Watz Online - 2 Apr 2012

Huge uproar over PM Lee’s comments

Posted on April 1, 2012 by admin

A student living in Hougang asked if he could pay less tax since the area does not enjoy as much upgrading.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s open admission that PAP wards are favoured for HDB upgrading exercises has touched a raw nerve among netizens.His admission came as a reply to a university student living in the Hougang Single-Member Constituency (SMC) ward who asked if he could pay less tax since the opposition-held ward does not enjoy upgrading programmes.Since this story was first posted, reaction has been swift with over 1,500 Facebook shares and 150 comments. The majority were highly critical of PM Lee’s stand.

The highest-rated comment came from Yahoo! user Chia, who posted, “Upgrading is not delivered solely based on policies. It is driven by money from the reserves. The money comes from the people and not from PAP.”

He added that, “It (upgrading) is a national building programme. A nation does not belong to any party but the people.”Another Yahoo! user, Davido, said, “I can’t believe the PM said that, my only respect left for him is that he is candid enough to admit not all wards are treated equally.”

60 men allegedly had sex with the same girl

They were hauled up by the cops in connection with an online vice ring that was busted last December.

About 60 men were arrested and later released on police bail.

They are accused of having had sex with one "social escort".

Three months later, it appears the police have concluded their investigation and some of the men may be taken to court soon.

Already, one has been told to report to the police headquarters at Cantonment Road today, said his lawyer, who requested anonymity.

This, the lawyer said, may be a prelude to charging his client, a finance professional in his early 20s, in court.

The man is out on police bail after having given earlier statements to the cops.

The lawyer said he has another client who was also arrested in relation to the case.

He is also in his early 20s and works in the financial sector.
The duo are likely among the youngest in the group.

Four other lawyers who are representing 17 of the men in total told The New Paper that their clients are in their 30s and 40s.

And they are a diverse bunch of married men and bachelors working in various industries.

300,000 unskilled foreign workers will get to work longer here

From July 1, as many as 300,000 unskilled foreign workers who are already in Singapore will be able to work here for up to 10 years.
Currently, they can be employed for only up to six years.

'A significant proportion of these workers are employed in the construction and services sector and have worked in Singapore for more than four years,' a spokesman for the Ministry of Manpower told The Straits Times.

The Singapore conundrum

It never fails to astound! The idea that foreigners could give Singapore and its economy a fillip and set it soaring was what everybody welcomed with open arms some 20 years.

There certainly is no doubt that the policy has indeed delivered some benefits from its implementation from meeting the drought in babies born, to meeting national economic objectives.

Perhaps one was when a Singaporean team scaled Mount Everest in 1998. That feat was feted all around the country.

Then a table tennis team became the toast of the town when it won a silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics; the first time it has ever happened since 1960. Again there was all around merriment.

Man charged with murder of woman in Jurong West

A 38-year-old man has been charged in court with the murder of a woman in Jurong West.

Lee Haw Ling Gabriel is believed to be the boyfriend of the 25-year-old woman found dead in a flat Saturday morning.

The woman was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

Neighbours told Channel NewsAsia that the flat is shared by several people and they heard a couple quarrelling on Saturday morning.

If convicted of murder, Lee faces the death penalty

Circle Line service delayed by faulty maintenance vehicle

The Circle Line train service ran into a problem this morning when an engineering vehicle broke down at Bishan Station during maintenance hours.

According to a local news channel, the stalled vehicle caused service between Caldecott and Serangoon stations towards Dhoby Ghaut to be disrupted this morning.

Commuters had to make a transfer at these two stations if they wished to continue their journey toward destinations beyond this stretch.

The life of a retiree isn’t always bad

Many live on retirement funds if they have it or on past savings or with their children’s help. Some give home tuition or drive a taxi.

ONE of the things I noticed as the process of ageing deepened in recent years was that strangers would start a conversation with me not in English or even Mandarin – but dialect.

The trend became more pronounced as wrinkles multiplied and the body weakened.

When I was younger, most people would use English on me. Now, dialect is the norm probably on the assumption that the pre-War generation can’t speak English.

