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Singapore-Australia Strengthens Ties Over BBQ

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Sunday (Jun 28) began his two-day official visit in Singapore, which came as Singapore celebrates its Golden Jubilee and 50 years of bilateral relations with Australia this year.

On Sunday evening, Mr Abbott and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong presided over a special barbecue at Bishan Park.

The barbecue event was part of the 50 Bridges programme – an arts and community engagement programme meant to celebrate Singapore’s Golden Jubilee, as well as 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic and Australia.

Fifty Aussie barbecues involving 10,000 beef and lamb steaks were set up across 22 locations in Singapore. About 1,000 people turned up at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

“I think it’s a great way that the Australians and Singaporeans mix together and we have barbecue beef from Australia, it’s great,” said Mr Francis Tan, a Bishan resident.

Ms Cherly Anne, a fellow Bishan resident, added: “It’s fantastic, it’s a really a good way for Singaporeans and Australians to bond and also a good way to celebrate SG50.”

Mr Lee and Mr Abbott also joined in the festivities. They had earlier gone on a walk in the park where they met some residents.

Mr Abbott then planted a tree – the “Melaleuca cajuputi” – a tree which is native to Singapore and can be found in Australia too. The two prime ministers then made their way to the barbecue area where they also barbecued some steaks.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (centre R) and Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott (centre L) grill meat over a barbecue during a visit to Bishan Park in Singapore on Jun 28, 2015. (Photo: AFP/Mohd Fyrol)

Mr Abbott is on his first official visit at the invitation of Mr Lee. Australia was one of the first countries to recognise Singapore’s independence in 1965. Since then, relations between the two nations have grown in areas such as security as well as arts and culture.

Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Ministry says the visit underscores the deep and longstanding ties between the two countries.

The highlight of the visit will be signing of the Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by the two prime ministers. It will see the two countries cooperating more closely across sectors such as economic, foreign affairs, defence and security and people-to-people ties.

An official welcome ceremony will be held for Mr Abbott in Monday. He will also visit the Singapore Botanical Gardens, where an orchid hybrid will be named in honour of the relationship between both countries.

Mr Abbott will also deliver the 35th Singapore Lecture which addresses the issue of strengthening security in the region.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (R) and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (L) don balloon hats as they visit Bishan Park in Singapore, Jun 28, 2015. (Photo: AP/Joseph Nair)

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 29, 2015
Downtown Line 2 To Open In December

Residents in Bukit Timah and Bukit Panjang will get to enjoy the convenience of the Downtown Line 2 (DTL2) earlier than expected, when it opens in December.

The line’s opening had been pushed back in July 2013 after its main contractor, Alpine Bau — which was contracted to work on the King Albert Park, Sixth Avenue and Tan Kah Kee stations for S$670.74 million — became insolvent. However, during a community visit today (June 28) to the Zhenghua division, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew announced that the resulting six-month delay has since been completely recovered.

Additional manpower and tweaks to work processes have helped bring forward the opening date to the first quarter of next year.

As a result of the stepping up of construction as well as electrical and mechanical installation work —with round-the-clock operations on some days — construction of the 12 DTL stations is now more than 95 per cent complete, the LTA said.

A control station has also been set up at Little India Station to enable basic testing for the stations to be conducted earlier.

When completed, the DTL2 will allow residents in the north-western and western regions of Singapore to get to the city centre in a shorter span of time and will ramp up public transit capacity in those areas by about 50 per cent.

Residents whom TODAY spoke to welcomed the news, noting that the DTL2 would help ease commuter crowd on buses.

“With many flats coming up in the area, I’m hoping the Downtown Line will share the commuter load during the morning and peak hours. Bukit Panjang residents have had to commute by buses, so this alternative option is a timely one,” said Ms Rachel Tan, a communications executive who has lived in Bukit Panjang for more than 25 years.

Ms Alice Ho, who resides in Segar Gardens, said she would still choose to commute by bus service 972, which plies estates further away from Bukit Panjang Road. “But DTL2 may help split the passenger load and increase the likelihood of commuters getting on earlier and less crowded buses,” she said.

Source: www.todayonline.com

June 29, 2015
Kenyataan Balas Sultan Brunei Kepada Para Pengkritik Dari Media Barat

CNN dan media Barat kini sibuk mengancam Brunei disebabkan pelaksanaan Undang-undang Syariah.

Mereka memboikot semua hotel dan kepentingan Brunei. Berikut adalah jawapan kerajaan Brunei kepada mereka:

“DALAM negara-negara kamu, kamu mengamalkan kebebasan bersuara, kebebasan media, kebebasan beragama dan lain-lain. Ianya di dalam Perlembagaan kamu, ianya sistem politik kamu, identiti negara kamu, hak kamu, aturan cara hidup kamu.

