UPDATE AS OF THURSDAY (JUNE 9) AFTERNOON: The maid has been charged for the murder of her female employer.

She came to Singapore less than three months ago.

Wariwati, 23, who was from Lampung province in South Sumatra, Indonesia, was tasked with caring for her employer’s newborn grandson.

She generally kept to herself and rarely stepped out of her employer’s three-storey semi-detached house at 50C, Lorong H Telok Kurau, off Telok Kurau Road.

But on Tuesday night, her stint here turned bloody after she allegedly killed her employer, Madam Seow Kim Choo, 59.

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, The New Paper

Madam Seow’s husband, Mr Ong Thiam Soon, 57, found his wife lying in the bathroom before he was also allegedly attacked by the maid.

He suffered injuries to his neck, forehead and legs.

By the time paramedics found Madam Seow, she was motionless. She was pronounced dead at 9.03pm.

Related: Maid ‘agitated’ after she could not reach family in Indonesia

The maid was arrested and is expected to be charged with murder in court today.

She becomes at least the sixth maid to be charged for killing an employer or an employer’s family member in the last three years.

Most recently, Dewi Sukowati, 20, an Indonesian, was jailed 18 years last month for killing her 69-year-old employer Nancy Gan in March 2014, after Madam Gan had ill-treated her by hitting her with a plastic tray.

Two other maids – Tuti Aeliyah, 30, an Indonesian, and Than Than Win, 25, from Myanmar – were diagnosed with depression with psychotic symptoms at the time of their offences.

Tuti stabbed and strangled her employer’s 16-year-old daughter and claimed a ghost told her to do so, while Than stabbed her employer’s mother-in-law after she was scolded.

Read also: Maid stabs granny more than 20 times after scolding

Although the circumstances surrounding Wariwati’s case remain unknown for now, Mr Ong told reporters yesterday that he and his family had treated her well.

Mr Ong, the director of an engineering and logistics company, told Shin Min Daily News that he and his wife already had a maid, but had hired Wariwati sometime between February and March to care for their newborn grandson.

“Our family was very good to her. We gave her a lot of freedom. We would even prepare dinner for her first before we have our own,” he said.

One of his two sons, Mr Andrew Ong, who manages a fish farm in Malaysia, told The New Paper yesterday: “I’m really not angry with the maid. Whatever has happened has happened.”

When TNP visited the semi-detached house yesterday, the family was seen preparing for Madam Seow’s wake.

Maids who live nearby told TNP that Wariwati mostly kept to herself.

They said that the family’s other maid had been hired about six months ago and mostly looked after the family’s two dogs.

Related: 3 passers-by stumble upon bloody murder scene

SHY

A maid who worked nearby and who wanted to be known only as Ms Tuse, 40, said that three other maids had worked for the family, but have since left, in the last eight months.

Another 45-year-old Indonesian maid, who worked in the area and who declined to be named, said Wariwati was very shy.

She said Wariwati would leave the house only to walk the dogs, or when taking the young children out for a stroll.

“Not many people knew about her. Not even among us maids,” she said.

She described Mr Ong and Madam Seow as a very pleasant and friendly couple.

– Additional reporting by Ong Yan Quan

He found wife lying on toilet floor

It was 8pm – the time Mr Ong Thiam Soon would watch television with his wife every night.

Except that on Tuesday, Madam Seow Kim Choo, 59, was nowhere to be found in their three-storey semi-detached house in Telok Kurau, even after he repeatedly called out for her.

As Mr Ong, 57, searched for her, he found that the second-storey toilet was locked.

He told Shin Min Daily News: “I knocked on the door, but there was no response.”

Worried, he retrieved the keys and unlocked the door.

As he slid it open, he was horrified to find that the toilet floor was covered in blood.

But before he had time to react, his maid, Wariwati, rushed out of the toilet, and allegedly slashed his neck with two fruit knives.

Even as Mr Ong was bleeding profusely, he saw his wife lying on the toilet floor.

