- B E R I T A _ H A R I _ I N I _ 2 0 0 8 -

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Judge sets S$3,000 as benchmark for fines for monkey feeders
Posted: 06 May 2008 1955 hrs



SINGAPORE: S$3,000 is how much you would likely have to pay if you are caught feeding monkeys at nature reserves.

Justice V K Rajah said this amount would be the benchmark for future cases.

He set the guideline after accepting the appeal of 45-year-old Panneerselvam Arunasalam and reduced his fine from S$4,000 to S$1,000.

Under the Parks and Trees Act, monkey feeders can be fined up to S$50,000 and jailed up to six months.

Justice Rajah said it is not appropriate to use Panneerselvam Arunasalam's case to send a message because he had committed the offence before the heightened media coverage on the issue.

Panneerselvam Arunasalam was caught last August after he fed bread to monkeys at Mandai.

The National Parks Board is enforcing stricter controls because it says monkey feeding endangers both humans and animals.

Monkeys become reliant on humans for food and they could become a nuisance and even turn aggressive. Their population could also grow and they could stray out of the nature reserves into residential areas.

Nearly 160 people were fined for feeding monkeys last year - up from about 140 in 2006 - despite outreach programmes and clear signages reminding the public not to feed the monkeys. - CNA/ir

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Man jailed for throwing flower pots at neighbour's flat
By Elena Chong


Ismail Mohamed admitted to the rash act by throwing 10 flower pots at his neighbour's unit at Block 302 Jurong East Street 32 last Friday. -- PHOTO: CRO

A MAN was jailed for eight weeks on Tuesday for hurling flower pots along the common corridor of a Housing Board block.

Ismail Mohamed, 52, unemployed, admitted to the rash act by throwing 10 flower pots at his neighbour's unit at Block 302 Jurong East Street 32 last Friday.

A magistrate's court heard that he was about to take a rest when he heard noise from the flat above.

Frustrated, he went up, picked up the flower pots along the corridor and threw at the window of the flat.

Smashed flower pots were found outside the 70-year-old woman's flat. Two of her window louvres were also smashed.

She called the police, who found some blood stains on the floor leading to Ismail's second-floor unit.

Ismail, who has a similar conviction, could have been jailed for up to six months or fined up to $2,500 or both.

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Special court to settle family disputes with less antagonism
By S.Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 09 May 2008 1511 hrs


Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong

SINGAPORE - More measures to better deal with disputes within the family and between neighbours are being put in place within the Singapore justice system.

Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong announced on Friday that from May 15, there will be a specialised Children Care Court which will be more child-friendly and informal to deal with family dispute cases.

The separate court will make hearings less adversarial, and put the focus on the duties of parents rather than custody rights.

Chief Justice Chan noted that last year, 48 percent of divorce cases involved families with children, and nearly 4,500 of the children were below 18 years old.

The number of children requiring the Care and Protection Order as a result of abuse or neglect at home has also gone up, rising to 114 last year from 18 in 1996.

The latest effort to put the interest of the child first is part of a programme called CHILD, or "Children, Best Interests, Less Adversarial", which will begin in the second quarter of this year.

Under it, a CHILD Court judge, a deputy Registrar and family counsellor will follow a case till it ends and parties will proceed for hearing only after they have exhausted all attempts to reach a resolution.

Associate Professor Ann Wee, Former Head, NUS Social Work Department, said: "After all the child is not going to have another mother or another father (and) they have got to put up with the one they have got. It is so important that children grow up with some positive feeling about both their parents because however dreadful one parent is, there is always some good points. And children can be terribly damaged and their own future marriages can be damaged, if they don't see parenting in a positive way."

The CJ noted: "The efficient and child-focused management of the parental conflict will help lessen the pain and adverse effect of litigation on the child and reduce the psychological and financial burdens on the parties. The less confrontational the proceedings, the more likely it will be the eventual order made by the Judge, will be accepted, respected and complied with by all the parties."

Another trend which Singapore Courts are seeing is a rise in the number of cases which require Child Protection Orders. Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong said in most of these cases, the children are below 16 years of age. Also, they need care as a result of abuse or neglect at home.

So from 15 May, there will be a specialised Children Care Court to deal with these cases.

CJ Chan said the number of cases involving Child Protection Orders was up from 18 in 1996 to 114 in 2007. Among them, 33 per cent were abused by their mothers, while fathers were perpetrators in 18 per cent of the cases.

Such dysfunctional parents were not economically active or had various health, psychiatric, drug abuse and family problems. 22 per cent also had criminal records.

Outside of the family, a new court system - called the Neighbourhood Court - is being set up to deal with disputes between neighbours.

