In a blog post, Mr Chan Chun Sing clarified two “common misperceptions”: that NTUC’s social enterprises enjoy privileges from the Government, and why their prices are not significantly lower than competitors.
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NTUC’s social enterprises do not enjoy Govt privileges: Chan Chun Sing
Olympics: Aussie chiefs demand Rio ramp up security
Australian Olympic chiefs Tuesday demanded Rio Games organisers ramp up security immediately after a highly decorated Paralympian and her physiotherapist were robbed at gunpoint in the city, amid fears others will be targeted.
The Australian Paralympic Committee said sailor and wheelchair basketball player Liesl Tesch and team official Sarah Ross were riding their bikes in broad daylight in a park on Sunday.
They were confronted by two men, one of them carrying a pistol, who demanded money before shoving them off the bikes and riding off on them.
Kate McLoughlin, chef de mission of the Australian Paralympic team, said the pair, in Rio to train at the Paralympic sailing venue, were “understandably shaken but unhurt”.
Rio is experiencing a spike in crime and robberies ahead of the Olympics which open on August 5.
Earlier this month, a Brazilian competitive shooter, who just missed out on a spot on the Olympic team, was shot in the head during an attempted robbery in Rio.
It followed the armed mugging of members of the Spanish sailing team in the city last month.
Australian Olympic Committee chef de mission Kitty Chiller called on Games organisers to mobilise security forces immediately rather than wait until nearer the event’s official opening.
“The Rio organisers need to introduce the extra security precautions as soon as possible before an athlete gets hurt. We have written to them today asking them to address this issue,” Chiller said.
“This is not an isolated incident, athletes have been mugged while training or competing in Rio test events and we want our athletes protected.
“This is a major concern and the only answer is for the authorities to put extra police and security on the ground now.” According to the AOC, the Rio Organising Committee has vowed to mobilise 100,000 police, military and other personnel in time for the Olympics with the force remaining in place for the Paralympics which begin on September 7.
“We have briefed our athletes leading into the Games,” added Chiller.
“Basically we are saying that if you are confronted by criminals, comply, hand over your belongings and don’t argue. That is exactly what the two Paralympians did on Sunday.” Tesch, a six-time Paralympian who won sailing gold at London 2012 and also has silver and bronze medals in basketball, said Rio was “a pretty scary place to be”.
Tesch, who is still able to cycle despite a mountain bike accident when she was 19 that left her partly paraplegic, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that several people saw the incident but no one came to help.
“I think he said ‘dinheiro’… which means money, so I lifted up my shirt and said: ‘Look I don’t have any money’,” she told the broadcaster.
“He then said something else and pointed the gun at me and pushed me in the shoulder and I just toppled over with my bicycle and he just grabbed my bicycle, and the other guy was wrestling the bicycle from our team physio.
“And they just rode off into the park. It was absolutely horrific.”
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NDP 2016 exco blends military knowledge with civilian professional experience
19 National Servicemen have stepped forward to volunteer their services and expertise, blending military knowledge with experience from their civilian professions.
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Shun Ng wins prize by Songwriter's Hall of Fame in US
After he made headlines for receiving high praise for his musical talent from legendary US music producer Quincy Jones in 2013, Singapore-raised Shun Ng has scored an even bigger accolade.
Ng, 26, was awarded the annual Holly Prize at this year’s Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Gala on June 9 in New York City.
The Holly Prize was created in 2009 as a tribute to the legacy of 1950s US musician Buddy Holly.
It recognises breakthrough singer-songwriters. The prize is administered and judged by the Hall of Fame.
Ng, a fingerstyle guitarist-vocalist and US citizen, was born in Chicago and is based in Boston, but considers himself a Singaporean at heart after spending almost 20 years here.
He told The New Paper in a Skype interview yesterday: “It was a huge shock and so unexpected because it’s not something anyone can get.
“I’m also honoured to have received it from three-time Grammy-winning (record producer) Peter Asher.”
He added: “This award is definitely my biggest achievement and highest honour so far in my music career.”
When asked if he is aiming for a Grammy next, Ng – whose music incorporates elements of rock, soul, funk and blues – said: “The most important thing is to work hard at my craft and not do it just to win an award, but to do it because I love it.”
