Tag: Singaporeans

ICA: Security Checks, Lack Of Lane Discipline Led To Causeway Jams

A lack of lane discipline by motorcyclists streaming in from Malaysia and heightened security checks in the wake of the Paris attacks were among the reasons for the crush seen at the Causeway last week, where some took to crossing into Singapore on foot.

These factors, cited by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) at a media briefing today (Dec 21), worsened the waiting times already stretched by the spike in the number of travellers during the holidays.

And Malaysian motorists told TODAY that some travellers, expecting to slip through customs quickly owing to the large crowds, may have arrived at the Singapore customs without valid travel documents, and ended up subject to additional checks.

Last Thursday, large numbers of travellers, tired of the long wait, had disembarked from buses to enter Singapore on foot, spilling onto the roads as there is no proper footpath on the Malaysian side of the Causeway.

Traffic came to a near standstill, as motorcyclists from Malaysia had cut into the four lanes meant for other vehicles on the way to Singapore, only to find themselves trapped in a bottleneck when they reach the Singapore side, which has one designated lane for motorcycles.

The ICA said today that it does not have jurisdiction over this, and it has informed the Malaysian authorities on the need for enforcement during massive jams.

About 430,000 travellers cross the checkpoints daily during the year-end holiday period, compared to 400,000 during the off-peak period.

Other reasons worsening the problem include the surge in the number of foreigners detected at the two checkpoints in Singapore with invalid travel documents, such as having an expired passport. Last year, there were around 3,400 cases, while there are already 3,500 cases as of October. Among Singaporeans, there were 622 cases of using the wrong travel documents when departing Singapore as of October, compared to about 690 cases last year.

The commander of Woodlands Command, Assistant Commissioner Alan Koo, said at the car lanes for example, using invalid travel documents will mean setting up a cordon for further checks. “We treat (this) very seriously to ensure that there is no malicious intend to use this as an excuse … it could be used by terrorists to impersonate the person,” he said.

In response to queries, an ICA spokesperson said: “We have alerted the Malaysian authorities to such incidents (of invalid travel documents) and hope to work with them to resolve the problem soon.”

Motorists could also be adjusting to a new process by the ICA introduced on Dec 1 — a one-stop “forward checks” system with double barriers at the checkpoints.

Under this system, vehicles coming into Singapore will be stopped at the first barrier and checked by ICA officers. Vehicles then enter a second area and stop before a barrier, for their passports to be checked. Previously, there was only one barrier, which could lead to tailgating and car intrusion cases as seen in recent years, the ICA noted.

Mr Koo noted as with any changes, it could have “slowed down (the process) by a bit”. He added: “We have to shape their behaviour before it comes naturally, after a few times of using the checkpoints.”

A Malaysian motorist who travels to work in Singapore daily, said he has seen some motorcyclists pass through the Malaysian customs without scanning their passport properly, and this can go unnoticed during peak hours. “To save time, some motorcyclists will just zoom pass the customs and many others will just follow suit,” he said.

He also said he has seen the Malaysian police plying the roads of late to ensure motorcyclists stay in their designated lane. Nonetheless, with the increase in holiday traffic, he hoped the authorities could open more counters during the wee hours.

Source: www.todayonline.com

December 22, 2015
Facebook Users Pay For Foreign Workers’ Free Meals With Compliments

It was midday and the sun blazed relentlessly as the cricket match wore on. Standing along the field at Race Course Road with his fellow countrymen from India today (Dec 20), Mr Ilaya Raja watched the game before him, riveted by the action.

Then unexpectedly, a woman approached the 25-year-old and handed him a packet of food.

“Here’s something to thank you,” she said. Behind her, a second woman was huddled over two large plastic bags filled with more lunch boxes. Lifting a stack of them, she offered them to other foreign workers there, stopping for a chat every now and then.

Ms Wong Shuk Leng, 27, and Ms Ong Meng Koon, 25, are employees of Select Group, the parent company of Select Catering and Stamford Catering. As part of an SG50 campaign to mark Singapore’s independence jubilee, the food company’s employees volunteered to distribute 300 lunch boxes to foreign workers in Little India today.

The first leg of the campaign took place on Nov 3, with 500 packets of chicken rice distributed at the Kranji Lodge 1 workers’ dormitory, which agreed to the offer of free meals.

On Dec 1, the catering companies put up a video of the first giveaway on their respective Facebook pages, urging online users to leave appreciative comments for the foreign worker community by Dec 11. They pledged to match the number of goodwill messages with an equivalent number of meals.

Ms Wong said the foreign workers quickly came to mind when they were deciding on the campaign’s beneficiaries. “We often forget those who help us to build our nation, build our homes and sweep our floors… we wanted to raise awareness about them.”

Around 2,000 comments have poured in online. One Facebook user named Hazel Tan wrote: “Thank you for leaving your homes to build ours. You and your colleagues work long hours under rain or shine without complaints so that we can have shelter. Thank you for all your hard work. We appreciate and remember you!”

