Watz Online - 31 Jul 2012

Singapore socialite sentenced in teen sex scandal


Trouble times ahead ... Howard Shaw and his wife leave the courthouse. Photo: AFP

A prominent Singaporean businessman was sentenced to three months in jail yesterday for having paid sex with a minor, as dozens of other accused men await their fate in a prostitution scandal.

Howard Shaw, 41, a grandson of Asian movie mogul Runme Shaw and a former environmental activist, was charged in April after being found to have engaged the services of a 17-year-old Singaporean in October 2010.

Shaw, a married father of two, is appealing the sentence and posted bail pending the appeal hearing.

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Singaporean to serve four years jail for smuggling boy

PUTRAJAYA: A Singaporean taxi driver will serve a four-year term after he lost his appeal for smuggling an 11-year-old boy of a Chinese national to Germany.

Describing human trafficking as a grave offence, Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Raus Md Shariff, chairing a three-man bench, unanimously dismissed Ng Gim Teck's final appeal to set aside a decision of the Shah Alam High Court which enchanced his jail term from six months to four years.

The other two judges were Datuk K. N. Segara and Datuk Azhar Ma'ah.

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City Harvest youths record song in support of Pastor Kong Hee

23 youths from City Harvest Church have recorded a music video to express support for their congregation and its embattled leadership.

Titled "The Greatest Place -- City Harvest Church" , the 4-and-a-half-minute video begins with an opening sequence of several youths proclaiming their love for "this place".

The video, which was recorded earlier this month on 15th July, also describes how the music video came to be. 

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Singapore reshuffles Cabinet

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will make several changes to his Cabinet and other appointments, effective from August 1, 2012 and further changes effective from November 1, 2012.

The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) will be restructured to form three new ministries.

They are the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI). All three ministries will be established on November 1. 

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University or business? Yale’s Singapore partnership violates human rights

Universities such as Yale need to respect the human rights of their staff and students

Yale university’s decision to set up a liberal arts college at the National University of Singapore (NUS) while accepting Singapore’s restrictions on students’ rights to free speech and freedom of association is outrageous.

Human rights organisations are rightly concerned. One group said in a statement that Yale is “betraying the spirit of the university as a centre of open debate and protest by giving away the rights of its students at its new Singapore campus.”

The partnership is another reminder that universities are now primarily profit-run, often multi-national businesses that will fully exploit the opportunities offered by globalisation with less thought for the needs of their students. 

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Yale-Peking University Program Canceled 

A program that allowed Yale University undergraduates to study at Peking University for credit has been canceled, The Yale Daily News reported last week.

The student newspaper called the move “an abrupt end” to a partnership that began in 2006 and was reaffirmed as recently as December. Yale said in a statement that the reason was “lower than anticipated enrollments,” with only four students scheduled to participate in the program this autumn, although expenses were covered in the students’ regular tuition.

The program was not without controversy. In 2007, a Yale biology professor teaching at the Beijing campus sent a widely circulated e-mail blaming Chinese faculty and administrators for tolerating widespread plagiarism 

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Female teacher's sex romp with pupil: Prestigious school imposes gag order on students

According to an email we received from a RI student, the Head Prefect of RI sent a mass email out to its students last night asking them not to comment on the incident:



The female teacher has since left RI and she was described by those who know her as ‘demure, easy-going and approachable’ and was ‘well-maintained’ such that she appeared younger than her age.

The student who had sex with her is currently studying in Secondary Four and is reportedly the ‘envy’ of his classmates for having ‘shagged’ his teacher who is more than 10 years older than him. 

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Singapore Christians want quick City Harvest Church trial

SINGAPORE: The group meets every Saturday evening at one of their homes. They read prayers, talk about their struggles with faith and catch up on their friends’ happenings for the past week.

On Saturday, this Christian prayer group in Singapore had the City Harvest Church scandal on their minds, and they were frustrated that the financial scandal at the mega-church was dragging on this long.

“I kind of feel as though the government is trying to drag it out to try and tell us that religion is bad,” said Thomas, a Singaporean citizen of British origin. He told Bikyamasr.com that “this scandal has really affected all Christians in Singapore and we just want it to be over so Jesus Christ is not defamed.” 

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Miss Singapore Universe 2012 finalists debate transgender issue



A marine fuels trader, an art director and a social entrepreneur are among the 14 finalists vying for the title of Singapore’s Miss Universe 2012.

Facing the media for the first time on Sunday afternoon at the Shangri-La hotel, the 14 took to the stage to introduce themselves and why they are taking part in the competition.

Whittled down from a field of 100 applicants, this year’s finalists are between 18 to 24 years old. 

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When Internet providers try to control content 

In Singapore generally the relevant regulators would have to review the circumstances of each case in order to determine if a company operating in multiple sectors has breached any competition rules said an Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore IDA spokesperson.

On the specific issue of provision of access to Internet content ISPs are subject to IDA's Net Neutrality policy.

Broadly it seeks to facilitate a competitive Internet access market via IDA's Telecom Competition Code to reduce incentives for ISPs to engage in blocking or discriminatory conduct that restricts consumer choice improve information transparency for consumers to better understand Internet broadband service offerings and ISP's traffic management practices and protect consumer interests as well as ensure consumers enjoy a reasonable quality of Internet access via Quality of Service QoS requirements and a prohibition against ISPs blocking access to legitimate content on the Internet.

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Singapore to Meet Water Target Before Deadline: Southeast Asia

Singapore will be able to meet its water requirements independently ahead of the 2061 expiration of a century-long supply agreement with Malaysia “if need be,”the head of the city-state’s water utility said.

Desalination and recycling plants produce 40 percent of the 380 million British gallons (456 million U.S. gallons) of water companies in Singapore and its 5.2 million population use daily, Chew Men Leong, chief executive of PUB, said in an interview on July 27. A downtown dam adds a further 10 percent, with the remaining coming from its reservoirs and imports from Malaysia.

“We have made progress to the point that we are now much more confident in terms of water security and sustainability,”said Chew, 44, a former naval chief who joined the utility about a year ago. “If you’re asking me this question about when will we ever get self-sufficiency, I will put it this way that we can be self-sufficient if need be.” 

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Singapore fears rising food costs

With Singapore’s economy already teetering on the edge of slowdown and possible recession, residents of the island country are facing a new challenge: rising food prices and an increase in cost of living.

In recent months, the country has seen raw food prices move steadily upward, leaving residents to pay the price at the cashier.

“We have bought the same things almost every week and it is right now a lot more than it had been earlier this year,” said small business owner Tang, who told Bikyamasr.com that “if it continues to go up like this it could be a very frustrating situation and some people won’t be able to deal with it.” 

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Singapore inflation expectations edge higher, says survey 

Inflation expectations of Singapore households edged higher in June from March according to a university survey published today signalling authorities may find it harder to put a lid on future price increases.

Households expect prices to rise by 4 45 per cent over the next year up from 4 13 per cent in March according to the Singapore Management University-MasterCard survey on inflation.

The five-year outlook was for headline inflation of 5 37 per cent up from 5 20 per cent in the March survey. 

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Cash is still king for some retailers 

As card issuers Visa and MasterCard gave in to a settlement with merchants in the United States following an anti-trust lawsuit – allowing them to charge customers more when they pay with credit cards – retailers here are also feeling the squeeze as consumers increasingly go cashless even with purchases for everyday items.

Previously Visa and MasterCard prohibited merchants around the world from passing on credit card transaction fees to customers – the rule was even written into law in some American states Merchants are also not allowed to impose minimum purchase requirements for credit card payments.

In Singapore TODAY understands that these rules are stated in the contract that merchants sign with the acquiring banks which process the credit 

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'Gifted' private tutor told by MOE to stop lying

Mr Kelvin Ong Wee Loong, the founder of AristoCare centre, charges a whopping $250 per lesson for parents of primary school students looking to clinch a place in the coveted Gifted Education Programme (GEP).

GEP is a highly selective academic programme in Singapore, designed to identify the top 1 per cent of students from each academic year.

On his website, the 36-year-old claimed he was previously from Clementi Town Primary before being admitted to Anglo-Chinese School's (Primary) GEP in Primary 4. 

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Parent pays nearly $6,000 a month in tuition fees

Her son is a straight A student in a top boys' school here yet this mother spends $5,800 a month on his tuition.

Her son, who is in Secondary 3, attends classes for English and mathematics at a premier tuition centre in Thomson once a week - two hours per session.

He also takes a 21/2 hour weekly Chinese class in a popular language school. 

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Loanshark syndicate recruited runners overseas

Police investigations have revealed that a loan-shark syndicate that was busted on Thursday had recruited people from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia to carry out its harassment acts.

The syndicate had recruited its runners by placing advertisements in overseas media looking for "financial assistants", the police said.

The authorities arrested 11 men, aged between 29 and 36, in the island-wide operation. Among the items seized were about $50,000 cash, mobile phones, laptops, ATM cards and records of illegal loans. 

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Lawyer delivers complaint letters against Law Society

Lawyer M. Ravi personally delivered letters of complaint against the Law Society of Singapore.

The first is against Law Society president Wong Meng Meng for issuing two contradictory press releases, which Ravi said, showed “recklessness and gross negligence”.

The second complaint is at the conduct of Law Society member Wong Siew Hong, which Ravi alleges has resulted in damage to his reputation. 

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Dealing with the dead in S’pore: a gravedigger’s story


Alex Wong, a professional gravedigger, shares real and personal stories of his encounters with the supernatural

Ghosts hover near him when he works, but that doesn’t bother him one bit.

They’re friends by now and he’s not afraid, shared professional gravedigger Alex Wong.

Affectionately known to his friends as “Tua Ya Pek”, a Taoist god of the spiritual underworld, Wong has been exhuming graves for the past 30 years. Often, his services are needed when the government decides to make way for development. One such project is the eight-lane highway that will cut through Bukit Brown early next year.

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Diaoyu Islands ad stirs tensions between Japan and China

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government fueled tensions between Japan and China as it took out an advertisement in Friday's Wall Street Journal seeking US support for its so-called purchase plan of the Diaoyu Islands.

Observers said the provocation suggests Japan is anxious to get the United States involved in a dispute with its neighbor.

According to Kyodo News, the advertisement took up two-thirds of a single page in the newspaper.

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Watz Buzzing - 30 Jul 2012

Yaacob beating the drums again



Since November 2011, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica), Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, has been calling for Internet practitioners to create a code of conduct by themselves, for themselves. His second-in-command at Mica, Chan Chun Sing, has also urged the same.

The code is to be some sort of guideline or signpost on what is acceptable and what is not. It is a means to self-regulation, Yaacob was reported to have said. "He said such guidelines, which were raised in Parliament recently, can moderate online opinions and discussions in a 'rational and sensible manner that will not offend other groups, other communities'." (Straits Times)

Chan said, in April this year, "We must agree that (the Internet) is our space ... so I would encourage everyone using and interacting in that space to come forward and define that space. Collectively, we will define the norms that we would like to see being exhibited in that space." 

