Category: Sosial

Rochor Residents In Rush To Move Out As Dec 30 Deadline Looms

The clock is ticking for the last of the Rochor Centre residents.

Just eight days remain for them to move out of the iconic 39-year-old rainbow-coloured blocks.

The deadline given by the Housing Board is Dec 30.

There are some 30 households who are the final holdouts. The other residents in the 567 units have vacated their flats, leaving the estate a veritable ghost town.

A silence lingers in the air. The flats are empty but the common corridors are full of furniture, mattresses and appliances left behind.

But when The Straits Times visited the four blocks on Monday and Tuesday, some residents had yet to leave – and said it would be tough for them to meet the deadline.

They include housewife Nargis Banu, 39, and her family of five.

Key collection for their new flat in a new Build-To-Order (BTO) project at Kallang Trivista in Upper Boon Keng Road began in April, but they collected their keys only on Nov 11.

This was due to her family’s delays in securing a $150,000 bank loan for the new flat, said Madam Banu.

Then on Nov 22, an HDB letter came in the mail: “As most of your neighbours have already moved out, for your own safety and security, we urge you to return your flat by Dec 30.

“By returning your flat to us as soon as possible, you will avoid incurring additional expenses in holding on to two flats concurrently.”

The Straits Times understands the “additional expenses” refer to the service and conservancy fees that Madam Banu will have to pay for both her Rochor and Kallang homes.

Her husband, who has been in talks with HDB for an extension, said he was verbally given additional time after Dec 30 to move.

Their contractor has been hard at work renovating their Kallang flat, she said. But judging by the state of her new home – the flooring is still not yet finished – meeting the new deadline does not seem likely.

Said Madam Banu, who has lived in their three-room flat for 14 years: “In the first place, we love it here and don’t really want to move, but we’ve already digested that fact and come to terms with it.

“But now with this deadline, it seems like we are being backed into a corner.”

In a statement, the HDB said it understands some residents collected their keys to Trivista later due to “individual circumstances, such as outstanding issues on bank loans, family issues etc”.

It added: “For those who are unable to move out by the end of the year and requested an extension, we have considered their individual circumstances and will continue to work with them to vacate the unit as soon as possible. For security reasons, we have advised the remaining residents to move out soon.”

It was earlier reported that the 39-year-old estate in the Bugis area will be torn down by the year end to make way for the 21.5km North-South Corridor (NSC), which connects towns in the northern region to the city centre.

Yesterday, the HDB said the site will be handed over to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) only “when it is completely vacated”.

An LTA spokesman said it has embarked on a call for tenders for the construction of the NSC. “Major construction works will commence in 2017 after the civil contracts are awarded, and the reconfigured NSC is expected to be completed around 2026,” said the spokesman.

At Rochor Centre, cleaners sent by the Jalan Besar Town Council are still tidying up the estate, especially at the common bulky refuse disposal point on the fourth floor.

But there is still plenty of trash generated by the mass exodus of residents.

All businesses at the first three storeys, including the FairPrice supermarket, have left.

Corridor lights and lifts still operate though, and homes still have electrical and plumbing services.

A block away, Madam Kee Lian Hua, 65, said she also needs more time to move.

Her family collected the key to their BTO flat in September and knew of the urgency to move. But there were just too many things to pack away, she said wistfully.

Her daughter has arranged for the movers to come only on Dec 29, the day before the deadline.

Source: The Straits Times

December 22, 2016
AYE Crash Victim: I Was Lucky

She was riding pillion on her husband’s motorcycle when she saw a car speeding against the flow of traffic towards them.

Before her husband could react, the Mercedes-Benz hit their bike, sending them hurtling through the air.

As Madam Janice Choo, 34, lay injured on the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), her first concern was for the safety of her husband, Mr Teh Tze Yong.

Then, racked by pain in her left leg, her next worry was whether she would walk again.

The Malaysian couple, who live here, were among five people injured in the accident just before the underpass leading to the Tuas Checkpoint on Monday morning.

A Toyota driver was killed on the spot while his wife was injured. The Mercedes driver and a Mazda driver were also hurt.

Businessman Lim Chai Heng, 53, was charged with causing death by reckless or dangerous driving at his bed in the National University Hospital (NUH) on Tuesday.

A video clip of the Mercedes hitting the motorbike has gone viral online.

When she saw the clip, Madam Choo could not believe the woman in the video was her.

She told The New Paper yesterday from her NUH hospital bed: “I cried a lot, but it was very hard to register that the video clip was of me.

