Local News

A video has emerged on Facebook showing an Indian woman beating up another man. It is unclear what caused her to punch him or grab him by the shirt, but the victim looked like he was emotionally or mentally unstable. 

He resorted to crying and begging as he could not defend himself. At one point in the video, he thought he was bleeding but the woman simply called his bluff by continuously demanding to see blood.

Some say it happened at Yishun. What is going on? Why didn't anyone come to the man's help? Will the police do anything about this?

Credits to Puvana Loveyoualways for the video

A Yishun resident have alleged that NEA officers have targeted her for holding on to a unlit cigarette that the person had wanted to throw in the dustbin. According to the account of the resident, the NEA officers were situated at Blk 747 Yishun.

The resident had finished smoking the cigarette at a non-sheltered area, which is not against the law. As this was around the MRT station, a rubbish bin was not located, as most of the bins are located at the void deck areas in the surrounding blocks. So the resident decided to walk further in to the shelter area in an effort to locate another bin nearby. However, after a few steps, the NEA officers, consisting of a lady and male officer, swooped in and claimed that the resident was holding a cigarette in a sheltered walkway, when in fact the person was about to throw it away.

After unsuccessfully pleading her case, she was summoned on the spot, with the NEA officers telling the resident to complain to her MP and get her case appealed.

To fight the AHTC lawsuit, Workers Party MPs Sylvia Lim, Low Thia Khiang and Pritam Singh has appealed to the public for funds. Since the start of the suits, they have used their own personal savings as well as contributions from friends to pay for their own lawyers. They have paid about $600,000 to date and have thus depleted their personal resources. 

The total sum claimed against them is potentially more than $30 million. 

Many netizens have rallied and showed their support to them. As of 24 Oct 2018, 10pm, they have managed to raise $65,196. 
You can find out more information here.

Contributions can be made in the following ways:
• PayNow to +65 9852 5901 (Sylvia’s public line)
• Internet fund transfer to UOB account no. 396 309 388 6
• Cheque made payable to any one of us:
Lim Swee Lian Sylvia
Low Thia Khiang
Pritam Singh
Mail to “My Mail Box 882560 Singapore 919191”

The 53 year old Singaporean man who made headline news in the Palu earthquake and tsunami recently, where he helped save a girl from the rubble of a collapsed hotel and carried her away from the coming tsunami, had succumbed to tragedy himself.

Ng Kok Choong was found dead less than a month after his heroic act, as his body was found a day after he went missing in India. He had taken off with his paraglider at Bir-Billing, Himachal Pradesh when the weather there suddenly worsened. When he did not return to his hotel, an alarmed was raised and Indian authorities found his body the next day. His body was spotted lying in the hills of Baijnath town.

Ng was there to take part in the Paragliding World Cup which begins on 27 October. Seems like the grim reaper did not let go of its death hold on him. 

A skylight panel of Orchard Central shopping mall broke yesterday (23 Oct 2018) at about 2.20pm, causing pieces of glass to rain down on patrons.

Managing director, Mr Chan Kok Hong, of Savills Property Management, which manages Orchard Gateway, said a contractor was doing repair work when a piece of aluminium was accidentally dislodged, falling onto Orchard Central's skylight which caused the skylight to break. 

Some shoppers witnessed some patrons who were sitting closer to the shattered panel had cuts from the breaking of the skylight. There is currently no news of anybody who were seriously injured.

Singaporean "Gary Ho" wrote a viral post about the problems our hawkers are facing after NTUC Foodfare took over. He talked to some hawkers and felt that they were unfairly treated. Some of them were told to sign legal documents without any translations. They were made to buy compulsory insurance of more than $100 per annum and now have to pay an increased cleaning cost of more than $500. On top of that, they have to stay open for "super long hours".

Hawkers may have to report their movements to the contractor, like when they take leave or close their stalls. If not, they allegedly face punishments.

"Hawkers are independent operators. Since when are they now working for NTUC and since when has NTUC become their boss??? Also, how does forcing elderly hawkers into working long hours make things any better?

Seriously, you talk about hawker centres being important, (AND THEY ARE!) but you are doing everything possible to make hawkers lives more difficult. Soon there will be no more hawkers left and all the delicious cheap food will go with them."

MP Lim Biow Chuan has responded by saying that hawkers do not have to open for long hours as some of them are already closed by 7pm. 

"I don't believe in making hawkers work super long hours. They have to decide for themselves how hard they wish to work and what is important to them. My parents were hawkers and I know how hard they work...

I also spoke to 4 stall operators earlier in the evening and they all said that there was no condition imposed by Foodfare that they must stay open for super long hours. Nor was there any rule that they need to report their movement or face punishment!! What punishment, they asked?? What Foodfare wanted to do was to manage the food centre such that it will not become a empty food centre in the evening. Just visit some of the other empty food centres at night and you will understand their concerns."

Did MP Lim Biow Chuan fully address the concerns? Why can't a hawker centre be left empty at night? Hasn't that been the case for many food centres since last time? Or is this just another way they want to earn money?

To think that someone wanted our hawker culture to be in the UNESCO heritage list. Fat hope, Singapore. Just look at where we are now!