Recent Death Falls, Bodies Found In Rivers & Reservoirs

A cause for concern

In the last six months, there have been several cases of bodies being found in rivers and reservoirs around Singapore. In the fourth case this year, a body was found in the Kallang River on Friday morning.

The deceased is reported to be a 58-year old man. His body was found by a cleaner, who had been alerted to the body by his boss, at about 8am.

“When civil defence officers arrived, I saw them retrieving the body from the river with their bare hands. Last month, another old man also died in the river, and I didn’t expect a similar case to happen today,” the 70-year old cleaner said.

In fact, it wasn’t last month but earlier on 14 March that the body of a South Korean woman was found floating in the same river at 12.50pm. The body was clad in a black top and trousers and was also found by cleaners who were doing their rounds that day.

On 2 January, two bodies were found in two separate incidents. The body of 59-year old Lee Eng Hock was found in the Singapore River in front of The Riverwalk, at Upper Circular Road at about 4pm that day.

The deceased, who was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of bermuda shorts, was pronounced dead at the scene by SCDF officers. On the same day the body of a younger man – believed to be about 30-years old – was found floating in the Kallang River.

The police classified both cases as unnatural deaths and are investigating.

In 4 October last year, the body of a woman was found in the Pandan Reservoir at 9am. [In November 2011, the decomposed body of a man was also found in the same reservoir. See story here.]

About two months later in December, the headless body of a woman was found in the Whampoa River near Blk 110 McNair Road. Local news reported that that the was believed to be topless, was only wearing a pair of black pants, and was decapitated.

The police classified the case as murder.

A week later, the police arrested and charged 25-year-old forklift driver, Gursharan Singh, for the murder of the woman, identified as 33-year-old Jasvinder Kaur. Mr Singh was a S-pass holder from India. Ms Kaur was also an Indian national who had come to Singapore on a dependent’s pass, reported the media. [See report here.]

In 2011 and 2012, a spate of apparent suicides in Bedok Reservoir resulted in calls for the authorities to do more to prevent such deaths occurring there.

The public’s concern prompted the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan, to assure the public that the “safety of drinking water was not compromised” by the deaths and discoveries of bodies in the reservoir.

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Man and Toddler Found Motionless in Yishun

A 40-year-old man and his one-year-old daughter were found lying motionless on a grass patch near the bottom of Block 280 in Yishun Street 22 yesterday morning. A loud thud was heard by many residents who were nearby and a lady reportedly tried to perform Cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the child who seemed unconscious.

Soon after, an ambulance was sent to the scene and the man was pronounced dead. The child was rushed to Khoo Tech Puat Hospital where she died later. It is believed they had fallen at the same time and from a flowerpot rack on the 12th storey.

According to a local news source, the girl was “in a flowery dress, was bleeding from her ears, and lying about a metre away from her father”. It was also said that the man “appeared to be financially well-off”.

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MAN AND TODDLER FOUND LYING MOTIONLESS AT FOOT OF YISHUN BLOCK

Police received a call on 27 Mar 2014, at about 11.06am, requesting for assistance at block 280, Yishun Street 22.

Upon police arrival, a 40-year-old man and 1-year-old girl were found lying motionless at the foot of the block. The man was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene. The girl was conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat hospital, where she eventually succumbed to her injuries.

Police are investigating the unnatural death."

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Yishun man and daughter fall to death

Retiree Poh Bock Tho, 73, was sitting at his usual spot in the void deck when he heard a loud sound.

Thinking it was high-rise litter, he went to take a look, but found a man and his daughter sprawled on the grass patch.

Just minutes earlier, he had seen the man carrying the little girl and walking to the lift landing of Block 280 at Yishun Street 22.

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Man and toddler fall to their deaths at Yishun

A man and a toddler were found lying on the grass patch below Block 280, Yishun Street 22 yesterday (March 27). Stomp contributors X and Puzkatel alerted Stomp to the incident.

Stomp contributor X said: "At around 11am in the morning, I heard a loud bang.

