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"Celebrating the Singapore Spirit" is theme for this year's NDP
By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 14 May 2008 1747 hrs



SINGAPORE : This year's National Day Parade is about "Celebrating the Singapore Spirit".

The big show will be held at the Marina Bay for the second year running. But organisers are injecting many new elements, to bring the parade very much closer to spectators.

The public can expect traditional favourites at this year's National Day Parade. But besides a new theme and logo, organisers also plan to raise the bar with some new items.

The Black Knights will take to the skies for the first time over the city skyline. They will wow the crowds with a new six-minute routine that commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Air Force.

And on the water, spectators will be thrilled by speed boats racing across the Bay. Organisers are also bringing back military precision drills and combined school choir to this year's parade.

In addition, a promenade which separates the stage and the seating gallery has been expanded to about twice its original width. Even though this is done for the Formula One race in Singapore, organisers will also be making use of the bigger space to bring the National Day Parade closer to the spectators.

The new approach is based on feedback from last year's parade, which was the first to be held at Marina Bay.

Colonel Tung Yui Fai, Chairman, Executive Committee, NDP 2008, explained: "Because of the large floating platform, the audience had a little bit of difficulty understanding and watching the show. So one of the things we want to do this year is to find a way to bring the performance and the parade closer to the audience.

"And one way to do this is to build a more elaborate stage set, a three-tiered stage set. This year, you'll be able to see that the parade will be in a three-dimensional layout. One of the things we're trying to do this year is to try to have a giant birthday card which will involve all 27,000 spectators."

Organisers promise that this year's parade will have a little bit of everything for everyone.

Colonel Tung said: "You cannot make National Day Parade a fine cuisine that caters to a certain segment of the population. It has to be a buffet. Anyone who comes to the parade must have something that they like.

"So some people like the fireworks, some like to watch the marching, some like the Red Lions, some like to see the aircraft. But they'll come, take what they like and feel engaged. So I think as Chairman, my job is to make sure that there are enough dishes (so) that everyone will be satisfied at the parade."

Organisers are also in talks with establishments at Marina Bay to put up large screens and show the parade 'live' to the 200,000 people gathered along the waterfront during the parade.

Members of the public can start applying for tickets from May 16 onwards. They can apply for the tickets via the following methods:

- Via SMS by keying in 'NDP' and sending it to 76868.

- Via telephone, by calling 1900-112-4311 for the preview to be held on August 2, or 1900-112-4312 for the parade to be held on August 9.

- Via the NDP website

- Via any SAM and AXS stations

They can apply for either two, four or six tickets, and can apply as many times as they like. However, only the latest application will be entered into an electronic ballot. Applications close on May 25.

Organisers received over half a million applications last year and expect the numbers to be more this year. Tickets will be distributed from June 13 to 22 at the Floating Platform at Marina Bay. - CNA/ms

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An underground reservoir?
By Ansley Ng, TODAY | Posted: 14 May 2008 1033 hrs



Land-scarce Singapore is already storing some of its military munitions in this way. And work is underway on similar storage facilities for crude oil and oil products.

Now, the Government wants to look at building power stations, warehouses, incineration plants, airport logistics centres and reservoirs all below ground.

Industrial landlord Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) last Friday called a tender for a "underground rock cavern usage feasibility study" to see how subterranean grottos could be used to maximise land use.

Among other things, the winning consultant will have to study the costs and the use of underground caverns in other countries. It will also advise JTC on the possible environmental and health issues, such as pollution, radiation and damage to existing buildings and infrastructure.

Last July, TODAY broke the story of how government agencies including the JTC were exploring the feasibility of creating caverns for living.

Professor Zhao Jian, who led early feasibility studies on cavern development in Singapore, had said then that the potential for space underground was "almost limitless" and was "particularly useful for any facilities that are not desirable at surface level, for example, sewage treatment plants".

The study now up for tender will look merely at feasibility and not sites, a JTC spokeswoman told the Business Times.

However, potential sites could be areas with deposits of igneous rock, such as granite, in the central, northern and northeastern areas of the island.

A 1995 paper by Nanyang Technological University researchers including Prof Zhao, in the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology, concluded that the Bukit Timah granite which forms one-third of the surface area of Singapore had good potential for underground cavern construction.

The tender closes June 6, and the consultant is expected to work with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the Energy Market Authority, among others.

Other cavern projects:

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May 14, 2008         
Trailer overturns, driver injured
By Sujin Thomas


The trailer landed on its right side when it toppled over at about 2 pm. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA

A TRAILER overturned while it was negotiating a bend on the Clementi Avenue 6 sliproad, entering the PIE in the direction of Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim on Wednesday afternoon.

The vehicle landed on its right side when it toppled over at about 2 pm. The windscreen of the trailer's cabin was shattered.

The driver, a man in his late 30s, suffered cuts to his limbs. He was taken to the nearby National University Hospital.

