Category: Singapuraku

Electoral Boundaries Report: Two New GRCs But Moulmein-Kallang Carved Up

Of the 16 Group Representation Constituencies recommended by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), two did not exist in the 2011 General Election, while Moulmein-Kallang GRC will be dropped in the upcoming GE.

According to the report released on Friday (Jul 24), the new GRCs are Marsiling-Yew Tee, a four-member GRC mainly carved out of what used to be Sembawang and Chua Chu Kang GRCs, and Jalan Besar, a GRC which has re-emerged after being dissolved ahead of the 2011 polls.

Moulmein-Kallang GRC – which currently includes two Cabinet Ministers, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim and Mr Lui Tuck Yew, as well as Ms Denise Phua and Mr Edwin Tong – has been dissolved, with the area now forming parts of Holland-Bukit Timah, Bishan-Toa Payoh, Tanjong Pagar and Jalan Besar GRCs.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had previous requested that the “average size of the GRCs be reduced to below five”. Accordingly, there are now 8 five-member GRCs from 11 previously, with Chua Chu Kang, East Coast and West Coast all now four-member GRCs. The number of four-member GRCs increased this year to 6 from 2 in 2011.

Ang Mo Kio and Pasir Ris-Punggol remain the only 2 six-member GRCs. Both have more voters each than in 2011, with Ang Mo Kio still the largest constituency by population with 187,652 voters, up from 178,933 before.

The total number of voters has increased from 2,349,091 in 2011 to 2,460,977 currently.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

July 24, 2015
Brother Jailed For Beating Up Sister’s Ex-Boyfriend And Forcing Him To Masturbate

An unemployed man was on Thursday (July 23) jailed 12 months for helping a friend beat up his sister’s former boyfriend and forcing him to perform a sex act in public.

Nur Fazli Moha Ghazali, 28, was part of a group that attacked Mr Khairul Nizam Misran, 24.

Mr Khairul was previously in a relationship with the younger sister of Zulkirman Hassim Abdullah, 21, a friend of Nur Fazli.

Unhappy about the relationship, Zulkirman arranged for Nur Fazli and another friend, Shahrul Samsudin, 21, to confront Mr Khairul on Sept 27 last year.

During the confrontation, they assaulted him and also made him strip and masturbate to humiliate him.

Source: www.tnp.sg

July 24, 2015
Exploding LED Pellets From SG5o Funpack Pose Injury Risk To Young Children

A whatsapp message warning Singaporean parents about the dangers of a LED balloon from the SG50 goodie bag has gone viral on cyberspace. The message allegedly from an RC member warns that when the LED balloon is overblown, dangerous pellets will fly out of the exploding balloon and these projectiles may cause serious injuries to the face and eyes.

The message advised parents to take special care especially when young children are playing with the toy.

After All Singapore Stuff shared the viral whatsapp message, others parents have stepped forward and reflected the same experience with the balloon. This was what some of them said:

Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

July 24, 2015
Woman In Deal To Rent Out Car Cheated, Landed With $17,000 Repair Bill

A customer service executive who hoped to earn extra cash by renting out her car told The Straits Times yesterday how she believes she fell victim to a scam after she ended up with a $17,000 repair bill.

Madam M. Lee advertised her Volkswagen Golf on the classifieds website Gumtree in January and, within a day, she signed a contract to rent it out for $1,700 a month through a company called Elites Elegance Car Leasing.

The contract was due to run until December but the company stopped paying her in April.

The following month, the 29-year-old – who declined to give her full name – discovered the company was not registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.

She also found out her car had been in an accident in which the front section had been smashed in. It is now in a workshop needing repairs costing more than $17,000.

It then transpired the man she had signed the contract with had given her a false name – and had been involved in similar cases in the past.

He has promised to pay $13,500 towards the repairs but Madam Lee said: “He said he would pay with an initial $2,000 deposit and subsequent instalments of $800. But I have not gotten any money yet.”

Madam Lee made a police report last month. So far, she has paid $7,000 towards the repairs and the car is still at the garage.

Netizens have posted about similar incidents on social media and three have contacted Madam Lee to tell her about their experiences.

In 2009, a man conned 16 victims out of about $134,000 by renting cars from them and then not paying them. He then rented out their vehicles to others and pocketed their payments.

According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), private car owners are not allowed to rent out their cars through rental companies.

However, they can do so through the LTA’s private car rental scheme which has certain requirements. For example, the car must be registered under the name of the private individual and have adequate insurance coverage.

Madam Lee said: “I did not know about the regulations until I felt something was not right. If I had known this would happen, I would not have decided to rent it out.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

July 24, 2015
Parking At Popular Parks No Longer Free

Parking will no longer be free at selected carparks in 12 popular parks across the island, ruffling the feathers of some park goers.

The National Parks Board (NParks) is rolling out an automated fee system at 18 carparks in 12 parks starting from this month, including Choa Chu Kang Park, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park and Labrador Nature Reserve.

The move, introduced at parks serving a large number of users, is meant to regulate usage and prevent abuse, said NParks director of parks Chia Seng Jiang in a Forum letter published in The Straits Times yesterday.

“In recent years, NParks has been receiving complaints on the constant misuse of parking spaces in the above parks, where parking spaces were taken up for extended periods of time by non-park users,” he said.

The new system is already in place at East Coast Park, where users said they are now charged $1 an hour, at all times of the day.

The Straits Times understands that the new charges are standard parking rates.

Some have expressed concern that the new charges could discourage people, especially the elderly and handicapped, from visiting the park regularly.

Housewife Lim Lih Mei, who is in her 40s, told ST: “I can understand why charges would be imposed because land is scarce, but parks are for general public use.

“For those with elderly folk and young children, driving a car is a necessity rather than a luxury. So why should they be penalised?”

Madam Jessy Leow, 70, who visits East Coast Park with her 70-year-old husband at 6am every day, suggested that the authorities could look into giving a grace period during the early morning hours.

“At night, I agree that the carparks are very packed, but in the morning, there’s hardly anyone there as most of the shops don’t open until around 11am,” she said.

Madam Leow, who has arthritis and gout, also added that taking public transport to the park is very inconvenient for elderly folk such as herself.

Others suggested that NParks could have looked into more effective ways to prevent abuse of the parking spaces.

For instance, it could have tried to find out which timings were more prone to misuse.

Mr Jason Fu, 26, a regular West Coast Park visitor, said that the new fees could lead to fewer park visitors. But the charges may help to reduce the number of motorists who park at the parks overnight, he added.

Said the graphic designer, who does not mind having to pay the parking fees: “People will think twice about parking there.”

In its Forum letter yesterday, NParks said it appreciated feedback on the charges and will monitor the situation at these carparks.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

July 24, 2015