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Singaporean Who Died On Kayaking Trip In Perak Was ‘Very Good Swimmer’

He was a lifesaver, a kayaking trainer and a lover of water sports.

But that only made the circumstances of Mr Koh Kah Wei’s death a bigger blow for Mr Moe Aripe, his mentor of 15 years.

On Saturday, Mr Koh, 30, died doing what he loved.

He drowned while kayaking in white water with six friends in the Sungai Tesong in Perak.

His body was found yesterday after a day’s search.

Mr Moe, 56, told The New Paper: “He was well-equipped to deal with all kinds of water situations. To die due to drowning is very shocking. I’m still in a state of disbelief.”

Adding that they had met up about two weeks ago, Mr Moe, who runs Angel Lifesaver School, said: “He must have been unconscious.”

The Bidor Fire and Rescue Department in Perak received a distress call about the incident on Saturday at about 4.50pm.

Department chief Nadzir Razak told Bernama: “His kayak hit driftwood and overturned, throwing him into the water. His friends tried to help but failed as the current was swift.”

A 30-man search and rescue operation was conducted on the same day, but was hampered by bad weather.

Tapah Fire and Rescue Department’s Assistant Superintendent Kamarulzaman Busirun said the search resumed at about 7am yesterday with a 67-man team.

He told TNP: “It was a relay rescue operation with one group taking over from another. We wanted to make sure the search was continuous.”

At 3.15pm, Mr Koh’s body was found near a rock about 1km from the site of the accident.

His shirt was stuck between rocks.

FAMILY GRIEF

Mr Kamarulzaman said: “The victim’s family who were present were crying. We tried to calm them down, and tell them nobody would wish for this to happen.”

He added that the body has been sent to Tapah Hospital for a post-mortem.

Last night, Mr Koh’s sister, Yu Xiang, posted details of his wake at Block 301D, Anchorvale Drive on his Facebook account.

In Singapore, the lifesaving fraternity is coming to terms with news of Mr Koh’s death.

Said Mr Moe: “I have been receiving calls from other instructors and lifesaving teacher colleagues asking me about it. It’s been a hard time for me trying to explain to everyone what has happened.”

The loss is more painful for him as he had come to see Mr Koh like his son, after mentoring him for 15 years.

He said: “Kah Wei was a very good swimmer. I pushed him hard.

“He was among a group I handpicked and trained to become swimming instructors and lifesaving coaches because they are good.

“I became not just a coach or mentor but a fatherly figure to them. I would be fierce or harsh whenever any one of them did something out of line.”

Mr Koh was qualified to conduct lifesaving examinations.

He was also a lecturer at the National Community Leadership Institute, the community leadership development arm of the People’s Association (PA).

He was also an instructor at PA-Water Venture, which offers water and adventure sports activities.

Said Mr Moe: “He achieved what he wanted. I was really very proud of him. Suddenly, all that is taken away.”

He was well-equipped to deal with all kinds of water situations. To die due to drowning is very shocking. I’m still in a state of disbelief.

– Mr Moe Aripe, who mentored Mr Koh Kah Wei for 15 years

Source: The New Paper

October 31, 2016
Singapore Inc Faces $12 Billion Debt Scramble

Singapore companies, highly exposed to slowing global trade and a lackluster commodity market, face a financing scramble in 2017, as more than US$12 billion of their bonds falls due and banks grow wary of lending to the resources sector.

That could trigger more blood-letting in a market that has already seen some high-profile corporate defaults, such as oil services firm Swiber Holdings (SWBR.SI), which hit the skids in July and went into judicial management this month.

It has also seen an increase in the number of bond issuers trying to renegotiate the terms of their credit to stay afloat, a disturbing signal in a market skewed to retail buyers and smaller issues subject to light scrutiny.

Corporate leverage has risen to increasingly risky levels, according to credit analysts and investors, while banks are becoming more circumspect about extending financing as the quality of their loan books causes concern.

Between now and the end of 2017, according to Reuters data, US$12.4 billion of bonds falls due, but corporate balance sheets in the city state are looking strained.

A Reuters study of 228 non-financial companies’ half-year earnings shows that 74 had net debt more than five times their core profit, a level that usually prompts concern among credit analysts, and more than a third of that group were at least twice that level.

