Tuesday, March 8, 2011

We (PAP) are DEAF to all criticisms - Lim Swee Say


Union Chief Lim Swee Say: We are like a little deaf frog, deaf to all criticisms.
I love Lim Swee Say. He says the darnedest things. Like this fable he told in Parliament:

THE story goes that in a kingdom of frogs, the tallest tower in the world is built for an annual competition.
And when the event is held, many aim to become the champion by making it to the top, but fail as they are discouraged by the audience, who warn that the climb is too dangerous.

All except one frog who did reach the top. And when asked afterwards why he ignored the crowd, the frog said: 'I'm deaf. I can't hear them.'

With this tale, labour chief Lim Swee Say responded to opposition MP Low Thia Khiang (Hougang), who repeated his criticism of a day earlier that low- wage workers continue to languish, and that the labour movement ought to do better and work harder.

Mr Lim's point: Despite criticisms like those levelled by the Workers' Party chief, the labour movement continues to address problems faced by low-wage workers and to improve their situation.

'We never give up. We are like the little frog. We are deaf to all these criticisms,' he said.
---------------------------------------

From: yansimon52
Subject: Re: Geniune feelings of Singaporeans suppressed
On Apr 8, 1:05 pm, "truth" wrote:
> truth comment: i hope more and more singaporeans will adopt this
> way to spread about the evils of the papist leegime to those who
> are not internet savy. in this way patriotic singaporeans will be able
> to beat the propaganda of the msm. how many policemen do they
> have to investigate every case. if there are hundred of thousands
> everyday, there is nothing the authority can do.

> http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/04/08/singapore-police-to-investiga...

> In yet another sign that public anger against the PAP is fast reaching an
> all-time high, fliers critical of the PAP were found in the mailboxes of HDB
> flats in Pasir Ris-Punggol and Marine Parade GRCs.

> Printed on A-4 sized papers in both English and Chinese with the title "The
> truth that every citizen must know", the fliers made "allegations about
> corruption and exploitation and complained about cost of living, among other
> things" and urge residents to take "collective and concerted action to go
> against the PAP", the Straits Times reports today.

Click to enlarge
> As expected, the state media dared not publish the content of the filers and
> jumped to the defence of the embattled PAP by casting aspersions on the
> credibility of the fliers.

> TODAY published an article with the misleading headline "Poison pen letters
> hit Sengkang" while the Straits Times interviewed one resident who felt it
> was not "appropriate" for such content to be circulated this way to give the
> erroneous impression to the public that the distribution of anti-PAP fliers
> is wrong.

> A police report was made and the Singapore Police is now investigating the
> matter involving a political party under the Sedition Act, where the
> offender could be fined up to $5,000 and/or given a maximum jail term of
> three years.

> It is most befuddling that the state media chose to slant its articles in
> such a way to mislead readers into thinking that a criminal offence has been
> committed when the content of the fliers remain a mystery.

> At the very least, they should publish the content in full for readers to
> judge for themselves if they are indeed "seditious".

> It is hardly a surprise that the PAP MPs in the two GRCs have dismissed the
> fliers.

> PAP MP Charles Chong who sparked an outcry two years ago by describing
> Singaporeans as "lesser mortals" said the allegations against the PAP were
> too "broad and wild" to warrant a response.

> "It looks like someone wants to have a head start this time.We will respond
> if they are more specific and credible.The public could draw its own
> conclusions about the allegations," he was quoted as saying in the Straits
> Times.

> If this is indeed so, why then is the media hiding the content of the fliers
> from Singaporeans?

> Mr Chong's response is in line with what PAP Minister Lim Swee Say said in
> Parliament last month:

> "We (PAP) are DEAF to all criticisms!"

> Every Singapore citizen has the right to criticize the government and its
> policies and to call on collective action by the citizenry. The Singapore
> police should not waste precious taxpayers' monies on such frivolous police
> reports to criminalize legitimate civil activism as guaranteed under our
> Constitution.

> Readers who have received a copy of this flyer, please scan it and email to
> us at temasekrev...@gmail.com

> We would like to call on all Singaporeans to stand behind this brave
> Singaporean who dares to go against the despotic, undemocratic and paranoid
> regime. In the event that he/she is arrested by the PAP's police, we will
> set up a fund to fight the case for him/her in court. Let the whole world
> knows how dictatorial, repressive and totalitarian the PAP is!

