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- B E R I T A _ H A R I _ I N I _ 2 0 0 8 -
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Business as usual when $40m Orchard makeover begins end April
By Lim Wei Chean
Street Montage- Orchard (Forest) Zone. From February next year, works will commence to transform Orchard Road's pedestrian mall into a feast for the senses: sight, sound, touch and smell. The $40 million makeover is expected to be completed by April 2009. -- PHOTO: SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD
FINALLY, the long anticipated $40 million works that will give Singapore's top shopping street the shine will begin on April 28. The facelift is expected to be completed by next February.
Seven construction teams will be working on various sections of the 2km-long pedestrian mall at the same time to speed up the upgrading process.
When Singapore Tourism Board first announced the detailed plans, the makeover was to have started in February, after Chinese New Year. But, works stalled because some mall owners were unhappy about certain aspects of the proposed works.
However, STB announced on Friday that construction will begin on April 28. Hoarding will first come up at buildings like Ngee Ann City, Orchard Parade Hotel and Singapore Visitors Centre. Others like Marriot Hotel and Tang Plaza will also be covered in the first phase of works that will last 10 weeks.
STB's Director of Tourism Shopping and Dining Andrew Phua said all the businesses affected have been informed at a meeting on Wednesday.
He said: 'We wanted to ensure that everyone has been informed and that all of us are on the same page.'
He added that most of the concerns expressed by the mall owners had been ironed out before the works schedule was finalised. One of the key concerns was that the works may disrupt two mega sales: the Great Singapore Sale which begins on May 23 and the year-end Christmas.
To make sure that the mall owners would not be disadvantaged, STB will allow them to use the hoarding as advertising billboards to show that they are still in business. The hired contractor has also promised to minimise disruption to pedestrian access points to the malls, Mr Phua said.
For malls like Ngee Ann City, STB has rearranged the works schedule to accommodate its request of having the works done sooner than later.
The $40 million facelift, announced last October, will see new plants and flowers, as well as street furniture and lighting added to the thoroughfare which will be themed along the lines of fruit, flower and forest.
Works involved repaving sections of the pedestrian mall from Tanglin Mall to Le Meridien Hotel and the right-most lane will be closed to create a wider walkway in front of Ion Orchard, Wisma Atria, Ngee Ann City and the Meritus Mandarin hotel.
As they will be carried out in sections, every building owner has been informed of the exact schedule of when their property will be affected and for how long.
Each section of works is expected to last up to 10 weeks.
STB's Mr Phua said: 'When completed, locals and visitors will enjoy a much enhanced street level experience when they stroll along Orchard Road.' |
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Singapura : 5 April 2008
MAKANSUTRA DIBAWA KE MAHKAMAH
SEBUAH syarikat yang dikendalikan oleh hos rancangan makanan dan penulis ruang makanan yang popular, K.F. Seetoh, dihadapkan ke mahkamah semalam berhubung melanggar aturan permit kerja.
Makansutra Gluttons Bay didakwa mengarahkan seorang pekerja asing untuk bekerja sebagai tukang masak di Siewann Seafood Cze Cha di Esplanade Mall antara September 2006 dengan Oktober lalu.
Berdasarkan permit kerjanya, tukang masak itu hanya dibenarkan bekerja di bawah Makansutra.
Di Mahkamah Rendah semalam, pegawai pendakwa raya bagi Kementerian Tenaga Manusia berkata beliau memerlukan masa bagi menimbangkan pelbagai isu yang dikemukakan oleh pihak peguam bela.
Penangguhan itu bagi membolehkan beliau menyediakan segala perincian sebelum perbicaraan boleh dimulakan.
Beliau meminta kesnya ditangguhkan selama dua minggu.
Jika didapati bersalah, Makansutra boleh didenda sehingga $5,000.
Isteri Seetoh, Cik Patricia Seetoh, yang merupakan pengarah syarikat, muncul di mahkamah bagi mewakili syarikat tersebut.
Kesnya dikendalikan oleh peguam, Encik Kirpal Singh.
