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Take That Concert at the HSBC Women’s Champions 2016 is only 3 days away! There …
Take That Concert at the HSBC Women’s Champions 2016 is only 3 days away! There are still tickets available so don’t miss out on watching UK’s biggest live band this Saturday. Visit www.sistic.com.sg/events/hsbc0316 to purchase your tickets now!
HSBC SURVEY: 90% OF S'POREANS WILL STRUGGLE WITH RETIREMENT
Based on the latest HSBC Future of Retirement report, Singapore is predicted to be one of the toughest countries to retire in in the world due to financial pressures.
In the report, three in one workers aged 45 or above think they will not be able to retire fully in Singapore. This is twice the global average of 18% of respondents who feel the same way.
Meanwhile, the number one reason given by almost 70% of respondents was the lack of savings which contributes to their inability to retire. The two other reasons contributing to their inability to retire was the existence of dependents who still reply on them and existing debt that is yet to be paid up.
Out of the 68% of pre-retirees would like to retire within the next five years, almost half said they were unable to do so. 90% said they would struggle financially because they have not saved enough, are in debt or have family financially dependent on them.
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Benjamin Lim case: Man arrested for allegedly inciting violence online
SINGAPORE – When a case as controversial and sensitive as the death of Benjamin Lim happens, it can evoke a torrent of emotions offline and online.
A 40-year-old man had to learn it the hard way when his Facebook comment led to his arrest.
The crime?
He had posted: “Please reveal the identity of the five plain clothes officers and we go handle them ourselves. Kill them.”
According to the police, a report was filed after the post was made in response to a news article on the death of a 14-year-old boy.
The man was arrested on the grounds of inciting others to commit violence.
The boy who died, Benjamin Lim, was under investigation for outrage of modesty.
On Jan 25, a 11-year-old girl was allegedly molested in a lift and the suspect was later identified as Benjamin Lim.
The incident was captured on CCTV.
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
The New Paper, Shin Min Daily News
According to police, plain clothes officers visited Benjamin in school. He was interviewed by one officer in the presence of the principal and other educators.
Benjamin was also interviewed by another officer in an open plan office, back at the police station. Other officers were present at their workstations.
His mother had also given a statement to the police. The boy was released after 3.5 hours and went home with his mother.
The case was hotly debated in Parliament on Tuesday (March 1) with Home Affairs Minister K.Shanmugam laying out the facts and falsehoods of the situation.
Mr Shanmugam highlighted how The Online Citizen had spread falsehoods with their report on the case by publishing around 20 articles as “part of a smear campaign” to undermine public trust.
TOC had reported that police intimidated Benjamin and pressured him into confessing. The report also wrote that five police officers had spoken to the boy and later took him to the police station.
In laying out the timeline of events in Parliament, Mr Shanmugam spoke of how sensitive reports like these could affect investigations and public sentiment.
“Allegations, implications which are false, practically leading people to conclude that Benjamin committed suicide, as a result.”
“It is sad to see this level of dishonesty and politicising of this matter. Where the police are wrong, we must and will take action. But we should not allow deliberate, dishonest attacks,” he added.
debwong@sph.com.sg
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Wednesday, March 2, 2016 – 16:21
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Man arrested for threatening to kill police officers involved in Benjamin Lim case
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MAN ARRESTED FOR THREATENING TO KILL POLICEMEN INVOLVED IN BENJAMIN LIM'S SUICIDE CASE
After the Singapore Police received a report of a Facebook post threatening the safety of its police officers in relation to Benjamin Lim's suicide case, a 40 year old man was arrested. They established the identity of the Facebook user who posted the comment and he was charged with "Communicating an Electronic Record Containing Incitements to Violence" under Section 267C of the Penal Code.
In his threat, the Chinese male commented "Please reveal the identity of the 5 plain clothes officers and we go handle them ourselves. Kill them." This incident was first reported by alternative sociopolitical news website AllSingaporeStuff.com on 5th February 2016.
http://www.allsingaporestuff.com/article/raging-netizen-reveal-5-policem…
If convicted, the man could be jailed up to 5 years and/or fined. Police investigations are ongoing.
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4 men deny wrongfully restraining Singaporean brothers
GEORGE TOWN, Malaysia – A salesman and three unemployed men have claimed trial in a magistrate’s court here to wrongfully restraining two Singaporean brothers in Penang.
Chee Kok Fang, 37, Loke Kah Waoi, 23, E. Boon Roy, 30, and Koay Kean Teong, 26, were jointly charged with restraining Singaporean businessmen Kenneth Ng Chee How and Gabriel Ng Chia How from 4pm on Feb 22 to 2.45pm on Feb 24.