Halo don't play play hor.......wait kena caught hor ..can go to the
gallow you no?

We PAP gentleman la.....U got problem we PAP solve...U need money we
PAP give you...what more you want?...Or issit you want our MIW's
asshole.....cannot lar..

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Ho Peng Kee is Brother of Ho Ching?

Politikus
View profile
More options May 6, 6:37 pm
Still playing old tunes...? :-(
<<< Fast Forward Asia <<<
=========

- Hide quoted text -
> "Ho Peng Kee is the younger brother of Ho Ching" how is Singapore
> different from other most corrupted countries. Corruption Collusion
> Nepotism. Prime Minister Son became Prime Minister, Prime Minister's
> wife's brother became Minister. Minister's cousin secures government
> contracts

Just to add.....
Wong Kan Seng's wife is the daughter of Lee Kuan Yew's brother.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Update on Whos Whos LKY relative
The list consist of past and present portfolio held.

1. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Deputy Chairman of GIC

2. Mdm Ho Ching Wife Chairman of Chartered Semiconductor, ST Engineering, ST Capital, StarHub, Deputy Chairman of Singapore Technologies, and Director of Temasek Holdings and SembCorp Industries (Singapore Technologies unit)

3. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew Father Chairman of GIC

4. Brigadier-General Lee Hsien Yang Brother Chief Executive of SingTel Group and SESAMi Inc (SingTel unit), and Director of Singapore Technologies Industrial Corporation and National Computer Systems (SingTel unit)

5. Colonel (Dr) Kwa Soon Bee Uncle (Mother's Brother) Managing Director of Jurong Bird Park, Chairman of Wildlife Reserves Singapore and Director of Keppel Land

6. Mr Edmund Lee Cousin (Father's Brother's Son) Chief Executive of DBS Vickers (DBS and Singapore Technologies unit)

7. Mr Kwa Chong Seng Cousin (Mother's Brother's Son) Deputy Chairman of Temasek Holdings (Ministry of Finance unit)

8. Mr Ho Sing Brother-In-Law (Wife's Brother) Vice President of Singapore Precision Industries 2000 (Singapore Technologies unit) and Director of Advanced Materials Technologies (Singapore Technologies unit)

9. Mrs Lee Suet Fern Sister-In-Law (Brother's Wife) Director of SembCorp Logistics

10. Ms Lim Suet Boey Sister-In-Law's Sister (Brother's Wife's Sister) Senior Vice President of SembCorp Utilities

11. Dr Lim Suet Wun, Chief Executive of Tan Tock Seng Hospital (LSL sister in law's brother), Singapore's largest and government held hospital.

12. Lee Wei Ling, (sister of LSL), head of National Neurological Institute

13. Kwa Chong Guan, (brother of Kwa Chong Soon) Chair of Singapore's National Committee of the Council for Security, previous Head of the SAFTI Military Institute's Department of Strategic Studies

14. Prof Lim Chong Yah, (LHY father in law) Professor Division of Economics School of Humanities and Social Sciences College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, NTU, Chairman National Wage Council

15. Ho Peng, (Ho Ching sister), Director-General of Education MOE.

16. (deceased?) Lee Kim Yew (LKY brother), former chairman Cerebos Pacific, former director of defunct Tat Lee Bank

17. Gloria Lee (Kim Yew's wife), former air stewardess turned founder of Kim Eng Securities

18. Lee Suan Yew (LKY brother), former director of HPL

19. Pamelia Lee (Suan Yew wife), former senior director of Singapore Tourist Promotion Board

20. Kwa Kim Li (niece of LKY wife), managing partner a Lee and Lee.

21 Lee Thiam Yew (brother LKY), former policeman resigned amidst of speculations, former chairman and substantial shareholder of Vicker Ballas.

22. Li HonYi (elder son of LHL/Ho Ching)
Li was apparently being groomed for a future leadership role after
being awarded a government scholarship to study economics at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (in 2008). The Singapore
military has served as a training ground for political leaders and
executives in state companies.

