Category: Singapuraku

Singapore-Registered Fishing Vessel Detained In Malaysia

A Singapore-registered fishing vessel and its four crew members have been detained in Malaysia for alleged illegal fishing in its waters.

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) on Thursday (May 28) confirmed the incident.

“We are aware that an AVA-licensed fishing vessel, SMF1195, has been detained by the Malaysian authorities,” an AVA spokesperson said, in response to queries from Channel 8 News.

“Singapore understands that the fishing vessel was in Singapore waters when it was first approached by the Malaysian authorities. Singapore has registered our concerns with Malaysia over this incident and is in contact with the Malaysian authorities.”

Channel 8 News understands that Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also investigating the incident.

The vessel’s owner, Lian Yak Fish Merchant, said the boat was about four nautical miles off Pedra Branca at 6am on Tuesday, when it was approached by a Malaysian patrol boat. The fishing vessel was later detained at Kota Tinggi in Johor.

Lian Yak Fish Merchant also said the three Malaysian officials had boarded the fishing vessel and told them to head towards Sedili in Kota Tinggi. “We arrived the next day, and the crew members were detained without bail,” the company said.

Lian Yak Fish Merchant added that the vessel was probably not in Malaysian waters, as it had been fishing in the area for more than 40 years, and even though it had misunderstandings previously, they were resolved.

“Our vessels are equipped with global positioning systems so their locations are clearly indicated. The crew wouldn’t enter Malaysian waters. They also recorded their position at that time, and they are very clear of where they are,” the company’s business development manager explained.

The four crew members are foreigners between the ages of 36 and 62, and they are slated to appear in court next Tuesday, the firm added.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

May 29, 2015
27 Year Old Malaysia Jailed And Caned For Robbing And Raping A Foreign National

Malaysian Chang Kar Meng, 27, was sentenced on Thursday (May 28) to a combined 17 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane for robbing, making unconscious and then raping a 33-year-old foreign national.

Chang, a staff member at a Raffles Place café, had robbed the foreign national of a total of $2,210, including her gold necklace, handphone and about S$300 in cash. As the foreign national is a victim of a sex crime, she will not be named.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Zhong Zewei said that the accused had seen the victim going to her block’s lift landing at Paya Lebar on Mar 8, 2013, at around 1.30am.

The accused was on the way home after his girlfriend decided not to meet him due to a long wait to treat him at a McDonald’s branch. The victim, who works as a waitress, was heading back from work. As soon as the victim waited for the lift at the landing, Chang approached the victim from behind and hit the back of her neck, making her unconscious.

Chang then dragged her body to a grass patch nearby before stealing her valuables. As he was doing so, he became aroused and started fondling her breasts, before taking photographs of them.

The victim was slightly conscious at that point but remained still for fear that Chang would attack her. He then proceeded to rape her before leaving her body on a discarded mattress at her block.

DPP Zhong said it took investigators five-and-a-half months before tracing Chang’s identity and arresting him on Aug 21, 2013, at his residence. Details of the investigations are not known.

The prosecutor stated that a psychiatric report revealed Chang had the urge to rape the victim as he had not had sex with his girlfriend for a week. Furthermore, he was not on good terms with his girlfriend and he had the intention of impregnating and leaving her.

Although the report revealed Chang had suffered from depression, the prosecution argued that Chang was aware of his actions at the time of the incident.

The defence, led by Sunil Sudheesan, argued that Chang’s family members revealed in statements that his actions in these offences were not in line with his usual behaviour.

Justice Tay sentenced Chang to 12 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for rape, and five years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for voluntarily causing hurt while committing robbery.

A third charge, of possessing an allegedly stolen sports bra and white dress, was taken into consideration.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

May 29, 2015
Jover Chew And Four Others Charged In Court

Jover Chew, the owner of now-defunct Mobile Air, and four other men were charged in court on Friday morning over cheating cases at their now-defunct Sim Lim Square shop.

The five men, aged between 31 and 38, were arrested on Wednesday “for a series of cheating cases”, said the police in a statement.

Each of the five faces between one and 26 charges. Chew alone faces 25 cheating offences and one criminal intimidation charge.

Several police reports were lodged in 2014 against the mobile phone shop for dishonest sales practices. Customers said they were coerced into buying mobile phones and in-house warranties at inflated prices.

“These victims ended up paying for the hand phones at much higher prices or had to pay fees to cancel the deal,” said the police.

The police conducted extensive follow-up investigations, and interviewed victims and witnesses to gather evidence before consulting with the Attorney-General’s Chambers to bring them to court.

On Friday morning, Chew and two of the men were brought from remand in a police van to the State Courts at about 7.30am.

Another former Mobile Air employee, Edmund Lim Hong Ching, was spotted arriving at the State Courts at 8.50am. He was reported to also be known as Ricky Lee and Wilfred, and took over Chew’s shop after the owner closed it and went missing late last year.

Chew and his shop became infamous after a video of a crying Vietnamese tourist begging staff at the shop for a refund went viral last November.

