Thursday, July 21, 2005 Asean News Network: Legitimized Corruption Understood From: Carl Kapeland To: Mellanie Hewlitt #Article posted by Wolfgang Holzem / Erwan Shah @ 10:47 AM Dear Mellanie In the latest developments the entire National Kidney Foundation Board of Singapore and its CEO have taken the easy route out and resigned. That's leadership for you, when things get messy, just get up and leave the mess for someone else to clean up. But I don't think the new CEO or Board will do much cleaning up. Looks like they are replacing one bunch of rotten apples with another bunch of potentially more rotten apples. It does not address the real problem. WHAT IS THE REAL PROBLEM? There are several recurrent issues here. Singapore is in this current mess because Lee's PAP Government has forgotten that not everything can be reduced to money. You cannot throw money at all your problems and expect it to magically disappear. The material base that motivates Singapore's "leaders" is only too evident when the NKF's transit CEO (Gerald Ee) hinted that "SGD600,000/- may not be sufficient for the new replacement to take office"!!! Money is the only motivating factor and if they have elected a leader and a board who is motivated only by money, its only a natural and unavoidable result that they will end up with an organization which has forgotten its once noble purpose and replaced it with more materialistic pursuits. Have they (Singapore) appointed a Wolf in sheep's clothing to guard their precious flock? For positions like these in charity organizations, THE CHIEF MOTIVATING FACTOR CANNOT BE MONEY! as they are not running an investment bank. The same applies senior public service positions and for ministerial positions. NOT EVERYTHING CAN BE REDUCED TO MONEY. But Lee's PAP Ministers have used this holistic approach to address any and all issues under the sun. Lee and his ministers simply CANNOT RUN A COUNTRY THE SAME WAY THEY RUN A COMPANY. Why? Because a country comprises of flesh and blood and spirit. A company is merely a corporate vehicle that is often set- up for the sole purpose of reaping a monetary profit. SINGAPORE AS A COUNTRY, IS NOT SINGAPORE INC!!!! And even if it is, its directors (and that means Lee and his million dollar cabinet) have to remain accountable to the shareholders (Singapore citizens). Singapore MINISTERS have to be transparent, and they are not especially as regards their salaries and the management of the country's reserves. Consider this, the NKF was originally set up as a supposedly charitable organization. In form and function it appeared above board and reputable. But in actual practice it had a hidden agenda to siphon wealth from the public into state coffers. And what happens to all this money (all SGD200 million of it?) No body knows. These same similarities in the NKF saga are reproduced on a grander scale in overall state administration in Singapore. Whether its the CPF, LTA, GLCs, Temasek etc they all relate to the same basic issue. It goes back to the same bunch of corrupt leaders paying themselves and their cronies humongous ridiculous salaries, approved and legitimized under a set of bogus laws that they legislated in the first place. But even before this NKF scam, transparency issues have dogged Singapore's state administration for decades and repeated requests by the World Bank, IMF, FTA and other NGOs for greater accountability and transparency have basically fallen on deaf ears. These are basic transparency issues which plaque management of public moneys by all state entities (whether its the CPF Board, GLCs, Temasek, LTA etc). There is massive deception on a grand scale and I suspect the latest NKF debacle only surfaced due to internal friction within Singapore's "inner-circle of elite politicians." Perhaps someone amongst Singapore's Ruling Elite wanted a bigger portion of the loot. Think about it. Durai commenced his latest law suite on the confident assumption that it would be a "no contest" walk-over like his two previous suites. But whilst the Singapore sham courts had no problems finding in his favor in the 2 previous suites (which were taken against private individuals and a volunteer who correctly questioned his lavish spending), the latest suite was against another state bureaucracy. And it was inevitable that the sham court found in favor of the bigger devil. So even amongst the thieves there is a power struggle over who gets a bigger piece of the loot. So this then is justice ala Singapore styled. Who you are and who you are connected with ultimately decides the outcome of the law suite. The material facts of the case (and legal premise) have little relevance in the kangaroo court's final assessment. But by far the most troubling problem is that of Legitimized Corruption. You (Mellanie) have used the term "Legitimized Corruption" very accurately, but failed to elaborate on its true meaning and implications. Legitimized Corruption means essentially that the corrupt act itself is made perfectly legal. That is why there is a possibility that the external audit on NKF may turn out nothing because Durai and his actions may have been all perfectly legitimate and authorized according to the internal constitution of the Board. In a normal organization with bona fide controls in place, the Board would not have approved and allowed such unreasonable and lavish expenditures. However, in Singapore's setting where "anything goes" it is possible that the board were within their discretionary powers to authorize such lavish expenditures. Mind you these are expenditures which (by any ordinary definition) would have amounted to an immoral mis-management of public moneys for unauthorized applications. But if the internal rules of conduct of NKF allowed the Board to act in this manner, it would then be an authorized and legitimate act. So even after the process of audit has concluded it is perfectly possible for the auditors to conclude that the use of donor funds for; a) Durai's pay of SGD600,000 and his salary of SGD1.8 million; b) All expenses and application of donor funds used for purchase of SGD990/- god taps; c) All expenses for first class air travel; d) The levying of a 30% Admin Fee; e) The hiring of personal drivers and limos. All of the above are authorized and legitimate. Anyway we all know that the so called "audit" of the NKF accounts is merely a publicity stunt to show case to the world that the current government and the new board is taking steps to remain accountable. But does this make the above acts any more acceptable and morally correct. NO! Of cause not. An atrocity is still an atrocity even though it is legitimized. One clear example is prostitution in Singapore. It is legal and the fact that it is legal does not detract one iota from the fact that it is still immoral, depraved and inhuman. Of cause there are critics who will argue that moral values are to subjective concepts and we cannot always use these imprecise measures to define what is right or wrong. And I concede that there is some truth in this as we live in a world coloured in gray. However, there will always remain some acts which are so blatantly wrong that they remain morally objectionable and immoral by any standard and yardstick. And the NKF scam (as well as Singapore ministerial salaries) fall within this category. It is morally wrong by any measure and this is not a gray area at all. This same logic applies on a larger scale as regards ministerial salaries and the process that is orchestrated to "approve" such unreasonable and lavish salaries (amounting to millions of dollars per minister). Legitimized Corruption works much like Money Laundering, but is worse. In essence Legitimized Corruption is corruption which is made legal. These perpetrators attempt to do what drug cartels and money launderers do;- basically "launder" the money (or the dishonest act) and make the final product appear nice and clean. But senior politicians differ from your average drug lord or mafia boss in one important respect;- these ministers are much more sophisticated. They know the system (and probably designed it) and know how to manipulate and tweak the system so that they can have access to the ill-gotten gains without getting their hands dirty. Next to them, Gordon Gecko and the God-Father look like novices and vestal virgins. However make no mistake the underlying act itself remains wrong, dishonest and morally objectionable but is hidden under a cloak of legitimacy. Drug money (and money from dishonest trades) is still ill- gotten loot. Behind this elaborate sham are a host of corporate and state entities (GLCs, state owned entities and yes, charitable organizations) which are set-up to place a corporate veil between the real perpetrators and the morally objectionable and dishonest transaction. The fact that it is perfectly legitimate does not itself make it MORALLY CORRECT. This is especially the case when you have a legislature that is totally removed (and remains out of touch) with the moral values and aspirations of the people it is supposed to serve and protect. In fact, this kind of legitimized corruption is the worst possible kind as it means the corruption has infiltrated the most senior ranks of management (and the political leaders). Compared to this elaborate deceit, the more obvious corruption in Indonesia are crude by comparison and far easier to identify and correct as it is acknowledged that such objectionable acts itself are WRONG and are not endorsed by the country's laws. How do you ask a cop to catch a thief when the cop himself is a thief? Legitimized Corruption by its very nature is more sinister and difficult to identify. For instance, a government official who accepts bribes worth $1.6 million a year is guilty of corruption. But what happens if this same official or minister receives this money as part of his "LEGITIMATE" salary. In both cases the act itself is the same unconscionable and immoral act. But in the later case, there is no need for the official to hide his ill-gotten gains as it is formally endorsed by an equally corrupt legislature/parliament who has a hand in the ill gotten gains. The definition of a Parasitic Leech is as follows: "leech: a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage" The kind of legitimized corruption already endorsed and prevalent in Singapore's state machinery is far worse. It is a cancerous malice which is more surreptitious and insidious. The festering rot is not immediately apparent to an external casual observer but is eating away the core of the its host. Left unchecked, such parasites will consume a once healthy body before discarding the empty shell and relocating to another unwary host. Legitimized Corruption is also like cancer. It is a chronic ailment which rooted itself very deeply within the host (and the state machinery). Such a chronic ailment did not occur over night but took place over decades of accumulated unchecked accesses. Durai himself was in the NKF for over 30 years and it is no mere coincidence that Singapore has been under the same government (and people and family) for over 30 years. This is precisely the reason why in the US and other bona fide democracies there is a mandatory change in administration every 4-8 years. A new administration brings forth a completely new government which will was away unchecked accesses and commence things tabula rasa. But somehow in Singapore it appears that only families starting with the Lee surname or who are closely affiliated with this first family are the only candidates who qualify for election. What a quaint and family friendly arrangement! Its just too bad that the average Singaporean is excluded from this elitist inner-circle. However, Singapore's Ruling Elite also have to be wary of the accompanying dangers of in-breeding which can occur from a small and exclusive gene pool. Cancerous deformities can result after generations of in-breeding. And the Cancer has many signs and symptoms. There have already been many evident tell tale signs of the internal rot and its accompanying putrid stench. However, Singaporeans in their numbed state of awareness may be mistaking the over-powering stench of decay for sweet perfume. The entire state machinery is orchestrated to maintain this state of illusion and deception. In the normal mechanics of an open and transparent state legislature and government, the moral values of the mans on the street is reflected (although not perfectly) in the policy formulation process. This is not the case in Singapore and your "leaders" know it. Just challenge them to run a referendum regarding their salaries and it will be evident that 90% of the population are totally disgusted by such blatant acts of greed. Of cause the local state owned media will somehow always paint the picture of an adoring and obedient public as part of an elaborate charade. So the truth never ever gets out. Corruption of this scale starts form the top and slowly works its way down the ranks to pollute every senior arm of the state machinery from the Judiciary to Legislature to the Executive and especially to a docile and compliant state managed local press. It cannot be stopped easily without external intervention. Slowly but surely what started off as a morally unacceptable issue becomes part and parcel of "accepted norm" which is disguised behind a pile of state endorsed laws and bills. Even the once sacred document, the Constitution, is not spared and is re-written to the whims and fancies of those they serve. How many Singaporeans are aware of the fact that the country's Constitution has been amended to allow state owned entities and GLCs easier access directly to the country's reserves? And it also does not take a genius to work out that it is the close affiliates of the Ruling Elite who sit on the management boards of these state owned entities and GLCs. The following is a fascinating observation. The exact size of Singapore's foreign exchange reserves and the management of those funds is designated as a STATE SECURITY FOR INTERNAL SECURITY REASONS. Is it mere co-incidence that the conservative ball park estimate of the net worth of the Lee family is roughly equivalent to your country's reserves? (USD130-140 billion?) What you have in Singapore are a bunch of hired mercenaries who are ripping off the very people they are supposed to look after. Singaporeans. This is your country and your life. If you continue in this state of drugged apathy, you will cease to have any control over your own faith and destiny. Do you really want to hand over your life to the devil? Do you want to have a Singapore with No Singaporeans? Its time to wake up from your state of denial and confront the harsh reality before your very eyes. Yours faithfully Carl Kapeland Ohio State #Article posted by Wolfgang Holzem / Erwan Shah @ 10:47 AM http://www.aseannewsnetwork.com/2005/07/singapore-review-legitimized.html