“It made me realise how lucky I am.” The administration officer said her husband was taking her to work at Tuas when the accident happened at about 8am.

“I remember seeing the car coming towards me. I was shocked but I could not do anything,” she said.

“I remember thinking to myself, the car is definitely going to hit me.”

IMPACT

The impact sent her flying and when she landed, her first thought was of her husband.

She said: “I wanted to find him to make sure he was all right. I was relieved when I saw him alive. I told him my leg hurt a lot. I did not know if I could walk again.” Madam Choo has since undergone a five-hour operation on her fractured left leg.Her brother-in-law, Mr Teh Tze Wei, 29, said his brother has had two operations for fractures on both hands and injuries on three fingers.

The quality control inspector said he was unsure if Mr Teh will need to go under the knife again.

The couple, who registered their marriage in 2005 and held their wedding ceremony in 2011, are both warded at NUH but they have not been able to see each other due to their injuries

Madam Choo is now worried how the injuries will affect their future.

Mr Teh had just started working as a warehouse assistant at Yang Kee Logistics about a month ago.

“We will not be able to work for at least three months.

“I’m worried how we are going to pay the monthly rent for our home,” she said.

The couple pay $650 a month to share a three-room flat in the Pioneer area with three relatives.

A Yang Kee Logistics spokesman told TNP it had been in contact with Mr Teh’s family and will work closely with them “to render support through this difficult period”.

Her parents, Mr Choo See Chan, 58, and Madam Choy Moy Chai, 62, drove eight hours from their home in Perak, Malaysia, to visit her and her husband at NUH.

Madam Choy said: “We never thought something like this would happen. We were worrying throughout the drive here.”

The accident has made Madam Choo swear off motorcycles.

She said: “I feel too afraid to ride a motorcycle ever again.”

Crash ‘permanently embedded’ in victim’s mind

Whenever Mr Tan Han Boon, 34, recalls the sight of the Mercedes-Benz charging towards him against the flow of traffic, it sends chills down his spine.

The project human resource manager, whose Mazda was badly damaged in Monday’s accident on the AYE, said: “I think it is permanently embedded in my mind.”

Mr Tan, who suffered abrasions and neck pain, thinks his car, which he bought in April for about $120,000, is beyond repair.

“I don’t think it can be fixed, but this will be confirmed by the insurance company,” he said.

Recalling the accident, Mr Tan said: “It was very unreal, like something in a movie.”

He said he had swerved his car to the left to avoid the oncoming Mercedes, causing him to collide into a bus.

After that, he lost track of whatever happened.

“After the accident, I remember a burning smell, my airbags were out and my glasses on the floor,” he said.

Mr Tan later went to the hospital on his own for a check-up to set his mind at ease.

Source: The New Paper

December 22, 2016
Award-Winning ITE Graduate Now Proud Co-Owner Of Hair Salon

He obtained his National ITE Certificate (Nitec) in Hair Fashion and Design in 2010, but stayed on in ITE College East to work nine-hour days five times a week for a year.

Mr Noel Ng was preparing for the WorldSkills competition, a biennial event that showcases young people’s skills in various crafts and measures them against international standards.

Working from 9am to 6pm with just a 15-minute lunch break for a year paid off – and he received a medallion for excellence during the competition held in London in October 2011.

The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduate, 24, is now a co-owner of Harts Salon at Tan Quee Lan Street, in the Bugis area.

He had also won a gold medal for hairdressing at the 8th Asean Skills Competition in 2010.

‘HANDS-ON APPROACH’

He told The New Paper: “I owe a lot of my success to the handson approach to learning that ITE offers.”

After completing his N levels, Mr Ng decided to forgo taking his O levels and started his Nitec course in 2008. He later graduated with a Nitec in Hair and Scalp Therapy in 2012.

After national service, Mr Ng worked as a stylist in a Joo Chiat hair salon, where he learned from the owner how to run a business.

He said: “I learnt a lot from her as it is my lifelong dream to be my own boss.”

His aunt and cousin helped him raise capital for Harts Salon, which opened last month.

Said Mr Ng: “I think young people should find an area they would like to pursue as their career and work towards it.

“For me, being an ITE student made me who I am today, and my school has played a very important role in helping me achieve my goals. Dreams can come true.”

Source: The New Paper

December 22, 2016
Why Malaysians Are Staying Home This Holiday Season

The end of the year is usually holiday time for Malaysians, especially with the long school break.

Recent years have been different, however, as a combination of rising costs and a deteriorating ringgit have made holidays — particularly abroad — a greater luxury than they once were.