It starts running from this month and will adopt a problem-solving approach to deal with disputes, and will be supported by community programmes and services.

The Neighbourhood Court will be presided by legally-qualified Justices of the Peace who are appointed as Magistrates.

Chief Justice Chan said that between 2004 and 2007, there was a 56 per cent rise in complaints filed by individuals about disputes with other people. - CNA/sf

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May 9, 2008         
One who did not get away
China national hid under floorboard of bus.
By Esther Tan

A BUS designed to take 40 passengers was found to have one more on board - under the floorboards.

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers conducting routine bus checks at 7.50 am on Friday found a floor board laid above the stairs leading to the emergency exit of the bus.

Finding it unusual, an officer tapped on the board and realised it was hollow.

When he lifted it, he saw a man hiding below, on the stairs of the emergency exit. The man appeared nervous and struggled when the officer tried to pull him out of his hiding spot. The officer then called for his partner to help drag the man out.

The man is a 32-year-old Chinese national who has overstayed his social visit pass. The discovery took place just before the 8am change in shift for the checkpoint officers.

This is the first time that the ICA has discovered someone hiding in the stairwell of the emergency exit, said Deputy Commander of Woodlands Command Nyan Foong Choo.

Most of the time, stowaways hide in the luggage compartment of buses, she added.

The bus, which transports workers to and from work at the Hewlett-Packard factory at Depot Road, was on its way to Johor Bahru after picking up night-shift workers at the factory.

All 40 workers were not on board the bus as they were in the process of clearing immigration when the man was discovered.

The 38-year-old Malaysian driver has been arrested.


       

Illegal immigrant caught hiding in bus at Woodlands Checkpoint
By Heather Tan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 09 May 2008 2355 hrs

SINGAPORE: An illegal immigrant was caught trying to sneak out of Singapore by hiding near the emergency exit of a Malaysian tour bus.

It was around 8am and immigration officers were changing shift, when a bus arrived at the Woodlands Checkpoint. Officers went on board for routine checks, and noticed a plank which aroused their suspicion.

Upon closer examination, they found a 32-year-old Chinese national hiding under the plank near the emergency exit door. The man put up a struggle when confronted.

Officers also detained the 38-year-old Malaysian bus driver, who claimed no knowledge of the illegal immigrant.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said some 300,000 people pass through the Woodlands Checkpoint daily, and this is the first time someone has tried to sneak out through such means.

Nyan Foong Choo, Deputy Commander, Woodlands Checkpoint, said: "Recently we arrested a PRC hidden in the luggage compartment, but this is the first time we found an illegal immigrant hidden in the emergency exit." - CNA/vm

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May 9, 2008         
Man jailed 15 months for hitting mum with hammer
By Elena Chong


Koh Kim Swee admitted to causing hurt to Madam Lee Yoke Kuen with the hammer at their Jurong East flat on March 13. -- PHOTO: CRO

A YOUNG man who hammered his mother on the back of the head was jailed for 15 months on Friday.

Koh Kim Swee, 21, admitted to causing hurt to Madam Lee Yoke Kuen, 47, with the hammer at their Jurong East flat on March 13.

That day, mother and son had an argument and Koh felt annoyed by her nagging.

Feeling very agitated, he took a hammer from a paper bag and hit her on the back of her head with it.

Madam Lee's head started bleeding. She ran out to seek help, knocking on her neighbours' doors, but to no avail.

An unknown resident called the police who came and arrested Koh.

He could have been jailed for up to seven years or fined or caned or with any combination of the punishments

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The dead getting welfare?
By Teo Xuanwei, TODAY | Posted: 09 May 2008 1125 hrs

SINGAPORE: More than 100 disabled people in need continued receiving payments under a financial assistance scheme even though they had been dead for between four and 40 months, the Auditor-General's office (AGO) said in its 2006/07 accounting report on ministries, statutory boards and Government-owned companies.

On Thursday, 10 months after the AGO made that report, the Public Accounts Committee released its findings on the remedial actions that have since been taken.

The Ministry of Health (MOH), which had made the payments to 106 people, informed the committee that S$85,200 of a total of S$178,150 had been recovered. It will not recover the remaining sum because the MOH has a policy of "not recovering payouts made up to three months upon the death of the beneficiaries". This policy would be reviewed.

The Home Affairs ministry will also provide monthly updates to the MOH on death records to prevent similar erroneous payouts.

The committee, made up of eight Members of Parliament (MP) and chaired by Mr Cedric Foo (West Coast GRC), said: "Most of the lapses, which occurred in public institutions, have been addressed."

