aseanpr

Keeping trade flowing while containing Covid-19 regionally is key to Asean’s recovery: Koh Poh Koon

aseanpr 21 10 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - There is a clear need to keep global trade flowing to ensure the supply of essential goods and services in order to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, said Senior Minister of State for Health Koh Poh Koon on Wednesday (Oct 21). Dr Koh said that the regional organisation Asean needs to work together "to show the world that we are open for business", and emphasised that countries must cooperate to uphold a rules-based global trading system and maintain supply chain connectivity in these difficult times. Speaking during the opening of the three-day virtual 35th Asean Roundtable, themed The Covid-19 Crisis: Impact on Asean and the Way Forward, Dr Koh also upheld factors like digitalisation and vaccine multilateralism as ways for Asean to emerge from the crisis. He said pandemic-induced lockdowns and travel restrictions caused severe disruptions to global economic activity, with the air transport and tourism sectors hit the hardest. It has exposed the fragility of global value chains by disrupting cross-border trade and transport, he said. There are further uncertainties in how long countries' lockdown measures will last, when an effective vaccine will be available, and the ris...

Dispute management office recovers $16m in owed salaries, compensation for wrongful dismissal

aseanpr 21 10 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Employees who made claims for owed salaries or wrongful dismissal between last April and March this year managed to recover about $16 million in all from their employers. About 91 per cent of the 6,537 employees who made claims had their cases fully resolved at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) and the Employment Claims Tribunals. They received the full sums of salaries owed or compensation. This was revealed by the Tripartite Alliance Limited on Wednesday (Oct 21) in its annual report for the year ended March 31. In the previous financial year, TADM recovered around $15 million in salaries owed to employees in Singapore, with about 90 per cent of employees who filed claims fully recovering their salaries. The Tripartite Alliance Limited was set up by the Ministry of Manpower, National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation in 2016. It oversees TADM, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (Tafep), and the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council. Last April, the Employment Act and the Employment Claims Act were amended to allow all employees - including those who earn more than $4,500 a month...

WP’s Sylvia Lim files new motion on issues raised by ex-maid Parti Liyani’s case

aseanpr 21 10 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Workers' Party (WP) has filed a fresh motion in Parliament pertaining to the issues raised by a court case involving Ms Parti Liyani, the former domestic worker of former Changi Airport Group and Surbana Jurong chairman Liew Mun Leong. WP chairman Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) filed the private member's motion, which was supported by fellow WP MP He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC), the party said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Oct 21). The motion states: "That this House affirms that fairness, access and independence are cornerstones of Singapore's justice system, and calls on the Government to recognise and remedy its shortcomings in order to enhance justice for all, regardless of means or social status, including facilitating a review of the justice system." Ms Parti was sentenced to jail for two years and two months last year for stealing $34,000 worth of items from the Liew family. The Indonesian domestic worker had her conviction overturned by High Court Judge Chan Seng Onn, who questioned the motivation of the Liew family in making the police report and also raised issues with the police investigations. Ms Lim had filed an adjournment motion on the topic last month, whic...

Teen involved in SG Nasi Lemak chat group pleads guilty to possessing obscene films

aseanpr 21 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - An 18-year-old student pleaded guilty on Wednesday (Oct 21) to one charge of possessing obscene films on his mobile phone. He was among four men arrested last October in islandwide raids to bring down the SG Nasi Lemak chat group, which was used as a platform for sharing obscene photos and videos of Singaporean girls. The student, who cannot be named under the Children and Young Persons Act, was found with 59 video files containing obscene material stored in his mobile phone. The files were classified as obscene as they contained explicit depictions of a variety of sex acts and close-up depictions of genitalia. Two charges involving the sharing of obscene material were also taken into consideration. The four arrested were all charged over their alleged involvement in transmitting obscene material in the Telegram chat group, which hosted upskirt images of women. Police seized more than 10 electronic devices, including a central processing unit, a laptop, a hard disk and several mobile phones, as case exhibits. Another man linked to the case, Justin Lee Han Shi, was sentenced last Friday to a year's probation after he admitted to sharing obscene films with other members i...

