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Tag: MHA

  • Pink Dot Disappointed By New Ruling, Google Pledges Continued Support

    Pink Dot Disappointed By New Ruling, Google Pledges Continued Support

    In light of new rules that could curb foreign funding and involvement in events held at the Speakers’ Corner in Hong Lim Park, organisers of Pink Dot said they hope more Singaporeans and local companies will step forward to support them in 2017.

    Pink Dot, an annual non-profit event, organised in support of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, also said in a statement on Friday (Oct 21) that while it respects and understands the Ministry of Home Affairs’ position, it is “disappointed” by the latest clarifications from the ministry.

    “Pink Dot has always been a local movement dedicated to bringing LGBT Singaporeans closer to their friends and families and closer to Singapore society as a whole – a universal aspiration that we do not consider to be controversial or political,” said spokesman Paerin Choa.

    “We remain committed to organising and holding Pink Dot as we have done for the past eight years and we want to work closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs and other Government agencies to ensure that we remain within legal boundaries and keep the event safe for all participants, as we begin planning for next year’s Pink Dot event,” said Mr Choa.

    “As our society continues to evolve, we hope that this will be the start of an ongoing dialogue and we look forward to continue engaging with the various Government agencies to better foster understanding between the Government and the LGBT community in the long term.”

    The 2016 edition of Pink Dot had 18 corporate sponsors, including Facebook, Google, Barclays, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, BP, Bloomberg, and Twitter.

    The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated that foreign entities will have to apply for a permit to organise or assist in the organising of events held at the Speakers’ Corner in Hong Lim Park. This covers sponsoring, publicly promoting, or organising members or employees to participate in the event.

    Meanwhile, Singapore entities, such as local companies and non-governmental organisations, can organise or assist in the organising of an event, without the need for a permit. This is meant to “reinforce the key principle” that the Speakers’ Corner was set up primarily for Singaporeans, MHA stated.

    MHA also clarified that Singapore entities refer to those which are incorporated or registered in Singapore and controlled by a majority of Singapore citizens. This means many of Pink Dot’s foreign sponsors, which are registered and incorporated in Singapore, would not qualify as a Singapore entity, and would need to apply for a permit.

    GOOGLE BACKS PINK DOT

    At least one sponsor has committed to taking the extra step of applying for a permit in order to continue supporting Pink Dot.

    When contacted by Channel NewsAsia, a Google spokesman said: “We’ve been proud supporters of Pink Dot since 2011 and we will continue to show our commitment to diversity and inclusion. So we will apply for a permit to support Pink Dot in 2017 if required by this new regulation. We hope that these new rules will not limit public discussion on important issues.”

    Another past sponsor, JP Morgan said via a spokesman that the company is “committed to promoting equality in our workplace and encourage a supportive and inclusive culture”. Channel NewsAsia has reached out to six other past sponsors of Pink, including BP, which said it had no comment.

    Other entities which have organised events at Hong Lim Park include the YMCA, but its head of corporate affairs Samuel Ng told Channel NewsAsia that he believes the YMCA “won’t be affected” by the new rules, as its past Proms @ the Park events were held at the main lawn ‎of Hong Lim Park, not at the Speaker’s Corner.

    “The administration and all is quite different,” said Mr Ng, referring to whether an entity applies to hold an event at the Speaker’s Corner or at the park. “(Our events) would be under the community shelter that manages the park.”

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • LTC Shaiful Herman, Kuntum Safari, Antara 181 Penerima Biasiswa Tajaan MHA

    LTC Shaiful Herman, Kuntum Safari, Antara 181 Penerima Biasiswa Tajaan MHA

    Seramai 181 pegawai Home Team menerima Anugerah Tajaan Kementerian Ehwal dalam Negeri (MHA) bagi melanjutkan pengajian di peringkat Sarjana Muda dan Pos siswazah.

    Anugerah itu disampaikan oleh Menteri Negara Kanan MHA, Desmond Lee,dalam satu majlis pada Jumaat lalu (29 Julai).

