Tag: Singaporeans

Agency Closure Hits Japan Tour Group

The 68-year-old cleaner had saved up for months and was ready to leave for her week-long Hokkaido tour on Monday night.

The plan was to go to the airport to meet the travel agent who had the air tickets for her group. But hours before the flight, Madam Teo Ino Meo allegedly received a text message from Sky Travel & Tours that it had shuttered and would stop all services immediately.

A visit by The Straits Times at 3.30pm to the company’s office in the basement of People’s Park Centre found the glass doors locked and the lights off.

A note on the door said business would resume on Thursday. It gave an emergency contact number, but calls went unanswered.

To Madam Teo’s knowledge, there were 28 people in her tour group who had made travel arrangements with Sky Travel & Tours. She said she has not been able to get any explanation from the company so far.

Said Madam Teo in Mandarin: “I was so angry. My bags were all packed and I was ready to leave that night.”

The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) said it had received seven complaints against Sky Travel & Tours since Monday.

Madam Teo, a widow, had booked the tour with a friend in August during a travel fair and had paid $500 as a deposit. About two weeks ago, they went to the agency to pay the balance of $1,900, and were given their itineraries.

“They said that everything had been confirmed,” she added.

Her friend, Madam Beh Choon Ann, 80, said besides the money paid to the company, she had spent close to $300 on winter wear.

“It would have been our first time seeing snow,” she said.

The two women have filed claims with the Small Claims Tribunals and have made police reports. They claimed they met others who had done the same.

Case executive director Seah Seng Choon advised affected customers to try to contact the agency regarding the status of their tour packages, and those who had bought travel insurance, to contact their providers.

Speaking in general, he also said travel agents should protect customers’ interests by purchasing insurance for prepayments.

“We advise consumers to engage CaseTrust-Natas accredited travel agencies as they are committed to fair trading and transparency towards consumers,” he said.

Source: The Straits Times

December 7, 2016
Wedang Gerai Penjaja Melayu/Islam Tunggal Diiktiraf Michelin Di Singapura

Gado-gado dan tahu goreng sering menjadi santapan siang yang popular di kalangan warga Singapura.

Rahsia keenakan pada hidangan jalanan atau ‘street food’ ini terletak pada kuah dan sos kacang yang disira ke atas kepingan lontong serta sayur-sayuran dan tahu yang menjadi bahan asas gado-gado dan tahu goreng.

Kuah dan sos yang pekat dan padat dengan kacang tanah juga menjadi penambat hati para inspektor makanan misteri untuk menyeneraikan hidangan gado-gado dan tahu goreng yang masing-masing berharga S$3 dari gerai Wedang untuk Michelin Bib Gourmand Eat Singapore.

Malah Wedang merupakan gerai penjaja Melayu/Islam setempat tunggal yang tersenarai dalam pengiktirafan di peringkat antarabangsa itu.

Michelin Bib Gourmand Eat ini mengiktiraf 17 penjaja dan 17 restoran yang menyajikan sajian di bawah S$45 dan senarai ini terdapat dalam buku Panduan Michelin Singapura.

Buku Panduan Michelin yang diterbitkan setahun sekali untuk mengiktiraf restoran-restoran terbaik di kota-kota utama dunia setiap tahun dengan pengiktirafan satu hingga tiga bintang. Tahun ini Singapura menjadi kota terpilih untuk pengiktirafan di peringakt antarabangsa itu.

Menurut pemilik Wedang, Encik Azman Khamis, beliau agak terperanjat apabila diberitahu oleh seorang rakannya bahawa gerainya telah disenaraikan oleh pihak Michelin.

“Saya pun tidak tahu ada anugerah seperti ini. Selama ini kita bekerja keras dan anugerah ini satu pengiktirafan bagi saya,” ujar pemilik Wedang Azman Khamis.

Encik Azman memulakan gerai Wedang ini di Pusat Makanan Golden Mile, 12 tahun yang lalu. Beliau berpindah ke pusat penjaja di Aljunied Ave 2 untuk sementara waktu awal tahun ini kerana kerja-kerja peningkatan yang dijalankan di Golden Mile. Awal bulan ini, Encik Azman berpindah semula ke tempat asal gerainya di Beach Road.

Sejak diiktiraf pihak Michelin pada Julai lalu, Encik Azman turut melihat peningkatan 10 hingga 20 peratus pada perniagaannya.

