FUNCHAL (Portugal) – With four months to go to the 2016 Paralympics, Singapore’s Yip Pin Xiu showed her strong form in the pool by sensationally setting a new world record on Thursday morning (May 5, Singapore time).
The 24-year-old Singaporean swimmer timed…
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Para swimmer Yip Pin Xiu shatters world record by over six seconds
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Lee Wei Ling: Chee Soon Juan not fit to be in Parliament
SINGAPORE – Someone had used Dr Lee Wei Ling’s name to pen support for an online petition calling for the People’s Action Party’s “personal attacks and character assassination” of Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan to stop.
Dr Lee, the daughter of Singapore founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, put up a post on her Facebook page this morning to declare that she was not the one who signed the petition, and that she has good reasons not to do so.
She wrote: “I have a very poor opinion of Dr Chee, and do not think he is fit to be in Parliament.”
Dr Chee is contesting in the Bukit Batok by-election in a straight fight against lawyer Murali Pillai of the People’s Action Party.
Some SDP supporters have been urging Dr Lee on her Facebook page to speak up in support of Dr Chee.
But she had remained totally silent until a Facebook user asked her this morning whether she had signed the petition, which was started by local actress Neo Swee Lin and 29 others from the arts scene, academia and civil society groups.
In her post this morning, Dr Lee said: “I will never support such a person. And I believe that his true nature should be fully exposed – cheating NUS, telling untruths all his life, slippery – And Singaporeans should decide whether such a person should be in Parliament. Is it possible that he has truly reformed? Just look at what he did last week.”
“Last week, he allowed his speakers to attack (former Bukit Batok MP) David Ong and then came on stage and pretended to be magnanimous and said we should not attack character. When pressed, he admitted he knew what the fellow speakers were going to say,” she added.
Dr Lee asked: “What do you say about such a man? And having made character attacks, when this is pointed out, he then played the martyr, saying his character is being attacked.”
Echoing what PAP politicians had said of how Dr Chee had ‘chut pattern’ in the 2015 General Election, she said: “The man has not changed at all, though he is now posing as a changed man, using his family.”
PM Lee: Chee is ‘completely hypocritical
Ms Neo, who was a surprise guest speaker at the SDP’s rally on Tuesday (May 3) night, had read out the petition and said character attacks on Dr Chee by PAP leaders were uncalled for. So far, more than 4,000 had signed the petition by this morning (May 5).
Dr Lee’s brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, had highlighted the hypocrisy of Dr Chee for urging people to refrain from mounting personal attacks on ex-PAP MP David Ong, after SDP rally speakers had done so.
Mr Lee said: “At the SDP rally, all the speakers fired away at Mr David Ong. And then came Chee Soon Juan at the end, and he said: ‘You must not hit somebody who is down, that is very bad.’ But that is completely hypocritical.”
“You get your guys to say all the bad things, then you come along and look magisterial and benign and say you must not hit somebody, having caused all your lieutenants to hit him as hard as they can. But, unfortunately, it’s in character,” he concluded.
chenj@sph.com.sg
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Bukit Batok by-election rally May 3
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Dr Lee Wei Ling denies signing petition supporting Chee, says he is not fit to be in Parliament
SINGAPORE – Dr Lee Wei Ling, the sister of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has denied signing a petition asking for an end to attacks on the character of Dr Chee Soon Juan, the Singapore Democratic Party chief contesting this Saturday’s (May 7) Bukit Batok…
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Woman diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome, HSA warns public to avoid 'itch removing capsule'
SINGAPORE – The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has warned the public not to purchase or consume a health product labelled in Chinese as ‘Hai Leng Hai Beh Herbal Itch Removing Capsule’ after a customer consumed it and has now been diagnosed with a metabolic disorder known as Cushing’s syndrome.
In a press release today (May 5), the HSA revealed that a woman in her 40s, bought the capsules from a retail store overseas to ease an itchy skin condition after a relative’s recommendation.
Just a day after consumption her itchy skin condition improved. However after consuming the pills for two months, she gained weight rapidly and her face became puffy.
Evidence later showed that the pills were not entirely herbal in nature and contained “potent traces of steroid and painkillers like paracetemol”, according to HSA.
Dexamethsone, a steroid which is usually prescribed for inflammatory conditions, is known to cause increased blood glucose levels that cause diabetes, high blood pressure, cataracts and muscular and bone disorders when taken over a long period of time without supervision.
