Category: Sosial

Facebook Users Pay For Foreign Workers’ Free Meals With Compliments

It was midday and the sun blazed relentlessly as the cricket match wore on. Standing along the field at Race Course Road with his fellow countrymen from India today (Dec 20), Mr Ilaya Raja watched the game before him, riveted by the action.

Then unexpectedly, a woman approached the 25-year-old and handed him a packet of food.

“Here’s something to thank you,” she said. Behind her, a second woman was huddled over two large plastic bags filled with more lunch boxes. Lifting a stack of them, she offered them to other foreign workers there, stopping for a chat every now and then.

Ms Wong Shuk Leng, 27, and Ms Ong Meng Koon, 25, are employees of Select Group, the parent company of Select Catering and Stamford Catering. As part of an SG50 campaign to mark Singapore’s independence jubilee, the food company’s employees volunteered to distribute 300 lunch boxes to foreign workers in Little India today.

The first leg of the campaign took place on Nov 3, with 500 packets of chicken rice distributed at the Kranji Lodge 1 workers’ dormitory, which agreed to the offer of free meals.

On Dec 1, the catering companies put up a video of the first giveaway on their respective Facebook pages, urging online users to leave appreciative comments for the foreign worker community by Dec 11. They pledged to match the number of goodwill messages with an equivalent number of meals.

Ms Wong said the foreign workers quickly came to mind when they were deciding on the campaign’s beneficiaries. “We often forget those who help us to build our nation, build our homes and sweep our floors… we wanted to raise awareness about them.”

Around 2,000 comments have poured in online. One Facebook user named Hazel Tan wrote: “Thank you for leaving your homes to build ours. You and your colleagues work long hours under rain or shine without complaints so that we can have shelter. Thank you for all your hard work. We appreciate and remember you!”

Another user Margaret Foong commented: “Thank you so much for your hard work under the hot sun every day… to build up our country with all the facilities and taking care of the old folks by giving up your seats when we are in the bus or taking MRT.”

True to their word, 12 volunteers from the catering companies fanned out in pairs across various locations in Little India yesterday — two days after International Migrants Day — for the lunchtime giveaway, covering Buffalo Road, Kerbau Road and Bebilios Lane.

Mr IIaya was pleasantly surprised to receive his meal. “I haven’t eaten. I’m waiting for my friends,” the Tamil Nadu native said. “You give me food, I’m happy.”

Chennai native K Senthamil Kannan, 34, and his friends immediately started digging in after receiving the lunchboxes. “It’s so nice that you cooked for us,” he said.

“Enjoy! Have a good, fun day,” Ms Ong said as she moved on to the next group of men. “It’s quite meaningful,” she said later. “Normally, I see (the foreign workers) on trains. I get to know them better today. I was a little nervous at first, but after a while, it got better.”

Another 1,200 meals are expected to be distributed at Kranji Lodge 1 by the end of the year, bringing the total number to 2,000 meals.

Source: www.todayonline.com

December 21, 2015
5-Year Jail Time For For Anyone Who Celebrates Christmas In Brunei

Earlier in April, the rest of the world condemned monarch-ruled Brunei after announcing the introduction of the Sharia penal code that would include penalties such as the severing of limbs and death by stoning.

The tiny but prosperous state on the island of Borneo that is ruled by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, has now made international headlines once again after the state announced a ban on Christmas.

The ban was declared on the internationally celebrated Christian holiday because the religious affairs ministry said that publicly marking non-Islamic rituals or festivities could be seen as propagations of religions other than Islam.

Roughly 20 per cent of Brunei’s residents comprise of non-Muslims, including sizeable Buddhist and Christiancommunities.

‘Believers of other religions that live under the rule of an Islamic country – according to Islam – may practice their religion or celebrate their religious festivities among their community, with the condition that the celebrations are not disclosed or displayed publicly to Muslims,‘

‘Muslims should be careful not to follow celebrations such as these that are not in any way related to Islam… and could unknowingly damage the faith of Muslims.‘ Said the government of Brunei in a statement.

The statement also noted that businesses that publicly displayed Christmas decorations would be asked to take them down– to which the businesses had given their ‘full cooperation’ in the matter.

The penalty for celebrating Christmas in Brunei is punishable with a jail term of up to 5-years.