    Leftenan Kolonel Shaiful Herman Shali, 32 tahun, antara penerima Anugerah Tajaan Program Pos Siswazah Sepenuh Masa (Luar Negara) tahun ini.

    Beliau kini bertugas sebagai Penolong Pengarah di Jabatan Pengawalan Bahan Berbahaya, SCDF.

    Dengan tajaan yang diterima, pemuda berusia 32 tahun itu akan mendalami lagi kepakarannya itu dengan melanjutkan pengajian ke peringkat Sarjana dalam bidang Penyiasatan Kebakaran di Universiti Central Lancashire di Britain.

    “Ini merupakan satu kepakaran yang penting bagi SCDF kerana apa juga insiden kebakaran yang kita alami, kita perlu mencari sumber dan puncanya. Jadi saya harap saya akan membawa manfaat juga kepada SCDF setelah saya melalui program ini,” kata beliau.

    Cik Kuntom Safari pula menerima Anugerah Tajaan Program Sarjana Muda Sepenuh Masa dan akan melanjutkan pengajiannya dalam bidang Perhubungan Antarabangsa di Pendidikan Global SIM – Universiti London.

    Ini bukanlah kali pertama wanita berusia 42 tahun ini, menerima tajaan MHA.

    Pada 2012, Cik Kuntom menerima Anugerah Tajaan Program Diploma Separuh Masa dan dengan tajaan kedua itu, impiannya untuk menggenggam segulung ijazah mungkin menjadi satu kenyataan.

    “Untuk melanjutkan pengajian saya ke peringkat universiti adalah salah satu impian saya. Saya sangat bersyukur kerana diberi peluang kedua oleh pihak MHA untuk meningkatkan lagi sijil pengajian saya, dari peringkat diploma ke peringkat universiti,” ujar beliau.

    Beliau berharap pencapaiannya itu dapat dijadikan contoh, terutama kepada anak-anaknya, bahawa usia bukanlah penghalang untuk terus mengejar ilmu.

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • Review ISA – Government Must Enact New Laws To Prevent Singaporeans From Fighting Overseas

    Review ISA – Government Must Enact New Laws To Prevent Singaporeans From Fighting Overseas

    R1c

    I am very concerned by the arrest of the four Singaporeans under the ISA (Internal Security Act). I read and re-read and the more i read, the more concerned I become. I feel that it is wrong for this four people to be detained under ISA.

    I know ISA was created a long time ago. I found this from here.

    An Act to provide for the internal security of Singapore, preventive detention, the prevention of subversion, the suppression of organised violence against persons and property in specified areas of Singapore, and for matters incidental thereto.

    [16th September 1963]

    Whereas action has been taken by a substantial body of persons to cause a substantial number of citizens to fear organised violence against persons and property:

    And Whereas action has been taken and threatened by a substantial body of persons which is prejudicial to the security of Malaya:

    And Whereas Parliament considers if necessary to stop or prevent that action:

    You see this part…..”prevention of subversion, the suppression of organised violence against persons and property in specified areas of Singapore, and for matters incidental thereto.”

    In Singapore. Where did all these people go? They were overseas or on the way overseas. 3 of them were in Yemen and the Chinese guy was on the way to Syria. Which part of Yemen or Syria is in Singapore?

    I am not condoning what they have done or saying that they should not have been arrested. However, i feel that what they do is not covered under ISA. Am I correct to say that? So far MHA hasn’t mentioned that the four of them wanted to carry out attacks in Singapore. They did not carry a direct threat to Singapore. So why were they detained under the ISA?

    It is different last time with the JI (Jemaah Islamyah). JI very clear cut want to carry out attacks in Singapore…Yishun MRT was one of the places right? Even if JI targeted foreigners, Singaporeans would also become victims. Lives were at stake and properties would have been damaged.

    The communists were also like that. People lost their lives during a period of sustained turmoil. Singapore become topsy-turvy because of the communists. They were subverting unions and students and it was chaos. In this case, it was appropriate for the perpetrators to be dealt with using the ISA. It is very clear-cut.

    But I disagree that they use ISA for these four people.

