Hers was a slow-burning brand of sedition – one that allowed ill-will to fester, grow and leave a lasting impression.

That was how Deputy Public Prosecutor G. Kannan described the way Ai Takagi, the former editor of The Real Singapore (TRS), operated.

In 1½ years, she reached out to millions of viewers by doctoring, fabricating and publishing articles that had the tendency to promote ill-will among different classes of people here. This was the most serious case of sedition in Singapore, said DPP Kannan in his submissions yesterday.

He added that past cases merely involved offending material posted on a pet-interest website, a personal Facebook account or mailed out in comic booklets – nowhere as far-reaching.

Said DPP Kannan: “By using a toxic cocktail of overtly vulgar language, innuendoes, leveraging off controversial material to demonise foreigners and outright fabrication, TRS was far more effective at fostering ill-will and hostility than any of the (previous) offenders.”

Takagi, 23, an Australian national of Japanese descent, was sentenced to 10 months’ jail yesterday for four counts of sedition, with four other charges taken into consideration. (See report above.)

Court papers said Takagi was responsible for TRS’ day-to-day editorial operations. She controlled all content on the website and every article was uploaded with her approval.

In his submissions, said DPP Kannan called Takagi a calculating opportunist who drove traffic to her website by generating a groundswell of resentment towards foreigners.

Her motive? Pure commercial greed, he said.

The Real Singapore duo arrested for sedition

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The New Paper, The Straits Times

Between December 2013 and last April, TRS raked in almost half a million dollars in advertising revenue, court papers said.

The website had more than 134 million page views from May 2014 to March last year before it was shut down in May.

“For her personal benefit, she was willing to risk damaging the delicate social harmony which has been fostered by the collective effort of generations of Singaporeans,” he said.

And Takagi was successful in causing widespread public disquiet, evident from the vile comments – which DPP Kannan said were too offensive to be read out in court – posted by enraged netizens in response to the articles.

FAKE NAME

She used a fake name, Farhan, to actively hide her identity, he added.

He said she was also not remorseful and her last-minute apology in court yesterday was inconsistent with her previous behaviour.

For example, Takagi doctored and published an article on Feb 4 last year, falsely claiming that a Filipino family had caused an altercation between the police and participants at a Thaipusam procession.

Interviewed by the police two days later, she claimed she could not remember posting it and had merely skimmed through the title and added links to the Facebook videos.

On at least 101 occasions, she replied “not relevant” to questions posed by the police officer, court papers said.

It was only when she realised the police had traced the TRS articles to her IP address that she began cooperating with them, said DPP Kannan.

DEFENCE: They’re going to start family

She is a mother-to-be who now faces a 10-month jail term.

During mitigation yesterday, the lawyer of Ai Takagi, 23, who pleaded guilty to sedition earlier this month, told the court that she was eight weeks pregnant.

Mr Choo Zheng Xi said that his client found out about the “bittersweet news” on March 3 – four days before her Singaporean husband, Yang Kaiheng, 27, claimed trial to a similar set of charges.

“While Takagi and Yang are happy that they are going to start a family, Takagi feels deep sorrow that there is every possibility her child may be born while she is serving her term of imprisonment,” said Mr Choo.

But Deputy Public Prosecutor G. Kannan said in his submissions that the Singapore Prison Service has the necessary medical facilities to ensure the mother and baby are taken care of during the jail term.

Mr Choo urged the court to consider that Takagi was only 20 at the time of her first sedition offence.

She started The Real Singapore (TRS) website in 2012 and was the one running it, he said.

The University of Queensland law undergraduate had become interested in Singapore politics through a course in Asian legal systems, said Mr Choo.

MARRIED

At the same time, Takagi learnt more about Singapore from Yang, whom she met through the university’s karaoke and gaming club.

Yang studied environmental sciences at the same university.

They got married about four years later, in October last year.

Mr Choo said Takagi had assisted the police in understanding how her website was run and administered and how she generated and managed articles.

She has now realised the weight and gravity of her actions and knows she had done wrong, he said.

“(She) has turned her attention away from the sociopolitical online space and spends her time caring for Yang’s paralysed father and occasionally helps Yang with his ramen stall,” said Mr Choo.

Takagi apologised in court yesterday for the harm she had caused through her articles on TRS.

“I love Singapore and hope to call it my home permanently,” she said.

“Before the case started, I was not fully aware of the level of sensitivity needed when dealing with topics related to racial and religious issues.

“I will definitely be more careful with my online postings in future.”