Man accused of Orchard Towers murder to be tried in High Court

aseanpr 20 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A 28-year-old man who was allegedly involved in the Orchard Towers fatal brawl in July last year will be tried in the High Court, said the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) in a statement on Tuesday (Oct 20). Tan Sen Yang, who faces a murder charge, is accused of causing the death of Mr Satheesh Noel Gobidass, 31. His case was moved to the High Court on Tuesday, said the AGC. Mr Satheesh died after a brawl in Orchard Towers on July 2 last year. Seven people, including Tan, were involved in the incident and initially charged with murder. After thorough investigations, the AGC found that the other six individuals were not involved in causing Mr Satheesh's death. The charges against them were then reduced. On Oct 15, Mr Chan Jia Xing, 27, was given a 12-month conditional warning after his charge was reduced to consorting with a person carrying an offensive weapon in a public place. A conditional warning does not amount to a conviction or a finding of guilt, and does not leave a criminal record, meaning he will face no further action if he does not commit any crimes for a year. Joel Tan Yun Sheng and Ang Da Yuan, both 26, and Natalie Siow Yu Zhen, 24, had earlier this year ...

Lawyer who left Singapore after $33m went missing faces 14 more charges involving $17m

aseanpr 20 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A lawyer who left Singapore after more than $33 million parked at his firm went missing has been issued with 19 new charges. Jeffrey Ong Su Aun was charged on Tuesday (Oct 20) with 14 counts of criminal breach of trust as an attorney involving more than $17.4 million, as well as five counts of cheating. In a statement, police said that the 43-year-old Singaporean now faces 76 charges in all. In total, Ong is implicated in a case involving more than $75 million. This is a greater sum than the $50 million in church funds that six City Harvest church leaders were found guilty of misusing in 2015. Ong was the managing partner of law firm JLC Advisors when more than $33 million held in escrow in the firm for a client, Allied Technologies, went missing. Escrow is an essential service in capital markets that supports transactions such as mergers and acquisitions. His latest charges regarding criminal breach of trust as an attorney involve more than $17.4 million that was held in escrow by JLC Advisors for the firm CW Group Holdings, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. He is accused of misappropriating the monies in 2015 and 2016, and is said to have largely engage...

NKF chairman Koh Poh Tiong to step down, pass on baton to Singtel’s Arthur Lang

aseanpr 20 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - National Kidney Foundation (NKF) chairman Koh Poh Tiong will step down on Oct 31, after holding the position for eight years. Mr Koh will be succeeded by Mr Arthur Lang, the chief executive of Singtel's International Group, who joined the foundation as a board director in 2015. In announcing Mr Koh's relinquishing of the post, the foundation highlighted his "remarkable contribution in shaping and fortifying the policies of corporate governance, transparency and accountability", and "strong conviction that no one should be denied access to dialysis in Singapore due to their financial limitations". Under Mr Koh's leadership, NKF has invested in building infrastructure and capacity, increasing the number of community-based dialysis centres from 25 in 2012 to 38 now. Two more are in the pipeline to provide services for kidney patients in need close to their homes. NKF currently serves more than 4,800 kidney patients and beneficiaries. Mr Koh also prioritised quality care to meet patients' multiple needs during his term. The foundation introduced nocturnal dialysis to benefit patients who require longer hours of dialysis for better treatment outcomes. This treatment is done ...

Going from hospitality sector to being a trainee in robotics

aseanpr 20 10 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - Jumping into robotics with no background experience sounds like a tall order, but Mr Mohammad Hasbi Mohammad Shazali, 31, rose to the challenge. Mr Hasbi was laid off from his job in corporate sales in a hotel group in March, as the coronavirus pandemic hit the hospitality industry hard. 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.

SkillsFuture Singapore rolling out 2,300 training opportunities in advanced manufacturing

aseanpr 20 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - There will be 2,300 new training opportunities in advanced manufacturing to help jobseekers to enter this growth sector. This will help manufacturers adapt to the crisis and build the necessary capabilities to thrive in a post-pandemic world. SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) announced this on Tuesday (Oct 20) in conjunction with this year's Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific event. Some 500 of these training places are offered by leading companies in Industry 4.0 technology, such as Bosch, Nvidia, Omron, PBA Robotics and Siemens. This initiative is under the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme, which is part of the national SGUnited Jobs and Skills package to upskill and reskill mid-career workers. Industry 4.0 is about using automation and smart solutions to improve processes in manufacturing. These companies will take the lead in grooming mid-career talent and facilitating placements in hiring firms, where they can take on emerging roles such as industrial design engineers, automation engineers, machine learning specialists and product designers. The programme helps participants to get structured training and practical experience, while working on real projects alo...