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Interview with Dr Christopher Balding on Singapore’s SWFs

Temasek Holdings Press Conference. Left to Right: Simon Israel, Ho Ching, Leong Wai Leng 

NAR: What is your opinion with regards as to where Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF) should invest their funds, specifically should they be limited to investing abroad or be given flexibility to invest at home or/and abroad? 

Balding: From a financial perspective I see nothing wrong with sovereign wealth funds investing in their home markets. From a political stand point, it is very difficult to do so without creating extreme conflicts of interest. Let me give you a little background before answering your question.

First, most SWFs do not have capital markets that can be considered investment destinations so for many especially newer funds, this is not a problem. 

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Crazy rules in HDB

I just want to share my dissapointment in our MP of their 'trying to help fellow citizens'. I have been trying to get a Hdb rental flat since 2008. The are countless times that i made my visits to the HDB to appeal, hundreds of appeal email that i sent to the HDB office and also countless trips to my MP in Pasir ris, however till now, 2012, all the efforts FAIL

Their reasons are, 1) my father has got a sales proceed and its a straight NO without even trying to help and ask and understand why do we sell our old house in the first place. and 2) my salary is above $1500/-. Yes my salary is above such but are they looking at my family and how do we survive in Singapore with a number of 7 people in the family with a mother who suffers heart failure, sister who are physically disable, paying the renting house and our everyday needs.

I am truly disapointed with the MP of Pasir ris when i went there personally and told them that i have already applied for BTO and i need their help in approving that i pay my 5% cash using the deduction of my cpf as i cannot afford to pay cash. I am not allowed to purchase a flat using the HLE loan as i am not 35 therefore my chance is only the bank loan but i cannot afford to pay the 5% cash. however, up to this date, i have yet to received any letters from the HDB or the CPF board. thus, i left with no choice but to take 2 bank loans just to pay the 5% cash. 

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Forbes Rich List Scratches the Surface in Singapore

The latest list of wealthy Singaporeans from Forbes magazine showed lots of money sloshing around Singapore – but it may just be the tip of the iceberg.

The magazine’s latest annual ranking of the city-state’s wealthiest 40 individuals found that Singapore’s richest people have a collective net worth of US$59.4 billion, up from $54.4 billion last year, with 16 billionaires locally compared to 13 last year. But separate estimates from Wealth-X, a group which provides intelligence on the world’s high net worth individuals, suggests that there may be at least 10 others in Singapore worth over US$280 million who might have been left out of the list. ($280 million was the worth of the 40th ranked Singaporean this year, Ho Kwon Ping of Banyan Tree Resorts).

Boston Consulting Group, meanwhile, has said Singapore has the highest percentage of millionaire households in the world, suggesting there are lots of other big fish who have tons of money but just not quite enough to make Forbes’s roster. 

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OPINION: Big problem for Singapore : Stronger Sing Dollar, Higher inflation, Large Foreign Workforce

Happily I go to Malaysia change my S$1 to $2.52+ ringgit every few weeks to spend...however, some Singaporean ya-ya-papaya think that strong S$ means Singapore economy more powerful or gaining strength on Malaysia and so on. This is the view of IGNORANT people. 

1. Why did MAS allow Sing$ to go up so much despite negative GDP growth last quarter?

There is very high inflation in Singapore and raising the S$ makes the imported component of the CPI lower thus lowering the overall inflation figure to 5.3% which is already quite bad. Imagine at 6% our inflation will be higher than 3-month spanish bonds!!! This is a sign the Singapore govt is losing control of domestic price inflation and using the S$ to make imports cheap to hide inflation pressures. 

2. Our export sector is hurting and property bubble is prop up to keep us out of recession?
Why you think MAS allow 50 year home loan. If property sector shrink immediately Singapore will be in recession because export sector is weak. The govt is just playing the number to prevent a recession by artificially propping up property sector.  

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Let’s have more sex

While the govt is so obsessed with the utilitarian purpose of having babies, the populace are having fun in a different way, in having sex. But how come no babies? That is an interesting question isn’t it? So much sex but so few babies.

The fault lies in how sex is conducted, in car parks and in Paris and in budget hotels are not too conducive to produce babies. And paid sex is less likely to give the desire results.

There are two more serious issues. The men have a fetish craving for sex with the sweet young things. Anything above the legally permitted age is not desirable. Isn’t this serious? The wives better start thinking. If this is true to the majority, marriage is too late as the spouses are far from the desired age group to have sex… and babies 

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Lamentations of a Senior Citizen

Over the last two decades, I began to worry for my old age. My Camel Brand Cigarettes has gone over 11 times in prices and still keep rising. The 10 cents per cup of coffee or tea has gone up by as much as 10 times and that 4-room flat has gone up by as much as twenty times or more. What’s even more dire is that inflation which was unheard of before the 80s or too insignificant to mention then is now running at over 4% to 5% yearly.

Do you understand the pain that much of the current problems are brought upon us by our rulers’ policy with no remedy in sight?

If Singaporeans can celebrate National Day like the way those people in this video then we have indeed become a nation 

The PAP has failed the us. The old cannot retire, families are slaves to debts (expensive flats), school leavers cannot find jobs, older workers get replaced by cheap foreigners. So many university degree holders driving taxi. Our 47th National Day is approaching. How to celebrate? What to celebrate?” 

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What Minister Yacoob Really Want

Apparently, Minister Yaacob Ibrahim had a fruitful afternoon addressing 800 secondary school children some afternoon ago. In the dialogue, he urged all netizens to come together to develop an internet code of conduct. [report] Who would have expected that?



What Minister Yacoob does not realise is that there is already a code of conduct in the internet. Do you know what it meant to TYPE IN CAPS? If you received an email you are reasonably expected to reply if you are the main recipient under "to:" and recipients under "cc:" and "bcc:" can reply but not expected to

There are some form of syntax in communication, be in it business emails, flaming wars on a random forum or gaming with your guild mates. The list goes on. Minister Yacoob's vision was both perplexing and unnecessary. 

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Woes of PRC teachers teaching Chinese in schools



Agreed that something is REALLY REALLY WRONG with the education system.

Chinese teachers have been replaced by those from PRC.

My kids used to come home saying how high the heels of the PRC teacher’s shoes were. How she keep her hair like a pop-star. How she scolded the children (in Chinese) “So easy also don’t know, you Singapore children are really stupid”. 

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Gifted My Ass

Mr Kelvin Ong Wee Loong, the founder of AristoCare centre, was told by MOE to stop lying about his credentials. Apparently, the private tutor who charges an arm and leg to help your child qualify for the Gifted Education Programme (GEP), was never a pupil or a teacher of the GEP, as he claimed.

He is so gifted that he cannot remember if he was in the Gifted program himself.:

"In response to the revelations, Mr Ong said it was his mother who told him that he was from the gifted programme and he could not verify it because he does not have the records from the past."

He also claimed to be from ACS (Prinary) but the school has no records of his ever attending the ACPS.

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Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang Town Council signage FAIL

[photo by Cyril on FB] 

It made my brain hurt just reading it. 

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Can we not do anything to stop town council fee increase?

It was reported in The Straits Times that several town councils are going to increase their monthly fees soon, with the increase ranging from $1 to $12 per month, over a period of 2 years. Is there not anything that the HDB dwellers can do to stop this increase?

Town council fees are something HDB dwellers have no control over. Whatever the town councils want, we have to pay, with no bargaining, no negotiation, no service guarantee and KPI or whatever. We just have to accept whatever the town council delivers. We just have to “trust” that the town councils are using the best of our money. But are they?

I did a brief calculation for town council fees collected from my block, and allocated it out to the various usage of the fees as per the financial report of my town council. Below are my findings on a PER MONTH basis:

Item	Fee
Sinking fund	$1,563
Cleaning	$540
Managing Agent’s Fee	$385
Lift	$442
Maintenance and others	$426
Water and Eletric	$1,049
SG&A	$183

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Aljunied-Hougang Town Council not raising S&C charges

 

Hougang.org.sg, 28 Jul 2012

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Give This Guy A Gold Meda

The words on the banner said it all! This is a picture of Chen Guanming, a 57-year-old Chinese farmer who took over two years to cycle from China to London for the London Olympics.

Yes, you read that right. He CYCLED from China to London! Cycling over 60,000 km through 16 different countries, he first went through Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, but was turned back at the border of Myanmar (boo, boo, boo). Left with no choice, he changed course and slowly wound his way through the mountains of Tibet, traveled across Central Asia and then Europe. All in his rickshaw!

Now, that is what I called the "Olympic Spirit"! I’m from Singapore where people complain about a 10min delay on the subway so the Olympic authorities really need to give this guy a gold medal for this awe-inspiring journey that lasted more than 2 YEARS! 

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Orchard Road anti-flood measures to meet future needs

The following annual rainfall data was obtained from the government website [1].

1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
1563	1812	2287	1819	2826	1853	2480	2910	2077	2289
1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
2277	1608	1807	2956	2066	1925	2167	1775	2766	2168
1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
2326	1463	1582	1994	2687	1484	2536	2103	2599	2463
1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
1524	1877	2261	2169	1942	2333	2418	1119	2623	2134
2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
2371	2783	1749	2391	2136	1931	2753	2886	2325	1921
2010	2011
2075	2524

It shows that we have five decades of rainfall data but the expert panel only used four. Plotting the data on a graph below:



We see that rainfall has been fluctuating up and down over the last 52 years. If our period of consideration started on a trough year and ended on a peak year, we would more likely conclude that rainfall has increased. But if our period of consideration started on a peak year and ended on a trough year, we would more likely conclude that rainfall has decreased instead. Since our conclusion depends very much on which years we choose to compare, comparing actual rainfall between years is not a satisfactory way of deciding how much rainfall has increased or decreased over time. 

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Who Blew The Whistle?

After the big fook on the alleged top honchos of CNB and SCDF getting free sexual rides, the intriguing episode of sex for grade in NUS is getting too rich for my damaged heart! 

National University of Singapore associate law professor Tey Tsun Hang was charged Friday morning with six counts of corruption in a sex-for-grades scandal.

In two of the charges, Tey, 41, a former district judge, was accused of having corruptly obtained sexual gratification from a Darinne Ko Wen Hui in July 2010, when she had been a student at NUS, as inducement for showing favour in assessing her academic performance, court documents showed.

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Darinne Ko only got a B rating from Prof Tey

Reports by the local Chinese tabloid have pointed out that Prof Tey only gave Darinne Ko a B grade for sleeping with him. Thus far, they have not managed to interview someone who got an A from Prof Tey to find out the difference.

If Darinne only got a B, Prof Tey might not be guilty of corruption but only at fault for improper sexual conduct with his student.

Other reports in the Chinese tabloid said that she likes to wear mini-skirts and dislike wearing long skirts. Described as 'tomboyish', it is unsure if long skirts 'got in the way' of her movements. Her friends still cannot believe the RJC school runner would have an affair with her professor. 

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Ex-Chief of Defence Force and SAF Scholar to be new SMRT CEO

Mr Desmond Kuek, 48, a former Chief of Defence Force and SAF scholar will likely be appointed as SMRT CEO taking over the position vacated by Saw Phaik Hwa.