“Dalam negara saya, kami mempraktikkan kemelayuan, Islamik, sistem Monarki dan kami akan mula mengamalkan Undang-undang Islam, Undang-undang Syariah. Islam berada di dalam Perlembagaan kami, identiti negara kami, hak kami, aturan cara hidup kami.

“Kami mungkin menjumpai kelopongan-kelopongan dalam undang-undang dan sistem keadilan kamu dan kamu mungkin menjumpai kelopongan-kelopongan pada kami pula, akan tetapi ini adalah Negara kami.

“Seperti mana kamu mengamalkan hak kamu untuk Gay dan lain-lain. Kamu lakukannya untuk dunia ini yang kamu diami sekarang, sedang kami mengamalkan hak kami menjadi Muslim untuk dunia ini dan dunia selepasnya. Ini adalah Negara Islam yang mengamalkan Undang-undang Islam.

“Mengapa tidak kamu risaukan anak-anak kamu yang ditembak di sekolah-sekolah kamu, penjara kamu yang gagal menempatkan orang-orang yang tertuduh, kadar ketinggian jenayah dan DUIs, kadar bunuh diri dan pengguguran yang tinggi dan apa-apa yang patut dirisaukan DI SANA. Banyak agama yang menentang Homoseksualiti, ianya bukan sesuatu yang baru.

“Saat kamu mendengar bahawa Islam dan Muslim membuat pendirian dan meneguhkan kepercayaan mereka, kamu menghakimi, kamu memboikot, kamu katakan ianya salah, ianya bodoh, ianya kejam. Sekali lagi, pergilah kepada kebimbangan yang kamu patut tumpukan pada yang telah saya beritahu sebelum ini.

“Tidak salahkah membenarkan senjata-senjata membunuh, tidak salahkah membenarkan bayi yang belum lahir dibunuh, tidak salahkah membenarkan gaya hidup yang membawa pada AIDS dan kerencatan pada generasi baru?

“Mengapa terlalu risaukan tentang apa yang terjadi di sini, di dalam negara Islam sedang kamu tidak pun membuka mata tentang apa yang berlaku di Syria, Bosnia, Rohingnya, Palestin dan lain-lain. Ribuan terbunuh di sana dan kamu masih tidak peduli, tiada seorang pun yang terbunuh di sini di bawah Undang-undang Syariah dan kamu kecoh menggembar-gemburkan ia, walaupun penduduk di sini yang secara langsung terkesan darinya, menerimanya dengan aman.

“Hukuman mungkin sedikit keras, tidak bermakna ianya mudah untuk dilaksanakan. Di sana ada proses-proses yang perlu dijalani sebelum boleh disabit bersalah. Kami baik-baik saja dengannya, malah gembira.”

OLEH | Ke bawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien | SULTAN DAN YANG DIPERTUAN NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

June 28, 2015
Indian FT Occupied My Seat With His Bag But Refused To Move

So angry!!! This is what happened…

I had 3 seats booked for a movie.

When go to my seats, saw one indian there. We told him he was sitting in our paid seats, then he move one seat to his right, so we took the 3 sets beside him thinking it was ours.

After awhile when checking seat number, realised one of us was seating in another person’s seat cause the Indian was still sitting in one of our seats.

When we told him that he’s sitting on our seats again, we saw that he had put his personal bag on the seat he bought while he himself occupied our seat.

Really thick skin… no shame… Never even move even though he knows hes sitting on someone else seats. This Indian is guranteed from India one, not sinkie indian. See the face and behavior I already i know.

Disgrace!

Angry Singaporean

Source: www.allsingaporesuff.com

June 28, 2015
Loansharks Use Prospective Borrowers To Harass Debtors

A 69-year-old borrower was told to go to a specific address to pick up the loan. He was asked to slip his NRIC under the door.

He did so but did not get any response despite knocking on the door repeatedly. He then called the police to help retrieve his NRIC.

The address turned out to be that of a 54-year-old debtor who had defaulted on his loan repayments.

The Police said in a release on Friday that this is a new tactic employed by loan sharks to use prospective borrowers to harass debtors.

Investigations are currently ongoing against the prospective borrower for an offence of harassment by causing annoyance under the Moneylenders Act.

Borrowers who commit such acts may be liable for an offence under the Moneylenders Act (Revised Edition 2010). First time offenders found guilty of loan shark harassment will be jailed for up to five years, fined between $5,000 and $50,000, and may be given between three and six strokes of the cane.

Further investigations also showed that the debtor had also assisted loan sharks in their activities by opening a bank account for their use. He has been arrested.

A first time offender found guilty of assisting loan sharks in their unlawful activities may be jailed for up to four years and fined between $30,000 and $300,000.

Members of public are advised to stay away from loan sharks and not to borrow money or assist the unlicensed moneylenders in any way.

The public can call the X-Ah-Long hotline at 1800 924 5664 if they have any information on anyone who could be involved in illegal loan shark activities or 999 for urgent Police assistance.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

June 28, 2015