Selain Wedang, antara 17 restoran yang tersenarai dalam Michelin Bib Gourmand Eat Singapura termasuk dua buah restoran Halal – Hajah Maimunah dan Bismillah Biryani.

Wawancara dengan Encik Azman serta lain-lain informasi tentang anugerah Michelin dapat anda saksikan dalam Digit malam ini (7 Dis) pada jam 8.30 malam.

Digit malam ini akan membawa penonton dalam perjalanan gastronomi untuk mengupas mengapa Singapura digelar kota Syurga Makanan.

Source: Berita MediaCorp

December 7, 2016
Not Enough Local Takers For Tech Jobs

Studies by recruitment firms show a spike in hiring activity in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.

The Monster Employment Index, which tracks online job posting activities on a monthly basis, found a 25 per cent year-on-year growth in hiring activity for software, hardware and telecommunications jobs.

Recruitment firm Robert Walters spotted a 24 per cent rise in hiring activity for the IT job market for the second quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.

Still, Singapore is struggling to keep up with this booming sector, which has some 30,000 jobs to be filled by 2020, experts told The New Paper yesterday.

The problem lies in the mismatch of skills, said Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say.

At the TechSkills Accelerator Career Services Day in October, he said: “Even if the jobseekers know what ICT jobs they want, they may not have the skills, expertise and experience needed.

“This applies to not just the newcomers, but also those with some years of ICT experience. The fast pace of technological change means many need to re-learn so as to remain in or re-enter the ICT sector.”

The skills mismatch means the ICT jobs may be “shoes that are too big to fill” for those not equipped with the right skills, said Mr Erman Tan, president of Singapore Human Resource Institute.

People also tend to associate ICT jobs with long hours and low pay, said Mr Patrick Thng, an information systems senior lecturer at Singapore Management University (SMU).

With Singapore looking to countries such as India to plug the manpower gap, the influx of foreign workers has led to lower wages, causing local graduates to shun it.

Mr Thng said: “We haven’t been producing enough students with some of these deep technical skills… Fewer people are attracted to these courses because the perception is that the hours are long, and the pay is not so good in such jobs.”

But the situation is looking up, he said. At SMU, there is a heightened interest for the Information Systems undergraduate course.

“As students get to see successful start-ups – the Googles and Alibabas of the world – they get more excited about getting into innovation, ICT and start-ups,” Mr Thng said.

For mid-career professionals looking for a change in the ICT sector, they can look to initiatives such as the place-and-train Professional Conversion Programme, which trains mid-career switchers to become ICT professionals.

Mr Tan suggested those seeking ICT jobs talk to someone in the sector.

“Understand the pros and cons of the trade, and what to expect, and be mentally prepared for the new challenges.

“As long as they have the willpower and the right mindset, they will be able to turn those challenges into something positive,” he said.

Source: The New Paper

December 7, 2016
Mohamed Jufrie Mahmood: Mana Suara Lantang Badan Melayu Islam Dalam Isu Rohingya?

Bila Aung San Suu Kyi diraikan di Singapura minggu lepas, golongan pemerintah dan masyarakat perniagaan berpusu-pusu dgn perangai rakus mereka utk cuba mendapatkan manfaat dari pembangunan Myanmar yg dikatakan kaya dgn sumber asli. Sedikitpun tidak dikemukakan kpdnya secara terbuka tentang kezaliman dan penghapusan terhadap masyarakat Rohingya yg sedang berluasa di negeri yg diketuai oleh perempuan jahannam itu.
Ini tidak menghairankan saya kerana yg jadi mangsa di Myanmar terdiri dari orang-orang Islam dan yg sangat ghairah meraikan perempuan jahannam itu, termasuk para pemimpin negara, dan golongan peniaga terdiri dari yg bukan Islam. Mereka rata-rata menganggap apa yg berlaku di Myanmar itu sebagai isu dalaman dan tidak melihatnya sebagai isu kemanusian. Lagipun yg jadi mangsa adalah kaum Muslimin.
Tapi tidakkah kehadiran si jahannam di bumi Singapura ini memberikan suatu peluang yg baik bagi badan-badan Melayu Islam yg ramai bilangannya di negara kita utk menyampaikan bantahan terhadap kezaliman yg berlaku di Myanmar?
Mereka cukup lantang bersuara bila berlaku kekejaman di negara barat yg dikatakan dilakukan oleh orang-orang yg bertindak atas nama Islam.
Di mana perginya RRG, Mufti, ustaz-ustaz dari PERGAS – terutamanya ustaz Hasbi, ustaz Ali dan anak beliau, dan habib Hassan?
Semuga Allah mengadili semua yg bersifat talam dua muka kerana Dia sangat mengetahui dan maha adil.
Saya jangkakan perkara yg sama akan berlaku bila seorang lagi Jahannam – SYAITANYAHU namanya – tiba di sini sedikit masa lagi atas undangan perdana menteri. Na’uzubillahi min zalik!