“We had not seen Singapore dollar corporate defaults since 2009, but suddenly we see a pick-up in defaults in 2015-2016. This is a warning sign about a refinancing confidence crisis across many sectors, not just commodity-related ones,” said Raymond Chia, Head of Credit Research for Asia ex-Japan at Schroders Investment Management.

LIGHT SCRUTINY

The structure of Singapore’s capital markets has left them particularly vulnerable as global trade cools and Chinese growth slows. Commodities have been a mainstay after a frothy 2013 and 2014, and private banking has loomed large, fuelling smaller bond deals. In 2014, private banks accounted for almost half of investments into Singapore dollar corporate debt, a central bank report said last year.

Their participation has helped encourage smaller issues that are not assessed by credit rating agencies and yet are targeted at private wealth investors, analysts say.

“Their bond issues are also mostly unrated, so the layer of scrutiny provided by rating agencies is missing. Many of these deals were mispriced: they priced like investment grade even though they had high-yield profiles,” said Harsh Agarwal, Head of Asia Credit Research at Deutsche Bank.

That is now changing – at considerable cost for firms. Property firm Oxley Holdings, whose short-term debt dwarfs its cash balance, according to its latest accounts, saw yields on its bonds due 2019 SGOXHL1119= jump 220 basis points to 7.5 percent in the past quarter.

And banks, under pressure to increase provisions for bad loans, are pulling back from indebted sectors like real estate, commodities and oil and gas, which dominate Singapore’s outstanding S$53 billion ($38 billion) of local currency corporate bonds.

Non-performing loans have risen at all Singapore’s three banks in the latest quarterly results, reflecting a decline in loan quality across sectors.

“In the absence of further bank support, refinancing this debt may prove difficult, potentially leading to more defaults over the next year,” said Devinda Paranathanthri at UBS Wealth Management, which estimates S$18 billion of local currency denominated bonds are coming due over the next 18 months. Over a quarter are from sectors facing structural headwinds.

The latest sign of strain has been an increase in borrowers asking bondholders to cut them some slack. Ezra Holdings (EZRA.SI), Rickmers Maritime (RIMT.SI), Otto Marine OTTO.SI and Marco Polo Marine (MAPM.SI) are just some of the companies that sought bondholder consent this year to loosen the conditions, or covenants, attached to their loans.

“It will continue to be busy, but the question is whether loosening covenants will be adequate to give these companies the lifeline that they need,” said Kevin Wong, Singapore-based partner with law firm Linklaters.

“There is a risk these consent solicitations may lead to full-blown debt restructurings.”

($1 = 1.3943 Singapore dollars)

Source: Reuters

October 31, 2016
Abdilar Zamzuri: Speaking English Is A Must For Service Staff

At the payment counter…

Me: Do you have a gift wrapping service?

Cashier stares blankly at me

Me: Do you have a gift wrapping service? (gestures wrapping an item)

Cashier looks lost: Master or Nets?

Me: Nets. Wrap present, where? Can speak English?

Cashier: Huh.. No.

Me turns to another staff: Do you have a gift wrapping service?

Other Staff: Level 2, Customer Service Counter.

I understand that we have a lot of foreigners working here but really, I don’t think I’m the only one who’s faced such a problem.

Frontline officers need to be adequately trained to he prepared to handle simple queries. After all, they are the face of the company, not the management.

It is incidents such as this that leaves a bad taste and a bad impression. A happy and joyous occasion can easily and quickly change to be one that is quite the opposite.

Source: Abdilar Zamzuri

October 31, 2016
MOE And FAS Confirm Revamp Of Schools Competition

The Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) have confirmed that the national ‘B’ division schools football competition will be revamped next year, with the proposed new tournament format allowing each school to play more matches.

Under the current competition set-up, schools are divided into four groups in each of the four zones (North, South, East and West). The top two teams from each group progress to their respective zonal knockout stages, and teams that reach the zonal semi-finals also qualify for the national championships.

Schools who fail to make it past the initial group stage however, will be eliminated. This means that most of the school teams play only five games a year on average, while the finalists get to play 18 games.

However, TODAY understands that under the proposed new format, teams will be segregated into three divisions after the group stage.

