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3 Singaporeans Charged In Court For Disorderly Behaviour And Attacking Police Officers

Three Singaporean men were charged in court on Saturday morning for disorderly behavior and attacking police officers at a Thaipusam event held earlier in the week.

Ramachandra Chandramohan, 32, was alleged to have punched, kicked and verbally abused four police officers. He was also charged with disorderly behavior and faces seven charges in total, the highest number among the trio.

Jaya Kumar Krishnasamy, 28, faces three charges. He was charged with disorderly behavior, allegedly hurling vulgarities at a police officer and obstructing another police officer from carrying out his duties.

Gunasegaran Rajendran, 33, faces a disorderly behavior charge and is alleged to have abused a police officer.

The trio were calm and emotionless when their charges were read to them in court through an interpreter.

They were accompanied to court by four family members and friends. It is unclear how they are related, but one family member who declined to be named said that the three men are cousins.

The three men were part of a group which hired drummers in the Thaipusam procession. The drummers were asked to stop playing by the police and a scuffle broke out.

A video of the scuffle was posted online and it sparked online outcry, with some members of the public asking why is music banned at Thaipusam while lion dances and Malay wedding music are allowed in public.

Responding, Second Minister for Home Affairs S. Iswaran said on Thursday that the ban on music instruments applied to all foot processions, including religious events, since 1973.

Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam also said on Friday that lion dances and Malay wedding music are social events, not religious processions. He added that only Hindus are allowed to hold religious foot processions and urged the public to back police’s actions at the Thaipusam event.

The trio are on police bail and their cases will be heard in court again on March 6. If convicted, they face maximum jail sentences of between three months and seven years, maximum fines of between $2,000 and $5,000, or both.

Ramachandra Chandramohan is also liable to be caned if convicted of attacking police officers.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

February 8, 2015
Ezad Exist Mengaku Bersalah Miliki Dadah Syabu

GOMBAK: Bekas vokalis kumpulan Exist iaitu Ezad Lazim (gambar) mengaku bersalah atas tuduhan memiliki dadah jenis syabu seberat 0.30 gram pada 19 November tahun lalu.

Pengakuan Ezad atau nama sebenarnya Mohd Rohaizad Mohamad Lazim dibuat di hadapan Majistret Nurul Izzah Hassan Basri di Mahkamah Majistret Selayang di sini, semalam, lapor MStar Online semalam.

Pertuduhan pula dibacakan oleh pendakwa raya, Encik Arunjothy, dan Ezad tidak diwakili peguam.

Bagaimanapun Majistret Nurul Izzah menetapkan 10 Februari ini bagi menjatuhkan hukuman bagi kesalahan tersebut.

Siasatan kes tersebut dibuat mengikut Akta Dadah Berbahaya.

Ezad yang berasal dari Alor Setar, Kedah, ditangkap berhampiran Kompleks Selayang Mall kira-kira 1.30 petang pada 19 November tahun lalu dengan dia menggenggam satu peket syabu pada tangan kirinya.

Hasil pemeriksaan air kencing penyanyi itu juga mendapati dia positif dadah jenis syabu.

Penyanyi itu sebelum ini pernah menyertai Exist pada 1995, dan telah merakam sebanyak enam album bersama kumpulan tersebut sebelum meneruskan kerjaya solo.

Ezad juga pernah membintangi beberapa filem terbitan Metrowelth International Group (MIG) termasuk Mami Jarum bersama aktres Zahida Rafik.

Ezad, dalam satu temu bual dengan hos rancangan Live! di Astro, Datuk Aznil Nawawi, baru-baru ini, mengakui salah pergaulan dan tekanan perasaan menjadi punca dia terjerumus dalam kancah dadah.

Ezad berkata kegagalan bercinta dan kesedihan setelah keluar daripada Exist sebelum berkahwin dahulu menyebabkan dia terdedah kepada pergaulan yang rosak.

Katanya, setelah bergelar suami, dia berazam meninggalkan tabiat buruknya.

Namun, ia sukar dilakukan.

Source: http://beritaharian.sg

February 8, 2015
Former Islamic State Commandant Arrested In Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR – A 45-year-old former commandant of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), on the most-wanted list in the Middle East, was detained by the Malaysian Police Counter Terrorism unit in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 31.

The suspect, who had been part of the terrorist group operating in Syria from May 2012 to May 2014, was deported to his country of origin yesterday (Feb 6) after five days in detention for allegedly using a fake passport.

Police, who seized a large amount of money from the suspect, have yet to release more details of the operation, saying keeping the identity of the suspect under wraps is vital until the entire operation is completed.

The arrest was a result of cooperation between Malaysian police and other foreign countries that have vouched to tackle the terror group from widening its influence abroad.