Saturday, 29 May 2010Did LKY Lie We Were Kicked Out of Malaysia? at 8:26:00 AM by Barrie I was too young to remember the time when Singapore separated from Malaysia. All I know is that Lee Kuan Yew put up a good show crying crocodile tears on TV. According to LKY, the Tengku kicked us out. However, I have come across other sources, which point that it was LKY who wanted out and threatened the Tengku with the Chinese Race Card if he did not let Singapore go. The Tengku relented. That meeting happened in a place where there were only two people - The Tengku and LKY himself. The Tengku has since passed away and that leaves LKY to tell the world whatever (corrupted) version he wants to, unchallenged. Well, as you know, when you tell a lie, you have to tell another lie to cover that lie. Then you have to tell yet another lie to cover that one too. It carries on until you cannot remember what lies you told. So, it finally had to happen. The pack of lies told to us, that we were kicked out from Malaysia has finally collapsed. Here is an article in the ST Forum, which touches on LKY's eulogy, which gave away the fact that we were not kicked out, but instead, Singapore had planned to leave all along. Separation from Malaysia: How crucial was Dr Goh's role? MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew made an interestingly significant remark about Singapore's separation from Malaysia in his eulogy at Sunday's state funeral for his colleague-in-arms, former Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee. MM Lee said he had asked Dr Goh to negotiate a looser rearrangement for Singapore, but to keep Singapore within Malaysia. Added MM Lee: 'He (Dr Goh) decided that the best alternative was a clean break. After (Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister) Tun Abdul Razak and (Minister for External Affairs) Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman agreed, (Law Minister) Eddie Barker and I worked furiously to settle the terms of the separation.' MM Lee's remark is intriguing in the light of the conventional narrative of the events leading up to Separation in 1965. From all that historians have gleaned prior to MM Lee's remarks on Sunday, MM Lee, who was then Prime Minister, played the pivotal role involving Separation. His remarks suggest that the decision to break away from Malaysia was decided unilaterally by Dr Goh at the crucial moment; against the proposition MM Lee, and perhaps the collective Cabinet, had decided; which was at the very least, to still remain a part of the Malaysian federation of states. If the above is true, the apparent contradiction should be resolved. A key question that arises from MM Lee's remarks is this: What was the extent and significance of Dr Goh's role in Separation? Furthermore, MM Lee's remark also suggests that the key Malaysian leaders - Tun Razak and Dr Ismail - agreed to Dr Goh's proposal of a clean break. This would imply that it may well have been Singapore which precipitated the idea of Separation, rather than Malaysia, as has been the notion all this while, stemming from first Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman's view. He reconfirmed, when I interviewed him a few years before he died, that he overruled the strident objections of his extremist colleagues in Umno in deciding to sack Singapore from Malaysia. It would be informative, if not instructive, if MM Lee or Dr Toh Chin Chye (then chairman of the PAP and the only key surviving member of the Old Guard today) shed more light on this critical turning point in the history of Singapore and Malaysia. Associate Professor Hussin Mutalib I have always suspected that it was LKY who wanted Singapore out. I never believed his claims that Singapore was "kicked out". While the LKY's eulogy implies that it was Dr Goh's idea for separation, I still believe that it was LKY's idea. After all, he has been known to fib about history. Besides the point that he misrepresented Singapore was kicked out, he has also tried to cover up the fact that he was elected as PM in the early days only by virtue of the Chairman's vote. It was a tie between him and Ong Eng Guan for the post. Dr Toh casted the final (Chairman's vote) for LKY. However, LKY tries to deny that did happen, as can be seen in this article I wrote in Sep 2009 Old Man wants all the glory to himself In the following article published in the Straits Times dated 5 Sep 09, Did Lee become PM by one vote?, Old Man claims he has no knowledge of the one vital vote, casted by Dr Toh Chin Chye (the Chairman of the PAP then), that allowed him to be the PM of Singapore. It was a nail-biting 6-6 vote, casted by the "inner core" of the pioneer PAP leaders. It was a tie between Ong Eng Guan and Lee Kuan Yew. Being a tie, the chairman, Dr Toh, exercised the chair's vote, and Old Man became the PM. But, Old Man, being what he is, does not want to admit it. He denies that there was such an event. Phew! Now why did Old Man have to wait for 50 years to say that? All along, it was written in the history books that he won by the chair's vote. In the same article, I mentioned how LKY probably planned the merger in the first place, with the intention to leave the Federation later, so that he could be the PM of Independent Singapore. It was a perfect plan to oust his greatest rival then, Lim Chin Siong. The article continues below. A search on the internet will also reveal a few startling things about the history of Singapore. Here are some pointers. Before independence, Chin Siong was Lee's biggest threat. While Chin Siong controlled the Chinese ground, Lee had the favours of the British government. But everything was hanging precariously and power could swing to either side. Lee then planned a merger with Malaysia. It appeared that the merger was an excellent way to rid Chin Siong. Both the Brits and Tengku were uncomfortable with Chin Siong because he appeared to be a communist. Till today, there is still controversy if he was communist. I would be inclined to believe the Chin Siong sounded communist because he used the Chinese race card to rally the people. (Hey, hasn't Old Man used the same Chinese race card for decades too? And no one dares claim he is a commie?) I do not believe Chin Siong was a communist. The Brits (whom LKY was very much aligned to) were only too keen to link Chin Siong with the commies to contain him. With the merger planned, Lee had an excellent excuse to get Chin Siong locked up since both the Brits and Tengku did not like to have Chin Siong around. You can do a search on "Lim Chin Siong" to get more news about the Lim Chin Siong vs Lee Kuan Yew dispute. That was really something. My opinion on the Lim vs Lee episode It was either Lim Chin Siong or Lee Kuan Yew. The fight for power to control was on the balance. While Lim used the Chinese ground for his support, Lee used the Brits for his support. What probably tilted the balance was the merger. Lee got the Tengku on his side too, because the Tengku was wary of Lim as well. After the threat of Lim was over, it was time for Lee to create enough trouble for the Tengku, so that Singapore could be fully independent. Lee's story was that the Tengku kicked Singapore out. Tengku's story was that Lee wanted out and hence created problems. So who is to be believed? With the fact now exposed that Old Man is willing to twist history about the single vote by Dr Toh Chin Chye, who knows what other facts he has been twisting since the 1950s? After all, the Tengku is no longer around to dispute the story. My viewpoint on the merger The merger probably served Lee very well. It was the perfect way to rid of his biggest adversary, Chin Siong. At the same time, he could engineer for Singapore's independence so that he could be the PM of a truly independent Singapore. It was not that Lee did not know that Malaysia's constitution stated the special privileges for the Malays. He asked for the merger with his eyes opened. Yet, after merging, he contested that very special privilege. It is like asking your neighbour to invite you to a party, then when he graciously lets you in, you start ordering him how he should host the party. The merger itself caused Malaysia to have problems with Indonesia and Philippines. Malaysia's plan was to include Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei. Singapore was initially NOT on the list. Singapore asked to be invited and was accepted. Indonesia and Philippines saw the merger as an expansionist plan by Malaysia and felt threatened. This was the Confrontation period. There were terror attacks from Indonesia against Malaysia. And Singapore, being part of Malaysia by virtue of the merger, was also attacked. A point that I would like to make here is that, the PAP cites this incident was that the "sea of Malays around us" seeked to attack the majority Chinese Singaporeans. I feel that Lee is trying to play the race card that Singapore being majority Chinese, are seen as enemies by the Malays around us. The fact was that this was actually about one Malay country (Indonesia) against another Malay country (Malaysia). Singapore was dragged in, because we were part of Malaysia. Not because the Malays were against the Chinese. The above is yet another twist and lie, in the books of the PAP, headed by Old Man. My Conclusion Lee can claim that he is the "Father of Singapore" and that he is the one behind Singapore's success. But we have seen how he twists history, such that he is seen that he has attained a godlike status. My opinion is that if Ong Eng Guan had been PM, he would have taken Singapore the same path. Perhaps, we would see the Ong Dynasty instead of the Lee Dynasty. As for Lim Chin Siong, I also feel that if he had been Singapore's PM, we would still be the same Singapore, more or less. Some critics say that he was a communist and would steer away from Western technology, which brought about Singapore's economic success. I dispute the above. Firstly, it was never proven he was communist. Secondly, if he had been PM, I am sure he would have abandoned his reference to China, changed allies, and taken advantage of the Western influence. If Lee could have changed so quickly from let's merge with Malaysia to let's create trouble for Malaysia, surely Chin Siong could have changed his spots as quickly as Old Man.

