Ang Mo Kio GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Intan Mokhtar went on Facebook last Saturday (June 13) to share an anecdote about her son, who just graduated from the Singapore Armed Forces’ Officer Cadet Course.
Undergoing training to become an Infantry Officer would have been tough for any young full-time National Serviceman, but for Dr Intan’s son, Adam, it was apparently even more demanding.
According to the MP, who handles the Jalan Kayu precinct, her son experienced a terrible accident five years ago that saw him falling from a height of three storeys.
The injuries he sustained were severe — he broke the bones in both his hands, wrists and three toes on his right foot. Metal plates and screws had to be bolted into each hand and wrist, and a long screw had to be implanted in his foot to keep his bones together. The teen had to keep them on for a year before doctors removed the implants.
Will there be more women contesting in the upcoming Singapore general election?
Although the polls have not been called, speculation has been rife over the candidates that will be fielded in the next election. And a fair number of names thrown up have been of women.
Mariam Jaafar, 43, a partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group in Singapore, has been rumoured to be a possible candidate to take over the reigns from MP Amrin Amin in his Woodlands ward.
Gan Siow Huang, 45, who reportedly resigned from her position in the SAF, set tongues wagging when she was spotted alongside Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen at a Bishan-Toa Payoh group representation constituency (GRC) walkabout in March.
Raeesah Khan, 26, has also been earmarked as one to watch, after she was spotlighted on Workers’ Party (WP) deputy treasurer Lee Li Lian’s Facebook page in April.
SINGAPORE: The operator of pet hotel Platinium Dogs Club was charged on Monday (Jun 15) with multiple offences, including obstructing the course of justice and hiring a pet cremation company to cremate the carcass of missing Shetland sheepdog Prince.
The dog had died while it was boarded at the pet hotel, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in January 2019.
Charlotte Liew, 31, intentionally obstructed the course of justice as Prince’s body had been evidence relevant to investigations into its death, charge sheets stated.
Liew was also charged with one count of furnishing false information to a public servant, in relation to the whereabouts of Prince. The charge carries up to six months in jail, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
Poster for missing Shetland sheepdog Prince, who disappeared after he was boarded at Platinium Dogs Club. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
A further nine charges fell under the Animal and Birds Act, which carries a punishment of up to two years’ jail, a fine of up to S$40,000, or both, for each offence.
These include six counts of failing to take reasonable steps to ensure that an animal is provided with adequate and suitable food and water.
In five cases, she had kept dogs tied to a window grille on a short leash in a room with poor ventilation, causing them unnecessary suffering.
She is accused of neglecting the low-fat diet of a Jack Russell Terrier named QQ, and failing to bring it to a veterinarian despite its unresponsive condition, which led to its eventual death.
Liew was also charged with failing to make reasonable efforts to recover a Mixed breed dog named Texas when it was missing.
She was given a charge of causing unnecessary pain or suffering to a Chow Chow named Whisky by not periodically cleaning it, leaving it to sit in its own urine and faeces for long periods.
She is also accused of failing to take reasonable steps to ensure that an animal is protected from, and rapidly diagnosed of, significant injury or disease by not bringing a Shih Tzu named Pika to a veterinarian, despite its multiple visible injuries.
RAN PLATINIUM DOGS CLUB AS AN UNREGISTERED BUSINESS
Liew was also charged twice under the Business Names Registration Act.
She had provided pet boarding services with Platinium Dogs Club as an unregistered business between January and Oct 29, 2018, charge sheets state.
Liew is accused of abetting the furnishing of false information to the registrar on Oct 30, 2018 by instigating a person named Tan Charmaine to state herself as the owner of Platinium Dogs Club instead of her.
Tan Charmaine had also stated the principal place of Platinium Dogs Club’s business as 570A Woodlands Avenue 1, when Liew knew that it was actually 7 Galistan Avenue in Bukit Panjang.
Each offence carries a punishment of up to two years’ jail, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
Liew was arrested in 2018 over animal welfare-related offences, after the facility was raided by AVA following several complaints that animals were ill-treated under its care.
SINGAPORE – Most businesses and social activities will be allowed to resume from Friday (June 19), the second phase of Singapore’s reopening after the circuit breaker period, the authorities announced on Monday.
“Phase 2 is a significant step in moving towards a new ‘Covid-19-safe’ normal,” said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in a virtual press conference.
The announcement comes about two weeks after phase one started on June 2.
The period saw more workers returning to work, starting with businesses in critical sectors.
While schools and places of worship have reopened, most retail outlets remained shut.
Under phase two, retail outlets will be allowed to reopen with safe distancing measures in place.
The multi-ministry taskforce have said phase three will be the “new normal” until a vaccine or treatment is found for Covid-19.
Here are the activities that can resume from June 19:
After announcing the constituencies that they’ll be contesting in the upcoming General Election, the Reform Party (RP) is ramping up its online presence with voters today (June 15).
