SINGAPORE – A 23-year-old Indonesian maid has been charged for the murder of her female employer on Tuesday (June 7).
Daryati allegedly killed her employer Mdm Seow Kim Choo, 59, in her Telok Kurau home between 8.30pm and 8.45pm on June 7 at 50C Lorong…
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Telok Kurau murder: Indonesian maid, 23, charged for killing employer
10 new measures to keep forest safe during train tunnel tests
Tests to see how a train tunnel can be built under Singapore’s protected nature reserve will start soon, but with 10 extra measures to reduce any negative impact on plants and animals.
For instance, the National Parks Board (NParks) – custodian of Singapore’s nature reserves – will be empowered to issue stop-work orders if pollution is detected. Nature groups will also get to observe the work as it is carried out in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
These measures, revealed yesterday on the back of talks between the Government and nature groups, are on top of at least nine others announced earlier – such as using enclosures to reduce engine noise and tanks to collect discharge.
Other measures include scheduling at least one rest day in between surveys, and engaging a tree expert to ensure trees are not damaged.
These were spelt out in a tender that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) called yesterday to appoint a specialist to determine the soil profile under the reserve. The tests were initially expected to start in the third quarter, but will now take place in the fourth quarter after extensive talks between the LTA and nature groups.
The groups are pushing for the 50km Cross Island Line to go around instead of through the reserve, where rare animals, such as the critically endangered Sunda pangolin, can be found.
Save time or the forest? That is the question
Nature groups told The Straits Times that they were heartened by the LTA’s willingness to accept feedback. But they are still hoping it would reconsider an alternative alignment for the MRT line.
Read their full paper here
“The Nature Society was hoping that soil investigation work in the forests could have been avoided as it involves people going into sensitive parts of the forests,” said Nature Society (Singapore) president Shawn Lum. “But now that they are slated to go ahead, at least the impact will be reduced.”
The line, to be completed by 2030, links Changi to Jurong, passing through several housing estates. The findings of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) to examine the impact of soil investigation through the forest as well as around it was announced in February.
Another phase of the EIA, which will be completed by year-end, will assess the impact of building and operating the MRT line for both routes. Other factors, including travel time and cost, will also be weighed when deciding which route gets the green light.
SIM University economist Walter Theseira said the direct alignment will cut travel time. “While each commuter might save only a few minutes each trip, when added together, the time savings will be enormous,” he explained.”The indirect alignment, however, could serve additional areas.”
Dr Theseira added that more needs to be done to “compare the economic benefits” of the two.
“While I am quite sure such an analysis is being done internally by LTA, it would go a long way towards assuring the public that the right decision will be made if such an analysis is made public,” he said.
Associate Professor Donald Low, an associate dean at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said: “How a choice is framed can have a large effect on how people choose. If the shorter route… was presented as the status quo option, and the longer route was seen as the alternative that would cost $2 billion more and increase travel time by five to six minutes, people are more likely to prefer the shorter route.
“But if the longer route was presented as the original option, and the more direct one as the alternative that would save $2 billion but pose some environmental risks, people are more likely to favour the longer route.”
EXTRA MEASURES
•Using access routes mapped out by the National Parks Board (NParks). This restricts any damage to these areas.
•Scheduling at least one rest day between surveys which require workers to go off-trail. Mammal researcher Marcus Chua says this could allow less-sensitive animals to continue using the area.
•Nature groups will get to observe the work.
•Engaging a tree expert to suggest ways to avoid damage to trees by the heavy machinery used to dig boreholes to test the soil.
•Installing a silencer on the drill engine exhaust.
•Conducting trial runs of borehole operations and off-trail surveys outside the reserve, so as to ensure equipment is fully functional and “within the stringent requirements of working within the reserve”.
•Allowing a longer period of time before resuming work after heavy rain so as to reduce soil erosion.
•Accessing boreholes on Terentang Trail through the Bukit Kalang Service Reservoir compound, to cut vehicular movement .
•Avoiding works in the rare freshwater streams, which are highly sensitive habitats.
•NParks officers can order immediate stoppage of work if there are breaches of mitigating measures, or when there is pollution.
This article was first published on June 9, 2016.
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10 new measures to keep forest safe during train tunnel tests, but nature groups still hoping for alternative MRT route
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Telok Kurau murder: Maid charged for killing elderly employer
Daryati, 23, was arrested after her 59-year-old employer’s motionless body was found on the second floor of her home along Lorong H Telok Kurau.
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Have durian prices spiked?
Durian lovers have been keeping away from their favourite fruit after recent reports of an expected hike in prices, said some durian vendors.
