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Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on April 25

aseanpr 25 4 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, April 25. Myanmar junta chief 'not opposed' to visit by Asean delegation, humanitarian aid: PM Lee The bloc leaders' consensus calls for violence to end immediately and for start of constructive dialogue. READ MORE HERE Asean cannot be indifferent to Myanmar situation, has collective duty to act: PM Lee "Silence and inaction would undermine Asean's centrality, credibility and relevance," he said at leaders' meeting. READ MORE HERE Rescuers find debris from missing Indonesian submarine, indicating it has sunk Preparations are being made to salvage the submarine from a depth of 850m. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news More top-notch tech talents set their sights on Singapore About 60 applications have been approved under Tech.Pass scheme to get top-tier foreigners. READ MORE HERE Search for new Singapore PM: Start with a rethink It could be time to focus less on the age of a candidate and more on how long he stays in office, says editor-at-large Han Fook Kwang. READ MORE HERE Pre-event Covid-19 testing: Logistics, cost among concerns for couples and event organ...

Pre-event Covid-19 testing: Logistics, cost among concerns for couples and event organisers

aseanpr 25 4 月

7 minutes

SINGAPORE - Medical officer Stephanie Yeap is looking forward to her big day in December, when the 26-year-old marries Mr Timothy Lim, also 26. Dr Yeap, who is with Singapore General Hospital, hopes to have more than 200 guests at the wedding. "It being a momentous day for us, we want to have as many family members and friends who can be there in person to celebrate with us," she said, mindful of the Covid-19 situation and how it can lay waste to the best of plans. Still, the couple have reason to cheer. New Ministry of Health (MOH) regulations that kicked in on Saturday (April 24) permit selected activities to host more attendees with pre-event testing (PET). Almost three months after Singapore entered phase three of Covid-19 control measures, MOH announced a list of activities that can be scaled up - marriage solemnisations, wedding receptions, live performances, pilot business-to-business events and pilot spectator events which are seated. Live performances, pilot business-to-business events and sports events with seated spectators may now have up to 750 attendees with PET, which is not required if there are 250 or fewer people attending. For Dr Yeap and Mr Lim, it means 250 peo...

A helping hand for Hari Raya

aseanpr 25 4 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - Outgoing Education Minister Lawrence Wong gave out food hampers and green packets on Saturday (April 24) to residents in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, where he serves as MP and adviser. This was part of a two-day event that started on Saturday to help 550 households with their expenses during the ongoing festive period of Ramadan leading up to Hari Raya Puasa on May 13. Mr Wong, who will take over the Finance Ministry from Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on May 15, was joined by other MPs for the group representation constituency - Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Mr Alex Yam and Ms Hany Soh - and about 20 volunteers. They gave out essential items such as rice, oil, biscuits and sugar, as well as close to $10,000 in total. The initiative is part of community outreach efforts by the Singapore Statutory Boards Employees' Cooperative, and is supported by the Singapore National Cooperative Federation.

Almost 900 workplaces inspected in April, about 10 fined for breaching Covid-19 rules: MOM

aseanpr 24 4 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Saturday (April 24) said it has inspected close to 900 workplaces and fined about 10 companies since the start of April for breaching Covid-19 safe management measures (SMM). In a Facebook post, MOM said when Covid-19 community cases occur, it conducts checks on the relevant workplaces to ensure measures are in place to prevent further transmission. MOM said it inspected the workplace of a recent community case and found several lapses. These included the lack of demarcation for safe distancing, failure to appoint a safe management officer and failure to ensure regular temperature checks and proper control of access for employees and visitors. MOM said it would be ordering the workplace to close because of these lapses. The ministry added it would continue to step up enforcement efforts to ensure proper implementation of prevailing SMM at workplaces. MOM noted that although there has been some relaxation of these requirements since April 5, it is important that employers continue to provide a safe working environment. The easing of measures included allowing up to 75 per cent of employees to be at the workplace at any one time, up from ...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on April 24

aseanpr 24 4 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Saturday, April 24. Singapore's Cabinet reshuffle: Field remains open for 4G leadership, say observers It is not where the 4G ministers are moved that is important, but who was moved, said one observer. READ MORE HERE PM Lee held off on major Cabinet changes last year as S'pore was in the thick of Covid-19 There were extensive consultations within the Cabinet before the line-up was decided, added PM Lee. READ MORE HERE Singapore's Cabinet reshuffle: Major changes but it's not time to read the tea leaves The one reality is that the latest appointments do not spell out the identity of PM Lee's successor. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Interactive: Who's helming S'pore's 15 ministries after PM Lee's Cabinet reshuffle? The reshuffle will see seven of the 15 ministries helmed by new ministers. READ MORE HERE Maid who stabbed S'pore employer more than 90 times gets life imprisonment for murder The victim sustained 94 knife wounds, most of which were on her head and neck. READ MORE HERE How Covid-19 has changed life in foreign workers' dorms in S'pore ST looks at how do...