The opposition party — headed by secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam — will be holding its first virtual Meet-the-People session tonight via Google Meet, which will be broadcasted on Facebook Live from 7pm to 9pm.
RP noted that viewers will be able to find out during the panel discussion where its members stand on Singapore’s policy issues.
Members of the public are invited to the session via RP’s Facebook livestream, and not join in directly on Google Meet as initially indicated.
President Halimah Yacob has called for the producers of an online podcast to apologise for their misogynistic comments, saying women are not objects who should be made fun of.
In a strongly worded statement on Facebook on Monday (June 15), Madam Halimah said she had received many e-mails about popular local podcast Okletsgo, which had repeatedly aired sexist and lewd comments.
She added that the Malay- and English-language podcast, which is helmed by three former DJs – Mr Dzar Ismail, Mr Dyn Norahim and Mr Raja Razie – should “sincerely and humbly apologise”.
Others have raised concerns, too, including Mufti Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, Singapore’s highest Islamic authority.
In one episode, the hosts openly commented on a female guest’s “cleavage” in the middle of an interview. They had made sexual remarks about women in other episodes as well.
Madam Halimah, in her Facebook post, said women “do not deserve this treatment by Okletsgo”, adding that healthy communities will be undermined by such podcasts.
“Women are not objects to be made fun of, ridiculed and trampled upon, and no one has the right to do that to them.
As Progress Singapore Party (PSP) gears up to contest in West Coast GRC, the party has ‘more or less’ given up on Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC and will contest less seats than initially announced, assistant secretary-general Leong Mun Wai told The Straits Times on Saturday (June 13).
Four of the five PSP candidates to be fielded in West Coast GRC have been confirmed, with PSP chief Dr Tan Cheng Bock leading the team, the newspaper reported.
SINGAPORE – There are 214 new coronavirus cases confirmed here as of Monday noon (June 15), the lowest daily figure in about two months.
They include three community cases, all of whom are work pass holders, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). There are no Singaporeans or permanent residents among the cases.
Migrant workers living in dormitories make up the vast majority of the other cases on Monday, said MOH.
Monday’s figure is the lowest since the 191 cases announced on April 11, and takes Singapore’s total patient number to 40,818.
More details will be announced on Monday night.
On Sunday, the ministry announced the first imported case since May 10 – a Bangladeshi man who came to Singapore to seek medical treatment that was not related to Covid-19 but later tested positive for the coronavirus.
He is among the 407 new Covid-19 cases reported on Sunday.
SINGAPORE – The operator of pet hotel Platinium Dogs Club is expected to be charged on Monday (June 15) over several offences, such as those related to animal abuse.
The 31-year-old woman is slated to face 13 charges, the police, National Parks Board and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority said in a joint statement on Monday.
These charges include six counts for failing to ensure that an animal is provided with adequate food and water. Those found guilty for this offence under the Animals and Birds Act can be fined up to $40,000 or jailed up to two years, or both.
Other charges against the woman include one count for failing to ensure that an animal is protected from or rapidly diagnosed of significant injury or disease, another count for causing unnecessary pain or suffering to the animal, and one count for providing false information to a public servant.
She is also accused of failing to make reasonable efforts to recover an animal when it is missing, as well as obstructing, preventing, perverting or defeating the course of justice.
SINGAPORE: Asia’s largest mixed martial arts promotion, One Championship, said on Monday (Jun 15) it was cutting 20 per cent of its employees worldwide after being unable to stage fight cards for almost four months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Singapore-based organisation, which promotes cards across Asia in mixed martial arts, Muay Thai and kickboxing, has between 201 and 500 employees, according to its LinkedIn profile.
One Championship said in a statement it had raised an additional US$70 million to its “war chest”, bringing its total capital to US$346 million but added it had also “streamlined operations, including a 20 per cent reduction of total worldwide headcount”.
Social distancing and other measures to contain the virus have forced the closure of sporting events worldwide and One Championship’s last event was held behind closed doors in Singapore on Feb 28, said a spokesman.
Four events were planned to be held without fans in Singapore during April and May, but they had to be shelved because of the country’s “circuit breaker” measures.
Another event on May 29 in Manila was also cancelled because the Philippines remained under lockdown.
One Championship chairman and chief executive Chatri Sityodtong has said it is unclear when fights can resume, because of the travel restrictions, quarantine and distancing rules imposed by governments across Asia.
Chatri Sityadtong, chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, Asia’s largest MMA promotion AFP/ROSLAN RAHMAN
Apart from fighters, the company also has to bring in referees, ring girls, coaches, training partners and its own staff into any country hosting an event.
Infrastructure such as the fighting cage has to be shipped and constructed at each venue, and although local staff are used for installations the company needs to provide its own supervisors, the spokesperson said.
The US-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on May 10 became one of the first sports to restart post-coronavirus.
It has so far successfully put on six UFC shows in tightly controlled environments under COVID-19 testing protocols in Jacksonville, Florida, and Las Vegas.
