“Sometimes for these activities, we find the same old people come down, literally. What we really need is for (the other) old people to come down,” says the Minister for Social and Family Development.
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Having more elderly participate in community activities a MSF target: Tan Chuan-Jin
China's top judge says large jump in terrorism convictions
BEIJING – Chinese courts convicted more than 1,400 people last year for harming national security, including taking part in terrorism and secessionist activities, China’s top judge said on Sunday, double a broadly equivalent number given for 2014.
Hundreds of people have been killed over the past few years in China’s resource-rich Xinjiang province, strategically located on the borders of central Asia, in violence between the Muslim Uighur people, who call the region home, and ethnic majority Han Chinese.
Officials have blamed the unrest on Islamist militants and separatists, though rights groups and exiles say anger at Chinese controls on the religion and culture of the Uighurs is more to blame for the strife. China denies any repression in Xinjiang.
In an annual report to China’s largely rubber-stamp parliament, chief justice Zhou Qiang said Chinese courts in 2015 convicted 1,419 people for harming state security, including taking part in terrorist attacks and secessionist activities.
He did not give a comparison, but last year in his work report he said courts convicted 712 people for separatism and terrorism in 2014, up 13.3 per cent on the previous year.
Last year courts stepped up their efforts against people who”instigated secessionist activities, led, organised and took part in terrorist groups and who spread video and audio products about terrorism”, Zhou said.
This year courts “will implement well the laws on state security and counter-terrorism and severely punish terrorists and secessionists”, he added.
New Chinese security laws, including the counter-terrorism law and the draft cyber security law, have been controversial as they codify sweeping powers for the government to combat perceived threats, from widespread censorship to heightened control over certain technologies.
Critics of the counter-terrorism legislation say that it could be interpreted in such a way that even non-violent dissidents could fall within its definition of terrorism.
Western governments have expressed their concern to Beijing, though last week China’s third-ranked leader rebutted criticism saying the country was taking a “distinctly Chinese approach” to national security with its raft of new laws.
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Complaints against motorcars industry rose in 2015: Consumer watchdog
There were 2,907 complaints registered last year, compared to the 2,112 complaints in 2014, says the Consumer Association of Singapore.
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Thai rock band Slot Machine goes English
After more than 15 years of hard work, the four men of Thai band Slot Machine are more than ready to take on the world.
The band are releasing their first all-English album — after six successful albums in Thai — produced by…
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In pictures: A day on Sentosa's record-breaking inflatable obstacle course
BounceOFF! is Singapore’s first inflatable obstacle race and the first of its kind in Asia, and more than 200 children and youths from voluntary welfare organisations were invited to take part.
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India bans more than 300 combination drugs sold illegally
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Sunday, March 13, 2016 – 11:28
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Chee hints at possible run in Bukit Batok by-election
SINGAPORE – Dr Chee Soon Juan of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has hinted that he might run in the upcoming Bukit Batok by-election, which has drawn strong interest from the Opposition parties even though a date has not been set.
“This is a prime…
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Taiwan's Kuomintang hopefuls clash on assets transparency
TAIPEI, Taiwan – All four candidates aspiring to become the Kuomintang’s (KMT) next chairman vowed to put the party’s wealth under public scrutiny, but could not agree on the best way to do so yesterday.
The candidates, speaking at a party-organised session to share their platforms on TV, agreed that the KMT must make its assets transparent, but Hung Hsiu-chu stopped short of pledging to return the portions that may have been obtained illegitimately.
She was joined by fellow contestant Lee Hsin in dismissing some KMT legislators’ proposal that all party assets be donated to the government or charities after portions are set aside for retirement payments for party workers.
The lawmakers’ proposal skips the step of determining whether any of the wealth was acquired illegally.
But Hung said the party must consider the historical factors behind its assets, and it is not a matter that can be settled in one go by donating all of them.
She said the matter cannot be dictated by any individual group, and it must be decided by all party members.
The KMT’s decision-making Central Standing Committee should issue proposals for outlining the final fate of the assets, and let the party congress vote on the proposals next year, she said.
She also suggested that the party should no longer use its wealth to fund election campaigns, which in the future should rely on government funding.
