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Ello Ed Mundsell Bello Remorseful Over Remarks

Ello Ed Mundsell Bello, the Filipino nurse sentenced to four months imprisonment in Singapore for sedition, is “truly remorseful and sorry” for what he did, which was posting disparaging comments against Singaporeans on Facebook, according to his lawyer.

“A long time ago before the trials, he said that he’s truly remorseful and sorry because of what he has done,” said Mark Goh in an interview after the court slapped Bello, 29, with the sentence Monday.

Goh noted that Bello, 29, pleaded guilty for the charges.

“My client has surrendered. In fact he has already decided on a personal level that it has caused him already a lot of anxiety and stress. And therefore he did not want to perpetuate the trial and decided to plead guilty,” he said.

Aside from posting seditious messages on Facebook, Bello was also convicted for lying to the police.

All in all, he faced one count of sedition and two counts of lying to the police before District Judge Siva Shanmugam. An additional count of sedition and another count for false reporting were considered by Shanmugam.

Deportation

Goh said after serving jail term, Bello will be deported back to Philippines and banned to come back to Singapore for a certain period of time.

“He will definitely be repatriated. Under Singapore immigration law, he will not be able to come back to Singapore for a certain period of time and after that period of time, subject to good review, he may be able to go back to Singapore,” the lawyer said.

Bello’s disparaging comments against Singaporeans made rounds on social media in early January. In his post on The Real Singapore’s Facebook page, he said, “Now the Singaporeans are loosers (sic) in their own country, we take their jobs, their future, their women and soon, we will evict all SG loosers (sic) out of their own country hahaha. The best part, I will be praying that disators (disasters) strike Singapore and more Singaporeans will die than I will celebrate. Remember Pinoy better and stronger than Stinkaporeans.”

He further commented, “We will kick out all the Singaporeans and SG will be the new filipino state.”

Bello initially reported to the police that he did not post the comment, claiming his account was hacked. Goh said his client lied because he feared for an online backlash.

The controversy cost Bello his job in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he worked as a radiographer.

Ready to take punishment

Goh said the decision to plead guilty means that the accused himself does not want to fight and does not want to contest the matter in trial. “It is a personal decision and not a legal decision,” he said.

He added that by pleading guilty, Bello has “mentally accepted his guilt and he is mentally prepared to take the punishment.”

“The reason why Ed was mentally prepared is because he felt that he has caused enough stress between the Filipino community working here and also the Singapore citizens,” Goh said. “So he wants to move on.”

“After the course of these proceedings, there was a lot of unhappiness on the ground. That’s not denied. He also felt that it was also very difficult for him to stay here in view of this situation. In a way he described to me, in his own words, like shooting himself on the foot. And he has already been punished with all the negative publicity and that he just wants to get on with his life,” Goh added.

The Philippine Embassy in Singapore, through Consul General Victorio Dimagiba, Jr.,
released a statement, sayin “Mr. Ello’s penalty which was metted out by the court was deemed appropriate to the charges he had been convicted.”

The embassy hopes that “since Bello has accepted the verdict of the court, this will close the issue for all parties concerned.” —KBK, GMA News

Source: www.gmanetwork.com

September 26, 2015
Police Arrest Local Couple Who Assaulted Taxi Driver

Dear Editor,

I am a taxi driver. I fetched this guy and lady from Suntec Tower 2 to 112 Katong. But along the way, this guy vomited on my taxi and yet when i drove to caltex petrol station along tanjong katong and demand them to alight, they try to escape. They didn’t pay for their cab fare and punched me in my lower jaw.

I reported to the police on the spot. Ask them to wait for police, yet they tried to run off by flagging another taxi.

To all taxi drivers, please be wary of these 2 persons.

The lady who helped these 2 cowards to book my taxi through GrabTaxi was working at District 10 Bar & Grill. Although when I asked the lady for her co-orperation last night she replied ok, but when I called her the next day she disappeared. Called her mobile but nobody picked up. Even when GrabTaxi tried to contact her, she avoided their calls.

After 36hrs since this incident, the guy coward finally came out of hiding and called me on my mobile number. I am not sure who provided him my mobile number but basically he said he decided to call me and want to talk. For what need to talk, since he never even apologize and go into hiding, Now that the police is involved then got scared want to settle???