23. Teo Eng Siang (son of Teo Chee Hean)
Singapore pays S$280,825 for tuition for Teo’s son –
Teo Eng Siang was awarded a Public Service Commission Scholarship in a
public ceremony by his own daddy, Singapore Admiral and Minister Teo
Chee Hean. Young Teo now(2008) heads for the United States where he
will be attending Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown
University is a fashionable Ivy Leage school and has a huge annual
tuition of US$42,303, or US$169,202 (S$280,825) for the full four
years. Don’t you think there are needier students in Singapore?

24. Warren Mah
Warren Mah, son of Mah Bow Tan, Singapore’s Minister for National
Development, is living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He is on a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania from the
Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Rich Man swore and threatened to sue over a parking lot

Read on the feedback below, and you may know who is actually in the right or wrong. Handphone cameras are changing the way we behave and the way we blame others in this world.

30th Jan 2011, Sunday, 3.30pm, Atrium@orchard road parking lot.
---------------------------------------------------
YuXuanify
did you eventually receive any lawyer letter from this delusional uncle? this is just so funny. lol

jtch79
a rich guy that speaks like a uneducated poor beggar (this man is not speaking like a rich man ) look at me.... i am a poor guy that speak like a rich man....and that guy insulted his own lawyer...=.= he said (F***king lawyer)

a12334545
Jab is not a rich's car lah, pls...

mooney669
" Then I got into the car park. He stop infront of my car and continue swear and curse and wanted to sue me...etc... and his saliva is spreading like all over my face.... Yuck... "

fuckliao
@ ImD3mond judging from your English, I have a strong suspicion that u are the barking rich man in the video leh.. Same same standard. Lolx.

ahkwek82
his daughter and son were hurt. i know them. the car inside the car was wrong. he cut inside the car, the guy outside braked the car cause he nearly banged them, both the daughter and son were injured, suffering neck and back injury. the guy filming is was in a wrong

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Chia Thye Poh - longest serving political prisoner in the world

And so I never found out about earlier PAP opponents, like Chia Thye Poh, who probably holds the world record for being the longest serving political prisoner, locked away without trial for 23 years before being “freed” to live a hermit’s life on Sentosa for another nine years. Till today I don’t know much about him. But I no longer view him to be the dangerous communist that, for decades, I was made to believe he was.

The Internet did introduce me, however, to Dr Lim Hock Siew, Singapore’s second longest serving political prisoner after Chia, imprisoned for 19 years from 1963 to 1982. That happened only last year. First, I read an article about him – at The Online Citizen – and then I watched a banned video of him speaking at the book launch of The Fajar Generaion.

Like Vincent Cheng, he, too, turned out to be a mild and gentle man. And greatly intelligent too. Nah. Dr Lim was no terrorist. He merely disagreed with Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP.

How many Vincent Chengs and Dr Lims are there in Singapore’s political history? Tens? A couple of hundred? Never mind the actual number. One is already too many.

Below are archived pictures of the arrest of Chia Thye Poh and his stay in Sentosa Island.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

MM Lee: We Need More Immigrants!


Singapore needs young immigrants to save its economy from long-term decline as a result of a falling birth rate, elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew said in remarks published Wednesday.

“At these low birth rates, we will rapidly age and shrink,” the 87-year-old Lee said in comments released to the local media after the government disclosed that the city-state’s birth rate fell to a record low in 2010.

“So we need young immigrants. Otherwise our economy will slow down, like the Japanese economy. We will have a less dynamic and less thriving Singapore. This is not the future for our children and grandchildren,” he said.

Lee’s defense of immigration came amid increasing criticism in web forums and local media directed at foreigners, who now make up more than 20% of the population of five million.

Most of the foreign workers and immigrants come from China, Southeast Asia and India, reflecting Singapore’s own ethnic mix.

Lee stepped down as prime minister in 1990 after leading the city-state since 1959, and he remains a powerful figure as an adviser to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Lee said immigrants should be welcomed and integrated.

"The first generation will take some time to integrate, but their children will be completely Singaporean," he said.

"They will increase our population and talent pool. Singapore will be vibrant and prosperous, not declining and aging," he said.