MP Zaqy Mohamad, who sits on the committee, said that although the various ministries have "taken steps to ensure that such deficiencies do not happen again", the committee's key role is to evaluate the effectiveness of all these measures.

"We are working to see how we can give the Auditor-General's Office more authority for the long-term strengthening of the governing structure and tightening of the government framework," he said.

The AGO also found that medical expenses incurred by three overseas missions had not been claimed under an insurance policy that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) held even though the medical expenses of staff and dependent family members were covered by it.

The ministry's permanent secretary said it has addressed the problem with measures such as "raising awareness" among employees that they have to submit insurance claims and the procedures for doing so. It has also stepped up "enforcement actions to check on these claims".

As of last September, the MFA has identified S$1.56 million in unclaimed medical bills since April 2003 when the insurance cover took effect and it was in the process of filing these claims. In another recovery exercise, the Supreme Court Administration informed the committee that it had gotten back the unnecessary replacement costs for glass panels at its building in full from the contractor.

Pointing to the AGO's report that the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore could have earned higher returns if it managed its cash reserve better, the committee also recommended to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to consider "pooling and centrally managing the surplus funds of all statutory boards for greater efficiency and effectiveness".

The MOF said that statutory boards were responsible for overseeing their own investments because they were "better attuned to their investment needs and objectives".

From this financial year, the AGO would audit 18 statutory boards, instead of 13. Full audits will be done at least once every five years for each of the 64 statutory boards.

The AGO's report last year had spotted weak links in the Economic Development Board after its first audit of the agency in 46 years. - TODAY/fa

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Singapura : 10 Mei 2008        
         
SENYUMAN RINDU 50 TAHUN
Oleh
Nurraihan Abdul Hamid



PERTEMUAN selepas penantian lebih lima dekad bagi tiga sahabat - Melayu, Cina dan India - setelah terpisah seawal zaman remaja adalah detik paling indah.

Cik Wong Qune Keang, 80 tahun, Hajah Ngaisah Haji Salikin, 67 tahun, dan Cik Lakshmi Muthusamy, 80 tahun, dahulunya duduk berjiran di kawasan perumahan Naval Base di Blok 63.

Hajah Ngaisah lalu berpindah ke Kampung Wak Hassan lantas meninggalkan rakan-rakannya.

'Saya sekeluarga terpaksa berpindah pada 1958 kerana ketika itu kami dilarang memelihara kucing. Ibu mentua saya amat menyayangi kucing kami. Kerana kucing, kami bertiga pun terpisah.'

Ketika itu, beliau berusia 17 tahun dan sudah berumah tangga mempunyai seorang cahaya mata, berusia dua tahun.

Beliau menambah: 'Apabila sudah berpindah, memanglah rindu kawan-kawan. Seringkali kenangan bersama Nyonya dan Aci bermain-main di fikiran.'

Pertemuan mereka bermula dengan inisiatif Cik Wong. Beliau yang lebih mesra dengan panggilan 'Nyonya' berkongsi cerita:

'Ketika saya berpindah ke Yishun dari Bedok, saya terserempak kenalan lama yang kebetulan mengenali Hajah. 'Buat kali pertama selepas bertahun-tahun kami berborak di telefon' ujar Cik Wong.

Mereka bersua buat kali pertama pada hari perkahwinan cucu Hajah, beberapa bulan yang lepas.

Tambah Cik Wong: 'Kemudian, entah bagaimana salah seorang lagi kenalan lama rupanya mengenali anak Lakshmi. Dari situlah kami bertiga akhirnya diketemukan kembali.'

Hari Pekerja yang lalu memulakan semula lembaran persahabatan yang pada satu ketika disangkakan telah berakhir.

Hajah Ngaisah berseloroh: 'Pertama kali saya bertemu dengan Lakshmi, saya memeluknya erat. Bayangkan, kali terakhir kami berjumpa, sewaktu saya berumur 17 tahun. Kini, saya sudah 67 tahun dan sudah bercucu-cicit!'

Cik Wong pula ketika mengenangkan detik-detik manis persahabatan mereka berkata:

'Ketika Hari Raya, saya dan ibu pasti ke rumah Hajah menolong membuat kuih baulu, sempret dan bermacam-macam lagi. Anak-anak saya yang ketika itu masih kecil, turut serta buat kacau!'

Cik Lakshmi pula menambah:

'Dapur kami juga bersebelahan. Apa mereka masak, saya makan. Apa saya masak, mereka makan.'

Sempena Hari Ibu, anak Hajah Ngaisah, Cik Rozita, sudah pun merancang satu jamuan khas bagi mereka serta sanak saudara esok.

