Tag: Singaporean

Munah, Hirzi, ShiGGa Shay, Inch Chua And Daren Tan Among Acts Lined Up For Pink Dot Concert 2015

Held in conjunction with the annual Pink Dot rally, the Pink Dot Concert 2015 is set to bring Hong Lim Park to life with an exhilarating line-up of some of Singapore’s hottest local talents.

Performers include YouTube sensations Munah and Hirzi, Project Superstar winner Daren Tan, singer-songwriters Inch Chua and Gentle Bones, hip-hop artist ShiGGa Shay as well as dance group Plus Point.

Starting at 6:30pm on Saturday, 13th June, the Pink Dot Concert 2015 will conclude as participants come together in a sea of shimmering pink lights to form the iconic Pink Dot; a symbol of support for the freedom to love. Please remember to wear pink-coloured clothing!

According to regulations governing Speakers’ Corner, only Singaporeans and Permanent Residents may participate in events held at Hong Lim Park. However, foreigners are most welcome to watch and observe the concert as well as the formation of Pink Dot 2015.

Support the #FreedomToLove with Pink Dot SG: YouTube| Facebook | Instagram & Twitter: @PinkDotSg | Website | Social Media Campaign

Hashtags: #PinkDotSg #FreedomToLove #WhereLoveLivesSg

Source: http://popspoken.com

June 3, 2015
Swedish National Sentenced To 12 Weeks Jail For Hurting Taxi Driver After Refusing To Pay Cab Fare

Swedish national Blomqvist Andreas Michel, 29, was sentenced to 12 weeks’ jail for voluntarily causing hurt to a taxi driver after refusing to pay for his journey.

Before District Judge Imran Hamid at the State Courts Tuesday (Jun 2), Blomqvist admitted to his offence but he was given a lighter sentence than the one suggested by the prosecution due to evidence indicating his good character.

On Sep 20, 2014, the accused had boarded a taxi at around 1.20am headed for Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2. Upon arrival, Blomqvist declined to pay for the fare incurred during the ride.

Blomqvist soon left the taxi and the driver, 60-year-old Mr Koh Tat Wah, gave chase, demanding payment.

An eyewitness said in submissions before the court that although Blomqvist had asked the taxi driver to call the police and said he was going up to his residence to rest, Mr Koh wanted Blomqvist to wait at the ground floor for the police to arrive. Mr Koh blocked Blomqvist’s path, and the accused began throwing punches on the victim’s face before passers-by intervened.

A medical submission by physician Dr Kattan Amrita at Clementi Polyclinic noted that the victim had bruising and swelling around his left eye. Dr Amrita prescribed medication to Mr Koh but did not issue a medical certificate as the victim was self-employed.

In his mitigation, Blomqvist said he tried to walk away from the victim and only decided to hit him as a right of self-defence. However, the prosecution submitted that Blomqvist was the aggressor in the fight, no offence affecting a human body was committed and he had ample time and opportunity to seek the protection of public authorities.

Blomqvist stated in further mitigation that he does volunteer work, regularly donates blood and is a registered member in Singapore’s bone marrow donor registry. He also wrote a letter of apology to the victim offering to settle the full taxi fare, paying all medical costs borne by the victim and giving some form of compensation.

The prosecution had suggested an imprisonment term of four to six months. However, Blomqvist said previous sentences for voluntarily causing hurt had a lesser jail term despite the victim suffering more serious injuries.

Blomqvist will begin his prison sentence on Jun 5, as he requested for time to make arrangements at work and home. His bail has been extended until then.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 3, 2015
Table Tennis Duo Wins Second Gold For Singapore

The men’s doubles pair of Gao Ning and Li Hu have won the Republic’s second SEA Games gold.

The Singaporeans defeated Thailand’s Padasak Tanviriyavechakul and Chanakarn Udomsilp 4-0 in the final today (June 2) to claim gold in front of the home crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

“I’m very happy to win this gold medal, especially here in Singapore on home soil,” said Gao Ning, after the match.

Earlier today, the top seeded pair defeated Vietnam’s Tran Tuan Quynh and Nguyen Anh Tu in the semi-finals at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to qualify for a spot in the top two. The result meant that Singapore was assured of at least a silver from the duo.

Teammates Clarence Chew and Chen Feng, who were gunning for a final spot, were eliminated in the semis after a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Thailand. The Singaporeans were awarded the bronze medal as there is no playoff for the third spot.

Team Singapore’s women’s doubles pairs of Feng Tianwei, Yu Mengyu, and Lin Ye and Zhou Yihan have already won gold and silver — the first medals for Singapore at the SEA Games — earlier today.

Source: www.todayonline.com

June 3, 2015
Roy Ngerng: PAP Makes Singaporeans Pay High Taxes And Earn From It

The PAP government in Singapore keeps masquerading to Singaporeans that tax is low in Singapore.

Indeed, the personal income tax that Singaporeans pay on a per capita basis is low – it is one of the lowest among the highest-income countries.

However, what the PAP does not tell you is that Singaporeans pay much higher indirect taxes and high social contribution rates.