Kuek is currently the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources. He is slated to leave the elite Administrative Service on 30 Sep. The Public Service Division has announced in June that Kuek wanted to ‘explore new opportunities in the private sector in a career change’.

When contacted yesterday, Kuek said he was still waiting to hear from SMRT. SMRT, as a matter of procedure, has to write in to inform LTA of any CEO appointments. It is understood that SMRT will be making an announcement soon.

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67% of Singapore's Chiefs of Defences are and were Chiefs of Government-Linked Transport-related Companies 

By now, Singaporeans know that LG(NS) Desmond Kuek will be heading to SMRT, taking the top seat as CEO. While his appointment might have caught many Singaporeans by surprise, I am not surprised at all. Before the news was out, I have long predicted in June last month that Desmond will be SMRT's new CEO. 

And by the rule of statistics: 67% of Singapore's Chiefs of Defences are and were Chiefs of Government-Linked Transport-related Companies. Let me explain this as follows: 

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Where to find 'vanishing' foods of Singapore

Rachel Loi | The Business Times

Where to find some vanishing foods like putu piring, kueh bong kong, botok botok ikan, appom and suan pan zi.

Author Sharon Wee’s favourite snack would be kueh bong kong, a Peranakan concoction of rice flour, coconut milk and gula melaka wrapped and steamed in a banana leaf.

If she doesn’t make it herself, she finds a suitable alternative at Glory on East Coast Road, one of the rare places that still makes the snack.

Kueh bong kong (Peranakan) 

The soft, smooth and sweet dessert is made from an over-50-year old recipe created by the late mother of one of Glory Catering’s co-owners, Chin Choon Siang.

Glory now outsources production so it can be made fresh every morning, but the recipe and ingredients suppliers have not changed over the years, and they still insist on using fresh coconut milk (as opposed to the commercially processed version) in their recipe.

Glory Catering, 139 East Coast Road: www.glorycatering.com.sg

Botok-botok ikan (Indonesian) 

Malay Heritage cookbook author Rita Zahara’s late mother made a mean botok-botok but it’s hard to find a good version these days, although she gets hers from Rumah Makan Minang in Kandahar Street.

This spicy dish comprises fish (tenggiri/Spanish mackerel) marinated in chilli padi, lime leaves, lemon grass, tamarind and other ingredients, wrapped with a banana leaf and boiled before serving.

According to stallowner Zulbaidah Binte Marlian, 54, botok-botok ($6 a portion) can be kept for a few days if refrigerated. In fact, the longer it is kept, she says, the tastier it becomes.

Botok-botok ikan was brought to Singapore in the 1940s, by Madam Zulbaidah’s mother, who taught her the recipe. It can also be found in some parts of Geylang.

Rumah Makan Minang, 18 Kandahar Street. www.minang.sg

Putu piring (Malay) 

Devagi Sanmugam loves putu piring – the Malay version of the more common kueh tutu.

While the latter is usually made from glutinous rice flour and a variety of fillings like peanuts or grated coconut, putu piring comprises rice flour and gula melaka, and is much harder to find in Singapore.

Hashim Jumaat, 61, makes a living by selling this delicacy ($2 for five) at his stall on Haig Road.

It was a recipe passed down in the family since the 1950s, and Hashim himself has been at it for 18 years.

The recipe and ingredients have survived the decades, but have been tweaked somewhat to accommodate more modern cooking forms, from charcoal to electric.

Haig Road Hawker Centre, Block 14, #01-08. Tel: 9688-3067

Appom (South Indian) 

Indian food has a bad reputation for being oily – blame the likes of roti prata, papadum and vadai.

But chef Damian d’Silva swears by Muthu Letchmi’s traditional South Indian appom ($1) which she says is cooked with no oil at all.

The batter is a recipe that came from a long line of ancestors in India, and it allows the appom to still be crispy just by cooking it with steam.

The dish is made using a simple batter of rice flour and old coconut water, mixed 10 to 12 hours earlier to allow fermentation to take place. Coconut milk is then added just before the appom is fried.

Letchmi’s stall in Ghim Moh Food Centre has been there for 15 years, of which she spent five perfecting the slightly sourish taste of the appom by comparing it with the memory of her childhood breakfasts.

Heaven’s Indian Curry, unit #01-15, Ghim Moh Food Centre. Open 6am to 1.45pm daily

Jantung pisang kerabu (Peranakan) 

Literally translated, Jantung pisang kerabu means “banana heart salad”, a direct description of what this traditional Peranakan salad is about.

It is made with banana “heart” (the white tender part of the flower), lime juice, sambal belachan, green mango and steamed prawns, among other ingredients.

Chef d’Silva recommends the version ($12) at PeraMakan in Keppel Club. The recipe is from executive chef Kathryn Ho, who learnt to make the salad from a family recipe passed down over the years.

PeraMakan, Keppel Club Level 3, or 171 East Coast Road. www.peramakan.com

Devil's curry (Eurasian) 

This distinctively Eurasian dish evolved from “curry debal”, where debal means leftovers in Kristang.

It was a dish commonly cooked on Boxing Day, using all the leftovers from Christmas dinners. Eventually, it became accepted as devil’s curry, or curry devil, because of how spicy it is.

There are already only a handful of Eurasian restaurants in Singapore, but of these few, a decent version of devil’s curry ($18) can be found at Quentin’s, located in the Eurasian Community House itself.

The dish is made from a recipe that came from the ancestors of owner Quentin Pereira, 40, who admits that many variations to the recipes do exist. There are five must-haves, however – ginger, mustard seeds, onions, chilli and vinegar.

Quentin’s, 139 Ceylon Road, Eurasian Community House www.quentins.com.sg

Suan pan zi (Hakka) 

Abacus, or better known as suan pan zi, is a traditionally Hakka dish made of yam discs, carrots, mushrooms and shrimp.

Hard to find in Singapore, it is even more surprising that one of the best-tasting ones can be found in Bukit Merah, made by a Hokkien family.

Poh Cheu, a stall named after the father of current owner Esther Ang, 42, is famous mainly for its handmade multi-flavoured ang ku kueh.

But its abacus ($2 to $7) is rather popular as well, seeing that it gets sold out by afternoon, despite being made fresh every morning.

It was Ang’s mother who developed the recipe over two decades ago, after watching how other people made it and making her own improvements.

According to Ang, her mother loved the dish very much, but thought she could do a better job of making it with pure yam instead of the commonly-used blend of yam and flour.

Poh Cheu, Blk 127, Bukit Merah Lane 1. Tel: 6276-2287 www.sbestfood.com/pohcheu.htm 

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Crime, Corruption, Scandal & Professional Misconduct 1

Continue: Crime, Corruption, Scandal & Professional Misconduct 2

Former law student recounts losing her virginity to professor


The 41-year-old law professor caught in a sex-for-grades scandal asked the court to let him defend himself and cross-examine witnesses at the start of his trial Thursday. This is even though he had already hired lawyers for himself.

Associate Professor Tey Tsun Hang from the National University of Singapore (NUS) is facing six corruption charges of obtaining gifts and sex from his former student Darinne Ko Wen Hui, who allegedly received better grades.

Ko, 23, testified against him as the first witness, telling the court how she lost her virginity after having sex in his office at NUS in July 2010.

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The Peter Lim trial

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• Peter Lim offered sex to woman 'out of pity'
• Former SCDF chief Peter Lim cracks under pressure
• Prosecution applies to impeach former SCDF chief Peter Lim
• Ex-SCDF chief just a 'rubber-stamp' in procurement process
• Ex-SCDF chief misled key witness by not rejecting her advances
• Pang Chor Mui made the first move, says Peter Lim
• Peter Lim has a case to answer, court rules
• Charge against Lim 'framed generally'
• Judge to rule if Peter Lim has a case to answer to
• Ex-SCDF chief Peter Lim to take the stand on March 25
• Pang couldn't answer questions about Lim
• Witness shared 'intimate friendship' with her former boss
• Woman in Peter Lim case feared antagonising him
• Star witness in Peter Lim trial questioned over differing statements to CPIB
• Pang Chor Mui forks out $2,000 a day for 6 bodyguards: Reports
• DPP Neo & Pang Chor Mui: Extracts from court
• Woman in Peter Lim case was intimate with former boss
• Pang Chor Mui claims she "liked him a lot"
• Woman at centre of corruption trial first met ex-SCDF chief Peter Lim in 1996
• 'Lim couldn't know' of future need for tender
• Lim-linked firms placed bids fitting SCDF's needs
• Prosecution points to coincidence
• Ex-SCDF chief's lawyer: Who would offer their body and soul for $130?
• Defence: Two other firms had inside info
• Woman's firm 'knew about tender in advance'
• DPP: Ex-SCDF chief abused his position
• Two other companies contacted before tender of radiation devices
• Day 3 begins with cross-examination of director of logistics
• Nimrod 'did not get inside information'
• Nimrod 'above-board' when it made a bid for SCDF tender
• Peter Lim arrives for Day 2 of corruption trial
• Peter Lim had 'flirtatious' friendship
• Peter Lim claims sex was in the heat of the moment
• Day 1 concludes without star witness taking stand
• New sex-for-favours trial opens in Singapore
• "Not an abnormal request" to research radioactive detectors
• Defence says Peter Lim had "genuine" relationship with woman
• Prosecution says he obtained oral sex corruptly
• Ex-SCDF chief Peter Lim arrives in court to face corruption charge

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Ng Boon Gay trial: Cecilia Sue could be charged for lying, say lawyers

Cecilia Sue told investigators that she had a long-running sexual relationship with former CNB Chief Ng Boon Gay, only to deny it all in court, raising the question of whether she will be charged for lying.

15879 views | 47 comments

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Full reports, videos and pictures of Ng Boon Gay trial


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Specials on Ng Boon Gay Trial


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16-year-old Vietnamese prostitute lied about her age to 60-year-old lawyer client


The 16-year-old Vietnamese prostitute in the centre of a vice syndicate, testified on Tuesday that she had lied to lawyer Spencer Gwee Hak Theng, about her age.

The court heard that she had told Gwee - who is charged with having paid sex with a minor - that she was 19 years-old when he asked for her age prior to intercourse.

Gwee, a former deputy public prosecutor, however, did not ask to see her passport, and later paid her $300 for the encounter.

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Strong message and ‘power’ photo from CPIB’s 60th anniversary

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attending the 60th anniversary celebration of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau with former Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong. (Photo / Kenji Soon, from Lee Hsien Loong Facebook page)

It is a photo that has been going around on Facebook, capturing three of Singapore’s Prime Ministers, past and present, striding along like three leads in the opening credits of a TV show on criminal justice.

Fittingly, they were attending the 60th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) on Tuesday.

"Not so often that all three of us attend a ceremony together,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on his Facebook page, and that probably sums up why the photo has been shared by online users. 

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Not possible to completely eradicate corruption: K Shanmugam

Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam says Singapore cannot eradicate fraud and bad conduct, even though it has created a system that is, by international standards, very clean and efficient.

Mr Shanmugam stressed that Singapore ranks high as a clean, corruption free society, amid several recent corruption cases.

