On Thursday (Jun 23), the Central Narcotics Bureau launched two separate operations, dismantling a drug trafficking syndicate in the process.
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Boy, 2, dies after daily abuse for a month by mum and her boyfriend
For little Daniel, who was just two years old when he died, home should have been where he felt safest, where he should have been loved and protected.
But the Telok Blangah flat where he spent his brief life was a house of horrors where, for more than a month, he was abused almost daily.
Day after day, the toddler, who was born Mohamad Daniel Mohamad Nasser, would be slapped, kicked and stamped on, until he took a fatal blow to his head that ended his month of suffering.
One of his two tormentors was his mother, the person who should have loved and protected him.
The other was her live-in boyfriend.
Yesterday, Zaidah, 41, who goes by only one name, and Zaini Jamari, 46, each pleaded guilty in court to one count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Daniel, and three counts of ill-treating him.
The court was told that the couple, who are both cleaners, had abused Daniel almost every day for more than a month until he died of a head injury on Nov 23 last year.
Between Oct 18 and Nov 22, they repeatedly slapped and kicked him, and forcefully fed him chilli.
Once, Zaidah stamped him on his chest after he fell when she hit him.
The abuse in a one-room rental flat at Block 19, Telok Blangah Crescent, was so horrifying that Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Claire Poh likened Daniel’s living conditions to that of a “concentration camp”.
Zaidah also faced 26 other charges of ill-treating her son, while Zaini had another 18 charges.
They will be taken into consideration during sentencing.
The court heard that Daniel was Zaidah’s fourth of six children.
Her three older children, of whom the eldest is 20 years old, no longer live with her.
Their father is not known.
Daniel’s father was in prison when he was born.
Zaidah has since lost contact with him.
A check on the Registry of Muslim Marriages shows that she had been married once, to another man in 1991.
Her fifth child, conceived with Zaini, is a girl who is now almost two.
She was about seven months pregnant with her sixth child when she started abusing Daniel.
The family lived in the flat which was rented by her friend, Ms Puspawati Abdul Razat, 50.
Ms Puspawati’s 15-year-old niece also lived there.
From September to early October last year, Daniel and his half-sister were placed in the care of another woman, Ms Yusnita Mohamed Idrus, 41.
But she stopped in mid-October because she had to undergo an operation later that month.
On Oct 21, Ms Puspawati’s niece came home and saw Zaidah punishing Daniel by making him stand beside a fan, DPP Poh told the court.
SLAPPING
When the toddler became sleepy and could no longer stand straight, Zaidah slapped his face several times and shouted in Malay: “When night (falls), you do not want to sleep, when morning (comes), you want to sleep.”
She then kicked his stomach when he fell to the floor.
Zaini then pulled the boy up by his hand and forced him into the kitchen, and punished him by making him stand there.
On Nov 9, Zaidah made her son stand with both his hands on top of his head as punishment.
When she complained to Zaini about the toddler, he kicked the boy hard on his back, then kicked him again on his rib after he fell to the floor.
Six days later, Ms Puspawati’s niece noticed that Daniel was again standing beside the fan as punishment.
For no apparent reason, Zaidah suddenly slapped his face hard several times until he fell to the floor.
After she kicked him, Zaini stepped forward and slapped his face before kicking his stomach about five times.
On Nov 18, Zaidah slapped the boy until his mouth bled.
When he fell, she twisted both his hands and stepped on them.
After that, she carried him by his hands and legs to the toilet before changing his nappy on the bed.
Between 10am and noon four days later, she tried to feed him but he refused to eat.
Zaidah then slapped his face thrice before passing the bowl of food to Zaini.
When Daniel continued refusing to eat, they slapped him.
Zaidah then hit his back until he fell.
When he did not get up, she forcefully stamped on his chest with her right leg.
She also yanked his left arm to make him stand.
Daniel managed to swallow about three spoonfuls of food before refusing to eat any more. She then ordered him to stand in a corner.
At around 8pm, he was made to stand near the bed.
When the tired toddler rested his hand on the bed frame, Zaidah slapped his face several times before Zaini joined in.
DPP Poh said: “The deceased then lay down on the floor and closed his eyes. (Zaini) then brought him to the fridge and force-fed him two spoonfuls of dried chilli.
“As the deceased was still weak and did not respond, (Zaini) brought him to the toilet and washed the dried chilli from his mouth. He then punished the deceased again by making him stand in the living room.”
The toddler was still standing about 45 minutes later.
