madam Chung.

“I was the one who paid for the painting, but Madam Chung later reimbursed me,” said Dr Tan, who paid $1,680 for the painting.

Both paintings were among art works the police seized for investigations in 2014.

Dr Tan said he met Yang after he found out that the former tour guide had been staying at Madam Chung’s place. Yang moved in with the widow in 2009 – a year after he acted as her private tour guide during a trip to Beijing.

Now in his 70s, Dr Tan cut off contact with Yang after the former tour guide started asking for his paintings. He said he found it strange that Yang would text him even though he hardly knew him.

Earlier in the day, Madam Chung’s close friend, Madam Chang Phie Chin, 86, took the stand.

Tussle over widow’s $40m assets turns ugly

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, Madam Hedy Mok, Lianhe Wanbao, Madam Chang Phie Chin, Court Documents

Speaking in Mandarin through an interpreter, she recounted how she discovered in August 2011 that a $200,000 fund which she had purchased at OCBC Bank had been sold and deposited into Madam Chung’s account without her knowledge.

The fund was held in both Madam Chang and Madam Chung’s names.

When she told the widow about the withdrawal, Madam Chung found it “strange”, she said.

The widow then issued her a cheque for about $153,700 which bounced.

That was when Madam Chang decided to confront Yang. She said she would make a police report if the issue was not resolved.

The former tour guide then went with both women to an OCBC branch and later transferred about $153,700 to her.

When asked why she had moved out of the Gerald Crescent bungalow in November 2011, Madam Chang, who moved in to live with the couple in 2005, said: “I felt that my old friend whom I’ve had for 50 to 60 years did not believe what I said. I was very sad… The fact that so much had disappeared, I told her that she had been cheated.”

When Yang’s lawyer, Mr Irving Choh, asked Madam Chang why she did not prevent Yang from cheating Madam Chung, she said that she was not in a position to tell her friend what to do.

The trial continues today.

Tussle over widow’s $40m assets: A look at Madam Chung’s bungalow

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The Straits Times, Raymond Tan

This article was first published on Jul 05, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.