"I quickly went down and I saw a man and a toddler lying on the grass patch below the block opposite mine.

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Father and son who fell to death shared a close relationship

He was described as a cheerful and easy-going person who always had a smile while at work.

So Mr Desmond Soong's death on Monday afternoon came as a huge shock to many of his former colleagues. Mr Soong, 30, and his father, Mr Soong Ya Cai, 66, had fallen to their deaths at Block 605, Clementi West Street 1.

Said Mr Chen, 30, who worked with the IT specialist at the same company for about four years: "He never shared with us any of his problems, so we did not know what could have happened at home which led to this."

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Father and son found dead after fall

On Monday, a woman returned home after a morning residents' committee (RC) singing session to find her husband and son dead. The woman, who was with her daughter, went into shock and wailed in distress.

Her husband's body was at the foot of Block 605, Clementi West Street 1, while her grown son's body was on the roof of the walkway. At times, the woman's daughter, the youngest of her three children, believed to be in her 20s, had to restrain her mother, who took out her grief on a policewoman at the scene by hitting the latter.

Her other son, who is the oldest child, was seen comforting his mother.

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Father and son found dead after fall

Yesterday, a woman returned home after a morning residents’ committee singing session to find her husband and son dead. The woman went into shock and wailed in distress. Her daughter, believed to be in her 20s, had to restrain her.

Her husband’s body was at the foot of Block 605, Clementi West Street 1, while her grown son’s body was on the roof of the walkway.

It is still not clear how the tragedy unfolded, though some residents claimed that the two men were arguing before the fall.

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Body of 58-year-old man found in Kallang River on Friday morning

The body of a 58-year-old man was found in Kallang River at about 8.10am on Friday morning.

A cleaner spotted the floating body in the river near Blk 3 Beach Road. The 58-year-old, who was wearing a grey shirt, was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

Chinese evening newspaper Shin Min Daily News said the 70-year-old cleaner had been told by his boss to go check out the river, after someone told the boss that he saw a body in the river. The cleaner told his boss and called the police after confirming that there was really a body.

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Other bodies found at reservoirs

Oct 2009

A body was found floating in Mandai Reservoir by a passer-by. Police said that the 1.58m-tall Chinese woman was believed to be between 30 and 40 years old.

May 2009

A freelance canoe instructor, 35, drowned while coaching students at MacRitchie Reservoir. His canoe had capsized, causing him to fall into the water.

Feb 2008

The body of a woman was found near the banks of Lower Seletar Reservoir, among the rocks and grass near the water's edge. There were no visible signs of injury on the woman's body.

Sept 2007

The bloated body of a woman was found in the waters near the shore of Bedok Reservoir. She appeared to be in her 30s and had no visible injuries.

Sept 2007

The badly decomposed body of a man was found in Kranji Reservoir. He was wearing a red long-sleeved shirt and brown bermuda shorts.

Aug 2007

The body of a 69-year-old widow was found floating in Seletar Reservoir. She had been reported missing by her family the day before.

May 2007

The body of Indian national Khoka Mohammed Burhan, 32, was found in Lower Seletar Reservoir. The day before, he and his wife, 27, were in a kayak when it overturned. Barely two hours before Mr Khoka's body was found, a passer-by spotted the body of a woman floating near the fishing jetty at the same reservoir. She was in her 60s.

Nov 2004

The decomposed naked body of a 32-year-old system analyst was discovered at Seletar Reservoir. He was due to fly back to India to get married the following month.

related:

Previous cases of bodies found in reservoirs

Mother and son found dead in Bedok Reservoir

2 bodies found in Bedok Reservoir

Another body found at Bedok Reservoir

Partial corpse found in Bedok Reservoir

Police identify body found in Bedok Reservoir

Fifth man almost drowns in Bedok reservoir

Another body found in Bedok Reservoir

S'porean man found floating in Bedok Reservoir

Badly decomposed body found in Pandan Reservoir

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Mango, the New Diabetes & Cancer Buster

The most popular fresh fruit in the world, mangoes are a whole lot more than just a delicious, refreshing treat produced by nature. As evidenced by copious scientific research, mangoes are also a powerful medicinal food, as they contain nutrients that can help clear up skin, promote eye health, stave off diabetes, and even prevent the formation and spread of cancer.

