Shane Todd’s family walks out of Singapore inquest after court rejected their request for adjournment to examine new evidence from last minute witness introduced by state prosecution

South China Morning Post, 21 May 2013
The family of a US scientist found hanged in Singapore last year walked out of a coroner’s inquiry into their son’s death on Tuesday, saying they had “lost faith” in the proceedings.
“The prosecution brings forth witnesses at the last minute and we have no chance to question it. Basically we actually have lost faith in the process,” the late researcher’s father Rick Todd told reporters outside a courthouse.
The family stood up and left the court after learning that a Frenchman who knew Todd, Luis Alejandro Andro Montes, was going to testify that the American was still alive the day before his body was found on June 24, last year. Full story

Related:

1. Shane Todd case: Family’s request for adjournment rejected - Todayonline.com
2. Family of US scientist walks out of coroner's inquiry - XIN MSN News
3. US scientist's family walks out of Singapore inquest - Yahoo! News Singapore
4. US scientist's family quits S'pore inquest - MSN.co.nz

US expert says scientist was murdered in Singapore

Thesundaily.com, 21 May 2013
An American scientist found hanged in Singapore last year was murdered and his death made to look like a suicide as part of a conspiracy, a US pathologist told an inquiry Tuesday.
Edward Adelstein, 75, a deputy medical examiner in Missouri, contradicted Singapore police findings that Shane Todd killed himself, but admitted his conclusions were based on pictures of the body and second-hand information.
"The cause of death of Dr. Todd was strangulation by a ligature around his neck," Adelstein said in a written statement admitted as evidence Tuesday at the Singapore inquiry, adding that "I would rule his death a murder - a homicide."
He said Todd was "a very dangerous person" to the two Asian companies, and asserted without offering any evidence that "they had him killed" and well-trained "assassins" may have been involved. Full story

Related:

1. U.S. expert tells Singapire inquiry Shane Todd was murdered - BusinessWeek
2. U.S. Doctor Tells Singapore Inquiry Todd Was Murdered - Bloomberg

F&B outlet in Boat Quay blatantly puts up advertisement to hire Filipinos only

Link

Singapore-based STAS ChipPAC only hires Filipinos for "Manufacturing Specialist" positions?

The Real Singapore

STATS ChipPAC is a Singapore-based manufacturers of advanced semiconductor packaging and test services. They have 3 locations in Singapore and a few more in other countries.
From this job ad, it seems that they are Specifically Hiring Filipinos for the company.
The TRS Reader who saw the post was curious as to why this Singapore Company would need to only hire Filipinos and why they need to recruit the help of Philippines' Golden Horizon Placement Agency Inc. (A Recruitment agency in Philippines that helps find global employment for Filipinos). Full story

Intern abuse incident gaining international media attention

South China Morning Post, 21 May 2013
A supervisor at a Singaporean company was seen slapping and bullying an intern, according to a video that has since gone viral online.
The video, recorded by another intern, was first uploaded on Friday evening and soon gathered tens of thousands of hits. Touching on the difficult job environment for young graduates in the island-city state, it hit a raw nerve with viewers. Full story

International Business Times, 21 May 2013
A supervisor at a Singapore company who was filmed slapping an intern in a now-viral YouTube clip has apologized to the man's parents, Yahoo.com reports. The intern sat quietly as his boss violently slapped him across the face multiple times. Full story

PRC nationals in Singapore are snapping up infant milk powder to export to China. Will that lead to a shortage for local babies?

Stomp.com.sg, 21 May 2013
Parents from China are willing to buy milk powder from Singapore at a premium and shipping it back to their country, following a series of food safety scandals.
Shin Min Daily News reported that some parents in China have been paying double to buy baby formula from Singapore, and are willing to pay up to $200 to have the product couriered to their home, reported the Shin Min Daily News.
Madam Tan, a Chinese national who has been living in Singapore for more than 10 years, told Shin Min that she has been sending baby formula to a friend in China who gave birth two months ago.
Another Chinese citizen living in Singapore told the evening paper that she sends baby formula to her brother in China. She added that several of her friends are also doing the same for their friends and relatives. Full story

Related:

1. British shops ration baby milk as Chinese demand surges - Reuters
2. White gold rush - Milk formula exports to China - ABC.net.au
3. Expert sees milk powder shortage in the Netherlands as market problem - People's Daily Online
4. Hong Kong: Panic Over Milk Powder Shortage - Global Voices

OPINION: Political reasons why our government is restricting graduate enrolment for local-born Singaporeans?