He noted that of late, some people have asked why there so many cases, when Singapore is supposed to be a clean country 

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Shanmugam's crafty way to avoid the Woffles Wu disquiet

WP MP Sylvia Lim asked a simple question. But Shanmu, the crafty fox, made it look like as if there's an innuendo in it, thereby avoiding the embarrassment of the Woffling Woffles Wu case. Wait a minute, wasn't he the guy who also threatened a particular blogger with a legal suit, avoiding denying another embarrassment?

Here is the report of the crafty fox's convoluted words, which of course, PAPpy Lappy dog ST, will lap it all up.

Heated exchange in House between MP and minister

 

"Are you trying to say there's favouritism?" growls Crafty Shanmugam

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A loud hiccup

Recent spate of court sentences has got Singaporeans wondering whether judicial decisions favour the elite.

Like its economy, Singapore’s judiciary, left behind by the British, has been a strong national asset.

Now people who wish the city well are hoping that society’s widening “elite vs commoner” divide will not be allowed to creep into the courtrooms. 

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Sex Scandals Signal an End to Singapore's Corruption-Free

Singapore has long prided -- and touted -- itself as a place where the type of corruption rampant elsewhere in Asia simply does not exist. The high salaries paid to Singapore officials -- junior cabinet ministers earn $750,000 and the prime minister gets $1.7 million -- are supposed to forestall financial temptation.

But a recent string of high-profile corruption scandals has highlighted Singapore officials' weakness to other forms of temptation as well.

The cases coincide with Singapore losing its crown as the world's least corrupt country, according to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. In December the city-state slid to the fifth position, behind New Zealand, Denmark, Finland and Sweden.

The Singaporean government appears to have taken notice. Earlier this month, law minister K Shanmugam said in a speech that anyone who breaches "moral rectitude and correct conduct in public service" is "likely to be found out, and severe punishment is certain for those who are guilty." 

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After the lapses ...

More than one government agency is believed to have done away with the practice of using petty cash to pay for small value purchases including stationery, which now require written approval.

At least one statutory board now makes it compulsory for staff to attend a three-day procurement course - and pass a test - before they are allowed to buy anything using taxpayers' money.

These are some of the new requirements - as told to TODAY by civil servants - to tighten the public procurement system in the wake of a spate of lapses in recent months.

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21 govt bodies found to have lapses in managing public funds

 

21 govt bodies found to have lapses in

SINGAPORE: 21 government bodies in Singapore, including 10 ministries and 11 statutory boards, have been found to have lapses in managing public funds and resources.

This is according to a report by the Auditor-General Office's, which investigated complaints on such matters for the financial year 2011 to 2012.

Among the findings, the Manpower Ministry was found to have inadequate scrutiny when it came to awarding a tender to buy office chairs. 

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Govt to review procurement procedures, says Tharman

THE Government is not satisfied with the "state of procurement", and wants to see how it can be improved, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday.

While a constant review of rules is important, what is essential is making sure that procurement officers are up to the mark, and that action is promptly taken when irregularities surface, he noted.

This includes taking disciplinary action against errant officers and taking matters to the courts when an offence is suspected, he said.

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8 debarment cases due to corruption involving public officers, contracts

There have been eight debarment cases on grounds of corruption involving public officers and government contracts since 2004.

Revealing the figures in a written reply to Parliament on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in all these cases, the individuals involved, including the public officers were convicted.

The companies and businesses involved were also debarred for a period of five years.

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ICA officer jailed 2 months for corruption

An Immigration and Checkpoints Authority analyst was jailed for two months for corruption and fined a total of $9,000 for computer misuse on Friday.

Ng Chun Wei, 35, was also ordered to pay a penalty of $700.

He had pleaded guilty to accepting $500 from Mr Mohamed Saif Mohamed Salleh, 44, to facilitate the hawker's application for his children's Singapore citizenship in November 2010. 

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Senior official from MOHH resigns - surely there's more to it

With all the corruption cases of sex as bribes and the Bromptomgate scandal, every suspicious move within our Ministries and Stat Boards has to be looked with scrutiny. The latest case is the resignation of a Director of Corporate Communications, Ministry of Health Holdings.

Note how the ST plays down the seriousness of the issue by simply implying the case was one of non-compliance.

MOHH official quits after failing to declare conflict of interest

A senior official at Ministry of Health Holdings (MOHH) has resigned after it was discovered that she had hidden the fact that her cousin was a senior executive of a vendor company.

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Duck Cries Foul – Another Government Tender to be Scrutinised?

Ducktours announced on 26th July 2012 in TODAY newspaper that they would be exiting the Singapore River in December 2012, as they have not been awarded one of the 2 water taxi operating licences in the Marina Bay (which includes Singapore River) in a recent tender exercise called by URA. The 2 licensees from 1st January 2013 would be (i) Singapore River Cruise (the other incumbent operator) and (ii) a new joint venture between Global Yellow Pages Ltd and Leisure Empire Pte Ltd.

According to their blog (hipporiver.blog.com), Ducktours felt that they have lost out in the tender exercise because URA has imposed new mandatory requirements on the operators, some of which would result in an unsustainable business case. After an unsuccessful appeal to MND, the ministry that oversees URA, to review the tender specifications, they submitted a tender bid which they thought was prudent and projected losses for first 3 years of operations. Given the revenue-centric nature of the tender, where the bid price (licence fee payable by the operator) was given 60% emphasis, and the quality of the proposal including concept, business plan and track record accorded only 40%, Ducktours was not awarded a licence as a result of their low bid.

Ducktours has since written an open letter in their blog to the Prime Minister, citing lapses in the URA tender process including a lack of feasibility and market study done by URA prior to crafting the tender specifications, in their bid to get the authorities to review the tender exercise. However, Ducktours could be missing the over the point here. The fact that there were 5 other tenderers have vindicated URA and shown that there was still a business case, unlike the pessimistic scenario painted by Ducktours. However, it is Global Yellow Pages, one of the 2 licence awardees that attention should be focused on, and questions should also be asked on whether there were any lapses in the tendering process. 

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Come Clean

I remember Khaw Boon Wan  appearing on TV asking WP to "come clean" on Yaw Shin Leong's personal life.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

I now ask Khaw to "come clean" on the Hippo-Duck-Mah-Bow-Tan water taxi tender. Compared to the Hippo-Ducky affair, Bromptongate flipflop may be just the tip of a gigantic titanic iceberg in MND! 

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MND refers Brompton bicycles purchase to CPIB

The Ministry of National Development (MND) has referred the controversial purchase of 26 Brompton bicycles to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

The ministry had previously issued a statement on Tuesday saying that it had suspended a National Parks Board (NParks) officer after an internal audit found discrepancies in the procurement process.

The officer suspended is Bernard Lim, the assistant director of the Park Connector Network

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CPIB: What Is Corruption in Singapore?

When I think corruption, my mind hits Lee and Lee. No, not the legal firm that does HDB conveyancing but the father and son team that were recently guests of honour at the sixtieth anniversary of the CPIB. [Link] and [Link] with the son launching a book on the subject of corruption.

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The Singapore Stink

So much corruption and sleaze in such short interval . . .

• Church Pastor siphoning off $millions from church funds to fund wifey's rock star career
• School principal and other prominent men charged for having paid sex with under-age prostitute (under 18)
• Chief of SCDF charged with corruption for having sex with supplier
• Chief of CNB charged with corruption for having sex with supplier
• NUS Law Prof charged with corruption for receiving gifts and sex from lady student
• NParks Director suspended for 'Bromptom Bicyclegate'
• Lady teacher charged for having sex with under-age boy student (under 16)
• Ex-Minister having to answer to "River Taxigate"

With the above allegations, it looks like squeaky-clean Singapore (pride and joy of a spiteful old man blinded by ego) is smelling like rat . . . a stinking dead rat! 

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Singapore's latest sex scandal uncovered

Check out all the stories regarding one of Singapore's biggest sex scandals ever. It involves three women who allegedly are linked to the former SCDF chief Peter Lim's ongoing corruption case.

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Woman in sex-for-favours case breaks down in court

The woman at the centre of the high-profile corruption trial involving a former top Singapore civil servant is "clinically depressed" and has been seeking medical treatment since news of the scandal broke.

But questions of whether she was really in love with the accused also surfaced.

On the opening day of the trial of former Central Narcotics Bureau chief Ng Boon Gay on Tuesday, the court heard how Cecilia Sue Siew Nang, 36, has "not been coping well with the situation she's found herself in".

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11 prosecution witnesses to testify at ex-SCDF chief's trial

Eleven prosecution witnesses will be produced in court when an eight-day trial involving former Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) chief Peter Lim Sin Pang begins in January.

They include SCDF officers and one of the three women at the centre of the sex-for-IT-contracts case - the biggest graft affair involving a public servant in two decades. The prosecution said yesterday it would proceed first with one of the 10 corruption charges that Lim is accused of, with the remaining charges stood down, for now.

Speaking to reporters after a pre-trial conference, Lim's lawyers - Mr Hamidul Haq and Mr Bala Chandran - said the charge relates to the 52-year-old allegedly obtaining oral sex from Ms Pang Chor Mui in May 2010 in exchange for advancing her company's business interests with the SCDF. Ms Pang is the General Manager of Nimrod Engineering and the firm was one of SCDF's vendors.

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Singapore ex-top cop faces sex-for-favours charges

Singapore police stand guard outside a luxury hotel in June 2011 (AFP/File, Roslan Rahman)

The former head of the Singapore police's drug enforcement unit was charged Tuesday with corruption for soliciting sexual favours in exchange for help with contracts, court documents showed

Ng Boon Gay, 46, former director of the Central Narcotics Bureau, appeared in a district court accused of "corruptly" obtaining "sexual gratification... from one Cecilia Sue Siew Nang" on four occasions, a charge sheet read.

He is the second high-ranking civil servant to face prosecution on sex-for-business charges in a week after similar accusations were filed against former civil defence chief Peter Lim last Wednesday.

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Defense chief hit on sex for favors 

The former head of the Singapore Civil Defence Force was yesterday charged with accepting sex for favors in the most serious corruption case involving senior government officials in almost 20 years.

Peter Lim "is accused of having corruptly obtained sexual gratification from two female vendors and one potential female vendor to the defense force on 10 occasions between May 2010 and November 2011," said a spokesman for the city- state's anti-corruption agency.

Lim's corruption case is the most serious involving a senior official in Singapore since 1993, when Yeo Seng Teck, at the time the chief executive of the Trade Development Board, was investigated for offenses dating from 1988. 

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Senior MFA protocol chief in trouble over expense claims

As chief of protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Mr Lim Cheng Hoe was the go-to guy for advice on how to do things the right way.

Described by some as a "legend" for his knowledge of diplomatic protocol, he headed the ministry's section responsible for organising ministerial and presidential trips overseas.

In June, he was accused of making improper expense claims.

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Former SLA officers Koh Seah Wee and his subordinate Lim Chai Meng jailed for $12m fraud case

Two former Singapore Land Authority (SLA) officers involved in a $12 million fraud case were sentenced to jail today.

Former deputy director of technology and infrastructure, Koh Seah Wee, 41, was sentenced to 22 years in jail, and his subordinate, former manager Lim Chai Meng, 38, was sentenced to 15 years, The Straits Times reported.