Research recently presented at a meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), for instance, revealed that eating mangoes every day can help moderate and even lower blood sugar levels, despite their natural sugar content. This is good news for people with type 2 diabetes who may benefit from consuming mangoes regularly as part of a low-sugar diet.

For their study, researchers tested the effects of mangoes on a group of obese animals, some of whom were given 10 grams of freeze-dried mango every day for 12 weeks. At the end of three months, the blood sugar levels of those animals that consumed mango were compared to those that did not consume mango. Based on the data, mango consumption was found to result in a significant decline in blood sugar levels.

"Although the mechanism by which mango exerts its effects warrants further investigation, we do know that mangoes contain a complex mixture of polyphenolic compounds," says Dr. Edralin Lucas, Ph.D., author of the study.

Similar research out of Australia found back in 2006 that eating mango can also help decrease inflammation and resulting high cholesterol, as well as block the formation of various health conditions included under the banner of metabolic syndrome. In essence, mangoes actually work better than cholesterol drugs at naturally balancing and optimizing cellular function throughout the body.

"We don't know yet how the whole thing's going to play out but we know some of the individual components (of mango) activate these receptors and even inhibit them," said a doctor from University of Queensland about the effects of mango consumption on cellular processes. "That could end up with positive nutritional health benefits for diabetes and high cholesterol."

And again in 2011, researchers from Oklahoma State University found that mango consumption helps lower insulin resistance and improve glucose tolerance in test mice. The same study also found that mangoes help normalize lipid levels throughout the blood, which in turn can help prevent the development of cardiovascular disease.

Eating mangoes can also help you avoid cancer
 

But the health benefits of mango do not stop here. Science has identified more than 4,000 different antioxidant polyphenols in the plant kingdom, and many of these polyphenols are present in mangoes. The primary benefit of these polyphenols is that they scavenge damaging free radicals and protect cells against damage, which is believed to facilitate and even promote cancer.

"If you look at [mango] from the physiological and nutritional standpoint, taking everything together, it would be a high-ranking superfood," says Dr. Susanne Talcott, who together with her husband discovered back in 2010 that mango compounds target both colon and breast cancer cells.

"What we found is that not all cell lines are sensitive to the same extent to an anticancer agent. But the breast and colon cancer lines underwent apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Additionally, we found that when we tested normal colon cells side by side with the colon cancer cells, that the mango polyphenolics did not harm the normal cells."

In other words, mango compounds effectively target and eliminate harmful cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone, a phenomenon that is unique to nature and nowhere to be found in pharmaceutical-based medicine. Chemotherapy and radiation, for instance, which are the two most popular conventional treatments for cancer, damage healthy cells along with malignant cells, which is why the treatments are a failure as far as long-term survival is concerned.

Mango effective in preventing, stopping certain colon, breast cancer cells

Mango. If you know little about this fruit, understand this: It's been found to prevent or stop certain colon and breast cancer cells in the lab.

That's according to a new study by Texas AgriLife Research food scientists, who examined the five varieties most common in the U.S.: Kent, Francine, Ataulfo, Tommy/Atkins and Haden. Though the mango is an ancient fruit heavily consumed in many parts of the world, little has been known about its health aspects. The National Mango Board commissioned a variety of studies with several U.S. researchers to help determine its nutritional value.

"If you look at what people currently perceive as a superfood, people think of high antioxidant capacity, and mango is not quite there," said Dr. Susanne Talcott, who with her husband, Dr. Steve Talcott, conducted the study on cancer cells. "In comparison with antioxidants in blueberry, acai and pomegranate, it's not even close."

But the team checked mango against cancer cells anyway, and found it prevented or stopped cancer growth in certain breast and colon cell lines, Susanne Talcott noted.