The top two teams in each group will qualify for the School Premier League 1 (SPL 1), while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to the SPL 2. The remaining teams will be grouped in the School Zonal League (SZL).

The 16 teams in SPL 1 and SPL 2 will then be divided into four groups. They will play home-and-away round-robin matches, with the winner of each group moving onto the semi-finals.

Similarly, in the SZL, likely to be contested by eight schools, the teams will be divided into two groups of four. The top two in each group will advance to the semi-finals.

These changes will see each team playing at least eight games each year. The finalists for the SPL 1 and 2 get to play 16 games in total, while the finalists in the SZL will play 10 games.

The MOE and FAS, who will jointly organise next year’s competition, met with the participating schools last week to brief them about the proposed changes and gather feedback.

“MOE and FAS will be co-organising the ‘B’ Division National School Games (NSG) Football tournament from 2017 to enhance the competition experiences for our students,” an MOE spokesperson told TODAY.

“This collaboration will allow more schools to play more matches as part of the NSG, in support of students’ development.

“MOE is currently working with FAS on the details of the competition, including the changes in the competition format. MOE will brief the participating schools when the details have been finalised.”

An FAS spokesman added: “One of the key objectives of the proposed changes is to give our youth footballers more balanced and competitive matches, which will contribute to their development.

“We are in the final stage of discussions, and an announcement will be made in due course.”

The revamp is part of the FAS’ development plan for youth football, which was conceptualised and unveiled by technical director Michel Sablon earlier this year.

The 68-year-old, widely recognised as the man who transformed Belgium into a footballing powerhouse, had then highlighted the need for school players to have more match experience, which he believes will go a long way to developing them into better footballers in future.

TODAY understands that most schools were pleased with the proposed changes, although there are concerns that the additional matches will lead to a packed schedule, leaving little time for coaches to organise training sessions.

A school teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, praised the new initiatives. “This is a positive move by the MOE and FAS because a lot of our players crave to play more matches,” he said.

“But friendly games are logistically hard to arrange, so once the team is out of the competition, there is nothing to draw the students back to committing their time to training.

“A longer season will also mean more game time for the team, which is important for the students if they are to develop into better players.”

A school football coach, who also did not want to be named, added: “I’m glad this is being put in place. The only way for players to improve is to have more match experience.

“It is especially crucial during their developmental years. This is when they start to progress from learning the basics of football to understanding things like tactics, positioning and awareness. All these traits are best honed during a match-setting.”

TODAY also understands that the MOE is studying a proposal by the FAS to change the Primary School football competition to 8v8 or 9v9 matches instead of the current 11-aside format, while also ensuring that every team will get to play more matches

Source: TODAY Online

October 31, 2016
Student Expelled, Several Caned For Taking Upskirt Images Of Teacher

A student was expelled and several others caned after they were found to be in possession of upskirt images of six female teachers from their secondary school.

Seven boys were found to have taken the photos and videos with their smartphones, and 23 others received and/or shared the images.

The expelled boy had been involved in a similar incident at his previous school.

He was found to be in possession of the images but he was not the one who had recorded them, said the principal.

After receiving a tip-off about the incident, The New Paper yesterday contacted the all-boys school, which confirmed the incident.

The principal told TNP that the school received information about the upskirt images on Oct 5 and immediately started an investigation to round up the culprits.

He said: “We found there were students taking upskirt photos and videos, and sharing them. There were 30 students.”

He also said the school decided to handle the matter internally after he gave the teachers the option of making a police report.

But when contacted last night, the police told TNP that they had received a report on the incident, and investigations were ongoing. It is not known who had made the report.

We are not naming the school to protect the victims.

The 30 boys, most of whom are in Secondary 2 and 3, and a handful of them in Sec 1, had upskirt images of six female teachers.

Some of the boys were caned to send a strong message – this is not how you treat women – to the school population.

As it was during the exam period, the school punished them only after their exams were over.

TWO STROKES EACH

On Oct 19, the seven main culprits, who are in Sec 1 to Sec 3, were caned in front of their respective levels. They were given two strokes each on the buttocks.

The principal said nine others who had received and shared the images were given similar caning but in his office.

The remaining culprits were given suspended caning punishment, detention duties and told to return to school during the holidays for counselling sessions.

Should they commit other offences, they will be caned.

Their parents have been informed about the incident and the punishment meted out.