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May 15, 2008         
86 suspected drug traffickers, abusers nabbed in CNB raids

Drugs with over $73,000 were seized in the islandwide anti-drug operation.
EIGHTY-SIX suspected drug offenders were arrested in an islandwide anti-drug operation carried by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on Monday.

They included 13 suspected drug traffickers, 67 drug abusers and six inhalant abusers. Drugs worth over $73,000 were also seized.

Four of the suspects - a drug trafficker and three abusers - were nabbed at Block 51, Chin Swee Road on Tuesday.

In a follow-up search, CNB officers found 28.81 grams of heroin belonging to the 62-year-old trafficker in a black box which was attached to a bicycle.

Another 1.8g of heroin were seized from two suspected abusers. Three more suspected abusers were later caught in the vicinity. In another arrest, CNB was tipped off that a drug trafficker was abusing drugs in his flat.

CNB officers raided his place at Block 26 Cassis Crescent and detained him. They found one packet and five straws of heroin, and one straw of 'Ice'.

Shortly after, the officers spotted another suspected trafficker behaving suspiciously at the staircase of the block and got the 46-year-old man who put up a violent struggle.

They seized 56g of heroin and 0.15 gm of 'Ice' from both suspects.

CNB said it will continue with its vigorous enforcement action against illicit drug activities.

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A 58-YEAR-OLD man, Mr Bin Hee Heng, was charged in a magistrate's court on Thursday with using a bicycle chain to lock the steel handles of the glass doors at the entrance of the National Library building. -- ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO[/siZe]

May 15, 2008         
Man who chained up library doors charged
By Elena Chong


Mr Bin locked up the National Library?s entrance after National Library Board (NLB) staff secured his bicycle by chaining it to a railing after he again parked it on the walkway. -- PHOTO: WANBAO


The standoff ended only when the NLB called the police after which Mr Bin unlocked his bicycle chain and NLB staff removed the chain from his bicycle. -- PHOTO: WAN BAO

A 58-YEAR-OLD man was charged in a magistrate's court on Thursday with using a bicycle chain to lock the steel handles of the glass doors at the entrance of the National Library building.

Retiree Bin Hee Heng did not give a plea.

He is accused of public nuisance by causing annoyance to the public at the Victoria Street premises on March 15.

He made news two months ago when he insisted on parking his bicycle at the library's pedestrian walkway instead of designated bicycle lots nearby.

An avid investor, Bin has been a frequent library user, going there four times a week to read Asian Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

Bin, who was not represented, told the court that he was making representations to the Attorney-General's Chambers.

He told the court twice that he was not an anti-social element.

He also said he had apologised to the chief executive officer of NLB in March.

He appealed for compassion and sympathy.

Bail of $5,000 was set. His case will be mentioned on June 12.

If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $1,000.

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May 15, 2008         
Hotel rates will rise further

HOTEL rates will continue to rise this year despite the slowing global economy due to a shortage of rooms, the head of the city state's largest hotel operator said on Thursday.

'Because of the subprime crisis, the higher-end ... hotels have less ability to increase their rates. But we are still having a shortage,' said City Developments Executive Chairman Kwek Leng Beng.

He told reporters on the sidelines of a real estate conference that there had been many periods this year when the company's hotels were 100 per cent occupied due to the sharp rise in intra-Asian travel.

Singapore's average hotel room rate rose 24 per cent to S$238 per night in the 12 months to March, bringing it close to the level in Hong Kong, which stood at HK$1,362 (S$241).

Occupancy levels averaged 87 per cent last year, above the 85 per cent mark that hoteliers consider optimal to manage any daily mismatch between supply and demand.

Mr Kwek said the rise in intra-regional travel within Asia and changing lifestyles would ensure demand for rooms remains strong even if there is a decline in visitors from the West.

'In the old days, you go for holidays once a year. Now you go three to four times a year,' he said.

CityDev owns the ultra-luxury St Regis hotel and is the largest shareholder in CDL Hospitality Trusts, a property trust that owns five hotels. -- REUTERS

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May 15, 2008         
SIA's first business class-only flight takes off for NY
Passengers are able to use iPods and iPhones on board for the first time
By Karamjit Kaur, Aviation Correspondent

THE world's longest business class-only flight was launched when Singapore Airlines Flight SQ22 took off from Changi Airport at 11am on Thursday for New York.

Carrying just 81 passengers, the Airbus 340-500 aircraft fitted with 100 seats flew non-stop for 18 hours and is scheduled to arrive in the United States just before 6pm local time.

The return flight SQ21 will leave New York at 11pm the same day, the airline said in a statement.

The passengers are also able to use their iPods and iPhones onboard via the in-flight entertainment system, KrisWorld - for the first time on SIA flight. This will be extended to the SIA's Los Angeles-Singapore non-stop flights from August.

When it announced its decision in March to strip economy seats from its non-stop routes to the US, SIA said it was in response to strong demand for business class seats on the flights.