Koh and Lim both pleaded guilty last week to 55 and 48 charges respectively. Working in collusion with seven external parties, the men had - in the time between Jan 2008 and March 2010 - cheated SLA by rendering false invoices through various business entities for IT services and goods which were not delivered. In all, SLA paid $12.2 million in 282 contracts to 11 bogus vendors. To date, $9 million out of the total amount has been recovered. 

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Student JUMPS TO DEATH after claiming counsellor molested her

She sought help from her ITE counsellor in dealing with her personal problems last year, but they ended up becoming sexually intimate.

Chiu Ka Ying, who was 16 at the time, then alleged to her school that her Life Skills lecturer, Mr Michael Tay Jau Jen, 36, had molested her. Mr Tay later told investigators that it was consensual.

The ITE’s investigation report said the allegations could not be confirmed, but it found that Mr Tay had behaved unprofessionally. 

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Woman in sex-for-grades scandal may lose law degree

 

Ms Darinne Ko Wen Hui, the young woman involved in the sex-for-grades scandal, may lose her law degree. On top of that, she and the associate professor involved might face disciplinary action from the school.

These are the worst-case scenarios painted by teaching staff members at the National University of Singapore, as well as the university itself.

A spokesperson from NUS said that pending the verdict of the court case, disciplinary actions “may include revocation of the degree, certificate or any other outstanding achievements awarded earlier” to the ex-student, Shin Min Daily News reported. 

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Woman in ‘sex for grades’ case may become witness for prosecution

 

The former National University of Singapore (NUS) law student who is involved in the ‘sex-for-grades’ scandal may become a witness for the prosecution, according to a report in the Lianhe Wanbao newspaper.

Darinne Ko is alleged to have had sex with her former professor Tey Tsun Hang at NUS for better grades.

Tey has been charged in court for corruption. So far, there is no word if Ms Ko will face any legal ramifications from the case.

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NUS law professor faces corruption charges

National University of Singapore associate law professor Tey Tsun Hang was charged Friday morning with six counts of corruption in a sex-for-grades scandal.

In two of the charges, Tey, 41, a former district judge with Singapore's Subordinate Courts, was accused of having corruptly obtained sexual gratification from a Darinne Ko Wen Hui in July 2010, when she had been a student at NUS, as inducement for showing favour in assessing her academic performance, court documents showed.

In the other charges, Tey allegedly obtained from Ko from May to July that same year a Mont Blanc pen worth S$740, two tailor-made shirts valued at S$236.20, an iPod Touch worth S$160 and payment of a bill amounting to S$1,278.60

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Married pastor faces charge of oral sex with minor


A 45-year-old assistant pastor has been charged in court with sexual offences involving an underaged girl.

Channel NewsAsia reported that the married man is accused of making the student, who was 15 at the time, perform oral sex on him at a jogging park near Bartley MRT station.

The incident happened between September and October 2011. She was a member of the church where he works.

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Former River Valley High principal linked to woman 

Former River Valley High School Principal Mr Steven Koh Yong Chiah, 58, who is assisting investigations by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), has been linked to a woman in the educational services industry.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, the woman is said to be running several businesses, most of them providing education-related services to schools, such as organising educational trips overseas for schools.

Mr Koh had served as Principal of Chinese High School from 1999 to 2002, before it merged with Hwa Chong Junior College in 2005 to become HCI.

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Ex-teacher records sex with student then threatens suicide

He had sex with his underage student - and even filmed the act. When she wanted to end the relationship, he threatened to send people to hurt her and her family. And when the student wanted to report him to the police, he threatened to kill himself.

He was dramatic in his dirty deeds. And she was left traumatised.

Yesterday, former drama teacher Aravind S Menon, 25, pleaded guilty to a count of having sex with the student when she was 14. Aravind, who taught drama at a secondary school, faces another two similar charges, which will be taken into consideration during sentencing on April 25.

Other teacher-student sex cases 

April 3, 2013
A 30-year-old relief teacher who had sex four times with his student, then 13, was jailed for 18 months.
Ross Ryan Kristiaensen had asked the girl to be his girlfriend, had sex with her and then promised to marry her.
The two became close after a salad-making competition at the end of July 2009. 

April 2, 2013
A former secondary school teacher, 31, was jailed for nine months for molesting his student in a shower cubicle.
The teacher used soap to rub the 13-year-old boy's body and private parts at a condominium in Bishan in May 2010.
He had invited the victim and his friend there for a swim. He molested the boy when they showered at cubicles near the pool. 

March 14, 2013
A primary school teacher who had sex with one of her pupils, then 13, was jailed for a year.
The 32-year-old married mother of three had sex with the teen four times, had oral sex once, and committed an obscene act with him once between May 2011 and July 2011. 

Feb 23, 2009
A former primary school teacher was jailed for 10 months for being sexually intimate with an underage boy.
She was the first woman in Singapore to be hauled to court for the offence.
The married teacher, then 31, had sex with the boy, then 15, six times - twice in her flat and four times in a chalet - between March and May 2008.
They had met during an overseas trip when he was still in Primary 6 in her school. 

Oct 29, 2012
A teacher in a top school was jailed for a year for having sex with an underage student from her school.
The 32-year-old married mother of two engaged in sexual activities with the boy, then 15, a total of nine times between December 2011 and January last year.
The boy became close to her shortly after a boating accident during a student leaders' camp in Bintan in October 2011 

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Singapore Teacher Sex With Student Scandal Casts Shadow On Education System - Heather Tan

Huffington Post, 15 Nov 2012

Their affair started with her giving him a copy of the mushy memoir "Eat, Pray, Love." It ended with the 32-year-old female teacher in Singapore getting a jail sentence for illicit sex with her 15-year-old male student.

The case, which shocked Singapore, was the latest in a string of scandals involving the city-state's educators, who in the past year have been caught embezzling college money, committing lewd behavior, peddling drugs and a couple of times having sex with students. At least 10 such cases have reached the courts this year.

In a country known for its orderliness and strict laws where even jay-walking and public spitting are punishable offenses, the scandals are raising questions about whether the government – in its hugely successful efforts to control political dissidence and crime – has ignored declining moral and social standards. Full story

Related:

1. Singapore hit by sex scandals involving teachers in blow to its strait-laced reputation - Fox News
2. Strait-laced Singapore hit by teacher scandals - The Review

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Relief teacher charged with sexual offences with 13-year-old student

A relief teacher with a secondary school has been charged with five counts of sexual offences with a 13-year-old girl.

The 26-year-old allegedly had sex with the girl twice last year, and in March and sometime between May and June this year.

They had sex at his flat and at a staircase landing of Loyang Point. He is also accused of having oral sex with the girl at the same staircase landing in March last year.

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Ex-teacher charged with having sex with boy

As the Ministry of Education prepares to launch a code of conduct for teachers next year, another former teacher has been charged with having sex with a student - the latest in a string of cases of professional misconduct involving teachers.

The 32-year-old woman was a primary school teacher at the time of the alleged offences, and the student was 13.

The woman faces five counts of consensual sex with an underage boy and one count of committing an obscene act. 

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Female teacher jailed for having sex with underage student

A female teacher has been handed a one-year jail term for having sex with her 15-year-old male student.

The teacher, who turned up in court with several family members, broke down upon her sentencing.

She pleaded guilty last week to two counts of sexual offences with a boy under 16 years of age. 

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Teacher pleads guilty to string of upskirt video offences 

A secondary school teacher pleaded guilty today to a string of offences that involved him using his mobile phone to take upskirt videos.

Seow Swee Hong, 39, who taught at a school in the eastern part of Singapore, was picked up by police on July 25 last year.

A store manager of the Popular bookstore at Toa Payoh HDB Hub had caught him taking upskirt videos of female students there.

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Ex-teacher who had sex with student faces 8 more charges

 

The former school teacher accused of having sex with her student now faces an additional eight charges, bringing the total number to nine.

The woman, who is in her early 30s, was originally charged with one count of having sex with a minor under the age of 16 some time in January. She is now accused of having sex with the same student on three other occasions in January.

Wearing glasses and sporting side-swept hair, the petite woman also faces three counts of digital penetration with the teen in December last year. She allegedly gave the student oral sex twice in December last year. 

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Ex-teacher who filmed girls in school toilet sentenced to 1 year's jail

A former science teacher at a secondary school in Jurong who had filmed girls in the school toilet was yesterday jailed one year.

Bertrand Ngien Wen Tseah, 37, was found guilty of three offences - insulting the modesty of a woman, mischief and destroying evidence.

On Feb 15, he hid three pinhole cameras in the female toilet and recorded a video of a 14-year-old student using the toilet. 

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Female ex-teacher gets 10 months' jail for having sex with student

A former primary school teacher who had sex with her student has been sentenced to 10 months' jail.

She is the first woman to feel the weight of stricter laws passed last year to protect minors from sexual offences. Her name has been withheld in order to protect the identity of the boy.

Their relationship began innocently - with phone calls and text messages after an overseas school trip to China which she had led. Then came meetings - where they window-shopped, watched movies and had meals together.

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Ex-MOE scholar sentenced to five years' jail

Former Ministry of Education (MOE) scholar Jonathan Wong Wai Keong has been sentenced to five years' jail on Monday for having sex with a minor, The Straits Times reported on Monday.

Wong, who was convicted for possession of child pornography in Britain in 2010, had faced a total of 10 charges – seven for having sex with a 15-year-old girl, and another three for committing indecent acts. He pleaded guilty to five of 10 charges on 25 June.

Wong had committed the acts after his return from Britain, following his expulsion from school and revocation of his student visa. He returned to Singapore in January 2011 after an eight-month supervision for his child pornography charges, said Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao

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Probation for undergrad who punched, bit, head-butted cops

The undergraduate who attacked four police officers after having too much to drink has been sentenced to 15 months of probation and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.

Natasha Wan Xue Wen, 24, pleaded guilty to using criminal force and abusive words on public servants, and behaving in disorderly manner.

Wan is also required to stay at home from 11pm to 6am during her probation period. Her parents signed a $5,000 bond to ensure her good behaviour. She was warned by the district judge that anything other that strict adherence to these conditions could have her hauled back to court to be sentenced. 

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Ex-lecturer jailed for stealing from men she met at casino

A Malaysian woman addicted to gambling stole money from men whom she had befriended at a casino.

Melviana Johnson Fu, 30, committed the thefts after she had accompanied them to hotel rooms or, in one case, an apartment. On one occasion, she even took the victim’s trousers, probably to prevent him from giving chase.

A district court on Wednesday jailed her for 10 months. She had pleaded guilty to committing three counts of theft. 

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Naval officer is latest accused planning to plead guilty

In the latest development of the online vice ring case that has so far implicated 48 men, a naval officer charged with having paid sex with an underage girl is planning to plead guilty.

Chan Wei Kiat, 27, allegedly committed the offence between 2.02pm and 3.03pm on Nov 6, 2010. He was charged with paying $600 to the underage girl for sex at Hotel 81 Lavender, Lianhe Wanbao reported.