Source: Mohamed Jufrie Bin Mahmood

December 7, 2016
Average Singapore Airbnb Host ‘Makes About $5,000 A Year’

The average Singapore Airbnb host who lets out his home or room makes about $5,000 a year. On average, he receives guests for 45 nights a year.

“There is a thought that this is a full-time occupation,” Airbnb’s Asia-Pacific regional director Julian Persaud told The Straits Times last week. “(But) the average amount of time our hosts are renting out is like three or four days a month.”

These hosts are doing it despite the fact that home-sharing in Singapore has yet to be given the green light by the authorities. In Singapore, home rentals shorter than six months are deemed illegal. Because of this, home-sharing businesses like Airbnb – whose hosts overseas can rake in thousands of dollars in rentals a month – have had to tread a fine line here.

Worries over the side effects of home-sharing have also plagued the sector, with residents raising concerns about safety and noise from transient tourists in their backyard. Hotels have also questioned hygiene and safety standards of unregulated accommodation.

Revealing its Singapore numbers for the first time, Mr Persaud stressed that safety is the “No. 1” priority for Airbnb.

“The most important to us is the safety of our community. And if we don’t have that, we don’t have a business,” he said, adding that the portal has a slew of measures to mitigate any potential issues. These include a verified identification process for guests and hosts and reviews for both parties.

In June, it also rolled out a new Neighbour Tool which allows neighbours of hosts to flag any concerns they have about Airbnb listings. When asked for the number of reported cases via this tool here, Mr Persaud said it was “negligible”.

Airbnb, which set up its regional headquarters in Singapore in 2012, has about 7,000 property listings here as of last month. Some 242,400 visitors have checked into Airbnb lodgings here in the past year.

Mr Persaud added that problems arising from Airbnb arrangements are generally rare. Of the 17 million tourists who used Airbnb globally from May to July this year, there were fewer than 300 urgent customer service calls, he said.

Mr John Kim, president of Texas-based vacation rental site HomeAway, also said that complaints about disturbances from guests are “very much the exception”. HomeAway, which comes under parent company Expedia, focuses on whole-home rentals.

Public sentiment is likely to feature prominently in the debate on whether home-sharing in Singapore will be given the green light.

Last year, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) ran a public consultation to see if there was a need to review short-term rental rules for private housing. It said in May this year that it needs more time to study the matter as views are split. Those in favour of short rentals argue that it can help boost tourism and cultural exchanges between hosts and guests.

Noting that most Airbnb listings (78 per cent) are outside main tourist areas such as Orchard, Mr Persaud said home rentals can bring tourist dollars into other areas.

“We’re very keen for them (the URA) to… make a ruling on it because I think our guests, hosts and community here of Singaporeans who want to rent out their homes on an occasional basis… are looking for clarity,” he said.

The Government has hinted that there could be room for regulations to co-exist with home-sharing here. National Development Minister Lawrence Wong told The Straits Times in October that while he understands the misgivings about home-sharing, attitudes may change and Singapore is not closing the door on it.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the Apec CEO Summit in Peru last month that old rules may no longer be relevant to disruptive economic activities such as Airbnb, but stressed that rules are still required.

Mr Persaud said his company hopes to adopt a collaborative approach with regulators here on private housing. He said: “We know in Singapore, it’s a unique situation (due to) the housing stock (where private housing makes up only 20 per cent of Singapore homes).

“It’s very different from most of the world… and we’re very cognisant of that. We, as a company… have a broad mission where people can belong. And… the last thing we want to do is to cause any sort of issues in the local community.”

Source: The Straits Times

December 6, 2016