They denied committing the offence at Kedai Kopi Seong Huat in Jalan Larut, hotel rooms at Hotel Georgetown in Jalan Larut, a Starbucks cafe in New World Park, Three Bar in Kompleks Persiaran Gurney, Happy Bar in Jalan Burma and a hotel room in Hotel Hong Kong, Jalan Tanjung Tokong.
The four, charged under Section 341 of the Penal Code, face up to one month’s jail or a fine not exceeding RM1,000 (S$337), or both.
Defence counsel R. Puran represented the four accused while DPP Noor Azura Zulkiflee prosecuted.
Magistrate L. Umma Devi allowed bail at RM6,000 each with a surety and fixed April 13 for document submission.
It was reported that four locals were arrested for allegedly abducting two Singaporean businessmen in Penang last week.
Penang police were informed of the alleged abduction by Singapore police after the victims’ family members were contacted.
The police then conducted a raid on a budget hotel in Tanjung where they rescued the victims.
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SDP: MINISTER SHANMUGAM, STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR YOUR OWN MISTAKES
It is unfortunate that Minister for Law K Shanmugam has blamed The Online Citizen and the Law Society for the Benjamin Lim saga.
Benjamin committed suicide on 26 January 2016. Did it have to take five full weeks for the Minister to address the issue? Contrast this to another case where a 4-year-old boy had fallen through a grille-less open window to his death. This happened on 6 October 2015. On 15 October 2015, Mr Shanmugam published a post on his Facebook, commiserating with the boy's family and lambasting the contractor for not doing his job.
Why could the Minister not have responded sooner in Benjamin's case especially since it was his Ministry – the Ministry of Home Affairs – at which many questions were directed.
Unfortunately, Mr Shanmugam chose to remain silent despite widespread calls from the public for him to address the incident and it was his protracted silence that irked the public and fueled speculation over what happened that fateful day when the boy committed suicide.
Mr Shanmugam said that it was out of respect for the Lim family that the government did not make any statements. This does not make sense as Mr Shanmugam was very quick off the mark over the incident where the 4-year-old boy fell through the window. Besides, Benjamin's family had issued a public statement questioning the state's actions.
If not for TOC's and the Law Society's statements – the SDP had also issued a statement (here) – the pressure for the government to address the matter would not have been as intense.
In any matter that is of public interest, the people have every right not just to know about the facts of a case but to also have it in a timely manner. The fact that there was such a delay in the government's response over the Benjamin Lim episode is unacceptable. To blame other parties for its tardiness is even more reprehensible.
One is reminded of the Mas Selamat escape in which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong remained silent over the matter for an inappropriate amount of time despite intense public anger over the debacle. At such times, it is incumbent upon political leaders to step forward expeditiously and provide the public with answers.
In the present the case, there are still questions that need to be answered:
Was it absolutely necessary to dispatch 5 police officers to bring in a boy for questioning?
Will suspects, especially if they are young persons, be allowed to be accompanied by counsel or other appropriate persons?
Will an independent investigation be carried out into how Benjamin Lim was treated while under police custody?
Mr Shanmugam must remember that the most important thing here is that a young life is gone and a family has lost a loved one. Steps, not finger-pointing, have to be taken to ensure that this never happens again.
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CPF Investment Scheme-included funds rise 3.01% in Q4 last year
SINGAPORE – The overall performance of Central Provident Fund Investment Scheme (CPFIS)-included funds was positive in the fourth quarter, with returns of 3.01 per cent on average, Thomson Reuters Lipper announced on Wednesday (March 2) but warned this year…
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The Mermaid sets new records in China, Hong Kong and Singapore
It seems to be the unlikeliest of box-office toppers – especially when you have an unknown actress cast as the leading lady and a trailer showing a less-than-appealing man donning a mermaid drag costume.
But veteran Hong Kong actor, producer and director Stephen Chow’s latest offering, The Mermaid, has found staggering commercial success by becoming China’s highest grossing film ever just 11 days into its run.
Starring Deng Chao and 19-year-old rookie Chinese actress Jelly Lin, it opened in China, Hong Kong and Singapore on Feb 8.
The fantasy rom-com, which is a China-Hong Kong production, centres on a forbidden love that blooms between a tycoon (Chao), whose business is ruining the merpeople’s habitat, and a mermaid (Lin) sent to assassinate him.
In Singapore, where 53-year-old Chow is a household name among fans of Chinese-language films, The Mermaid holds the record for being the No. 1 all-time biggest opening and second day Chinese film during the Chinese New Year period.
It has earned $3.96 million at the local box office so far, beating Jack Neo’s Long Long Time Ago, Oscar-winning The Revenant as well as star-studded Asian sequels From Vegas To Macau III and The Monkey King 2, all of which were released around the same time.