Actually it was not without basis. Few of my contemporaries did better than a secondary education. Most had not gone past primary school and grew old with it.

Recently, a foreign friend asked me: “How does a retiree in Singapore cope with living in one of the world’s most expensive cities?

Electricity tariffs to increase by 4.3 per cent

Electricity tariffs will increase by 4.3 per cent from April to June this year as higher fuel prices have resulted in higher power generation costs, said SP Services.

Electricity tariff of households will increase 1.19 cents per kWh from 27.59 to 28.78 cents per kWh. This means that the average monthly electricity bill for families living in four-room HDB flats will increase by $4.18.

The average fuel oil price over the last three months between 1 January and 15 March increased from $127.07 to $135.37 per barrel – a 7.3 per cent increase.

The tariff is reviewed quarterly by SP Services based on guidelines set by the Energy Market Authority (EMA), the electricity industry regulator.

Watz Buzzing - 1 Apr 2012

It sucks being PM Lee

By Belmont Lay

Pink as the bing on your cheery. Pink cos you are so very. Pink it's the color of passion. Ah, cos today it just goes with the fashion.

It is hard not to feel bad for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong some times.

His stylist always insists that he wears some ridiculous orangey or pinkish shirt, perhaps owing to the fact that it has something to do with softening his countenance.

He has to deal with pesky online websites such as Temasek Review Emeritus instead of taking the time off to go soak in the jacuzzi.
And worst of all, his daddy has to be Lee Kuan Yew.

Just imagine: If your father is His Leeness himself, wouldn’t you be freaking out every single day?

I mean, seriously. What is a man left to do after his father has pretty much done everything to establish Singapore?

How does one try to fill those gargantuan shoes left behind? Or avoid filling them?

Either way will result in being caught in a bind.

Sure, PM Lee can always be his own man and not emulate his daddy’s ways.

But think about it. What if he can never walk out from the shadow his father casts? Well, not because he doesn’t want to, but rather because the shadow is so long and vast it covers a stretch from Singapore to the North Pole.

And some say all the way to Mars.

What if everything he ever did or will do is being viewed in terms of his father’s successes?

Well, it comes as no surprise then that in the March 9 seating in parliament where PM Lee had to publicly explain why there is no fixed time frame for calling a by-election in Hougang, he sounded as if he was bending over backwards to accommodate his father’s views.

As reported in the very reliable The Straits Times on March 10 — if you happen to have read it, you will notice that there is only one word that summarises the rationale for not calling for a by-election within a certain time: History.

And based on this rationale of history, very broadly, emerges at least two simple reasons with Lee Kuan Yew featured prominently inside.

First, PM Lee said that then-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew mooted the idea in 1965 to do away with any time frame to call for a by-election due to Singapore’s “own experience of elections and of government”.

As a matter of fact, the only period Singapore had a time frame imposed was during those years when Singapore was a part of Malaysia.

Second, related to the first point, is a very long explanation that quotes Lee senior:

“The Constitution therefore reflects a political philosophy that emphasises stable government, and the view that in elections, voters are primarily choosing between political parties to be given the mandate to govern the country, rather than between individual candidates to become MPs.”

Take note that this political philosophy that is written into the Constitution is most likely excreted by LKY too.

Therefore, very broadly, and not trying to make a mountain out of a molehill, there are two responses to these explanations.

One, there appears to be some kind of non-sequitur where the premise and conclusion just don’t flow.

Very oddly, I don’t know if you feel it too, but why is a by-election seen as a destabilising factor that deters a stable government?

Couldn’t the argument also take a turn, and the point is to insist that an election is the start to achieve a stable government?
Of course, what PM Lee said, rather implicitly, wouldn’t be very hard to understand if we take what he meant to mean that the law is made to be advantageous and in favour of the political party that is the incumbent to widen the base for stability.

Then it would make perfect sense.

And that wouldn’t be the main gripe of today’s missive.

Two, and more importantly, as PM Lee had to quote his daddy — to apply his father’s logic, so to speak, even in this day and age, he is inevitably finding it very hard to emerge from his father’s legacy.

That would be the main gripe of today’s missive.