Nearly a dozen families polled by Malay Mail Online said they were cutting back, either by trying to select more affordable options or even foregoing vacations altogether.

One such family that has opted to give up holidays completely is that of Mr Jagjit Singh’s.

“We just cannot afford holidays anymore. The cost of it is too expensive. We just end up taking them to malls or parks,” he told Malay Mail Online, referring to his children.

The “trips” to the mall also do not mean they get to spend lavishly there, as the family mostly uses their time window-shopping or possibly watching a movie.

According to his wife, Ms Taranjit Kaur, a local holiday would cost them between RM1,000 (S$322) and RM2,000 per trip, which they can ill afford.

“In the current economic situation, my husband has to do Uber despite him having an office job. I also support our income by tutoring part time,” Ms Taranjit, 31, said.

The ringgit this week fell to its lowest since the Asian Financial Crisis, spurred by an investor sell-down of emerging market assets as well as Bank Negara Malaysia’s ongoing crackdown on currency speculators.

It traded at 4.48 to the US dollar on Monday (Dec 19) morning, a level that it has not reached since the 1998 crisis.

Nurse Amutha Rayaretinam, whose family visited Istanbul, Turkey last year, said they would be travelling to a local destination this year, possibly Port Dickson in Negri Sembilan or Langkawi island in Kedah.

“The currency is very bad… I used to go travelling once a year but this year I cut off because now our currency is very low.

“Now wherever we go our currency value very low, last year I still went,” the 38-year-old mother of two told Malay Mail Online.

Those who still plan to holiday abroad are also cutting back, opting to visit a single country rather than going on the multiple-nation tours that they previously chose.

Mother of two school-going children, Ms Pei Gin, is among those considering this option to allow their families to still go for holidays outside the country.

“There is not much travelling for us now. We have lessened our spending, of course. We used to go for long overseas holidays, like two to three places. Now, we have to narrow it down to one, if we do go at all,” the homemaker said.

According to travel consultant Annuar Rizwan, his profit is down by nearly half compared to last year due to Malaysians opting to remain in the country as well as from competition of the ever-growing number of “staycation” providers.

To cope, he said he either takes his family for domestic holidays or to theme parks such as Sunway Lagoon.

“Usually we just go window shopping at malls. We don’t buy anything because we can’t afford it. We just look and see,” the father of two school-going daughters said.

Mr Annuar added that his family is prioritising education for his two girls, and needed to scale back any luxury spending.

They also try to save where they can, such as shopping for discounted school supplies or during sales.

“Education is one thing we don’t think we can cut down or reduce on. We have cut down on their shopping allowance and have tried restricting them from spending unnecessarily.”

But not everyone is complaining about foreign trips becoming more expensive

The Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) told Malay Mail Online that business has been booming for its 1,500 members, although it did not provide statistics.

Mita president Uzaidi Udanis also said local holidays is still very affordable if consumers are shrewd at spotting deals, such as early booking discounts or choosing off-season stays.

“The local destinations are ever popular among Malaysians. There might be a drop from overseas travels but as far as local travels are concerned there is an increase. Fewer people are leaving the country,” he said.

Even travel agents are opting to holiday locally.

Source: TODAY Online

December 22, 2016
Kes Bunuh Tanah Merah: Ahmad Muin Yaacob Didakwa Dengan Tuduhan Membunuh Maimunah Awang

Seorang lelaki warga Malaysia berusia 23 tahun didakwa hari ini (21 Dis) atas pembunuhan Cik Maimunah Awang yang jenazahnya dijumpai di dalam sebuah longkang berdekatan Terminal Feri Tanah Merah.

Mangsa yang berusia 54 tahun itu bekerja sebagai penyelia pekerja pembersihan di terminal feri berkenaan.

Ahmad Muin Yaacob dituduh membunuh mangsa pada 24 November lalu.

Pasukan polis Singapura menyatakan semalam bahawa Ahmad ditangkap di Malaysia pada Ahad lalu dengan bantuan polis Malaysia dan diserahkan kepada pihak berkuasa Singapura keesokan harinya.

Dia tidak menunjukkan sebarang emosi semasa tuduhan terhadapnya dibacakan, tetapi sebaliknya menanyakan satu soalan kepada hakim: “Bolehkah saya diselamatkan daripada hukuman mati jika saya bekerjasama dengan pihak berkuasa?”

Ahmad akan ditahan reman selama seminggu untuk disiasat dan akan dihadapkan ke mahkamah pada Rabu depan.

Jika didapati bersalah, dia boleh dikenakan hukuman mati.

Source: Berita MediaCorp

December 21, 2016