Another user Margaret Foong commented: “Thank you so much for your hard work under the hot sun every day… to build up our country with all the facilities and taking care of the old folks by giving up your seats when we are in the bus or taking MRT.”

True to their word, 12 volunteers from the catering companies fanned out in pairs across various locations in Little India yesterday — two days after International Migrants Day — for the lunchtime giveaway, covering Buffalo Road, Kerbau Road and Bebilios Lane.

Mr IIaya was pleasantly surprised to receive his meal. “I haven’t eaten. I’m waiting for my friends,” the Tamil Nadu native said. “You give me food, I’m happy.”

Chennai native K Senthamil Kannan, 34, and his friends immediately started digging in after receiving the lunchboxes. “It’s so nice that you cooked for us,” he said.

“Enjoy! Have a good, fun day,” Ms Ong said as she moved on to the next group of men. “It’s quite meaningful,” she said later. “Normally, I see (the foreign workers) on trains. I get to know them better today. I was a little nervous at first, but after a while, it got better.”

Another 1,200 meals are expected to be distributed at Kranji Lodge 1 by the end of the year, bringing the total number to 2,000 meals.

Source: www.todayonline.com

December 21, 2015
Needy Families Affected By Umrah Postponement

He emptied his savings account to fund his and his wife’s umrah pilgrimages at the end of the year.

The man, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ahmad, 51, was very disappointed when he heard that his trip had to be postponed to March due to accommodation issues.

Mr Ahmad had engaged the services of Mr Suwandi Marchuke from Bil Hikmah Consultants LLP in April to arrange for his umrah pilgrimage as the consultant company had designed a package that catered to the less fortunate. (See report on right.)

Umrah is a minor pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and can be performed at any time of the year.

On Nov 7, more than a month before they were set to leave for Mecca, more than 200 pilgrims were gathered by Mr Suwandi at Hajjah Rahimabi mosque to be told the bad news.

REFUND

Said Mr Ahmad, a father of four: “I’m only a despatch rider and my wife is a housewife. We scrimped to make ends meet and managed to save enough for the both of us to go.”

Mr Ahmad paid a registration fee of $300 for both of them and later paid the remaining $3,996 in full.

“We just hope that our refund will be processed as soon as possible,” he said, adding that he will be looking for another organiser.

The package that the Bil Hikmah consultant offered also allowed pilgrims to pay the amount in instalments.

That was the main reason Madam Salbiah Idris, 49, engaged its services to arrange for her and her husband’s pilgrimages end of this year.

“It was my first time going overseas, so I put my full trust on Suwandi. Especially since I saw that he successfully organised the pilgrimage last year,” said the mother of four.

The housewife said that the first sign of trouble was when Mr Suwandi called them together.

“It was close to the time when we were supposed to apply for our visas, but I felt something was wrong when Mr Suwandi told us not to bring our passports,” said Madam Salbiah.

When Mr Suwandi said that the trip was going to be postponed, she was initially afraid that she would lose the money she had deposited.

“It wasn’t easy saving up money. My eldest daughter, who is only 23, works full-time so she gives me money every month. I used that money to pay for the instalments,” said the mother of four.

Madam Salbiah paid a registration fee of $300 and then a sum of $3,996 for her and her husband.

“I’m not that angry about the situation. I understand that mistakes happen and I take it as a test from god,” she said.

Madam Salbiah said she will continue to trust Mr Suwandi.

“I’m willing to give him a chance and wait till March. I hope he can get everything sorted out by then,” she said.

I’m only a despatch rider and my wife is a housewife. We scrimped to make ends meet and managed to save enough for the both of us to go.

– Mr Ahmad, 51, who hopes for a refund soon

I have no intention to cheat anyone: Organiser

The package by Bil Hikmah Consultants was specifically designed to give pilgrims from low-income families a chance to fulfil their pilgrimages in Mecca, said organiser Suwandi Marchuke.

It includes food, accommodation and transport for pilgrims and it cost $1,998 per person, a vast difference from the market rate of about $3,000.

The difference in the prices is sponsored by a consortium of oil and gas companies across the Causeway as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility programme, claimed Mr Suwandi, who said he has links with the consortium.

Last year, Mr Suwandi arranged 64 pilgrimages under the package.

Following that success, the consultant, who is also an owner of a scaffolding company, was approached by veteran singer Aziz Ahmad to organize a pilgrimage for his fans.

Mr Aziz, who could not be contacted yesterday, told Berita Harian that his role was only to gather his fans for the trip and he had nothing to do with the planning of it.

In the end, 218 people signed with Mr Suwandi.

“I was very optimistic that everyone will be able to go,” he said.

After collecting money from the pilgrims, he engaged a pilgrimage service in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and paid more than US$300,000 ($420,000) in deposits for the pilgrims’ transport and accommodation.

However, two months before the group was supposed to depart, the consortium, whose members declined to be named, could not confirm the amount that they could commit to.

Mr Suwandi told The New Paper that because of the delay, he could not confirm his accommodation booking.

“When I confirm the booking for the accommodation, I already need to pay the full amount.

“How can I do that if the consortium hasn’t got back to me about how much they are sponsoring?” said Mr Suwandi.