There was his father saying something in 1965 and here he is in 2012 running through those lines again.

I think we all have heard before that the only constant is change.
The skyline has changed, the perspective about building casinos has changed and even the brand value of the PAP has changed.

But in Singapore the only constant is Lee Kuan Yew.

Tell me, how many other ways could PM Lee have phrased himself in parliament to sound as if he is not saying, “…and that’s the bottom line, because my father said so!”?

Well, plenty. But like I said, it’d be hard to be a contrarian if your father is you know who.

Then again, it’s probably not PM Lee’s fault.

Maybe there is a need to abide by tradition.

But then again, and more critically, will PM Lee really ever get to publicly say “I disagree!” to the ideas mooted by his father.

Tell me, how should this situation work?

Does it suck to be PM Lee or what?

And look, if any one of you out there were to find yourself in PM Lee’s shoes, you’d most likely have broken out into a hissy fit and left home a long time ago.

Yet, despite the odds, he became the leader of a nation.
So, to make PM Lee feel better, we’re going to elect him as the candidate for Cooler Than You section for the next few weeks at least.

NewNation

Proliferation of Sex Crimes Disturbing; Here’s What to Do

A pervert pretended to be a doctor and tricked a nine-year-old girl into performing oral sex on him. The police disclosed that he has molested several other young girls. He was jailed 12 years but spared the cane because of his age. (Men 50 and above escape the rotan.)

A real doctor – that’s the nutcase in the picture above – cross-dressed as a junior college student, lifted up his skirt and exposed himself to a teenage girl.

“Man had sex with wife’s sister, 12,” screamed the headline in yesterday’s papers.

“Man jailed 10 months for having sex with minor,” screamed yet another headline yesterday.

And the day before, “’Model teacher’ sexually abused three pupils.”

Loh and Behold

The Hand of Justice must be seen to prevail wisely

The PAP Government is not unknown to be wont to ride roughshod over opposition's entreties on matters of public interest and in this case the opposition's (and the public especially Hougang voters') request for a reasonably early date for the Hougang by-election occasioned by the vacation of the Parliamentary seat by its erstwhile MP Yaw Shin Leong. The apparent prevarication of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in stating that he intends to call a by-election but has not yet decided on the timing of the by-election on which he claims he has constitutionally the discretion to decide is not conveying the right kind of confidence to Singaporeans. This is probably furthest from his mind and it looks like he will procrastinate holding the by-election as long as he possibly can notwithstanding any outcry or clamour from the public.

As fate would have it, along came a political nonentity in the person of Hougang resident Madam Vellama Marie Muthu to get the courts to order the Prime Minister to hold a by-election in Hougang SMC within three months or a "reasonable time". Overnight she became a sensation and a cynosure of all eyes for her gallantry in challenging the august Prime Minister in a court of law to restore the political rights of Singapore electors where other more reputable Singaporeans fear to tread.

Singapore Recalcitrant

Rushing to do biz, invest in Burma?

Better read this first. [W]hat has been achieved so far in reforming the country in such a short period of time rests on the trust established between the slight, bespectacled former general and the charismatic daughter of Aung San, the country’s liberation hero.

Banyan goes on to point out that both of them are not in best of health and that the Burmese president has many enemies who want to push the clock back.

Thoughts of a Cynical Investor

When The Trinity Gets Holy

I'm not writing about religion. This is about Singapore's Supreme Triumvirate of PAP, NTUC and Employers.

According to Ministry of Manpower, it is a Tripartism of MOM, NTUC and SNEF (Singapore National Employers' Federation. [Link]

Is the Trinity getting too 'holy'. No, not as in divine or sacred or worthy of worship but 'holy' as in having too many holes. Synonymous with 'leaking', 'damaged', 'disastrous', 'ridiculous' and 'untenable'.

Feed Me To The Fish

Singapore homes continue to shrink ...and so will our birth rate

The size of a median size home shrank to 667 sq ft last quarter (see report below). How many of you have stayed in a home of this size? If you move into such a home, how many children are you going to have?