"It has about four to five times less antioxidant capacity than an average wine grape, and it still holds up fairly well in anticancer activity. If you look at it from the physiological and nutritional standpoint, taking everything together, it would be a high-ranking super food," she said. "It would be good to include mangoes as part of the regular diet."

The Talcotts tested mango polyphenol extracts in vitro on colon, breast, lung, leukemia and prostate cancers. Polyphenols are natural substances in plants and are associated with a variety of compounds known to promote good health.

Mango showed some impact on lung, leukemia and prostate cancers but was most effective on the most common breast and colon cancers.

"What we found is that not all cell lines are sensitive to the same extent to an anticancer agent," she said. "But the breast and colon cancer lines underwent apotosis, or programmed cell death. Additionally, we found that when we tested normal colon cells side by side with the colon cancer cells, that the mango polyphenolics did not harm the normal cells."

The duo did further tests on the colon cancer lines because a mango contains both small molecules that are readily absorbed and larger molecules that would not be absorbed and thus remain present in a colon.

"We found the normal cells weren't killed, so mango is not expected to be damaging in the body," she said. "That is a general observation for any natural agent, that they target cancer cells and leave the healthy cells alone, in reasonable concentrations at least."

The Talcotts evaluated polyphenolics, and more specifically gallotannins, as being the class of bioactive compounds (responsible for preventing or stopping cancer cells). Tannins are polyphenols that are often bitter or drying and found in such common foods as grape seed, wine and tea.

The study found that the cell cycle, which is the division cells go through, was interrupted. This is crucial information, Suzanne Talcott said, because it indicates a possible mechanism for how the cancer cells are prevented or stopped.

"For cells that may be on the verge of mutating or being damaged, mango polyphenolics prevent this kind of damage," she said.

The Talcotts hope to do a small clinical trial with individuals who have increased inflammation in their intestines with a higher risk for cancer.

"From there, if there is any proven efficacy, then we would do a larger trial to see if there is any clinical relevance," she said.

According to the National Mango Board, based in Winter Park, Fla., most mangoes consumed in the U.S. are produced in Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Guatemala and Haiti. Mangoes are native to southeast Asia and India and are produced in tropical climates. They were introduced to the U.S. in the late 1800s, and a few commercial acres still exist in California and Florida.

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How More Mango Could Help Diabetes, Cancer

If mango is not on your grocery list, it may be time to reconsider. A number of new and previous studies indicate that including mango in your diet or as a supplement can have a significant beneficial impact on your health, including the fight against type 2 diabetes and cancer.

What is the magic of the mango?

At the recent Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) gathering, researchers presented some of the latest information on the health benefits of mangos. In particular, they explained that obese animals that consumed 10 grams of freeze-dried mango every day for 12 weeks experienced a decline in blood sugar levels, a result that could prove helpful in the management of type 2 diabetes.

According to Edralin Lucas, PhD, who led the study, “Although the mechanism by which mango exerts its effects warrants further investigation, we do know that mangos contain a complex mixture of polyphenolic compounds.”

Polyphenols are a type of natural chemical found in plants. More than 4,000 different polyphenols have been identified, and their main benefit in the body is antioxidant activity against disease-causing, cell-damaging molecules called free radicals.

In a 2011 study, researchers explored the effect of freeze-dried mango compared with drugs to lower lipids and fight diabetes (e.g., fenofibrate, rosiglitazone) in mice fed a high-fat diet. They discovered that the use of mango “improved glucose tolerance and lipid profile and reduced adiposity [fat] associated with a HF [high fat] diet.”

More about the mango - Mangos (Mangifera indica) are naturally rich in fiber, the antioxidants vitamins A and C, and vitamin B6. The fruit also contains substances called triterpene and lupeol, which have been shown to inhibit skin and colon cancer in the laboratory. For example, a new study in Photodermatology, Photoimmunology, and Photomedicine reports that mango extract given to mice protected against photoaging (translation: skin damage such as wrinkles and skin cancer) associated with ultraviolet B rays. A Texas study reported that mango extract was effective in inhibiting colon cancer cell growth.