These medical conditions may, in turn, cause a consumer to develop Cushing’s syndrome, said HSA.
Chlorpheniramine was also found in the capsule. HSA said the antihistamine is commonly known to treat allergic reactions and can cause drowsiness, blurred vision, vomiting and constipation.
Paracetamol is known to cause swelling of the lips or face and rashes.
The HSA has advised all sellers to stop selling and distributing the capsules immediately.
If caught selling, shop owners could be fined up to $10,000 and may be imprisoned for a period of up to two years, if convicted.
To learn more about the dangers of buying health products from dubious sources, you can visit www.healthdangers.sg.
Those with any information on the sale and supply of these capsules or other illegal products can contact HSA’s Enforcement Branch at 68663485 during office hours from Monday to Friday.
mldas@sph.com.sg
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52-year-old man first to be charged under Liquor Control Act
Tan Gak Hin was caught drinking with friends in the early hours of Feb 23 at Bishan Street 24. He was ordered to pay a fine of S$1,000.
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Fandi or Sundram could be appointed interim national coach
The chances of either Fandi Ahmad or V Sundramoorthy taking the reins of the national team have just gone up.
The New Paper understands that the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) will meet the two local football icons separately over the next two days to talk to them about the vacant national coach position.
The Lions have been without a chief tamer since the departure of Bernd Stange two weeks ago. The German was in charge for almost three years.
TNP reported on April 24 that the FAS had approached both Fandi, 53, and Sundram, 50, and asked the two coaches to draw up a shortlist of 30 names for the next national squad, which will play in a friendly
quadrangular in Myanmar from June 3 to 5.
While the FAS had planned to appoint an experienced foreign coach to replace Stange, it is believed it has shifted its stance and the two former Lions stars are now in the running, after positive feedback from senior national team players.
However, it is believed the FAS is likely to offer Fandi or Sundram the national team job on an initial short-term basis, until the year-end AFF Suzuki Cup co-hosted by Myanmar and the Philippines.
Singapore are record joint four-time champions, along with Thailand, but their last triumph in the biennial competition was in 2012.
PROCESS
In response to TNP’s queries, an FAS spokesman said: “Like any forward-looking organisation, the FAS has in place a rigorous, comprehensive process to identify key appointment holders.
“We are at an advanced stage of the recruitment process, and expect to announce the appointment of the new coach by the end of May.”
Fandi is currently a staff coach with the FAS, having previously coached the LionsXII team that competed in Malaysian domestic football competitions, in 2014 and 2015.
He led them to a Malaysian FA Cup triumph but the team were disbanded at the end of last year, after the Football Association of Malaysia decided not to extend the team’s participation in its domestic tournaments.
Sundram, meanwhile, is in charge of S.League giants Tampines Rovers, who have the bulk of the disbanded LionsXII team on their books.
He also previously coached the LionsXII, in 2012 and 2013, guiding them to the Malaysian Super League crown in his second year.
Senior national players, who hope to redeem themselves after a disastrous Suzuki Cup outing in 2014 when the Lions crashed out of the group stages on home soil, backed both local greats for the job.
Midfielder Hariss Harun told TNP yesterday: “The Suzuki Cup is our immediate concern.
“We did not have a good showing on home soil the last time out, and we have to put things right.
“To me, Fandi and Sundram are the two names that are able to get the best out of us for this Suzuki Cup.
“As a (tandem), or either one as head coach, I think that would be the best for us right now.”
National captain Shahril Ishak said that it is better to appoint a local than a foreign coach.
SUZUKI CUP NEARING
“The Suzuki Cup is just six months away,” said the 32-year-old.
“We don’t want a new foreign coach who will reshuffle the pack, has to study us and learn what each player can do, introduces a new philosophy… That will just slow everything down.
“Fandi and Sundram have won things as players and coaches, they know what it takes to be successful with the national team.
“It’s time for them to be given a chance.”
msazali@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on May 5, 2016.
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Alert issued for anti-itch product
SINGAPORE – The Health Sciences Authority has warned the public against using a product that promises to stop itchiness after a consumer experienced rapid weight gain and developed a “round moon face” after using the product.
A woman in her 40s had taken…
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Intense turbulence on flight causes overhead bins to fall out
Have you ever been in turbulence on board a plane so intense that the overhead compartment falls apart?
An Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta was hit by such strong turbulence on Wednesday afternoon (May 5) that there were even cracks in the overhead cabins.
According to Mashable, it was about 45 minutes before landing that turbulence hit the Airbus A330-200.
Based on photos on Twitter from passengers on board, food items were also strewn all over the ground.
31 people were injured.
The airline issued a statement saying that it has sent a support team from its base in Abu Dhabi.
The airline is also assisting passengers scheduled to travel on this flight, by rebooking them on alternate flights or providing hotel accommodation.
The plane’s return flight from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi was cancelled due to the cabin’s damage, said the report.
maryanns@sph.com.sg
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Going all out to get green again
It has been six months since its Green Label certification was suspended – because the company was linked to the haze that blanketed Singapore last year – but Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) is still reeling from the repercussions.
Indonesia’s largest pulp and paper company said it lost “millions” of dollars in sales as a result of the suspension.
The ongoing suspension means its products, such as popular tissue brands Paseo and Jolly, remain absent from the shelves of major supermarkets here.
Products with the Green Label, which is issued by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), are considered environmentally friendly and APP is making getting the certification reinstated a priority.
APP’s vice-president of corporate affairs in Singapore, Mr Jose Raymond, told The New Paper: “(Getting the certification reinstated is) at the top of our agenda and we’re working with SEC. We will leave it in its hands.”
Last September, the National Environment Agency (NEA) issued APP a notice under Section 10 of the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.
It demanded APP provide information on its subsidiaries in Singapore and Indonesia, after large-scale forest fires erupted on land that was under the company’s purview.
NEA also issued notices under Section 9 of the Act to six other firms based in Indonesia.
The next month, SEC suspended APP’s Green Label, prompting supermarkets such as FairPrice and Sheng Siong to take APP products off their shelves.
Spokesmen for both supermarkets said they currently do not stock APP products.
Mr Raymond told TNP: “The haze episode of 2015 showed that APP needs to do a lot more on the ground to tackle the fires.”
PREVENTION
To that end, APP invested US$20 million (S$27.4 million) in a multifaceted fire prevention and suppression programme, which included getting fire management experts to train 400 of its staff and suppliers.
APP also signed a memorandum of understanding with seven villages near its concessions in South Sumatra province.
Under the memorandum, APP committed itself to spending an additional US$10 million over five years on a variety of programmes to give villagers a reason not to clear land by burning down forests for illegal logging.
Indonesian environmental activist and independent journalist, Mr Taufik Wijaya, applauded APP for investing in farming communities.
“The money that it has pledged so far must be focused on improving the socio-economic status of the villages,” he said.
For Mr Zenzi Suhadi, a campaign manager for Indonesian environmental group Walhi, the effectiveness of the programmes has yet to be determined.
“The success of APP’s programmes will be seen only when the dry season truly comes around, in May to August,” he said.
In Singapore, grassroots group People’s Movement to Stop Haze was “glad” to see APP investing in community engagement programmes.
But the group’s strategic development and research director, Mr Chris Cheng, said “such efforts should have started years ago when it was accused by many NGOs for its community exploitation and burning within concessions”.
Professor Ang Peng Hwa, an adviser for the group, told TNP: “Quite clearly, what had been spent was not enough.”
In 2013, APP and its suppliers spent US$4 million on fire detection and response, and on training for firefighters to fight fires on its concessions, according to its website.
Responding to the scepticism, Mr Raymond said: “What happened in 2015 was unprecedented, that’s why APP has invested a lot more money in fire suppression and fire prevention this year.”
MAPS
The company is one of the handful in Indonesia that made maps of its concessions, as well as those of its suppliers, available online for public scrutiny.
It is according to the World Resources Institute, which runs the Global Forest Watch, an online forest monitoring and fire alert system that provides detailed maps and analysis of forest fires around the world.
Additionally, in March, the Forest Stewardship Council announced that it is in talks with APP to reinstate the council’s certification for the company.
The council, a global NGO promoting responsible fire management, terminated APP’s certification in October 2007, citing “publicly available information” that showed APP was involved in destructive forestry practice.
The World Wide Fund for Nature considers the council’s certification as being the best in ensuring environmentally responsible forest management.
So what would the end game be for Mr Raymond?
“It should be blue skies for all of us, right? That is ASEAN’s end game as well,” he said.
This article was first published on May 5, 2016.
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