SINGAPORE: Food and beverage company The Prive Group has parted ways with its chief executive officer, a day after expressing support for him following his conviction in court for hurting a 13-year-old boy.

In a statement on Facebook on Friday morning (Oct 22), the group wrote that with immediate effect, Jean-Luc Kha Vu Han will no longer be its CEO.

“We strongly condemn his actions and all acts of violence and would like to reassure the public that his personal actions do not in any way reflect our core values,” said the group’s post.

“We are glad that he is currently seeking the necessary treatments for his mental health and believe that the Singapore justice system will deal out the necessary punishment.”

Vu Han, 44, pleaded guilty a day earlier to a charge each of voluntarily causing hurt and intentionally causing alarm to a 13-year-old boy at Parklane Shopping Mall in 2019.

Vu Han was intoxicated when he entered a lift with the boy and his 12-year-old brother, before asking him lewd questions and punching him in the head.

When the lift got to the ground floor, Vu Han stopped the doors from closing and slapped the boy’s face.

After Vu Han’s conviction, The Prive Group said in a statement to the media that Vu Han “has our full and unwavering support”. It confirmed that Vu Han was still CEO and was “helping us stay afloat amidst the ongoing COVID restrictions”.

The group received backlash on its online platforms, with some calling for a boycott.

On Friday, The Prive Group apologised if any of its previous statements had been “miscontrued as condoning his actions as we do not support violence in any way”.

“We sincerely apologise,” the group said.

“We also encourage those who suspect they might have mental health issues to seek help early,” it said. “Thank you for your understanding and we hope that we can become a better company through this.”

Vu Han’s lawyer had told the court that he was diagnosed with adjustment disorder and later bipolar disorder, for which he is seeking treatment. On this basis, she asked for a mandatory treatment order suitability report, but the prosecutor objected, saying there was no indication of how the mental conditions contributed to the offence.

The prosecutor is seeking eight weeks’ jail and a fine, and sentencing is set for December.

Singapore: An investigator from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) failed to maintain proper vigilance while driving and collided with an 84-year-old pedestrian, resulting in her death.

Norazlan Abdul Aziz, 44, was sentenced to two weeks in prison and five years of driving ban on Friday (October 22).

He pleaded guilty to an act of negligence that did not constitute a crime of homicide. He did not stop on the single white line at the unsignaled intersection of No. 1 Choa Chu Kang Avenue.

The court was informed that Norazlan pulled out of the multi-storey car park at No. 808, Block 1, Choa Chu Kang at about 4 pm on September 21, 2017.

Afterwards, he drove along the two-way service road on the single-lane road at Block 807D, No. 1 Choa Chu Kang Avenue, intending to drive out of the service road to the main road at No. 1 Choa Chu Kang Avenue.

The victim was an 84-year-old woman who was walking along the sidewalk between the service road and the main road.

The court was informed that she began to cross the service road connecting the block of the HDB to the exit of the main road No. 1 Choa Chu Kang Avenue and was likely to be seen by Norazlan.

However, Norazlan did not pay attention to her. There was a stop line at the exit, but he did not slow down or stop. He turned to the left without noticing the victim, he had already crossed the road from his left.

His car collided with a woman on the left front and she fell on the road in front of the car.

Bystanders Tried To Alert Him
A bystander in a nearby childcare center heard a loud “bang” and turned to see the victim lying motionless on the ground. He ran to the car and yelled at Norazlan to remind him, but to no avail.

Norazlan parked the car for a few seconds, then drove forward again, running over the woman—bystanders witnessed the process.

The estimated average speed of Norazlan’s cars as they travel along service roads is 10 to 13 kilometers.

The woman was taken to the hospital with a severely torn scalp and serious internal injuries to her face and head. She did not respond to the resuscitation and was pronounced dead within a few hours.

The defense lawyer said that Norazlan deeply regretted the death of the victim, and the incident “continued to haunt him and seriously affected his conscience.”

After the accident, he stopped immediately, tried his best to help the victim, called an ambulance and cooperated with the police investigation.

The defense emphasized Norazlan’s record as a police officer-he joined SPF as a corporal in 1999 and later became a station inspector. The lawyer said that he has served as an investigator at the Jurong Police Station for the past 10 years and has received ministerial awards and other awards.

For negligence that does not constitute a crime of homicide, Norazlan may be sentenced to up to two years in jail, a fine, or both.