One of the more interesting studies concerning mango comes from Poland, where researchers reported on mangiferin, an active ingredient in mangos. The authors reported that mangiferin has shown pain-fighting, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, heart-protection, anti-inflammatory, and antiallergic benefits, as well as an ability to improve memory and protect the nervous system.

An analysis by experts in India suggested that the antioxidant, antidiabetes, and anti-inflammatory powers of mangiferin are due to its unique structure. Mangiferin also has been shown to effectively inhibit a specific signaling pathway, which the authors explained “partially explains its anti-inflammatory ability and, additionally, points towards its anticancer potential.”

Could mango help with weight loss? Some researchers think so. Several studies indicate that African mango extract (Irvingia gabonensis) is effective in reducing body weight and improving metabolic factors in people who are overweight.

One example comes from a recent study in the Journal of Dietary Supplements that reported on the results of three randomized controlled trials. The authors noted that while the studies indicated significant reductions in weight and waist circumference when compared with placebo, more research is needed because they felt the reporting quality of the studies was poor.

Overall, it appears that mango as food or a supplement offers a variety of potential health benefits in the areas of diabetes, cancer, and weight loss. Is it time for more mango in your diet?

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OMG, Another Riot In Singapore!

Update 29 Feb 2020: 13 men arrested for suspected involvement in rioting in Choa Chu Kang

Weapons including a knife, knuckle dusters, a metal bar and a metal rod that were believed to have been used in the fight were seized.PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM ALLSINGAPORESTUFF/ FACEBOOK

Thirteen men, aged between 17 and 28, have been arrested and charged for their suspected involvement in a case of rioting with deadly weapons in Choa Chu Kang.

The police were alerted to a case of rioting at 10 Choa Chu Kang Way on Thursday, at about 2.25pm, it said in a statement on Saturday.

Officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and Jurong Police Division established the identities of the 13 suspects and arrested them within 28 hours at various locations in Jalan Bukit Merah, West Coast Road, Yishun, Bukit Batok and Lower Kent Ridge Road.

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11 foreign workers charged with rioting at Choa Chu Kang construction site

In the second case to occur here in two weeks, 11 workers were charged on Tuesday with rioting, this time at a construction site in Choa Chu Kang.

According to local media, the workers – four Chinese and seven Bangladeshi nationals – are alleged to have been involved in a fight on Sunday afternoon at the construction site for Rainforest Condominium off Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3.

The Chinese men are between 25 and 46 years of age, while the Bangladeshis are aged between 20 and 28. Each of them were charged with being in an unlawful group in which one or more used violence by punching and kicking members of the other nationality. 

related:

Eleven workers charged with rioting at construction site

11 foreigners charged with rioting at Choa Chu Kang worksite

Four workers charged with rioting at Choa Chu Kang

11 arrested over fight at Choa Chu Kang

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Fights, affrays, riots, brawls – a hint of lawlessness in S’pore?

Here are some recent cases of public altercations just this year alone, involving not just locals but also foreigners. There are many more such incidents over the last few years

Fights, riots, affrays, brawls seem to be a more frequent occurrence in Singapore.

It is disconcerting how often these incidents have been happening. And together with the recent revelation that the Singapore Police Force (SPF) may be understaffed and overworked, one does wonder if it is just Geylang which has a “hint of lawlessness”, as warned by Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee at the Committee of Inquiry hearing.

Is Singapore itself, in fact, seeing more people taking the law into their own hands? And if so, we should all be concerned. What can be done?

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Second riot in 4 months, 35 arrested

Initially reported as a brawl between some South Asian men, the bust-up which took place at a dormitory for foreign workers in Kaki Bukit Avenue 3 on Tuesday has now been classified as a riot by the police.

The incident is the second riot to have occurred in Singapore in the last 4 months. It was the first riot Singapore had seen in more than 40 years.

