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Category: Singapuraku

  • Singapore Couple Staying In Orchard Road Condo On Trial For Starving Filipino Maid

    Singapore Couple Staying In Orchard Road Condo On Trial For Starving Filipino Maid

    A Singaporean couple is on trial for allegedly starving their Filipina domestic helper. She weighed just 29kg when she escaped from their Orchard Road condominium in April 2014.

    Lim Choon Hong and wife Chong Sui Foon, both 47, face one charge each under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, which states that employers are responsible for the “maintenance” of their foreign employee, including proving them with adequate food.

    Ms Thelma Oyasan Gawidan, 40, had worked for the couple for almost 1.5 years before she escaped and sought refuge at HOME, a non-profit organisation that assists migrant workers, including domestic helpers.

    Ms Thelma lost 20kg whilst working for Lim and Chong. She told HOME of only being given instant noodles to eat twice a day for over a year. On some occasions, she was given bread.

    Ms Thelma Oyasan Gawidan lost 20 kg over a 15-month period while working for Lim Choon Hong and his wife Chong Sui Foon at their condominium in Orchard. (Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY)

    Chong also only allowed her to shower once or twice a week, keeping tabs on Ms Thelma to make sure she did not use any hot water, despite forcing her to shower in the condominium’s public toilet, Ms Christina Quek, the investigation officer in charge of the case, told the court.

    HOME reported Ms Thelma’s conditions to the Ministry of Manpower, who directed the NGO to send Ms Thelma for a medical check up.

    In court on Monday (Dec 14), Dr Lim Huiyu, senior resident at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s department of gastroenterology and hepatology who examined Ms Thelma in April this year, testified that she suffered “significant weight loss due to insufficient intake of food”. This conclusion was arrived at after ruling out medical or organic causes. So malnourished was Ms Thelma that she did not have her period for a year, the doctor said.

    “I WAS SHIVERING FROM HUNGER”

    Ms Thelma took the stand on Monday afternoon, and guided by Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Soo Tet, detailed her alleged ordeal.

    The couple asked her to work odd hours, telling her to sleep in the storeroom in the day and putting her to work overnight. Ms Thelma brought up a particularly draining episode when she woke up on a Monday at 7pm and was made to work without rest till Wednesday. She had told Chong she was tired from working over 24 hours, but was told to”hurry up and finish”, Ms Thelma told the court.

    The petite woman also recalled how she was “shivering from hunger”. “When I am still hungry, I will ask for more … sometimes she will give me more, but the next meal I will get less”, Ms Thelma said.

    Chong would sometimes add some meat and vegetables to her food, Ms Thelma told the court, but in the form of “one slice of tomato … or cucumber”. As for meat, Ms Thelma pointed to her little finger to indicate the size of the portion. “Is that all?”, DPP Tan asked. “Yes. I always felt hungry,” Ms Thelma added.

    “I DIDN’T RECOGNISE MYSELF IN THE MIRROR”

    Ms Thelma was never allowed to eat out with the family. Even when Lim and Chong brought their three children to stay at Raffles Hotel, they packed instant noodles and bread for Ms Thelma.

    “I became skinny. I didn’t recognise myself when I looked in the mirror,” Ms Thelma said. She broke down sobbing at one point, and had to be given a 10-minute break to compose herself.

    The 40-year-old also told the court she felt weak in general, and that her clothes were getting looser. After a while, her hair started dropping out. She stopped getting her period in February 2013, a month after starting work for the couple.

    Ms Thelma told the court that she tried to plead with Chong for more food on one of the instances when the Singaporean was supervising her whilst she showered. “I pleaded with her when she was in the bathroom with me: ‘Look at my body, I am skin and bones already’”. But Chong pretended not to have heard her, she said.

    Ms Thelma sobbed uncontrollably in court and covered her face when shown pictures of herself at 29kg, after running away from her employers’ home.

    If found guilty, Lim and Chong could be jailed up to 12 months and/or fined up to S$10,000.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Miracle Baby: Cancer Survivor Conceives And Gives Birth To Healthy Baby

    Miracle Baby: Cancer Survivor Conceives And Gives Birth To Healthy Baby

    She may be the first Singaporean to undergo a ground-breaking medical procedure called ovarian tissue cryopreservation.

    But all Madam Siti Nurjannah Sapiee, 32, is grateful for is that it enabled her to be a mother.

    Her journey to motherhood began with a devastating roadblock.