Seetoh menubuhkan Makansutra dan muncul di kaca televisyen bagi program rancangan masak menggunakan nama yang sama - Makansutra.
Pada masa yang sama, Makansutra menerima Anugerah Pengiktirafan Khas dari Lembaga Pelancongan Singapura (STB) dalam majlis anugerah tahunannya - Anugerah Pelancongan - pada bulan lalu.
Kesnya akan didengar lagi pada 18 April ini. |
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Singapura : 5 April 2008
REMAJA MAUT KERACUNAN SEBAB TIDAK DIRAWAT SEGERA
Allahyarham antara 18 alami cirit-birit selepas jamu hidangan dalam rumah terbuka Raya
SEORANG remaja berusia 14 tahun gagal mendapatkan rawatan perubatan dengan segera menyebabkan dia meninggal dunia akibat keracunan makanan tiga hari kemudian.
Memberitahu mahkamah semalam, koroner negara berkata Allahyarham Muhammad Helmi Frankford ialah antara 18 orang yang mengalami cirit-birit dan muntah setelah menjamu hidangan di rumah terbuka sempena Hari Raya Oktober tahun lalu.
Ketika itu, remaja tersebut tinggal bersama datuk saudaranya, Encik Hamzah Minggu, 61 tahun, dan nenek saudaranya, Cik Khatijah Mohd Tahir, 55 tahun, di Woodlands Street 41.
Encik Hamzah ialah waris Allahyarham.
Mahkamah diberitahu, pada 28 Oktober 2007, waris Allahyarham itu mengadakan rumah terbuka dan menjemput sekitar 50 anggota keluarga, saudara mara dan sahabat handai.
Makanan yang disajikan disiapkan Cik Khatijah, sementara tetamu yang datang juga turut membawa kuih-muih dan buah-buahan.
Keesokan harinya, pasangan itu mengalami cirit-birit.
Turut menderita keadaan yang sama ialah kira-kira 15 lagi tetamu mereka.
Encik Hamzah dan isteri serta tetamu yang terjejas pulih selepas mendapatkan rawatan.
Bagaimanapun, Allahyarham dikatakan sakit selama tiga hari.
Apabila datuk saudaranya mahu membawa cucunya itu berjumpa doktor pada 31 Oktober, Allahyarham didapati dalam keadaan tidak sedarkan diri di katilnya.
Dia kemudian diisytiharkan meninggal dunia pada 2.50 petang.
Mahkamah diberitahu bahawa punca kematian adalah keracunan darah disebabkan bakteria salmonella.
Salmonella enteritidis, punca biasa keracunan makanan, sering melibatkan makanan berisiko tinggi seperti daging, telur dan susu.
Memberi keputusan terbuka bagi kematian Allahyarham, koroner negara, Encik Victor Yeo, berkata biarpun jelas dia dijangkiti bakteria salmonella, punca jangkitan itu tidak dapat dipastikan.
Di samping itu, Encik Yeo berkata kematian tersebut juga mungkin akibat kelewatan Allahyarham mendapatkan rawatan. |
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April 6, 2008
It's Monday morning blues with 5 new ERP gantries
Residents gripe about having to live with a gantry; shopkeepers fear business will be hit
By Tan Dawn Wei
It will be a Monday with an extra helping of blues tomorrow when five new Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries get up and running.
Residents and shopkeepers in Geylang Bahru, Kallang Bahru, Upper Boon Keng Road, Upper Bukit Timah Road and Toa Payoh Lorong 6 are griping about having to live with a gantry on their doorstep. The five gantries will be turned on for either half an hour or an hour each morning - from 8am to 8.30am or 9am.
But most plan to pay the price - $1 in the mornings - for now.
Most of the 250 residents and shopkeepers The Sunday Times spoke to in the five residential areas say they will take a wait-and-see approach.
Only one-fifth plan to change their routine, like leaving home at a different time, finding an alternative route or switching to public transport.