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Singapura : 10 Mei 2008        
         
MEJAR MAUT DALAM NAHAS DI SEREMBAN

Oleh
Hisham Hambari

SEORANG mejar Angkatan Bersenjata Singapura (SAF) meninggal dunia semalam dalam satu nahas di Lebuh Raya Utara Selatan Malaysia, dekat Seremban.

Kenderaan kegunaan sukan (SUV) yang dinaiki Allahyarham Mejar Mohammad Hatta Yusof Jalaludin, 39 tahun, bersama seorang kawan dipercayai hilang kawalan dalam perjalanan ke Kuala Lumpur.

Difahamkan kenderaan itu milik Allahyarham tetapi belum dapat dipastikan siapa memandunya. Kawan beliau dipercayai dalam keadaan kritikal di Hospital Seremban.

Ketika Berita Harian berkunjung ke flat Allahyarham di Tampines Street 33 malam tadi, saudara maranya sedang menunggu jenazah, yang diiringi isteri beliau, Cik Suraya Abas, 35 tahun, dibawa pulang dari Seremban.

Pasangan itu mempunyai tiga anak berumur antara tiga dengan 11 tahun.

Bapa Allahyarham, Haji Yusof Jalaludin, 68 tahun, kelihatan begitu sugul mengenangkan pemergian anak sulung dan satu-satunya anak lelaki beliau itu.

'Pada malam Khamis itu tergerak hati isteri saya untuk menanyakan khabar Hatta kerana sebelum ini dikatakan dia menghidap selesema. Saya pun menelefon dan bercakap dengannya. Dia kata nak pergi KL, saya pun nasihat jangan pandu laju-laju.

'Sekitar jam 3 pagi kami terima berita beliau dah meninggal,' kata Haji Yusof.

Allahyarham difahamkan baru sekitar 10 hari dilantik sebagai pegawai logistik di Kem Pasir Laba.

Jenazah Allahyarham akan dikebumikan pagi ini.

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Singapura : 10 Mei 2008         
         
WARGA M'SIA CUBA SELUDUP PASPORT DAN KAD PALSU

Pegawai ICA temui pelbagai dokumen dan kad yang disorok dalam seluar, stoking

PENGUASA Imigresen dan Pusat Pemeriksaan (ICA) berjaya mematahkan satu percubaan memalsukan beberapa dokumen imigresen yang digunakan warga asing untuk menetap di Singapura.

Percubaan itu dikesan selepas pegawai ICA menahan dan memeriksa seorang lelaki warga Malaysia berbangsa India di Woodlands Centre Road sekitar 7.40 pagi kelmarin.

Dalam pemeriksaan itu, mereka menjumpai 19 salinan foto pasport Cina yang disembunyikan dalam seluarnya.

Turut dijumpai ialah beberapa kad yang dipercayai dipalsukan yang disembunyikan dalam stoking lelaki berkenaan.

Kad-kad itu termasuk tiga kad pengenalan biru Singapura, 10 pas pekerjaan, dua pas-S, lima kad permit kerja, satu pas lawatan jangka panjang dan 12 sijil orientasi keselamatan.

Siasatan awal mendedahkan bahawa lelaki berusia 25 tahun itu bekerja sebagai pengirim kad palsu dari Johor Bahru ke Singapura kerana kesempitan wang.

Dia dijanjikan bayaran RM100 ($43) jika berjaya mengirim kad palsu ke Singapura.

Lelaki itu diserahkan kepada polis bagi tindakan lanjut.

Dalam kenyataannya semalam, ICA menyatakan pendirian tegasnya terhadap percubaan memasuki Singapura secara haram.

Di bawah Akta Imigresen, hukuman bagi kesalahan menetap bagi tempoh lebih lama daripada yang dibenarkan atau memasuki negara ini secara haram adalah penjara sehingga enam bulan dan tiga sebatan rotan.

ICA turut mengingatkan bahawa adalah menjadi satu kesalahan menawarkan perlindungan atau pekerjaan kepada pesalah imigresen.

Pemilik rumah boleh menggunakan sistem pemeriksaan dalam talian Verifi untuk memeriksa kesahihan pas imigresen bakal penyewa mereka.

Verifi boleh didapatkan di laman web ICA di www.ica.gov.sg.

Pemeriksaan serupa bagi pas kerja boleh dibuat di laman web Kementerian Tenaga Manusia di www.mom.gov.sg.

SQ154

FairPrice discourages consumers from buying more than 5 packets of rice

SINGAPORE: A shopper at a FairPrice supermarket told Channel NewAsia he was not allowed to buy more than three packets of rice. FairPrice said the restriction is to protect consumer interest.