MANAGE YOUR TEMPER Anger never let you win Every time you lose your cool, you lose control and at times the cost could be quite high. So learn to manage your temper. As a little kid growing up on a sheep farm near Christchurch, New Zealand, Martin was a bright, hardworking boy, prone to losing his temper and getting angry. He would end up saying harsh words to his friends and family without often realising the impact of his angry outbursts. Intent on mending his son's ways, Martin's dad decided on a plan. He gave his son a sack of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the wooden fence at the back of their farm. The son agreed. The first day, he hammered 35 nails into the fence. As the days passed, the number of nails hammered into the fence gradually decreased. It was quite a task going all the way to the back of the farm and hammering a nail. Young Martin figured it was easier to just control his temper, and not get angry. And then, one day, he did not lose his cool at all. A day of no nails! Delighted, he told his father about it. And the father said that for everyday that Martin did not lose his temper, he should pull out a nail from the fence. Martin did as told, and some months later, all the nails in the fence had been removed. Martin was pleased. And so was his dad.The father led young Martin to the back of the farm and pointing to the wooden fence he said "You have done well, my son and I am proud of you. But notice the holes left behind by the nails? They will never go away. The fence will never be the same again. It's like that with our anger too. When we are angry, we say things that leave a scar. And no amount of apologizing thereafter can ever remove those scars. Remember that! "It's a lesson Martin has remembered all his life. And it's a lesson we would all do well to take to heart too. Keep your cool. Don't lose your temper. And you will see a significant improvement in your relationships. People will like you more, they will respect you a lot more - and you will find that hardly anybody gets angry with you. If you find yourself losing your cool often, maybe you should set yourself a punishment equivalent to hammering nails on the fence. Like Martin, you too might then find yourself controlling your temper a lot better. Good to remember that you can never really win when you get angry. You always lose - your temper, your cool and a whole lot else besides. Saying 'Sorry' is like using one of those erasers on the top of a pencil. It's easy to use, it feels like you have erased what was written, but the marks remain on the sheet of paper forever. And in this era of instant messaging and on-the-go e-mails, it becomes even more important to watch your words. If you are upset and want to shoot off an angry e-mail or message, hold it! Draft a mail perhaps - but leave it as a draft. Don't hit the 'send' button whilst you are angry. Tell yourself that you will take a look at it the next morning, and only then send it. Chances are, with a cooler head the next morning, you will realise the folly of sending out the angry email. And it does not matter that you are in the right, or that you think your anger is justified. If you lose your cool, remember, you lose. Period. Next time you are angry and want to say something, take a deep breath. Pause. And maybe say nothing at all.

