In a surprising turn of events, Yang Kaiheng, founder of socio-political website The Real Singapore (TRS), indicated yesterday that he wished to plead guilty to the seven sedition charges he faces.

Yang, 27, had originally claimed trial, denying he had posted inflammatory articles on the TRS website and Facebook page between 2013 and 2015.

During the trial, which went on for seven days in March and April, Yang claimed his involvement in TRS was for only a month in 2012 after helping to set it up.

The trial was supposed to have resumed yesterday until his lawyer told the judge in chambers about his client’s intention to plead guilty.

During the trial, Yang claimed that his wife, Ai Takagi, 23, an Australian national of Japanese descent, was responsible for the day-to-day business and editorial content of TRS.

Between December 2013 and April 2015, TRS raked in almost half a million dollars in advertising revenue, the court heard.

In April, Yang claimed that he and Takagi had been inspired to start TRS after their Facebook page, which petitioned for the removal of new Member of Parliament (MP) Tin Pei Ling after the 2011 General Election, garnered about 60,000 likes.

But during cross-examination, Deputy Public Prosecutor G. Kannan asked how this was possible when the couple had not yet met during the 2011 GE period.

DPP Kannan said he had a log of very personal and embarrassing WhatsApp messages that proved they had met only after the petition Facebook page was created.

Yang’s lawyer tried to interject, but Yang then conceded: “It’s okay, Your Honour, I admit I am lying.”

The next day, Yang again admitted to lying – this time for having falsely told the police he did not know that his friend, Mr Damien Koh, was involved in setting up TRS.

Yang had met Mr Koh, who later quit TRS, during their University of Queensland days.

Yang told the court: “I was being investigated for sedition during my interview. I didn’t want to implicate my friend. I was sure he had nothing to do with sedition in the TRS site.”

Yang turned up at the State Courts yesterday wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt and knee-length bermuda shorts.

He is expected to be back in court tomorrow.

If convicted of each charge under the Sedition Act, he faces up to three years’ jail and a fine of up to $5,000.

Takagi pleaded guilty to sedition in March after also initially claiming trial and was jailed 10 months.

Now about five months pregnant,, she began serving her sentence on April 22.

HIS CHARGES

• Yang Kaiheng is accused of seven counts of sedition:
• An article falsely asserting that a Filipino family caused an incident between the police and participants at last year’s Thaipusam procession.
• A similar Facebook post.
• An article alleging that a Filipino employee bribed a colleague to delete traces of his misdeeds to ensure that only his countrymen were hired by the company.
• An article portraying women from China as home-wreckers whose main motive was “trying to hook” Singaporean men.
• An article that had an editor’s note warning companies about hiring foreigners over Singaporeans.
• An article claiming that Filipino managers working here would give preferential treatment to subordinates of the same nationality at the expense of Singaporeans.
• Copied an article from Stomp about an elderly woman who told her grandson to urinate into a bottle on an MRT train, then doctored the article to say she was a Chinese national who allegedly had an accent and posted it on TRS.
• An eighth charge of failing to produce documents to the police for investigations has been stood down.

TIMELINE OF CASE

2012

The Real Singapore (TRS) is set up.

February 2015

TRS publishes an article on Feb 4 alleging that a Filipino family’s complaint over noise from drummers led to a scuffle during the Thaipusam procession on Feb 3. The police receive reports about an “insensitive article” online the next day. The authorities arrest Yang Kaiheng and Ai Takagi in Singapore that month.

April 2015

Yang and Takagi are charged with sedition and failing to produce documents to the police.

May 2015

The Media Development Authority suspends TRS’ operating licence and orders that it be taken down.

August 2015

Yang and Takagi open two ramen stalls in two National University of Singapore foodcourts.

October 2015

They get married.

January 2016

They open a third ramen stall at a coffee shop in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8.

March 2016

Yang claims trial while his wife pleads guilty. Takagi is sentenced to 10 months’ jail.

April 2016

During Yang’s trial, he admits to lying on two different occasions before the trial is adjourned to June. Takagi begins her sentence on April 22.

June 2016

Yang indicates he wishes to plead guilty.

This article was first published on June 23, 2016.
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There’s a market in Singapore held every two weeks where absolutely everything is free. TNP reports on the unusual things that people gave away.

There is a market held every two months in Singapore where everything is absolutely free.

People can walk away with clothes, shoes or CDs without paying a single cent.

However, what was more eye-catching were the services – such as yoga story telling or a roadside spa – that were given away as well.

ABOUT THE FREE MARKET

The Singapore Really Really Free Market (SRRFM) has been held since 2009.

“At first we were worried that nobody would come and that nobody would take things, but we didn’t expect people to respond so well,” said Mr Woon Tien Wei, a spokesman for the event and organisers, Post-Museum, an arts collective that runs cultural and social projects in Singapore.

He said that there is hardly any cost in organising the event.