The Real Singapore
WikiLeaks news revealed last month that only 23% of Singaporean students entering primary school will ever complete a 4-year tertiary education. Even though the report was out in early September, the ramification of the leaked report is still been felt till today.
According to the damning WikiLeaks report, Cheryl Chan – asst director of Planning Division at Ministry of education (MOE), stated that the government does not encourage more Singaporeans to get higher education, capping graduate enrolment rate at 20-25 % because the labour market does not require too many graduates
So far, the government has yet to come out and defend it’s policy. Full story

Company where intern abuse took place has been identified

Hardwarezone Forum, 21 May 2013
ST understands victim was working at the Jurong East office of software company.... Full story

Related:

1. Victim of workplace abuse files police report, MOM in touch with intern who recorded video - XIN MS News
2. Man apologises for slapping co-worker in viral video taken by SIM student - Yahoo! News Singapore
3. MOM tell victim of work place abuse to seek help from Union (aka Lim Swee Say) - Hardwarezone Forum

PUB video that teaches Singaporeans how to shower leaves viewers dumbfounded

PUB trying to make Singaporeans look like fools?

Yahoo! News Singapore




Full story

MOM accuses blogger of not sharing information on the deplorable conditions of foreign workers' dorm

Blogger to be blamed for not doing MOM's job?

Andrewlohhp.wordpress.com, 15 May 2013
In April, I informed the Ministry for Manpower (MOM) about several dormitories at Kaki Bukit Industrial Terrace which housed some foreign workers, in rather deplorable conditions. On 14 May, the MOM published a blog post about this, and made some accusations about me.
The following is my email to the Acting Minister for Manpower, Tan Chuan Jin, sent to him on 15 May 2013, in response to that MOM blog article.
It is copied to Ms Farah Abdul Rahim (Press Secretary, MOM) and Ms Chin Yen Eu (Customer Service Officer).

Dear Minister,
I would like to commend MOM and its officers for investigating the conditions in which some of the foreign workers at Kaki Bukit Industrial Terrace lived in, and for instructing their employers “to move their workers to proper housing within the next two to four weeks.”

I am, however, puzzled by the article by “Yusri” on the MOM blog, titled: “Behind-the-Scenes of Operation ‘K‘”. In particular, this part where he wrote:

“Recently, a blogger who had highlighted some possible dormitory violations publicly questioned why we needed such specific information. When asked to give more information, the blogger asked us to refer to his earlier blog post. However, the blog post only had the name of the street, where other dormitories and residential premises could be found. Without specific addresses, it would be time consuming and unproductive for MOM officers to expend resources to check every residence or unit along the same street. The blogger knew the details but chose not to share it. And when he eventually did, he chose to publicly mock the process. It was unfortunate, but we appreciate the fact that the information was finally shared with us.

Full story

Indians are the largest business group in Singapore: Consul General of Singapore

The New Indian Express, 20 May 2013
Connecting Singapore, a one-day seminar on improving ties betweenthe countries, was attended by business delegates and heads of state.
Speaking on the occasion Consul General of the Republic of Singapore Ajit Singh pointed out that while the global business environment faced a slew of challenges Singapore’s economy was in a new phase of growth. “We recognise that the days of high growth are over and we need to be content with modest growth rates,” he said, adding that the nation’s ‘open’ economy was susceptible to adverse effects in the economies of India and China.
On the synergy between India and Singapore he pointed out that more and more Indian businessmen had begun viewing the island as a springboard to enter other Asian markets. “We have become the second most popular destination for overseas investment from India. Indians are the largest business community in corporate Singapore — ahead of of the Chinese, Malaysians and Indonesians.” Full story

OPINION: Corruption trials have shown what kind of a country Singapore has become

Aljazeera.com, 18 May 2013
"A decade ago, one was defined by having cash, cars, condominiums, credit cards and country club [memberships]," remarked 38-year old Georgia Funn, who was at the court since early morning. The administrative clerk was referring to the "5 Cs of Singapore", a cultural term coined in the early 1990s to address the rising affluence and material luxuries that were much sought after by Singaporeans at the time.
"Now it seems like our new 'C' is corruption, and that is nothing to be proud of, as it shows what kind of a country we have become." Full story

Indian-origin transsexual avoids caning, gets 14-month jail in Singapore for loanshark activities

Zeenews.com, 18 May 2013
A Singaporean of Indian-origin, who underwent a sex change operation, was spared the cane but sentenced to 14 months jail for damaging property and harassing a debtor.
21-year-old transsexual Benitha, formerly known as Kavi Raj Tamaraselvan, was sent to the women jail for her role in setting fire to the door of an apartment in the Ang Mo Kio public housing estate, The Straits Times reported on Saturday.
Male offenders would normally receive between three and six strokes of the cane for each such offence, but Benitha had undergone sex change in Thailand six months before committing the offence.
District Judge Hamidah Ibrahim said that since Benitha is now a woman there would be no caning. Full story