Population density is a key factor that affects fertility[Research Paper : Population Density is a Key Factor in Declining Human Fertility:

"Where you have high amounts of high-density housing you have very low birth rates ... where you have density, you tend to have very few children."- Professor Kotkin, fellow at California's Chapman University and London think-tank the Legatum Institute.[Link]

For the foreseeable future, we will need to tap on immigration to augment our poprriulation, to support economic growth and to mitigate the impact of ageing," - Wong Kan Seng[Link]

Lucky Tan

Not seeing the woods but crying over the trees

Cherian George continues with the episode of smelly bodies and Shimun Lai in the ST today. He also recalled the unfortunate UOB dinner and dance incident when a little mimicry with no bad intention or could be seen as flattery was accused of racism. And the cry for the lynching of Shimun Lai has still not subsided while the real issue that led to the outburst was brushed aside completely.

Cherian George also acknowledges the issue of bad body odour in Indians though it is not the case. Everyone, I say everyone, smells if not wash properly. This has nothing to do with race though some are prone to smell differently depending on their diet and the environment, and of course social habits and standard of personal hygiene.

redbean

National Harmony Or Racial Harmony Comes First?

Chairman of national racial harmony body OnePeople.sg Zainundin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP) had asked, "Why would you want to create friction and anger because of your prejudices? By the time your children and grandchildren inherit this country, it's mess, people will start running away."

Zainudin was explaining the rationale for dispatching "racial harmony diplomats" to junior colleges, and later to institutes of higher learning. The initiative, we are told, is a response to derogatory comments attributed to Sun Xu of NUS ("more dogs than humans in Singapore.") and Shimum Lai of Nanyang Poly ("trains need to have separate cabins for humans and fkn dogs"). Police reports were lodged against both parties, presumably by non-canine members of the population. Both are young, and foolishly ranted in what they erroneously assumed was their private domain of cyberspace. Lai's post had the taint of racism, but Sun Xu's case crouched on the realm of xenophobia, which the MP, intentionally or otherwise, missed out on.

Singapore Notes

Has Isreal scr*wed Singapore?

Israel has had a history of backstabbing its allies. America and Britain included. So what's surprising if we suspect if Israel might have done us in?

Here's an article I published in Apr 2010, citing a report where Sinkiepore funds Israel's "Iron Dome", which supposedly is meant for our defence use. The Iron Dome is the name of a missile defence system. It is to protect us from incoming hostile missiles. Here is that report.

Where Bears Roam Free

To Watch Or Not To Watch...

Football fans in Singapore are now up in arms over how much they need to pay to watch the UEFA Euro 2012. StarHub, Singapore's official broadcaster of the tournament, have announced that customers need to pay between $58.85 to $69.55 to watch the Euro.

Of course, Singaporeans are unhappy about the price as it is twice the amount they had to pay 4 years ago for Euro 2008. But guess what…Singaporeans will still pay it.

That’s just a fact people. Everyone knows Singaporeans will not be happy with the prices they need to pay just to watch the month long tournament, especially when you consider that customers in Malaysia who subscribed to the sports package on Astro TV get to watch the Euro 2012 at no additional charge, but guess what…Starhub is the only game in town. So if you don’t pay, you don’t get to watch.

Musings From the Lion City

Happy April's Fool Day 2012

This year I had my secondary friends accompany me to secondary 2. I was very happy. On 1/4/2012 April's Fool, we went around ignoring people to trick them.

I would like to thank 2Hellaven'2012 of Westwood Secondary School for all the memories. Thank you -.

(Memory collected at the Jurong Regional Library during "The Singapore Story: My Heart, My Hope, My Home" campaign from 6 Sep to 31 Dec 2012)

read more

Watz Online - 31 Mar 2012

Maid dies in 30-storey plunge at Telok Blangah Heights

A 23 YEAR OLD Indonesian maid fell 30 storeys to her death at Telok Blangah Heights on Thursday.

She had apparently been cleaning the windows of her employer's flat at about 1pm.

This is at least the third case so far this year of a maid falling to her death here.

If there's a shortage, why is the jobless rate for cleaners high?