Last March, a brawl involving some 50 foreign workers was reported to have taken place in Little India as well. According to a news report, two gangs of foreign workers fought with wooden sticks and metal rods at 9pm, at the open area located near Farrer Park MRT station and Rangoon Road.

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Kaki Bukit dormitory fight classified as rioting

The brawl that broke out among foreign workers at a Kaki Bukit dormitory late on Tuesday night has been classified as rioting, the police said yesterday.

So far, 35 suspects, all from South Asia, have been arrested and 14 of them will be charged in court today with rioting. Another three will be charged with affray. Investigations against the remaining suspects are in progress.

The rioting on Tuesday comes less than four months after a 400-strong mob wreaked havoc in Little India, leaving 43 enforcement officers injured and 24 emergency vehicles damaged.

related: Brawl at Kaki Bukit dorm classified as rioting, 35 arrested

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14 Bangladeshi workers charged with rioting at dormitory

Fourteen Bangladeshi workers who allegedly brawled over a cricket match were yesterday charged with rioting.

The workers, aged between 25 and 38, were among 35 men who were arrested after a fight allegedly took place in a dormitory on Tuesday at Kaki Bukit Avenue 3.

The police said the fight started between two groups during a “live” screening of a cricket match between Bangladesh and the West Indies. The West Indies won.

related: 17 charged after fight at Kaki Bukit dormitory

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Tempers flare as bottle flies

A group of about 100 foreign workers at a Kaki Bukit dormitory were watching a cricket match between West Indies and Bangladesh on Tuesday when things turned ugly.

An Indian worker, believed to have been drinking, apparently threw his empty bottle at a Bangladeshi worker at around 11pm during the ICC World Twenty20 match.

Mr Masum, who claimed to have witnessed the argument between the two men that led to a brawl, told The New Paper: “The Bangladeshi shouted at the Indian guy who threw the bottle."

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35 South Asian men arrested for rioting in Kaki Bukit dormitory

A total of 35 South Asian men have been arrested after a fight broke out at a dormitory along Kaki Bukit Avenue 3 on Tuesday night.

The police said in a statement on Thursday that the fight, which was between two groups of dormitory residents, took place during the screening of a live cricket match.

Officers from the Bedok Police Division, Special Operations Command and Police Dog Unit responded to the incident and the situation was quickly contained, said the statement. The police arrested 13 suspects in connection to the riot on the same day, while another 22 suspects were nabbed on Wednesday and Thursday.

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35 Arrested In Kaki Bukit Riots

A total of 35 South Asian men have been arrested this Tuesday night after a fight broke out at a dormitory along Kaki Bukit Avenue 3. The police said in a statement on Thursday that the fight, which was between two groups of dormitory residents, took place during the screening of a live cricket match on Tuesday evening. The match was between Bangladesh and the West Indies, in which the West Indies won.

Officers from the Bedok Police Division, Special Operations Command and Police Dog Unit responded to the incident and the situation was quickly contained, said the statement. The police arrested 13 suspects in connection to the riot on the same day, while another 22 suspects were nabbed on Wednesday and Thursday.

If convicted of rioting, the suspects could face up to seven years in jail. If convicted of affray, suspects could be jailed for up to a year or fined up to $5,000, or both. Police informed that fourteen suspects will go to court this Friday whereas investigations against the other suspects are still going on.

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Another 22 foreign workers arrested for rioting at dormitory in Kaki Bukit

Another 22 men have been arrested for rioting at a foreign workers' dormitory in Kaki Bukit.

This brings the total number of people arrested to 35. The men are believed to be from India and Bangladesh.

Police said the fight took place during the screening of a live cricket match on Tuesday evening.

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Police arrest 13 foreign workers in Kaki Bukit dormitory brawl

Thirteen foreign workers were arrested after a brawl broke out late Tuesday night at a dormitory in Kaki Bukit.

Police said they received a call at 11.22pm requesting for assistance.