Chna to buy large stake in SP Ausnet from Temasek

Reuters, 17 May 2013
SINGAPORE/SYDNEY, May 17 (Reuters) - State Grid Corp of China (SGCC), the world's largest state utility, has agreed to buy large stakes in Australian power companies from a unit of Singapore's Temasek in a deal that could be worth over A$5 billion ($4.93 billion), as it searches overseas for higher-yielding assets.
State Grid will buy 19.9 percent of electricity supplier SP Ausnet for A$824 million, and 60 percent of energy infrastructure company SPI (Australia) Assets Pty Ltd (SPIAA) for an undisclosed amount, Singapore Power, an arm of Singaporean state investor Temasek Holdings (Private) Ltd, said on Friday.
Singaporean government-linked firms have spent billions of dollars over the past decade on Australian telecoms, energy and real estate assets. Full story

Related:

1. China ups stakes in Australia power firms as Singapore retreats - The Malaysian Insider
2. China's State Grid powers up in Australia - The Sydney Morning Herald
3. China ups stakes in Australia power firms as Singapore retreats - Malaysia Star

Singapore Airlines results disappoint, capacity cuts planned

Firstpost.com, 17 May 2013
INGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIAL.SI) reported weaker-than-expected full-year results and warned of a deteriorating environment as it struggles to cope with the rapid emergence of Gulf carriers and low cost Asian rivals.
SIA is attempting a big strategy overhaul, pushing into the budget airlines segment and expanding its regional network. Full story

Dengue cases in Singapore reached 7,000 mark, exceeding whole of last year and 2011

BruDirect.com, 19 May 2013
Singapore - The total number of dengue cases in Singapore reached the 7,000 mark as of 3pm yesterday (May 17).
This is higher than the total number of cases reported for the whole of last year and 2011. There were 4,632 cases reported last year and 5,330 reported in 2011.
There were 510 cases reported in the week ending 17 May as of 3pm, compared to 562 the week before. Of the 7,000 cases, 159 are in construction sites. That is more than double the number reported last year. Full story

OPINION: Lim Swee Say’s “voice of silent majority” tainted with partisan bias

Sgpolitics.net, 19 May 2013
It is disingenuous for Mr Lim Swee Say to claim that grassroots feedback represent the “voice of the silent majority”, when both the motives and methods of soliciting that feedback is questionable, and when the PAP seems to be growing increasingly out of touch with the electorate. And this is all coming from a man who once told Parliament in the year 2010 that:

"We never give up. We are like the little frog. We are deaf to all these criticisms. So instead of telling us that low-wage workers are having problems, why not be part of the solution?”

Full story

Related:
‘Grassroots leaders’ are the ‘silent voice’ of the majority - The Online Citizen

40-year-old Indonesia-born Djoni Huang says he took up Singapore citizenship last year because he "wanted to be part of Singapore", but....

His Brunei-born wife is a Singapore PR; and except for one daughter, his other three children are all Singapore PRs holding Brunei citizenship. He became a Singapore citizen at the age of 39 where he need not have to serve National Service - he claims he tried to volunteer for "reservist" but was rejected.




Link

People's Association planning to recruit more new immigrants to replace Singapore-born grassroots leaders

Philstar.com, 18 May 2013
Expecting to see more new immigrants to Singapore as community leaders in the future, Singapore's People's Association is planning to induct more of them into the ranks of grassroots leadership, local TV Channel NewsAsia reported on Saturday.
Currently, some 3,000 new immigrants are grassroots leaders. They make up nine percent of Singapore's 33,000-member strong grassroots leadership.
The People's Association hopes to make community leaders out of 300 more new Singaporeans - increasing the proportion of grassroots leaders who are new immigrants from the current nine percent to 10 percent by 2014, according to Channel NewsAsia. Full story

PM Lee calls for more Singaporeans to become hawkers

Comment: Heng Swee Keat warns that good education doesn't guarantee Singaporeans a good job. Therefore as Khaw Boon Wans is calling for more Singaporean crane operators, PM Lee wants more Singaporeans to become hawkers.  Foreigners help create good job for Singaporeans?


Omy.sg, 18 May 2013
中峇鲁的豆花和锡安路（Zion Road）的炒粿条，是李总理和家人最爱的小贩中心美食。
李显龙总理昨晚在面簿上，分享英国广播公司（BBC）的一则报道《新加坡的小贩美食能否保存？》，文中说新加坡的熟食小贩行业，面对后继无人而逐渐消逝处境。
总理留言说：“BBC的报道谈到一个跟我们倍感亲切的课题——小贩中心食物！”
他说：“接下来几年，政府将建造多个新的小贩中心，我希望新加坡人能尝试从事熟食小贩生意，让这个专属我国独特生活风貌的本土美食文化得以传承。” Full story

Related:

1. Good education can no longer guarantee Singaporeans a job, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat warns
2. Khaw Boon Wan urges Singaporeans to work as crane operators, says can earn $6k - $7k a month.
3. Foreigners help create good jobs for S'poreans: PM - pmo.gov.sg