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Singapore: Singapore’s contractors are preparing to provide more services for COVID-19 deaths, and some funeral services agencies said that during the pandemic, the way relatives remember the dead has changed.

On Wednesday (October 20), Singapore recorded 18 deaths due to complications of COVID-19, the highest daily death toll since the beginning of the pandemic. The death toll from the coronavirus is now 264.

Calvin Tang, general manager of Singapore Coffin, told CNA that it handled about 20 COVID-19 funerals in October, double the total number of the previous month.

Mr. Tang said that he is working hard to ensure that the company has enough manpower to handle more and more services, and he has to recall workers on leave.

He said: “We are still dealing with other funerals, not just COVID-19. All families need to be well taken care of.” “As the number of cases increases… we have to plan very carefully.”

Mr. Ang Ziqian, managing director of Ang Chin Moh Funeral Directors, said that learning lessons from the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic, the company has already stockpiled “months and months” of supplies, including individuals Protective equipment.

Mr. Ang said that even before the first COVID-19 death was recorded in Singapore last year, the company told its employees that they must “step up” to deal with the death.

Mr. Jeffrey Lee of Simplicity Casket, a subsidiary of Singapore Casket, said that since the end of September, the company has begun to receive more inquiries, including some special requirements.

He said, for example, for health and safety reasons, some families authorize the undertaker to handle the funeral — from the collection of the dead body to the cremation — in their absence.

Manpower is also very tight, because the company avoids assigning employees to the second task after completing the COVID-19 funeral.

“They will go back to the office to take a shower and wash their hair before going to the next task. So we need extra manpower,” he said.

Simpler funeral service
Some people say that in general, funerals have become simpler, and the requirements for direct cremation have increased.

The funeral director of Singapore funeral home, Mr. He Darren, said that in the past, funerals sometimes lasted five days, but now they are often three days or less.

He also received more direct cremation requests without the need for a night watch.

Wake up is also quieter-although music is still allowed, wind instruments cannot be used, and the number of participants is limited.

Current safety management measures allow up to 30 people to be awakened or buried and cremated at any time. The guidelines stipulate that religious workers, funeral directors and musicians should be kept to a minimum.

Mourners are asked to minimize interaction with other participants, and are not allowed to set up buffets or receptions where food and drinks are provided. It is also not allowed to provide small packages of beverages or individually packaged tidbits.

Mr. He said: “Because these items are perishable, once they are close to the expiration date, we have no choice to throw them away.”

Mr. Tang said that Singapore Coffin has set up more live broadcast services for family and friends who cannot go to the death ceremony in person.

He said that some people also asked to take photos and send them to them so that they could keep memories of their loved ones.

As the death toll from COVID-19 rises, Mr. Hong said he decided to launch a campaign to urge people to get vaccinated.

“There is a lot of information… but if the information comes from a funeral and interment company, it emphasizes that if you don’t get vaccinated, there will be dire consequences,” he said.

“If we don’t reduce the number of (infected), the frontline staff will be overwhelmed…If the death toll continues to rise, the next frontline professional who is overwhelmed will be our funeral service staff.”

Singapore: After losing the key to his locked bicycle, a police officer searched two shopping malls for a cutting tool to remove the lock, but to no avail.

When his friend jokingly suggested that he call the police to get a “free service” for the stolen bicycle to unlock his bicycle, the police did so.

The false report by the police led to the deployment of three police officers to the scene and the mobilization of manpower from multiple police departments, including one investigator.

Ong Chee Seng, 50, was fined S$3,000 on Thursday (October 21). He admitted to an allegation of deliberately providing false information to civil servants and considered a second similar allegation.

The court learned that Ong was an officer of the Singapore Police Force at the time of the crime.

On the morning of May 26 this year, he rode a folding bike to the Waterway Point mall in Punggol to buy lunch. He secured the bicycle to the bicycle parking place with a lock and put the key in his pocket.

However, when he returned to the bay later, he could not find the key. Ong went back the same way to find the key, but did not succeed.

In the end, he took the train home and left his bicycle in the mall. Later that day, he went to the Compass One shopping mall near Sengkang and then returned to Waterway Point to look for equipment to remove the bicycle lock.

Ong couldn’t find any shops selling the knives he needed. He also approached the security counter at Waterway Point and asked to borrow a knife, but was refused because the team could not verify whether the bicycle was his.