DO THE RIGHT THING OR DO THE THING RIGHT? CAN YOU DO BOTH? Terry Finance Sir, let me offer you a personal encounter. My company recently advertised for a position looking for a Product Manager with minimun 5 years of experience. We received 200 ++ resumes, out of which 60% were foreigners, from Philippines, China, Malaysia and the rest were from Singaporean. Out of these 200++ resumes, there were two resumes which stood out. One was a Singaporean guy in his late 30s with 8 years of experience and his expected salary was $6,500 which to me is reasonable and another was a Phillippinoe guy in his late 20s with 6 years of experience and his expected salary was $3,000(negotiable). Let me asked you if i were to present these two resumes to my boss, which one do you think he will have chosen? So as a true blue Singaporean, i trashed the 'foreign talent' resume. I might be what some people call "not professional" but as a Singaporean i feel it is only right that a job should always go to a Singaporean with relavant skills and reasonable expectation FIRST and never to a foreigner. Singapore is the home i grew up in, the place i was once immensely proud of. I hate to see where we r headed. Sir, i wish you can hear the tiny voices of people who are struggling and for once balance ecomony prosperity with Singaporean well being. A country without happy and loyal citizens is a country in demise. Finally i would like to clarify that i gladly welcome aunthentic foreign talents that can propel our economy to the next level but for foreigners here to take advantage of our much too liberal immigration policy,NOT A CHANCE.

Instead of writing thrash about TPL and some other colourless people, journalists, authors and researchers should make an attempt to write an biography about Ho Kwon Ping from the day that he was born in Hong Kong. I can tell that there is no one else who stood in the middle of Singapore's history by fate, by coincidence, by choice and by a series of unexpected confluence of factors. He did not change history, he did not even move history but he was on that seminal wave that brought the flower generation to the fore. He witnessed change, he witnessed events and he was not sitting in an armchair. He marched against the Vietnam war, he fought for class struggle, he stormed the Stanford classroom of a Professor who wanted to sterlise blacks (guess who else had similar ideas) suspended from Stanford in time and writing articles for Marxist organisation. Raised in Thailand, only coming to Singapore to do his National Service. Son of multi-millionaire industrialist, who was a respected Ambassdor, an alumnus of Harvard and Cornell, a father that lost touch with him during the heady days of enlightment, Ho was not just born with a silver spoon, he ended up with silver handcuffs on two different occasions for entirely unrelated events. Convicted at the age of 23, detained under ISA at age 24 while a 2nd year student at University of Singapore, confessed his lean towards Marxism just before he turned 25 and you would have thought he would ride into oblivion. Agree lightweight but brings in the humanistic and soft side representation of Singapore which the other 3 don't meet. Fiercely sponsored by Tommy Koh and Edwin Thumboo who is the accidental rebel and part of those arrested in the Fajar incident. To lend credibility to Simon's non-establishment credentials. He was linked with American marxists, by coincidence with Euro marxists, worked for a British M16 spy, linked by intermediaries and associates who were mere acquaintances and by one degree with the Marxist conspiracy. And I have not even talked about Banyan or his wife who became an NMP, his trustee status within the upper echelon of governing elite where he holds one of four pillars with the likes of Stephen Lee, Simon Tay and Koh Boon . Now tell me, do you know your country, your fellow citizens or does life revolve around Jack Neo. My sense is that he was part of an interesting time in history and he chose to follow his heart. He did it his way. But very disappointed that he now allows the PAP to use him for their own ends. He could have been just like 99.9% of Chinese rich kid in the US with a fancy sports car and enjoying life. He was an odd ball. I know that detention can do many things but he completely changed after his release. All the detainees over the years never gave up or were very bitter. For Example, Poh Soo Kai went straight back to what he was doing in the past. So did most of Marxist Conspiracy chaps. But he went off into a different direction. My guess is that his father and sister had an impact on him. Father was very educated man and his company had so many large contracts within the Govt. When he was arrested by ISD, he father disowned him. He was so frustrated. Anyway even the ISD was shocked by his revelation and he ended up doing a televised confession. And his was completely different from the rest. This guy should wake up one day, find his mojo, form a political party and take on the PAP.