The airline launched its non-stop flights from Singapore to the US - New York and Los Angeles - in 2004.

With the conversion to all-business class flights, SIA's five A340-500 aircraft with 181 seats in two classes, are being reconfigured with 100 business class seats.

Each 76cm-wide seat converts into a fully flat bed. They are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration so every passenger has direct access to the aisle.

SIA's executive vice-president for marketing and the regions, Mr Huang Cheng Eng, said that the direct flights to the US have always been well-received, adding that the reconfigured aircraft will allow SIA to increase its business class capacity.

For now, the all-business class aircraft will fly three times a week to New York, and daily by end-June.

By late September, SIA will also operate new flights to Los Angeles.

Economy passengers will then have to fly via Frankfurt, Germany to New York. Flights to Los Angeles stop in Narita, Tokyo.

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May 15, 2008         
S'pore is world's 2nd most competitive nation, after US

GENEVA - THE United States topped world competitiveness rankings for the 15th straight year, but its economy is showing the same signs of weakness that sank booming Japan in the early 1990s, according to an annual survey released on Thursday.

Asian tigers Singapore and Hong Kong ranked just behind the US, as they did last year. Switzerland jumped two places to fourth, while Luxembourg rounded out the top five most competitive national economies, said the Lausanne, Switzerland-based, IMD business school, publisher of the World Competitiveness Yearbook.

'The big question is whether the United States will be No. 1 after this year,' project director Stephane Garelli said, adding that the report was based on 2007 data that do not fully reflect all of the problems in US financial markets. 'Everyone is catching up very quickly, but so far the US economy is showing a lot of resilience.'

The study lists 55 economies according to 331 criteria that measure how the nations create and maintain conditions favorable to businesses.

The US position was cemented by its domestic economy, which is the world's strongest, topping all others in its amount of investments, stock purchases and commercial service exports. The US also ranks as the easiest place to secure venture capital for business development and dominates all other economies in key technology criteria such as computers in use, according to the report.

But Mr Garelli warned that US economic health is vulnerable because of its heavy reliance on the financial sector for corporate profits.

Parallels between now and then
The 2008 report says there are parallels between now and two decades ago, when the business school first started to study competitiveness and 'Japan's competitiveness seemed unassailable, with a strong domination in economic dynamism, industrial efficiency and innovation. Then all hell broke loose,' it added.

'The stock market went into reverse in 1989, land prices collapsed in 1992, credit cooperatives and regional banks came under attack in 1994, large banks teetered on the edge of bankruptcy in 1997, and a major credit crunch occurred in 1998. Does this ring a bell?'

While the report called the similarities 'frightening', Mr Garelli said there are important differences between the Japan that stagnated for nearly a decade and the US economy teetering on the brink of a recession now.

Japan's decision-makers were bureaucrats or politicians who reacted too slowly. The US administration, by contrast, is full of business and financial experts that know when things need to be shaken up.

'The US always seems to find the means to reinvent itself in ways that Japan - and much of Europe - often lacks,' he said. -- AP


Global competitiveness survey rankings
RANKINGS of the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2008 by the IMD business school of Lausanne, Switzerland, based on a study of 55 national economies (2007 rankings in parentheses).

# 1. United States (1)
# 2. Singapore (2)
# 3. Hong Kong (3)
# 4. Switzerland (6)
# 5. Luxembourg (4)
# 6. Denmark (5)
# 7. Australia (12)
# 8. Canada (10)
# 9. Sweden (9)
# 10. Netherlands (8)
# 11. Norway (13)
# 12. Ireland (14)
# 13. Taiwan (18)
# 14. Austria (11)
# 15. Finland (17)
# 16. Germany (16)
# 17. China (15)
# 18. New Zealand (19)
# 19. Malaysia (23)
# 20. Israel (21)
# 21. Britain (20)
# 22. Japan (24)
# 23. Estonia (22)
# 24. Belgium (25)
# 25. France (28)
# 26. Chile (26)
# 27. Thailand (33)
# 28. Czech Republic (32)
# 29. India (27)
# 30. Slovakia (34)
# 31. South Korea (29)
# 32. Slovenia (40)
# 33. Spain (30)
# 34. Jordan (37)
# 35. Peru (-)
# 36. Lithuania (31)
# 37. Portugal (39)
# 38. Hungary (35)
# 39. Bulgaria (41)
# 40. Philippines (45)
# 41. Colombia (38)
# 42. Greece (36)
# 43. Brazil (49)
# 44. Poland (52)
# 45. Romania (44)
# 46. Italy (42)
# 47. Russia (43)
# 48. Turkey (48)
# 49. Croatia (53)
# 50. Mexico (47)
# 51. Indonesia (54)
# 52. Argentina (51)
# 53. South Africa (50)
# 54. Ukraine (46)
# 55. Venezuela (55) -- AP

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May 15, 2008         
Two Davids to do battle on 'American Idol' finale

NEW YORK - A BABY-FACED high school student likened to an old-fashioned crooner and a scruffy bartender who sings alternative rock music will compete in next week's season finale of US television's 'American Idol.'

