Tag: Singapore

IS Uses Malay-Language In Push For New Recruits In Southeast Asia

KUALA LUMPUR — The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group is in an “aggressive mode” in reaching out to Malay-speaking communities by making reading materials in the Malay language more accessible online, a move that could have wide-ranging ramifications for countries in South-east Asia.

The Malaysian authorities say ISIS is spreading its propaganda through more “localised news reports” and “articles” that glorify its fighters, especially those from Malaysia and Indonesia who have travelled to Syria to take up arms with the militant group.

These “articles” are uploaded on ISIS websites in Malay, which also share information on ISIS activities in the provinces they conquered.

One of the websites is a portal containing articles taken from the ISIS magazine Dabiq, which are then translated into Bahasa Indonesia and Malay.

Online recruiters in Malaysia and Indonesia also use forums and blogs to reach out to potential recruits.

Malaysia’s top counter-terrorism official, Mr Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, said the ISIS recruiters would include articles on martyrdom and life in the organisation.

“They feed their sympathisers with fairy tales,” said Mr Ayob.

It is understood that there are currently about six to seven ISIS websites, forums and blogs in Malay.

Mr Ayob said these websites use servers abroad to avoid detection from the authorities in both countries.

The ISIS social-media unit has also taken the initiative to include Malay subtitles in its radio programmes broadcast in English and Arabic through ISIS’ official radio station, Bayan, which was made available on YouTube three months ago.

A check on YouTube, which provides access to recorded ISIS radio programmes, showed that Bayan attracts between 700 and 2,000 visitors.

International Islamic University Malaysia’s Political Science and Islamic Studies lecturer Ahmad Muhammady said the emergence of ISIS websites in Malay indicates an “offensive approach” taken by the terror group.

“Before this, they took a ‘defensive approach’, that is to respond to the accusations made against them, and it was done either in Arabic, English or Indonesian. Now, they changed tact,” Mr Ahmad said.

“To me, it is not surprising. Currently, the term ‘jihad media’ (ilami jihadi) is getting popular among the pro-ISIS chatters. This term is coined … to encourage young people to join the ISIS media team to take an offensive approach against their ‘enemies’.”

Last month, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told a regional security forum in Singapore that South-east Asia is a key recruitment centre for ISIS.

“ISIS has so many Indonesian and Malaysian fighters that they form them into a unit by themselves — the Katibah Nusantara (Malay Archipelago Combat Unit),” said Mr Lee, who also warned that ISIS could establish a base somewhere in the region and pose a “serious threat to the whole of South-east Asia”.

His remarks followed the recent arrests of two self-radicalised Singaporean youths, including M Arifil Azim Putra Norja’i, 19, who had planned intensively to attack key facilities and assassinate government leaders if he was unable to leave Singapore for Syria.

Mr Ahmad said ISIS’ use of Malay-language materials as a recruitment tool was a worrying development for Malaysia. “Currently, there is an increase in interest among youths in rural areas in the east coast, especially among secondary and college students,” he said.

He said the use of Malay as the medium was all about penetrating deeper into Malaysian society.

“Those who are not educated in English still rely on the Malay website as a source of reference.”

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said so far, no ISIS websites in Malay have been shut down.

Its monitoring and enforcement division head Zulkarnain Mohd Yasin said MCMC was aware of the emergence of the ISIS sites.

“So far, we have not blocked any such website, but we did take down a few videos on YouTube,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

Source: www.todayonline.com

June 17, 2015
Suspected Loanshark Runner Arrested For Starting Fire Damaging Two Flats In Toh Guan

Police have arrested a man, believed to be a loan shark runner, who was involved in at least five cases of harassment involving fire islandwide.

The 31-year-old man was arrested on Monday at Lorong 5 Toa Payoh after setting his last fire on Saturday at Block 272, Toh Guan Road.

The fire destroyed the front doors of two units on the 12th storey of the block.

Residents believe the loan sharks were deterred by closed-circuit television cameras installed outside the debtor’s 11th storey unit and decided to target his neighbours’ flats instead.

Following the fire, the police arrested the suspect and seized cans of paint, bicycle chain locks and marker pens.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is believed to be involved in more than 10 cases of loan shark harassment islandwide, including at least five cases involving fire.

The suspect is expected to be charged today for loan shark harassment.

The two residents whose doors were burnt said they were relieved the man had been caught, and hoped such an incident would not happen again.

One of them, a man in his 20s who wanted to be known as Mr Lim, told The New Paper: “I didn’t expect something like that to happen to me, and I hope the police step up enforcement.”

His neighbour, who wanted to be known as Madam Liu, 76, blamed her luck and said she would have to pay for her own repairs.

Lianhe Wanbao reported that the suspect was taken to the scene of the crime yesterday in restraints, escorted by six police officers.

He was seen answering questions from the officers before being led away.

