Category: Singapuraku

Netizens: If SAF Soldiers Do Crowd Control During Major Tran Disruptions, Who Defend Singapore?

Stomper Vincent shares his disapproval over plans to deploy soldiers from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to help manage crowds during massive train breakdowns.

A report from the Straits Times earlier today (Aug 21) stated that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is beefing up its contingency plans for in the event of large-scale rail disruptions.

Soldiers will be roped in as marshals to give directions to stricken commuters.

The Defence Ministry also confirmed the move, saying that the SAF will work with LTA in the event of a major disruption, “while maintaining our primary responsibility to safeguard our security environment”.

Expressing his opinions about this new move, Stomper Vincent wrote in an email to Stomp:

“This news has created unhappiness for many Singaporeans and many have shared it to express concern.

“I hope Mindef can see this and will not approve soldiers to be deployed during major MRT breakdowns.

“I thought these public transport companies are listed and profit-driven?

“Military personnel are meant for defending Singapore, not for marshaling during train disruptions!

“This is a private company’s disaster. Not a natural and national disaster like floods, forest fires etc.

“How can a private company activate soldiers?”

The Stomper added that soldiers are funded by tax payers’ money and should not be deployed to manage problems of a private company.

Vincent is not the only one with such sentiments. Readers of The Straits Times report have also left comments expressing their disapproval of the plan.

David Lee wrote, “SMRT is a profit-making operation, are they going to pay for the services rendered by the soldiers?”

颜树芬 added that the only way the plan would work is if it was executed by a non-profit driven organisation.

Source: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg

August 21, 2015
NSP’s Steve Chia To Contest Macpherson SMC

National Solidarity Party (NSP) council member Steve Chia ran in MacPherson estate on Friday.

The former non-constituency MP posted on this Facebook page early Friday morning saying: “Just completed two rounds around the perimeter of MacPherson SMC early morning. Greeted many residents who have to get up early to go for work.”

Mr Chia, an avid runner who regularly takes part in endurance races, also posted two screenshots from a smartphone running app that showed him taking two loops around the estate. Accompanying one of the images was a post that said, “Saw many areas that needs improvement”.

His Facebook post comes two days after the NSP made a surprise surprise U-turn to contest MacPherson SMC. The opposition party has yet to announce who it would field at the coming general elections, widely expected to be held next month. But the latest post by Mr Chia gave the strongest hint yet on who the party may field as a candidate for the SMC.

When asked by followers of his Facebook page on whether he will be contesting in MacPherson, he replied: “Yes, we will be committed to the residents of MacPherson SMC,” without elaborating further.

The party announced in a statement on Wednesday that it had a change of heart after receiving “feedback and pledges of support” from residents of the two constituencies, where it had also contested at the last polls in 2011.

Therefore, it has decided to contest MacPherson SMC, given its outreach efforts there before the previous general election. “This decision made by the CEC is final, and reflects our view that maintaining Opposition unity requires mutual respect and a spirit of compromise on the part of all parties,” it added.

Just over an hour later, NSP secretary-general Hazel Poa announced that she had quit the party as she disagreed with the decision.

The NSP had said on Aug 10, in a statement signed by Ms Poa, that it would not contest MacPherson and Marine Parade GRC to avoid three-way fights with the WP.

This after two rounds of horse-trading talks failed to resolve its overlapping claims with the Workers’ Party (WP).

In the recent elections boundary review, MacPherson SMC was carved out as a single-seat from Marine Parade GRC, where NSP contested in 2011. The GRC also absorbed the Joo Chiat single-seat ward, which was contested by the WP.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

August 21, 2015
Halimah Yacob To Co-Anchor PAP Team In Marsiling-Yew Tew GRC

The People’s Action Party announced today (Aug 21) that first-term Members of Parliament Alex Yam and Ong Teng Koon will be contesting in new Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency, alongside team co-anchors Lawrence Wong and Mdm Halimah Yacob.

Mr Yam’s ward was carved out from Chua Chu Kang GRC into Marsiling-Yew Tee in the recent electoral boundaries review exercise, as was Mr Ong’s Woodgrove ward from Sembawang GRC.

Earlier last week, Mr Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, announced that he would co-anchor the team with three-term MP Halimah Yacob, who will be moving to Marsiling-Yew Tee from Jurong GRC.

Mr Wong also said the division of boundaries and finding a place for him to operate within the entire GRC may be sorted out after the election. Mr Wong himself will be new to the constituency, having moved over from West Coast GRC.