WE OFTEN read that Singaporeans do not want to be cleaners ('Where have the cleaners gone?'; Monday).

If that is so, why is it that the unemployment rate for cleaners, labourers and related workers, at 5.1 per cent, was the second highest among all job categories, according to the Ministry of Manpower's Singapore Workforce 2011 report?

This is much higher than the overall unemployment rate of 3 per cent for Singaporeans.

'Pervert uncle' stands so close to female commuters, even though train isn't crowded

STOMPer Coffee warns women of this 'pervert uncle', who stood very close to female passengers even though the train was not crowded.

The STOMPer wrote:

"Ladies!! Beware of this pervert uncle.

"The train is not crowded yet this uncle will purposely stand real close to them."

Woman's butt burned by mystery liquid on seat of MRT train

A 27-year-old Malaysian woman sustained a burn wound on her buttocks after she sat on a wet seat on board an MRT last Saturday (Mar 24).

The unknown liquid on the seat left her with a 7cm wound. The woman, known only as Ms Law, works as a hairdresser in Tiong Bahru.

She had been on her way home to Yishun at the time, and had boarded the northbound train at Raffles Place Station.

Driver without licence kills 1 in accident, sentenced to jail

A waitress drove her boyfriend's car and caused the death of a 70-year-old man last year.

Candy Siow Pei Shan had been drinking with her boyfriend in two clubs and later drove his car even though she had no licence.

On the way home, she lost control of the vehicle in Bukit Batok. It mounted a road kerb and hit Mr Tan Son Seng, crushing him to death.

On Wednesday, the 23-year-old, who had failed her basic theory test 13 times, was handed a four-month jail sentence and banned from driving for 10 years.

Swiss expats say Singaporeans not entitled to jobs in Singapore

Swiss lawyer Franziska Zimmermann may have been in Singapore for only 18 months, but she talked as if she has been staying in Singapore since birth and even found fit to lecture Singaporeans!

In an interview conducted by the Straits Times on expatriates working in Singapore, 37 year old Ms Zimmermann felt that Singaporeans are generally friendly to foreigners though some harbor anti-foreigner sentiments, that is to be expected.

“This anti-foreigner issue is in every city. It’s a natural debate and the Swiss are questioning it too. But no one owes anyone else a living; you cannot say you are entitled to jobs in your country,” she says.

Expletive online post about Indians hurtful, wrong and uncalled for

A Nanyang Polytechnic student’s “expletive-laced (online) post about Indians” was “particularly hurtful, wrong and completely uncalled for”, said Member of Parliament (MP) for Tanjong Pagar GRC Indranee Rajah.

S’poreans outraged over PRC scholar’s ‘dog’ comment

Singaporeans are up in arms over a foreign scholar's derogatory comment that "there are more dogs than humans in Singapore".

The Ministry of Education (MOE) scholar in question, Sun Xu from China, was referring to his unpleasant experience with Singaporeans as he brushed against them.

A rough translation of his Chinese blog post read: "It's so annoying to have gangster Singapore uncles stare at you when you bump into them. There are more dogs than humans here in Singapore."

Singapore a scholarship haven for foreign students?

If you don't have enough local talent, buy it from abroad whether in sports or research science — beginning with schools and universities.

This attitude is reflected in Singapore's oft-expressed fears that declining birthrates will threaten its long-term survival.

In addition, Singapore aspires to be an international city to attract the top brains and the wealthy.

Its solution to prevent a falling population has been dramatic.

Virtually an entire populace has been imported in the past 20 years, raising the dense population by two-thirds, from three million to five million.

Court reserves judgment on Hougang by-election hearing

SINGAPORE: The High Court reserved judgement on an application by a Hougang resident for a by-election in the single-seat constituency, after lawyers presented their arguments in chambers on Friday.

Madam Vellama Marie Muthu, a 42-year-old part-time cleaner, filed an application on March 2 for the Prime Minister to call a by-election within three months.

Lawyers from the Attorney-General's Chambers argued that the application was "wholly misconceived" and "unarguable in law and fact".

They added that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had "stated unequivocally" in Parliament on March 9 that he intended to call a by-election but had not decided on the timing yet.