The KMT last week said its wealth amounted to NT$16.6 billion, but critics have questioned the figure, arguing that it is far below the actual sum and that much of it was obtained illegally.
Lee maintained that all legitimate assets belong to all party members, and any illegitimate portions should be returned to the nation.
But he said no individual party members should be allowed to determine the fate of the legal portions of the wealth. He said he opposed the KMT legislators’ proposal.
Another candidate, Huang Min-hui, said the party assets must be closely examined to determine their legality.
Huang, acting chairwoman of the party, said the KMT would not keep anything that was illegal but that any legal portions belonged to all party members.
She said all current and retired party workers’ rights must be protected, but the rest of the wealth should be donated to charities.
Huang said the party cannot avoid facing the issues arising from its wealth, but it must not be forced to hand over its wealth in an “unjust” way, or the action would constitute a purge rather than transitional justice.
Huang also said that if she were elected chairwoman, she would serve as an unpaid volunteer.
Another candidate, Chen Shei-saint, said the KMT should get rid of its assets as soon as possible to enable a fresh start. He said each asset item must be clearly listed and the information made available to the public. Any illegally obtained items must be returned to their rightful owners, he said.
The KMT is looking for a new chairman and ways to pick itself up again after suffering heavy losses in the January presidential and legislative elections.
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Bukit Batok by-election: Possibility I'll be a candidate, says Chee Soon Juan
The SDP Secretary-General says the party has not been in contact with other opposition parties, but it hopes to have a 1-to-1 contest with the People’s Action Party.
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It's much easier to love a dog than a person
He took one look and said: “Oh, it’s serious.”
My heart sank.
I have three dogs and while I love them all, Nicky the chihuahua is the one whose photo I use on my smartphone case cover.
He’s a rescue dog I adopted five years ago. His owner had used him as a breeding dog and when he closed the business, he didn’t want him anymore.
A friend introduced me to the woman who was housing Nicky before his adoption.
They came to my place to check us out. Nicky, who was probably five years old then (no one knew his real age), liked the house. He strutted around confidently and left his mark in many spots.
I thought he was adorable. DeeDee, my bichon frise, didn’t mind him, which settled it – Nicky joined the family.
He quickly established himself as the top dog, bossing over DeeDee and another chihuahua, Hidey, which we adopted later.
Chihuahuas tend to be one-person dogs and, for some reason, I became that person to Nicky.
I am his favourite human. His eyes perk up when he sees me, he cuddles up to me, lays his head on my lap and is totally relaxed. With everyone else, he is more wary.
A week ago, he started walking funny. His back right leg seemed to hurt and he couldn’t bear weight on it. We waited a few days to see if he got better, but he got worse. All four legs were weak and splayed when he walked. His mood was low.
Last Saturday, we took him to the vet. He got Nicky to walk and he didn’t like what he saw.
Oh, it’s serious, said the vet.
The diagnosis – he had torn his cranial cruciate ligament, which is similar to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in humans. In other words, he had a bad knee injury.
These injuries are serious and happen more often in bigger dogs. In Nicky’s case, both back legs were already weak. He is also on the chunky side and likes to jump, which don’t help his spindly legs.
The vet said he would need surgery and we were looking at a long eight-week recovery period.
My heart went out to my dog because he has had too many health scares of late.
In November last year, he had an operation to treat a hernia in his groin. He had two worrying lumps – one on his back and the other on his right paw – removed too.
He went under general anaesthesia and was utterly miserable for the first four, five days. His eyes had a stricken, haunted look, he hardly ate and had to endure wearing an e-collar to prevent him from licking the wounds.
Luckily, he recovered fairly quickly and the lumps were found to be benign. He was back to his old self in two weeks.
Earlier this month, he had trouble opening his right eye, which meant another visit to the vet and a week of eye drops and anti-inflammatory and pain medication.
Just when he had recovered from that, he busted his knee and was now looking at another surgery.
Even as all this happened, DeeDee, who’s 11 this year, was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease, a hormonal disorder.
He used to be an active dog who was never without a tennis ball in his mouth, but had grown listless over the past half a year.
He was also drinking (and peeing) excessive amounts of water. His body took on a strange bony look, but he had a pot belly. Something definitely was wrong.