But a check by The Sunday Times reveals only one 'escape' route in Bukit Timah which requires a lengthy detour. Property agency ERA Realty, which is located in Toa Payoh Lorong 5, has found a way to cope with the ERP: by letting employees report for work 15 minutes later, at 9.15am.
'It's a win-win situation,' said its president, Mr Jack Chua, 48. 'If you're good to the staff, they will be good to the company. Besides, 15 minutes will not make a big difference to productivity.'
But those who need to get to work at the usual time say they are left with little choice.
'Giving up the car is not an option. Upper Bukit Timah is quite secluded and there aren't many public transport options,' said Ms Angela Chng, 26, a public relations executive who lives in Hume Avenue and works in Tanjong Pagar.
Some, like Mr Erh Kah Heng, 30, are unwilling to break an old habit.
'I've been driving for five to six years. It's hard to go back to taking the bus or MRT,' said the manager who lives in Bukit Timah and works in Orchard.
ERP, introduced in 1998, aims to control congestion by charging drivers for the use of busy roads and getting them to use public transport.
Despite the chorus of complaints, most concede that the rates and duration of the ERP in the five new areas aren't too hard to swallow.
'I was worried at first but after I found out that it was only for half an hour in the morning, I felt more relieved,' said Mr Chua Soon Tin, 39, a salesman and resident of Upper Boon Keng Road. He escapes paying ERP charges because he drives to work in Woodlands at 7.45am every day.
The announcement of the new ERP gantries was made in January. The Land Transport Authority had initially planned to charge for a longer time - from 7.30am to 9.30am - but changed its mind after reviewing traffic conditions on the affected roads and 'assessed that charging is needed for a shorter time', said a spokesman.
Still, that is no consolation for provision shop owner Tay Wee Teck, 50, in Geylang Bahru.
'With so many gantries in the same area, it feels like a cage. My business is affected because many people don't want to come here any more if they have to pay just to get here,' he said.
He plans to start his day later, opening his shop at 9am instead of 8am.
Three of the five gantries - in Geylang Bahru, Kallang Bahru and Upper Boon Keng Road - are in close proximity to one another and serve as an outer cordon around the city.
Hawkers at a wet market in Toa Payoh Lorong 8 - which will now fall within the road-pricing zone - feel that the ERP will spell reduced business.
The wet market's busiest period is between 8am and 10am. With the new ERP kicking in between 8am and 9am, customers from neighbouring estates will not shop there any more, they said.
'People will stop coming if they have to pay when they enter this area, especially now with prices of essential goods going up,' said Mr Chan Ah Leh, 60, owner of a dried goods store at the market.
He, like his fellow hawkers, are adopting a wait-and-see attitude before making any changes to their businesses.
But not all are feeling gloomy about the new gantries.
Some residents welcome the new additions, saying they will ease the choked streets in their neighbourhood.
Said Toa Payoh resident K.A.W. Haja, 55, a manager: 'I'm happy because Toa Payoh will now be clear.'
Additional reporting by Chen Meiyue, Aw Cheng Wei and Alex Liam
[email protected] |
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Court jails woman 9 years for helping teen lover kill hubby
By Leong Wee Keat, TODAY | Posted: 08 April 2008 0710 hrs
Aniza Essa
SINGAPORE: Not only did she keep mum about the murder plot, she also masterminded her husband's cold-blooded killing by exploiting her young teen lover and manipulating him into the crime, the prosecution charged.
Aniza Essa, 25, even threatened to leave Muhammad Nasir Abdul Aziz, 17, for another man when he failed in two prior attempts to kill her husband, Mr Manap Sarlip. But Aniza, who pleaded guilty on Monday to a manslaughter charge in the High Court, was the real victim, argued her lawyer Noor Marican.
During the couple's six-year marriage, Aniza was abused regularly by Mr Manap, who had angrily rejected his wife's requests for divorce, Mr Marican said. The frequent assaults drove Aniza to chronic depression, which caused her to suffer an abnormality of mind that impaired her sense of responsibility during the period leading up to Mr Manap's murder last July, the court heard.