A judgement will be delivered at a later date.

The Hougang constituency was left without a Member of Parliament (MP) after Mr Yaw Shin Leong was expelled by his Workers' Party, following reports of his personal indiscretions.

Court charges nine men involved with underage sex workers case

SINGAPORE: Nine men have been charged in court on Friday, in connection with a case involving underage sex workers.

Six men were charged in court with having sex with underage prostitutes.

The men, aged 24 to 59, were charged with obtaining the sexual services of three Vietnamese girls, aged between 16 and 17 in July 2011.

They allegedly paid the girls between $100 and $200 per session for sexual services.

Watz Online - 30 Mar 2012

5 rumoured child-abduction cases surface online

Talk of at least five child-abduction incidents have been going around on the internet lately.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the two latest cases involved a girl allegedly abducted at a childcare centre and a boy nearly abducted near a community centre.

Both the cases were shared by netizens on Facebook.

In the first case, a netizen claimed that a Malay woman was at a childcare centre at Tampines Street 22 to pass a water bottle to her daughter.

Suddenly, a man behind her picked up the child and took off, jumping aboard a van parked at the roadside.

According to the netizen, police are currently investigating this case and trying to locate the van.

In another case, a woman wrote on Facebook yesterday (29 Mar) that her five-year-old nephew was nearly abducted by a Chinese national woman near Bukit Panjang Community Centre.

Three more similar cases were in the spotlight this month, according to Shin Min Daily News.

On 15 March, A netizen known as 'Allison Goon' shared on her Facebook page that her son was nearly abducted by a Chinese national woman at Ang Mo Kio Hub.

On 23 March, a 59-year-old woman made a police report after her grandson was nearly abducted by a stranger at Simei Street 5.

The woman was bringing her 10-year-old grandson to school when a middle-aged woman suddenly grabbed the boy's hand and tried to take him to a van parked at the roadside.

The anxious grandmother overheard the van driver telling the woman that this was the wrong boy.

The woman then let go of the boy and apologised to his grandmother.

On 27 March, another woman shared on Facebook that a Chinese national man tried to take her son at Northpoint mall in Yishun.

She saw the man grab the handle of the pram that her son was in, but luckily, her maid also had a firm hold of the pram.

The man left when the woman glared angrily at him.

Woman's butt burned by mystery liquid on seat of MRT train

A 27-year-old Malaysian woman sustained a burn wound on her buttocks after she sat on a wet seat on board an MRT last Saturday (Mar 24).

The unknown liquid on the seat left her with a 7cm wound. The woman, known only as Ms Law, works as a hairdresser in Tiong Bahru. She had been on her way home to Yishun at the time, and had boarded the northbound train at Raffles Place Station.

She said she spotted an empty seat and proceeded to sit on it, but switched seats immediately after she felt a wet spot on her pants. Less than a minute later, Ms Law felt a burning sensation on her buttocks, which quickly intensified and became a searing pain.

Dead fish found in another river

Hundreds of dead fish, measuring 5cm long each and similar to the ones found earlier, were washed up ashore yesterday along Sungei Tampines, making it the second incident to have occurred in the Pasir Ris estate in the past 10 days.

The latest episode sparked questions from residents, with most wanting to know the cause of the two incidents.

Contractors who cleared the fish told Today that the amount yesterday was less than that of the first incident. Last Tuesday, thousands of dead white fish were washed up along Sungei Api-Api, which flows through Pasir Ris estate and Pasir Ris Park.

Yesterday morning, dead fish consisting mainly of baby tamban - a type of saltwater fish - were discovered at the downstream section of Sungei Tampines, from Pasir Ris Drive 3 to the river mouth, said national water agency PUB.

While the stench of rotting fish lingered on at around 3pm yesterday as 12 contractors cleared bags of dead fish from Sungei Tampines, Pasir Ris residents were perturbed by the latest grisly find.

More charges against Chinese national in Budget Terminal death

SINGAPORE: The Chinese national who allegedly hijacked a taxi and caused the death of a cleaner at the Departure Hall of Budget Terminal on March 17 now faces three more charges.