JUDGE: Such acts will not be tolerated

It was a sustained campaign to publish seditious material over at least 1½ years, said District Judge Salina Ishak during sentencing yesterday.

During this period, Ai Takagi peddled xenophobia to her readers and sowed ill-will towards a wider group of foreigners and Singaporeans indiscriminately – which is a serious offence.

The judge called the former editor of The Real Singapore (TRS) “a shrewd businesswoman” who was driven by financial gains and committed sedition to enrich herself.

She noted the accused had taken active steps to hide her identity and evade the law by using the fake name Farhan as well as setting up the business overseas.

The Real Singapore duo arrested for sedition

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The New Paper, The Straits Times

ARREST

“I noted that the police were able to arrest her only as she had happened to be in Singapore on holiday when the first information report was made against her,” said Judge Salina.

She added that the offending articles were not removed until the TRS website was shut down by authorities on May 3 last year.

The judge agreed with the prosecution that today’s technological advances have made the dissemination of racist and xenophobic messages more dangerous.

“The present case serves as a timely reminder that one cannot and should not hide behind the anonymity of cyberspace to pen or publish seditious articles which promote feelings of ill-will and hostility towards foreigners and Singaporeans.

“Such acts will not be tolerated.”

The judge allowed Takagi to defer sentence for a month to make arrangements to care for her father-in-law and her husband’s ramen stall.

ABOUT THE CASE

The former editor of The Real Singapore (TRS), Ai Takagi, were charged in court last April.

She was sentenced yesterday for these charges:

• An article that falsely asserted that a Filipino family caused an incident between the police and participants at last year’s Thaipusam procession.
• An article alleging a Filipino employee had bribed a colleague to delete traces of the Filipino’s misdeeds to ensure that only his countrymen were hired by the company.
• An article that “casts PRC women as home-wreckers whose main motive was ‘trying to hook’ Singaporean men and destroying Singaporean families in the process”.
• An article that had an editor’s note warning companies about hiring foreigners over Singaporeans.

These charges were taken into consideration during sentencing:

• A Facebook post with similar content as the first charge.
• An article that claimed Filipino managers working here would give preferential treatment to subordinates of the same nationality at the expense of Singaporeans.
• Copied an article from citizen journalism website Stomp, doctoring it to include that the woman was a Chinese national and posting it on TRS website.
• Failing to hand over financial statements required by the police for investigations.

Takagi pleaded guilty on March 8. Her husband, Yang Kaiheng, who claimed trial, is due back in court on Monday.

rloh@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 24, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – Some SMRT bus services will be diverted due to a temporary road closure along Orchard Road for the Samsung Fashion Steps Out event held on Saturday (March 26).

According to an SMRT statement issued on Thursday (March 24), bus services 77, 106, 167, 171, 190, 700A and 972 will be diverted from 6pm on Saturday to 12am on Sunday (March 27).

For more information, commuters may contact SMRT at 1800-336-8900 or visit www.smrt.com.sg.

stephluo@sph.com.sg

Newly minted Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will deliver his first Budget today in Parliament at 3.30pm.

His speech is widely expected to focus on the economy given the ongoing slowdown, and likely to contain short-term measures to help firms. However, few are anticipating generous cash handouts or a blockbuster package for the business community.

Mr Heng himself has indicated that this will be a relatively prudent Budget: “Because it’s the first term of the new Government, it means that we have to be particularly prudent so that we have resources when we need to act later.”

The minister said the Budget will address the immediate challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), while also supporting them in longer-term goals such as restructuring through innovation, internationalisation and transforming or upgrading their business models.

Meanwhile, slowing growth has hit the labour market. Layoffs climbed 20 per cent to 15,580 last year while job vacancies fell.

A poll by government feedback unit Reach found that Singaporeans were worried about the slowdown in the economy and whether this would mean poorer job prospects for them.

Nine Nominated MPs will take their oaths of allegiance before the Budget statement.

Ministers will also answer questions that MPs have tabled on recent developments, including the shortage of local information technology workers and the punishments given to the two officers in charge of a training exercise in which a national serviceman died.

The Budget will be broadcast live on television and radio. Those planning to watch it online can do so on the official Singapore Budget website or through the mobile application.

The Straits Times will provide in-depth coverage on its website as well as updates on social media.

The paper is also convening a roundtable on Saturday to discuss the measures announced in Mr Heng’s Budget speech.