Driven by desperation to free herself and her two children from the abuse, Aniza was unable to prevent Nasir from killing her husband, argued Mr Marican. She was "merely going through the motions" and took the lead from Nasir.
However, the prosecution pointed out that Aniza did not report the alleged abuses to the police or the courts and instead resorted to violence to solve her problems.
The prosecution also argued that Aniza had ample opportunity to prevent the killing. Nasir had made two earlier attempts within 24 hours to kill the deceased and Aniza helped him find out the deceased's whereabouts and informed him accordingly.
In the early hours of July 1 last year, Aniza called Mr Manap twice to find out where he was to ensure that she and Nasir would arrive at her flat before her husband did.
Shortly after, Nasir ambushed Mr Manap at the couple's home in Whampoa Road, stabbing him fatally in his back, neck and chest.
Arguing for a deterrent sentence of life imprisonment, deputy public prosecutor Tan Kiat Pheng drew parallels between this case and the Annie Leong murder in 2001, in which Madam Leong's estranged husband Anthony Ler manipulated a 15-year-old boy into killing her.
High Court Judge Chan Seng Onn broadly agreed with the prosecution that Aniza had "psychologically manipulated" a young boy |
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April 8, 2008
Prof who stole lingerie at NTU given probation
He must undergo treatment for his sexual disorder and see a psychiatrist regularly
By Elena Chong, Court Correspondent
CHANGED: Lee hiding yesterday. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
A PROFESSOR who stole the bras and panties of three Singapore university students was yesterday placed on probation for 12 months.
Lee Wing Foon, who has a PhD and teaches in China, was also ordered to attend a special treatment programme for people with sexual disorders.
He must see a psychiatrist regularly as well and cannot leave Singapore for more than a week without permission from his probation officer.
The 39-year-old admitted in February to pilfering the underwear of three female students at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The total value of the undergarments was $153.
Lee, who is married, was caught at an NTU hostel on Dec 20 last year with a black bag containing two bras and a pair of panties belonging to a 21-year-old student. Lee also admitted to having stolen the undergarments of two 19-year-olds during an earlier spree that day.
The victims had left their underwear on the railings outside their hostel rooms.
His lawyer said that Lee had been sexually aroused by undergarments since he was about 14. The lawyer called the fetish a sexual disorder.
When approached for comment outside the court, Lee appealed to the press for 'mercy' and asked reporters not to write anything that would embarrass him. He declined to comment further.
In handing down the order, Community Court Judge James Leong accepted the recommendation of a probation officer. He impressed on Lee the consequences of breaching the probation order, which include being hauled back to court and sentenced for the original crime.
The judge also said that the conditions had been imposed for Lee's own good and were designed to ensure that he made a success out of them.
'I understand. Thank you very much,' Lee replied.
Lee is an associate professor at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. He is also a technical director at a Chinese technology firm.
Two other charges of fraudulent possession of assorted undergarments and clothing were considered during his sentencing.
He could have been jailed up to three years and fined for each count of theft.
[email protected] |
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ok jer tu......baca berita berita ni |
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April 11, 2008
School librarian died after shaky air-con cage fell on her
By Elena Chong, Court Correspondent
THREE days after a cage fencing on a school's air-conditioning compressor was reported to be shaky, the whole structure fell on a woman who died five days later of head injuries.
Madam Chan Mei Ying, 44, was a stand-in librarian at Manjusri Secondary School at Sims Drive when the accident happened last September.
A coroner's court heard that she had gone there to turn on the lever as the remote control of the air-con did not work.
The school's clerk, Ms Jennifer Ong Poh Hong, 40, found the cage shaky when she and Madam Chan went to shut off the air-con compressor last Sept 7.
Ms Ong told the administrative manager about it, and also wrote to the operations manager, who was on leave.
Shortly after Madam Chan reported for work at about 7.45am on Sept 10, she took the keys and went to shut the compressor behind the library block.
About an half an hour later, the school received a call from a member of the public that someone had 'fainted' at the back of the school.