Intelligence sources said the man from the Middle East who arrived in mid-January was detained at a four-star hotel near Bukit Bintang.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar in a statement today (Feb 7) confirmed the arrest, but did not link the terrorist to any group.

It is understood that the suspect had travelled to several countries in the Middle East, North Africa and South-east Asia before slipping into Malaysia.

“The Royal Malaysian Police takes a serious view of the activities of foreign terrorists attempting to use Malaysia as a transit, safe haven and base of operations.

“The success in the suspect’s arrest is the result of close cooperation between the police and foreign enforcement agencies. This cooperation will continue to eradicate and manage the threat of terrorism, be it regionally or globally,” Mr Khalid said.

About 59 Malaysians are officially known to have joined ISIS.

More than 65 have been arrested by police either on their way to Syria and Iraq or on their way back since the start of last year.

Source: www.todayonline.com

February 8, 2015
Singaporean Man Convicted Of Organising Child Sex Tours Overseas

A Singapore man was Friday convicted of organising a commercial sex tour overseas and distributing information intended to promote paid sex with a minor outside the city.

Chan Chun Hong pleaded guilty to seven counts of transmitting obscene material by electronic means, one count of making travel plans, three counts of distributing information to promote commercial sex, and one of having obscene films, The Straits Times reported.

Another 133 charges, mostly for transmitting obscene material, will be considered when he is sentenced.

Following a tip-off from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2013, Chan, also known as Chris, was arrested at Singapore’s Changi Airport March 1, 2014.

Information received suggested he had engaged in child sex tourism in countries such as Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines.

Investigations showed that he saved his collection of child pornography in his portable hard disk and transmitted it to other users in exchange for new material between Dec 2, 2011 and Sep 6, 2012.

The obscene photographs and videos included naked or half-naked young girls in various sexual acts and poses. Some appeared to be as young as two.

The prosecution is seeking a jail sentence of at least six years for Chan, whose lawyer Rajan Nair asked that the case be adjourned to Feb 16.

The maximum penalty for taking a tour outside Singapore for commercial sex with a minor is 10 years in jail and a fine on each charge.

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

February 7, 2015
Mature Singapore Women Prefer Men Who Are More Than 10 Years Younger

Popular mobile dating app Paktor released new data indicating that there is literally no expiration to love. With a 20% surge in app usage in the two weeks leading up to Singles Awareness Day, also known as Valentines’ Day for you lucky couples, both men and women are taking matchmaking into their own hands.

Not your typical love story

Words out there in Singapore is that the older man has to go looking for his younger blushing bride. However, age does not seem to be a factor on Paktor. While Paktor’s most users fall within 18 – 35 years old, there has been a steady growth of mature users on the app. Within the last 3 months, mature women tend to match with younger men, with an average age gap of 11 years. As for mature males, they also tend to match with younger females with an average 12 year age gap.

“Mobile dating is no longer just a young person’s option as we have seen a growing percentage of mature users who have embraced our model of meeting new people and making genuine connections,” says Joseph Phua, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer for Paktor.

Women invest more time online than men

Behind its cool blue icon, there lies over 1.5 million users in Southeast Asia, with Singapore being one of the most active markets in the region. Surprising statistics shared by Paktor has shown that women in particular tend to spend 20% more time on Paktor compared to men with a general average of almost 13 hours a month per user.

Swiping across your mobile screen could be considered passive according to the majority of men’s dating advice; hence one would not be surprised if local men were going back to conventional blind dates offline after an online conversation turns stale. In comparison, local women just do what they do best: swipe and wait.

As a female Paktor user, I do think the dating app is addictive. With greater autonomy over my choice of potential dates, I cannot help but attempt to scrutinize the entirety of the other person’s profile before unlatching any doors.

Another reason is perhaps women are just using Paktor to pass their time. More often than not, I find myself casually swiping across both male and female photographs during my downtime away from work. Stuck with only a blank wall and computer screen as my best friends, the mobile dating app gives me a glimpse of what could be.

Online dating now a norm?

Regardless of duration spent on online dating apps, Paktor has enabled over 40 million matches to date in the entire Southeast Asia region. This could indicate a rising comfort level with online dating with the advent of such apps.

Phua says, “Most importantly for the industry is that these results from Singapore show how mature the industry is becoming here as more people realise the effectiveness and ease of using technology to meet new people.”

No doubt there is still a looming cloud of concern of being recognised by a stranger off the street only to realise we’ve been texting every night till 1am. But I think after the initial surprise wears off, it would be nice to meet up face-to-face to officially welcome them into my social life.

For those who have yet to embrace this modern-day matchmaking method, I daresay just go for it.

*Article first appeared on Vulcan Post.

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

February 7, 2015