    Just three months before her planned wedding, in November 2009, Madam Siti, who was then 26, was shaken by two diagnoses – cancer and infertility.

    The former primary school teacher was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma of the thigh, a rare cancer of the soft tissues that typically occurs near the large joints of the arms or legs.

    INFERTILITY

    To make matters worse, she was told that chemotherapy might render her infertile.

    Madam Siti, who is now a housewife, said: “The most heartbreaking thing to me was remembering that my fiance wanted three kids and I felt I couldn’t give him what he wanted.”

    So she postponed her wedding to November 2010 and focused on battling her illness to pursue her chances of having children.

    Madam Siti was referred to Dr Anupriya Agarwal, a consultant at the National University Hospital (NUH) Women’s Centre’s Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, by her oncologist, Dr Andrea Wong.

    Before the start of her cancer treatment, the doctors discussed how to sustain her fertility.

    They suggested ovarian tissue cryopreservation, a procedure that involves the removal of ovarian tissue from Madam Siti’s body and keeping it in frozen storage until after her recovery.

    In-vitro fertilisation, an alternative procedure, was not an option as Madam Siti was engaged, but not married at that time.

    “You don’t know how much you want a baby until somebody tells you that you can’t have one,” she said tearfully.

    In December 2009, Madam Siti underwent the ovarian tissue cryopreservation procedure, which cost $5,000. Soon after, she underwent chemotherapy.

    About three years later, in March 2013, Madam Siti was confirmed to be cancer-free and was ready for the ovarian tissue to be reimplanted into her body.

    EXTREMELY CONCERNED

    Her husband, Mr Raihan Haji Rajin, 32, told The New Paper that he was still extremely concerned.

    “Even though she was cancer-free, I didn’t want her to neglect her health just so that she could conceive my child. I wanted her to raise it with me,” said the primary school teacher.

    Madam Siti’s menstrual cycle returned three months after the ovarian tissue was reimplanted.

    Over a year later, in October 2014, the moment she had been dreaming of finally came.

    Mr Raihan said: “She woke me up one morning and showed me a pregnancy test that showed a positive result. I told her to try two more times and all three tests were positive.

    “At that time, she was already excited, but I didn’t want to raise our hopes, to be disappointed in the end. That’s why I was still quite hesitant and wanted to wait until we received confirmation from a doctor.”

    Madam Siti said it was not until the third month of her pregnancy, when the gynaecologist showed them a sonogram of their baby, that she and her husband really believed they would be having a child.

    She recalled having an easy pregnancy. Once, she had a craving for belacan that could be bought only in Malacca.

    “The funny thing is I didn’t even want to eat it, I just wanted to smell it,” she said with a chuckle.

    On May 21 this year, Madam Siti gave birth to Nur Hannah A’qiylah.

    Weighing 2.7kg at birth, baby Hannah is reportedly one of only 21 babies worldwide who was conceived naturally following ovarian tissue cryopreservation, according to NUH.

    Her birth is reportedly the first in Asia.

    Madam Siti said: “If I could advise anyone who is going through the same thing I did, I would tell them to have faith and not give up. Hannah is proof that miracles still exist in this world.”

    She now faces a time limit: Her reimplanted ovaries are viable for only five years. Otherwise, she will have to go through the entire procedure all over again.

    She said: “I am very happy and contented right now. But I hope to try again for another child in the next five years.”

    You don’t know how much you want a baby until somebody tells you that you can’t have one.

    – Madam Siti Nurjannah Sapiee

    OVARIAN TISSUE HARVESTED & FROZEN

    HAPPY MUM: Madam Siti hopes to try for another child as her reimplanted ovaries are viable for only five years.

    Soon after her cancer treatment, Madam Siti Nurjannah Sapiee was also put on hormone replacement therapy to ease the effect of premature menopause, which had been brought about by the temporary removal of her ovarian tissue.

    In the ovarian tissue cryopreservation procedure, doctors harvested tissue that stores the eggs from both of Madam Siti’s ovaries.

    A special freezing technique was used to preserve that portion of tissue, also known as the cortex.

    Ms Joyce Mathew, chief embryologist in NUH’s Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, said: “The most crucial part of the freezing procedure in the laboratory was to ensure that there would be no freeze damage to the egg cells in the cortical tissue.”

    By March 2013, Madam Siti had recovered from cancer and was ready to have children.

    The frozen tissue was thawed and rinsed with a special thawing solution, then reimplanted into her body via a mini laparotomy.