How Covid-19 has changed life in foreign workers’ dorms in S’pore

aseanpr 24 4 月

4 minutes

When the Covid-19 outbreak hit dormitories in Singapore last year, conditions in the living quarters were pinpointed as a reason for the spike in cases. A year after dorm cases hit a daily high, Insight looks at how dormitory living has been transformed even as the fight against Covid-19 continues to be felt daily by the workers living in the quarters, with the timeline for workers to return to the community unclear given the latest spate of cases. How life has changed for migrant workers since Covid-19 cases peaked in 2020 Covid-19 cases in migrant worker dormitories had been close to zero for months and plans were in place for rules to be relaxed, but a recent flare-up at Westlite Woodlands has thrown a spanner in the works. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday (April 22), Second Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said there were plans for some easing of restrictions for migrant workers and dormitories. "But given the fact that today we have got new variants of concern, and I think you can see that we have also got this new number of cases that have come up, we've decided to put it on hold for a while," he said. "We hope that you can help us to garner support and also patie...

‘We miss going out’: Dorm conditions now better with more space in rooms but migrant workers yearn to go out to relax

aseanpr 24 4 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - Before the pandemic hit migrant worker dormitories hard last year, Indian construction foreman Mathiyalagan Kathikeyan used to share a room with 11 other people. Now, there are only eight others in his room. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Dorm life one year on: How life has changed for migrant workers since Covid-19 cases peaked in 2020

aseanpr 24 4 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - Covid-19 cases in migrant worker dormitories had been close to zero for months and plans were in place for rules to be relaxed, but a recent flare-up at Westlite Woodlands has thrown a spanner in the works. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday (April 22), Second Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said there were plans for some easing of restrictions for migrant workers and dormitories. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Indonesian maid who stabbed S’pore employer more than 90 times gets life imprisonment for murder

aseanpr 23 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A domestic worker from Indonesia who stabbed her employer more than 90 times at her Telok Kurau house nearly five years ago was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder on Friday (April 23). The High Court convicted Daryati, who goes by one name, a second time of murdering Madam Seow Kim Choo after rejecting her defence that she was suffering from a mental disorder that reduced her responsibility for the killing. Madam Seow, 59, was killed on June 7, 2016. She had 94 knife wounds, most of which were on her head and neck. Daryati, 28, had originally faced a charge under Section 300(a) of the Penal Code, for killing with the intention to cause death, which carries the mandatory death penalty. Partway through the trial, which was heard for 17 days between April 23, 2019 and March 4 last year, the prosecution reduced the charge to murder under Section 300(c). The reduced charge carries life imprisonment or the death sentence, but prosecutors said they would not be seeking the death penalty. After she was convicted of the lesser charge, Daryati changed her mind and wanted to run the defence of diminished responsibility to further reduce the charge to culpable homicide. The ...

Longer waiting time for homes, increased costs due to tighter Covid-19 curbs on migrant workers: Contractors Association

aseanpr 23 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Border restrictions on travellers from India will result in home buyers here being confronted with a longer wait time for their property and higher costs, the Singapore Contractors Association Limited (Scal) said on Friday (April 23). It added that the construction sector is already facing delays which have seen projects knocked back by between nine and 12 months due to a labour crunch brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. On Thursday, the Government announced that long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to India will not be allowed entry or transit through Singapore, with the new rule taking effect from Saturday. It will also affect those who have previously obtained approval from the authorities to enter the country. Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who is co-leading the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19, said it will have a major impact on the construction sector. On Friday, Scal sounded warnings for a longer wait time for the completion of Housing Board Build-To-Order (BTO) flats and private apartments. It said other buildings such as healthcare facilities and infrastructure projects will also be delayed. "The repercuss...

More than 4 years’ jail for woman in scam to try to obtain over $1 million in loan

aseanpr 23 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE- A woman was sentenced on Friday (April 23) to four years and three months' jail after taking part in a scam where she and an alleged accomplice posed as property owners in a bid to obtain a loan of more than $1 million. Foo Wei Lee, then an accountant, also took part in another ruse - a corporate loan fraud - in which financial firms were duped into disbursing more than $230,000 in total. The 48-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty last month to nine charges for offences including cheating and forgery. Eighteen other charges were considered during sentencing. Foo's alleged accomplices include 25-year-old Khor Choon Kiat, who was her boyfriend at the time; his mother Sim Seok Kuan, 54; and his friend Yeo Hwa Piao, 48. Their cases are still pending. Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei said during an earlier proceeding that some time around December 2018, Khor and Sim hatched a plan to earn quick cash by making fraudulent applications to financial firms that offer loans to small and medium-sized enterprises. Khor roped in Foo as she was familiar with loan processes. He also recruited Yeo as the latter was willing to be the director of a firm called Foosball Strikers, the co...