The police have caught the 2 of them already… 早知今日何必当初

Nick Ang
A.S.S. Reader

Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

September 26, 2015
Yishun Polyclinic Staff Threatened Me And My Husband, Try To Cover Up Unprofessional Conduct

Dear all readers of ASS

As a patient, as a customer, how would you feel if people from healthcare, threatened you that if you raised up a bit of your volume they will chase you out, chase money after you like loan shark, when you brought up the issue to the management, the management will protect the staff and put words into your mouth?

Recently my husband and I met this kind of situation. I always thought that people who work under healthcare will provide us their professional services, however, in Yishun Polyclinic, it seems like whatever you done or raised up to the management, management will threaten you and they will stand up for the person even though the person is at fault.

Recently, my husband had serious body infection on his body, therefore he approached Yishun Polyclinic for help and see if they polyclinic is able to refer him to any specialist. However, we had 2 outstanding bills, which is $12 plus to settle and we intended to settle one shot once we settle everything. So he went to this polyclinic and he got the doctor’s referral to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, but when he approached the counter staff, this lady name, Nur Iaili Salim, served him. She threatened my husband that he has 2 outstanding amount to settle and if he don’t settle it, she will not help him to book the appointment at any of the hospitals.

So after this incident, the follow-up check up, again, we met this staff, this time round she saw my husband, she did not even ask for any other details like what others did, immediately she just asked for the payment in a rude and threatening ways. Just the same way as how the loan shark asked the money.

Therefore, after these incidents, we brought this matter up to the supervisor in charge name Ailin (if I spelled her name correctly), she did took down all the information, and promised to call me to get back or update me the investigations. However, this unprofessional supervisor did not call me and in fact she went up to my husband to tell him that she had done the investigation. And she just covered her staff up and said that this staff does not remember what happened, and closed a case, without asking the staff to apologize to the patient or get her out to explained the whole situations.

After I emailed the feedback in and of course this email revert back to this unprofessional supervisor and of course this suprervisor did her follow-up with me and again gave an excuse that she thought she had already spoken to my husband therefore, she do not need to do her follow-up as promise. So next again, she protected her staff who create this problem by telling me that the staff forgot what she said
and what she did. Of course for this kind of excuse, we as patient, as customer, we are not able to accept it. Therefore, the supervisior would like me to suggest the solution to settle this problem.

Well fine enough, I suggested that the since my husband need to do a follow-up with at the polyclinic on 25 September 2015, which is today, I would like to meet the staff and her together. The reason why I suggested this is because, I believe Polyclinic is all well-trained staff, including the supervisior and the manager. Therefore have a meet-up face to face, is to clarify things better and not go through third-party and if the staff or any party make any mistake, just apologise and move on.

Humans will tend to make mistakes, and once we made any mistake we apologise, and move on. We won’t want to remain at this spot for long. I am referring to the person who made mistake and not the third party to help to apologise. However, this supervisior insisted that she won’t ask her staff to do that as she insist that she is the supervisor and she needs to protect the staff, however i felt that the way she handed this trival matter is very inmature, as this is adult matter and she treat it as children matter. As an adult, once did something wrong, common sense that need to apologise and move on, but instead of doing this, she just protect her staff and show and very obvious the way she protected this staff, is protecting someone special or protecting and friend.

What we want is the person who cause this to step out with her supervisor and clarify this matter and we move on. That simple. however, in disappointment. this supervisor who did not do this part and instead she protected the staff who did something wrong and also threaten that she will chase me out of the polyclinic.

I am very disappointed with this supervisor as well the manager who actually followed the supervisor along during our last meeting, however this manager name Jeff Che, did not do anything including self introduce. He just allowed the supervisor to threaten the patient or customer in this way.

(P.S: I am threatened by this supervisor that she will chase me out if I speak loudly to the counter, my voice is that loud so what am I supposed to do? She did not give me my personally rights.)

Readers of ASS, please bear this in mind that, you are not able to talk in your normal volume or do other things and don’t even think of owing them a single, if not they will chase after you like loan shark or even chased you out of the clinic.