Guitar-playing rocker David Cook, 25, and 17-year-old piano balladeer David Archuleta beat out the final female contestant, Syesha Mercado, 21, after voting was revealed on Wednesday's broadcast of the most popular US television show.

'After 56 million votes, America has decided that the two people going head-to-head in our finale next week are David Archuleta and ... David Cook,' the show's host Ryan Seacrest said during the live broadcast, sending Mercado home.

On Tuesday, each contestant had to perform three songs - one picked by a judge, one chosen by the performer and one selected by the show's producers.

Throughout the seventh season, the two Davids have been favorites among the show's judges and pundits, while Mercado came close to elimination on several occasions.

More than once, judges suggested she was more likely to make it big singing on Broadway than as a pop star. Still, her performances impressed them increasingly in recent weeks until Tuesday, when they said she struggled.

Her rendition of Peggy Lee's 'Fever' on Tuesday was drubbed by no nonsense 'Idol' judge Simon Cowell as 'a lame cabaret performance.'

But as she was voted off the hit show on Wednesday Mercado remained gracious, saying to her fans, 'I just want to say thank you' before singing on 'Idol' for the last time - performing the Alicia Keys hit 'If I Ain't Got You.'

This year has seen the second straight season of declining ratings for the show, which airs on News Corp's Fox network.

Last week 21.8 million people watched Tuesday's episode, the lowest Tuesday audience in over five years, and 22.9 million people tuned in for Wednesday's vote, the worst Wednesday audience in three years, data from Nielsen Media Research showed. Last year the show routinely topped 30 million viewers. -- REUTERS

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May 15, 2008         
Stepdaughter loves me, says man accused of raping her
By Khushwant Singh

A MAN, accused of raping his stepdaughter, told a psychiatrist that she had initiated the relationship by massaging his private parts in 2005 when she was 11.

That was a few months after she arrived from India.

Testifying at the trial on Thursday, Dr Wei Ker-Chiah of the Institute of Mental Health said the 37-year-old IT operations specialist had told him they then graduated to her performing oral sex on him in January 2005 and then to sex, when she reached puberty later that year.

She said that she loved him and wanted him to get a divorce and marry her.

The man, a Indian national and a Singapore permanent resident, said that they would have sex once or twice a month in his three-room flat. This would be during his days off and while his wife was managing her beauty salon business.

The man, who has two stepchildren and two younger ones of his own, cannot be identified to protect the identity of the victim.

He faces 16 counts of statutory rape and 26 counts of making the girl perform oral sex for him.

Dr Wei said the man told him that he did not know that having consensual sex with a girl below the age of 14 was considered rape here.

Under the law, a girl aged below 14, cannot consent to perform sex acts.

In his police statement, the accused claimed that his stepdaughter was jealous when he was with other women. She spilled the beans to her mother after finding out that he was having an affair with a woman colleague.

The mother and daughter then made a police report and he was arrested on May 9 .

The trial continues next Tuesday.



Taiwanese man jailed 18 months for role in kidnap scam
By Elena Chong

In the first case of its kind, a Taiwanese man was jailed 18 months on Thursday for his involvement in a kidnap scam, by helping two men to receive and transfer funds.

Lee Chin Lung, 35, admitted helping two accomplices in the transfer and withdrawal of various sums totalling $77,500 between Dec 16 last year and Jan 8.

A district court heard that Lee responded to a job advertisement in Taiwan which would involve travelling to Singapore.

One of the accomplices, Big Boss, told him to come to Singapore to meet Ah Kai who would give him instructions.

When he arrived on Dec 16, he was told that Ah Kai and Big Boss were into soccer betting. Ah Kai told him to look for China nationals with bank accounts which could be used to receive payments from punters who lost money. Lee would then withdraw and deliver the money.

He befriended three China nationals separately. He said he needed to use their bank accounts to receive and withdraw money.

The $77,500 that Lee helped to withdraw from the three accounts were remitted to various beneficiaries in China. These payments were in fact ransom paid by four victims duped into believing that their children had been kidnapped.

Lee was arrested in Geylang on Jan 8 in a police ambush. He could have been fined up to $500,000 and/or jailed for up to seven years under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.

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Full-day bus lanes extended to 11 CBD locations from June 2
By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 15 May 2008 1452 hrs



SINGAPORE: Driving in the Central Business District will be a different experience from June 2. That's when full-day bus lanes will be extended to 11 new locations.

These new locations are Collyer Quay, Fullerton Road, Grange Road, Shenton Way, Robinson Road, parts of South Bridge Road, Victoria Street, North Bridge Road, Bencoolen Street, Hill Street and a part of New Bridge Road.