At 3:50 pm that day, Ong sent a message to the WhatsApp group chat he shared with six other participants. He asked his friend Ellen if he could borrow a knife from him, but Ellen did not.

Another friend made fun of Ong and jokingly suggested that he call the police. The friend said that he should claim that he found his bike and pretended that it was stolen before.

His friend suggested that the police would then provide him with a “free service” and help him unlock the locked bicycle. He added that Wang should take a picture of his locked bicycle and show it to investigators. In fact, none of the group chat members wanted Ong to call the police.

He actually called the police
At 5:30 pm that day, Ong checked the Punggol Neighbourhood Police Center hotline online and dialed the number provided.

He told the police officer on the line: “I found my stolen bicycle at the bicycle parking lot in Waterway Point. I need the help of the police.”

As a result, an investigator was sent to the Ong case, and two ground response officers were sent to the bicycle parking area. One of them asked Ong what happened, and Ong told him that a bicycle locked there belonged to him.

The police officer asked Ong where he had parked his bicycle before, and Ong incorrectly pointed to another location within walking range. He lied that he had parked his bicycle on the railing before going to the mall to buy food.

When he returned, the bicycle was gone, he claimed. He further claimed that when he was looking for a bicycle on the same day, he accidentally found a bicycle secured with a bicycle lock at the location. Even though he knew it was fake, Ong said it all.

The police officer continued to ask Ong for the special engraving or serial number on his bicycle, but Ong did not know any. He showed a photo of his bicycle to the police officer, and the police officer began investigating the scene.

The police officer took a picture of Ong, and Ong asked why it was necessary. The police officer replied that this was to match his clothing with CCTV footage, because the police would check him to see if the bicycle belonged to him.

At this point, Ong knows that the race is over, because he will be shown on CCTV footage that he puts the bicycle in the bicycle parking area. Then he admitted that no one had stolen his bicycle and that he had lost the key to the bicycle lock.

The prosecutor said that due to Wang’s false information, the manpower of multiple Singapore Police Force (SPF) departments was activated for further investigation.

Ong’s lawyers stated that the crime was “completely motivated by stupidity” without any malicious intent.

If you deliberately provide false information to civil servants, Ong may be fined up to S$5,000.

In response to CNA’s inquiry, SPF stated that its officials “should abide by the law and maintain the highest standards of conduct and integrity”.

“We deal with police officers who have seriously violated the law, including accusing them in court.”

SPF added that on the same day Ong submitted the false report, he disclosed the crime of providing false information.

An investigation was subsequently conducted, and Ong was suspended on September 3.

SPF stated that after Ong was convicted, it had begun to take “internal actions” against Ong.

Singapore: After announcing on Wednesday (October 20) that Singapore will extend its COVID-19 restrictions for nearly a month, it will roll out a S$640 million support plan for affected businesses and workers.

The stabilization phase began on September 27 to help reduce the pressure on the healthcare system, and it is planned to last until October 24.

It has now been extended to November 21 and the measures will be reviewed within two weeks. The Ministry of Health (MOH) said at a media conference that they may make adjustments based on the situation at the time.

In the stable phase, social gatherings and meals are restricted to groups of two, while working from home is the default arrangement.

In view of the extended restrictions, the government will continue to implement the employment support program until November 21, providing 25% wage support for industries severely affected by the tightening measures.

These include catering, retail, cinemas, museums and art galleries, family entertainment, tourism, gyms and fitness studios, as well as performing arts and art education.

Eligible tenants of government-owned commercial properties will receive a two-week rent exemption.

According to the Rental Support Scheme (RSS), eligible tenants and tenants of self-occupied commercial properties will also receive 0.5 months of rent relief in cash.

Cooked food and market stall owners from centers managed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) or operators designated by NEA will receive a 0.5 month rent exemption.

Comment: Confidence in defeating COVID-19 reduces the need for continuing employment support programs
Support for drivers
Taxi and private car hire drivers will receive subsidies of S$10 and S$5 per car per day in November and December, respectively.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) stated in another media release that the extension of the COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund support will cost an additional S$16 million and is expected to benefit approximately 50,000 drivers.

The LTA stated: “This brings the total amount reserved by the government for the taxi and PHC (private car) industries to approximately S$520 million from February 2020,” adding that taxi operators have also pledged to continue to provide rent to drivers Exempt. The top priority of government assistance.

The Ministry of Health stated that the latest support package will be funded by higher-than-expected income collected so far and will not use past reserves.