He tried restraining the maid, and a short struggle ensued before she calmed down.

Mr Ong took the opportunity to rush to his wife, who was unconscious and covered in blood.

But his maid got back up and allegedly slashed his legs with the knives.

Hearing the commotion, his other maid rushed over, but ran away screaming.

His daughter-in-law, who was on the first storey, called the police before going to his aid.

They managed to subdue the maid and tie her hands.

Police said they were alerted to the incident at 8.48pm.

A spokesman said a 59-year-old woman was found lying motionless in the bathroom, and was pronounced dead by paramedics at 9.03pm.

He added that a 23-year-old woman was arrested in relation to the case, which has been classified as murder.

Mr Ong was taken to Changi General Hospital and underwent surgery for injuries to his neck, forehead and leg.

Speaking to reporters in his ward yesterday, Mr Ong said that his wife helped out at his company.

A check with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority showed that Mr Ong was listed as a director of a logistics and engineering company.

He told Shin Min Daily News that he was illiterate, so Madam Seow would handle the administrative matters in his company on top of the household chores.

This article was first published on June 9, 2016.
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Supermarket chains are promoting wholegrain rice options like brown and red varieties to encourage their customers to eat healthier.

NTUC FairPrice yesterday said it is giving a 5 per cent discount on its house brand wholegrain rice items for three months. It will also give a 5 per cent discount on all “healthier choice” products for two weeks.

Its wholegrain rice sales in the first quarter of this year rose 30 per cent on the same period last year, and the price discount is expected to save customers a total of about $500,000.

The chain’s chairman, Mr Bobby Chin, said: “By promoting wholegrain rice as a healthier alternative, we are taking a proactive approach in the prevention and management of chronic diseases like diabetes.”

He said studies show Singapore has the second-highest proportion of diabetics among developed nations, after the United States.

Other supermarket chains such as Cold Storage and Sheng Siong have similar plans.

The focus on the Asian staple comes after The Straits Times reported that white rice is the Health Promotion Board’s main concern in fighting diabetes.

Nutritionist Christine Rubi-Cruz, who works with the merchandising team at Cold Storage, said the chain stocks about 20 brands of wholegrain rice. There have been discounts from 10 to 15 per cent on these rice items for the past month.

“We are bringing in another type of wholegrain rice called sprouted rice. It has the same benefits, but is also easier to digest,” she said.

Ms Rubi-Cruz added that there has been a 10 per cent fall in sales of white rice, and 15 per cent increase in wholegrain sales in the past three years.

Dr Kalpana Bhaskaran, a nutritionist on the council of the Diabetic Society of Singapore, said wholegrain rice varieties are healthier because they release sugar slowly into the blood. “It contains lots of fibre and nutrients, but even then, portion control is important,” she said.

A Sheng Siong spokesman said that from next month to October, its stores will have dedicated space for items with the “healthier choice” symbol.

The chain is also distributing a “nutrition toolkit” to seniors later this month. This includes a nutrition guide, poster and recipe book, available in four languages.

Wholegrain rice generally costs more than white rice. A 5kg packet of white rice costs about $5, while a 2.5kg packet of red rice can cost around $6.

Dr Kalpana said: “For people to be more receptive to wholegrain rice, retail outlets can sell it at a price that’s comparable to white rice. If a family of five or six take wholegrain rice, it can be expensive.”

This article was first published on Jun 09, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has advised Singaporeans travelling to Bangkok or residing in Thailand to exercise vigilance in view of the dangerous incidents that happened last year at places popular with tourists.

In a statement issued on June 7, the ministry urged Singaporeans to keep themselves updated on the latest developments through Thai news outlets and heed the instructions of the local Thai authorities.

Singaporeans are also advised to take all necessary precautions to ensure their personal safety. They should buy comprehensive travel insurance and be familiar with the terms and coverage of the insurance policies.