Second migrant worker dies after PIE accident involving lorry and tipper truck

aseanpr 23 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A second migrant worker who was travelling in the back of a lorry that crashed into a stationary tipper truck on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) has died. The man, Mr Sugunan Sudheeshmon, 28, from Kerala, India, died of his injuries in hospital. In a Facebook post on Friday (April 23) morning, the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) said: "We are in contact with his mother, who is also working in Singapore, to extend our assistance and deepest condolences to her and the family." A volunteer at non-profit organisation ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR) said a counsellor from IRR has been speaking to Mr Sugunan’s mother, who is a domestic worker here. She had visited her son in hospital on Thursday night before he died. Mr Sugunan had a wife and an 18-month-old child. His wife is not aware her husband’s fate, added the IRR volunteer. MWC said it is working with the worker’s employer to furnish the documentation and claims needed to file for the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) compensation. Five workers remain in hospital after the accident on Tuesday morning, one of whom has been moved from the intensive care unit to the high dependency unit, added MWC. There were 17 workers sitting...

HDB resale prices climb for 4th straight quarter amid Covid-19 vaccine optimism

aseanpr 23 4 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Housing Board resale market remained steadily robust in the first quarter of this year amid Covid-19 vaccine optimism, with prices of resale flats rising for the fourth consecutive quarter even as fewer flats changed hands. The resale price index for the first three months of the year was logged at 142.2, an increase of 3 per cent over that in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to figures released by HDB on Friday (April 23). Prices rose 8.1 per cent year on year. Last quarter's HDB resale prices were just 4.8 per cent lower than their peak in the second quarter of 2013, said Ms Christine Sun, OrangeTee & Tie's senior vice-president of research and analytics. She noted that the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines around the world and anticipated global economic recovery stoked a frenzy of property-buying activity worldwide, which in turn lifted market sentiment for the HDB resale market. The supply and demand imbalance of flats has also caused prices of HDB resale flats to climb in many locations, said Ms Sun. Prices for resale flats rose in 22 of the 26 HDB towns, with those in the central area clocking the highest median resale price at $910,000 for a four-room flat....

New tech platform to help law firms manage cases and clients in the works: Edwin Tong

aseanpr 22 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A technology platform for lawyers to start Zoom calls with their clients, check their e-mails and manage their cases is in the works, said Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong on Thursday (April 22). It will be linked to some of the "more popular existing technological platforms used by law firms", said Mr Tong in a keynote address at the two-day Litigation Conference Workshop 2021 organised by the Law Society of Singapore. The workshop aims to cover legal topics such as litigation practice and advocacy. More than 1,000 participants attended the workshop virtually and physically. Mr Tong had first mentioned the platform in Parliament last month, saying it is envisaged to enable law practices and lawyers to work "anytime, anywhere". On Thursday, Mr Tong said the platform will, first and foremost, be a management tool for legal matters. "Lawyers can start a new matter... and lay out a roadmap of how they intend to litigate the case," he said. Law firms can create matter templates to set out a roadmap for each type of case, including details such as the timelines, procedural requirements and steps to take. Tasks can be assigned via the platform to specific individuals within...

Facial recognition tech in Selarang Park Complex facilitates inmates’ movement

aseanpr 22 4 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Unlike what is standard procedure for those imprisoned elsewhere in Singapore, inmates at the Selarang Park Complex need not be escorted by prison officers to access several areas in it. For example, they only have to scan their wrist tags and faces at turnstiles located between two of the complex's facilities before they are allowed through. This is possible due to extensive closed-circuit television (CCTV) coverage of the facilities and the use of facial recognition technology. Selarang Park Complex, which was officially opened on Thursday (April 22), became fully operational in September last year. It comprises several facilities, including a Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) for drug offenders. The complex is the first and currently the only prison site in the country to use facial recognition technology, said the Singapore Prison Service (SPS). DRC inmates go through psychology-based correctional programmes and skills training, as well as receive family support and religious services. The technology used in the complex is part of the SPS' "Prison Without Guards" strategy, which aims to boost operational efficiency and enable prison officers to focus on inmate rehabi...

