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New Faith, New Lives

When train captain Muhammad Joy Kumar Paul turned 25 in May, he celebrated by converting to Islam.

The ceremony was held at the Muslim Converts’ Association (MCAS) and witnessed by his closest friends and fiancee’s family. That same day, he attended his first Friday prayers as a Muslim at Assyakirin Mosque, near his home in Taman Jurong.

Mr Muhammad was brought up in a Buddhist family, but growing up with Malay friends, he knew “how a Muslim behaves, what they are supposed to do and what they do not do”.

Still, he never expected to become a Muslim until he met Ms Syuhaidah Sha’ada, a 24-year-old pre-school teacher.

The couple got engaged in June but it was not an easy decision. They had a serious talk about their relationship in the long term and considered breaking up.

On his own accord, however, he researched and watched videos by Islamic scholars online, as well as talked to Muslim friends, to learn more about the religion.

Mr Muhammad lives with his mother, who is divorced, and elder sister. Both felt it was his decision to make. He also attended beginner courses at MCAS last year.

Every year, about 600 people convert to Islam at the three-storey building located in Onan Road in Joo Chiat.

Also known as Darul Arqam Singapore, the one-stop centre for converts was set up in 1980 to oversee the welfare, religious guidance and problems of new converts.

All prospective converts are encouraged to take up basic courses on Islam. Mr Muhammad went through Ramadan as a Muslim for the first time this year. The ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Ramadan is a holy period of fasting, reflection, devotion, generosity and sacrifice observed by Muslims around the world.

While there have been challenges, he has been touched by the support of his loved ones.

His mother, a Buddhist, cooks the food he wants to eat and made sure there was food in the morning when he woke up to break fast during Ramadan. She buys meat and produce that is certified halal for his sake.

Like Mr Muhammad, Ms Rachel Aryssa Chung, 39, converted to Islam two months ago. The customer insight and communications manager at a gas company found fasting during Ramadan to be particularly challenging.

“What’s more, coffee is not recommended because it dehydrates the body but I don’t function well without coffee. I always tell my colleagues I’m not human until I have my coffee,” she said, laughing.

Divorced for 10 years, Ms Chung has two daughters. She has been dating a Muslim for a year and is still learning about her new faith.

It was her own decision to convert. She said of her new faith: “I feel that it’s a very comprehensive and disciplined faith. How you should treat other people, how you should behave as a person. We’re encouraged to pray five times a day. When you do things like that, I feel that it changes you as a person.”

Source: The Straits Times

July 21, 2016
Remains Of Missing Woman Found At Lim Chu Kang; Man Arrested

She was last seen on July 11 at 9.15pm around Fusionopolis Walk at one-north in Buona Vista.

When Ms Cui Yajie, 31, an engineer, did not show up for work the next day, her colleagues felt something was amiss.

Two days later, they filed a missing person report. The police made a public appeal for her whereabouts the next day.

Last night, more than a week after Ms Cui went missing, what were believed to be her remains were found at Lim Chu Kang Lane 8.

A 48-year-old suspect had led police to the gruesome find at the deserted road near dairy farms.

The man had been arrested earlier that day.

Because of the suspicious circumstances relating to the case, officers from Clementi Division worked closely with officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and Police Intelligence Department to identify and arrest him, the police said.

The suspect is expected to be charged with murder today. If convicted, he faces the mandatory death penalty.

Last night, the site at Lim Chu Kang was heavily cordoned off by the police, as officers armed with flashlights and cameras worked to recover the remains of the body.

A Health Sciences Authority forensics team joined them later but left at about 1am.

The New Paper understands that no weapon was involved in the murder, and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the victim’s identity.

A woman believed to be a colleague had posted an appeal for witnesses on Tuesday online.

According to the post, Ms Cui works as an engineer at a semiconductor company.

She was described as a cheerful and warm person who makes friends easily.

The 1.6m-tall woman from Tianjin, China, was wearing a black blouse and a green skirt when she went missing. She had stayed back at work until 9pm.

She did not arrive home or go to work the next day.

TNP understands that Ms Cui’s family, who is in China, is on the way to Singapore.

Source: The New Paper

July 21, 2016
‘Malaysians Defrauded On Enormous Scale, 1MDB Funds Used To Pay Gambling Debts’
1MDB funds were used to pay for gambling debts in Las Vegas, said US investigators.

“Funds were stolen under the pretense of a 1MDB investment in oil exploration.

“On paper the US$1 billion was for resource rights, instead (it was) used for personal enrichment…(including) gambling debts in Las Vegas casions, a luxury yacht, interior decorators in London, millions in property including a Bombardier jet costing US$35 million,” said Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Andrew McCabe.

He said this at a US Department of Justice press conference on the civil complaints lodged by the department to seize approximately US$1 billion of assets linked to 1MDB.

“The Malaysian people were defrauded on an enourmous scale (in) a scheme which tentacles reached around the world,” he a said.