‘ZERO TOLERANCE’

Mr Loh Kah Wai, who heads the Unlicensed Money Lending Strikeforce of the Specialised Crime Division, said in a statement yesterday: “Police have zero tolerance against such lawless acts of loan shark harassment involving fire which threaten the community’s sense of safety.

“We will continue with our tough enforcement action and spare no effort to nab these offenders to ensure that they face the full consequences of their actions.” Under the Moneylenders Act, first-time offenders found guilty of acting on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender, committing or attempting to commit any acts of harassment, can be jailed up to five years, fined up to $50,000, and caned up to six strokes.

Source:www.tnp.sg

June 17, 2015
Dirty Secrets Of A Former Air Stewardess

People used to watch as she strutted through the airport. Some would even whip out their phones and cameras to take photos of Joanne and her colleagues walking towards the plane.

It’s part and parcel of life as air crew. Well, just a small part of it, says Joanne, a former flight stewardess.

“People think, ‘Wah, so glamorous’. Little do they know that I had to clean toilets on the plane or clean up after passengers when they vomit,” says the 25-year-old, who declines to use her real name.

As soon as the air crew enter the aircraft, it is crunch time. Seats need to be reset. Headsets need replacing in the seat pockets. Overhead compartments need to be scanned for forgotten items and security threats.

Complete this, and one still has to deal with the passengers themselves.

“I’ve had things thrown in my face when we could not fulfil last-minute requests for seat changes. People think that because they paid for the flight, they deserve everything.”

Worse still are people who try to touch her or take voyeuristic photos.

Then, there are also the strangest encounters.

Once, drunk passenger on an Australia-bound flight grew rowdy and helped himself to a bottle of wine in the plane’s galley. He started getting touchy-feely too, but Joanne firmly made him return to his seat.

Says Joanne: “He was this close to being restrained.”

BOMB THREAT

Once, a man accused a group of passengers of carrying a bomb on the plane, shocking others in the process. On the pilot’s orders, she searched the passenger and found drugs instead.

Another time, an adult passenger went on a hunger strike because he was unhappy with the food. Joanne had to coax him to eat as part of her “good service”.

“It’s like being a nanny, a security guard and a waitress combined,” says Joanne with a laugh.

There is a small cabin space for crew to rest. But sometimes, she doesn’t really bother to rest because it might ruin her make-up and hairdo, she confesses.

Cabin crew take pride in being professional, she says.

“No matter how tired or frustrated you are, once you leave the crew cabin, you have to put on a smile,” she says.

Despite the difficulties, working as a flight stewardess can be a rewarding experience because of the travel perks and relatively high salary.

She has visited nearly every country in the world and got to interact with thousands of people in her two-year stint.

“I loved trying out the cuisines of the various countries, and it all tasted so good!” she says, singling out Greece and India as memorable gastronomic stops.

She says she has fantastic memories and good stories to tell of wonderful people and passengers.

Sheepishly, she says that despite the difficulties during her flight, when she gets a simple “thank you” from a passenger for service rendered, it cancels out all the negatives.

Joanne left the job as she found greener pastures elsewhere, she says. But she adds that she has no regrets.

“It is quite an experience, and I have learnt a lot about dealing with people.”

SECRETS OF THE TRADE

1 Study your procedures well so you are prepared for every situation. Every passenger relies on you to know what to do.

2 Carry an extra uniform on board in case of food spillage and airsick passengers — which are very common.

3 Flight crew are not spared from the possibilities of lost luggage. Make sure you keep a bag of essential items with you so that you can continue working on your return flight.

Source: www.tnp.sg

June 17, 2015
Sabah Quake: Reunion Of Guides And Students At Tanjong Katong Primary School

On Tuesday (Jun 16), three mountain guides met the Singaporean schoolboy whose life they helped save following the earthquake that struck Sabah on Jun 5.

Rizuan Kauhinin, Simon Gohinmin and Mazlee Liong touched down in Singapore on Monday night (Jun 15). The next day, they were reunited with Tanjong Katong Primary School (TKPS) student El Wafeeq El Jauzy, whom they had helped carry down Mount Kinabalu following the 5.9-magnitude quake.

Also at the reunion was another TKPS student who was rescued – Arnaav Karan Chabria, 11.

BEFORE THE REUNION

Rizuan, Simon and Mazlee after breakfast and watching morning television, a short time before the scheduled reunion. (Photo: Kane Cunico)

“We slept comfortably. I dreamt I was climbing,” said Rizuan ahead of the meeting.

“I will shake Wafeeq’s hand and ask the boy about his condition,” said Mazlee on the way to TKPS. “The last time I had a chance to ask the boy his name and age, but this time I will ask more and get to know him more.”