The supermarket chain is discouraging consumers from buying more than five 10-kilogramme packets of rice per shopping trip. The restriction is to prevent traders from taking advantage of the low price.

FairPrice said it offers one of the most competitive prices and has re-assured consumers that the supply of rice is adequate.

It also said most consumers should not be affected by the restriction. This is because most families take a while to finish a 10-kilogramme bag of rice.

Other major supermarkets - such as Sheng Siong, Cold Storage and Giant - have no such restriction.

The supermarkets have also said that the prices have stabilised and the rush to buy rice has also eased. - CNA/vm

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Finance Minister says price of rice to rise in aftermath of Cyclone Nargis
By Chio Su-Mei, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 10 May 2008 2131 hrs


Singapore rice warehouse

SINGAPORE: Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the price of rice could increase in the immediate future because of Cyclone Nargis. However, he assured Singaporeans that the government is monitoring the situation.

Mr Tharman said: "The unfortunate destruction of rice fields in Myanmar means that in the short-term, of course the rice price will go up even further. Hopefully it will stabilise and come down towards the end of the year. But we'll have to watch this carefully. No one knows for sure what will happen to global food prices - rice as well as other foods."

Mr Tharman was speaking to reporters after launching celebrations to mark Vesak Day, at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza on Saturday.

He urged Singaporeans to maintain a peaceful, multi-racial and multi-religious society. This event is organised by the Singapore Buddhist Federation and includes an exhibition on Buddhism and a vegetarian food fair.

Celebrations will take place on 10 and 11 May and is open to public. - CNA/vm

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May 10, 2008         
SM GOH'S VISIT TO LIBYA
Gaddafi tells SM: Subsidies can ruin a nation
Admission from Libya's socialist leader affirms what S'pore leaders already know
By Chua Lee Hoong, Political Editor

TRIPOLI - FOR Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, the most important takeaway from his four-day visit to Libya this week had nothing to do with memorandums of understanding or other cooperation agreements.

It was the simple message: A welfare state and subsidies will lead a nation to ruin.

And he heard it from none other than Libya's socialist leader for 38 years, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Speaking to reporters before flying home on Thursday, Mr Goh said: 'For me the most important lesson is the affirmation of what we already know - that a welfare state and subsidies will lead Singapore to ruin.'

Libya lavished subsidies on its people because it had enormous oil wealth, he noted. But despite that, its people wanted more.

'Gaddafi himself told me the people are not happy. They want more and more...(He's come to the point where he acknowledges the system) is not working,' said Mr Goh.

The difficult task facing the Libyan leader now is how to remove, whether partially or totally, the 'many heavy subsidies', he added.

In Libya, education and health care are free. Petrol costs 10 US cents (14 Singapore cents) a litre, 'way below market rates'. When a Libyan gets married, the government provides the couple a flat about the size of a three-room flat in Singapore.

One option the Libyan leader is considering, said Mr Goh, is to use a portion of the country's reserves to give cash transfers to the people, and move from there to a market economy.

The reasoning: It is better to give cash - 'they can spend it, save it or invest it' - than to give subsidies, as they lead to 'wastage, abuse and distortions of the economy'.

This, noted Mr Goh, may sound very familiar to Singaporeans, as it has echoes of Singapore's policy of preferring cash handouts to price subsidies.

'For me, coming to a country with so much oil wealth, saying that heavy subsidies is wrong...that is a very important lesson for us,' said Mr Goh.

He added: 'We must never make the mistake of changing our own policy and going the other way, of giving more subsidies to people.

'Even when we give out cash to people, in terms of growth dividends for example, (we already see people saying) this is not enough.

'At some stage I will have to tell the Prime Minister - please be careful, it's never enough. We must find a formula that will ensure we don't go down that route (of ruining the nation).'

Mr Goh was in Libya to strengthen bilateral ties and explore opportunities for economic cooperation.

He was the second minister to visit the country after diplomatic ties were established in 2006. Foreign Minister George Yeo visited Libya last year.

Colonel Gaddafi took power in a socialist coup in 1969, 10 years after oil was discovered in Libya.

Sanctions imposed by the United Nations in 1991 kept the country in isolation until 2003, when the country renounced its nuclear wea-

pons programme and rejoined the international community.

[email protected]

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May 10, 2008         
S'pore's half price surprise for M'sian tourists

THE Half Price Singapore Surprise promotion is back this year - thanks to an overwhelming number of Malaysians visiting the island republic.

Singapore Tourism Board Asean (M) regional director Chang Chee Pey said the promotion, introduced last year, attracted 47,000 Malaysian visitors.