The extension is in addition to such lanes already in operation along six stretches of roads, like Orchard Road and Eu Tong Sen Street.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said since the scheme was started in 2005, average bus speeds along these roads have improved by between 10 and 23 percent during non-peak periods.

It added that the improved bus travelling speeds help make the bus commute a more attractive and pleasant option, and encourages more commuters to take public transport.

The extension is to ensure more roads remain clear to enable buses to give their commuters a faster and smoother journey during the operational hours of 7.30am to 8pm from Mondays to Saturdays, except on public holidays.

To ensure the scheme's effectiveness, LTA will be introducing enforcement cameras onboard buses - to be used to record bus lane infringements. The cameras will work in tandem with the current warden scheme.

The penalty for bus lane infringements is a S$130 fine. But no demerit points will be imposed on the driver. - CNA/ir/al

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Mrs Lee Kuan Yew in serious condition after brain haemorrhage
By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 15 May 2008 2111 hrs

SINGAPORE: The wife of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew was admitted to the neuro-intensive care unit (NCU) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital this week.

A statement from the Minister Mentor's Office said Mrs Lee, 87, suffered sudden weakness on her left side and slurring of speech around noon on Monday.

She was then taken to the National Neuroscience Institute for an urgent brain scan. The results revealed massive right intra-cerebral haemorrhage, and Mrs Lee was subsequently admitted to the NCU.

The haemorrhage stabilised after two days of close monitoring and treatment. She was then transferred to the general ward on Wednesday.

Mrs Lee currently remains in serious condition although she is able to recognise immediate family members. - CNA/ac

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Singapura : 16 Mei 2008        
         
BELAJAR ILMU TAHFIZ QURAN, SUNAH SERENTAK

Program sijil baru hasil kerjasama Masjid Assyafaah dan Kg Siglap

Oleh
Nadzri Eunos

MASYARAKAT Islam setempat kini berpeluang menimba ilmu tahfiz Al-Quran dan As-Sunah secara seiringan menerusi satu program pensijilan baru yang akan dilancarkan Julai ini.

Kursus Sijil Tahfiz AlQuran Wa Sunnah itu merupakan hasil kerjasama dua Pusat Pendidikan Islam Khas yang diiktiraf Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Muis) - Masjid Kampung Siglap dan Masjid Assyafaah.

Ini merupakan program gabungan serupa yang pertama ditawarkan di Singapura.

Sebelum ini Masjid Kampung Siglap, menerusi Darul Quran, menawarkan sijil Tahfiz Al-Quran, sementara Darul Hadith di Masjid Assyafaah menawarkan pensijilan dalam bidang Hadis.

Pengerusi Lembaga Pentadbir Masjid Kampung Siglap, Encik Mohd Khair Mohd Noor, dan Pengerusi Eksekutif Masjid Assyafaah, Ustaz Ali Atan, telah menandatangani satu memorandum persefahaman bagi perlaksanaan program tersebut dalam satu majlis di Masjid Assyafaah, malam semalam.

Ketua Darul Quran, Ustaz Firdaus Yahya, mendedahkan bahawa idea untuk bekerjasama itu timbul menyusuli undangan Masjid Assyafaah agar dibuka kelas tahfiz Al-Quran di situ.

'Memandangkan Masjid Assyafaah juga mengendalikan Darul Hadith, maka adalah baik untuk memperkenalkan program yang menggabungkan kedua-dua bidang tukikan itu.'

Ustaz Ali menarik perhatian bahawa usaha terbaru itu selaras dengan usaha untuk memasyarakatkan ilmu-ilmu dasar Islam dan menyokong usaha Muis sebelum ini menerusi program Pendidikan Islam Di Rumah dan Sistem Pendidikan Islam Singapura (Sies).

Ketua di Pejabat Mufti, Ustaz Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, berkata kedua-dua cabang ilmu itu berupaya mengukuhkan lagi pemahaman Muslim terhadap agama Islam sekali gus menghindari daripada salah tafsiran dan penyelewengan.

'Ini kerana pemahaman yang baik akan membantu kita terus menjalani kehidupan keagamaan dengan berjaya dan berkesan dalam konteks negara kita,' kata beliau.

Seramai 30 pelajar akan dipilih sebagai kumpulan pertama program yang akan diadakan selama sekitar dua jam pada hujung minggu itu.

Antara lain, setiap pelajar perlu menghafal sekurang-kurangnya lima juzuk Al-Quran dan 40 hadis yang terkandung dalam buku Himpunan Hadith yang diterbitkan oleh Masjid Assyafaah.

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May 16, 2008         
Police trainee, 18, dies 2 days after collapsing during run
By Esther Tan

A GROUP of 120 full-time police national servicemen set out on a 2.4km run early Tuesday morning around the parade square of the Home Team Academy.

But one of them never completed the run and was found lying unconscious in the camp in Old Choa Chu Kang Road.

Mr Roslan Saharo, 18, who was just two months into his basic training, would never wake up again.