He was more nervous about seeing his favourite artists rather than receiving the award at the ceremony.
STARS
He said: “There were tons of stars, many great writers and artists like Gamble and Huff, Valerie Simpson, Lionel Richie and Nile Rodgers whom I respect and admire.
“It was just so incredible to be in the same room and breathe the same air.”
He’s been endorsed by Jones, who said of Ng: “You won’t believe your eyes nor your ears… I was simply blown away by both his soul and his science – his creativity and his uniqueness are astounding.”
Guitarist Brian May from English rock band Queen also tweeted in December 2014 about Ng’s cover of their song Bohemian Rhapsody: “You gotta see! Amazing new solo Acoustic & Vocal arrangement of Bo Rap. Check out those harmonics, guys!”
However, success didn’t come easy for Ng while he was growing up.
When he was eight, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and struggled with schoolwork at Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road and later International).
He said: “I was so detached with words, but music helped me. When I was struggling with school, I would go home and play my guitar and just disappear into the music to make myself feel better.”
Ng started learning the instrument when he was 14, after his father bought him a nylon-string guitar for Christmas.
In 2012, after completing his studies in music and audio technology at Singapore Polytechnic and national service, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, US, on a scholarship.
But he dropped out after two semesters to pursue music full-time after he signed with Ralph Jaccodine Management.
He said: “Singapore will always be home to me. My whole upbringing was there, I started learning the guitar there and my family and friends are there.”
He added: “During my shows, I talk about Singapore and the fact that I’m Chinese and that I’m not trying to be white or black…
“For one of the first shows I played in the US, I received feedback that I had no soul in the way I played…
“Whether people want to categorise (my music) as ‘Chinese blues’ is not important to me.
LABELS
“I don’t want to be labelled, but some people can never get past my race… (but) there are enough people in the world who can (accept) me for who I am.”
His father, Dr John Ng, a 62-year-old leadership consultant, told TNP: “I am very grateful rather than proud that the industry has recognised his talent because what Shun has is a gift from God. It’s not from me or my wife because we don’t have a musical background.”
Ng’s parents have been “very supportive” of him – even when he dropped out of Berklee.
Said Dr Ng: “The dean told us that 50 per cent of the students don’t complete their studies, instead they are scouted by agents. That was comforting to hear, to know that the students are as good as the industry standards.”
tracylow@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on June 21, 2016.
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Singapore girls caught shoplifting in Bangkok slammed for smiling in mugshots
They had just been caught shoplifting in Bangkok, yet fooled around and smiled for their mugshots.
The photographs of the two Singaporean girls went viral after they were uploaded on social media, with netizens in both Thailand and Singapore slamming them for their behaviour.
The girls, both 18 at the time, were caught after they stole two spaghetti-strap tops from a shop at the Platinum Fashion Mall in Thailand on June 16.
Their personal details were later posted online.
Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, one of them, Miss Low Yu Min, who turned 19 yesterday, said she wanted to take responsibility for her actions and apologise to both Singaporeans and Thais.
STUPID
“It was so stupid of us to do what we did, and we truly feel remorseful for appearing as if we didn’t treat the situation seriously,” she said.
“We are so sorry for the trouble that we have caused, and more importantly, I would like to say sorry to all the people who have shown care and concern for us.
“We are sorry for letting you down.”
Miss Low described how they and two male friends had gone to Thailand for a one-week holiday last week, and spent a day shopping at Platinum.
They had split up, with the girls wandering off to shop together.
“We walked past the shop about noon and saw that it was closed with a bamboo pole laid across the storefront,” she said.
The shop attendant of My Faiday had gone to the toilet.
On impulse, the girls decided to steal the tops.
“We were not thinking straight at the time. It was a silly thing to do,” said Miss Low.
“I really regret what we did, and I can’t say sorry enough.”
They then met their friends and went to Mahboonkrong (MBK), another mall about 1.9km away.
About two hours later, they were approached by My Faiday’s shop attendant and her friend at MBK.
The friend, who owns a shop at Platinum, told TNP yesterday that they had sent out pictures of the girls from closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to Line chat groups with about 1,000 retailers in Bangkok.
They then received an alert that the girls had been seen at MBK. (See report on right.)