The resident fertility rate--or number of babies born per woman--dipped to 1.16 in 2010, down from the previous record low of 1.22 in 2009, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, who coordinates population policy, said Monday.

The rate, which has fallen as more couples choose to have just one child and more people opt to remain single, is well below the 2.1 babies per woman needed for the population to replenish itself naturally.

Singapore rolled out the welcome mat for foreign workers during the 2004-07 economic boom.

However, after the 2008 global financial crisis, the government took a fresh look following complaints from citizens that foreigners were increasingly competing for jobs, housing, medical care and even space on metro trains.

The inflow of foreign workers has slowed, and full citizens were given more social and other benefits over foreigners.
Written by Dow Jones & Co, Inc

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Gary Ng a.k.a Gary Chen - the Edison Chen of Singapore Landed in Jail



Gary Ng, the man dubbed Singapore's Edison Chen was sentenced to 50 months' jail and fined S$20,000 (RM46,400) on Wednesday for a series of offences.

Gary, whose real name is Chen Guilin, 28, had admitted to having 507 obscene films, mostly of himself having sex with other women.

Some of the women were willing parties for the filming while others were not. He had hidden a video camera in a plastic bag with a slit to film his acts and uploaded some on the Internet.

The former property agent had also pleaded guilty to four charges of forgery and one count each of housebreaking and theft, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully having another person's identity card. He committed a total of 21 offences from 2006 to June last year involving property worth S$171,770 (RM398,506).

The prosecution had earlier urged the court to impose a heavy fine and at least four years' jail in view of the severe aggravating factors.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Paul Wong said Chen was a recalcitrant offender, and that all the offences were dishonest involving pre-planning and scheming.

Chen's lawyer, Savliwala Din had told the court in mitigation that his client made no excuse for his wrongdoing.

Chen turned to crime when he could not earn enough money from his commissions as a real estate agent, his lawyer added.
---------------------------------------------
A photo of the real Gary Ng or rather, Chen Guilin.


A 28-year-old property agent (white cap) admitted on Tuesday that he had targeted the homes of some of his former clients and broke into them to steal.

Besides housebreaking, Chen Guilin - who was known among netizens as Gary Ng - also pleaded guilty to forgery and possession of obscene films.

Chen had gained notoriety by posting on the internet homemade videos of himself engaged in sex.

He originally faced 21 charges but 13 were taken into consideration.

The property agent was found to have 507 obscene films in his possession.

Nearly all of them were homemade, showing Chen having sex with different women.

The slim, bespectacled man had uploaded some of these clips onto the internet with the women's faces masked.

Chen admitted that he had dishonestly made off with more than S$170,000 worth of cash and valuables.

He had broken into the homes of some of his former clients by duplicating the keys to the units.

In one such incident, Chen broke into an apartment at Water Place Condominium at Tanjong Rhu sometime between August 13 and 30, 2009.

He made off with items including some RM2,000, two credit cards and a portable television worth around S$600.

Chen also admitted to forging the signatures of two women to withdraw cash totalling more than S$90,000 from their bank accounts.

One of his victims was a former client, while the other, a friend of an ex-girlfriend.

Chen asked passersby to encash the forged cheques on his behalf between September 4 and December 4, 2008, in exchange for rewards of S$500 each.

This is to avoid being caught should the bank officers realise that the signatures had been forged.

He will be sentenced on January 19.

For forgery, he could be jailed up to 10 years and fined for each charge.

For housebreaking, he could be jailed a maximum of 10 years.

And for possessing obscene films, Chen could be jailed up to six months.

Gary and Links.

--------------------------------------------------------
Girlfriend turns him in after he cheats her

By Vivien Chan

HE was so proud of his sexual conquests that he posted the videos online, using the moniker Gary Ng. In a media interview, he said he chose the name because the letters stand for Girls Always Remember You.

Ng, whose real name is Chen Guilin, will now be remembered for the wrong reasons. The 28-year-old was caught with 507 obscene films in his computer, almost all of them of him having sex with different women.

It is not known how many women were involved. Some of them did not even know that they had been caught on video.

Chen, who has been dubbed Singapore's Edison Chen, had secretly filmed their encounters by concealing his video camera in a plastic bag with a slit.