Brunei’s latest decision to ban Christmas officially will no doubt, attract more international criticism- following the harsh Sharia penal code that was announced to be implemented in the state in April by Brunei’s 68-year-old Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

Source: http://thecoverage.my

December 21, 2015
Suspected Terrorists In Indonesia Planned To Detonate Bombs In Java, Sumatra

Indonesian police have arrested nine suspected Islamic State supporters who were allegedly preparing terror attacks for later this month.

Police said members of the terrorist cell may have been planning a New Year’s Eve attack in Jakarta.

In a series of raids across the island of Java, Indonesia’s special anti-terror unit uncovered bomb-making materials and a black IS-style flag.

The arrests followed a tip-off from the Australian Federal Police and coincide with meetings to be held today in Jakarta between Australian Attorney-General George Brandis, counter-terrorism minister Michael Keenan and senior Indonesian politicians.

Those arrested include a teacher at an Islamic school and one of his students.

National police chief Badrodin Haiti said anti-terror police from unit Densus 88 acted after information received from the Australian Federal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

He said the men appeared to have prepared imminent attacks in Java and Sumatra.

The first arrest was made on Friday in the West Java city of Banjar.

That led to more raids across Java, including one on Saturday night in central Java, where police said they found bomb-making materials including fertiliser, ball bearings, nails and electronic switches.

Police would not say where the attacks were intended, but they noted they found a map of greater Jakarta with the bomb-making materials.

Authorities warned Indonesians to be wary of a likely terror threat over the next 10 days, even after the weekend raids.

Security stepped up to safeguard churches

Indonesia saw a spate of militant attacks in the 2000s, the deadliest of which was a nightclub bombing on the holiday island of Bali that killed 202 people, many of them Australian tourists.

Police have been largely successful in destroying domestic militant cells since then, but officials now worry about a resurgence in militancy inspired by groups such as Islamic State and Indonesians who return after fighting with the group.

Authorities plan to deploy more than 150,000 security personnel and several religious organisations to safeguard churches and public places around the country during Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, the country’s military chief said on Friday.

Security and surveillance had already been stepped up in some areas following the attacks in Paris last month that killed 130 people and for which Islamic State has claimed responsibility.

Indonesia is home to an estimated 25 million Christian people, roughly 10 per cent of the total population.

They live mostly on smaller, more remote islands, not on the two most populated islands of Java and Sumatra.

Source: www.abc.net.au

December 21, 2015
Needy Families Affected By Umrah Postponement

He emptied his savings account to fund his and his wife’s umrah pilgrimages at the end of the year.

The man, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ahmad, 51, was very disappointed when he heard that his trip had to be postponed to March due to accommodation issues.

Mr Ahmad had engaged the services of Mr Suwandi Marchuke from Bil Hikmah Consultants LLP in April to arrange for his umrah pilgrimage as the consultant company had designed a package that catered to the less fortunate. (See report on right.)

Umrah is a minor pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and can be performed at any time of the year.

On Nov 7, more than a month before they were set to leave for Mecca, more than 200 pilgrims were gathered by Mr Suwandi at Hajjah Rahimabi mosque to be told the bad news.

REFUND

Said Mr Ahmad, a father of four: “I’m only a despatch rider and my wife is a housewife. We scrimped to make ends meet and managed to save enough for the both of us to go.”

Mr Ahmad paid a registration fee of $300 for both of them and later paid the remaining $3,996 in full.

“We just hope that our refund will be processed as soon as possible,” he said, adding that he will be looking for another organiser.

The package that the Bil Hikmah consultant offered also allowed pilgrims to pay the amount in instalments.

That was the main reason Madam Salbiah Idris, 49, engaged its services to arrange for her and her husband’s pilgrimages end of this year.

“It was my first time going overseas, so I put my full trust on Suwandi. Especially since I saw that he successfully organised the pilgrimage last year,” said the mother of four.

The housewife said that the first sign of trouble was when Mr Suwandi called them together.

“It was close to the time when we were supposed to apply for our visas, but I felt something was wrong when Mr Suwandi told us not to bring our passports,” said Madam Salbiah.

When Mr Suwandi said that the trip was going to be postponed, she was initially afraid that she would lose the money she had deposited.

“It wasn’t easy saving up money. My eldest daughter, who is only 23, works full-time so she gives me money every month. I used that money to pay for the instalments,” said the mother of four.

Madam Salbiah paid a registration fee of $300 and then a sum of $3,996 for her and her husband.

“I’m not that angry about the situation. I understand that mistakes happen and I take it as a test from god,” she said.

Madam Salbiah said she will continue to trust Mr Suwandi.