Tharman is a generous chap. Why? He ok the plan to use tax payer's dollars to reward bus cartels so that they continued to make profits with a generous cash donation to beef up their bus operations. Hey, that is not all. Tharman ok and supported the law to repeal Estate Duty so that Ruler Loong can avoid disclosing his mummy's massive cash hoard and 'investments'. So now he gives $4 billion to build a financial firewall to boost ailing European basket-cases and Jewish banks. Not bad, he gets to be an small time IMF chairman, albeit governance council. Hey, its all poltics huh, 'you scratch my back, I scratch yours'.

what's so shocking? It happened very often in Ireland , greece, spain, italy, almost all of europe and USA last few years when property prices escalate due to irrational greedy developers , real estate agents and mass media and newspapers who keeps spinning positive false news and fairy tales that prices would go up and up and then suddenly when prices crash , this is what happens (like in Europe and US now fire sale is so very common, that for the price of a COE in singapore you can buy an apartment there now!!!!). those stupid people who buy are also equally to be blame.
They should show make it compulsory to for banks to show these movie clips to all buyers before they sign. being old is NOT an excuse as it does not mean you are immune to taxes, debts or stupidity. I have seen alot of old arrogant stupid people who like to how lian and buy big cars and houses but cow beh and cow bu when the repo man comes knocking. these people are deadwood to society.
It would happen in singapore very soon. same for car prices. it is a bubble going to burst. even in China it has burst, just that the garmen there has put a gag on the news and that's why BoXil@i wife is hurriedly getting all her money and cash out of China secretly. Tells you alot when even the top people in China knows something about the state of economy not published in the media and do not even trust their own country or economy!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=9SdAHr1AWUs

SINGAPORE: A former security consultant was jailed four months on Tuesday for having sex with an underaged Vietnamese prostitute.

49-year-old Winson Chan Swee Teck was found guilty of paying the girl S$100 for her sexual services.

The girl, who is now 17 years old, cannot be named to protect her identity.

Chan is one of three men who were earlier charged for having commerical sex with the same girl.

Chan, who is divorced, had sex with her at a hotel at Lorong 28 Geylang in July 2011. This was after the girl lied that she was 20 years old and refused to show him her passport.

The first of the trio to be sentenced for the offence was a former land and estate executive with the Singapore Land Authority.

57-year-old Kum Chin Tiong, was sentenced to nine months jail in January after he pleaded guilty to paying S$100 for sex with the girl.

A third man, 55-year-old Yeo Joo Meng, a store personnel, also allegedly paid the girl between S$100 and S$130 for her sexual services.

It is an offence to pay for sex with a person under 18 years of age. If convicted, they could be jailed for up to seven years and fined.

In an interview with the media, prominent criminal lawyer Subhas Anandan who is acting for 10 of the men being charged pointed out bluntly that the girl does not deserve any protection under the law:
“How is anybody going to know what he is charged for when you don’t know who the girl is, and what her age is? Who are they trying to protect? As far as I am concerned, this girl does not deserve protection as she is a HARDCORE PROSTITUTE who got so many men into trouble”
However Young PAP Chairman and MP Teo Ser Luck disagrees.
Speaking to queries from the media, Mr Teo said:
“No matter what she did, she is still young. Exposing her identity in the media will not do anybody any good.”
His views were supported by another fellow MP Halimah Yacob who opined her future should be safe-guarded:
“Everyone deserves a chance to repent. The most important thing is, she should receive proper counseling in the future to prevent her from prostituting herself again.”
Despite her well intentions, it is highly unlikely that she will receive any ‘counseling’ in the first place because she is not charged for any offences and the authorities have no right to compel her to attend any counseling session unlike other juvenile offenders.
As she is 18 years old now, it remains to be seen if she will continue selling her body for easy and quick cash after this fiasco which only punishes her clients and allows her to get away without paying a price for it.

The Singapore Inter-agency Taskforce on trafficking in persons has released a detailed response to a recent United States report on human trafficking.

The five-page response - which reiterates and points out new "inaccuracies and misrepresentations" in the US State Department's latest annual report on human trafficking, released in June - was sent to the US yesterday.

The report claims, among other things, that forced labour on fishing vessels has been found to have originated from Singapore, and that no trafficking victims were offered medical and other services at shelters in the past year.

The report also stated that Singapore has not made proactive efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts.

The taskforce, which includes representatives from the Singapore Police Force and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and is co-chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Manpower (MOM), has refuted the claims.

In its response, the taskforce said that the US report's claim that the Government did not make proactive efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts here was not true.

Pointing out that Singapore has criminalised various commercial sex activities, the taskforce said that it conducted 3,608 anti-commercial sex operations last year that led to the arrests of 94 commercial sex agents or pimps.

Also inaccurate were claims that there were 'no criminal prosecutions or convictions of employers or employment agencies which withheld passports of foreign workers' last year.

The taskforce said that MOM had revoked the licences of three employment agencies, forfeited their security deposits, and prosecuted them in court for withholding workers' passports.

Also "unsubstantiated" was the suggestion that the authorities delayed the publication of independent research conducted on sex trafficking, said the taskforce.

It called on the US State Department, which produces the report, to substantiate the claim.

Reiterating the Republic's serious view on human trafficking, the taskforce called on the US to improve the credibility of its report.

The report is a tool that the US government uses to engage other countries in dialogue to advance anti-trafficking reforms. It also places each country into one of three tiers based on the extent of its government's efforts to comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.

The report put Singapore on a human-trafficking watch list last year, but has since moved it out of the watch list and up to Tier 2. Tier 1 is the highest ranking and includes countries such as Australia and Finland. Countries such as Algeria and Papua New Guinea have been grouped in Tier 3.

Yesterday's response was the taskforce's second since the report was released.

Last month, it also clarified the inaccuracies with US Ambassador-at-Large for human trafficking matters, Mr Luis CdeBaca, who was in Singapore to attend a related conference

HE CLAIMED he asked the prostitute and her pimp if she was 18 - the legal age to offer sex for money.

Rodney Sim Hang Nge, 61, told the court yesterday that the pimp and the girl confirmed that.

He asked the pimp that question as he was aware it was a crime to engage in paid sex with a person under the age of 18.

The law came into effect in February last year.

Sim, a senior accountant and father of two, told District Judge Jeffrey Sim: 'That question (about her age) is as sure as the sun rises in the east because it was only two sentences in Mandarin.'

But the pimp, Wang Minjiang, 37, said he told Sim that the girl was only 17.

On 15 Dec last year, Sim pleaded guilty to having sex with the girl twice - 3 Aug and 5 Aug last year - when she was only 16 years old.

We are not identifying her as she is a minor.

Sim's lawyer, Mr Shashi Nathan, had already prepared and submitted his client's mitigation plea and he was supposed to be sentenced yesterday.

But there was a dispute over some facts in the mitigation plea, including that concerning Sim's queries about the prostitute's age, and a Newton hearing was held yesterday instead. This is a hearing held to resolve disputed points in a case and ascertain the correct basis for sentencing.

Wang was earlier sentenced to a year's jail for arranging the girl to have sex with Sim and another man, Tan Chye Hin.

Wang, who was brought in as a witness, said that at about 7pm on 3 Aug last year, he, the girl and another woman were at a coffee shop in Geylang when they met Sim there.

When Sim then asked their ages, Wang said he told him the girl was 17 and the woman was 19, which he claimed were the ages indicated on their passports.

He denied telling Sim that the girl was over 18.

But Sim said he asked Wang in Mandarin if he knew about the law prohibiting any girl below 18 from 'working' (a slang for prostitution).

He said: 'He told me 'Don't worry. I know Singapore law and my girl is above 18.'

No passport with her

While on the way to a hotel in Joo Chiat that day, Sim asked the girl if she had her passport with her. The girl said 'no'.

