Organisers say the vigil saw about 700 people in Singapore come together in memory of the victims of Sunday’s deadly gun attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
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Hundreds gather at Hong Lim Park to honour Orlando shooting victims
Government will protect people regardless of race, religion or sexuality: Shanmugam
The Government will protect its people regardless of race, religion or sexuality, Minister of Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam said at the Khadijah Mosque on Tuesday (June 14).
“It looks like the gay community has been targeted. This is unacceptable. Violence against any group in any form is not acceptable. Here, the government will act decisively if there is threat of violence against anyone or any group. The government’s duty is to protect everyone.
“Their race, their religion, their sexual orientation, that’s not relevant,” he said, in the aftermath of a massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando last Sunday, when a lone attacker called Omar Mateen gunned down some 50 people in the deadliest mass shooting in American history.
Mr Shanmugam was speaking to reporters before an iftar (breaking of fast) organised by the Religious Rehabilitation Group and the Khadijah Mosque Management Board on Tuesday, to commemorate the holy month of Ramadan, which started last Monday (June 6). During this period, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk as a way of nurturing values of patience and self-control.
Mr Shanmugam also said Singapore does face “a significant risk” of attacks by self-radicalised people. He emphasised the importance of the national SG Secure programme, and stressed the need for the people to co-operate in the fight against terror threats: “It’s not something the government can do by itself. It’s a call for the entire nation to come together, everyone to be prepared.”
He added that the Government will launch an app this year which will allow citizens to easily notify the police in the event of an emergency.
“We will knock on every door, door to door, to try and train people in emergency response and we will put automated external defibrillators in every other block , or one in every three blocks , so people can use them to save lives.”
The Government’s approach to the security threat is two-pronged: “We will train the population. At the same time, we will substantially upgrade the capabilities of our emergency response teams.”
Mr Ali Mohamed, chairman of the Khadijah Mosque, in his speech during the breaking of fast event on Tuesday, said the sense of harmonious living and trust between the different religious groups in Singapore is critical and urgent, considering the rise of extremist groups such as ISIS.
To maintain this, public awareness is important, and the Government and the Islamic community have taken steps to address this, said Mr Ali.
This article was first published on June 14, 2016.
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Orlando death toll revised to 49 plus shooter
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400 people hold candlelight vigil for Orlando shooting victims at Hong Lim Park
SINGAPORE – 400 people gathered at Hong Lim Park today (June 14) for a candlelight vigil held for the victims of the shooting at the nightclub in Orlando.
The vigil, which was organised by Nicholas Lim, the founder of GLBT Voices Singapore, an online Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, expressed surprise at the large turnout, saying in a Facebook post that the event had only been planned on Monday afternoon.
He added: “Tonight we show that in times of tragedy, people come together in the name of love, never hate”.
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The tragedy, which has been described as the deadliest mass shooting in US history, occurred when shooter Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 at Pulse, a prominent gay nightspot in Florida on Sunday.
According to The Straits Times, the group at the park sang songs such as ‘Heal The World’ by singer Michael Jackson.
Marketing director Tracy Tan, 49, told The Straits Times that she decided to attend the vigil to “grieve and to mourn the pointless and tragic loss of lives”.
Orlando death toll revised to 49 plus shooter
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Reuters
See also: ‘Mommy I love you’ – text messages from a son to his mum during Orlando shooting
See also: Orlando shooter was a homophobe and wife beater: Reports
See also: FBI ‘highly confident’ Orlando gunman was ‘radicalized’
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Targeting of gay community in Orlando shooting 'unacceptable': Shanmugam
The Singapore Government will act decisively if there is a threat of violence against any group regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation, the Home Affairs Minister said.
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LTA unveils new tunnel boring machine to build underpasses
This is the first time a rectangular tunnel boring machine has been used for construction projects in Singapore.
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'I was so afraid of coming back': Actress Fiona Xie
The actress reveals that one of the reasons why she has returned to Singapore is because of a family member who is unwell. “I just love my family so much and I’m so proud of my cousin for being so strong to go through this,” she says.
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Wang Cafe & Heavenly Wang 1-for-1 Hot Kopi / Teh 1-Day Promo on 15 Jun 2016
Wang Cafe & Heavenly Wang 1-for-1 Hot Kopi / Teh tomorrow, 15 Jun
Wang Cafe & Heavenly Wang 1-for-1 Hot Kopi / Teh 1-Day Promo on 15 Jun 2016
Grab a friend and enjoy a Buy 1 Get 1 FREE (1-for-1) hot kopi / teh at any Wang Cafe and Heavenly Wang outlet on the 3rd Wednesday of every month
Hollywood's Tom Hanks, Ron Howard light up Inferno red carpet in Singapore
Bollywood’s acclaimed actor Irrfan Khan also makes an appearance at the red carpet event at Singapore’s ArtScience Museum.
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6 insights to Fiona Xie's 7-year on-screen absence
From a chirpy 19-year-old on television to a sophisticated 34-year-old who has a great eye for art, Fiona Xie still has her charms about her. And that bubbly laugh.
Having left celebrity-land of Caldecott Hill in 2009, Fiona had been galavanting around Hong Kong, New York, Shanghai and, most recently, Tokyo indulging in art projects and living the high life.