The tourist, factory worker Pham Van Thoai, was initially quoted a price of $950 for an iPhone 6 which he wanted to buy for his girlfriend. But he was later asked to pay an additional $1,500 for a warranty.

Mr Thoai was told that if he failed to pay the additional amount, he would not only lose the $950 but also the new phone. He went on his knees, pleading with Chew to return his money.

After the video of the incident went viral, online vigilantes posted Chew’s personal details online, driving him out of the mall.

A crowdfunding campaign was initiated to raise funds to buy a new phone for Mr Thoai. About $15,500 was raised, with $1,538 used to buy an iPhone for him. But Mr Thoai declined the gift, excepting only about $200 worth of food items from Singaporeans.

Chew also came under the spotlight for refunding a woman $1,010 in coins, which included one- and five-cent coins that came up to 18kg last October.

The woman from China had turned to the Small Claims Tribunal after Mobile Air charged her an additional $1,400 for a mobile phone.

Chinese evening newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported on Thursday that Chew was having breakfast with his mother the day before when he received a call to report to the police at 3pm.

He then told her that he would have to stay at the police station for 48 hours, and would be charged in court on Friday morning, Shin Min reported.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

May 29, 2015
K Shanmugam: AHPETC’s “Egregious Conduct” Must Be Punished

A day after a High Court raised the red flag on the goings-on in Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC), Law Minister K Shanmugam followed up with hard-hitting words for the Workers’ Party, which runs the town council.

The scathing comments Justice Quentin Loh directed at AHPETC confirms his remarks previously that AHPETC’s town councillors had acted in an “unlawful” manner, said Mr Shanmugam, who is also Foreign Minister. He also zeroed in on the fact that the judge had highlighted AHPETC chairman Sylvia Lim’s misleading statements to Parliament about the financial transfers the town council was required to make.

“I said in February, in Parliament, that the WP MPs’ conduct on AHPETC was unlawful. I said that several times. I choose my words carefully. This judgment confirms what I have said,” said Mr Shanmugam, who was giving his views on the court’s decision at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (May 28). “The judge was scathing about the town councilors and their conduct. He said that the chairman of the WP misled Parliament. It is very serious to lie in Parliament.”
Today was not the first time Mr Shanmugam has, shorn of parliamentary privilege, described the WP town councillors’ conduct as unlawful. Parliamentary privilege refers to the legal immunity from any action in the courts for words spoken in the course of parliamentary proceedings. The aim is to allow Members to speak freely and frankly without fear of legal consequences.

In an 80-page judgment released on yesterday, Justice Loh had said that AHPETC’s actions were “at the height of financial irresponsibility”, quoted Mr Shanmugam.

The judgment underscores the fact that action should be taken over the “egregious conduct” of the AHPETC, he added, highlighting that the judge had said the conduct was “possibly criminal” and that the town council could be sued by residents and the Housing and Development Board.

Mr Shanmugam said: “If this were to happen to a People’s Action Party town council, what do you think Singaporeans would be asking? If this were to happen to a public company, what do you think the shareholders would be saying? Is conduct like this responsible? Is the Government responsible if it just keeps quiet in the face of a judgment from the Supreme Court that says all these things?”

The judge also noted that “it is clear there are grave and serious questions” in AHPETC, relating to its books and the validity and property of payments made to related parties.

Calling for WP’s Secretary-General Low Thia Kiang and other AHPETC town councillors to take action, Mr Shanmugam said: “(They) have to explain what are they going to do to set right the situation? … What are they going to do to answer the ‘grave and serious questions’ that the court says has been raised? This is pretty serious.”

Mr Shanmugam said MND will consult the Attorney-General’s Chambers on its next steps, but said the Government has a responsibility to pursue further action.

Reiterating that the judgment concurs with the government’s position that AHPETC’s conduct “was bad … and actionable”, Mr Shanmugam said the judge was of the view that the Town Councils Act empower the HDB and residents, not MND, to seek legal action.

“That is something the Attorney-General will advise us on, as to whether it is the correct interpretation, and what they should do about it,” he said.

AHPETC could not be reached for comment today.

Source: www.todayonline.com

May 29, 2015
Miak Siew: Calvin Cheng Is Just Pretending To Be Clever

This is privilege. Majority groups are often blind to the oppression and discrimination minority groups face. And when they speak up, they are labelled militants, disturbing the peace, stirring trouble.

I am deeply offended that Calvin Cheng accused Alfian Sa’at. Did Alfian not articulate the real experiences of a Malay person living in hyper-Sinicized Singapore? As a Chinese person I was blind to it until someone like Alfian pointed it out to me.

Saying that they don’t experience discrimination is to deny their experience and is also our denial of our participation in their discrimination.

We are all a little racist. Admission is the first step of acknowledging that reality and the long journey of building a society based on equality. I wonder how much of it is an attempt to absolve himself and the government of racism, and how much of it is – and I use this word seriously – stupidity masquerading as intelligence.

Source: Miak Siew

May 29, 2015