Other assets listed by the department in its lawsuits filed today include:
- Artworks from Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh;
- About US$250 million investment in Parklane Hotel, New York;
- US$176 million invested in EMI Music;
- US$100 million worth of real estate in the US, United Kingdom and elswhere, including a mansion in Beverly Hills, a condominium in New York and a townhouse in the United Kingdom; and
- Proceeds from the film ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ which Red Granite Pictures has rights to.
Below is the press statement from the US Department of Justice in full:

Attorney General Loretta E Lynch announced today the filing of civil forfeiture complaints seeking the forfeiture and recovery of more than US$1 billion in assets associated with an international conspiracy to launder funds misappropriated from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.

Today’s complaints represent the largest single action ever brought under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.

Attorney General Lynch was joined in the announcement by Assistant Attorney General Leslie R Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, US Attorney Eileen M Decker of the Central District of California, FBI Deputy Director Andrew G. McCabe and Chief Richard Weber of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

According to the complaints, from 2009 through 2015, more than US$3.5 billion in funds belonging to 1MDB was allegedly misappropriated by high-level officials of 1MDB and their associates. With today’s complaints, the United States seeks to recover more than US$1 billion laundered through the United States and traceable to the conspiracy.

1MDB was created by the government of Malaysia to promote economic development in Malaysia through global partnerships and foreign direct investment, and its funds were intended to be used for improving the well-being of the Malaysian people.

Instead, as detailed in the complaints, 1MDB officials and their associates allegedly misappropriated more than US$3 billion.

“The Department of Justice will not allow the American financial system to be used as a conduit for corruption,” said Attorney General Lynch.

“With this action, we are seeking to forfeit and recover funds that were intended to grow the Malaysian economy and support the Malaysian people.

“Instead, they were stolen, laundered through American financial institutions and used to enrich a few officials and their associates.

“Corrupt officials around the world should make no mistake that we will be relentless in our efforts to deny them the proceeds of their crimes. ”

“According to the allegations in the complaints, this is a case where life imitated art,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell.

“The associates of these corrupt 1MDB officials are alleged to have used some of the illicit proceeds of their fraud scheme to fund the production of ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, a movie about a corrupt stockbroker who tried to hide his own illicit profits in a perceived foreign safe haven.

“But whether corrupt officials try to hide stolen assets across international borders – or behind the silver screen – the Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that there is no safe haven.”

“Stolen money that is subsequently used to purchase interests in music companies, artwork or high-end real estate is subject to forfeiture under US law,” said US Attorney Decker.

“Today’s actions are the result of the tremendous dedication of attorneys in my office and the Department of Justice, as well as law enforcement agents across the country.

“All of us are committed to sending a message that we will not allow the United States to become a playground for the corrupt, a platform for money laundering or a place to hide and invest stolen riches.”

“The United States will not be a safe haven for assets stolen by corrupt foreign officials,” said Deputy Director McCabe.

“Public corruption, no matter where it occurs, is a threat to a fair and competitive global economy.

“The FBI is committed to working with our foreign and domestic partners to identify and return these stolen assets to their legitimate owners, the Malaysian people. I want to thank the FBI and IRS investigative team who worked with the prosecutors and our international partners on this case.”

“Today’s announcement underscores the breadth of the alleged corruption and money laundering related to the 1MDB fund,” said Chief Weber. “We cannot allow the massive, brazen and blatant diversion of billions of dollars to be laundered through US financial institutions without consequences.”

As alleged in the complaints, the members of the conspiracy – which included officials at 1MDB, their relatives and other associates – allegedly diverted more than US$3.5 billion in 1MDB funds.

Using fraudulent documents and representations, the co-conspirators allegedly laundered the funds through a series of complex transactions and fraudulent shell companies with bank accounts located in the Singapore, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the United States.

These transactions were allegedly intended to conceal the origin, source and ownership of the funds, and were ultimately processed through U.S. financial institutions and were used to acquire and invest in assets located in the United States.

In seeking recovery of more than US$1 billion, the complaints detail the alleged misappropriation of 1MDB’s assets as it occurred over the course of at least three schemes.

In 2009, the complaints allege that 1MDB officials and their associates embezzled approximately US$1 billion that was intended to be invested to exploit energy concessions purportedly owned by a foreign partner.

Instead, the funds were transferred through shell companies and were used to acquire a number of assets, as set forth in the complaints.

The complaints also allege that the co-conspirators misappropriated more than $1.3 billion in funds raised through two bond offerings in 2012 and $1.2 billion following another bond offering in 2013.

As further detailed in the complaints, the stolen funds were laundered into the United States and used by the co-conspirators to acquire and invest in various assets.

These assets allegedly included high-end real estate and hotel properties in New York and Los Angeles, a US$35 million jet aircraft, works of art by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet, an interest in the music publishing rights of EMI Music and the production of the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street.