More surprising to Hong Kong film critics and viewers, The Mermaid has found success in both Chinese and Hong Kong markets – a rarity as heightening political tensions divide audiences and given Hong Kong’s tradition of eschewing works that do well in China.
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
Weibo, Shaw Organisation
Now into its fourth week in cinemas, The Mermaid has made 3.15 billion yuan (S$674 million) at the Chinese box office, smashing the previous record of 2.4 billion yuan set last year over two months by fantasy action comedy Monster Hunt.
In Hong Kong, it set a new opening day record of HK$4.9 million (S$885,000), beating the HK$4.4 million set by action comedy Kung Fu Hustle (2004), another of Chow’s works.
SURPRISING
Ms Joanna Lam, 40, a Hong Kong moviegoer and a Stephen Chow fan who caught the movie last week, said: “I’m surprised Mermaid has done so well in Hong Kong.
“There was not enough depth to the storyline and I found it too geared towards the Chinese audience, such as in the choice of the characters’ attires.”
The key to the movie’s success – and the glue keeping Hong Kong and Chinese viewers on the same page – appears to be Chow.
This is despite the fact that Chow’s last film was 2013’s Journey To The West.
“His popularity in Hong Kong and China is still sizable,” said Mr Ross Chen, a member of the Hong Kong Film Critics Society and a film critic at LoveHKFilm.com.
“His works are considered classics in both places and, due to his dwindling output and retreat behind the camera, he has managed to retain a mystique that someone like (veteran Hong Kong action star) Jackie Chan has completely lost.
“Anything with Stephen Chow’s name on it still qualifies as an event,” he said.
This article was first published on March 2, 2016.
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Chen confident against Dutch
The stage is set for a showdown between Singapore and the Netherlands at the World Team Table Tennis Championships today.
Both sides head into the tie knowing only a win will secure a guaranteed quarter-final spot as group winner. This means avoiding big guns like China and Japan, who will likely top their groups.
The second- and third-placed teams of each group have to play in the round of 16.
Feng Tianwei and Co are unbeaten so far in six-team Group C and breezed past Poland 3-1 yesterday, while the Dutch were upset 3-2 by the French yesterday.
Singapore coach Chen Zhibin who coached the Dutch women from 2009 to 2012, said: “Our results so far have been good and we are confident. We learnt a lot from the tight situations we found ourselves in over the past few days.
“Based on current form, we stand a good chance. I will highlight their strengths and weaknesses and come up with the strategy but ultimately, the players must be comfortable and apply them.”
The Dutch know that beating Singapore will see them top the group by virtue of a superior head-to-head record. Which is why player-coach Elena Timina opted to rest their No. 2 Li Jiao and keep her fresh for the Singapore tie.
Yesterday, their world No. 99 Britt Eerland told The Straits Times: “Li Jiao was rested because she wants to prepare for (Singapore). We knew today’s match wouldn’t really matter if we beat Singapore.
“It was a calculated risk. She’s really focused during tournaments and she’s super-ready for this.”
The Netherlands’ top player is world No. 18 Li Jie, a defensive specialist whose style Feng and Yu Mengyu have often struggled against.
Games against choppers are often long-drawn affairs, meaning Feng, who has played eight matches already, could be sapped.
The world No. 8 said: “I’ve always struggled against choppers. But I’ve played against many of them in this competition and I hope I can get past this barrier.
“I also understand the areas I need to tweak against this type of playing style and it’s something I will try to iron out in training after the tournament.”
Both Li Jie, 31, and Li Jiao, 43, are also vastly experienced, something which Feng said might make a difference, even if she has a superior head-to-head record against both – 9-0 and 7-2 respectively.
“On this big stage, experience is important. Overall we’re quite evenly matched, although our form is more stable. It’s all about who brings their A-game (today),” said the Asian Cup champion.
Feng, however, can take heart from how she has already beaten a string of choppers, including Ukraine’s Tetyana Bilenko, Belarus’ Viktoria Pavlovich and Poland’s Li Qian.
Grit is also not lacking in the Singapore No. 1, who saved six game points in the first game against Poland’s Li Qian yesterday to earn a 15-13, 7-11, 11-5, 17-15 victory.
The Singaporean was also stretched to the full five games by the world No. 49 Bilenko but eventually found her form and eked out a morale-boosting 12-10, 7-11, 10-12, 11-9, 14-12 win.
Asked if Chen’s intimate knowledge of the Dutch team would help Singapore, Eerland said: “In the end the players have to do it, not the coach. I’m still confident because I know what Li Jiao and Li Jie can do. We’ve prepared well, we are the third seeds and we want a medal.”
The men’s team, robbed off top player Gao Ning through injury, lost 0-3 to Belarus – their fourth successive defeat. They play Ukraine this afternoon, after which they will compete for positions 13-24.
siangyee@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on March 02, 2016.
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