An ultrasound and blood test showed that he has a large tumour on his adrenal gland.
He is now on lifelong medication but his energy level and mood have improved, and he is drinking less water. He’s more like his old self.
He might need an operation to remove the tumour, but for now we’re relying on the medicine and taking it one step at a time.
As pet owners will know, the cost of medical care for animals is very high, in many instances higher even than when people fall sick and visit a GP.
Each visit to the vet goes into hundreds of dollars, operations go into thousands, and medication is not cheap.
You have to pay upfront, there are no subsidies you can claim and because there aren’t that many vets around – or at least good ones you trust your dog’s life with – your choices of care are limited.
Nicky’s ACL operation alone was $3,500. His earlier operation was also a four-figure amount, as has been the tests and care for DeeDee.
While pet insurance is common in countries like Britain, there are only two I know that are being offered in Singapore, but both have limitations.
For example, the cut-off age for one of the policies is nine years, which means two of my three dogs are not eligible. To keep premiums low, owners must also pay quite a substantial proportion of the bill as co-insurance and also a deductible.
Cost is just one concern animal lovers have when their pets fall ill. But if treatment will guarantee the animal gets better, it is something many of us will accept and come up with the money somehow.
The bigger issue is the heartache you feel when your pet is sick. You feel so helpless watching them suffer.
There is no way a dog or cat (or hamster or horse) can tell us what’s wrong, so we look out for signs – dry nose, loss of appetite, lethargy, panting, vomiting, tail tucked in, listless eyes. It’s a painful period for the owner.
Nicky went for the knee operation the next day, on Sunday. We brought him home on Monday. He had to be kept in a small and quiet corner away from the other dogs so he could rest and recover.
H ingeniously fashioned a cage by tying an Ikea clothes drying rack against a wall. That way the dog could still see what was happening around him even though he would be confined. We lined the spot with rugs so he wouldn’t slip on the floor and hurt his leg, and placed cushions to help him sit better.
It’s been five days since the operation and he’s still pretty glum.
Every day will be a better day Nicky, I tell him, as though he can understand what I say. You will only get better.
I talk to him a lot.
Actually, I sing to him too, nonsense songs I make up while I stroke him and gaze into his eyes.
I sound crazy, don’t I?
People who don’t love dogs (or other animals) will think so.
A dog ‘s just an animal, they’ll say. They eat, sleep, bark, bite, soil, smell and shed. What’s the big deal? Why go gaga over them and spend tonnes of money and time on them? It’s not like they understand what’s going on or can repay your kindness, love and care, not the way people can. They might offer companionship, but that’s about it.
Besides, dogs have such short life spans so why invest so much money and feelings in something that will be around at most 10-plus years?
The reason I love dogs is actually a selfish one – they make me happy.
The late Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comics strip, once said that “happiness is a warm puppy”. It’s a feeling I fully understand.
And it’s not just my own dogs that make me feel all tingly and happy.
I follow about 100 dogs from around the world on my Instagram feed and the antics of every one of them brighten my day.
When one of the dogs – a famous black pomeranian called Barkley The Pom – unexpectedly died last October, I sobbed, really sobbed, and felt a grief that stayed with me for a long time.
I wasn’t the only one. More than 17,000 people around the world “liked” the post announcing his sudden death, that is, they sympathised with the owner. More than 8,200 took the trouble to pen their condolences.
It’s easy to love dogs because they show happiness so easily and simply.
Give them a toy, a treat or take them for a walk and they go mad with joy. They live for the moment, their needs are so innocent and their enthusiasm infectious. How wonderful it is to be a part of that.
Dogs, unlike people, are uncomplicated. They don’t scheme, they don’t plot, they don’t disappoint or betray.
A dog has never let me down, which is why the love I have for them is pure and simple.
Romantic love, familial love, love between friends, on the other hand, are fraught with hurt, slights, hopes and expectations.
A dog’s company provides a safe haven in a world that humans make so complicated.
In his book Marley And Me, American journalist John Grogan wrote: “A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things – a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.”
As I write this, Nicky’s resting in his make-shift cage, DeeDee is sitting under my chair and Hidey is sleeping in his corner.
I’m happy, and my life feels quite complete.
This article was first published on March 13, 2016.
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