He allegedly raped her the first time they were alone in his flat.

Testifying in court on the second day of the trial yesterday, the maid said shortly before she was sexually assaulted, alcohol distributor Chin Swee Chung had called out to her when she was in her bedroom.

The Myanmar national told Justice Chan Seng Onn that after she stepped out of her room, Chin, now 45, told her, “I need you”, before dragging her to his bedroom and committing the first rape.

According to court papers, Chin, who is Malaysian, allegedly raped the mother of three for the first time at around 1am on Dec 20, 2013.

The Singapore permanent resident is also accused of raping the maid a second time, about six hours later.

Chin, who is out on $70,000 bail, was married when he allegedly committed these offences. He is now divorced.

On Tuesday, the court heard that he claimed the sex was consensual on both occasions.

The maid, now 38, returned from Myanmar for the trial.

Speaking from the witness stand, the maid said she started working for Chin’s family in their Pasir Ris flat on July 2013, earning $420 a month.

The court heard that five people lived there – Chin, his mother, his then-wife and their two children.

The maid said she had never spoken to Chin while she was working there, and he had never given her any instructions.

The court heard that Chin’s then-wife and their children went overseas for a holiday on Dec 17, 2013. His mother had gone back to Malaysia at that time.

The maid said Chin was not at home when she went to bed at around 10pm on Dec 19. The court heard that her room had no door – just a curtain.

WOKEN UP

She said she was sleeping on a mattress when the family dog made a sound and woke her up.

She then saw Chin in front of her room, calling her name while shaking the drawn curtain. He spoke to her in English when she stepped out.

She testified that she did not understand most of what he said but managed to pick out the words: “I need you.”

She said: “I understood through those words that he wanted to sleep with me.”

The maid told Justice Chan that Chin then dragged her to his bedroom.

She struggled to get away and repeatedly told him: “I don’t want.”

But he allegedly replied: “Don’t worry. Don’t be scared. Ma’am and children are not around.”

He then pushed her onto a bed and raped her.

Afterwards, she ran back to her room and stayed there, crying until dawn.

She also tried to phone one of her friends, a Myanmar national, who testified in court on Tuesday, but he did not answer.

At about 7am, the maid said she was washing some clothes by hand at a service balcony when Chin came up behind her and apologised.

Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and dragged her to his bedroom, where he raped her again on the same bed.

After Chin left for work at around 10am, the maid called her friend, who advised her to call the police.

Officers arrived at the flat about 15 minutes later, the court heard.

The trial resumes today.

Factors for cases to be heard in-camera

It is not uncommon for alleged victims of sexual crimes to give their testimonies in court in the presence of reporters and members of the public.

Yesterday, lawyers who are not involved in the rape case involving alcohol distributor Chin Swee Chung told The New Paper that the prosecution can apply for the victims to give their testimonies “in-camera”.

Lawyer Rajan Supramaniam said this means people not directly involved in the case will be asked to leave the courtroom.

However, the prosecution did not apply for the maid in the current case to give her testimony in-camera.

Another lawyer, Mrs Gloria James-Civetta, told The New Paper that whether or not a testimony is given in-camera depends on factors such as the age of the victims and their mental state after their ordeal.

She said: “Prosecutors can apply for the victim’s testimony to be heard in-camera if she is still in a very fragile state.

“They can also apply for it if they have to present sensitive materials in court such as footage showing nudity and sexual acts.”

This article was first published on May 12, 2016.
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Singaporeans and permanent residents can start applying for tickets to this year’s National Day Parade (NDP) and the two previews from tomorrow.

This year will mark the parade’s return to the National Stadium after 10 years.

During the last decade, the NDP was held at the Marina Bay Floating Platform and the Padang after the former National Stadium was slated for demolition.

The parade this year is expected to feature highlights such as the use of unmanned technologies, aerial displays involving props and performers, and indoor fireworks, said a spokesman for the organisers.

Previews of the NDP will be held on July 23 and July 30, ahead of the official parade on Aug 9, National Day.

Applicants can choose to apply for two, four or six tickets. However, those asking for fewer tickets have a higher chance of obtaining them. Those eligible can submit their applications via SMS, or through the official NDP website, www.ndp.org.sg, or at SAM and AXS stations across the island.

To apply via SMS, details should be sent to 8240-0050 in the following format:

(NRIC No.) SPACE (Number of tickets) SPACE (NDP/Preview1/Preview2)SPACE (SG/PR) SPACE (NAME)

For instance: S1234567A 2 NDP SG PATRICK LIN

An SMS reply will be sent to applicants acknowledging receipt.

Each NRIC holder is limited to one application. Tickets will be allocated by an electronic ballot system, and each ticket admits one person to the parade. Children and infants must also have a ticket.

Successful applicants will be notified from June 2 to June 8 via the contact number they provide in their applications.

Tickets can be collected from June 10 to June 19 from 10am to 9pm at Kallang Wave Mall Atrium, and are strictly not for sale.

Applications close on May 22.