On the caning of the students, the principal said he needed to send a strong message to them and the school population that this kind of behaviour would not be tolerated and would be dealt with swiftly.

He added: “The school takes a serious view of misconduct by students.”

On the expelled student, the principal said the boy had been given a second chance by the school after he was involved in a similar incident at another school.

“We took him in and gave him a chance, but he did not use it. We want to help young people learn, that’s why we were prepared to give him that chance,” he said.

“It was heartbreaking he did not take that opportunity.”

The principal added that the six teachers were like his daughters and he had held many meetings with them.

“To see someone do something like this to them, it’s very painful. I don’t want to see anyone hurt in this manner,” he said.

The principal also said that the teachers were angry but he commended them for talking to the culprits to tell them that what they did was wrong.

He added that when the boys realised what they had done, “the impact of how much they have hurt their teachers was very painful”.

“They cried, they knew they were wrong. Their teachers forgave them.”

The principal said he told the teachers they were free to make police reports, and he also informed the culprits’ parents what he had told the teachers.

SAD

“Some of them were sad their sons were so thoughtless and disrespectful towards their teachers,” said the principal.

He added that the 30 culprits had been stripped of any awards they had won this year to show the severity of the situation. They are also not allowed to take their smartphones to school until further review.

The principal said the school had reminded all students about good moral values and how technology should not be abused.

He reminded all his students: “It’s not acceptable behaviour for young men. As men, they are supposed to protect the ladies, not take advantage of them. To do something like this is so very wrong.”

It’s not acceptable behaviour for young men. As men, they are supposed to protect the ladies, not take advantage of them. To do something like this is so very wrong.

– The school principal

Expert: Emphasis should be on seeking help

The behaviour of the boy who was expelled twice because of upskirt images in his phone may be leaning towards fetishism, said a psychiatrist in private practice, Dr Lim Boon Leng.

The teenager will need to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to firm up such a diagnosis.

Dr Lim told The New Paper yesterday: “Many of these deviant sexual practices start young.

“When they are at the age of sexual awakening, sometimes, the way teenagers get sexual gratification becomes deviant.”

But one thing is clear: Expulsion from school does nothing for the boy, he said.

“It is in no way beneficial for the child, but the school has its own rules. It is its prerogative to decide what is best for the teachers and students,” he said.

“Losing schoolmates and support may worsen the child’s stress levels, which may in turn worsen his behaviour.

“But the emphasis, regardless of expulsion, should be on seeking help.”

Lawyer Steven Lam of Templars Law agreed, saying: “If it’s not a first-time offence, maybe something needs to be done.

“For example, he may need more than just caning. He may need to understand earlier rather than later that his actions carry consequences.

“If a report had been made the first time (he offended), the boy would have been put under probation and he could have been sent for counselling.”

Shooting upskirt photos or videos is included in the offences under insulting a woman’s modesty. So is circulating such content. Uploading it online aggravates the offence.

Should schools make a police report on these offences?

Yes, theoretically, said Mr Lam.

“Strictly speaking, a report ought to be lodged. But bearing in mind the ages of the offenders, schools may exercise discretion,” he said.

“If you look at the offence and age, the long and short of it is that if a report is made, the police will investigate and the child will be impacted – so schools may exercise that discretion.”

Hilborne Law’s Rajan Supramaniamsaid that delicate situations involving young people should be dealt with sensitively.

Schools can conduct internal investigations and rope in counsellors to deal with the situation.

The onus is on the complainant – in this case, the teachers – to make police reports, he said.

Dr Lim said that such offences among youngsters could be prevented if taboo subjects like fetishism were more openly discussed.

“Sexual education now focuses on teenage pregnancy and abstinence. The curriculum can include deviant sexual practices, which are actually unhealthy, so that teenagers can learn about them when they undergo sexual education and seek help from counsellors,” he said.

Parents also have a very important role to play.

“What we notice is that during their children’s teenage years, parents tend to leave them on their own, thinking they are old enough to fend for themselves,” said Dr Lim.

“The communication may be very minimal and the children may be going through difficulties without their parents knowing.

“This can be prevented if parents can be more appropriately open in discussing sexual issues like gender, identity and sexual orientation.”

Source: The New Paper

October 31, 2016