    I urge the authorities to stop their crutch-mentality with the ISA. Cannot everything also use ISA.

    ISA is draconian and is not in keeping with current situations. What they should do is review the ISA immediately. If they want to stop Singaporeans from fighting overseas, they must enact new laws which are effective and whose scope covers the acts carried out by the four people.

     

    Isa

    Reader Contribution

     

  • Teo Soh Lung: Releases And Arrests Under The ISA

    Teo Soh Lung: Releases And Arrests Under The ISA

    Yesterday’s press releases (27 May 2015) of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) are depressing. Three men were released from indefinite imprisonment under the Internal Security Act (ISA) a year ago, but it is only now that we are made aware this.

    The three men were:

    1. Mohamed Rashid bin Zainal Abidin, arrested in May 2006. He was released on 26 May 2014 with restrictions;

    2. Sahrudin bin Mohd Sapian arrested in January 2012. He was released with restrictions on 24 February 2014; and

    3. Mohamed Rafee bin Abdul Rahman, arrested in January 2012. He was released with restrictions on 24 February 2014.

    The three were released in February 2014 and May 2014. Why did the MHA take more than a year to inform us of their release? Are we not entitled to know what the MHA does with ISA prisoners? Who and how many people have they arrested and for how long do they need to remain in prison? By keeping silent about arrests, imprisonment and releases of prisoners, the MHA behaves like a state sanctioned clandestine organisation.

    The ISA is an unjust law. Prisoners are not charged and tried in open court. There is no judicial review for ISA cases. Release of ISA prisoners depend on the whims and fancies of the executive who may or may not rely on the reports of the ISD. The threat of indefinite imprisonment instils great fear in prisoners. Behind the four walls of the prison, they are quickly forgotten by the public. In Singapore, we do not have human rights organisations or religious organisations who demand updates on the well-being of prisoners. Even the United Nations is not able to extract any information from the MHA. The Justices of Peace who allegedly visit prisoners at regular intervals are not answerable to the public. They merely play the role of do-gooders and do not check the excesses of the government.

    The MHA now informs us that Mohamed Rashid bin Zainal Abidin who was arrested in 2006 was released in 2014, a period of eight long years. Why was he imprisoned for so long? We hear from the MHA that JI or Jemaah Islamiyah has faded and it is now the era of ISIS. So why was he imprisoned for eight long years? MHA owes the public an explanation, not just the two liner alleging that Rashid was a “JI member who had undergone terrorist training in south Philippines. He was released from detention and placed on Restriction Orders (RO) on 24 Feb 2014.”

    Sahrudin bin Mohd Sapian and Mohamed Rafee bin Abdul Rahman were both released after two years. Both men had allegedly undergone terrorist training and were JI members.

    Why was the release of these three men kept a secret for more than one year?

    And what about the following prisoners?

    1. Haji Ibrahim bin Haji Maidin arrested in December 2001.
    2. Alahuddeen bin Abdullah, arrested in October 2002.
    3. Mohd Aslam bin Yar Ali Khan, arrested in December 2002.
    4. Mas Selamat bin Kastari, rearrested in September 2010.
    5. Abdul Rahimbin Abdul Rahman, arrested in February 2012.
    6. Husaini bin Ismail, arrested in May 2012.
    7. Abdul Basheer s/o Abdul Kader, rearrested in September 2012.
    8. Asyrani bin Hussaini arrested in March 2013.
    9. Masyhadi bin Mas Selamat, arrested in October 2013.

    Let us hope that those imprisoned today will not suffer imprisonment for 32 years as Dr Chia Thye Poh did and that the government will in the meantime, look after their material and psychological well-being as well as that of their families. I hope the government will not let the families suffer poverty as they did to thousands of others in earlier decades.

    New Arrests under the ISA

    In another press release of the same date, the MHA announced the arrests of two young people – M Arifil Azim Putra Norja’s, aged 19 and an unnamed youth, aged 17. They were arrested under the ISA in April and May 2015 respectively.