It is usually co-organised with other groups, who offer a location to have the market for free. The only cost they incur is man hours of the volunteers.

Sunday’s market was organised in conjunction with the Kapor Chatparty by Octopus Residency – a group of individuals whose interest lies primarily in creative place-making and community art engagement.

It was held at the Singai Tamil Sangam building at Kampong Kapor.

Now into to the 43rd edition of the event, the organisers show no signs of stopping yet. The event is usually held every two months, but the next one will held on July 17, in Marine Parade.

More details can be found on their Facebook page.

WHAT: Yoga storytelling

WHO: Mr Balakrishnan Matchap

In an area where most people were giving away things like clothes and curios, Mr Balakrishnan Matchapwas giving away stories.

At the Singapore Really Really Free Market (SRRFM) on Sunday, the yoga teacher asked participants to put a metal bowl on their heads as he hit it lightly, allowing the sound from the bowl to resonate around the person.

He also told stories, accompanied by basic yoga movements he taught.

“The stories serve as a healing tool. People remember kindness and they remember stories,” he said.

WHAT: Worm castings

WHO: Mr Faiz Zohri

Many people would cringe at the thought of worms crawling on their hands, but for Mr Faiz Zohri, 32, handling worms is a pastime.

The landscape architect has been creating “worm castings” in his free time for the past two years

Essentially, Mr Faiz mixes rubbish like food waste and newspapers with soil and worms in a container. After about two months, the soil turns black, indicating that the waste has been processed by the worms to make compost, hence “worm castings”. Compost helps plants grow better.

Many curious people who approached Mr Faiz received samples to take home.

He usually gives the compost to friends, who use it in their gardens, but when he heard about the SRRFM in April, he decided to go there with a few containers to share his hobby with everyone else.

WHAT: Roadside spa

WHO: Miss Ng Xi Jie, 29, a freelance artist

The side of the road is not where one would typically find a spa.

However, that is exactly what Miss Ng Xi Jie, 29, created at the SRRFM on Sunday.

Miss Ng, who also goes by her Hindi nickname, Bindi, created a pop-up spa experience by giving people homemade natural facials on yoga mats while they listened to relaxing South Indian-inspired music.

Miss Ng started the “Bindi Roadside Spa” to engage the migrant worker community.

“The spa allows people to indulge in self-care and wellness, something they cannot normally do because of their busy schedules,” said Miss Ng.

In three hours, Miss Ng gave 12 facials to both migrant workers and Singaporeans at the event.

Mr Murugesan, 33, a construction worker, walked out feeling happy and refreshed.

He said: “It is very nice, what they do here.”

This article was first published on June 23, 2016.
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In 2002, a 23-year-old Malaysian man abducted and raped a 12-year-old girl near her home in Singapore.

And he got away with the savage crime for 12 years, despite leaving his DNA on the victim and at the rape scene.

About three years after the rape, Lee Ah Choy married a woman in Johor Baru (JB), and she bore him a son the following year.

After the marriage, he lived in JB and commuted daily to Singapore, where he worked as a carpenter.

It was only in 2014 that the law caught up with him when he was arrested in Singapore for an alleged theft.

A blood sample was taken from him and sent for DNA testing.

His fate was sealed when his DNA profile was found to match the one taken from the rape scene and his victim’s body.

Lee, now 37, was yesterday sentenced to 16½ years’ jail and ordered to receive 18 strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to one count each of rape, outrage of modesty and criminal intimidation for his assault of the 12-year-old girl.

A fourth charge for abducting her was taken into consideration during sentencing.

The victim, a Malaysian who is now 26, cannot be named to protect her identity.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Shahla Iqbal told the court that the victim was in Secondary One when Lee raped her.

She would leave her home, an HDB flat in the north-west, at around 6.40am every weekday to go to school.

At the time, Lee worked and lived in a factory in Sungei Kadut Street 3, about 1.3km away. He returned home to JB intermittently.

Though his working hours were from 9am to 6pm, the girl noticed him at the void deck of her block on five separate occasions when she was going to school. This was several days before the rape.

Lee tried to befriend her, but she ignored his advances.

On the fifth occasion, on Oct 17, 2002, he blocked her way and asked if he could take her out. Though she ignored him, he followed her until she boarded a bus.

She told her older brother about the incident and found out that he had also seen Lee loitering at their void deck. But they did not tell their parents.

The next morning, Lee blocked her way again. As she walked away, he told her that he needed her help to pass some money to his godsister who lived nearby.

When she declined, Lee grabbed her left arm and ordered her to follow him.

She swung free, but he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to a nearby block, where they got into a lift and went up to the fourth storey.

He then dragged her to the end of a corridor. DPP Iqbal said Lee had planned the rape in advance because he had earlier laid out pieces of cardboard in that spot.

The court also heard that the HDB estate was new at the time, with many units still unoccupied.

