A Singaporean cyclist died while taking part in an event at Pasir Gudang, Malaysia, on Saturday.

Mr Al-Rashid Jamalludin, 58, was riding in the MegaRide MTB Special Edition 2016 – an event where 1,320 participants tackled a range of distances over a rough, muddy terrain, some of it uphill.

Mr Jamalludin collapsed some 10km after the start, said the event’s manager, Mr Sariman Samuri.

Mr Sariman told The New Paper yesterday that paramedics had to ride a motorcycle to where Mr Jamalludin had collapsed.

He said: “The trail was an offroad one, so the ground was very rough and uneven, and the ambulance was unable to reach the place.

“I was driving a four-wheel drive so I was able to drive to where the man had collapsed.”

Mr Sariman, 53, had been on his way to deliver mineral water to the checkpoint when he received the call from the event crew at around 11am.

When he got to the scene, the Malaysian Civil Defence had pronounced Mr Jamalludin dead.

He said: “The civil defence medic told me that they gave him CPR but to no avail.”

Mr Sariman said when he arrived, Mr Jamalludin was lying down with his face covered and his hands folded on his stomach.

Mr Sariman said: “I was very shocked because this has never happened before.”

The event was organised by Johor Baru South Leisure Cycling Club, and it was in its sixth year.

Mr Jamalludin’s body was taken to the main road in Mr Sariman’s vehicle, where it was transferred to an ambulance and taken to Sultan Ismail Hospital.

The participants were not required to provide any health records during registration.

DIFFICULT COURSE

Mr Sariman said: “We have been organising this event for six years. We never request any health records from the participants, as we assume the riders understand the difficulty of the activity.

“This is mountain biking, so the trail is not flat. The riders would have to climb hills and cross small rivers during the trail.” Mr Jamalludin took part in the masters category, which is for cyclists over 45 years old in the 35km mountain bike jamboree event.

Mr Jamalludin’s family declined comment.

Friends and family of Mr Jamalludin have been leaving their condolences on his Facebook page since yesterday.

His son-in-law, Mr Mahmoud Jnad, left two posts on Facebook, expressing his love for his father-in-law, whom he said was a “wonderful father”.

lwenqi@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on May 24, 2016.
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The feverish teen’s heart was already pounding as he lay in the ambulance.

But before he could get medical attention at the hospital, the ambulance was involved in a collision with a van on the Pan Island Expressway (PIE).

The crash caused a heart monitor to fall and hit his chest, adding breathing difficulties and chest pains to his symptoms.

The 14-year-old, who wanted to be known only as Timothy, was en route to KK Women’s And Children’s Hospital (KKH) on Sunday morning for an abnormally fast heart rate and a temperature of 39.8 deg C.

The accident occurred in the middle of three lanes at about 1am.

In heavy rain, the ambulance collided with a van that had allegedly braked suddenly on the Paya Lebar Flyover.

Timothy’s 26-year-old brother, who wanted to be known only as Kevin, told The New Paper: “When he felt like he was being flung forward, he grabbed onto the wire of the heart rate monitor mounted on a shelf in the ambulance and it fell on him.”

Mr Kevin, who was with Timothy and a paramedic in the back of the ambulance, said he was more shocked with the collision than the monitor falling on his brother.

When Timothy complained of how much his chest hurt, Mr Kevin said he “felt pain for him”.

“We put him in the ambulance with two injuries but now he had more,” he added.

DIZZINESS

Timothy complained of dizziness and vomited at 11.30pm after a jog with his friends at Bedok Reservoir Park. They had been preparing for a running event the following day.

Worried, Timothy’s family called the Singapore Ambulance Association (SAA) and paramedics arrived at 11.40pm to take him to hospital.

On the PIE, a white van ahead of the ambulance was in the middle lane.

Mr Kevin recounted: “Suddenly, the van braked. The ambulance driver told us to hold on tight as he was forced to brake as well.”

The ambulance collided with the van.

Mr Kevin had some bruises as a result of the collision.

