SINGAPORE – The two children at the centre of an alleged inappropriate touching incident at a PAP Community Foundation (PCF) preschool are being counselled by a psychologist.

The incident occurred last Tuesday (April 12), when a six-year-old girl reported that she had been touched inappropriately by a boy, also six, at a Sparkletots Preschool in Taman Jurong.

In a statement on Monday (April 18), PCF explained that it was informed of the incident the following day, and was investigating the matter.

“We have assigned a child psychologist and teacher to engage the girl and look after her well-being. The psychologist is also counselling the boy,” the childcare operator said.

It added that it would take necessary follow-up action based on the findings and recommendations of the child psychologist.

PCF also revealed that the boy’s parent had agreed not to send him to the centre for the time being, and that a teacher will continue to stay in touch with the boy and his parent.

“We deeply regret the incident and fully sympathise with the parents in their distress. Our top priority is the well-being of our young children,” it stressed.

The Straits Times reported that in a Facebook post, the girl’s parent said that the boy had put his hand up the girl’s skirt when she was asleep during the school’s afternoon nap time. The boy also admitted to doing so after being questioned.

The parent also expressed dissatisfaction with how the school dealt with the incident, saying that the principal’s solution was to “bring the boy away from my daughter” and that there had not been an apology from the school or the boy’s parents.

The post also said that the girl was frightened and traumatised that such an incident would happen again.

seanyap@sph.com.sg

There have already been 26 workplace deaths in less than four months this year, prompting Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say to stress that existing safety efforts are “not good enough”.

Speaking yesterday at a Workplace Safety Health (WSH) Council walk, he said this was eight more deaths than in the same period last year.

Eight of the 26 deaths occurred within the past three weeks alone, which Mr Lim called “alarming”.

While the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has stepped up inspection and enforcement, the threat of prosecution and penalties should not be the main reason for employers to push for better safety efforts, he said. Instead, they must want to do their best “because preventing all injuries is the right thing to do, and the responsible way of running their business”, he added.

In the latest fatal accident on Saturday, a 36-year-old truck driver from India died when his parked vehicle rolled into him, crushing him against a wall at 56, Loyang Way, around 5am.

Said Mr Lim: “Every death is one too many because a death at work means the loss of a loved one at home.” He cited the example of chemist Lim Siaw Chian, who died in a lab explosion at Leeden National Oxygen last October, leaving behind a six-month-old daughter, and the two SMRT staff killed by a train last month while undergoing on-the-job training.

He also outlined the challenges of workplace safety and health that lie ahead. These include the chronic diseases of an ageing population such as diabetes and hypertension, occupational diseases such as psychosocial stress, and the new risks of technology, such as robotics and automation in the workplace.

More than 1,000 people from 55 companies took part in the 3.5km walk yesterday at the Gardens by the Bay, part of the launch of this year’s National WSH Campaign.

WSH Council chairman Heng Chiang Gnee said that since October, the council has conducted a pilot programme to help more than 350 small and medium-sized enterprises in metalworking and manufacturing to improve workplace safety.

Workplace health and safety officer Mohammad Hidayat Hamzah from construction firm Vigcon was among the walk’s participants.

The 34-year-old said Vigcon has a penalty system for safety lapses, and bi-weekly meetings to plug safety gaps. The company has been free of incidents since a worker tripped and fractured his hand in 2014.

“We hope to work harder to keep it that way,” he said.

This article was first published on April 18, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Both sides also agree on need to co-operate closely in countering extremism and in sharing of expertise

Singapore and Jordan have agreed on the need for closer co-operation in countering extremism, sharing of expertise and stepping up economic co-operation.

These were among the areas discussed when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was hosted to lunch by King Abdullah II of Jordan at Al Husseinieh Palace yesterday, the second day of Mr Lee’s visit to Jordan.

They also agreed on the urgent need for Israel and the Palestinians to resume direct negotiations to achieve the two-state solution, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said after the meeting.

King Abdullah has been a strong voice of moderation and an advocate of a viable and lasting solution to conflicts in the Middle East.

He initiated the Amman Message in 2004, which underlines the key principles of tolerance, moderation and dialogue that Islam teaches – a message that is seen as a response to Muslims who sow violence in the name of faith and others who depict Islam as violent and stir anti- Muslim sentiment.

Mr Lee conveyed his appreciation for King Abdullah’s “leadership role in promoting the Amman Message and inter-faith dialogue, which has greater salience at a time of heightened religious and sectarian strife”, the PMO said in a statement.

Jordanian news agency Petra reported that both leaders stressed the need to address the threat of terrorism posed by groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in a holistic manner.

They also reaffirmed the warm and friendly ties between their countries. Jordan was one of four countries that sponsored Singapore’s bid for United Nations membership in 1965, and Singapore signed its first free trade agreement (FTA) in the Middle East with Jordan in 1994.

Since assuming the throne in 1999, King Abdullah has made 12 visits to Singapore.

Mr Lee was greeted yesterday morning by Prime Minister and Defence Minister Abdullah Ensour at an official welcome ceremony and inspected the Royal Guards.

Both leaders agreed to step up co-operation in capacity-building programmes to support human resource development in Jordan.

Singapore would be happy to share its experience in areas such as vocational and skills training, water resource management, public sector leadership and mediation, Mr Lee said.

Dr Ensour updated him on economic developments in Jordan and invited Singapore companies to take advantage of Jordan’s FTAs with several countries.

Dr Ensour and his wife also hosted an official dinner in honour of Mr and Mrs Lee yesterday evening.

Today, Mr Lee will be hosted to breakfast by Chief Adviser for Religious and Cultural Affairs, Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad Bin Talal.

He will then head to Israel, the next stop on his visit to the region during which he will also visit the Palestinian Territories.

zakirh@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on April 18, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE – The Seletar Expressway (SLE) towards the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) has reopened after a two-hour closure that saw a massive traffic jam on Monday morning (April 18).

A cement mixer is believed to have skidded before crashing into a centre divider, causing congestion in both directions on the expressway. The jam strected to as far as the Tampines Expressway exit.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

According to The Straits Times, a Singapore Civil Defence Force spokesman said it was alerted to the accident at around 3.19am.

The spokesman said that personnel had to extricate the trapped driver, who was found conscious and in a stable condition. The driver was then sent to Khoo Teck Phuat Hospital.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) tweeted at around 3.20am, asking motorists to avoid Lane 1 along SLE towards BKE.

The Singapore Police Force took to Facebook at 7.30am, advising motorists to avoid the affected stretch and use alternatives.

An eyewitness told Channel NewsAsia that when he arrived at the scene, the truck was already overturned and had hit the trees in the centre of the expressway.

He added that the truck driver had asked him for help but as it was dark, he was unable to do anything.

debwong@sph.com.sg