“I’m willing to give him a chance and wait till March. I hope he can get everything sorted out by then,” she said.

I’m only a despatch rider and my wife is a housewife. We scrimped to make ends meet and managed to save enough for the both of us to go.

– Mr Ahmad, 51, who hopes for a refund soon

I have no intention to cheat anyone: Organiser

The package by Bil Hikmah Consultants was specifically designed to give pilgrims from low-income families a chance to fulfil their pilgrimages in Mecca, said organiser Suwandi Marchuke.

It includes food, accommodation and transport for pilgrims and it cost $1,998 per person, a vast difference from the market rate of about $3,000.

The difference in the prices is sponsored by a consortium of oil and gas companies across the Causeway as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility programme, claimed Mr Suwandi, who said he has links with the consortium.

Last year, Mr Suwandi arranged 64 pilgrimages under the package.

Following that success, the consultant, who is also an owner of a scaffolding company, was approached by veteran singer Aziz Ahmad to organize a pilgrimage for his fans.

Mr Aziz, who could not be contacted yesterday, told Berita Harian that his role was only to gather his fans for the trip and he had nothing to do with the planning of it.

In the end, 218 people signed with Mr Suwandi.

“I was very optimistic that everyone will be able to go,” he said.

After collecting money from the pilgrims, he engaged a pilgrimage service in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and paid more than US$300,000 ($420,000) in deposits for the pilgrims’ transport and accommodation.

However, two months before the group was supposed to depart, the consortium, whose members declined to be named, could not confirm the amount that they could commit to.

Mr Suwandi told The New Paper that because of the delay, he could not confirm his accommodation booking.

“When I confirm the booking for the accommodation, I already need to pay the full amount.

“How can I do that if the consortium hasn’t got back to me about how much they are sponsoring?” said Mr Suwandi.

Unfortunately, the consortium could sponsor only an amount of $360 each for 150 pilgrims. By then, most of the accommodation was fully booked and pilgrims had to be scattered into different hotels.

ADDITIONAL COST

“It will be so inconvenient for the pilgrims if they are separated. We will need to engage different caterers and it would also mean additional transports costs,” he said.

Mr Suwandi immediately consulted Mr Aziz in Johor Baru, where the latter is residing.

The pair decided to postpone the trip so that they could accommodate all the pilgrims in the same hotel.

Mr Suwandi said: “I have no intention to cheat anyone of their money. I gave them an alternative to postpone the trip to either March, May or December next year, that’s all.”

He said that at least 128 pilgrims have decided to postpone while the rest asked for a refund.

“I am definitely willing to refund their money back, but these processes take time, so all I need is a bit of patience from pilgrims,” he said.

Source: www.tnp.sg

December 19, 2015
Amos Yee Threatened By ISIS?

Is Amos Yee’s life in danger? A person commenting on Amos’ FB post shared a link to a reddit post where a Mohammad Hussein claiming affiliation with ISIS, threatened Amos for insulting Islam.

See for your self. Legit or troll?

Whatever Amos has said, reacting with violence will only make people look down upon us.

***

my name is Mohammad Hussein and I am affiliated to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS. Please do not call us Daesh, that is a name for pussies like you.

We noted how Amos Yee, a teen from Singapore, insulted our almighty God Allah. We are very displeased about this. As the representative of my group, I would like to warn you against committing such future acts or saying words anywhere remotely close to what you did.

Even though it is out of character, we will give you a chance. You can either apologies to all the Muslim brothers and sisters whose religious feelings you have wounded. Otherwise, you will feel our wrath.

Yes, don’t be fooled. This is a death threat. We know where your parents live. We know what they do. We will not relent in our pursuit of you. You are not safe anywhere, even in police custody or in jail. We will find you. We will burn your hair. We will gouge out your eyes with pitchforks. We will cut off your tongue. We won’t cut your jugular because that is too quick a death for you. You deserve a slow and painful death.

We will rip your abdomen open and fill it with ants and maggots. We will watch as these creatures which are infinitely better than you eat your heart out. We will then mutilate your body and slice off your penis and testicles, feeding to the dogs. Lastly, we will burn your body so that it will be condemned forever to hell.

Amos, this is your last and final warning. Do not think that we are joking. We will hunt you down till the ends of the earth. When you offend the holy followers of Allah, even the FBI and CIA will not be able to save you.

Al fateha, Amos.

Allahu Akbar!

Source: Amos Yee

December 18, 2015