The van had also collided with the right side of a black car shortly before it braked, said the driver of the car, Mr Javier Low, 20.

His girlfriend was in the car with him at the time of the accident.

The couple did not suffer any injuries.

Mr Low said the van had slowed down after it drove over a puddle, allowing his car to catch up before the collision.

The car had dents and scratches.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted about the accident at 1am on Sunday and dispatched two ambulances to the scene.

The van driver was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Timothy was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at KKH.

Doctors said he suffered chest trauma from the impact of the heart rate monitor falling on him, said Mr Kevin.

But he added: “Timothy is better now, so I am relieved.”

The teen was moved to a normal ward yesterday.

Mr Kevin is heartened by the help rendered by the SAA medical personnel. “They probably suffered bruises like me, but they still attended to my brother,” he said.

Police investigations are ongoing.

yinghqc@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on May 24, 2016.
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The 56-year-old plumber would take his girlfriend to work on his motorcycle every morning.

But tragedy struck last Saturday when their motorcycle was hit by a car.

When Mr Lim regained consciousness, he was already in an ambulance.

He was still dazed and in pain, but he was worried about the condition of his girlfriend, 46-year-old factory supervisor Lau Lee Kiau.

Mr Lim asked about her condition and was initially told by the paramedics that his girlfriend was getting resuscitated.

But he was hit with the bad news when he reached Tan Tock Seng Hospital – a police officer told him that Madam Lau had died.

Mr Lim cried several times as he recalled the accident, saying he had not come to terms with her death.

He told Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao yesterday: “Why did the car hit us from behind?

“We were both in the accident. Why didn’t she take me with her?”

The accident happened at about 8am at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 and Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2 towards Upper Thomson Road.

The details of the accident, which also involved a taxi, are unclear.

CONSCIOUS

Besides Mr Lim, a 51 year-old-man was also taken conscious to the same hospital.

The 17-year-old car driver, who did not have a driving licence, fled the scene after the accident. He was later arrested for causing death by a rash act.

Mr Lim said he and Madam Lau would take the same route every day. The accident took place less than 1km from her workplace.

“We were only two traffic lights away from her workplace,” added Mr Lim.

Mr Lim was also badly injured by the accident. His spine was fractured in two places and he broke his right leg and ankle.

He went through surgery yesterday afternoon and is concerned that he would not be able to recover fully because his job requires him to lift heavy items.

Mr Lim said: “I will just deal with matters one step at a time.

“She is dead, I don’t know what else I can do.”

When The New Paper visited Mr Lim last night, his right leg was in a cast. He was recovering in a general ward and still groggy after a four-hour operation.

TNP reported yesterday that Madam Lau was a divorcee who held down three jobs to raise her 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter.

Her ex-husband told Lianhe Wanbao that he would move in with his children to take care of them.

The 50-year-old cabby said that they drifted apart after the divorce.

“I will try to convince my daughter to live together as a family after the funeral,” he added.

“The kids are still young, I promised my ex-wife that I’d take care of them and I will.”

He also expressed regrets that he was not able to see his ex-wife for the last time.

Trying to control his tears, he said: “I can’t accept that she’s dead. We can’t forgive the driver.”

The penalty for causing death by a rash act is up to five years’ jail, or a fine, or both.

This article was first published on May 24, 2016.
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He has been called names and described as mentally unbalanced. Someone even said he was “worse than a beast”.

From an active dog fosterer and rescuer, Mr Alan Chiam became notorious after a video of him raining blows on a leashed husky went viral yesterday morning.

The two clips, uploaded by Facebook user Maimunah Mohadi, show a man at the back of a house with three dogs. One of them is a black-and-white husky on a leash.

Mr Chiam is seen punching the husky’s head, before lifting it up briefly by its neck, as it dangles in mid-air.

In between chastising the husky, he kicks the dog twice.

Since the clips were uploaded yesterday, they have been shared more than 10,200 times. One video had over 400,000 views, while the other clocked over 225,000 views.

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Facebook video screengrabs

Initially reticent about the incident, all Mr Chiam would then tell The New Paper was: “My conscience is clear.”