He then asked her how old she was. She told him she was 18. He said he considered Wang's assurance as well as the girl's word that she was 18 to be important facts.

Sim said: 'All my life, I'm a law-abiding citizen and it is my duty... to ensure that I don't do anything against the law.'

The hearing was adjourned to 24 Jun.

For having paid sex with a girl under 18, Sim could be fined, jailed up to seven years, or face both punishments.

Last December, Tan was sentenced to a year's jail. On appeal, his jail term was reduced to nine months on 20 Feb.

Some of Sim's family members who attended the hearing declined to speak to The New Paper.

A TAIWANESE man who molested a woman on board an MRT train last August was fined $4,000 yesterday.

Hsu Ming Ta, 42, a permanent resident working in an IT company, admitted touching the buttocks of a finance administrator on Aug 4 while the train was between the Raffles Place and Tanjong Pagar stations.

The court heard that the 27-year-old woman was facing the doorway when she felt something brush against her, but dismissed it as an accident.

But then she felt another touch and yet another, and heard a commuter shout: “Hoi, what are you doing?”

She immediately turned around and saw Hsu standing very close to her.

Two men who saw him touching her helped her detain him.

Hsu, who is married with a daughter, could have been jailed up to two years or caned or fined or received any combination of these punishments.

A man who was found guilty of molesting a woman police sergeant was jailed for nine months on Tuesday.

Ilham Tumpang, 25, a former part-time waiter, was convicted after a trial of touching the then 27-year-old police officer's bottom at Mandarin Gallery on Jan 1 last year.

The court heard that the incident caused deep emotional distress to the victim, now 29, who was in uniform when she was molested.

Ilham, who had taken some alcohol, denied touching her buttock. He had no lawyer. The jail sentence will run together with his current 15-month sentence he is serving.

Yesterday, I talked a bit about the Singapore dollar (SGD) and its proclivity to trade alongside the Chinese renminbi. (CNY) But longtime readers know that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is the real decision maker here on how the currency will perform.

The MAS uses the S$ to assist them in fighting inflation the way a “real central bank” should. And with inflation in Singapore proving to be difficult to tame, I don’t see the MAS changing their policy drastically when they next meet. But with China’s economy moderating, I do expect the MAS to allow the S$ to continue to appreciate, but at a slower pace.

Did you see the story (I saw it on Bloomberg, but it is being reprinted all over the place) about what the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, told the U.S. president? OK, sit down, because this is good stuff. She told the U.S. president that “monetary policies of the wealthiest nations are a drag on global economic growth, especially among rapidly growing emerging economies.” She later told Brazilian reporters that “developed nations’ reliance on interest rates close to zero to stimulate growth creates a monetary tsunami that damages Brazil.”

SINGAPORE - A 32-year-old Chinese national was found guilty on Wednesday and given the death sentence for the murder of a taxi driver two years ago.

In an attempted robbery, Wang Wenfeng had inflicted deep stab wounds on Mr Yuen Swee Hong during a struggle in the SMRT taxi, resulting in the victim bleeding to death.

According to earlier reports, the 58-year-old cabby had picked Wang outside Sun Plaza in Sembawang during the wee hours of April 11, 2009. Wang said he wanted to go to Bottle Tree Village.

While in the taxi, Wang held a fruit knife to Mr Yuen's chest and a struggle broke out.

Despite multiple versions from Wang about what happened during the tussle, Justice Lee Seiu Kin said in High Court today that there was no doubt of an intention to inflict injuries which were enough to cause death, The Straits Times reported.

Wang, an odd-job labourer, later dumped the body in a forested area near the end of Jalan Selimang in Sembawang.

The taxi was then driven to a multi-storey car park in Canberra Link and abandoned there.

Wang also took Mr Yuen's handphone, and when the cabby's wife called, he demanded $150,000 for her husband's safe return, although he was already dead.

Mr Yuen's decomposed body was found six days later. Wang was arrested at a travel agency in Chinatown on April 13, 2009, trying to collect a plane ticket to China.

During earlier hearings in March this year, Wang said that he had originally intended to rob a money changer, but gave up the idea as he saw a queue of taxis in front of the shop.

He later thought of a plan to rob a taxi, but being nervous and afraid, he did not flag down any cabs.

It was Mr Yuen instead who drove by and stopped to ask Wang where he wanted to go - a move which led to tragedy shortly.

adrianl@sph.com.sg

Lawyer suspended 15 months for offering kick-backs to undercover PI
By Carolyn Quek

WHEN lawyer Rayney Wong handed a referral fee to a private investigator posing as a property agent at a meeting four years ago, it was apparently not the first time he had done so.

Captured on video talking to who he thought was another property agent, Mr Wong claims he had offered kick-backs to property agents for referring clients to him before.

Senior Counsel Michael Hwang who was acting for the Law Society in its disciplinary case against Mr Wong before the Court of Three Judges on Tuesday, cited this as an aggravating factor and asked for a 15-month suspension to be imposed on him.

Mr Wong's lawyer, Senior Counsel Sant Singh, however argued that the Law Society had filed only one charge and did not proceed with the other allegations and it should not be considered now in sentencing,

The three judges - Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong, Justices of Appeal Andrew Phang and V.K. Rajah - eventually suspended Mr Wong for 15 months.

Mr Wong, a lawyer for 24 years, had earlier pleaded guilty to offering kick-backs to Ms Jenny Lee, a private investigator posing as a property agent.

She had been part of a group of investigators hired by several lawyers to check if competing law firms were offering fees to estate agents.

WHY become my enemy when you can be my friend?

And when I see you next time, I will take good care of you.

Such a 'make peace' offering may be effective in resolving a dispute.

But in this case, it landed the person who made the offer in more trouble, because he had tried to use it to bribe a traffic police officer into letting him off for a traffic offence.

Sergeant Pah Wenxiang was patrolling along Woodlands Road at about 5.30pm on 31Oct last year when he spotted a driver of a white car making an illegal U-turn and driving against traffic flow for 500m.

In doing so, the driver narrowly missed a collision with a motorcyclist before entering a petrol station.

The cop then tailed the driver and confronted him when the latter stopped at the petrol station.

The driver, Lim Teck Choon, a 56-year-old Malaysian businessman, told Sgt Pah he did not want to be caught in the traffic jam and wanted to return to Malaysia as soon as possible.

He even went on to suggest that it was common for vehicles to reverse and drive against the flow of traffic when there was a traffic jam.

His excuse cut no ice and Sgt Pah proceeded to inform Lim that he would be charged in court for dangerous driving and that he would be placed under arrest.

Tried to bargain

Lim tried to bargain with Sgt Pah by asking whether it was possible not to 'summon' him so 'heavily'.

Sgt Pah replied that he had no choice as Lim had committed a serious traffic offence. Lim acknowledged that he was at fault and that he could not deny this.

While waiting for the police car to arrive, Sgt Pah started a conversation with Lim, who said that he was a businessman with businesses in Singapore and Malaysia.

He added that he also owned plantations in Johor which were popular grounds for fishing and hunting.