After two days in a coma, his family decided yesterday morning to take him off life support.

Relatives said doctors told them he had heat stroke which caused multiple-organ failure and left him brain dead. An autopsy will be performed today to determine the cause of death.

Family members and relatives were devastated by his sudden death. 'He was such a lively and jovial boy. We will miss his laughter and never-ending smile,' said uncle Dzulkifli Wasnam, 33.

They are now trying to find out the circumstances of his death.

Two of his uncles said a police officer told them at the hospital that Mr Roslan was discovered missing from the group only after the run ended.

But last night, a police spokesman told The Straits Times an instructor had seen him 'stumble and fall' and he was given 'prompt medical attention'.

His brother, Mr Riduwan Saharo, who was a combat medic during his national service days, said there should have been a 'last man' at the back of the group to ensure no one lagged behind.

'Where was the last man when my brother fell?' asked the 26-year-old. 'And where was his buddy?'

Mr Roslan's family said he was healthy and active - he played floorball for Institute of Technical Education College Central.

But on Sunday, when he had to report back to camp, he was coughing badly and told his father he was ill, said his sister Rubiah Saharo, 29. She advised him to see a doctor, but he said he was rushing back to camp.

One of Mr Roslan's uncles said the police told them an instructor had asked the group before the run if anyone was not feeling well, but Mr Roslan did not speak up.

Police said they will render support and assistance to Mr Roslan's family




PELATIH POLIS MENINGGAL KETIKA UJIAN KECERGASAN

SEORANG Konstabel Khas Pelatih (TSC), Encik Roslan Saharo, meninggal dunia semalam selepas mengadu tidak sihat ketika menjalani ujian kecergasan jasmani individu (IPPT) di Akademi Home Team.

Satu kenyataan polis semalam berkata Allahyarham mula menjalani IPPT itu sekitar 6 pagi Selasa lalu bersama 120 pelatih lain, dengan larian 2.4 kilometer mengikut kepantasan peribadi.

Pada 7.30 pagi, instruktornya mendapati Allahyarham terhuyung-hayang dan terjatuh.

Allahyarham diberi rawatan perubatan segera di tempat kejadian sebelum dikejarkan ke Hospital Universiti Nasional (NUH) oleh ambulans.

Komander Ketumbukan Latihan, Timbalan Penolong Pesuruhjaya (DAC) Loy Chye Meng, telah menyampaikan ucapan takziah kepada keluarga Allahyarham.

'Saya amat sedih dengan kehilangan seorang pegawai muda. Pasukan polis akan menghulurkan sokongan dan bantuan kepada keluarga TSC Roslan,' ujar beliau..

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A MOTHER, out on a morning walk with her two children, pushed her teenage daughter and toddler son to safety when she saw an out-of-control lorry veering towards them at Toa Payoh on Friday. But she was hit herself and is fighting for her life now in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. -- PHOTO: SHINMIN

May 16, 2008         
Mom pushes children to safety but hit by lorry
By Lee Pei Qi


A housewife in her 40s, Madam Shanti (above) receives emergency treatment along Toa Payoh Lorong 8 after she was hit by a lorry on Friday morning. But she managed to push her eldest daughter, Pratheepa, 15, and three-year-old son to safety first. -- PHOTO: SHINMIN

This lorry laden with vegetables hit Madam Shanti after it skidded across the road and onto the pedestrian walkway. It had collided with a container truck along Toa Payoh Lorong 8. -- PHOTO: SHINMIN

The lorry driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. -- PHOTO: SHINMIN

A MOTHER, out on a morning walk with her two children, pushed her teenage daughter and toddler son to safety when she saw an out-of-control lorry veering towards them at Toa Payoh on Friday.

But she was hit herself and is fighting for her life now in Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The housewife in her 40s, identified only as Madam Shanti, was taking a leisurely stroll with her eldest daughter, Pratheepa, 15, and three-year-old son along Lorong 8 - near their flat in Block 255 - when a container truck and a lorry laden with vegetables collided into each other at about 9.45 am.

The impact sent the lorry skidding across the road where the three pedestrains were walking.

Instintively, Madam Shanti pushed her daugther and son away from the path of the runaway lorry. But it was too late for her to avoid the lorry, which hit her and sent her flying into the air. She landed on the pavement a few metres away, bleeding profusely.

She was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and underwent emergency surgery. Her son suffered a fractured hip when he fell and was taken to Kandang Kerbau Hospital.

A distraught Pratheepa told The Straits Times at the TTSH: 'It was a nightmarish sight seeing my mum being flung up into the air.'

'She did not think about her own safety when she pushed us to safety. I am very worried about her.'

Pratheepa said she has another sister, Nithia, 13, who was in school when the accident happened.

The container truck driver was unhurt but the lorry driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to TTSH.

fatz2

May 16, 2008         
Govt backs NWC guidelines to give workers one-off payment to cope with rising costs
By Jeremy Au Yong

SINGAPORE workers should receive a one-off payment - an inflation bonus of sorts - to help them deal with rising costs.