Miss Low said they were shown the CCTV footage and had their bags checked.
“We didn’t understand what was going on because of the language barrier, but we were scared and knew we were in trouble,” said Miss Low.
“A group, including some people who seemed to be the police, came later. But after discussing among themselves, they left.”
Then, the shop attendant and her friend told the girls to follow them back to Platinum.
They took a taxi to Platinum where they were taken to the security office. The girls were told to hand over their passports, or face being reported to the police.
Afraid they would be locked up without bail, the girls complied.
“We were very scared and confused because we didn’t know what would happen to us,” Miss Low said.
COULDN’T COMMUNICATE
“There was no one we could properly communicate with to express how we felt.”
She said the security guard handling the case was light-hearted and casual about the incident.
“Throughout the whole process, we were actually very solemn and tense, so the security guard tried to lighten the mood, where we were captured smiling,” said Miss Low.
“We also spoke to the security guard and the shop attendant’s friend in broken Mandarin, and asked them to translate our apologies to the attendant, but she would have none of it.”
They were then told by the guard to pay 5,000 baht (S$190) to buy the entire stock of nine identical pieces of the spaghetti-strap top they stole, and cover the attendant’s transport costs which she claimed to be 1,000 baht.
But the girls had less than 4,000 baht on them, and had to ask their friends to come over from MBK to help with the remaining amount.
“It was only after we settled everything and agreed to close the case that we decided to take pictures with the clothes,” said Miss Low.
“On hindsight, it was completely wrong of us to make light of the situation.”
The parties involved also agreed to close the case, and keep their personal details confidential, Miss Low said.
But the next day, Facebook user Auk Thanima posted details of the girls on her account.
When Miss Low and her friend discovered they had been publicly shamed, they broke down and cried.
She said: “We spent the next few days feeling so ashamed of what we did.
“I sincerely apologise for the incident, and I’ve learnt my lesson. I will work to be a better person in future, and will never do such a thing again.”
Shop owner: We told them it wasn’t fun and games
They were caught on closed circuit television (CCTV) stealing two pieces of clothing from an unattended shop in a Bangkok shopping centre.
The two girls, who had left the Platinum Fashion Mall by the time the theft was discovered, were later apprehended at another mall.
A shop owner at Platinum, who wanted to be known only as Mr Thom, 48, told The New Paper yesterday how the two Singaporean teenagers were tracked down.
Speaking in Thai, he said he was alerted to the theft from a shop called My Faiday after its attendant returned from the toilet.
Since the girls had left, they took pictures of the footage and sent them to various group chats on instant messaging app Line.
The groups included about 1,000 shop owners in Bangkok’s shopping malls, including Platinum and Mahboonkrong (MBK).
Soon after, shop owners at MBK, about 1.9km from Platinum, told the group the girls had been spotted there.
POLICE
Security at MBK caught the 18-year-olds, who were with two Singaporean men and called the police.
Mr Thom, who had gone to MBK with the My Faiday sales attendant, said: “They denied stealing until we searched through their bags and found the items. Then they confessed.”
After they agreed to settle the case without being arrested by the police, the Singaporeans were taken back to Platinum.
“They are young. We didn’t want to create trouble for them,” said Mr Thom.
Back at Platinum, they and other shop owners discussed compensation with the girls.
But what struck them as odd was how the culprits were smiling throughout, even while their “mugshots” were being taken to be posted on a “wall of shame” featuring shoplifters banned from the mall.
“They looked like they were just having fun, happily taking photos all the way.”
Mr Thom added: “We told them that it was a serious matter and it wasn’t fun and games.”
He said they did not show any remorse.
“No sorry, no sadness. Until today, they haven’t said sorry to us, (not even) on social media.”
They finally agreed that the girls pay 5,000 baht (S$190) for the entire stock of spaghetti-strap tops they had stolen.
Mr Thom said it was common for shopkeepers to negotiate such deals with shoplifters. If they could not pay, then the police would be called in.
The shopkeepers later decided to post pictures of the shoplifters on Facebook “to inform Singaporeans” of the incident.
Mr Thom said: “We decided that Auk (Ms Auk Thanima), one of the administrators of the Line group who was present throughout the incident, should be the one to post the pictures on Facebook.