NLB moves children’s book to adult section after complaint that it is racist

aseanpr 19 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The National Library Board (NLB) has moved a children's book to the family and parenting section in the adult's collections of its libraries after a complaint that the book has racist messages. In a statement on Monday (Oct 19), NLB said that it came to the decision on the Chinese-language book, titled Who Wins?, after a review was done in consultation with the Library Consultative Panel. "Parents and guardians can make use of this book to discuss how children can deal with bullying in schools and correct any potential misunderstandings that children may have," the board said. The Library Consultative Panel is an independent citizen-based committee comprising members from a cross-section of society. It provides recommendations to NLB on its review of books that members of the public have raised concerns about. The book Who Wins?, written by Wu Xing Hua, has been off the shelves since July 19, when NLB decided to remove the book for review. It is a picture book aimed at children aged seven to nine that features a "dark-skinned" boy with "oily curly hair" named Mao Mao - Chinese for hairy - who is an aggressive school bully. It was published in Singapore by Marshall Caven...

SMU student allegedly targeted same woman 19 times in upskirt videos

aseanpr 19 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A Singapore Management University (SMU) student allegedly targeted the same woman 19 times, secretly filming upskirt videos of her between May 28 and Sept 3 last year. Court documents did not state the locations where the student, Tien Kiat Chong, is said to have committed the offences using his mobile phone. The 24-year-old Singaporean, whose case was heard in a district court on Oct 14, is facing one charge of insulting a woman's modesty and another charge under the Films Act for allegedly being in possession of 37 obscene videos. The obscene videos were said to have been found on him at around 9pm on Sept 4 last year while he was at Sengkang MRT station. In a statement to The Straits Times on Monday (Oct 19), SMU confirmed that Tien is still a student at the university. A spokesman said: "The university takes a strong stand against any form of misconduct. Students who breach SMU's code of student conduct face a range of sanctions, including suspension and expulsion. "As the case is currently before the courts, it would not be appropriate for SMU to comment further." Tien is the latest male tertiary student to be hauled to court over similar offences. In January, form...

Body of man found at Marina Reservoir

aseanpr 19 10 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - A man pulled from Marina Reservoir near the Promontory on Monday morning (Oct 19) was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene. He was wearing only shorts when he was pulled out of the water near Customs House. Police said they received a call for assistance along 11 Marina Boulevard at 8.44am. Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which was activated at around 8.50am, could not find anyone in the water when they arrived. "Divers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team were deployed to perform an underwater search. (They) subsequently retrieved a body approximately 2m from shore," SCDF said.

New Bidadari estate to have polyclinic by 2027

aseanpr 19 10 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - The new Bidadari estate will have a polyclinic by 2027, co-located with a nursing home along Upper Aljunied Road. It is one of 12 new polyclinics that the Government is planning to launch by 2030. With the additions, Singapore will have 32 polyclinics located around the island by then. Explaining the reason for having the polyclinic and nursing home at the same location, Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary said: "This will be important for patients coming into Bidadari polyclinic because you have Toa Payoh, which is a mature estate, and there is an increasing number of seniors with chronic diseases and diseases for the aged." Bidadari is a 93ha estate situated in the mature town of Toa Payoh, and in close proximity to three MRT stations - Woodleigh, Potong Pasir and Bartley. The new integrated development is located near the Alkaff Lakeview Housing Board cluster. The nearest train stop is Woodleigh station, about 500m away. Dr Janil, who spoke to reporters during a visit to Ang Mo Kio polyclinic on Monday (Oct 19), said the polyclinic will also serve the "many new young families" in the estate, which will have about 10,000 HDB flats progressively compl...

1,900 jobs on offer in growing electronics manufacturing industry since April, nearly all in PMET roles

aseanpr 19 10 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - The electronics industry continues to grow amid the coronavirus pandemic and there have been some 1,900 jobs on offer since April, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Monday (Oct 19). The vast majority of these jobs are for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), with the majority in technical roles. Monthly salaries for manufacturing engineers in the sector range from $1,800 to $3,225, with a median of $2,575, while electronics or mechanical engineers would typically receive between $4,500 and $6,000. Those in non-technical roles, such as sales and marketing executives, could earn monthly salaries between $2,800 and $8,500, with a median of $3,450. Besides jobs, there are also about 850 company-hosted traineeships and attachments, as well as 150 training positions, on offer in the industry. More than 220 people were placed in jobs and traineeships in the segment between April and September. Of those who took up new jobs or roles, close to half were workers aged above 40. Speaking at a press briefing after a visit to semiconductor firm GlobalFoundries on Monday, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said that while some may think that they need a techn...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Oct 18

aseanpr 18 10 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, Oct 18. Firms in S'pore told to be responsible, sensitive if retrenching staff Employers must ensure objective criteria and lean towards retaining a Singaporean core, said a tripartite advisory. READ MORE HERE Billionaire inventor James Dyson pulls plug on electric car but setback puts him on new roads Mr Dyson said Singapore remains central to his plans and he has no regrets over attempting to build an electric car. READ MORE HERE Flight to safety: How regional airlines are trying to stay aloft amid Covid-19 pandemic Asia-Pacific airlines' losses will be larger compared with other regions, said Iata. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Malaysia's Umno denies supporting Anwar and DAP Umno leaders say they hold to the existing stance of strengthening BN and pact with PAS. READ MORE HERE Global coronavirus cases rise by one-day record of 400,000 Europe is reporting more daily cases than India, Brazil and the United States combined. READ MORE HERE SIA's been 'good to me': S'poreans snap up dining offers to support airline, enjoy experience Those who secured a sea...