A cleaner of the school saw Madam Chan lying on her back with the cage on top of her chest. It took three people to lift the cage.
Madam Chan was slightly responsive and semi-conscious, and was bleeding from one ear. She was taken to hospital where she died five days later.
After the incident, the operation manager, Mr Lai Sow Hung, 55, engaged a school contractor to repair the cage.
Investigation showed that the cage, installed more than eight years ago, was last maintained on Sept 5.
Two corroded screws were found at the scene.
State Coroner Victor Yeo recorded a verdict of misadventure on Madam Chan's death. |
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April 11, 2008
Public spirited cyclist trips fleeing robber
By Sujin Thomas
ASSISTANT producer Mr Koh Chee Kaur thought it was a scene being filmed for a movie or TV serial when he spotted two policemen chasing an armed robber across a busy road at Jurong East Avenue 1 on Thursday afternoon.
He was riding his bicycle towards Jurong West and only realised it was real when one of the policemen signalled an SBS bus to stop before continuing with the chase.
'I gave chase in the opposite direction and the robber almost crashed into me,' recalled the 24-year-old at the Clementi police division headquarters on Friday morning.
Mr Koh stuck out his left leg and tripped the 34-year-old robber, who fell to the ground. He was then arrested by the police.
Half an hour earlier, the robber had entered a lift at Block 341 with Madam Noriah Gemahat, 51, where he whipped out a paper-cutter and demanded she hand over her gold necklace.
A struggle ensued and moved to the lift landing of the 10th floor where the pint-sized Madam Noriah lives. The robber, dropped the necklace, worth $1,000, and fled after Madam Noriah's husband came to her aid when he heard her cries for help. The couple then called the police.
Madam Noriah said that she risked her life for the necklace as she received it as a gift from her mother about 40 years ago.
'It is precious to me so I used kungfu on the robber,' she added in Malay.
For his public-spirited efforts, Mr Koh was presented with a plaque by the police. |
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Subutex tablets found in biscuit tin at Singapore Cruise Centre
By Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 11 April 2008 1934 hrs
SINGAPORE: Immigration officers at Singapore Cruise Centre found 210 Subutex tablets in a biscuit tin belonging to an Indonesian woman on Thursday afternoon.
Initial scanning showed the outline of capsules, and further checks revealed three packets of tablets that were wrapped tightly together, with "Subutex" labelled on the tin.
The 27-year-old woman admitted she owned the tablets.
She claimed that her father bought the tablets from a clinic in Batam for her grandmother in Singapore.
She said her grandmother needs the tablets as she is suffering from back pain.
If found guilty, she will face a five-year minimum sentence and five strokes of the cane. - CNA/ac |
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One of the two men behind the Chiltern Drive abduction and robbery was arrested on Friday afternoon in a police ambush near his home in Sengkang.-- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
April 11, 2008
Suspect in $50,000 daylight robbery caught
ONE of the two men behind the Chiltern Drive abduction and robbery was arrested on Friday afternoon in a police ambush near his home in Sengkang.
The 54-year-old man, a Singaporean, did not put up a struggle when confronted by police officers.
On Tuesday, two robbers made off with $50,000 after they confronted a woman in her 60s at knifepoint in her driveway and drove her BMW to a bank in Hougang Central where she withdrew the money and gave it to one of them.
They also held the woman's three-year-old grand-daughter and a Filippino maid captive in the locked car at a carpark.
By Wednesday, the police established the identities of the two robbers - who are friends - and where they live. They are not known to their victim.
Assistant Commissioner Ng Boon Gay, director of the Criminal Investigation Department, on Friday told a press conference how the police tracked down their man.
After police were alerted to the robbery, scores of officers went to the woman's plush bungalow off Braddell Road and the multi-storey carpark at Block 850A, Hougang Central, where her car was parked while she went to the bank to withdraw money.
They interviewed about 50 people and gathered clues and forensic evidence - including fingerprints - from the two locations.
About 30 police officers swung into action and laid an ambush on the older suspect on Friday afternoon.