'We are expecting a larger crowd of at least 60,000 visitors this time,' he said, adding that the promotion would last from May 23 to June 30.

Mr Chang said the republic's tourism industry recorded the highest number of visitors last year with 10.3 million tourists.

He said that Malaysia was among the top visiting countries with 646,000 travellers.

'We received 1.9 million visitors from Indonesia, 1.1 million from China, 768,000 from Australia and 749,000 from India,' he said, adding that these five countries accounted for 51 per cent of the total arrivals.

Under HPSS, Malaysians need to show their passports and embarkation cards to enjoy discounts on entrance fees at 16 locations in the island paid in Malaysian ringgit.

'This means the travellers will get more than 50 per cent discount as all the entrance fees are in Singapore dollars,' he said.

'Two hotels, Orchard Parade and Elizabeth Hotel, are offering free parking and free bed for a child to guests checking in on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and checking out on Mondays or Tuesdays,' he said.

Chang added that there would be an eight-week shopping spree called the Great Singapore sale with discounts of up to 70% kicking off on May 23.

He said that art lovers could catch a wide variety of stage performances during the Singapore Arts Festival from May 23 to June 22.

To enable easy travel for people coming from Kuala Lumpur, Jetstar is offering 3,000 free seats in conjunction with the promotion.

Chang said among the 16 attractions offering discounts are the Night Safari and Singapore Zoo, the GX5 Extreme Swing and several attractions on Sentosa Island.

The others are Singapore River Cruise, Day Open Top HiPPO Tours, Moonlight HiPPO Adventure, Red Lantern HiPPO tours, DHL Ballon Tour, The Original DUCK Tours, Jurong Bird Park, China Heritage Centre and Science Centre Singapore. -- THE STAR

sutera_abadi

Singapura : 12 Mei 2008
	Mudah cetak	| E-mel

TIBA-TIBA CERMIN KERETA DIHENTAK HINGGA BERDERAI DI JB... BERGELUT DENGAN PEROMPAK HINGGA PATAH JARI Oleh Nazri Hadi Saparin PINTU keretanya masih lagi dikunci, lantas Cik Mimi (bukan nama sebenar) menyangka beliau dalam keadaan selamat. Namun, seorang lelaki tiba-tiba muncul dan menghentak cermin tingkap kiri keretanya dengan menggunakan sejenis bola besi. Tanpa berlengah, lelaki tersebut merampas beg tangan Cik Mimi dan lesap daripada pandangan. Kejadian itu berlaku di tempat meletak kereta Pasar Larkin sekitar 12.50 petang pada 1 Mei lepas. Pada hari tersebut, warga Singapura yang menetap di Admiralty Drive itu ke Johor Bahru untuk bertemu saudaranya. Menyingkap kejadian tersebut ketika ditemui di flatnya semalam, Cik Mimi, 46 tahun, yang enggan nama sebenarnya disiarkan, berkata beliau nampak pencuri itu berjalan di sebelah kiri keretanya sejurus beliau meletakkan keretanya. Ketika itu, beliau sedang membongkok untuk mengambil beg tangan dari bawah tempat duduknya. Cik Mimi, seorang pegawai sektor awam, ke Johor seorang diri. 'Selepas saya letakkan beg di paha, saya tersentak kerana lelaki tadi tiba-tiba berdiri di sebelah saya. 'Belum sempat saya buat apa-apa, kaca tingkap kereta saya sudah berderai,' katanya. Menyambung cerita, Cik Mimi berkata lelaki itu, yang berusia kira-kira 20-an tahun, kemudian cuba merampas beg tangan beliau. 'Saya bergelut dengan dia tapi lelaki itu terlalu kuat,' katanya. Menurut Cik Mimi, lelaki itu kemudian melarikan diri dengan membonceng motosikal yang sedang menunggu tidak jauh dari keretanya. Akibat pergelutan itu, jari kelengkeng Cik Mimi patah. Beliau, yang belum berumah tangga, juga mengalami beberapa luka-luka kecil di kedua-dua belah tangan akibat terkena serpihan kaca tingkap. Beg tangannya itu mengandungi wang tunai hampir $400 dalam mata wang Singapura, Malaysia dan Arab Saudi serta pasport dan lain-lain dokumen peribadi. Menurut Cik Mimi, rompakan itu berlaku kira-kira dua minit dan secara kebetulan tiada sesiapa yang berada berhampiran untuk membantu. 'Cara dia rompak amat profesional, semuanya telah dirancang bukan dilakukan secara sepontan,' tambah beliau, yang membuat laporan polis di Johor Bahru dan Singapura. Beberapa hari kemudian, beg tangan Cik Mimi dijumpai seorang penduduk di kawasan perumahan Century Garden, Johor Bahru. Semua dokumen peribadi termasuk kad pengenalan masih dalam beg kecuali pasport dan wang tunai. Rompakan itu tidak membuat Cik Mimi serik ke seberang Tambak, bahkan beliau mahu kembali ke Pasar Larkin secepat mungkin. 'Saya nak lihat kalau-kalau perompak itu ada menunggu mangsanya di sana,' kata beliau.