Unfortunately, the consortium could sponsor only an amount of $360 each for 150 pilgrims. By then, most of the accommodation was fully booked and pilgrims had to be scattered into different hotels.

ADDITIONAL COST

“It will be so inconvenient for the pilgrims if they are separated. We will need to engage different caterers and it would also mean additional transports costs,” he said.

Mr Suwandi immediately consulted Mr Aziz in Johor Baru, where the latter is residing.

The pair decided to postpone the trip so that they could accommodate all the pilgrims in the same hotel.

Mr Suwandi said: “I have no intention to cheat anyone of their money. I gave them an alternative to postpone the trip to either March, May or December next year, that’s all.”

He said that at least 128 pilgrims have decided to postpone while the rest asked for a refund.

“I am definitely willing to refund their money back, but these processes take time, so all I need is a bit of patience from pilgrims,” he said.

Source: www.tnp.sg

December 19, 2015
Amos Yee Threatened By ISIS?

Is Amos Yee’s life in danger? A person commenting on Amos’ FB post shared a link to a reddit post where a Mohammad Hussein claiming affiliation with ISIS, threatened Amos for insulting Islam.

See for your self. Legit or troll?

Whatever Amos has said, reacting with violence will only make people look down upon us.

***

my name is Mohammad Hussein and I am affiliated to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS. Please do not call us Daesh, that is a name for pussies like you.

We noted how Amos Yee, a teen from Singapore, insulted our almighty God Allah. We are very displeased about this. As the representative of my group, I would like to warn you against committing such future acts or saying words anywhere remotely close to what you did.

Even though it is out of character, we will give you a chance. You can either apologies to all the Muslim brothers and sisters whose religious feelings you have wounded. Otherwise, you will feel our wrath.

Yes, don’t be fooled. This is a death threat. We know where your parents live. We know what they do. We will not relent in our pursuit of you. You are not safe anywhere, even in police custody or in jail. We will find you. We will burn your hair. We will gouge out your eyes with pitchforks. We will cut off your tongue. We won’t cut your jugular because that is too quick a death for you. You deserve a slow and painful death.

We will rip your abdomen open and fill it with ants and maggots. We will watch as these creatures which are infinitely better than you eat your heart out. We will then mutilate your body and slice off your penis and testicles, feeding to the dogs. Lastly, we will burn your body so that it will be condemned forever to hell.

Amos, this is your last and final warning. Do not think that we are joking. We will hunt you down till the ends of the earth. When you offend the holy followers of Allah, even the FBI and CIA will not be able to save you.

Al fateha, Amos.

Allahu Akbar!

Source: Amos Yee

December 18, 2015
More Financial Help Disbursed To Poor In 2015

A record sum of $116 million in social assistance payments were made to the poor in the last financial year, ending March 2015.

This was a 14 per cent jump from the previous year and almost double the $61 million given out five years ago.

This money was used to help 91,093 individuals last year, up from 54,041 five years ago.

ComCare is a key social safety net for low-income Singaporeans and it provides three broad types of assistance: long-term help, largely for the elderly poor; interim as well as short-to-medium term help for those facing crises, such as illness or retrenchment; kindergarten and student care subsidies for children.

A portion of the money – $68.5 million – came from interest generated by the Community Care (ComCare) Endowment Fund, set up by the Government in 2005 to help needy families get back on their feet.

The rest came from the budget of the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).

The biggest jump last year was in short-to-medium-term payouts, which rose from $55.7 million in 2013 to $68.7 million last year, said the latest ComCare annual report. Five years ago, such payouts amounted to $16.6 million.

One reason could be the rise in the number of people who live alone and therefore need more support.

Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin noted that one- and two-person households under short-to-medium term assistance rose from 51.4 per cent in 2012 to 55.8 per cent last year.

Households given such an assistance can receive vouchers for transport and rent, monthly cash grants, medical assistance and help in job search or training.

Spending on long-term help grew to $18.7 million last year, up from $17.3 million the year before. Data from the report showed that 65 per cent of households on such assistance are the elderly who live alone.

They receive cash handouts for daily expenses and those with children get help with school expenses.

In a newly created blog called MSF Conversations, Mr Tan wrote: “The increase (in ComCare financial assistance) is not too surprising because we have increased our efforts in the last few years to bring help closer to those in need.”

The 24th Social Service Office (SSO), that completed Singapore’s social services network, was officially launched in Taman Jurong earlier this week. SSOs administer ComCare assistance and plan social services in their neighbourhoods.

Mr Tan added: “We have also adjusted some of our income criteria thresholds so that more can be assisted.”

Since July last year, the household income cap for short-to-medium-term aid was raised from $1,700 to $1,900.

National University of Singapore’s Irene Ng noted that economic disparity has “improved somewhat” over the past two years.

But “we are still not past the problems of high income inequality, bottom wage stagnation, high costs of living and fast pace of growth that makes it harder for the less able to catch up”, said the Associate Professor of Social Work.

Source: http://news.asiaone.com

December 18, 2015