He showed up in Sengkang at about 2pm and was caught as he was heading home.
Lead investigating officer, Assistant Superintendent Christopher Jacob, said that $350 cash was found on him.
'The officers went up to him and identified themselves and placed him under arrest. He did not put up any struggle,' he said.
AC Ng credited the success of the operation to the officers who had 'worked tirelessly round the clock for the past three days' and pledged to bring the other suspect, who is still at large, to justice.
'We know who he is, we know where he stays and we will be looking out for him,' he said.
The suspect, who is now on the run, is between 30 and 40 years old, slim and tanned, and about 1.7m tall. He was wearing a black jacket, dark trousers and a navy-blue baseball cap.
Chairing his first press conference since he took over at the helm of CID, AC Ng said it was a combination of intelligence gather and hard work which led to the breakthrough.
'Through extensive forensics conducted at the scene of crime, officers from the CID and Ang Mo Kio police division were able to establish the identity of the subject,' he said.
With the identity, the police swung into action - with 30 officers mounting an ambush on the older suspect on Friday afternoon. He was caught at 2pm.
Lead investigating officer, Assistant Superintendent Christopher Jacob said that $350 was seized from the suspect.
One of the robbers, a man in his 30s, had confronted the victim, a woman in her 60s, in the driveway of her bungalow in Chiltern Drive, off Braddell Road.
He then got into the rear seat of her BMW, along with her three-year-old granddaughter and Filipino maid, and ordered her to drive.
They picked up the older suspect along the way and the older man took over the wheel before they made their way to Hougang Central. |
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April 11, 2008
3 M'sians jailed for child trafficking
THREE Malaysians were jailed for between four and 15 months on Friday for child trafficking.
The trio were caught at Changi Airport on Feb 7 trying to smuggle three Sri Lankan children, aged 11, 14 and 15, to London via Paris.
Shangar Shanmugam, 39, was sentenced to 15 months' jail while his sister Patmavathi Shanmugam, 31, got 10 months.
Their friend, Vigiletchimi Suparayan, 61, was jailed for four months. Shangar was promised US$1,000 (S$1,358) by a woman known to him as Naga to deliver the three children to London.
Naga made three Malaysian passports for the children at the Malaysian Immigration, bearing false names.
In turn, Shangar gave a cut of RM1,000 (S$431) to his sister, who he asked to pose as one of the children's mother.
Shangar drove into Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint with the two women and the three children and proceeded to the airport.
They each faced a maximum four-year jail term for the offence which falls under the Children and Young Persons Act.
It is not known if the three children have been sent back to their homes in Sri Lanka. |
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Reply #332 fatz's post Suspect in $50,000 daylight robbery caught
April 12, 2008
$50k daylight robbery - Cabby charged, accomplice still at large
By Mavis Toh
ONE of the two men involved in the Chiltern Drive abduction and robbery was charged in court on Saturday. Aw Gan Chye, also known as Ow Gan Chye, 54, a taxi driver, faces two charges - one for abduction and another for armed robbery.
Last Tuesday, he and his accomplice made off with $50,000 after confronting a 60-year-old woman with a knife in the driveway of her Chiltern Drive home.
They ordered her to drive her BMW to a bank in Hougang Central where she withdrew the money and passed it to one of them.
They abandoned the car at a carpark, with the woman's two-year-old granddaughter and a Filipino maid inside. The maid drew the attention of a passer-by and the police were alerted.
Abduction carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail and may include a fine and caning. For robbery, the maximum sentence is a 14-year jail term and at least 12 strokes of the cane.
Aw's accomplice, a man between 30 and 40 years old, is still at large. |
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Some S'poreans say Singapore Flyer tickets priced too high
By Chio Su-Mei, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 12 April 2008 1942 hrs
Singapore Flyer (photo courtesy of Singapore Flyer Pte Ltd)
SINGAPORE: Many are saying that ticket prices for the Singapore Flyer |
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S$3 billion of benefits to be given out to 2.4 million S'poreans in 2008
By Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 14 April 2008 2240 hrs
SINGAPORE: S$3 billion in benefits will be shared among some 2.4 million Singaporeans this year.