Lim then told Sgt Pah: 'Why want to do this, be enemy. You should let me go. We can be friends. Next time you come to Malaysia, Iwill take care of you, still got benefits.'

On hearing that, Sgt Pah felt that the accused was offering a bribe, and he accordingly told the accused that it was an offence to do so.

The accused replied 'okay' and did not say anything else after that.

Still, the offer to bribe the cop landed Lim in hot water.

When his case came up before District Judge Jasvender Kaur, the judge noted that attempting to bribe a police officer is a serious offence.

But she took into account Lim's plea for leniency in this case.

First, after Lim's request of not being summoned so heavily was turned down, Lim did not persist.

Lim admitted he was wrong and that the traffic police officer was only doing his duty.

Judge Kaur said: 'I think it is reasonable to say that the accused would, in all probability, not have said what he said had Sgt Pah not started the casual conversation.'

Lim also pleaded with the judge, saying that he was a deputy chairman of Malaysian Chinese Association for the town of Kampong Jawa in Johor, and he has helped students and orphans in his constituency

As Lim had no previous records, he was spared the jail sentence and was fined $15,000 for the bribery offence.

He was fined $2,500 earlier and disqualified from driving for six months.

The prosecution has since filed an appeal against the sentence.

Under the law, those who commit bribery offences can be jailed up to five years or a fined up to $100,000, or both.

Last edited by metalslug; 24-11-2008 at 01:11 PM.

Supparayan S. Valoo, 49, had admitted to beating the red light when he caused the death of full-time national serviceman Huang Jun Jie, 20. -- PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE

A DRUNK prime mover driver who caused the death of a motorcyclist and injured the pillion rider was jailed for 20 months and banned from driving for 10 years on Tuesday on three charges.

Supparayan S. Valoo, 49, had admitted to beating the red light when he caused the death of full-time national serviceman Huang Jun Jie, 20, along Yishun Avenue 2 at the junction of Yishun Ring Road on Dec 21, 2008.

He also admitted to injuring Mr Huang's girlfriend, Ms Mizushima Emi, 21, by doing an act so rashly as to endanger life.

He had failed to conform to the traffic red light signal while making a right turn, thus encroaching into the path of Mr Huang and the pillion who were proceeding straight from the oncoming direction resulting in a head to side collision.

The third charge he pleaded guilty to stated that he was driving when the alcohol in his body was more than twice the legal limit.

He had 90 mcg alcohol per 100ml of breath when the legal limit is 35mcg.

Mr Huang died five days later.

Lee Wei Ling: What Keeps Me Rooted To Singapore



After reading what she wrote, I have few points to make:

1. She kena serious surgical complication and is now in hospital. In 2002 and 2003, she also kena surgical accidents which nearly end her life. What is wrong with her that she needs to go surgery that often? And I wonder who are the surgeons who committed these accidents and what happen to them now? Are they still practising surgeons in Singapore?


2. She says that LKY and wifey want to stay back to fight the Vietcongs to the bitter end. I wonder why LKY didn't join Lim Bo Seng to fight the Japs, but instead joined the Japanese secret police as their translator.

3. Why did LKY told his children that they are not obliged to stay and fight for Singapore? Isn't not the duty of every Singaporean to do so? If not, then what the hell is National Service Conscription for?


4. Some of LKY's relatives are quitters, giving up their Singapore citizens to be Americans. Who are they?

5. Getting FTs win Olympic medals and the wayang National Day Parade - Wei Ling feels that both are just waste of time and money. So do we, but why is her brother felt otherwise and instead made singaporean to become 2nd class citizens?


6. Gino the physiotherapist became her good friend after treating her in 2002/2003. This Gino is sure a smart fella. I wonder how many patients of Gino became his good pal beside LKY daughter? I wonder If Wei Ling is not LKY's daughter, will she still be Gino's good pal?

7. She says she want to fight for Singapore, Then why didn't she volunteer for National Service in the SAF?


-----------------------------------------------------------






What keeps me rooted to Singapore









Sharing good times and helping loved ones in bad times - that's why this place is home








By Lee Wei Ling






This is an era when international mobility is a privilege that many of our bright young men and women enjoy. The world is their oyster.

They were born and raised in Singapore. Some may have completed their tertiary education here, while others did so overseas. But I have cousins whose children have chosen to exchange their pink Singapore identity cards for United States passports.

If ever there is a major crisis in Singapore, those who would be able to emigrate, be accepted by another country and get jobs there would invariably be people who are wealthy and/or professionals with marketable skills.

The Government knows that talent is mobile and that Singapore must compete with other countries to offer an attractive living environment and vibrant culture so as to retain talented Singaporeans and attract foreign talent here.

I am a paediatric neurologist. I can pass any medical examination that Canada, the US, Australia or New Zealand may impose before accepting me as a high-skilled immigrant or 'exceptional alien'. Would I take such opportunities?

Perhaps in a moment of madness, when my yearning for hiking outweighs all the other factors that keep me in Singapore and make me want to fight for it if the need should arise.

I have been fortunate in having true friends in Singapore. They and my nuclear family are the main reason I will stay if foreign armies invade or bombs are dropped on Singapore.

In 1975, the year South Vietnam fell, I was a medical student training in paediatrics. Paediatricians are especially kind and decent people, for only such people would be drawn to work mainly with children. Still, there was serious talk of emigration among my paediatrician mentors. One did emigrate with his entire family.

My parents called a family meeting in their bedroom soon after Saigon fell. My father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, then Singapore's Prime Minister, told us: 'Mama and I will stay here to the bitter end. Hsien Loong is already in the SAF and must do his duty. But the three of you need not feel obliged to stay.'

In the end, the Vietnamese communists did not march down Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore thrived, Hsien Yang followed Hsien Loong in accepting both the SAF and President's Scholarships, and my brothers both served out their bonds.

I myself had accepted a President's Scholarship in 1973 to study medicine at the University of Singapore. It was a five-year course for which the Public Service Commission paid me approximately $3,000 to $4,000 annually. Most of it went towards my medical school fees. I was bonded for eight years.

Subsequently, I accepted several more scholarships from the Government and have served a total of 16 years of bond. I stayed on in the public sector after completing my bond and am now in my 31st year in service. I have also had the opportunity to live and study overseas for four years. I enjoyed living in North America.

As a nature lover, I appreciated the magic of the seasons. I enjoyed observing spring trying to announce its arrival with crocuses that may subsequently be buried by a late spring snowfall.

Spring in its full-blown splendour of trees, with budding leaves in the most tender hues of green...The daffodils...The cherry blossoms in full bloom along the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts...Running alone at first dawn or twilight, as petals fluttered down on you, was a magical experience.

Then fall with its burst of colours, turning what was an almost uniformly green landscape into a tapestry of yellow, gold, rust, red and green that met your eyes as you jogged. And then winter announcing the end of the year - time to go cross-country skiing or find an indoor track to run.

The changing seasons enhanced the quality of life in a way that only someone who has lived in New England for three years, as I did, can appreciate. But I always returned home. I never doubted that home was anything other than Singapore.