On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing obscene films and seven other charges including housebreaking, forgery, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully possessing another person's identity card.

Thirteen similar charges will be taken into consideration when he is sentenced on Jan 19. Ironically, it was a woman- his own girlfriend - who did him in.

Ms Yang Baoling, 27, reported to the police last year that he had cheated her of money. The police's investigations uncovered his offences. Ms Yang had lent Chen thousands of dollars on many occasions.

When she did not have enough money, she took cash advances from her credit card for him. She also used her credit card to buy items, which Chen sold off.

When she became less willing to lend him money, he cheated her. On March 2 last year, Chen handed her a fake Franck Muller watch, claiming that it was genuine and worth $4,000.

Ms Yang lent him $3,500 after taking the watch as mortgage. Chen, a former property agent, also broke into two condominium apartments to steal after duplicating the owners' keys.

Once, he even took a woman to one of the apartments and had sex with her there. The apartment owner, Ms Yao Xiao Li, 31, went home to find her bedsheets stained and rubbish strewn all over the place.

Chen made away with valuables and cheque books from the two apartments. He later forged the owners' signatures on the cheques to dupe banks. During his four-year crime spree, Chen gained about $171,770 by stealing or cheating.

It was revealed in court that he has returned only $1,500 so far. The New Paper reported in March 2009 that Ng started posting his sex videos online in September 2008.

While he took care to mask out the faces of his partners and himself, he titled his videos based on the women's occupations.

They included "Gary Ng vs Beer Promo Auntie", "Gary Ng vs Friend's Niece" and "Gary Ng vs Chua Chu Kang girl".

He even claimed to have had sex with a mother and her daughter on two different occasions. His other conquests ranged from waitresses and housewives to tertiary students and bank executives, he said.

Most of the videos began with him clad in office wear before he undressed.

Bragged

Chen also gave media interviews where he bragged about his sexual conquests. Netizens gave him the nickname "Singapore's Edison Chen" - a reference to the Hong Kong actor whose sex pictures with various stars were stolen from his computer and widely circulated.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Paul Wong said that of the 507 obscene films found in Chen's possession, fewer than 20 were not of Chen.

"The accused, being proud of his sexual escapades, uploaded some of his videos on the Internet," said DPP Wong.

It was earlier reported that 33 of his videos were posted online. In court on Tuesday, Chen was accompanied by five friends. He looked solemn as he stood in the dock, clad in a short-sleeved grey vest over a white shirt and jeans.

His lawyer said in his mitigation on Tuesday that Chen, who left school when he was about 16, was "relatively young, immature and unable to fully realise that one should live within his means" and not succumb to crime to maintain a lifestyle.

Chen turned to crime when he could not earn enough from his commissions as a property agent, he said.

Urging the court to impose a sentence that is "not crushing" and one that "fits his record and prospects", his lawyer said that Chen, a first-time offender, had "cooperated fully" in investigations and was "forthright in admitting his guilt".

However, DPP Wong told the court that Chen did not cooperate with police.

"(Chen) only admitted to his wrongdoing when he was confronted by all the evidence gathered from investigations," he said.

DPP Wong added that Chen should not be treated as a first-time offender "in light of his many offences and persistence towards crime over a substantial course of four years".

Arguing that "no leniency" should be granted to Chen and pressing for a jail term of "four years or more", DPP Wong told the court how Chen lived off his crime spree and cheated his victims to pay off his own debts and loans, despite their trust in him.

For possessing the obscene films, Chen faces up to six months' jail and a $20,000 fine.

For each charge of forgery, housebreaking and unlawfully possessing someone else's identity card, Chen faces up to 10 years' jail and a fine.

For criminal breach of trust, he faces up to seven years' jail and a fine.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Edison Chen of Singapore is Gary Chen
By Vivien Chan and Kwan Hui Xian

AMONG netizens who have seen his home-made sex videos, he was known as "Gary Ng".

But his former colleagues knew Chen Guilin, 28, as Gary Chen.

And yesterday, after The New Paper published a picture of him, his co-workers finally realised that they were the same man.

One of them, who wanted to be known only as Steve, said he could not believe it.