He indicated his intention to plead guilty through his lawyer, Defence Counsel Josephus Tan, and would know his court date on 13 August. He has been suspended from duty since investigation started.

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SAF officer jailed for conspiring to cheat casino

A specialist army officer has been sentenced to two years' jail for conspiring with four accomplices to cheat Marina Bay Sands of nearly S$150,000 between July and August in 2011.

Toh Kaida, 29, who was suspended by the Singapore Armed Forces, had admitted earlier this month to 19 charges of cheating.

The Prosecution proceeded on five charges

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Benedict Ang Yong Chuean Committed Indecent Acts

Navy Lieutenant (LTA) Benedict Ang Yong Chuean, An international student at the Australian Defence Force Academy, was charged with two counts of indecency without consent.

The Sword of Honor recipient allegedly entered the room of a female cadet on May 6 and committed the act.

It’s the latest in a string of legal headaches for the academy, in which three other cadets have been brought before Canberra courts on unrelated matters since April 2011. 

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153 complaints against doctors here last year

Complaints about alleged professional negligence and competence of doctors surged last year from 2010, even as the total number of complaints received by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) remained stable.

The SMC, which regulates the professional conduct of doctors here, received 96 complaints alleging professional negligence and competence last year, more than double the 44 received in 2010.

These formed the bulk of the 153 complaints received last year, which held steady from 2010 when there were 152 complaints. The number of complaints per 1,000 doctors, however, dipped from 16 to 15, as the number of doctors here grew by 7.6 per cent to 10,057 last year.

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Suspended psychiatrist releases public apology

 

The psychiatrist who was involved in an affair with a female patient has released a public apology through the Lianhe Wanbao newspaper, saying he is remorseful for his actions.

Dr Douglas Kong Sim Guan, a 63-year-old psychiatrist, had his license suspended for three years from 24 June and fined $10,000, after his 13-year-long affair with a married female patient came to light. 

Read: Married woman spurned by doctor lover, exposes affair

According to court records, the woman approached Dr Kong for treatment in 1993 after she had suffered sexual abuse from her music teacher. 

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Director sued for allegedly sexually harassing nurse

 

He asked her for her personal phone number and she thought it was for work-related matters.

After she gave him the number, he allegedly started calling her asking her to be his friend, to go out on dates and even to have sex with him.

He continued his advances even after she pointed out to him that he is a married man 

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Foreign doc charged with molesting nurse during an operation

A SRI Lankan doctor working at the Changi General Hospital (CGH) was charged in Court yesterday (2 Jul) with three counts of touching the buttocks of a nurse in the operating theatre.

Senaka Liyanage, a University of Colombo graduate, is accused of touching the 26-year-old’s buttocks between 11am and noon on April 5 while an operation was going on. He was part of a team of doctors performing the operation on a patient that day.

The alleged victim reported the doctor to a senior nurse who then brought the matter to the nursing director. 

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Lawyers Do It Too

National University of Singapore (NUS) associate law professor Tey Tsun Hang was arrested by the Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau (CPIB) in April this year for allegedly giving out a good grade in exchange for sex.

To date he has not been suspended by the university, he still gets to keep his Herman Miller seat (or equivalent) - poor Nparks staff had their Brompton bikes taken away.

Maybe it has to do with the precedent set by Ministry of Education (MOE) when they allowed their scholar Jonathan Wong to teach in a Secondary School in July 2010 despite being arrested for possession and making of child pornography in the United Kingdom earlier in March. MOE's lame excuse was: “His offence only came to light after he was charged in court in November.” NUS has to come up with something more credible. 

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No apology for M Ravi affair

Law Soc President declares issue 'concluded' but not all members pleased

Singapore Law Society members called on its president Wong Meng Meng yesterday to apologise for the society's handling of the recent clash with lawyer M Ravi, as well as for Mr Wong to recuse himself from chairing the Extraordinary General Meeting.

The closed-door meeting, which saw 504 of the society's 4,000 members in attendance, closed on a sour note for some as they left the two-hour session without their doubts answered.

After the meeting, Mr Wong told reporters he "gave reasons to why there should not be an apology" but did not elaborate further.

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Members seek clarification on clash between M Ravi & law society

Some 50 members of the Law Society of Singapore have sought full clarification from the society's Council on its conduct and protocols.

The move, which indicates a widening divide among members, comes after a Law Society council member, Mr Wong Siew Hong, appeared in High Court in July to hand over a letter from lawyer M Ravi's psychiatrist. 

The letter had stated Mr Ravi was medically-unfit to practise. 

At that time, Mr Ravi was in court to argue the Hougang by-election case. 

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Lawyer M Ravi begins legal action against Law Society, Wong Siew Hong

 

Lawyer M Ravi begins legal action...

SINGAPORE: Lawyer M Ravi says he has started legal proceedings against the Law Society of Singapore and Mr Wong Siew Hong for alleged defamation and damage to reputation.

Mr Ravi's lawyers filed the suit in the High Court at 4.30pm on Friday.

He is expected to serve the court papers to the two parties next Tuesday.

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A 'bitter taste' - Top criminal lawyer Subhas Anandan criticises Law Society over M Ravi incident 

The Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore (ACLS) has criticised the Law Society of Singapore, saying that it viewed "with some trepidation" the actions of a Law Society representative who, on Monday, submitted a medical letter to the High Court stating that lawyer M Ravi is unfit to practise.

It sent a letter to the society, which it also released to the media. While acknowledging the ACLS' disagreements in the past with Mr Ravi, the letter - dated Tuesday and signed by ACLS President Subhas Anandan - said the incident "left a very bitter taste in the mouths and has potentially brought the Bar into disrepute".

It added: "Justice Pillai acquitted himself well by ignoring (the society) representative who had absolutely no locus in this matter." 

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AGC: Law of contempt needed to protect ‘public confidence’ in administration of justice in Singapore

For the second time in less than a month, the Attorney-General Chambers (AGC) felt compelled to issue a public statement to clear up lingering skepticism in the public about its decisions.

Two weeks ago, the AGC issued a media statement to explain the charges leveled against plastic surgeon Woffles Wu for abetting somebody to take the rap for him for two speeding offences.

The fiasco sparked a massive outcry among Singaporeans, among whom is blogger Alex Au who wrote two articles insinuating that Woffles Wu was ‘favorably’ treated under the law, prompting AGC to send a letter to him threatening to charge him for contempt of court unless he retracts his article and apologizes which he eventually did so.
Now, AGC is explaining its decision to use the law of contempt to send Alex Au the warning

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Contempt of Court 

Anyone keeping score? In the latest round of Blogger versus AGC (Attorney-General's Chambers), it was enlightening to read that the judge is not as thin skinned as generally assumed. We are given following assurance:

Expanding, the AGC spokesman added, "It is contempt, however, to say that the court was biased if there is no objective rational basis to do so." The emphasis seems to be on the word "biased", but still, you wouldn't want to tell the judge his mother wears army boots, or worse. 

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AGC explains the charges against Woffles Wu

Choo Zheng Xi, a Consultant Editor of TOC and a lawyer in private practice, wrote an article (‘Questions Remain in Woffles Wu Matter‘) on 17 Jun, hoping the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) can clarify why Woffles Wu was not charged under Section 182 of the Penal Code.

Earlier, the Minister of Law and Foreign Affairs Mr K Shanmugam has clarified that Wu was charged under Section 81 (3) of the Road Traffic Act instead of the more serious Section 204A of the Penal Code for perverting the course of justice because Section 204A was only enacted in 2008 while Wu’s offence had occurred in 2006.

However, Zheng Xi noted that Wu could have been charged under Section 182 of the Penal Code instead as this section was already in force at the time of Wu’s offence. In his research, Zheng Xi noted that Section 182 has been successfully used in a number of cases involving the provision of false information to the police in traffic related violations. He gave the following examples:

• Thirumalai Kumar v PP (1997) – sentenced to 2 week imprisonment.
• Yap Khim Huat v PP (2001) – sentenced to 4 week imprisonment.
• Tan Jack Saa v PP (2001) – sentenced to 2 month imprisonment.
• Lim Seng Keong v PP and Koh Chee Khoon v PP (2001) – sentenced to 1 week imprisonment each.
• Chia Pei Si v PP (2007) – sentenced to 2 week imprisonment.
• Poh Chee Hwee v PP (2008) – sentenced to 2 week imprisonment.

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God in the City

First they took sex offenders to court. Then they took civil offenders to court. They also took commercial offenders to court. And the latest, they took God to court.

There has been a spate of court cases on corruption June. Don't know if this is because of the sweltering temperature. This was preceded by sex cases in May. I wonder what July will bring. One cannot but be impressed by the work rate of the Attorney General's Chambers.

Going by these cases (and more to come?), they can look forward to big performance bonuses at the end of the year, particularly if the cases lead to convictions and fines. I am not suggesting for a moment that the AGC has monetary motives in mind when they haul people to court. I am glad that they are doing what they are paid to do - uphold the law of the land and make the point that Singapore is not a place for any sort of hanky-panky.

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$50.6m: Amount of funds misused - City Harvest Church

A SHOCKING revelation: The figure was more than twice the one given on Tuesday for the amount of funds allegedly misused by City Harvest Church leaders.

At yesterday's court hearing, deputy public prosecutor Christopher Ong read out a laundry list of misappropriated funds that added up to a staggering $50.6 million. This dwarfs the $23 million reported after the five were arrested on Tuesday.

Church founder Kong Hee, 47; his deputy, Tan Ye Peng, 39; church board member John Lam Leng Hung, 44; church investment manager Chew Eng Han, 52; and church financial manager Sharon Tan Shao Yuen, 36, looked on impassively as they stood in a row to hear their charges.

The courtroom was packed with Kong's supporters. An area normally cordoned off was opened up to accommodate them. Even so, not all of the 200 who turned up could get in, as a queue snaked outside the room. 

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All About The City Harvest Case

For two years, from 2010, the Commissioner of Charities (COC) and the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) conducted a concurrent investigation and inquiry into suspected financial irregularities inside the City Harvest church.

On June 26, 2012, five of its leaders, including founder Kong Hee, were arrested over alleged misuse of church funds and alleged breaches under charity laws

The COC revealed that financial irregularities of at least $23 million from the charity's funds have been discovered which it said were used with the purported intention to finance Ho Yeow Sun's secular music career to connect with people. 42-year-old pop singer Ho Yeow Sun, also known as Sun Ho, is Kong Hee's wife 

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Names of 48 men charged for sex with underage prostitute

48 men have been charged in court for paying for sex with an underage prostitute. Another 14 are under probe.

The accused include civil servants, high flyers in the finance industry, and other notable figures. 80 men have been implicated in the case. More charges are expected to be filed.

The following is a list of 44 men who have been charged with having commercial sex with a person under 18 years of age. The youngest accused is 21 years old, and the oldest is 48. The accused include a former police superintendent, military officers, a lawyer, businessmen and other professionals. 

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Two men who had paid sex with minor ‘shocked’ by her real age

 

Two men who had paid sex with an underage girl said they were “shocked” when they discovered she was 17.

Channel NewsAsia reported that Louis Lee Lip Kian, 33, and Pyi Kyaw Han, 31, also felt the website misled them about her age.