At a media session at the Style by Style Vibes Cafe this afternoon (June 14), AsiaOne picks six quotes that makes Fiona just as intriguing despite her seven year absence on the small screen.
1. “I was a bit burned out, I just wanted to leave”
The main thing on everyone’s mind was why Fiona left in the first place.
“I’ve been doing it for so long, since I was 19, I was tired and I was a bit burned out. I just wanted to leave. I never really got to live life.
“I was living multiple lives in too many scripts, dramas, and characters which people loved and hated, but at the same time, I never had time for me. I took time to go away, to do what I wanted to do,” she explained.
While doing her art projects overseas, she met “all these amazing phenomenal artists, architects, and they were like you should go back and embrace your craft.”
So came back she did.
Fiona Xie returns to Mediacorp after 7 years
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Fiona Xie’s Instagram, The Straits Times, The New Paper, MediaCorp
2. “I signed the deal without reading the script”
Fiona is currently filming for a new television series, Left Behind, that will air on Mediacorp TV’s Channel 5 on Aug 22.
Producer Kenneth Liang had requested for Fiona to come back to be in his series. He was also Fiona’s producer in her first major role in 2001’s A War Diary.
“The first reason was people in the arts scene wanted to see my craft, the second was loyalty to Kenneth. So, I feel like it’s like coming a full circle.
“Someone who gave me my first opportunity and now it’s almost like gratitude. I’m old school like that,” said Fiona.
3. “I’ve been so blessed”
How did Fiona manage to sustain her lifestyle over the seven years? She said it’s because she’s been incredibly blessed.
“Ya la have to work la, how? I’ve been working, you’re just not in the know,” she jokingly said referring to local media being kept in the dark while she was overseas.
She’s always had side projects like producing for a photographer and has “worked with very cool people who were very supportive” of what she did. One private client she highlighted was Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.
4. “If you have every breath to live, just live it”
She dedicates Left Behind to her sick cousin – another reason for her return – giving her “a lot more meaning to do this show”.
Her role as a psychiatrist who frequently dishes out advice to her patients allowed her to take the same advice to heart when dealing with family matters.
At one point when Fiona spoke about her grandmother who had died, she became red-eyed and teary. She had to pause to compose herself again when she spoke about her 23-year-old cousin but stopped short of saying what he’s suffering from.
5. “Often I have to protect the people I love”
Fiona explained why she seldom spoke to the media, not because she’s being “elusive or evasive” but instead it was to protect the people she loved.
“I would love to tell you upfront but often I have to protect the people I love therefore sometimes, I have to make sacrifices,” she admitted.
6. “For the very first time, I’m actually single for quite a long period of time but I’m not looking”
Self-proclaimed serial monogamist, Fiona admitted to being “engaged back then” but is single now. She said she didn’t go through with the engagement because she was so broken by her grandmother’s passing.
She also talked about her growth over the years: “It took me a long time to grow into the woman that I am now. Learn to love yourself because you can never be someone else until you’re completely whole.”
But for those think they may stand a chance with her, beware.
“I think I have standards, and I’m not going to settle,” teased Fiona.
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Bangladesh orders 18 stand trial over factory disaster
DHAKA – A Bangladesh court Tuesday ordered 18 people stand trial for the collapse of a garment factory three years ago that killed more than 1,100 people, a prosecutor said.
A senior magistrate issued the order against the 18 charged with breaching building laws in the lead up to the Rana Plaza compound’s implosion in 2013, one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.
No one has yet been convicted over the tragedy which highlighted appalling safety in Bangladesh’s $27 billion garment export industry, the world’s second largest after China.
Thirteen of the accused, including owners of the building and those of factories housed inside, appeared in court to seek their release from jail, saying they were not guilty.
“The judge rejected their discharge pleas and ordered their trial. The hearings will now begin on August 23,” prosecutor Anwarul Kabir told AFP, adding that five others still on the run also face trial on the same date.
All 18 face seven years in jail if convicted of the charges.
The court has heard how the Rana Plaza owners allegedly violated building codes and illegally extended the nine-storey complex which was initially approved as a six-storey shopping mall.
Owner Sohel Rana, who has been in jail since 2013, and others also face separate murder and corruption trials over the disaster, although neither hearings have started yet.
Rana became Bangladesh’s public enemy number one in 2013 after survivors recounted how they were forced to start work despite complaints of cracks appearing in the walls the previous day.
Rana’s parents, who jointly owned the building with him, and the mayor of the town of Savar where it was located, are also charged with breaching building laws.
The mayor and other officials are accused of falsifying documents to approve the extensions, while factory owners are charged with illegally installing heavy equipment including generators in the building.
At least 1,138 people are known to have died in the tragedy. Rescue workers struggled for weeks to retrieve the bodies from the ruins but some people are still unaccounted for.
The disaster triggered demands for Western retailers to help introduce sweeping reforms including new safety inspections and higher wages in the industry, which employs around four million workers.
A host of Western retailers had clothing made at the factories housed at Rana Plaza, including Italy’s Benetton, Spain’s Mango and the British low-cost chain Primark.
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