    Is there no other law that can deal with young people other than the ISA? Is there no Muslim organisation that can help these youths, if they are indeed misguided? What about the existing Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS)? Cannot the MHA seek their assistance instead of taking such draconian action and giving them a lifetime black label?

    The arrest of these two young people reminds me of the hundreds of youths arrested between 1954 – 1987. Many of them were students and could not continue their studies after imprisonment. Unlike those times, Singapore today is a developed country. Why is it that we are still not able to handle young people without using the ISA?

    Young people are the future of Singapore. How we treat the young reflect the maturity of our society. As I have said before, the government made a mess of Amos Yee. Are they making another mess with these two young people? MUIS and RRG should do their best to intervene in these arrests. The effect of indefinite imprisonment without trial under the ISA is not to be taken lightly.

    I hope the government will re-examine its decision to use the ISA against these two young people. The ISA is not to be used lightly and worse, on our young.

     

    Teo Soh Lung

    Source: Function 8

  • Ministry Of Home Affairs Issues Tender For “Smart Vest System”

    Ministry Of Home Affairs Issues Tender For “Smart Vest System”

    Wanted: A gizmo that frees up space on frontline police officers’ equipment-heavy waist belts, as well as serve at least 10 other functions, ranging from juicing up the myriad equipment carried by officers to cooling officers down.

    The form this contraption will come in: A vest.

    In a tender for a prototype of this “smart vest system” posted last Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said a frontline police officer’s waist belt is now chock-full of equipment — revolver, Taser, bullet pouch, radio set, baton and handcuffs. The bulk gets in the way sometimes, which “greatly restricts (their) ability to execute their duties”, such as when they need to chase or restrain a suspect.

    On top of this, a myriad of extra smart devices they will need in their policing, such as a mobile data terminal, smart phone and wearable camera, has no place to go. Not only does this mean equipment loss may become a “major concern”, a way has to be found to keep the various devices juiced up throughout an officer’s 12-hour shift.

    The ministry is sourcing for a “smart vest system” that can incorporate solutions to all these problems, and more.

    For instance, it wants sensors to be integrated to the holsters for revolvers and Tasers. When either is drawn, a video-camera — such as the body-worn camera that has been issued to some officers — will be triggered to start recording.

    These footage will be stored on a centralised system — capable of holding 72 hours’ of information — built in to the vest. This system must also be capable of sensing the officer’s location and body orientation — standing, sitting, laying down.

    In addition, data and video streams must be capable of being automatically transmitted in “near real-time” via 3G or LTE network to a “remote control and monitoring station” (RCMS).

    Separately, the vest must have a power management system for officers to keep track of which of his body-worn electronic equipment are running low on power, while there should also be a single battery pack that can provide 12 hours’ charging — including wirelessly — for any of his devices.

    When any of the equipment issued to an officer goes out of his vicinity, the vest should also sound an alarm to him promptly and transmit the missing equipment’s location to his smart device.

    On top of all these, the vest must be able to monitor the wearer’s health conditions. An abnormal heart rate or if the wearer is laying down for a long time will send alarms to the RCMS.

    The vest also needs to provide a body cooling system to keep officers’ body temperatures to below 36.9 degree Celsius, and assess the hazards of electromagnetic radiation on their bodies.

    In terms of addressing the bulk on officers’ waist belts, the ministry said the vest must keep the centre of mass close to and high up along the officer’s body, and ensure that the strapped-on load is balanced. The vests must also be weatherproof and operable in temperatures between 15 and 40°C and a relative humidity of up to 100 per cent.

    According to the tender posted last Friday on government procurement portal GeBiz, prospective suppliers will have up to April 6 to submit applications.

    After a proposal is accepted, the supplier has one year to deliver the “smart vest system” and a trial will be conducted for one to five months.

    The search for this seemingly all-powerful vest comes amid a wider push by the police to harness technology. During the MHA’s Committee of Supply debate last Friday, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean said his ministry will “significantly step up” investments in technology to boost its operations and crime-fighting abilities.

    In recent years, the police have rolled out several techy crime-busters, including surveillance cameras at HDB blocks and multi-storey carparks, and most recently, body-worn cameras.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com