“Singaporeans are very nice in the eyes of the Thai people. They should be informed of what happened.”
Though her post has since been taken down by Facebook, another Facebook group, Wake Up Singapore, has posted screen shots of it. Several news media, including Channel 8 News and citizen journalism website Stomp, have reported the incident.
The co-owner of My Faiday, who wanted to be known only as Mr Taey, 34, who was not present during the incident, said shoplifting cases were common in the mall.
About 10 to 20 of “banned” posters are on the notice board at any one time.
Under Thai law, shoplifters face up to three years’ jail or a fine of 6,000 baht.
This article was first published on June 21, 2016.
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Another cat found dead in Tampines
Another cat has been found dead at the foot of an HDB block in Tampines – the third case in the housing estate in five weeks.
The white cat was found at the foot of Block 889, Tampines Street 81, on Sunday morning.
A passer-by who found it called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) at 9.40am, the society said.
Photos of the cat were circulated to animal and cat interest groups on Facebook.
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Stomp, Facebook screengrabs, Shin Min Daily News, Lianhe Wanbao, The New Paper, Facebook / Yishun 326 Tabby Cat, Tra Cy’s Facebook
SPCA’s rescue officer arrived at the scene at 10.05am, but the cat was found dead.
The officer asked bystanders at the scene if they had seen anything, but there were no witnesses, SPCA said.
The member of public who made the call also knocked on the doors of residents in the block, but the cat’s owner was not found, the society said.
A 25-year-old man believed to have been responsible for abusing and killing a cat at Block 884, Tampines Street 83, was arrested on May 31.
This article was first published on June 21, 2016.
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'I had a feeling he wanted to kill us
UberEats rider Muhammad Fazly, 29, and his fiancee Siti Farina, 27, could have lost their lives on Wednesday, if it was not for his 10-year motorcycle riding experience and, yes, the heavy rain.
“Thanks to the bad weather, all the cars on the AYE (Ayer Rajah Expressway) were travelling slower than usual. I think they were going at 40 to 50 kmh,” he told The New Paper.
Mr Fazly’s bike was allegedly deliberately knocked down by a Toyota Camry, with the license plate SKA1713J that day.
It sped away soon after.
Mr Fazly, who hurt his right leg, said: “The bruise has spread down to the ankle and I still have difficulty walking.”
His fiancee suffered abrasions on her right arm.
The incident, near the Clementi Road exit, was caught on several in-vehicle cameras, but came to light only when a video was uploaded on Facebook by user Zufar Khan Ismail Khan on Thursday.
He was driving a yellow van when his camera caught the final moments of the incident as the Camry pulled up alongside and then slammed into the side of the motorcycle.
The impact knocked both Mr Fazly and Ms Siti to the ground.
The video caught the Camry speeding away afterwards.
Car speeds off after slamming into motorbike on highway
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The clip went viral, racking up about 150,000 views and over 6,000 shares. It was then posted on Facebook community pages Roads.sg and Beh Chia Lor.
The 63-year-old driver was arrested on Friday “for a rash act causing hurt”, said a police spokesman. Mr Fazly said that “the clash actually started much earlier than where it was captured”.
“I was about to enter the AYE from Jurong Town Hall Road… when the Camry came out of nowhere and tried to squeeze into my lane, nearly hitting my handlebar,” he recalled.
Mr Fazly got the driver’s hackles up when he honked at him several times and tapped his window.
“At first, he didn’t look at me and when I tapped his window, he turned and looked aggressively at the both of us,” he said.
“When the lights turned green, the Camry kept trying to swerve into us. He did it about four to five times, pushing us into the traffic. I had a feeling he wanted to kill us.”
He added that drivers of other cars seemed to have slowed down somewhat, watching the incident unfold.
“A cabby managed to capture the whole thing from the start to the finish on his camera. I think the police took that… When we fell and the Camry sped off, the other drivers came to help,” he said.
Mr Fazly said he was informed by the investigating officer that the driver of the Camry denied everything after his arrest.
“How could he deny it when everything he did was captured on video?” he asked.
The Toyota Camry has also previously been captured on video moving in a reckless manner.
Online footage posted on YouTube in 2014 and last yearshowed what appeared to be the same car dangerously changing lanes on the expressway.