The men are believed to be from India and Bangladesh, and the fight was apparently sparked by a cricket match.

related: Police arrest 13 foreign workers in Kaki Bukit dormitory brawl

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13 FOREIGN WORKERS ARRESTED AFTER FIGHTING OVER CRICKET MATCH

Thirteen foreign workers from Bangladesh and India were arrested on Tuesday evening after a fight broke out at a foreign worker dormitory in Kaki Bukit.

It is believed that the fight broke out as a result of a cricket match between Bangladesh and the West Indies which was televised that night.

Police explained that they received a call about the fight at about 11:30pm and after taking statements and looking through CCTV footage, they went from room to room conducting searches, asking questions and looking for any other workers with injuries.

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Foreign workers rioting over cricket match

Then there’s the question of whether a dormitory may be considered a ‘public place’. If a husband and wife got into a massive quarrel in the wee hours that involves the tossing of hot kettles and frying pans in the kitchen and the whole neighbourhood knows about it, what charge does it come under?

If 5 relatives started body slamming each other in their backyard over inheritance, are they RIOTING? Is there a penalty for, well, just ‘FIGHTING’ wherever you are? After all, you never know when a scuffle may lead to serious harm or death, in the privacy of a bedroom or on the rooftop of a building, with or without ‘dangerous weapons’.

Ironically, free-to-air live cricket matches was one of the suggestions following the Little India riot to keep our workers ‘happy and motivated’. Perhaps Bollywood movies would be a better idea.

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7 teens arrested for rioting

2 fights break out almost within an hour, police suspect the same assailants involved in both cases

Police have arrested seven men aged between 17 and 19 for two cases of rioting along Jiak Kim Street and Kim Seng Road on Sunday (March 30). Police said that they responded to a fight along Jaik Kin Street on Sunday at about 3.56am.

They spotted the victim, who was reportedly set upon by a group of suspects who fled after punching and kicking him.

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50 foreign workers fought with weapons at Little India

Omy.sg, 23 Mar 2014
两派客工以木棍和铁条为武器，在小印度大打出手，造成约50人混战，共有16名客工被控，其中有14人在日前认罪。
这起殴斗事件发生在去年3月31日晚上9点，地点在花拉公园地铁站“G”出口与仰光路（Rangoon Road）第677座组屋间的空地。 根据法庭文件，涉及案件的有40至50名客工，他们是来自两个敌对派系的成员。Full story

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14 workers from India plead guilty to unlawful assembly leading to fight with poles and rods

Fourteen foreign workers, aged between 21 to 39, pleaded guilty on Thursday to being part of an unlawful assembly in relation to a fight last March in Little India.

Eleven of them were each sentenced to seven months in jail, and the remaining three were dealt an additional week for stealing food and beer from supermarkets.

Mostly construction workers hailing from India, the 14 got into a fight with another group on Mar 31 2013 near the Farrer Park MRT station in an incident the prosecution called "a large scale public order offence".

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Four arrested after brawl in Paya Lebar

Four male foreigners suspected of being involved in a 10-man brawl along Paya Lebar Road have been arrested.

The fight took place on Sunday at 8.44pm, the police said, following a dispute between two groups of people.

The police said that they found a broken wooden plank and fragments of a broken beer bottle at the scene.

related: Four foreigners charged with rioting in Paya Lebar

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FOUR INDIAN "FOREIGN TALENTS" CHARGED WITH RIOTING AT PAYA LEBAR

Four foreign nationals were charged with rioting on Tuesday following a fight near Singapore Post Centre at Paya Lebar. Bedok police seized a broken wooden plank and fragments of a broken beer bottle from the scene. They arrested four men, reports The Straits Times.

Indian nationals Sikander Singh, 27, and Ramandeep Singh, 28, are alleged to have been part of an unlawful assembly with several others and caused hurt to an unknown Bangladeshi.

Two Bangladeshi nationals, Kamrul Hasan Hazi Abul Basar, 28, and Md Rony Sikder Md Ramzan Sikder, 26, were allegedly part of an illegal assembly when one or more of them caused hurt to an unknown Indian subject. All four are remanded at Bedok police division for a week for further investigation.