This was one of the key recommendations made by the National Wage Council (NWC) which released its wage guidelines for this year on Friday morning.

The council also called on employers to provide built-in wage increases and make greater use of variable payments to reward workers.

These and the other NWC guidelines were accepted by the Government shortly after the council presented its recommendations.

In giving its backing, the Government said in a statement that it agreed with the NWC that pushing up wages to keep pace with high inflation would not be sustainable and would have an adverse impact on Singapore's competitiveness, in light of the economic uncertainty.

On the one-off special payment, the NWC said while the Government and the unions are already taking measures to help workers cope with inflation, employers should also play their part.

'Companies should consider giving a one-off special lump sum payment to rank-and-file workers, with heavier weightage for low-wage workers,' said Professor Lim Pin, the NWC chairman at a press conference.

The one-time payment, he said, would serve the dual purpose of helping workers, while keeping the employer's wage bill affordable in the long-run.

Supporting this recommendation, the Government said it should take into account the Government's assistance measures to help lower-income Singaporeans to cope with the rising cost of living, and the company's ability to pay.

NWC also stressed that keeping wages sustainable was important in an economic climate wrought with uncertainty. It said pushing up wage increases to keep with high inflation rate will undermine Singapore's competitiveness and will not be sustainable over the longer run.

Along those lines, the council did not prescribe any specific figure for the one-off payments or wage increases, preferring to say that companies pay according to their performance.

The council also urged companies, workers and unions to work together to improve productivity through means like job redesign and training.

They red-flagged productivity growth as a trouble spot because wage growth has outpaced productivity growth for the second consecutive year.

Total wages of private sector employees rose by 5.9 per cent last year but labour productivity fell to 0.9 per cent.

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May 16, 2008         
Trader jailed for GST fraud
By Elena Chong

A TRADER was jailed for six months and ordered to pay a penalty of $202,245 on Friday for making false claims of Goods and Services Tax (GST) refunds.

Ong Seow Hsiung, 40, pleaded guilty to seven charges of making false entries in the returns of his business, KH Motor Factors, between February and September last year.

KH deals in wholesale export of vehicle parts to Indonesia.

Investigations showed that Ong had inflated the input tax claims in his GST returns.

Input tax is GST incurred on expenses.

For one year and two months, he deliberately cooked up fictitious amounts when no purchases had been made.

He used the refunds totalling $91,576 for personal expenses and to pay off his credit card debts.

Seven other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Ong could have been fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed for up to seven years on each charge, plus a penalty of treble the amount undercharged.


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Boy found murdered in bedroom was an avid roller blader
Neighbours describe him as active and friendly.
By Esther Tan


The police cordoned off the block of flats where a 13-year-old boy was found dead in his bedroom. -- PHOTOS: SHIN MIN


A police forensics team searching for evidence.


Police have arrested the boy's mother for murder.

The 13-year-old boy found dead in the bedroom of a four-room flat in Toa Payoh, Lorong 2, early on Friday morning, was an avid roller-blader, said his neighbours.

He was often seen roller-blading in the open areas of Block 144, with his two cousins who regularly came over to play with him.

Police, who received a call at about 2.45am, found the Secondary One student of St. Gabriel's Secondary School motionless on a matress in the bedroom of the flat on the 11th floor. There were no visible injuries on him.

In the room then was his 36-year-old mother, who had cuts on both her wrists.

The boy was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 3.25am.

Police have arrested the boy's mother for murder.

Neighbours said they did not hear any unusual commotion from the flat around that time.

The boy had been living in the flat with his mother and maternal grandparents for about three years.

His father does not live with them but comes to pick up his wife to work daily. But neighbours said they have not seen him lately.

Said Madam Tan Aik Hwa, 47, a housewife, who lives three doors away from victim's flat: 'The family is very quiet and keeps pretty much to themselves.

'The boy used to come to my place to play cards and games with my two sons,' said Madam Tan, whose sons are in Primary 5 and Secondary 4.

'He was a very friendly and active boy and looked healthy.'

Neighbours said the boy's mother is pleasant and dresses well for work.

Investigations are on-going.

fatz

May 17, 2008          
Mum held for murder of only child,13
Grandparents find boy unconscious in room with mum, 36, bleeding from both wrists; teen dies in hospital
By Carolyn Quek & Esther Tan


CLOSED BOND: Neighbours described mother and child as 'very close' and were shocked by the incident. -- LIM CHIN PING

THE mother of a teenage boy was arrested for his murder yesterday morning and is now under police guard in a hospital ward.

The 36-year-old woman, bleeding from cuts on her wrists, was found at about 2.45am in the bedroom she shared with her only child in a Toa Payoh four-room flat.

On the mattress, Tan Eu-Jin, 13, was lying unconscious. He had no visible injuries on his body.