Both men were each sentenced to 12 weeks' jail today. They are part of 51 men implicated in an online vice ring case. 

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Man gets 11 weeks' jail for underage paid sex

A navy captain was sentenced to 11 weeks' jail on Monday for having paid sex with an underage prostitute.

Chan Wei Kiat, 27, is the 11th man to be sentenced in the online vice ring saga involving 51 men.

Chan had paid S$500 for sex with the girl, then 17 years old, on 6 November 2010 at a hotel in Lavender Street.

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Eighth man in vice ring case jailed

Wilson Oei, 26, was yesterday sentenced to nine weeks in jail for having sex with an underage prostitute.

He is the eighth man to be convicted in a high-profile online vice ring case that has implicated 51 men.

In his mitigation, Oei's lawyer Chen Chee Yen said Oei's age gap with the 17-year-old prostitute was relatively narrow when the offence was committed on Sept 26, 2010.

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Another man convicted of sex offence in vice ring case

A 28-year-old businessman has been jailed 12 weeks for having paid sex with an underage girl. He is the seventh man jailed in the online sex ring case involving 51 men.

Raziuddin Mohamed Naseem was sentenced today, Channel NewsAsia reported. He pleaded guilty to paying S$500 to get sexual services from a 17-year-old girl on 18 November 2010. Raziuddin found out about the girl's services online and then contacted her pimp, Tang Boon Thiew, who arranged for them to meet at Hotel 81 Bencoolen.

The court heard that when they met, he did not verify her age. In Singapore, it is illegal to have paid sex with a girl below 18 years of age.

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Toy designer jailed 13 weeks in online vice case

Singapore toymaker Ban Yinh Jheow has been jailed 13 weeks for having paid sex with an underage girl in the online vice ring scandal.

He is the sixth man jailed in the online vice ring scandal involving 51 men.

Ban, 42, who is married, started toy brand Stikfas that has sold millions of award-winning plastic action figures, Channel NewsAsia reported. A Singapore Business Review report also mentioned that Stikfas has a licensing deal with global games company Hasbro. 

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Ex-police officer gets 12 weeks' jail in online vice ring case

A policeman's long career came crashing down after he was jailed 12 weeks on Monday for having paid sex with an underage girl in the high-profile online vice case.

39-year-old Tan Wee Kiat, who has been in the police force for 14 years, was one of several men charged for having paid sex with the same girl.

In his sentencing, District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt said that Tan, who did not verify the girl's age, "should have known better." However, he noted that Tan, a senior police officer, did not commit the offence while on duty.

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Underage sex scandal: 3 more men charged

Three more men have been charged for having sex with an underage prostitute in relation to a high-profile online vice ring case, The Straits Times reported.

This is in addition to the 48 men who have been charged so far, bringing the total number of men implicated to 51. They are accused of having hired the girl, who was then below 18 years of age and has her identity protected by a gag order, through her alleged pimp, Tang Boon Thiew.

The three charged are Ban Yinh Jheow, 42; Arjunan Kulasegaram, 37; and Koh Kooi Hon, in his 40s. All about the case 

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In Singapore, three plead guilty in under-age sex scandal as anger remains

Three more accused in a Singapore under-age sex scandal will plead guilty to the charges, court officials confirmed to Bikyamasr.com on Tuesday late afternoon.

In the latest development involving some 48 men charged with paying for sex to an under-age sex worker, three men pleaded guilty to the charges, their lawyers revealed.

The three men are Tan Wee Kiat, 39, a former police superintendent; Goh Wee Seong, 34, a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) technician, and Ng Guan Mean, 37, the former director of a finance company. Ng has quit his job, and Goh has been suspended by the SAF. 

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6 men charged with paid sex with underage girl

Six Bangladesh nationals were charged in court on Wednesday with having paid sex with an underage girl in early 2011.

They allegedly paid the teen between $10 and $40 for her sexual services sometime in January 2011.

Except for Wasim Rafiq Shek, 23, who allegedly paid her $20 for sex at an unknown hotel in Geylang, the rest are said to have committed the offences at various blocks in Hougang. 

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Two men plead guilty to sex with underage girl

Two men pleaded guilty on Thursday to having paid sex with an underage girl.

The first accused, 33-year-old Louis Lee Lip Kian, pleaded guilty to one count of having paid sex with a girl who was below 18 years old

Emotionally hit by divorce, the former bank relationship manager sought the sexual services of a young prostitute. 

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Singapore banker given 3 months for sex with underage Vietnam sex worker

A 60-year-old banker pleaded guilty for having paid for sex with Vietnamese underage sex workers in July 2011.

A court sentenced him to three months in jail for the crime.

Seah Seng Kok is the the 7th man to be jailed in the case involving having paid for sex with three Vietnamese girls.

He reportedly paid the girl $120 for dinner and sexual services, police and the court said.

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8th man convicted of sex involving Vietnamese minors

Loy Hee Cheng, 69, was sentenced to six months' jail after he was convicted of having paid sex with an underaged Vietnamese prostitute. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

A man was sentenced to six months' jail on Friday after he was convicted of having paid sex with an underaged Vietnamese prostitute.

Loy Hee Cheng, 69, a father of three, was found guilty of paying $100 for the sexual services of the 17-year-old girl at an office in Golden Mile Complex, Beach Road, sometime in March, 2011.

He is the eighth man to have been sentenced over sex with underaged Vietnamese girls. The cases against three others are pending.

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Man jailed for paying underage hostess for sex

A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to eight weeks' jail for paying an underage Vietnamese hostess for sex.

Justin Guo Zhijia admitted to having sex with the girl in July last year, when she was 16 years old.

They had met at V4 Karaoke Pub, where she was working.

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Former prosecutor charged with underaged sex with Vietnamese prostitute

He was a deputy public prosecutor for seven years. Then, he set up his own law practice in the 1980s.

On Friday, the lawyer of almost 30 years found himself on the other side of the legal system.

Spencer Gwee Hak Theng, 59, was charged in court with having sex with an underage girl, who was 16 at the time of the offence. He allegedly paid $300 for sexual services from a Vietnamese girl on July 19 last year at Four Chain View Hotel at 757, Geylang Road Lorong 39. 

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Man jailed, to be caned for sexual offences on girl, 12

A 23-year-old man who impersonated a police officer and sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl was jailed eight-and-a-half-years for his offences yesterday. Jafny Mohamed Sunny was also ordered to be caned 12 strokes.

The High Court heard Jafny entered a HDB lift with the victim - who could not be named to protect her identity - on Oct 8, 2010. Wearing a polo shirt with a logo of the military police and the words "Traffic Enforcement" on it, Jafny told the victim that he was a police officer and was going to conduct a check on her for drugs.

Jafny then flashed his military police warrant card and asked the victim to follow him to the rubbish chute area on the 13th floor, where he outraged her modesty. When the victim put up a struggle, Jafny told her that she would be brought to the police station if she did not cooperate. He proceeded to outrage her modesty further.

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Tuition teacher, 51, preys on boys he teaches

He was a tutor at a tuition centre run by a Residents’ Committee and for at least three years, he sexually abused young boys he taught, because a “ghost” told him to do it.

The boys he abused were aged between eight and 15, and two of them are brothers.

On Friday, the 51-year-old tutor was sentenced to 15 years’ jail for his sexual offences. He cannot be caned because he is above 50 years of age. He also cannot be named due to a court order to protect the boys’ identities.

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Ex-grassroots leader jailed for molesting boy

A former grassroots leader was sentenced to 18 months' jail on Tuesday for molesting a five-year-old boy after a basketball game.

Kelvin Chan Kum Poh, 31, was a volunteer committee member at the Bishan East Community Sports Centre and Youth Executive Club when he met the boy at a game arcade in Causeway Point on Oct 1, 2010, the court heard.

Chan told the boy he wanted to take him out for a basketball game. The boy then took Chan to meet his 62-year-old grandmother, who agreed to let him do so after Chan showed her his grassroots leader's card. 

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Spared jail term because he showed genuine remorse


Former Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) senior executive Peter Khoo Chong Meng was preparing himself for life behind bars. He had pleaded guilty in August to two counts of corruption and one of criminal breach of trust

The prosecution had pressed for a custodial sentence, but the 49-year-old managed to escape a jail term.

District Judge Soh Tze Bian decided during Khoo's sentencing on Dec 6 that he would be fined $100,000, on top of an $83,500 penalty which was the total sum of bribes he pocketed.

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Former SPH exec pleads guilty to corruption, CBT charges

Former Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) senior executive Peter Khoo Chong Meng (picture) pleaded guilty yesterday to two counts of corruption and one count of criminal breach of trust.

Seven other similar charges have been taken into consideration.

Khoo, 49, was Senior Vice-President of the English and Malay newspapers division and also headed the committee that held events to raise funds for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund. He was dismissed from SPH in September 2010. 

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Man who cheated bank has jail time reduced by half

A man who cheated OCBC bank by forging 176 invoices, which led to S$2.6 million being credited to his company's account, had his prison sentence halved after a High Court judge allowed his appeal on Wednesday.

Tan Thiam Wee was the director of software company Idealsoft, which had a factoring agreement with OCBC. This meant that, if it had given a customer an invoice that had not been paid, the company could ask OCBC to advance 85 per cent of the value.

As his company was facing cash-flow problems in late 2007, Tan created false invoices and submitted them to OCBC to maintain the company's working capital. He also created false invoices and purchase orders to support those documents.

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Ex-Sony manager pleads guilty to accepting $3.3m in bribes

A district court found a former manager of Sony Electronics Asia Pacific guilty of accepting nearly $3.3 million in bribes.

Pheh Boon Leng, 46, was charged today with 19 offences which were committed over two years, reported The Straits Times. He continued accepting bribes even after he was promoted to Senior Manager in July 2004.

Pheh collaborated with two Indonesians, Mr Acing who owns Kencana Jaya and Mr Agus Handaja who owns P.D. Yanco, to sell off Sony media products at below cost prices. They agreed to pay 10 per cent of the total sales value of each shipment to Pheh. 

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Former MBS casino dealer charged with corruption 

A former dealer at the Marina Bay Sands casino was charged on Wednesday with three counts of corruption.

38-year-old Kenneth Lim Khan Lerk was allegedly in cahoots with a pit supervisor and a patron to cheat the casino of S$31,500. He allegedly pocketed S$10,000 from the illegal proceeds.

The charges include one count of agreeing to accept gratification and two counts of corruptly attempting to obtain gratification.

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Four top chefs from famous hotels charged with corruption

The Straits Times reported that four chefs from well-known hotels in Singapore were charged with corruption on Friday.

They are – Tan Ah Teng, of Goodwood Park Hotel, Chik Ka Chung, who was with Wan Hao restaurant in Marriot Hotel, Yang Lai Fatt, formerly with Meritus Mandarin, and Goh Wooi Cheat, formerly the chef of Summer Palace of Regent Hotel.

Tay Ee Tiong, the former proprietor of the Bedok-based seafood supplier, Wealthy Seafood Product and Enterprise, was jailed for 11 months in September 2011. He had pleaded guilty to bribing 19 chefs from 17 hotels and restaurants, with sums amounting to $992,404 from 2006 to 2009. The men are among 19 alleged to have accepted kickbacks from seafood supplier. 