(P.S: They also threaten that if I dare to publish this out to the media, I will need to prepare to get lawyer letter from them)

Thank you

Kelli Chong
A.S.S. Contributor

Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

September 26, 2015
Local Voluteer Group Plans To Go After Firms Involved In Causing Haze

As the season of haze returns to our shores, some Singaporeans may feel helpless about the smoky, unhealthy air blown our way from the south.

But a group of volunteers are determined to take up the fight against the haze, or those who had a hand in causing it.

The Haze Elimination Action Team (Heat), led by Professor Ang Peng Hwa of Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, is planning to sue and boycott the companies responsible for the fires.

Yesterday morning, PSI levels crossed into the hazardous range. At 6am, the 24-hour PSI was 257-318, and the three-hour PSI stood at 334.

Prof Ang told The New Paper yesterday: “We want consumers to know that there is something that we can do. We are not helpless.”

He and a few others set up Heat in 2007 – a year after Singapore experienced its worst haze in a decade, with the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) peaking at 150.

“What struck me most back then was when I read about a 40-year-old CEO who said how Singaporeans can’t do anything about the haze.

“This was a man empowered and in charge of a company, yet he was feeling helpless. I told myself that surely there was something we can do,” he said.

In 2007, Heat raised about $20,000 for a website and an educational effort in Jambi, South Sumatra.

Today, the group has about 800 members who include professionals, housewives and students.

It is also working with another haze awareness group, PM.Haze.

Prof Ang said that Heat intends to sue and boycott companies that are registered here but are involved, via intermediary or subsidiary companies, in starting the fires in Indonesia.

It is also “looking for someone or an organisation that has incurred losses of at least tens of thousand dollars or more due the haze”, or who has been hospitalised, to be an “ideal plaintiff”, he said.

Legal fees are estimated between $50,000 and $100,000 and the team is looking to get pro bono help as well as a lawyer with experience in corporate forensics to help trace the ownership pattern of the fires, he said.

Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan said that this was an encouraging effort at self-help by Heat, but added that it would be a challenging task.

TOUGH TO PROVE

Firstly, there is the evidential burden of proof that these local companies have management control of the Indonesian companies that are legally responsible for the haze, he said.

Heat would then need to provide evidence to the court that these Indonesian entities were indeed causing the haze pollution, he said.

But he noted that this bottom-up approach, if successful, would hit the alleged companies where it hurts the most – their reputations and profits.

“It will send a signal to these companies to clean up their act. It can pressure Singaporean entities to insist on sustainable and responsible agricultural practices throughout their supply chains.

“It’s a case of consumers having a big say in how a company ought to conduct itself and being responsible to stakeholders,” he said.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said during a press conference yesterday that the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, which was passed in Parliament last year, will help those seeking legal action against those responsible for causing or condoning fires if burning results in unhealthy levels of haze in Singapore.

“Whenever possible, we will try to share as much information as possible with the public. I think they are entitled to take action. I think our demands for greater transparency and sharing of information will facilitate their action. Anyone who suffers losses as a result of this may be entitled to take action against errant companies pursuant to (the Act).”

Dr Balakrishnan also listed five companies that the National Environmental Agency has issued notices to. (See report,)

Prof Ang said the case could take years to build and is aware of the challenges ahead.

One of their plans is to gather pictures of the sites that are burning now and check back on these sites in a few years.

“We hope then to trace who benefited from these fires. To the companies suspected of starting fires, we are coming after you,” he said.

NEA serves notices on five Indonesian firms

The National Environmental Agency (NEA) has initiated action against four companies which might be involved in the fires that have resulted in the haze, under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters yesterday: “It (the haze situation) cannot be tolerated. It has caused a major impact on the health, society and economy of our region.”

NEA investigations showed that haze-causing fires may have occurred on land concessions held by four Indonesian companies: PT Rimba Hutani Mas, PT Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries, PT Bumi Sriwijaya Sentosa and PT Wachyuni Mandira.

Under the Act, NEA asked the companies to carry out measures such as extinguishing or preventing any fires on land owned and occupied by them, discontinuing or not commencing burning activities and submitting to it a plan to extinguish or prevent recurrence of such fires.