It also urged Singaporeans to eRegister at its portal so that the ministry could contact them if the need arises. 

The statement highlighted a number of threatening incidents that struck places popular with Singapore tourists.

On February 1, 2015, two small improvised explosive devices exploded at the Siam station of Bangkok’s Skytrain System, which is located very close to Siam Paragon, a popular shopping mall with Singaporeans.

The following month (March 7), a grenade exploded outside the Bangkok Criminal Court in Chatuchak district, where the market is also a big hit with Singapore visitors.

On April 10, 2015, a car bomb exploded in the basement car park of Central Festival shopping mall in Koh Samui in Surat Thani province.

In August last year, a bomb exploded at the famous Erawan Shrine near the busy Ratchaprasong intersection and Central World Shopping Centre in Bangkok, killing several people and injuring many.

Another bomb exploded at Sathorn Pier, next to Taksin BTS station in the same month.

The ministry said Singaporeans who need urgent consular assistance may contact the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok or the 24-hour Ministry of Foreign Affairs Duty Office.

Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Thailand
129 South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120
Tel: +66-(2) 286-2111
Duty phone: +66-(81) 844-3580
Fax: +66-(2) 287-2578
Email: singemb_bkk@mfa.sg

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Duty Office (24-hours)
Tel: 6379 8800, 6379 8855
Fax: 6476-7302
Email: mfa_duty_officer@mfa.gov.sg

chenj@sph.com.sg

Some said it was a bold response to the threat of online intrusions. Others said it should have been more finely calibrated. Many of those affected directly said it will make life difficult for them.

News that all public servants in Singapore will be cut off from the Internet from May next year evoked a range of reactions on the trade-off between security and efficiency.

“Digital surveillance has prompted a rethink on how governments conduct communications,” said Assistant Professor Michael Raska from the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

Experts pointed to a number of recent incidents that underlined the dangers of government computers being infiltrated.

Hundreds of flights had to be grounded in Sweden last year, following a cyber attack on its air traffic control system. Hackers knocked a Ukraine power station offline, plunging vast areas into darkness. The Russian government itself looked at going back to typewriters after its computers were infected with spy programs.

Singapore is vulnerable, too. Security software firm Symantec’s Internet Security Threats report last year pointed out that Singapore was the third most popular destination for spear-phishing, in which crooks send messages that appear to come from a trusted source to dupe victims into downloading an infected attachment or click on a fake link.

Associate Professor Basskaran Nair from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, said: “After almost three decades of use, it is time to pause and rethink whether everyone needs to surf on their work computers.”

He noted that the Internet poses security risks that were not a critical factor a decade ago. But he asked for a more nuanced approach in which exceptions could be made for officers whose work required the use of the Internet.

As things stand, all 100,000 computers in use by the public service will be cut off from the Internet from May next year.

Web surfing is allowed but only on employees’ personal mobile devices. Non-sensitive e-mail can also be forwarded to personal accounts.

Mr David Koh, chief executive of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, said the Government has the responsibility to protect citizens’ data.

“Internet-surfing separation will prevent attackers from using the Internet to plant malware… and exfiltrate information from government computers,” said Mr Koh.

“This should not be seen as a move backwards as government employees will still have Internet connectivity,” he added.

Still, there were some who felt that cutting off the Internet from the work computers of public servants was too extreme.

Chief technology officer Bryce Boland of security specialist FireEye Asia-Pacific said this is a practice seen only in the highest security areas, such as utilities and defence networks.

Security software firm Fortinet Asia-Pacific’s vice-president, Mr George Chang, said today’s identity and access control technologies, for instance, are able to limit the information one can receive based on job scope.

Some public servants also hoped that the Government will reconsider the move.

A policy analyst at a statutory board said that it will be “a hassle” to use a separate computer or his phone to read up on academic papers and news reports for his work.

At another statutory board, an operations officer said that using a separate Internet terminal will worsen his already “stretched work schedule”.

This article was first published on Jun 09, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.