Thirty-year-old Yuan Zhenghua was charged in court on Friday with dangerous driving causing death, driving without a valid licence and driving the cab without valid insurance policy shortly before 7am last Saturday.

For dangerous driving, Yuan could face up to five years in jail.

30 flights affected due to baggage system fault at Changi Airport

A system fault that affected Changi Airport’s Terminal 2 baggage sorting system caused the delay of 30 outbound flights on Thursday morning.

Most of the flights were delayed by less than an hour, although some flights were held up to for as long as 90 minutes, according to Channel NewsAsia (CNA)

The affected flights were scheduled to leave between 6am and 8.30am, added CNA.

A spokesperson from the Changi Airport Group said that the terminal had arranged for additional manpower to sort out the baggage manually when the incident occurred.

Six men were charged in court on Friday with having sex with underage prostitutes

The men, aged 24 to 59, were charged with obtaining the sexual services of three Vietnamese girls, aged between 16 and 17, in July last year.

They allegedly paid the girls S$100 to S$200 per session for sexual services.

The accused are 55-year-old Loh Kian Ann, 45-year-old Yee Yew Seng, 40-year-old Chan See Sean, 54-year-old Wee Lian Kee, 59-year-old Seah Seng Kok, and 24-year-old Justin Guo Zhijia.

If convicted, they could be jailed for up to seven years, fined or both.

Under the law, it is illegal to pay for sex with anyone under the age of 18.

Three other men were charged in connection with this case.

The three -- 69-year-old Loy Hee Cheng, 60-year-old Tan Wah Eng and 52-year-old Chong Heng Kow -- were charged on Friday morning with abetting the offences in March, June and July 2011.

They will face the same penalties as the six men.

Court documents stated the three men had conspired with Seng Swee Meng and his Vietnamese wife Ngo Tien and obtained money ranging from S$100 to S$120.

This was said to be for the consideration of sexual services of the underage girls and they have thereby abetted the offences of the six men.

Seng faces multiple charges of harbouring 30 hostesses and prostitutes and also of running a brothel.

The Vietnamese girls were said to have worked at various pubs located in Joo Chiat and Geylang at the time of the offence.

Seng is expected to be sentenced on 11 April 2012.

His wife has skipped town and a warrant for her arrest has been issued.

These cases are not related to the ongoing online vice probe.

Doctor who exposed himself to girl back seeing patients

Changi General Hospital (CGH) has been helping one of its doctors get back on his feet after he admitted that he wore a schoolgirl's uniform and exposed himself to a student.

The efforts have led to Ivan Ngeow Ko Yen, a specialist in geriatric medicine, being allowed to see patients again.

A hospital spokesman said he remained under the close supervision of his head of department.

On Tuesday, Ngeow, 37, pleaded guilty to insulting the modesty of a female university student in 2010.

Two arrested for attacking Ferrari driver at Orchard Towers

Police have arrested two men who assaulted a driver of a Ferrari outside Orchard Towers earlier this week.

In a post on its Facebook page on Wednesday evening, the police said the duo will be charged in court on Thursday for rioting.

They are also investigating the involvement of the driver and his passenger in the incident.

A video that went viral on Tuesday showed a group of youths beating up the Ferrari driver outside Orchard Towers, then leaving him lying on the street.

According to various media reports, the driver, who seemed to be in his 40s to 50s, was challenged by a youth -- who was with his girlfriend -- when they were nearly hit by the driver.

Woman causes scene on Tiger Airways plane

A woman allegedly assaulted two men on board a Tiger Airways flight from Ho Chi Minh to Singapore on Saturday after she accused one of them of kicking the back of her seat, according to various media reports.

The incident involved Yeo Chia Keat, 37, a project executive who was with his wife, as well as his friend Chua Teck Kwang, 37, a technician who was with his family on the same flight.

According to socio-political website TR Emeritus, Yeo bumped the seat in front of him while stretching his legs. Upset, the daughter of the Vietnamese lady seated in front of him then started yelling at Yeo and his wife.

The daughter then started “shifting her seat up and down repeatedly”, Yeo told local Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao, but the couple ignored her.