Mr Yam and Mr Ong are expected to continue helming their respective wards while Mdm Halimah is expected to take over Marsiling from Mr Hawazi Daipi, who is retiring from politics.

At a press conference held at a void deck in Marsiling to confirm the PAP’s slate of candidates, Mr Wong said his team, with two incumbent MPs and two new MPs, brings together continuity and change, and youth and experience.

Ahead of the PAP press conference, the candidates mingled with residents and served up food as musicians entertained the crowd that had gathered at the void deck of Blk 3, Marsiling Drive.

Source: www.todayonline.com

August 21, 2015
Soldiers Will Be Roped In To Assist In Major Train Disruptions

Soldiers will be roped in as marshals to give directions to stricken commuters in the event of a massive train breakdown, The Straits Times has learnt.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA), which is beefing up its contingency plans, has approached the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to explore deploying the men in green to give directions and manage crowds. They will be tapped only during large-scale disruptions.

LTA said that personnel from the police, Public Transport Security Command (Transcom) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force are already helping LTA and the public transport operators in managing such incidents.

An LTA spokesman told The Straits Times that it “will also work with other agencies like the Defence Ministry (Mindef) to provide additional manpower resources if necessary”.

When contacted, Mindef confirmed the move, saying that SAF will work with LTA in the event of a major disruption, “while maintaining our primary responsibility to safeguard our security environment”.

The latest move comes on the back of a spate of major incidents involving Singapore’s rail system.

The most recent was the massive July 7 breakdown of the North-South and East-West MRT lines, which affected some 250,000 commuters during the peak hour.

When trains broke down around 7pm, there were accounts of people not managing to reach home until close to midnight. Some walked all the way.

A review was conducted in the wake of the incident, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo in Parliament on Monday.

It was found that the contingency plans of rail operator SMRT were “not adequate” to handle the scale of the breakdown, she added.

As a result, trunk bus services calling at MRT stations hit by delays or breakdowns will be ramped up to provide alternative travel options for commuters, said Mrs Teo.

Transport expert Park Byung Joon said that tapping on the military during massive disruptions makes sense, as soldiers can be called up and deployed at short notice and “can channel commuters to the right places as quickly as possible”.

The adjunct associate professor at SIM University said using the military as “an alternative backup manpower” during such incidents is not unheard of.

He pointed out that some special force troops in the South Korean army learn how to operate trains, to ensure train services continue in the event of a strike by train drivers.

Alex Yam, deputy chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs, said deploying SAF personnel at MRT stations is not entirely new as soldiers are already put in key installations like Jurong Island and Changi Airport to conduct patrols.

They also have experience in crowd control during major national events like the National Day Parade.

Mr Yam added: “Transcom already has a sizeable pool of officers, so activating military men will not be the first course of action. It is a last resort.”

Source: http://news.asiaone.com

August 21, 2015
Woman Jailed For Lying About Rape, Beating Up Sister

Not only did she lie to the police about being raped, but she also stole from a 64-year-old man and beat up her 14-year-old sister.

Yesterday, former healthcare assistant Norlindah Roslan (above), 28, was sentenced to 41/2 months in jail after being found guilty of giving false information to the police, drug consumption, theft and slapping her sister.

In March last year, after having consensual sex at a rubbish bin centre with a Malaysian cleaner, Norlindah, who was then working at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, called the police to make the rape allegation after quarrelling with her fiance, who was not named.

The court heard that at about 1.50am that day, she had handed her uniform to the cleaner for drying before leaving for a smoke. She claimed that when she returned to the bin centre later, he pulled her into a room and raped her.

As part of investigations against the 33-year-old Malaysian, police collected closed-circuit television footage taken from around the rubbish bin centre.

They found that Norlindah had walked into the cleaner’s room of her own accord and the two of them had agreed to have sex when they were smoking earlier.

She told police the truth three months after she was arrested on Feb 27 and placed in remand.

The court also heard how Norlindah had met cabby Yeo Shek Yong when she boarded his taxi in January this year. On Feb 23, she went to his flat in Yishun. Before leaving, she pocketed a gold ring with an embedded jade stone. She pawned the $1,400 ring for $450 and used the money to pay her landlord.

In the slapping incident, Norlindah and two of her sisters, aged 15 and 25, went to a flat in Jurong East Street 32 where their youngest sister was on Feb 11 this year. They took the 14-year-old to the void deck. There, Norlindah and the two sisters slapped and punched the victim. The sisters will be dealt with separately.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

August 21, 2015