Later last night, the man, who is in his early 40s, changed his tune.

Apologising for the “seemingly harsh actions”, he clarified that he made sure to control his strength so that the husky was not hurt.

That morning, the husky had a fight with a golden retriever after their routine morning walk near Mr Chiam’s house in Jalan Loyang Besar.

When Mr Chiam’s helper tried to stop them from biting each other, the husky started growling, and attempted to charge and attack the woman, he added.

SCREAMS

Mr Chiam found out what had happened only when he heard his helper’s screams.

“I started off with pouring ice cold water on the husky in an attempt to divert his attention to stop the fight but to no avail.

“Then I started to separate the fight using the wheelbarrow method from the back,” he said.

The wheelbarrow method refers to lifting a dog’s back paws up like a wheelbarrow, and moving it away from the other dog. This helps to separate dogs in a fight.

It stopped the fight but the husky continued growling at both the golden retriever and the helper, and showed signs of wanting to charge at her, said Mr Chiam.

Admitting that he is not a certified dog trainer, Mr Chiam then explained his actions caught on camera: “In a moment of anxiety, I then resorted to such an action.”

Adding that he has been helping to foster dogs with health problems and behavioural issues, he said: “As all dog rescuers or dog owners know, time is needed for dogs to adapt in a new environment.

“During this time, new behavioural issues will surface. Unfortunately, in this case, this applies to the husky.”

Netizens’ views were mixed over Mr Chiam’s explanation for his actions.

One Facebook user, Sara Jean Fisher, wrote: “Shocked that it was you. No excuses for such behaviour!!!”

Mark Cheong wrote: “Even after explaining there will still be some who have different view of what happened.

“Unless it really happens to them, I guess. It take a great man to admit his mistake and I hope no one bothers his family members over this issues.”

Others, like Mabel Chong, thought he was just making excuses.

Dr Jaipal Singh Gill, the acting executive director for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (SPCA), said the husky is now under SPCA’s care, and has been sent for a thorough physical examination and X-rays.

“The SPCA condemns this blatant act of animal abuse and will work closely with the authorities for stern action to be taken against the perpetrator.”

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore said it is investigating.

Mr Chiam said his family has been harassed since the videos went viral.

He has since filed a police report to protect his distressed family members from further harassment.

Mr Chiam appealed to the public: “Please leave my family members out of this matter. Thank you.”

fjieying@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on May 24, 2016.
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The press secretary to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has responded to an opinion piece on Singlish in the New York Times (NYT) newspaper, saying it makes light of the Government’s efforts to promote the mastery of standard English by Singaporeans.

In a letter published in the International NYT yesterday, Ms Chang Li Lin said: “The Government has a serious reason for this policy.

“Standard English is vital for Singaporeans to earn a living and be understood not just by other Singaporeans but also English speakers everywhere,” she said.

“But English is not the mother tongue of most Singaporeans. For them, mastering the language requires extra effort.

“Using Singlish will make it harder for Singaporeans to learn and use standard English.”

Poet and literary critic Gwee Li Sui wrote the piece that was published in the International NYT on May 14-15 with the headline “Politics and the Singlish language”.

Citing examples of common Singlish phrases like “yaya papaya” (a snooty person), Dr Gwee wrote that Singlish “may seem like the poor cousin to the island’s four official languages, but years of state efforts to quash it have only made it flourish”.

“The government’s war on Singlish was doomed from the start: Even state institutions and officials have nourished it, if inadvertently,” he added, citing its use in National Service and the tourism board showcasing it as a unique cultural creation.

Dr Gwee also cited examples of politicians using Singlish in recent years, saying: “Finally grasping that this language is irrepressible, our leaders have begun to use it publicly in recent years, often in strategic attempts to connect with the masses.”

Ms Chang said in her letter: “Not everyone has a PhD in English literature like Mr Gwee, who can code-switch effortlessly between Singlish and standard English, and extol the virtues of Singlish in an op-ed written in polished standard English.”

This article was first published on May 24, 2016.
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