The boy's grandparents, who lived with them, found the two in the room and called for an ambulance.

Eu-Jin was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, but died 40 minutes later.

His mother, who relatives said had depression, was taken to the same hospital four hours later, and is hospitalised there under the watch of police officers after they placed her under arrest for murder.

It is not known how the boy died, although police officers were seen picking out tablet wrappers from a rubbish bin linked to the family's flat in Toa Payoh Lorong 2.

Neighbours on the 11th storey of Block 144 woke up yesterday to a buzz of activity as forensic officers and detectives went about their task of finding evidence in the flat.

When the neighbours found out what had happened, they were shocked as mother and child were 'very close' and the family appeared to be a happy one.

A neighbour, Madam Tan Aik Hwa, cried as she spoke about the 'obedient' boy who would call first to ask for permission to go over to her home to play with her sons.

The 47-year-old housewife said: 'We looked out for one another but I never thought this would happen to them.'

Eu-Jin's grandparents, who returned to the flat in the evening after being led away by the police earlier in the day to assist investigations, refused to be interviewed.

But a relative told The Straits Times that the relationship between mother and son was a good one, and added that Eu-Jin had been given many of the latest technological gadgets.

She added that Eu-Jin was his mum's confidant, and that she would talk to him about her problems.

But she said the woman had been plagued by bouts of depression.

She had left her job recently due to pressures at work, the relative said.

'Sometimes, when she had problems, she would bottle it up and lock herself in the room,' she added.

The boy also shared a close bond with his father, who works in the retail industry. Relatives said the couple divorced several years ago.

His father would take him out when he was not overseas on work trips.

The death of Eu-Jin, a Secondary 1 student in St Gabriel's Secondary School, left his classmates in tears.

His teacher was so upset she did not teach yesterday.

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[email protected]

fatz2

May 17, 2008         
$10k reward for info on animal abuser(s)
By Aw Cheng Wei


'We hope the public can be alert and help us keep a lookout for any suspicious characters,' said Ms Sandy Lim, founder of SOS Animals. -- ST PHOTO: FRANCIS ONG

A 'coalition' - aghast at recent vicious attacks on seven cats in the Pasir Ris area - is offering a combined reward of $10,000 for information on the abuser or abusers.

This sum has been pledged by SOS Animals, Cat Welfare Society (CWS), the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and an unnamed family in Aljunied.

SOS Animals is also now patrolling Pasir Ris.

The first attack was discovered on May 2, in Block 253, Pasir Ris Street 21. Two cats found dead there were believed to have been dunked in thinner.

A third cat found there, also dunked but barely alive, had to be put down.

The second discovery was at Pasir Ris Town Park on May 12. Residents found three cats dying of stab wounds. A fourth cat was dead, with a fractured jaw.

'We hope the public can be alert and help us keep a lookout for any suspicious characters,' said Ms Sandy Lim, founder of SOS Animals.

'Although we will do our best to patrol around the neighbourhood, vicious acts like these can happen at any time,' she added.

SOS Animals began patrolling the Pasir Ris area last Friday. It will do so for about six nights a week, Ms Lim said.

But not many residents seemed to be aware of the attacks. Of the 50 Pasir Ris residents that The Sunday Times spoke to, 37 were clueless.

'We have a lot of cats in this area. At night, we can hear them and it can get quite loud,' Mr Cliff Ang, a Block 253 resident said.

Commenting on the $10,000 reward for information on the cat killer, Ms Deirdre Moss, executive officer of SPCA, said: 'While there have been several calls, there is nothing concrete yet.'

fatz2

THE mother of a teenage boy was arrested for his murder yesterday morning and is now under police guard in a hospital ward.

The 36-year-old woman, bleeding from cuts on her wrists, was found at about 2.45am in the bedroom she shared with her only child in a Toa Payoh four-room flat.

On the mattress, Tan Eu-Jin, 13, was lying unconscious. He had no visible injuries on his body.

May 17, 2008         
Mother charged with 13-year-old son's murder
By Nur Dianah Suhaimi

A mother has been charged for the murder of her 13-year-old son.

A field magistrate visited Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Saturday morning to charge Madam Kang Kah Li, 36.

Her son, Tan Eu-Jin, a Secondary 1 student in St Gabriel's Secondary, was found lying motionless in his bedroom in the wee hours of Friday morning by his grandparents who shared the same Toa Payoh flat.

Madam Kang, who was in the same room, was bleeding from cuts on her wrists.

Eu-Jin, the only child of Madam Kang, was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital but died 40 minutes later.

It is not known how he died but police officers were seen picking out tablet wrappers from a rubbish bin linked to the family's flat.

Madam Kang was transferred to Changi Women's Prison for psychiatric evaluation yesterday.

Divorced and jobless, she is believed to be suffering from depression. Her ex-husband is said to be working in the retail industry overseas.

The penalty for murder is death by hanging.