FIREFIGHTING EFFORTS: Indonesian military troops and firefighters sourcing water from a canal to help put out fires on a vast burning peat land forest in Jabiren Raya district in Central Kalimantan province on Borneo island. PHOTO: AFP

NEA has also served notice to Asia Pulp & Paper Company, an Indonesian company with an office in Singapore, asking for information on its subsidiaries, as well as measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires.

All five notices were served yesterday.

NEA has also written to the Indonesian authorities asking for the names of other errant companies which might have been identified as causing the fires.

Dr Balakrishnan added: ” The Singapore Government is examining ways to apply more economic pressure against errant companies. We will share the results of investigations with public whenever possible.”

The maximum fine for companies found guilty of starting fires is $100,000 per day, capped at $2 million.

Q&A To clear the air

It looks clear outside and there is no smoke smell, but the PSI levels on the National Environmental Agency (NEA) website are above 300. What should I trust?

The public should not depend on the visibility and smell of the air because there are other contributing factors in the air besides the PM2.5 concentration, said an NEA spokesman.

Members of public should instead look at the three-hour PSI reading and the one-hour PM2.5 concentration level as a guide to adjust immediate activities like going outside for a jog.

“Don’t trust your eyes and nose because they are not what detect harmful substances in the air,” said air pollution researcher Erik Velasco of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology’s Centre for Environmental Sensing and Modelling.

Is the online site www.aqicn.org reliable?

On Sept 18, the Beijing-based environmental non-profit group Air Quality Index China released a real-time, interactive map displaying air pollution levels around the world.

The AQICN map, which automatically updates every 15 minutes, compiles verified data from official environmental protection agencies such as NEA.

But its values may differ from those on the NEA website because of a difference in the formula that it uses to calculate the PSI.

Dr Velasco said the NEA website is based on instruments that are approved by international standards and it would be safer to refer to it.

Which is a better gauge, the PSI or PM2.5 readings?

The 24-hour PSI forecast reflects the PSI trend. It is also a gauge for an individual’s total exposure to PM2.5 concentrations and should be used to plan ahead for activities, such as whether one should go to work or school. During haze episodes, health advice will be based on the 24-hour PSI.

The three-hour PSI reading and the one-hour PM2.5 concentration reading are based on more recent PM2.5 readings than the 24-hour PSI forecast. So these readings are better guides as to what one should do at a particular point of the day.

What is expected of the haze for the new few days?

The hazy conditions will continue over the next few days, but will gradually improve over the weekend, said NEA.

Wind patterns are expected to change – coming from the South-east instead of the South-west, where the fires and smoke are, Dr Velasco said.

Source: www.tnp.sg

September 26, 2015
Indonesia VP Jusuf Kalla Reiterates No Apology Required To Neighbours Over Haze

NEW YORK – Indonesia’s Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has reiterated that Indonesia need not apologise to neighbouring countries over haze from forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Indonesia only needs to ensure forest fires that cause haze do not recur, he was quoted as saying on Indonesian news site kompas.com.

“Look at how long they have enjoyed fresh air from our green environment and forests when there were no fires. Could be months. Are they grateful? But when forest fires occur, a month at the most, haze pollutes their regions. So why should there be an apology?” he said during a dialogue session with Indonesians in New York at the Indonesian Consulate-General on Thursday.

He also claimed that companies from neighbouring countries are paying locals to clear lands using the slash-and-burn technique.

This was not the first time Mr Kalla has made such remarks. He made similar remarks between 2005 and 2007 when he was Vice-President to then President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

On Sept 18 this year, he made the same point after meeting Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the vice-president’s office.

Mr Kalla said forest fires and destruction were started by foreigners who needed land in the 1960s and 1970s.

They later collaborated with Indonesian entrepreneurs.

“They taught us to destroy forests. As a result, using development as an excuse, our forests were felled. Our peatlands were opened up. Wet peatlands dried up, making them easier to burn,” he said, naming several foreign companies.

He said besides preventing forest fires from recurring, the government has also issued bans on logging and moratoriums on the use of land, including opening up lands for new plantations.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

September 26, 2015