This article was first published on May 12, 2016.
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From June 5 to Dec 18, train services at 13 stations along the North-South and East-West MRT lines will start at 7am on Sundays – about 90 minutes later than usual.

This is to allow more time for track maintenance and renewal works on the western sector of the network, SMRT said yesterday.

The stations are from Joo Koon to Queenstown on the East-West Line, and Jurong East to Bukit Gombak on the North-South Line.

To minimise inconvenience to commuters, a new parallel bus service will ply from Joo Koon MRT station to Bukit Gombak MRT station (via Jurong East MRT station) in both directions. The service will operate with a 10-minute interval between 5.30am and 7am on Sundays when train services are not available. Fares will be similar to train fares for the same distance. Train, bus and hybrid concession passes will be accepted, SMRT said.

Existing bus services are available for journeys between Jurong East and Queenstown MRT stations.

SMRT said affected commuters can also travel to stations on the Circle and Downtown lines to get to the city.

SMRT has also been closing stretches of the East-West Line – between Tanah Merah and Pasir Ris stations, and between Joo Koon and Jurong East stations – half an hour earlier. The early closures, which will last till end August, are from Sundays to Thursdays.

Last month, SMRT said it had replaced half of the 92,000 timber sleepers on the East-West Line with concrete ones. Sleepers help to hold tracks in place.

An earlier project to replace 96,000 sleepers on the North-South Line was completed last April.

An ongoing project to upgrade the signalling system on both lines is past the halfway mark. Upgrading the signalling system allows trains to run at intervals of 100 seconds during peak hours instead of 120 seconds now.

The power-supplying third rail is also being replaced, but this project is still in its early stages.

Meanwhile, the Land Transport Authority said it is also building a new power intake substation and upgrading the existing power system to increase the network’s power supply capacity. But it did not say when this will be done.

Power-related breakdowns have been rising in frequency and severity in recent years.

Said SMRT: “Starting train services at 7am on Sundays at the 13 NSEWL stations will give our project teams, track patrol teams and maintenance teams 29 additional work nights over the six-month period. We seek the understanding and patience of commuters.”

Stockbroker Cole Cheong, 49, a Jurong resident who has been using the MRT to get to work for more than 20 years, said: “No choice. They need this extra time to renew the system. The public should have some understanding if it leads to better service in the long term.

“They should have better information about bus services as train commuters who are affected may not be familiar with bus routes,” he added.

This article was first published on May 12, 2016.
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Some inconvenience must be accepted to ensure Singapore’s safety: Desmond Lee

Efficiency at Singapore’s borders cannot be pursued at the expense of security, especially with the terrorist threat at its highest level in recent times.

Some inconvenience must be accepted in order to keep Singapore safe and secure, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Lee said yesterday.

He stressed this during a closed- door speech during the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) annual workplan seminar at the Home Team Academy.

Addressing Home Team officers, Mr Lee said the country’s “borders are our vital first line of defence when it comes to fighting the threat of terrorism”.

He pointed out that with 197 million travellers crossing the nation’s borders last year – or more than 500,000 travellers a day – there would be pressure from the public for fast clearance. But he urged ICA officers to remain vigilant.

Mr Lee publicly commended four ICA officers for their roles in detecting radicalised individuals who were transiting through Singapore.

Two of them – corporals Juliati Mohd Arip and Mohammad Sufi Wahit – had spotted two suspicious Indonesian men at the HarbourFront Ferry Terminal last November.

The duo were dressed in casual shirts, jeans and sports shoes, and looked like any other backpacker.

But one of the men had a new passport that appeared to have been tampered with.

Mr Lee said the ICA officers checked the men’s belongings and found materials related to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group.

“It was later discovered that both of them had intended to travel to Iraq to join ISIS. Cpl Juliati and Cpl Mohammad Sufi foiled their plans,” said Mr Lee.

Two other officers – Sergeant Rasul Haron and Checkpoint Inspector Low Thian Ghee – were on duty at the Woodlands Checkpoint in February when they spotted four Indonesians behaving suspiciously.

Again, checks on the four uncovered ISIS-related material in their possessions, said Mr Lee, adding that the alertness of ICA officers had foiled their plans.

Mr Lee also praised all 5,000 ICA officers for protecting the country’s borders around the clock, 365 days a year.

“All of us in ICA must continue to be thorough in our checks and remain vigilant at all times to spot those with malicious intent,” said Mr Lee. “The safety of our families, our friends and our loved ones depends on your vigilance.”

In a separate speech yesterday, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman reiterated this point.

” While these enhanced checks at our land checkpoints in Woodlands and Tuas may add a delay to our commutes to and from Malaysia, I hope that you understand the need for such checks in order for us to keep ourselves safe,” he said.

Dr Maliki, speaking at a panel discussion on counter-terrorism at the UniSIM Centre for Applied Research, also highlighted the risks posed by terrorism, and what Singapore is doing to counter the threat.

“Terrorism poses a threat to more than just our physical security. It also threatens our raison d’etre and cohesiveness as a thriving multiracial, multi-religious society,” he said.

This article was first published on May 12, 2016.
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