The benefits are part of the S$1.8 billion of surplus sharing - including $865 million of Growth Dividends - announced in the 2008 Budget Statement and other measures such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) offset package.
Payouts will be automatically given to Singaporeans who signed up for GST credits in 2007. Those eligible will receive their share from 30 April to 1 October 2008.
They will receive letters from the CPF Board by 15 April, informing them of the amount of Growth Dividends, GST Credits and Senior Citizens' Bonus they stand to get.
They will automatically receive the first instalment of Growth Dividends by 30 April, the 2008 payout of GST credits and Senior Citizens Bonus by 1 July, and the second instalment of Growth Dividends by 1 October.
And for those who did not sign up last year and newly-qualified Singaporeans, they can do so online at www.gstoffset.gov.sg from 15 April or through hardcopy forms available at Community Centres, CPF Service Centres and the Community Development Councils.
Singaporeans will also receive top-ups to their Medisave, Post-Secondary Education Accounts, Income Tax rebates, Property Tax Rebates, and Utilities-Save, Service & Conservancy Charges and Rental Rebates.
Singaporeans who need additional help can approach their Community Development Councils, or call the ComCare helpline at 1800-222-0000. - CNA/vm |
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April 14, 2008
2.4m S'poreans to get $3b in benefits this year
SOME 2.4 million Singaporeans stand to get benefits of $3 billion which the Government will give out this year, money which will help many households cope with the rising cost of living.
The benefits are part of the $1.8 billion of surplus sharing - including $865 million of Growth Dividends - announced in the 2008 Budget Statement, and other measures such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) offset package, said the Finance Ministry on Monday.
Singaporeans who signed up for the GST credits last year will automatically receive their GST dues this year.
They will get letters from the CPF Board by Tuesday informing them of the amount of Growth Dividends, GST Credits and Senior Citizens' Bonus they stand to get.
They will automatically receive the following:
# First installment of Growth Dividends by April 30.
# 2008 payout of GST Credits and Senior Citizens' Bonus by July 1.
# Second installment of Growth Dividends by Oct 11
Those who did not sign up for their GST Credits in 2007 and those who newly qualify for GST credits in 2008 (123,000 in total), can sign up for their payouts from Tuesday. They have until the end of the year to do so.
Singaporeans who wish to donate their payments can do so at www.gstoffset.gov.sg from 15 April 2008 using either their SingPass or the one-time PIN (enclosed in the letter they will receive from the CPF Board).
Singaporeans will also receive top-ups to their Medisave and Post-Secondary Education Accounts (PSEA), Income Tax Rebates, Property Tax Rebates and Utilities-Save (U-Save), Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC) and Rental Rebates.
'All these benefits will help Singaporean households, especially the lower income, cope with the recent increase in costs of living,' said the Finance Ministry in a statement.
For example, a family of three living in a three-room HDB flat could receive benefits of about $5,000, which is about six times the estimated increase in their cost of living.
A family of five living in a 5-room HDB flat will get about $4,900 - about 2.5 times the estimated increase in their living costs (see Annex B).
Singaporeans who need additional help can approach their Community Development Councils or Family Service Centres, or their grassroots leaders. |
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post #326 Court jails woman 9 years for helping teen lover kill hubby
Muhammad Nasir Abdul Aziz, who turns 17 in two months, pleaded guilty to murdering his lover's husband - 29-year-old Manap Sarlip (inset) - in the High Court yesterday, an extremely rare occurence in the courts here.-- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
DEAD: MrManap had crawled to his flat after the attack but was stabbed again at his doorstep. -- ST FILE PHOTO
DISC JOCKEY'S MURDER
Teen, 17, pleads guilty but won't be hanged
He twice failed to kill lover's hubby; court told that he's now angry with her for using him
By Selina Lum
STABBED in the back and neck by his wife's teenage lover, Mr Manap Sarlip came face to face with his assailant as he squatted against a wall outside his Whampoa Drive flat.