It was reported that weather woes have delayed the king of fruits’ peak season,…
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He puts his soul into his shoes
Joshua Leong talks about convincing his surgeon-parents he wanted to be a shoemaker, and why the craft is making a high-end comeback, in the first of a three-part series on Singapore makers.
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Hong Kong desperately seeking Chinese tourists
At a store of Sa Sa, one of the largest cosmetics chains in Hong Kong, in the popular shopping district Causeway Bay, five staff members stand idly with nary a customer in sight.
It has been “quiet like this for the past six months”, one of them told The Straits Times yesterday, adding that the store normally would have been crowded with shoppers from the Chinese mainland.
Things are so bad that Sa Sa last month said it expected its profits to drop by more than half.
Not only are the retail and hospitality sectors facing a slump – hotels are slashing room rates – but so is the property sector, with developers giving discounts to draw buyers.
These are signs that Hong Kong’s economy is in danger of falling into recession; it shrank by 0.4 per cent in the first quarter, and key sectors remain weak.
An economy is deemed to be in recession after two successive quarters of negative growth.
If recession hits, it would be due to the city being closely connected to China financially and economically, analysts say.
In particular, tourism, a key pillar of the city’s economy, is highly dependent on China, the source of 70 per cent of its inbound tourists.
With China’s ongoing anti-graft campaign curbing spending by the Chinese, the falling appeal of Hong Kong to mainland visitors and a stronger Hong Kong dollar, the tourism sector has been badly hit.
Statistics from the Hong Kong Tourism Board show 1.39 million visitors from the mainland in the first quarter, a drop of 12.6 per cent from the same period last year.
The tourism slump is hurting retail sales, which dived 11.3 per cent in the first quarter.
“Before, my store was flooded with Chinese tourists. It’s like they disappeared overnight. I never imagined it could be this bad,” said Mr Jimmy Chan, 57, owner of a medical store in Causeway Bay, adding that his business has fallen by over 50 per cent since last year.
Poor retail sales are a big drag on the economy, with OCBC Bank’s economist Tommy Xie attributing the bleak first-quarter GDP data to “weak retail and trade sectors, cautious business spending and sluggish local consumer demand”.
Finance, too, is hurting. Banks are scaling back lending to Chinese firms due to China’s slow growth.
With the banking and insurance sector making up 17.1 per cent of real GDP and accounting for 6.3 per cent of employment last year, any blip in the sector will hurt the economy as a whole.
The banking sector could see more layoffs towards the end of the year and in 2017, said DBS senior economist Chris Leung.
Rising unemployment – at a two- year high of 3.4 per cent – leads to inability to pay loans and is likely to dampen consumer sentiment, affecting private consumption that is a key growth engine, said Mr Xie.
While retailers like Mr Chan are hoping for a rebound in consumption by year-end, economists are not so optimistic.
Citi’s Hong Kong economist Adrienne Lui does not expect a quick turnaround, citing lower consumer spending.
Property analysts expect the market to fall further as buyers and sellers adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
Still, some economists are pinning their hopes on a recovery in Hong Kong’s trading activities to offset the tourism and retail slump.
“Both exports and imports in Hong Kong fell at a slower pace in April. Should demand in Europe and some Asian countries continue to pick up, we could pin hopes on a recovery in Hong Kong’s trading activities,” said Mr Xie.
joycel@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on June 9, 2016.
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6.2 undersea quake strikes central Indonesia
A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of central Indonesia on Thursday, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The undersea quake hit about 300 kilometres (185 miles) south of the popular holiday island of Lombok at 12:13 pm (0413 GMT), at a depth of 29 kilometres, said the US Geological Survey.
Indonesia’s disaster agency said officials were checking to see if the quake had any impact.
Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where tectonic plates collide.
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Wing Chun master Dennis Lee may open school in Singapore
One of the disciples of Wing Chun grandmaster Yip Ching, Mr Dennis Lee, has plans on opening a school in Singapore.
Mr Lee, 45, was in Singapore earlier this month at the invite of a group of Wing Chun enthusiasts who brought…
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Home and Decor Singapore
“There have been lots of gourmet food events and festivals lately, but if you love coffee, don’t miss this one!
The first ever Singapore Coffee Festival, curated with coffee lovers in mind, takes place this weekend from Friday June 10 to Sunday June 12 at the F1 Pit Building.”
Hurry, head on over to SISTIC at http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/scf0616 to get your tickets now!
Something to look forward to this weekend, especially if you love coffee! – Louisa, writer
Singaporean to trek 4,280km, from Canada to Mexico, for charity
He was fifteen when his family received the terrible news: his aunt, who was like a “second mother” to him, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died in 2010.