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May 12, 2008         
Prof Jayakumar 'quietly confident' of Pedra Branca verdict
By Lydia Lim


Prof Jayakumar said that his work on Pedra Branca was one of the highlights of his 27 years in the Law Ministry. --ST PHOTO: EDWIN KOO

OFFICIALS from Singapore and Malaysia have been in touch recently ahead of next week's verdict on the sovereignty dispute over Pedra Branca, to discuss ways to ensure a 'smooth and problem-free' enforcement of the judgement to be handed down by the world court, Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar said on Monday.

The International Court of Justice will deliver its verdict on Pedra Branca on Friday May 23, bringing to a close a 28-year-old bilateral dispute over the small island some 40km east of Singapore and home to Hosburgh Lighthouse.

Prof Jayakumar said in a press conference on Monday morning that his work on Pedra Branca was one of the highlights of his 27 years in the Law Ministry.

He stepped down as Law Minister on May 1 and was succeeded by top litigator and veteran PAP Member of Parliament K Shanmugam.

Prof Jayakumar, who continues to oversee foreign policy matters that involve legal negotiation or international adjudication, also said he was 'quietly confident' that the Pedra Branca judgement will be in Singapore's favour.

But he added that it was in the nature of court proceedings that the judgement could go either way.

fatz2

May 12, 2008         
No change in CPF interest and HDB mortgage rates

THE Central Provident Fund (CPF) board will keep the interest rate for members' CPF savings in their Ordinary Account at 2.5 per cent for the third quarter of this year.

According to a joint statement by CPF and HDB on Monday, the computed CPF interest rate derived from the major local banks' interest rates for the three-month period - Feb 1 to Apr 30, is 0.74 per cent per annum.

But the board will pay the higher rate of 2.50 per cent from July 1 to Sept 30 as the CPF Act provides for a minimum rate of 2.5 per cent per annum.

An extra one per cent interest will be also paid on the first $60,000 of a member's combined balances, with up to $20,000 from the Ordinary Account (OA).

The extra interest from the OA will go into the member's Special or Retirement Account for retirement savings.

The Housing Development Board's concessionary interest rate for its mortgage loan - pegged at 0.1 percentage point above the CPF interest rate for the Ordinary Account - will remain unchanged at 2.6 per cent per annum for the third quarter.

As for the interest rate for CPF's Special, Medisave & Retirement Accounts (SMRA), the new rate for July to September will announced in June.

This is because the SMRA interest rate, currently at 4 per cent, is calculated based on the 12-month average yield of the 10-year Singapore Government Security plus one per cent.

SQ154

BUDAK PINTAR LAPAN TAHUN DAPAT TEMPAT DI POLY S'PURA
Oleh
Soraya Salim

BUDAK pintar ilmu kimia, Ainan Celeste Cawley, lapan tahun, telah mendapat tempat di Politeknik Singapura (SP). Dia dipercayai warga Singapura paling muda belajar di institusi pendidikan tinggi di sini.

SP menawarkan Ainan tempat awal tahun ini setelah ibu bapanya, Encik Valentine Muhammad Cawley, 40 tahun, dan Cik Syahidah Osma, 29 tahun, mencari universiti sesuai bagi anak sulung mereka itu tahun lalu.

Tiga minggu lalu, anak kacukan Ireland dan Melayu itu mula menghadiri kelas di Sekolah Kimia dan Sains Hayat SP, mengambil pelbagai modul kimia tahun pertama hingga ketiga yang dijalankan di makmal.

Ini termasuk modul tahun pertama kimia organik dan bukan organik serta modul tahun ketiga kimia wangian.

Menurut Cik Syahidah, di sesi pertama makmal Ainan membuktikan dia dapat memenuhi keperluan praktikal menjalankan ujian kimia walaupun dia seorang kanak-kanak.

'Bagi setiap sesi makmal, Ainan dipadankan dengan dua orang pelajar. Nampaknya dia tidak mempunyai masalah berinteraksi dengan mereka, malah dia sempat berjenaka dengan mereka,' katanya.

Ainan pula berkata: 'Ini pengalaman praktikal terbaik yang pernah saya lalui.'