Tired from the punishment, he could not stand properly and almost fainted.
When Zaidah saw this, she shouted at him, pinched his body and cheeks before slapping him several times.
Though Daniel was weak by then, she thought he was pretending and complained to Zaini, who then slapped him several times.
When one of the blows missed and landed on his daughter, Zaidah got angry and kicked Daniel on the chest and stomach several times.
Zaini also kicked his stomach, and the boy hit his head against the floor when he fell.
After that, Zaini forced dried chilli down his throat, causing mucus to flow from his nose.
He then took the toddler to the toilet and washed his face before ordering him to sleep.
Around 8am the next day, he tried to wake Daniel but the boy was motionless.
He alerted Zaidah and they tried to rouse the boy but failed.
Ms Puspawati and her niece called an ambulance, and Daniel was taken to the Singapore General Hospital.
He was pronounced dead about an hour later.
DPP Poh said the couple were not suffering from any mental disorders when they abused Daniel.
Zaidah and Zaini will be sentenced on July 5.
For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, they can each be jailed up to 10 years and fined.
Zaini can also be caned.
And for each count of ill-treating Daniel, they can each be jailed up to four years and fined up to $4,000.
DPP: Abusers ‘displayed a callous lack of remorse’
A woman and her boyfriend abused her two-year-old biological son until he died last year.
When cleaner Zaidah, 41, who goes by only one name, stood in the dock yesterday to answer for her crime, she did not show any emotion and was dry-eyed.
Zaidah and her boyfriend, Zaini Jamari, 46, who is also a cleaner, were expressionless when they faced Principal District Judge Bala Reddy.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Claire Poh said the couple had “displayed a callous lack of remorse”, adding that this was shown by their initial attempt to cover up the abuse.
The court heard that an ambulance was called when the toddler, Mohamad Daniel Mohamad Nasser, was found motionless around 8am on Nov 23 last year.
When a paramedic asked Zaidah about his injuries, she lied that Daniel had a habit of pinching himself.
When interviewed by the police, the couple said the bump on his forehead was the result of his falling on the toilet floor.
They later went back to the one-room rental flat at Block 19, Telok Blangah Crescent, they were living in at 7pm and “coolly watched television”, said DPP Poh.
The court also heard that the couple had previous criminal convictions.
Zaidah was in and out of drug rehabilitation centres from 1996 to 1997 after consuming morphine.
In 2006, she was jailed for 5½ years for morphine abuse.
DPP Poh said that Zaini was placed on probation for a year in 1985 for housebreaking and theft by day.
She urged the court to jail him for at least nine years, with nine to 12 strokes of the cane for his current offences.
She asked for Zaidah to be jailed for a longer term because, being a woman, she cannot be caned.
In mitigation, the couple, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded for leniency and promised not to commit the offence again.
DPP Poh added that Daniel was clad in only diapers when he was abused and the blows landed on bare skin.
She said: “Unlike an older child who may have the maturity and physical strength to protect one’s self by running away, the deceased had no means of escape from the one-room HDB unit. He was entrapped.
“(Zaidah’s and Zaini’s) crimes towards the defenceless two-year-old child are, simply put, horrific and inhumane.”
ashaffiq@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on June 24, 2016.
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Cambodia deports 25 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China: Police
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia deported 25 Taiwanese nationals wanted on fraud charges to China Friday, a police officer said, despite vehement opposition from Taipei which wanted the suspects returned to Taiwan.
Taipei accuses Beijing of “abducting” its citizens from countries that do not recognise the island’s government – such as close China ally Cambodia.
“The Chinese plane just took off from the Phnom Penh airport with the suspects,” Cambodian immigration officer Uk Heisela told AFP.
The 25 Taiwanese suspects were joined by 14 Chinese nationals, all of whom were recently arrested for allegedly running a telephone fraud targeting victims on the mainland.
“Chinese police came with the plane. Each suspect was escorted by two Chinese police,” said the officer, adding that a total of 90 Chinese officers arrived to oversee the hand-off.
Taiwan insists citizens deported from third countries should be returned to the island and not to mainland China.
Taiwan has been self-ruling since the end of a civil war in 1949 but Beijing still sees it as a part of its territory waiting to be reunified.
The island has never formally declared independence.
Cambodia, one of Beijing’s closest allies in Southeast Asia, refuses to differentiate between China and Taiwan, simply referring to nationals from the latter as “island Chinese”.
In April Malaysia and Kenya sparked uproar in Taipei when they returned Taiwanese nationals accused of crimes to mainland China.