I suffered a serious surgical complication on Jan 9 and am now recuperating in Singapore General Hospital as I write this. I was in pain earlier this afternoon and, unable to do much, I dozed off. When I woke, my friend Gino was quietly sitting in the next room.

He had brought along with him brand-new running shorts and socks. I had messaged him at noon to ask him to get them for me but did not expect him to do so immediately. Gino is an excellent physiotherapist who helped me through an extremely difficult rehabilitation in 2002. We have been close friends since.

He had recently resigned from the Singapore Sports Council and we discussed the best location for him to set up shop. He gave me a sports massage and we chatted for some time until I felt up to doing my step aerobics.

This morning, one of my cousins dropped by, followed by my doctor-friends from the National Neuroscience Institute.

I am now staring at the skyline that I had stared at from the same window in 2002 and 2003. Then as now I was hospitalised for prolonged periods because of serious surgical accidents, which I later pulled through against great odds.

There are many more tall buildings now than there were in 2002 and 2003. This is a city-state. I am unlikely ever to go hiking again - in Hawaii or Bhutan, Kerala or New Zealand - my one and only real hobby.

What keeps me rooted here are my nuclear family and my friends. We enjoy good times together and help and support one another during bad times. They - rather than Olympic medals or National Day Parades - are the main reason why I feel this place is home and why it is worth fighting for if the need should arise.

The idea of dying does not scare me. But to be willing to stay on and fight for Singapore - that goes beyond simple logic. It is the result of the emotional bond I have with those who are important in my life as well as with those for whom I feel a sense of responsibility.

You don’t have to sleep with someone suspicious to get hepatitis if you choose to eat blood clams in Shanghai. Although blood clams are considered one of the more delicious Chinese delicacies, the style of preparation in Shanghai involves quick-boiling them, leaving many viruses and bacteria present, including hepatitis A, E, typhoid, and dysentery.

Wed, 24.Nov.2010 - 6:00am


THE Education Ministry is initiating disciplinary action against Nur Aini Asmom, the Malay language teacher who harboured her uncle Mas Selamat Kastari after his escape from custody two years ago.

It is likely to end up dismissing her from service.

Police have arrested a 47-year-old woman for selling fake foreign student identification cards.

On 18 March 2012, Police received information about a printing shop at Bencoolen Street that was reportedly selling fake student cards. On 19 March 2012, officers from the Central Police Division raided the place and arrested the shop owner. Various templates of foreign student cards which were believed to have been forged were found in the shop’s computer system. Printing-related paraphernalia including a computer, a cutter, some plastic lamination cards and nine counterfeit student identification cards were also seized as case exhibits. Preliminary investigations reveal that suspect provided printing services and sale of counterfeit student identification cards for a price of between $25 and $65. Investigations against the suspect are ongoing.

Under the Penal Code, offenders found guilty of committing forgery for the purpose of cheating may be imprisoned for a term not exceeding 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Commander of Central Police Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Tan Hung Hooi advised members of the public that it is an offence to carry or use forged identification cards or documents. He also warned that the Police will not hesitate to prosecute anyone who commits forgery of such documents.

Up to sixty men may soon charged for having sex with a voluptuous teenage model whose ‘services’ were marketed on a porn site after an online vice ring was busted three months ago.

The men include a senior banker, a company director, a senior vice-president of a private company, lawyers, a senior police officer, a primary school principal who is married with a child as well as a scholarship recipient.

One of the bankers was reported to have resigned abruptly in the same month while the former school principal has also left the school.

Doing the right thing?

•Is delaying the payment of CPF (through all kinds of tricky schemes) to retirees (cash poor) a right thing to do?
•Is paying ministers obscene millions a right thing to do?
•Is paying Mercer $860,000 to justify the new salary of ministers a right thing to do?
•Is going to China and elsewhere, using taxpayers money, to give scholarships to foreigners (while neglecting locals) a right thing to do?
•Is treating foreigners (regardless of their talent) as 1st class and treating Singaporeans as low class a right thing to do?
•Is paying interest on CPF (peoples' money) at a lower rate than EPF pays Malaysians a right thing to do?
•Is giving $1.1billion of taxpayers' money to PTOs to enhance their business a right thing to do?
•Is belittling and bullying opposition MPs in parliament a right thing to do?
•Is helping the rich in abolishing the Estates Duty Act a right thing to do?
•Is making Singaporeans paying one of the *highest taxes in the world and not provide basic health care for the needy poor, old, feeble and disabled a right thing to do?
•Last but not least, for a self-proclaimed 1st world government, is bringing in 2 millions foreigners (over the past 20 years) without planning to accommodate their housing, transportation and social needs a right thing to do?
If one cannot do the right things in the first place, how does one do them right?

Six men have been charged in court today for allegedly having sex with underaged prostitutes.

The six men are suspected of paying for sexual services with three Vietnamese prostitutes, one aged 16 and two aged 17, in separate instances in July last year.

It is understood that the six, aged between 24 to 59, are all well-to-do men that include bosses and directors.

Up to nine men may be charged altogether in this case.

The six men are, Justin Guo, 24, sales consultant, who is single and from a well-to-do family; Chan See Sean, 40, the owner of a construction company; Yee Yew Seng, 43, single; Wee Lian Kee, 54, married, and the owner of publishing contractor company, Loh Kian Ann, 55, married, and the director of three construction companies; Seah Seng Kok, 59, married.

The six are currently out on bail and ordered not to have any contact with the victims.

It is understood that the men had all met the prostitutes in karaoke lounges and coffeeshops, before striking a deal with them, then carrying out the sordid transaction in budget hotels in Geylang.

They paid between $100 to $200 for the sexual services.

If convicted, each of the men may face up to 7 years' jail, or a fine, or both.

Source: Lianhe Wanbao, 30 March 2012.

SINGAPORE - A 23-year-old woman who drove without a licence was sentenced to four months' jail for causing the death of an elderly pedestrian.

Candy Siow Pei Shan, a waitress, was also banned from driving for 10 years, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

Siow, who was driving her boyfriend's car on Feb 12, 2011, lost control of the vehicle at the junction of Bukit Batok East Avenue 3 and Avenue 4, the court heard today.

She was driving along Avenue 3 and attempted to make a right turn without stopping at the intersection.

She panicked when she saw an oncoming vehicle and her car veered to the left, mounted the kerb and hit 70-year-old Tan Son Seng, who was on the pedestrian walkway, ST reported.

Mr Tan was crushed between the car and a traffic light pole, and pronounced dead on the scene.

Before the accident which took place in the morning, Siow had also drunk a substantial amount of alcohol between 12am and 5am.

She had consumed brandy with her boyfriend at Club Axchange in Tanjong Pagar, and later brandy and beer at a club in the Esplanade.

According to ST, Assistant Public Prosecutor Raja Mohan said as Siow had failed her driving test 13 times, she would have known that she was not competent to drive, yet she still chose to do so.

Siow, who started sobbing when she was sentenced to jail, was also driving without insurance coverage at that time.