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  • Falling HDB Parts At Hougang And Circuit Road: Town Councils To Take Action

    Falling HDB Parts At Hougang And Circuit Road: Town Councils To Take Action

    Probes into two recent cases of facade parts falling off Housing Board blocks have been completed, and the respective town councils are taking steps to avoid a recurrence.

    In October, a cladding board made of calcium silicate fell off Block 51, Circuit Road. The next month, a plaster slab dislodged from Block 449, Hougang Avenue 10 and crashed to the ground.

    Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said investigations showed that the cladding in the Circuit Road case had dislodged because of “wear and tear”.

    After inspecting the block in question and 24 other blocks in the precinct, the professional engineer appointed by Marine Parade Town Council has recommended that similar calcium silicate cladding panels at all of these blocks be removed.

    Those at the service duct areas will be replaced with new metal panels.

    “We understand that Marine Parade Town Council will be progressively carrying out these rectification works as recommended by the PE to ensure public safety,” the BCA said.

    Marine Parade Town Council told The Straits Times that it is currently working with its professional engineer and contractor to perform the necessary works.

    During the inspection, some boards were found to have “loose connection of screws to the claddings”, said Marine Parade Town Council. These damaged boards have been removed, it said, adding that visual inspections were carried out on the other 24 blocks.

    In the Hougang case, a professional engineer appointed by Ang Mo Kio Town Council inspected and found all existing plaster surfaces at the incident block “in satisfactory condition”, the BCA said.

    “Based on the PE’s investigation report, the fallen plaster had dislodged as it had deteriorated due to exposure to weather over time.

    “We understand that Ang Mo Kio Town Council will be repairing the affected area and stepping up checks on the surrounding blocks.”

    The latest investigations come amid a string of incidents in which facade parts have fallen off HDB blocks.

    In September, a concrete sunshade dislodged from Block 201E, Tampines Street 23, and fell on another sunshade below it.

    After a probe, the BCA said last week (Dec 4) that the sunshade, about 5m long, had no reinforcement bars on the side that fell.

    In relation to the Tampines case, the BCA said it is presently further investigating to “determine whether there were contraventions to the building regulations when the sunshades were built”.

    It added: “Building owners are responsible for the maintenance of their buildings, including facade elements and any exterior features. They should carry out regular checks and maintenance of the facade of their building including all such exterior features.”

    While no one was hurt in any of these incidents, the BCA is carrying out a review on building facade safety here.

     

    Source: The Straits Times

  • Semua Masjid Singapura Akan Bantu Kumpul Dana Bagi Penduduk Aceh, Kaum Rohingya

    Semua Masjid Singapura Akan Bantu Kumpul Dana Bagi Penduduk Aceh, Kaum Rohingya

    Bermula Isnin (12 Dis), semua 70 masjid di Singapura akan menjalankan usaha mengumpul derma bagi membantu para mangsa gempa Aceh dan juga mangsa di Rakhine.

    Inisiatif itu diterajui oleh Yayasan Rahmatan Lil Alamin (RLAF).

    Kotak-kotak derma akan ditempatkan di kesemua 70 masjid di Singapura selama seminggu, dari Isnin depan sehingga 19 Disember 2016.

    Pada minggu lalu (7 Dis), daerah Pidie Jaya di Aceh dikejutkan dengan gempa sekuat 6.5 magnitud.

    Menurut pihak berkuasa, sehingga pagi ini (10 Dis) angka korban akibat gegaran yang memusnahkan banyak bangunan sudah melonjak melebihi 100 orang.

    14 masjid turut dilaporkan mengalami kerosakan akibat bencana alam itu.

    Penduduk Aceh bersolat Jumaat di luar masjid yang sudah roboh akibat gempa. (Gambar: CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP)

    Di Rakhine pula, keganasan tercetus menyusuli serangan-serangan oleh kumpulan-kumpulan militan ke atas tiga pondok polis sempadan pada 9 Oktober lalu.

    Sejak itu, terdapat laporan-laporan tentang pengusiran beramai-ramai penduduk Rohingya dalam satu operasi tentera, dakwaan askar-askar membunuh ramai orang awam dan juga kampung-kampung yang dibakar.

    Pelarian Rohingya menunjuk perasaan terhadap penindasan yang berlaku di Rakhine. (Gambar: MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP)

    CARA-CARA UNTUK ANDA MENDERMA

    Tertera pada tabung-tabung derma di masjid-masjid adalah: “Usaha Bantuan Kemanusiaan Bagi Aceh dan Wilayah Rakhine” (Humanitarian Relief Effort for Aceh and Rakhine State).

    Orang ramai juga boleh menghulurkan derma secara tunai atau cek, dengan cek ditujukan kepada “RLAF” dan dituliskan “Humanitarian Relief Effort for Aceh and Rakhine State” di bahagian belakangnya.

    Derma tunai dan cek boleh dikirimkan ke Bangunan Muis di Hab Islam Singapura. Orang ramai juga boleh membuat derma online menerusi laman Muis https://zakat.sg/ePayment/donations.aspx.