The roundtable will feature four panellists: Mr Jimmy Koh, the head of global economics and markets research at United Overseas Bank; Dr Walter Theseira, senior lecturer at UniSIM; Mr Kurt Wee, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises; and Mr Desmond Choo, an MP for Tampines GRC and a unionist. It will be moderated by Straits Times deputy business editor Aaron Low.

The roundtable will be covered extensively on The Straits Times website and in the paper’s Sunday edition.

chiaym@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 24, 2016.
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SINGAPURA mengekalkan kedudukannya sebagai destinasi paling popular dalam pasaran pelancongan Muslim.

Menurut kajian terkini Indeks Pelancongan Muslim MasterCard-CrescentRating (GMTI) 2016, yang meliputi 130 destinasi, Singapura menduduki tempat paling atas dalam senarai destinasi Bukan Negara Pertubuhan Kerjasama Islam (OIC), dengan Thailand, United Kingdom, Afrika Selatan dan Hongkong dalam kumpulan lima negara teratas.

Hongkong menaiki satu tangga kepada tempat kelima. Taiwan dan Jepun juga masing-masing memperbaki kedudukan – antara 10 negara teratas pada tahun ini.

Malaysia mengekalkan kedudukan sebagai tempat tertinggi bagi destinasi OIC, sementara Amiriah Arab Bersatu (UAE) di tempat kedua dan Indonesia keempat.

Singapura berada di tempat kelapan dalam senarai destinasi gabungan keseluruhan.

Kajian itu juga menunjukkan pada 2015 terdapat 117 juta kedatangan pelawat Muslim di peringkat global – mewakili hampir 10 peratus pasaran pelancongan.

Ia diramal berkembang kepada 168 juta pelawat menjelang 2020.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif (CEO) CresentRating & Halal Trip, Encik Fazal Bahardeen, berkata kajian indeks 2016 itu kini menjadi alat utama bagi destinasi di dunia bagi mendekati pelanggan Muslim.

“Satu trend terbesar yang kami lihat ialah destinasi bukan OIC melakukan usaha gigih menarik pelancong Muslim dan mereka kini mewakili 63 peratus daripada destinasi dalam GMTI.

“Misalnya Jepun dan Filipina telah mengambil langkah utama sejak beberapa bulan lalu mempelbagaikan ketibaan pelancong mereka dan dalam pada itu meningkatkan ekonomi mereka,” katanya.

This article was first published on March 24, 2016.
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MASYARAKAT Melayu/Islam Singapura kehilangan sebutir lagi permata persuratan dengan pemergian Pendeta Dr Haji Muhammad Ariff Ahmad.

Dikenali dengan panggilan mesra Cikgu Ariff, Allahyarham menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya pada 9 pagi semalam di Hospital Khoo Teck Puat.

Allahyarham meninggal dunia pada usia 91 tahun akibat sakit tua.

Beliau meninggalkan balu, Hajah Sarinah Haji Haniff, empat anak dan enam cucu.

Menurut anaknya, Encik Muhammad Shah Peri, Allahyarham dimasukkan ke hospital pada 14 Mac lalu dan keadaannya bertambah lemah dari hari ke hari sejak itu.

“Sebelum dimasukkan ke hospital, Allahyarham boleh berbual seperti biasa dan ingatannya masih tajam. Cuma badannya sahaja yang lemah.

“Di hospital, keadaannya menjadi lebih teruk sehinggalah awal pagi tadi (semalam), doktor suruh kami mengumpulkan ahli keluarga di hospital,” kata Encik Muhammad Shah Peri, 51 tahun.

Mayat Allahyarham dibawa pulang ke rumah teresnya di Nemesu Avenue sekitar 11.20 pagi.

Jenazahnya dibawa ke Masjid Ba’alwie bagi solat jenazah sekitar 4.30 petang yang dipimpin mantan Mufti, Shaikh Syed Isa Semait.

Saudara-mara, rakan-rakan guru serta pemimpin masyarakat dan negara membanjiri kediaman Allahyarham sejak mendapat berita pemergian budayawan negara itu.

Antara yang hadir tengah hari semalam ialah Menteri Sekitaran dan Sumber Air, Encik Masagos Zulkifli Masagos Mohamad; Anggota Parlimen GRC Jurong Cik Rahayu Mahzam; dan sasterawan, Haji Suratman Markasan.

Menteri Perhubungan dan Penerangan yang juga Menteri Bertanggungjawab Bagi Ehwal Masyarakat Islam, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, menyertai solat jenazah bagi Allahyarham di Masjid Ba’alwie pada sebelah petang.

nurdhuha@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 24, 2016.
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