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FHM cover girl arrested for alleged drug related activities

The New Paper (TNP) has identified the local model arrested for alleged drug related activities last week as former FHM magazine cover girl and blogger Celestina Tiew.

She was the winner of FHM’s “The Girl Next Door”, competition in 2009 and has appeared in numerous print and television ads. 

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Man raped, molested 22 women and filmed lewd acts

 

He called himself different names to different women - Denny Azar, Denny Susanto, Shawn Rozario Tan, Shawn Tan and Terence Shawn Tan.

But his real name is Azuar Ahamad, and there was always one goal in his mind – to drug the women and later molest or rape them. Sometimes, he would also use his mobile phone to film himself raping the women, grabbing their breasts or fondling their genitals.

His sordid deeds came to light on Tuesday (7 Aug) in High Court when he pleaded guilty to raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth. 

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71 women arrested in multi-agency operation in Geylang

Police on Saturday said that 71 women were arrested in an eight-hour multi-agency operation on entertainment outlets in the Geylang area.

The women were arrested for unlawful employment and immigration offences.

The joint operation, which ended at 5am on Saturday, involved officers from Bedok Police Division, the Central Narcotics Bureau and the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

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CNB arrests 85 suspected drug offenders in island-wide operation 

A total of 85 suspected drug offenders were rounded up in an island-wide operation by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) that began on Monday and ended today.

Of those arrested, 78 were arrested for suspected drug abuse and seven were arrested for involvement in drug trafficking. An assortment of drugs was seized, including about 21 grams of heroin, 4 grams of 'Ice,' 4 grams of cannabis as well some Ecstasy and ketamine.

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111 suspected drug offenders arrested in islandwide operation

Anti-narcotics officers arrested 15 suspected drug traffickers and 96 suspected drug abusers in a 48-hour islandwide operation.

Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers mounted the blitz between July 10 and 12.

Officers targeted areas from Ang Mo Kio to Bedok, Bendemeer, Boon Lay, Clementi, Bukit Batok, Delta, Dover, Eunos, Geylang, Ghim Moh, Hougang, Jurong, Lengkok Bahru, Marsiling, Pasir Ris, Rochor, Sembawang, Serangoon, Telok Blangah, Toa Payoh, Woodlands and Yishun.

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152 arrested in 18-hour CID-led operation

152 suspects were arrested in an 18-hour joint operation led by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The operation, which also involved the Police, Central Narcotics Bureau and Singapore Customs, ended early on Saturday morning.

It targeted entertainment outlets, lodging houses, coffee shops and back-alleys in areas such as Geylang, Bukit Batok, Selegie, Joo Chiat, Jalan Sultan, Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio and Clementi.

Of the 152 suspects arrested, 98 are males and 54 are females -- all aged between 17 and 54 years old. They are suspected of offences linked to gang activity, drug abuse, illegal betting, immigration, vice and cigarette smuggling. 

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Two 16-year-old girls arrested for serial online cheating

Police have arrested two 16-year-old girls believed to be involved in serial online cheating.

Police say between June 20 and July 3, they received 20 reports where the victims paid for online purchases of Polaroid cameras and films but failed to receive the goods.

The suspects had published on a blogshop on Facebook titled "Cheapest Lens Preorder", offering Polaroid cameras and films which were priced lower than the market rate.

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Most anti-corruption officers dying of exhaustion

Many of them have worked non-stop since surge in high-profile corruption cases early this year 

With the surfacing of the most recent sex-for-grades corruption case involving ex-law student Darinne Ko Wen Hui, 22 and law professor Tey Tsun Hang, 41, the usually squeaky clean, zero-corruption image of Singapore is taking a beating.

And anti-corruption officers are battling exhaustion as many are dying from the workload of investigating so many cases back-to-back since the start of the year, where ex-SCDF commissioner, Peter Lim was investigated for making sexy times with at least three women in exchange for business deals.

The number of cases have been piling up and there appears to be no respite in sight. An anonymous anti-corruption investigator said: “When I signed up for this job, I thought I could slack because Singapore got very low corruption, right?” 

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Black money: India, Singapore to share information on tax evaders

India and Singapore will share a list of suspected tax evaders and cases related to black money next week as part of bilateral financial enforcement cooperation between the two countries.

A top-level team of Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) will meet officials of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Income Tax department to exchange data on a number of cases of black money that India suspects is routed from the banking and financial institutions of the Southeast Asian country.

The team, according to sources, had come with the official entourage of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who visited India earlier this month. 

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Suspect in $4.3 mil gold heist has left S'pore


One of the two men allegedly involved in a $4.3million gold heist last Saturday had managed to escape.

Police have confirmed that Jonas Tan Teck Leng left Singapore even before a police report was made by the complainant about the theft.

The New Paper understands that he allegedly escaped with part of the loot. 

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Previous million-dollar heists

The last reported gold heist with a local connection happened 19 years ago.

Fifty gold bars went missing on Jan 6, 1993, in Penang, Malaysia, shortly after arriving on a Singapore Airlines flight.

Brink's Incorporated had been hired to transport the gold, which had an estimated value of $832,000 then. 

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Steamy year for high-ranking Singapore men

FOR the second week running, alleged indiscretions of high-ranking men have been making the headlines in Singapore. On Tuesday, it was former Central Narcotics Bureau director Ng Boon Gay’s turn in court. He is alleged to have used his position to gain sexual favours. Ng is said to have obtained oral sex four times from Cecilia Sue Siew Nang, a sales manager seeking government contracts for information technology vendors.

His court date follows that of Peter Lim Sin Pang, the former Singapore Civil Defence Force commissioner who was charged with similar offences last week. Lim faces 10 counts of corruption involving sex with women executives seeking government contracts for their companies.

The duo are but the most recent examples of what has been a steamy year for high-ranking Singaporean men. Indeed, Singapore has never had such a slew of sex scandals crop up around the same time. In February, former Hougang MP Yaw Shin Leong was expelled from the Workers’ Party amid allegations of extramarital affairs. In April, 48 men – including a school principal and those holding prominent positions in the private sector – were accused of having sex with an underaged prostitute in an online vice ring. While the spotlight in the latest cases has mostly been trained on corruption, there are increased murmurings on the issue of promiscuity and sexual morality in Singapore. 

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Sex, lies and millions in 'scandal-pore'

2012 may be Singapore’s most scandal-ridden year yet, barely halfway through it and already five high profile scandals have pulled at the moral fabric of our once squeaky-clean nation.

Acts, we can only assume (and allegedly) committed in the name of achieving happiness, prosperity and progress, here’s a look at the first – and hopefully, only – five scandals of 2012.

Aptly named as the biggest sex scandal to ever run wild in Singapore, the online vice ring involved 48 men who allegedly had paid sex with an underage prostitute after engaging her services online. Three big names popped up in this sexual foray: Lee Lip Hong, former principal of Pei Chun Public School, Howard Shaw, former Singapore Environment Council head and Chua Ren Cheng, former teacher at River Valley High School. 

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High Fliers In Hot Soup 

We kid you not. Some children in Singapore are so poor, they don't stay back after school for remedial lessons because they can't afford to eat at the canteen. That's what financial lifelines like the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund are meant for. Imagine what sort of despicables would stoop to rob from such impoverished unfortunates.

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) senior vice-president Peter Khoo was charged in court yesterday for misappropriating shopping vouchers to the tune of $23,000 while he was the organising chairman of the activities and events for the School Pocket Money Fund. That plus obtaining monetary gratifications from related shady business deals between July 2006 and August 2010.

The nation had yet to come to grips with last week's exposé regarding Chief of Protocol with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lim Cheng Hoe's fiddling with his expense claims for overseas trips. A guy who was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2009, and careerist veteran of 38 years playing host for countless VVIP visits. No information is given about the monetary sums involved, but whatever amount he pocketed, he will be paying for it in spades. 

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What’s happening to squeaky clean Singapore?

For starters, corruption is nothing new in Singapore. Back in 1986, former National Development Minister Teh Cheang Wan was investigated for corruption which subsequently resulted him in taking his own life before charges could proceed.

In 2005, corruption again reared its ugly head in the charity sector involving the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) which caused much public distrust as the CEO was reported in The Straits Times to have installed “a glass-panelled shower, a pricey German toilet bowl and a S$1, 000 (US$782) gold-plated tap.” There were also revelations following court proceedings that he paid himself $S600, 000 (US$469, 000). In a manner befitting poetic justice, taking the paper to court for defamation sealed his fate and led to his downfall. It also opened a can of worms that Singapore is not as  corruption-free as it seems.

This year, stories of alleged corruptions came to light again when two high ranking officers in the civil service were hauled to court in a “sex-for-business” corruption cases. Yesterday, another major scandal  broke that City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee had used at least S$23 million (US$18 million) to fund his wife’s, Sun Ho, pop star career. Five leaders were arrested yesterday – another high profile case that has hit the public’s consciousness yet again in years.

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Why Chinese Officials Are In Love With The Singapore Model

In 1992, Deng Xiaoping, the former leader of the Chinese Communist Party who was instrumental in leading China to a market economy, described Singapore (EWS) as a strict, well-managed country that China must learn from and excel.

Fifteen years later, Wang Yang, a Politburo member, highlighted the Singapore Model as the best candidate for China to emulate. His enthusiasm is shared by Xi Jingping, the top-ranked member of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of China, who made a trip to Singapore in order to consult with former Prime Minister Lee Kuan and his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his top priority after being confirmed as China's next leader.

There is a reason that the Chinese apparatchiks have developed a new-found love for the Singapore Model: The economic tidal wave unleashed by Xiaoping's economic reforms is beginning to undermine the Communist Party of China's control. The rise of the merchant class along China's coast has fueled calls for a decentralization of power, and now the CPC is looking for a new political structure to adopt that will both placate China's burgeoning middle class and preserve its own power and prerogatives. Singapore has replaced the West as China's new economic role model.

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related:
Ex-GM Of AMK Town Council Charged with Corruption
What is happening in ‘Clean’ Singapore?
Singapore SMEC hit by World Bank ban
Singapore Multimillion-dollar Shell fuel heist
SMRT cheated of whopping $9.8 million by their own employees
Inside the Keppel Corporation Corruption Scandal
Oil, Bribes, Politicians: What Happened To ‘Clean’ Singapore?
40 million Dollars SkillsFuture scam
Zero Tolerance for Corruption
Singapore’s Corruption Control Framework
Paying high salaries to mitigate corruption
Maintaining Standards of our Civil Service
Business and Rules of Prudence
Crime, Corruption, Scandal & Professional Misconduct 3
Crime, Corruption, Scandal & Professional Misconduct 2
Crime, Corruption, Scandal & Professional Misconduct 1
Petty thefts and crime
Fakes and Frauds
Geylang, the final frontier
An Undercurrent Of Fear In Geylang
Where sleaze and food coexist
Sex in the city drags you down
Women, Sex and Singapore
Politics and Adultery
Reflections on the year of lust