S’poreans snap up SIA dining offers to support airline, enjoy experience

aseanpr 18 10 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - They have been dating for about a year and on Oct 25, Mr Nicholas Lim and his girlfriend, Ms Eleanor Teo, will be boarding an aircraft together for the first time. The couple's destination is no far-flung locale, but Singapore Airlines' restaurant in an A-380 plane, which will be parked at Changi Airport next weekend and the one after. The pair, who opted for the economy cabin lunch at $50 each, are among the lucky 3,500 or so customers to get a seat for lunch or dinner. More than 900 seats that were available for SIA's Restaurant A380 @ Changi dining experience were sold within 30 minutes of bookings opening on Oct 12. Prices ranged from $50 for economy to $600 for Suites. Two aircraft will be deployed, with guests occupying about half the seats to stick to safe distancing guidelines. Besides the meal, Ms Teo, a 31-year-old who works in a charity, and Mr Lim, 34, will get to explore the world's largest passenger aircraft in the three hours they have on the plane. They also plan to catch the Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey movie. Ms Teo, a fan of the DC Comics character, wanted to watch the movie when it was released in cinemas in February but hesitated due to the rising Co...

Unforgettable memories from war-torn Sudan and Rwanda

aseanpr 18 10 月

1 minute

From the six-year-old orphan she met in Rwanda, who had "a smile like the sun" despite losing his entire family in the genocide, to the mothers in Sudan, who queued for hours on end to get supplementary food for their babies, Ms Rathi Pala Krishnan's six years in war-torn zones are full of indelible memories. "There are so many, even from my pre-WFP days: the children from the townships in Windhoek, Namibia, who stole my heart with their songs of hope," she told The Sunday Times. WFP refers to the United Nations World Food Programme. 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.

Striving to make a difference at UN World Food Programme

aseanpr 18 10 月

1 minute

Growing up in Siglap, Ms Rathi Pala Krishnan, now 44, would sometimes go along with her mother to the hospital where she worked as a medical social worker. The experience left the Singaporean with an abiding respect for public service. Then a three-week youth mission to Namibia when she was 18 set her on the path to where she is today, as a deputy director in the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner. 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.

Unlinked migrant worker is sole Covid-19 community case

aseanpr 18 10 月

3 minutes

A 49-year-old Bangladeshi migrant worker was the sole community case reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) last night. His case is currently unlinked. He was asymptomatic and was detected through routine testing. MOH said that his serological test result has come back positive, indicating a past infection. There were three new coronavirus cases confirmed yesterday, taking Singapore's total to 57,904. There was one imported case among the new cases, a 19-year-old Singaporean woman who came back from Indonesia. She was tested while serving her stay-home notice and was asymptomatic. The last new coronavirus case reported yesterday is a migrant worker residing in a dormitory. He was also asymptomatic and was detected through rostered routine testing. No new locations were added by MOH yesterday. The number of new daily cases in the community has remained stable at an average of fewer than one case per day in the past two weeks. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also remained stable at an average of fewer than one case per day over the same period. With 14 cases discharged yesterday, 57,783 patients have fully recovered from the disease. A total of 37 patients remain ...

Employers should retrench based on merit, but also retain more locals under updated advisory

aseanpr 17 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Objective reasons such as merit should be the basis for retrenchments, but employers should also lean in favour of retaining Singaporeans and permanent residents in their workforce. The tripartite advisory on managing excess manpower and responsible retrenchment was updated for the second time this year to incorporate the key principles of the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) Fair Retrenchment Framework. The updates, released on Saturday (Oct 17), were made jointly by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF). The advisory continues to state that retrenchments should be a last resort, after exhausting all other cost-cutting measures based on latest guidelines from the National Wages Council. In the event that retrenchments are inevitable, employers should select employees to let go based on objective criteria such as merit and preserving those with skills to ensure business sustainability. At the same time, they should also take a long-term view of their manpower needs, including the need to maintain a "strong Singaporean core". "Retrenchments should generally not result in a re...

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