In fact, Singaporeans pay more than 4 times higher indirect tax than personal income tax. Where other high-income countries pay about the same amount of indirect tax as personal income tax, Singaporeans actually pay more than 4 times more.

Not only that, Singaporeans also pay more than 3 times higher social security into the Central Provident Fund (CPF) than personal income tax. Again, where other high-income countries pay much lesser into social security or on average, about the same as personal income tax, Singaporeans are made to pay more than 3 times more.

In total, Singaporeans thus actually have to pay nearly 8 times more into indirect tax and social security than personal income tax. This is when other high-income countries only pay an average of about twice as much or at most four times as much than personal income tax.

So, you see, it is not true that Singaporeans pay low taxes. The income tax rate is low but what Singaporeans have to pay into indirect tax and social security is nearly 8 times more, which is a lot.

The PAP keeps saying that personal income tax is low and thus Singaporeans should be grateful. But this is how the PAP is trying to trick you. Personal income tax is low but it is not for you. Only a very small and select group of people benefit from the low personal income tax – the rich.

Indeed, Singapore’s top personal income tax rate is the lowest among the developed countries – 20%.

But do you know even the highest income earners in Singapore do not have to pay the top rate of 20%? In fact, for someone who earns US$300,000 a year in Singapore, he or she only need to pay 14.1% – which is much lower than what a similar income earner in the other developed countries have to pay, and is also the lowest among the developed countries.

Not only that, when compared to the top tax rate of 20%, a US$300,000 earner in Singapore only needs to pay 70.5% of the top tax rate. This is the lowest proportion among the highest-income countries, where a similar income earner would have to pay an income tax of about 90% of the top tax rate. In other words, high-income earners get to get away with it, more than the other developed countries.

In comparison, for the majority of Singaporeans, we have to pay 37% of our wages into CPF. As compared to the rich who only have to pay 14.1% of their salaries into tax, the majority of Singaporeans are sacrificing more than twice as much into CPF.

There is the rhetoric that the CPF is not tax but as I will show you soon, the CPF is a tax and the majority of low- and middle-income Singaporeans are paying more than the high-income earners, the PAP among them, into tax.

So, you see, personal income tax rate is low, sure. But it is not for you. It is only for the very rich. Not only is personal income tax low for them, it is the lowest among the developed countries.

‪#‎SayNotoPAP‬

Source: Roy Ngerng

June 2, 2015
American And Singaporean Missing In Yemen Found In Oman

An American and a Singaporean who had been missing in war-ravaged Yemen were found and taken to neighbouring Oman on Monday, the sultanate’s official ONA news agency reported, as the Americans held talked with the Iran-backed rebels.

The announcement came as a US official said that an American citizen who had been held in the war-torn country had been freed and sent to Oman where he was met by the US ambassador, and where talks were being held between the Americans and the Iran-backed Houthis.

News of the release of the American identified as journalist Casey Coombs came as Omani state media reported that a Singaporean had also arrived in the sultanate on his way home.

“I can… confirm that US citizen Casey Coombs has departed Yemen and has arrived safely in Muscat, Oman,” said US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf.

“He is in stable condition. The US ambassador and a consular official met him at the airport upon his arrival and are providing all possible consular assistance.”

Pictures released by Oman’s official ONA news agency showed Coombs being stretchered into an ambulance with a brace around his head.

“We are grateful to the government of Oman and personally to Sultan Qaboos for assisting with the safe passage of a US citizen to Oman,” said Harf.

The Singaporean has so far not been identified and there was no confirmation of where the pair had been held or by whom, but the American journalist’s Twitter account has been inactive since May 15.

ONA news agency said the pair had been “found” with help from Muscat which had “coordinated with concerned parties in Yemen to search for the American citizen and the Singaporean”.

Oman’s Sultan Qaboos had issued “orders to help the American and Singaporean governments regarding their two citizens who had gone missing in Yemen”, ONA reported.

The sultanate had “coordinated with concerned parties in Yemen to search for the American citizen and the Singaporean”, said ONA.

“They were found and have been taken from Sanaa to the sultanate this evening in preparation for their return to their home countries,” it added without giving further details.

The news came after it was revealed that several Americans were imprisoned in Yemen. The Washington Post said the Americans were believed to be held by the Houthis in a prison near the rebel-held capital Sanaa, but there has been no word whether the Singaporean had also been held there.

US officials said efforts to secure the Americans’ release had been mainly through “intermediaries including humanitarian groups that continue to have a presence in Sanaa”, it reported at the weekend.

One of the prisoners had been approved to be released in recent days, but the rebels went back on their decision. He had initially been detained for overstaying his visa, but then the rebels accused him of travelling to “sensitive” areas in Yemen.

Yemen’s exiled government and diplomats in Muscat have said that Oman was hosting the talks between a US delegation and the Shiite rebels. Muscat has often played the role of mediator between Iran and the United States and had in the past secured the release of several detainees.

Oman is also the only member of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council not to have joined a Saudi-led air war targeting the Houthis and their allies in Yemen.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

June 2, 2015