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Little India COI: Wanted – More lawmen

Another interesting point: the COI raised concern that the presence of large numbers of foreigners, or rather, foreign communities, is itself  troubling. It’s talking about animosity among the communities, not necessarily directed at the “indigenous’’ population. It’s talking about communities bringing their cultures, customs, politics and historical baggage with them. Already, the Little India COI has heard bits and pieces about how the Bangladeshis and Indians don’t quite like each other. You have to wonder about the foreign worker dormitories where hundreds of them live under one roof.

Methinks for us locals, we always look at “troubles’’ among foreign workers as nothing to do with us. So, they fight among themselves. Okay. Just don’t try anything funny with us… I suppose that’s the wrong approach to take. Whatever happens in the dorms might well spill into other dorms – and further afield.

What the CP said about Geylang is troubling.  He actually used the word “lawless’’ to describe the atmosphere that pervades Singapore’s foremost red light district. Besides workers from China, other foreign nationalities also congregate there, an area with a disproportionately high number of crimes (135 compared to Little India’s 83) and public order offences committed (49 compared to 25).  Never mind that 100,000 foreign workers descend on Little India every weekend, going by the statistics, they are a tame nuisance compared to those who throng Geylang’s lorongs with their sale of sex and drugs.

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Meanwhile…in Singapore

1.  That there is great animosity between the Bangladeshis and the Indians.
2.  That 80 per cent of the shops are supposedly owned and run by foreigners. Said by a shopkeeper; dunno if it’s a fact.
3. That there is a place called Kodai Canteen that is real popular among foreign workers because it’s like a beer garden. The owner/operator is taking the stand today.

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Bertha Harian | Daily bites of the news

13 hours ago - It's talking about animosity among the communities, not necessarily .... That there is great animosity between the Bangladeshis and the Indians.

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Geylang raid: Crowd threw rocks and bottles at cops

THE four policemen went undercover to look for illegal activities in a Geylang backlane.

But the operation quickly turned ugly when they arrested one person at a makeshift gambling stall.

A crowd of about 200 people gathered around the officers and threw whatever they could lay their hands on, such as beer bottles and glasses, rocks and even rubbish.

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NGOs should help to quell violence among workers

It is startling and sad to read that guest workers in Singapore are increasingly exhibiting violent behaviour.

Besides the “14 Bangladeshi workers charged with rioting at dormitory” (March 29), 40 foreign workers were involved in a clash last March near Farrer Park MRT Station. And there was the Little India riot in December.

Most of the million-plus guest workers are law-abiding. We cannot, though, condone even 1 per cent of these workers behaving violently. This must be contained swiftly before more are emboldened to resort to violence.

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PM Lee: Singaporeans Commit More Crime than Foreign Workers

PM Lee finally spoke about the Little India Riot. For the benefit of the non Chinese, I'll transcribe the interview aired by the news yesterday as accurately as I can. I'm not proficient in my Mandarin so correct me if I was wrong.

"We should not generalise a group because of some individuals. I don't think that is fair or justifiable because their (foreign workers) crime rates are, in fact, lower than Singaporeans in general."

Word for word, it seems pretty clear cut for me the point our Prime Minister was trying to put across. The published statistics on crime rates in Singapore do not provide any breakdown of the data by demographics, so there is no way to verify PM Lee's claims. We wouldn't know if PM Lee was referring to the total crime counts, crimes committed per 1000 people, types of crimes etc. That is the problem when we do not have free information rightful available to the public. So those who have access to it can say anything they want and for those without, sued for doing so.

No, I am not being defensive because I am a Singaporean and my Prime Minister just told the world that my people commits more crimes than foreign workers. While we are on the topic of generalising and being fair, let's add in rationality and common sense as well. In Singapore, we have a wide array of activities defined as crimes, such as littering, chewing a gum or peeing in the lift. These crimes would be regarded as anti-social acts in most countries. Let's just call these petty crimes for illustration purposes.

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Foreign workers have less crimes compared to SGreans

related: Riot Erupts in Singapore's Little India