The girl burst into tears when Lee forced her to sit down at a nearby flight of stairs. He took out a paper cutter and threatened to cut her if she did not stop crying.

The terrified girl continued sobbing, and he placed the weapon on the floor.

DPP Iqbal said: “The victim seized this opportunity and grabbed the paper cutter, and pointed it at the accused.

“He looked at her and calmly told her that if she cut him once, he would cut her thrice in return.”

SNATCHED

He then snatched the cutter from her and placed it on the floor again.

The girl tried to run away when he made her sit on the cardboard, but he grabbed her haversack and dragged her back.

Despite her struggle, he pinned her down, pulled down her panties and molested her.

He then raped her. After he was done, they got dressed and took the lift down.

She hurried home and told her mother about her ordeal. Her father reported the rape to the police at around 9.20am.

The victim was taken to the National University Hospital that day and was found to have suffered tears in her private parts.

Swabs were taken from her and the crime scene, but the police could not establish the identity of her attacker.

But Lee’s days of eluding justice ended on Dec 18, 2014, when he was arrested at Anchorvale Street in Sengkang for alleged theft.

For rape, he could have been jailed up to 20 years and received up to 24 strokes of the cane.

Victim afraid to take lift

The victim, 26, still feels sad and afraid even though the rape happened about 14 years ago.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Shahla Iqbal told the court yesterday that the incident had caused the victim great psychological harm.

“The victim dropped out of secondary school as she lost interest in her studies, felt depressed, was afraid to take the lift on her own (and) had nightmares,” she said.

“She rarely goes out to socialise with family or friends, (and) avoids men.”

Stressing that the victim also suffered physical injuries to her private parts after the rape, she urged Judicial Commissioner Hoo Sheau Peng to sentence the rapist, Lee Ah Choy, now 37, to between 16 and 18 years’ jail with 18 strokes of the cane.

The court heard that the victim was just 12 years old and a virgin when he raped her on Oct 18, 2002.

DPP Iqbal said: “It is clear that the accused had forcibly robbed the victim of her innocence without any regard for the emotional and physical pain that she would suffer thereafter.

“The accused was clearly only concerned with gratifying his own perverse sexual desires.”

Lee’s lawyer, Mr Richard Siaw Kin Yeow, asked JC Hoo to sentence his client to about 15 years’ jail with 15 strokes of the cane.

He added that the theft allegation that resulted in Lee’s arrest on Dec 18, 2014, had arisen from an employment dispute.

“Our client categorically denies any wrongful act (in this matter), and we understand that the prosecution will not be pursuing the matter,” he added

Mr Siaw also said that Lee had not told his wife and their 10-year-old son about his sexual offences.

He said: “For the rest of his life, our client will suffer the pain and regret of bringing immense shame to his family. He now faces the serious prospect of losing his wife and son.”

How DNA differentiates

DNA samples can be taken from almost anywhere in the body, including skin, blood and other bodily fluids.

According to a BBC report in 2013, 99.9 per cent of the DNA from two people will be identical.

What makes us unique is the 0.1 per cent of DNA code sequences that vary from person to person.

The report said: “These sequences are called genetic markers, and are the part of the code that forensic scientists use when doing a DNA test.”

Parental, forensic and genetic testing look for similarities in the genetic markers between two biological samples.

The report added: “The chances that two unrelated people have identical profiles is less than one in a billion.

“Identical twins are the only people who have identical genetic markers. The more closely related two people are, the more likely it is that some of their genetic markers will be similar.”

But recent research says there’s a new test that can differentiate between the DNA of identical twins.

This article was first published on June 23, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – Ikea is recalling all child safety gates in the Patrull series, the furniture store said in a statement on Thursday (June 23). 

It urged customers who have the Patrull, Patrull Fast or Patrull Klamma safety gate to “immediately stop using it” and return it to any store for a full refund.  

Ikea is recalling the safety gates as a “precautionary measure” after receiving reports from customers where the Patrull safety gates have opened unexpectedly and children have fallen down stairs. Some of the incidents have required medical attention, said Ikea. 

However, there have been no such incidents reported locally. 

A third party investigation has shown that the locking mechanism is not reliable, posing a risk for young children, despite approved tests to applicable standards.

Ikea has apologised for any inconvenience this may have caused.

“At Ikea, we have zero tolerance regarding child safety,” says Maria Thörn, Acting Business Area Manager at Children’s Ikea in Ikea of Sweden.

“Whenever we get indications of a possible safety issue with any of our products, we act. We cannot accept that there is a risk of injury while playing and as an immediate and precautionary action we recall all Patrull safety gates,” she added. 

The Patrull safety gates have been sold in all Ikea markets, including Singapore, but the affected products have been pull off the shelves, said Ikea. 

Customers may proceed to any Ikea store with their Patrull, Patrull Fast or Patrull Klamma safety gates, including any Patrull safety gate extension, for a full refund.

No proof of purchase is required. 

maryanns@sph.com.sg