S’pore dispatches rescue vessel to join search for missing Indonesia submarine with 53 on board

aseanpr 22 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) submarine rescue vessel, MV Swift Rescue, was dispatched on Wednesday afternoon (April 21) to join in the search for a missing Indonesia submarine. In a Facebook post on Thursday, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the ship was dispatched "as fast as she could get ready" after Singapore's navy chief received a request for assistance from his Indonesian counterpart. A medical team was also added to the regular crew in the event that hyperbaric care is needed, he added. An Indonesian military spokesman was quoted in media reports as saying that the MV Swift Rescue is estimated to arrive at the search area on April 24. The German-made KRI Nanggala-402 was on Wednesday conducting a torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali before contact was lost. Search efforts are ongoing 60 miles (96km) from Bali for the 53 crew members. In earlier reports, Indonesia's Defence Ministry said that an oil spill was spotted near the submarine's dive location during an aerial search. It added that two navy vessels with sonar capability have been deployed to join in the search. MV Swift Rescue, which has a maximum speed of 12 knots and can operate o...

Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat, Perm Sec Aubeck Kam to receive May Day honours

aseanpr 22 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Senior Minister of State for Transport and Foreign Affairs Chee Hong Tat and Permanent Secretary for Manpower Aubeck Kam will receive the Distinguished Service Award, one of the highest accolades in this year's May Day Awards. Mr Chee has been a strong advocate for the protection of healthcare and public transport workers against abuse, while Mr Kam has made significant contributions towards improving the wages and work prospects of workers. The Distinguished Service Award is conferred by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) on those who are still active and continue to make significant contributions for three years or more after receiving the Meritorious Service award. Mr Chee and Mr Kam are among the 143 individuals and organisations who will receive awards next Wednesday (April 28). Other recipients include union leaders, government officials and firms advancing workers' interests amid an uncertain economic outlook brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as workers who are role models at their workplaces. The recipient of the Medal of Honour - the top May Day accolade - will be announced next Tuesday, a day before the awards ceremony. It is given to indi...

Mandatory use of TraceTogether token or app at malls, workplaces, schools to start on June 1

aseanpr 22 4 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - From June 1, digital check-ins for contact tracing at places with higher footfall or where people are likely to be in close proximity can only be done using the TraceTogether app or token. These places include shopping malls, workplaces, places of worship, schools, educational institutions, dine-in food and beverage outlets and gyms - where the national digital check-in tool SafeEntry has already been implemented. The mandatory use of TraceTogether comes as more than 90 per cent of the population have either downloaded the app or collected the token, said the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a joint statement on Thursday (April 22). With this, other modes of SafeEntry check-in - such as scanning a SafeEntry QR code with a phone camera or the Singpass app - will be discontinued from June 1. The existing requirement for SafeEntry check-ins at individual retail outlets such as supermarkets and departmental stores inside large malls will also be removed when TraceTogether is used for registering check-ins. This set-up is known as TraceTogether-only SafeEntry (TT-only SE). "This is because all visitors would have already ...

Man jailed for burning towels at Hotel 81 after staff said he could not join his male friend and woman in room

aseanpr 21 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A man was sentenced to three months' jail on Wednesday (April 21) for setting fire to towels in a hotel after staff told him he had to leave the room occupied by his male friend and a woman they had just met at a karaoke lounge. Lau Sheng Shiun, who was from the Republic of Singapore Navy, had faced trial and was convicted last month of mischief by fire with intent to cause damage. The incident happened on Sept 12, 2017. The 34-year-old had met up with Chua Wen Hao, 29, his friend and subordinate in the navy, before heading to the W KTV lounge at Foch Road at Jalan Besar. They had a few drinks there and met a Vietnamese woman. The men later decided to head to Hotel 81 Violet nearby, and checked in at the front desk at about 9.20pm. Shortly after, the hotel staff spotted through the security cameras that three of them had entered the room, in breach of its policy of disallowing more than two people in a room. When the staff informed them that they were in breach of the policy, Lau left the hotel through a backdoor. He started smoking in the area where the hotel kept crates of towels before eventually leaving at about 9.50pm. But shortly after, someone passing the area La...

Personal assistant to S’pore Food Agency director-general charged under OSA with leaking Covid-19 circuit breaker details

aseanpr 21 4 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The personal assistant to the director-general of the Singapore Food Agency was charged on Wednesday (April 21) under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) with leaking information on school closures during the Covid-19 circuit breaker last year. Noorain Jubli, 38, faces two charges for the wrongful communication of information - the second such case in the past week. Her husband Khairul Annuar Zakaria, 39, also faces one such charge and another for soliciting wrongful communication of information. The information was allegedly from a draft joint media statement by the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Education. It was to announce details of the implementation of full home-based learning by schools and institutes of higher learning, and the closure of pre-schools and student care centres. Noorain had accessed the classified information from the director-general's e-mail inbox. She allegedly sent the information to her husband before it was officially released. He is said to have then sent it to his friends. On Tuesday night, the police said they had received a report about the incident on April 3 last year. Noorain Jubli (left) and her husband Khai...

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