Observers saw the deportation cases as Beijing’s effort to pressure the new Taiwanese government that took office in May.
China does not trust the traditionally pro-independence ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Taiwan’s new president Tsai Ing-wen has repeatedly pledged to maintain the “status quo”, but she also has not bowed to pressure to accept Beijing’s definition of cross-strait relations.
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Friday, June 24, 2016 – 16:27
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Uber to replace surge with upfront fares: Less heartache on your next ride
If it rained every day like how it did this morning, public transportation will be filled to the brim with workers on the way to work. Peak hour will be hell (more than it is already), and taxis will be even harder to come by either.
Thank god there’s Uber right? Well, not when there’s a surge going on around your pickup area.
You know, those dreaded multiplications that almost always don’t tell you the actual figure you’ll need to fork out at the end of your ride.
http://t.co/7zV1Wr7zRl So am I sway or what? #uber #SMRTbreakdown #SMRT @Uber_SING pic.twitter.com/AnxUgnReSA
— Magdelene (@magmagx) July 9, 2015
If the major MRT breakdowns back in July last year were any indication, surge pricing can lead to devastating effects to the masses almost immediately, especially in Singapore where the population is dense with Uber users.
In light of the recent #MRTbreakdown, we’ve disabled surge to help commuters get home easily
— Uber Singapore (@Uber_SING) July 7, 2015
Though to be fair to Uber, they were quick to quell the situation by suspending the surge, and making necessary refunds to those who were affected before their official announcement.
Uber Moves Away From Surge
“Upfront fares: no math and no surprises.” The intention is clear on this one.
Today, in a move to provide more transparency for fares during peak periods, Uber has announced that they will do away with the guesstimate multiplications in their surge pop-ups and replace them with upfront fares, set to be released globally ‘in the next few months’, as Techcrunch found out.
The upfront fares feature has been so far rolled out in selected cities in the United States and India since April, and more cities are set to follow.
How the upfront fare works is based on a calculated sum of factors – expected travelling times, distance of the trip, local traffic conditions, and how many riders and drivers nearby at any given moment.
Now instead of the lightning bolts that send shudders down the spine of your wallet, users will simply be shown the actual fare before they confirm a ride.
“There’s no complicated math and no surprises: passengers can just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Now you will get to know exactly how much you need to pay, and getting heart attacks every time your Uber bill comes in will be a thing of the past.
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Friday, June 24, 2016 – 16:23
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New BCA partnerships hope students, companies will take lead in making buildings greener
The two new partnerships with schools and industry firms aim to provide new platforms for more ground-up initiatives.
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Brexit vote a 'turning point': PM Lee
Britain’s vote to leave the EU will affect Singapore, say local politicians.
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Ugly comments left for Honda's LGBT-friendly photo on Facebook
With the recent Orlando tragedy that unfortunately claimed around 50 innocent lives caused by a mass shooting in a gay bar, many have come forward to show their support during these troubling times.
This includes a lot of major corporations who want to let the LGBT community know that they are not alone and the most recent one to join the list is Honda.
On June 18, the North American subsidiary of Honda Motor Company, Ltd, posted a photo on their Facebook page showing some of their vehicles lined up coated by the colours of the rainbow-a well-known portrayal of the LGBT movement.
This was done in honour of them announcing their participation for the 2016 Columbus Pride Parade happening in Ohio.
Malaysians caught wind of this and headed on over to the page where some serious homophobic comments were left.
Multiple local users expressed their desire to boycott the brand and declared their plans to change their vehicles over to other motor companies as they refuse to support a company which shows allegiance towards the sexual minority.
With this particular comment left by a Malaysian raking up to over 600 likes and being the first comment seen when viewing the photo, it’s quite clear on how many share the same sentiments with this being further proven by the string of comments with similar tones left after.
(Translation: “I’m going to sell my Honda EX5. I can’t believe all this while I have been riding on a gay motorcycle.”)
Although the caption of this photo clearly depicted how it was curated for an LGBT parade in a country where gay marriage is legalised, it seems as though some Malaysians found the need to show off their homophobic stances on a platform where not only Muslims could see, but other people from different religions and beliefs as well who may not share the same sentiments.
Hope is not lost
But it is not all bad.
Despite there being some comments venting out their dislike on Honda’s stance, there have been a few individuals commending the brand on a good show of faith as well as expressing their sorrow that our country still has this lack of progression within the community.