Mengulas tentang keupayaan Ainan, Ketua Seksyen Kimia Analisis SP, Dr Ng Kok Chin, berkata: 'Ainan seorang budak yang amat pintar. Kami tidak pernah bertemu seseorang sepertinya sebelum ini.'

Antara eksperimen yang telah Ainan lakukan adalah menyediakan isoamyl acetate, atau minyak pisang, pengasingan limonen daripada buah-buahan sitrus - kedua-duanya eksperimen tahun ketiga - serta penghabluran semula (recrystallization) asid benzoic dan aspirin.

Malah, sempena Hari Ibu kelmarin Ainan mencipta minyak wangi khas untuk ibunya.

'Minyak wangi itu amat harum baunya. Ia hadiah Hari Ibu terbaik buat saya,' kata Cik Syahidah, yang mempunyai dua lagi anak lelaki, Fintan Nadym, empat tahun, dan Tiarnan Hasyl, dua tahun.

Oktober lalu Ainan mendapat pengiktirafan dalam Buku Rekod Singapura sebagai pelajar termuda Singapura lulus mata pelajaran Kimia dalam peperiksaan GCE peringkat 'O'.

Dia mendapat gred C bagi subjek itu walaupun usianya ketika itu hanya tujuh tahun satu bulan. Setelah itu, ibu bapanya memohon kepada beberapa universiti tempatan dan luar negara tetapi ditolak kerana institusi-institusi itu tidak bersedia mengambil budak semuda itu.

Namun, Ainan berpeluang melakukan kerja-kerja praktikal di makmal kimia di Raffles Institution (RI) dan Maktab Rendah Raffles (RJC) serta Universiti Teknologi Nanyang (NTU).


[ Last edited by  virgomal at 13-5-2008 11:36 PM ]

sutera_abadi

Bravo Ainan....
Luv you...

Originally posted by SQ154 at 13-5-2008 07:33 PM
BUDAK PINTAR LAPAN TAHUN DAPAT TEMPAT DI POLY S'PURA
Oleh
Soraya Salim

BUDAK pintar ilmu kimia, Ainan Celeste Cawley, lapan tahun, telah mendapat tempat di Politeknik Singapura (SP). Dia d ...

fatz2

May 14, 2008         
Red Cross acts to stop misuse of emblem
Letters sent to offenders using symbol of humanitarian aid; MOH also directs ambulances, clinics to remove the emblem
By Teh Joo Lin


MISLEADING SIGN: A maid agency in Katong uses the Red Cross symbol to advertise the training of maids. Intended to protect and signify the neutrality of aid workers, the sign cannot be used without state authorisation. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM

TWO red cross signs were pasted on the glass shopfront. A third cross emblazoned on a standing signboard further captured the attention of passers-by.

However, the maid agency in Katong had nothing to do with humanitarian aid.

The crosses were put up for a commercial purpose: to advertise the training of maids in the care of babies and the elderly.

The Singapore Red Cross wants to stop such misuse of the emblem, probably the most recognisable sign of humanitarian work.

Its spokesman told The Straits Times that since July last year, it has sent five letters to companies urging them to drop the use of the emblem. Another four will be going out soon.

The Health Ministry is also doing its part, ordering that the sign be removed from several ambulances and clinics as it had not given the go-ahead for them to bear the emblem.

The ministry spokesman said that most times, operators are not aware that the emblem cannot be used without state authorisation.

The reason for its restricted use: It is intended to signal the neutrality of aid workers and protect them from attacks when they carry out relief work.

International Committee of the Red Cross' regional legal adviser Alexandre Faite described it as a powerful symbol of neutrality that inspires trust in the community.

Its misuse - especially at the hands of users who are not impartial - can 'compromise' the integrity of the symbol.

International law spells out clearly who can use the Red Cross sign and when.

In peacetime, a country's armed forces medical service and the local Red Cross Society can do so.

In times of armed conflict and disaster, civilian ambulances and hospitals can use the symbol when permission is granted by the government.

Under the Geneva Conventions Act, abusing symbols of aid can lead to a maximum punishment of a $10,000 fine and six months' jail.

But some - like private ambulance operator Comfort Ambulance - feel that those in the medical field should be allowed to use the Red Cross symbol.

The operator of five ambulances, who wanted to be known only as Mr Yang, removed Red Cross stickers from the vehicles after being told to do so a few years ago.

'But we'll be roped in in the event of a disaster, so I don't see why we can't use it,' he said.

However, the stand of the international movement is clear.

Mr Faite said: 'If you want something to have a meaning, you can't allow everyone to use it.'

[email protected]

tig_cun

nak pegi la nie... nak pegi join the ducktours.. bawak aiman....