    Hasil kutipan derma akan dibahagikan sama rata untuk digunakan sebagai bantuan kemanusiaan bagi para mangsa di Aceh dan wilayah Rakhine.

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • Goh Meng Seng: Is Singapore Government In Panic Mode About Economy?

    Goh Meng Seng: Is Singapore Government In Panic Mode About Economy?

    PM Lee is basically trying to tell us, don’t panic ok, this is not a crisis yet!

    However, MAS has, for the very first time in my memory, giving out subtle but CRITICAL warning to Singaporeans not to over spend and try to save for rainy days 。。。。

    It defies Keynesian economics logic actually. When time is going to be bad, consumption needs to boost up, not down. If MAS is making such call, it means that time is REALLY REALLY REALLY going to be EXTREMELY BAD! And believe me, this is THE CRISIS mode already!

    Oh Not to forget, PAP government is so Kan Cheong that it now puts up a law, I guess this is ONE OF ITS KIND of LAW in this world, that puts mandatory requirement on company to report to Government if they are retrenching 5 or more workers within 6 months! Alamek… This is the REAL PANIC MODE!

     

    Source: Goh Meng Seng

  • No Influx Of Chinese Nationals In Johor

    No Influx Of Chinese Nationals In Johor

    JOHOR BARU • Investments from China into Johor are part of a global trend and it does not make sense to say that there will soon be 700,000 Chinese nationals living in the southern state, said Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

    He made the remarks to rebut a claim by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad that housing projects in Johor such as Forest City township will result in an influx of Chinese nationals into the state.

    Datuk Seri Khaled said China has become an economic powerhouse with a large middle class that has a strong appetite for property all over the globe, the Malay Mail Online news website quoted him as saying on Thursday.

    And Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years, should understand the importance of foreign investments as he had flown all over the world to ask investors to put money in the country.

    “This is a global phenomenon and it behoves all parties, particularly the private sector, to attract investment from China and, specifically, to Johor. More so when Johor is just next to Singapore,” Mr Khaled said in a statement.

    “But it is wildly inaccurate to state that property… is only for the Chinese. What more when developers in Johor do not target only Chinese as their prospects.”

    Dr Mahathir, who now leads an opposition party, claimed in a speech late last month that a “gigantic city” being built in Johor would be peopled by Chinese nationals.

    He further claimed that he had heard that they would be given Malaysian identity cards to vote for Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ruling coalition.

    “This is the frightening story I heard, that there is an attempt to issue ICs to foreigners to support Najib in the next general election,” he said in a speech at an opposition rally last week, as quoted by the Malaysian Digest news site.

    “Johoreans, Malays or even local Chinese and Indians can’t fill up this gigantic city that can hold 700,000 people. Foreigners will be imported to fill these houses being funded by Chinese developers, to settle them into our community,” Dr Mahathir said.

    Rebutting the claim, Mr Khaled said the 1,386ha Forest City project, which is being built on four man-made islands, is a project lasting 30 years.

    “Marketing for residential properties in Forest City is not concentrated only in China but also in Australia, Middle East and other countries, and it is only offering 10,000 units,” he said, as quoted by Bernama news agency.

    “After 30 years, maybe there will be 700,000 foreigners in Johor but it is unlikely all of them will be Chinese nationals.”

    He added: “We, in Johor, do not want to be the backyard of Singapore. We want to develop on our own efforts, our capability, strength and on the position of Johor itself.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Chee Soon Juan: Lee Hsien Loong’s Unstatesman-Like Behaviour Ruining Relations With China

    Chee Soon Juan: Lee Hsien Loong’s Unstatesman-Like Behaviour Ruining Relations With China

    It is clear that Singapore’s relations with China has deteriorated in recent years and LHL’s utterances have not helped. The couple of wisecracks he made – saying that all the Chinese people need to do was to turn on the tap if they wanted pork soup after pig carcasses were found in the rivers or get free smokes simply by opening windows because of the smog – were, to put it mildly, eyebrow-raising.

    Such humour, while one might expect from a stand-up comic, has to be off limits to a head of government. Does this even need to be pointed out?

    To make matters worse, Lee made these injudicious remarks in front of an American audience, a country that China sees as its intense rival, and drew much laughter. How do you think we would react if another country’s leader made some jokes about Singapore?

    And when matters came to a head regarding the South China Sea, Lee presumed to lecture China on the rule of law, forgetting his own abuse of the rule of law in Singapore. And when frustrated over the demise of the TPP, he lashed out that China was no more the middle kingdom. The tone-deafness defied belief.

    Would not such views have been better expressed behind the scenes? Did the jokes contribute to an already aggravated atmosphere?

    No one determines who we trade and build alliances with. Singaporeans will not be dictated to by any foreign power and we will meet any such challenge with united resoluteness.

    But when our prime minister deprecates other countries, he must be called out. To remain silent or, worse, call for unintelligent loyalty to him on such occasions is to endanger our country’s interests and jeopardise our people’s well-being.

    As PM, Lee must realise that what he says on the international stage impacts greatly on ordinary Singaporeans. Unstatesman-like remarks that harm our country’s international relations must stop.

     

    Source: Chee Soon Juan 徐顺全

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