Now, Mr Prasatt Arumugam is helping people with similar experiences.
“With some time and distance, I realised that I could do something for those suffering from cancer like she did – maybe not in a big way, but in whatever way I could,” said Mr Arumugam.
In July, the 25-year-old will be the first Singaporean to attempt to complete the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).
The PCT is a 4,280km long-distance hiking trail that cuts through three states in the US. It was featured in the 2014 film Wild, which starred Reese Witherspoon.
For every mile that he hikes, Mr Arumugam hopes to raise awareness and funds for children with cancer.
In January, he set up Trekinvicta, a social initiative that aims to raise $26,660 for the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF).
He is not alone in his efforts. Last year, a total of 77 fund-raising events were held for the CCF. Fourteen of these were organised by individuals.
Trekinvicta has raised $20,000 for the CCF so far. These include donations made on Trekinvicta’s website and on CCF’s donation webpage.
Mr Arumugam, a tutor at an enrichment centre, said: “I felt that a hike like this would parallel the children’s own long road to recovery, even though there is no direct connection.
“A trekker would be done with the trail in about five months, but the battles faced by these children continue for much longer,” he told The New Paper.
He also volunteers with the CCF at National University Hospital. As a play personnel, he interacts with children undergoing treatment and consultation.
Mr Arumugam is excited about the journey.
YOSEMITE
His first experience of the PCT was at Yosemite National Park, a landmark along the trail.
A former undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, he visited the park during his 2013 student exchange at Yale University.
To prepare for the trail, Mr Arumugam climbs flights of stairs for at least two hours every day, with trekking poles in hand.
When TNP interviewed him, he had just finished his routine at a block of flats in Tiong Bahru that has 29 flights of stairs.
He has equipment ready for the long journey. These include trekking poles, a tent, one set of hiking clothes and thermal wear, a water filter and simple food such as oatmeal.
He is also taking with him a journal, a camera, a satellite messenger to connect with his loved ones, and a small raccoon plush toy, “AK Junior”, which will be his only companion on the trip.
The journey is expected to cost Mr Arumugam $12,000 out from his own pocket.
He has approached several companies for potential sponsorships. However, he is not seeking help from individual sponsors.
“It shouldn’t be a case where people are subsidising something that I would probably have done on my own,” he said.
“I would be lying if I denied that there is an element of fear. It’s important to have that healthy level of fear because nature is a bigger thing than humans often give her credit for. What’s more important is how you deal with your fear.”
Although Mr Arumugam’s family is worried, they support his ambitions, said his mother, Madam Amaravathi Appavoo, 57, a housewife.
“We’ll definitely miss him a lot, but it’s what he thinks he needs to do,” said Madam Appavoo.
“It is inspiring to learn that Prasatt has chosen to conquer one of the longest trails in the world,” said Ms Neo Lay Tin, executive director of the CCF.
When he returns, Mr Arumugam hopes to teach English Literature in a secondary school.
Reflecting on his hopes for the journey and the children, he cited a quote from his favourite poem ‘Invictus’, which inspired the name of Trekinvicta.
He said: “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.”
Conquering the Pacific Crest Trail
With 4,280km to trek, conquering the Pacific Crest Trail is no mean feat.
The trek is equivalent in distance to that between Singapore and China.
The northern end of the trail is on the US-Canada border and its southern end is on the US border with Mexico.
The trail passes through the states of California, Oregon and Washington. It avoids civilisation and covers scenic mountain terrain with few roads.
“Hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail in one season is incredibly difficult,” Mr Jack Haskel, trail information specialist at the Pacific Crest Trail Association, told The New Paper.
“It involves walking all day, every day for about five months.”
He added that hikers have been deterred from completing the trail due to injuries and illnesses along the way.
Said Mr Haskel: “Travelling long-distance, especially the entire trail in one season, is undeniably a remarkable physical achievement.
“It’s a huge amount of exercise, more than most people have ever done in their lives.”
How to donate
You can contribute to the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF) through the following platforms:
Online donations at www.ccf.org.sg
Cash donations at CCF Community Office at 8, Sinaran Drive, #03-01, Novena Specialist Centre, Singapore 307470
Cheque made payable to “Children’s Cancer Foundation” and posted to CCF Community Office
AXS machines
Sign up for one-time or monthly Giro donations
For donations to Trekinvicta:
give.asia/movement/trekinvicta_walking_4_280km_for_children_with_cancer
www.ccf.org.sg/giving/fundraisng_event.php?id=trekinvicta-2
prisang@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on June 09, 2016.
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