There were also a few who neither truly showed their support nor protest but mentioned how it seemed out of bounds for Malaysians to leave such comments on something that was clearly geared towards the American community.
(Translation: “Why are all of you causing a commotion here? This isn’t even the Honda Malaysia page, this is the overseas one. It’s up to them to post whatever they want. Don’t be so narrow-minded and embarrass our country please? Go home.”)
(Translation: There are a lot of Muslims commenting on this page who aren’t appropriately showing the true morals of our beloved religion and instead giving the wrong impression to the non-Muslims, just because of ignorance and being emotional when it comes to preaching. Allah is watching all of you. I only own a Myvi but I don’t care who uses a Honda. Go comment on the Honda Malaysia page. What kind of thinking is this? The will is there but the way is handled poorly.”)
With there being such mixed responses from our country, it’s a little difficult to summarise what exactly is Malaysia’s stance on the LGBT community.
While there are those who adamantly refuse to accept this movement, there are also a number of individuals who are following the stream of acceptance as the rest of the world and opening their mind towards progression.
Homophobia is unfortunately still running around rampant and forces the mind to reject any healthy debate on what is believed to be acceptable.
A country’s growth depends on its citizens so with backward thinking such as this, is it plausible to believe Malaysia will ever be at the same level as the rest of the world?
What are your thoughts on this campaign done by Honda?
Do you support it or not?
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Friday, June 24, 2016 – 15:29
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Abu Sayyaf releases Filipina girlfriend of beheaded Canadian
JOLO, Philippines – A Filipina held hostage by a notorious kidnapping-for-ransom gang in the strife-torn southern Philippines was released from captivity Friday, police said, a week after her Canadian boyfriend was beheaded by the gunmen.
Marites Flor was among four people abducted nine months ago by Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants based on remote and mountainous southern islands that have earned millions of dollars from kidnappings in recent years.
Flor’s partner, Robert Hall, was murdered after a ransom deadline lapsed last week and following a similar killing of the other Canadian hostage, John Ridsdel, in April.
Flor was freed in Sulu, a remote archipelago known as a hideout of the militants, Wilfredo Cayat told AFP.
Cayat did not give details on the circumstances of her release except that she was dropped off outside the house of local politician Abdusakur Tan on Jolo, the main island in Sulu.
“She was released early morning somewhere in the province of Sulu and brought to the governor’s house. I have no idea if ransom was paid,” Cayat said.
The fate of Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad, who was abducted along with the three, remained unknown.
All were seized in September from aboard yachts at a tourist resort on Samal island, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) to the west of Sulu.
Italian hostage released by Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines
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Friday, June 24, 2016 – 16:02
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Paradise Group fined $530,000 for stealing gas
SINGAPORE – Restaurant chain Paradise Group was fined $530,000 on Friday (June 24) for tampering with its restaurants’ gas meter installations and dishonestly consuming gas, Energy Market Authority (EMA) said in a press statement.
In March 2012, City Gas detected an abnormally low consumption of gas at Taste Paradise, a restaurant at the ION Orchard shopping mall. City Gas and SP PowerGrid (SPPG) then carried out an inspection and found that the restaurant’s gas meter installation had been tampered with.
First, the lock on the gas meter bypass valve was found to be different from those used by SPPG. Secondly, the bypass valve of the gas meter installation had also been opened, allowing gas to flow without registering on the meter. The bypass valve is to allow for maintenance works without disrupting gas supply.
According to the statement, subsequent inspections carried out at 23 other Paradise Group restaurants in April 2012 also uncovered similar tampering of their gas meter installations.
The group faces 29 charges altogether.
City Gas estimated that the meter tampering by Paradise Group had cost the gas supplier over $600,000 worth of gas. The fine of $530,000 is in addition to the cost of gas illegally consumed and recoverable by City Gas.
Mr Yeo Yek Seng, Deputy Chief Executive (Regulation) of the Energy Market Authority (EMA) said: “Our gas supply is an essential utility. Theft of utilities is unacceptable and results in other consumers having to pay more. Tampering of meters may also possibly disrupt gas supply and pose safety risks. EMA will take firm action against anyone who tampers with their gas meters and tries to dishonestly consume gas”.
debwong@sph.com.sg
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Friday, June 24, 2016 – 15:55
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Will make the best of new reality: PM Lee on Brexit
SINGAPORE – The UK vote to leave the European Union (EU) is “a turning point” reflecting the anxieties of the British population, and the next few years will be uncertain ones for Britain and Europe, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, adding that Singapore…
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