Source: MalaysiaKini
July 21, 2016
Family’s Escape Blocked By Flames In Sengkang Fire

Grabbing their 22-month-old daughter, they started running down the stairs to escape the fire that was raging in their neighbour’s flat.

The stairs were their nearest escape route. But they froze in their tracks when they found their passage blocked by raging flames.

Fortunately, firefighters were there to escort them to safety.

The fire had broken out in a third-storey flat at Block 257B, Compassvale Road at 4.15am, forcing more than 20 people to be evacuated, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

No one was in the flat at the time of the incident, and police are investigating it as a case of mischief by fire.

The New Paper understands that a 37-year-old police officer was sent to the Singapore General Hospital for breathing difficulties due to smoke inhalation.

Mrs Elysha Suresh, 30, who lives on the fourth storey, told TNP how her family of four, including her 22-month-old child, escaped.

She said: “When I came out of my room, I smelled smoke. I could even see the flames rising up to our corridor through the windows.

“We were panicking, and we didn’t know where the fire was, but we immediately evacuated.”

They made their way down the staircases right by their front door, but were met with thick smoke and strong flames. It was then they realised the fire had started in the flat directly below theirs.

Mrs Suresh said her 61-year-old mother-in-law was coughing and had breathing difficulties.

The four-room flat was destroyed by a fire, leaving the family living there to salvage whatever they could. TNP PHOTO: ISKANDAR ROSSALI

SCDF firefighters battled the blaze, and guided Mrs Suresh’s family up to the fifth storey to take the lift down to the first storey.

She said: “When we got out of the building, my mother-in-law got some fresh air, and the paramedic assisted her. Our daughter was also fine.”

When TNP arrived at the scene at 8am, the charred remains of a clothes rack, shoe rack, wooden cupboard, chair and table were seen outside the four-room flat.

BLACKENED MESS

The inside of the flat was a blackened mess with most of the furniture burnt beyond recognition.

The family who lives in the flat declined to comment.

At 9.30am, the family started to inspect the remains of their flat and salvaged items including watches, rice and shoes.

When TNP visited Mrs Suresh’s home, a hairline crack was found on the tiles of the living room, and the windows in one of the bedrooms had also cracked due to the heat.

A neighbour of the resident of the burnt flat, who declined to be named, said: “They keep a lot of things outside, such as furniture, a clothes rack and a shoe rack. Most were made of wood and plastic.”

A spokesman for Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council said there was no prior feedback or complaints regarding corridor obstruction at the unit.

Firefighters, who arrived at the scene at about 4.20am, had to force their way into the unit, and managed to extinguish the fire with two water jets within half an hour.

Student Marcus Yeo Jin Han, 20, sent a video of the fire to TNP’s Facebook account.

He said: “I was worried whether people would get injured because the fire was so big, it reached the unit above it. I even saw the windows shattering from the heat.”

They keep a lot of things outside, such as furniture, a clothes rack and a shoe rack. Most were made of wood and plastic.

– A neighbour who declined to be named

Source: The New Paper

July 21, 2016
California Fitness Closed… What Now For Its Members?

California Fitness has ceased operations in Singapore, after the last two outlets at Novena and Bugis shut down on Wednesday (July 20).

Customers could have bought gym membership packages at California Fitness up till the point of closure.

Some of these packages involved a lump-sum payment of $4,000 for a two-year membership. Others are paid through monthly instalments of about $100 each via GIRO or credit card.

Were you one of the gym’s members who paid for a package you can’t use anymore?

Here are some tips from the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), and lawyer Rajan Supramaniam on what you can do to try to get your money back.

1. Cancel your monthly instalment

If you are subscribed to a monthly payment scheme via credit card, Case’s executive director Seah Seng Choon

recommends contacting your bank immediately and asking for a chargeback due to non-delivery of services.

“If the chargeback claim is valid, consumers would not be liable for that payment and any recurring payment to California Fitness,” said Mr Seah.

If paying via GIRO, you should instead ask your bank to cease GIRO payment to California Fitness.

However, if the bank has already paid California Fitness in full, you may still be liable to monthly repayments.

2. Get yourself a lawyer

Mr Supramaniam recommends seeking legal advice from a lawyer, who can look at the clauses in the contract you’ve signed with California Fitness before informing you what you can do.

“We need to look at the terms (that were agreed upon) before seeing what further action can be taken,” he said.

3. Contact the relevant authorities

Mr Supramaniam also recommends exploring options with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, to see if they could render any assistance.

An online petition on change.org for California Fitness to refund its victims has 2,024 supporters so far. Should the petition be successful, it would be sent to Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang.

Mr Seah also recommends contacting Case for further assistance at their hotline number 6100-0315.

From the time the announcement was made this morning up until 5pm, Case has received 225 complaints from consumers.

Case is currently contacting the provisional liquidators and will update their advisory in due course.

Source: The New Paper

July 21, 2016