Mr Fazly said: “Such people should be banned from driving. Can you imagine if I was a newbie on the roads?
“I wouldn’t have been able to control my bike and the outcome would have been worse.”
He added that his bike was taken to the Health Sciences Authority for testing.
TNP understands that the Camry has been impounded.
Police investigations are ongoing.
juditht@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on June 21, 2016.
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Japan sees signs of possible N. Korea missile launch
North Korea is showing signs of attempting a new ballistic missile launch, Japanese reports said Tuesday, as fears grow over Pyongyang’s efforts to develop a viable nuclear strike threat.
The isolated state apparently failed with an attempted launch at the end of May, which marked the most recent in a series of setbacks for its ballistic weapons programme.
But the country, which has been regularly condemned and sanctioned by the United Nations for missile and nuclear tests, has shown no signs of giving up on a weapons programme whose ultimate goal is to develop a nuclear weapon that could target the US mainland.
Japanese media, including Kyodo News agency and public broadcaster NHK, cited unidentified sources as saying signs have been detected of a possible launch.
Kyodo said Japan’s military had been ordered to intercept any missile or falling parts that might threaten Japanese territory.
North Korean missile or rocket launches have flown over Japanese territory in the past, and the government has deployed anti-missile batteries in Tokyo and other parts of the country in response.
Defence officials in Tokyo said they could not comment, citing the sensitivity of the matter, but did not deny the reports.
In April the North failed three times to test-fire a missile with an estimated range of anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometres (1,550 to 2,500 miles).
The three failures were seen as an embarrassment for the Pyongyang leadership, coming ahead of a rare ruling party congress in May that was meant to celebrate the country’s achievements.
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Steve Madden 50% Off Storewide at Major Stores from 21 – 26 Jun 2016
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Hong Kong leader writes to Beijing on missing bookseller
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Hong Kong’s leader said Tuesday he had sent a letter to Beijing outlining the city’s concerns over the case of a bookseller who told how he was blindfolded, interrogated and detained in China, but pro-democracy activists say it is not enough to allay residents’ fears.
Lam Wing-kee is one of five booksellers who went missing last year after working for a publisher known for salacious titles about leading Chinese politicians.
The case has heightened fears that Beijing is tightening its grip on semi-autonomous Hong Kong.
Last Thursday, Lam detailed how he was detained for months after being picked up in the southern mainland city of Shenzhen in October on a visit to see his girlfriend.
Lam, who was placed on suicide watch during his detention, broke bail and is refusing to go back over the border, where he is under investigation for bringing banned books into the mainland.
His explosive revelations last week about how he had been detained in China further fanned many residents’ concerns and forced the government to respond.
The city’s leader Leung Chun-ying said Tuesday morning he had relayed concerns on the matter to Beijing authorities.
Leung said the letter asked Beijing to clarify how relevant mainland departments handle cases where Hong Kong people have broken mainland laws and whether or not mainland personnel had carried out cross-border law enforcement in the semi-autonomous city.
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It also asked “whether or not the handling of the issue affected the one country, two systems and the basic law which guarantees the freedoms and rights of Hong Kong people”.
Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” agreement and enjoys much greater liberties than mainland China.
But pro-democracy lawmakers said the government had not been proactive enough following Lam’s revelations, with Civic Party lawmaker Claudia Mo calling Leung’s response “pathetic”.
“Leung is quite terrified obviously, to take up the issue clearly and loudly with the Beijing authorities, he obviously wants to make sure that he doesn’t embarrass his master in any way,” Mo told AFP.
“This is probably the most striking, the most unsettling case that actually hampers the one country, two systems promise,” she said.
Lam, 61, likened his ordeal to Cultural Revolution repression during an interview with AFP Sunday, referring to the decade of torture, executions and public vilifications carried out under communist leader Mao Zedong across mainland China from 1966.
Lam also said he was staying with a relative and says he has not asked city authorities for protection. “There is no use,” he said. “They cannot protect me forever.” Since Lam went public, three of the other booksellers have cast doubt on his story.
One of them, Lee Bo, the only one of the group to have disappeared on Hong Kong soil, refuted Lam’s claim that he had told him he was taken to the mainland against his wishes.
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