'What wrong have I done to you?' the 29-year-old shouted in Malay, cupping a hand over his gushing neck wound.
Muhammad Nasir Abdul Aziz - then two months short of 17 - stabbed him in the neck again, then ran down the stairs after the victim coughed up blood.
The teenager was waiting for the lift when he heard the sound of a metal gate being shaken two floors above. Realising that his target was still alive, he ran back up to finish the job. This time, he stabbed Mr Manap in the chest.
Details of how the teenager killed his lover's husband last July 1 were recounted in the High Court yesterday when Nasir pleaded guilty to murder without trial, an extremely rare occurrence in the courts here.
While the charge carries the death penalty, Nasir won't face the gallows but is expected to be sentenced to indefinite detention as he was under 18 at the time of the killing.
The case has been adjourned to today for his lawyer to make submissions that may count when his detention is up for review.
Last week, Nasir's 25-year-old lover, Aniza Essa, admitted that she had manipulated the teenager into killing her disc-jockey husband to escape an unhappy marriage.
Although she initially faced the gallows for abetting murder, the charge was later reduced to abetting manslaughter. A psychiatrist found she had a mental disorder that reduced her responsibility for the crime.
Prosecutors have since lodged an appeal against her nine-year jail term.
Nasir met Aniza at the end of 2006 when he patronised the pub where she worked as a waitress.
He became a regular customer and they began an affair after he started working as a bartender at the pub in February last year.
Aniza told him about her marital problems and, by June, she was plotting to get rid of Mr Manap, the court heard.
Nasir agreed to kill Aniza's husband because he was afraid of losing her. He tried twice but failed. Each time, Aniza said she was disappointed and threatened to leave him.
The teenager first tried to hire an assassin through a pub patron whom he believed had underworld connections. He was prepared to pay $4,000 but the plot eventually dissolved.
Facing pressure from Aniza, Nasir later lay in wait for Mr Manap but could not carry the plan through.
He succeeded on the third try.
Aniza remained in the couple's flat while Nasir waited at the lift lobby. He attacked Mr Manap as soon as the victim turned around and saw him holding a knife. He later dumped the knife in a canal.
Mr Manap was stabbed nine times and bled to death from a chest wound.
The court heard that Nasir, the younger of two sons, was brought up by an aunt after his mother walked out on the family while he was an infant. He quit school in Secondary 3.
His family was unaware of his affair with Aniza and was shocked by the stabbing.
A consultant psychiatrist found that Nasir had no mental deficiency or disorder.
The court heard that according to the psychiatric report, Nasir felt he had 'no choice but to act' once Mr Manap spotted him.
Although the teenager had a strong emotional attachment to Aniza, he was now angry with her for betraying him and using him to get rid of her husband, said the report.
He told the psychiatrist in December that he had periodic thoughts of hurting her but would 'let God punish her' instead.
[email protected] |
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Originally posted by fatz at 15-4-2008 07:21 AM 
Although the teenager had a strong emotional attachment to Aniza, he was now angry with her for betraying him and using him to get rid of her husband, said the report.
Haaa kan sekarang dah menyesal...rugi btol.... poor kid |
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a'ah laa... mahal nyeee....
takde diskaun ke for local....
Originally posted by fatz2 at 13-4-2008 06:40 AM
Some S'poreans say Singapore Flyer tickets priced too high
A 30-minute ride on Singapore's latest iconic attraction costs almost a dollar a minute. Tickets are selling at S$29.50 for adults, S$20.65 for children and S$23.60 for senior citizens.
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Category: Negeri & Negara
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Author
Post time 6-4-2008 06:12 AM
![[tvN] "When The Stars Gossip / Ask The Stars" 별들에게 물어봐 (2023) ~ Lee Minho, Gong Hyojin, Han Jieun](https://uf.cari.com.my/forumx/mforum/block/08/08339b7d0e264e998bb51608b6598bcc.jpg)