A VERY SPECIAL SHIRT: #TKPS student Wafeeq’s family had this made for the men who saved him in the #SabahQuake. bit.ly/1SjaiWc

Posted by Channel NewsAsia Singapore on Monday, 15 June 2015

Wafeeq and his family wore customised shirts, which they intended to present to the Sabahan guides as gifts. “We wanted to give the guides something meaningful. So we came up with the idea of soccer jerseys with Wafeeq’s and the guides’ names,” said his mother, Mdm Sabrena El Huda.

Added the 12-year-old student: “I made the T-shirts to symbolise the courage of the Sabah mountain guides.”

Shy El Wafeeq El Jauzy, at home with his family before the reunion. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

Wafeeq has prepared a special jersey for his “saviour” Rizuan. His family had three of these made, each with Rizuan and Wafeeq’s names on it. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

REUNION AT TKPS

The reunion – arranged as part of an upcoming Channel NewsAsia documentary, Heart of Courage – saw the guides, the two boys and their families meet behind closed doors on Tuesday morning (Jun 16). This is the first time the guides have travelled out of Malaysia, and they will spend two days sightseeing in Singapore.

Smiles as Rizuan and Wafeeq finally meet again after a trying joint experience in Sabah. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

Rizuan checking out the jersey Wafeeq had made. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

The most vocal out of the three guides, Rizuan said, “The earthquake that happened affected a lot of people. The boys endured a lot of trauma and you need to give them time to get better. They lost a lot of their friends and I hope that they will be strong to continue their way of life.”

“I’m not just the only guide to help the boys. It was a big operation that involved all the mountain guides,” he added.

Wafeeq’s father Mr El Jauzy hugs one of the trio, Simon Gohinmin. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

Wafeeq called the chance to meet the men who saved him a “precious” moment. “They helped me all the way from the mountain,” he added.

His mother, Mdm Sebrina said: “I feel very delighted – the whole family does – seeing them in person. When we spoke to each other, we shared our stories as if we had known each other for a long time.

“I wouldn’t see this meeting as a closure but a start. I think this sense of brotherly love will continue beyond this episode.”

Asked if her son will go back to Mount Kinabalu, she said: “He is a very determined boy.” Wafeeq still wants to reach the summit, she added. “I think he has found a very good guide”

The TKPS students and their families share some quiet time with the mountain guides. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

A total of 18 climbers were killed in the disaster, 10 from Singapore.

Catch Heart of Courage on Channel NewsAsia, June 23, at 8.30pm.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 17, 2015
Unlimited Data Plans For The Future?

Data is the new competition arena for telcos, as they strive to find new revenue streams, and consumers shift toward data-intensive applications.

Analysts said one key area will be managing network and infrastructure costs while still providing a good user experience. As data consumption continues to increase, industry watchers said data analytics will be another growth area.

MyRepublic has said it plans to set large data caps of 12 gigabytes or more, should it be awarded the fourth telco licence by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). If MyRepublic does that, some analysts have said this could put pressure on current pricing of tiered data plans, forcing the three major telcos M1, StarHub and Singtel to be more generous.

While this may be good news for consumers, it could impact the margins for telcos and their investment in infrastructure.

“With the potential of another operator coming to the market, the prices will go down and you might one day have unlimited packages,” said Mr Dustin Kehoe, programme director of AP Telecommunications at IDC Asia Pacific. “But you still have to ask the bigger question. If telcos are not making money, then they are not going to be investing in networks. And if they are not investing in any networks over time, the user experience will deteriorate.”

Singtel, StarHub and M1 have spent millions of dollars on data infrastructure and improving mobile connectivity. This includes seeking ways to switch subscribers seamlessly to wireless broadband networks to relieve the load on their mobile network.

Such solutions would improve the quality of the mobile network and potentially keep a rein on costs. The three telcos are already testing out solutions, most notably, in IDA’s heterogeneous network (HetNet) trial in Jurong Lake District.

“The answer to this is offloading this to Wi-Fi – offloading the data to fixed line network,” explained Mr Sachin Mittal, vice president of equity research at DBS. “Mobile has only limited capacity and it causes congestion, unless you offload to the fixed line. You need to put incrementally more and more capex and that is something they won’t do for free. So Singtel came up with this Wi-Fi offloading solution where you get a couple of gigabytes if you use their mobile network and the Wi-Fi.”

At the same time, growing data consumption provides more opportunities to grow revenue. Data analytics will continue to be an area of growth for telcos, especially if they can find creative insights and applications.

“Getting into things like precision advertising. Knowing something about your customers and offer them something relevant, given the context of a situation, maybe passing by a retail store and having something offered to them that is relevant. Another thing, they are doing here in this country in particular, is the analytics of tourists,” said Mr Kehoe.

“This is actually interesting information to pass on to retailers, to local governments for money, and that is another way to take data that you have on your network, anonymise it and monetise it,” he added.

Both Singtel and StarHub have already established analytics teams in a bid to capture growth in the segment.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 17, 2015