    The surgical procedure involves making a large incision through the abdominal wall to gain access into the abdominal cavity and it was done with the use of extremely fine sutures.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Statement By Mufti Ismail Menk

    Statement By Mufti Ismail Menk

    STATEMENT BY MUFTI MENK

    I am deeply touched by the outpouring of care and support since the incident in Singapore, where my permit to speak at a conference was not approved.

    I was informed just over a week before the event that the speaking permit did not come through. The organizers told me they would make an appeal. I travelled to Singapore nonetheless and on the eve of the event, the appeal was unsuccessful.

    I did not attend the conference and left that night for Sri Lanka.

    In the interim, many things have been said about me and rumours have been flying around. Many are factually wrong.

    As these comments have reached international audiences, I have no choice but to react to this and to explore my legal options. I am not interested in monetary compensation. I just want to stop the baseless allegations which I believe have been made to harm my reputation.

    I have never preached anything but peace. My work is up on public platforms for all to see.

    I have been speaking in Singapore since 2012 and I am looking forward to going back there for future talks. I want to thank all of you for your love and concern.

    May the Almighty protect and guide us all. Aameen

     

    Source: Mufti Ismail Menk

  • Singaporean Shortlisted For US$1M Teaching Prize, Will Not Compete

    Singaporean Shortlisted For US$1M Teaching Prize, Will Not Compete

    Greenview Secondary School teacher Muhammad Nazir Amir, who teaches science by getting his students to design toys , was on Wednesday (Dec 9) morning named one of the 50 finalists shortlisted for a US$1 million (S$1.4 million) teaching prize by a Dubai-based education charity.

    But in a surprise turn of events, Dr Nazir, 38, who won the President’s Award for Teachers last year, said he was not proceeding with the competition.

    “I am very happy and honoured to be in the Top 50 but am not proceeding further due to personal reasons,” he told The Straits Times.

    Earlier on Wednesday, the Varkey Foundation, which gives out the prize dubbed the “Nobel Prize for teachers”, said that the 50 finalists were arrived at after whittling down 8,000 nominations from 148 countries.

    The number of shortlisted applicants will be further reduced from 50 to 10, and their names will be announced in February next year.

    The winner will be announced at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai in March.

    The yearly prize was launched last year to recognise exceptional teachers who go the extra mile for their students and contribute to the profession as a whole.

    In a press statement on Wednesday, the Varkey Foundation said: “By unearthing thousands of stories of heroes that have transformed young people’s lives, the prize hopes to bring to life the exceptional work of millions of teachers all over the world.”

    It said that Dr Nazir, who has a PhD in science and design and technology education from the National Institute of Education, developed the RAP (relevant, appealing and personal) teaching approach for Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects to better engage with students, particularly those who are less academically inclined.

    His lessons include getting students to build toys using scientific principles for storytelling.

    This approach has contributed to a high level of passes among his students.

    United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, who supports the prize, said: “Teachers are entrusted with nurturing the potential of the young and helping them blossom as productive and responsible members of society.”

    This year, Ms Nancie Atwell from Maine in the United States won the prize.

    She was recognised for her work in teaching children to read and write.

    She planned to donate all the money to the Centre for Teaching and Learning, a non-profit demonstration school that she founded in 1990.

    The winners will receive their US$1 million prize money over 10 years, and will be asked to serve as global ambassadors for the Varkey Foundation, attending events and speaking about their work.

    But they will also be required to remain working as classroom teachers for at least five years as a condition of winning the award.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

     

  • Walid J. Abdullah: Singaporean Majority Must Not Be In Denial About Racism Here

    Walid J. Abdullah: Singaporean Majority Must Not Be In Denial About Racism Here

    I still find it amazing that people claim there is no racism in Singapore. What is more incredible is that often, these are the same people who say that we need to continue having the GRCs, as racial voting still occurs (contradiction much).

    I do not deny that many people are unaware of ‘Chinese privilege’ simply because they are not in a disadvantaged position, and there really is no malice on their part. For these people, after reasoned explanations, they usually accept that being in the majority brings about certain benefits (for example, you are not required to ‘integrate’ or ‘prove yourself).

    But for some people, they are just in denial. And their reason for holding such beliefs is: ‘of course there is no racism, i have never witnessed it.’

    To paraphrase my favourite comedian, Jon Stewart, just because it is snowing outside your window, it doesn’t mean that global warming isn’t taking place.

     

    Source: Walid J. Abdullah

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