He said: "I found out only when I saw the papers in the morning. The picture is the same one that's on his name card.

"Colleagues have told me that they heard 'Gary Ng' is from my company. But I had no idea that it was the Gary I knew."

On Tuesday, Chen pleaded guilty to eight charges which included possession of obscene films, forgery and housebreaking.

Steve said Chen was a close friend whom he got to know in December 2009 when they worked on a project together at Huttons Real Estate Group.

Chen was with Huttons for just a few months before he quit last year.

Steve recalled that Chen used to get "a lot of phone calls from girls".

His first impression of Chen was that he was an "Ah Beng" but he later found that the man was friendly and good with words.

He said that he was supposed to work with Chen on another project in the middle of last year, but Chen became uncontactable.

"I went back to the office but he wasn't around and when I asked my colleagues if they knew where he was, no one knew," he said.

That was around the time Chen was arrested.

One of Chen's former supervisors at Huttons told The New Paper that he was shocked to learn of Chen's "double life".

The supervisor, who declined to be named, said Chen had submitted his resignation through an e-mail.

"He didn't seem to be very interested in working in property. Other agents told me that he was always going to discos and pubs," he said.

However, Chen appeared to be humble and soft-spoken.

The supervisor said: "He seemed the sort to keep a low profile. He's the kind who would talk to you only if you talk to him first."

As a Huttons agent, Chen had placed online advertisements to sell and rent out several Tanjong Rhu condo apartments. Some dated back to last February.

In some advertisements, he included his photograph and mobile number and called himself Gary Chen. On one website, Chen posted images of three awards he won in his career.

One was from Huttons, when he was the eighth Top Project Producer in June 2009.

Chen's former supervisor said: "That was the only month he did well. The rest of the months, he didn't close many deals."

Explaining that the award is based on how much the agent earned, he estimated that Chen probably raked in between $20,000 and $30,000 that month.

He said that agents do not have a basic salary and earn money from commissions.

"In the bad months, when (Chen) didn't do well, he could have earned as little as zero," he added.

The other two awards Chen won were from Far East Organization, where he worked as a salesman from June 2006 to December 2008.

In Far East, he was known as Chen Guilin, Gary, and this was reflected in his awards.

Chen then moved to ERA, where he started as a part-time agent in October 2007. There, he was known as Gary Chen Guilin.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Uncles and Aunties Starts Gambling In The Stock Market


More uncles and aunties are turning to the stock market, thanks to news of positive economic growth in Singapore.

Genting shares are among the most popular with heartland investors. Indeed, buoyant economic news are encouraging more HDB heartlanders to jump into the stock market.

But what should uncles and aunties look out for before putting their money in the stock market? Do they know what they're getting into, and what are the odds of getting their fingers burnt?

Condominium Project Collapsed

A amateur cameraman living nearby took this video of the concrete collapsing at Gilstead Road near the Bukit Timah area.were starting to show. And the safety manager of a condominium construction project in Bukit Timah knew something had to give - soon.

To prepare for the worst, he called in the authorities at 7.30am yesterday. Half an hour later, more than 1,000 concrete blocks - weighing 2,800 tonnes - came crashing down onto Gilstead Road, blocking traffic access.

Click here to find out more!
The impact damaged a gas valve in a nearby gas pipe, but no one was hurt. By this time, police and officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force had already cordoned off an area about the size of two badminton courts on the two-lane road.

The incident also caused church-goers of the nearby Life Bible-Presbyterian Church to cancel or relocate their service sessions after police evacuated the premises.

Speaking to my paper, a project manager of the affected worksite explained that the concrete blocks had toppled due to "settlement of the earth", which could have been a result of recent heavy rains.

The concrete blocks, which were stacked on one side of Gilstead Road, had been visibly leaning forward, he said, declining to be named. He estimated that it would take two to three days to remove all the concrete blocks safely.

A Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesman said that the concrete blocks had collapsed during a pile load test.

The test determines the safe load-carrying capacity of a pile, which is a deep foundation of a building.

The condominium being constructed, Gilstead Two, is a 34-storey freehold apartment block slated for completion in 2013. Its developer, Malaysian company Chedstone Investment Holdings, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Singapore Power PowerGrid said that repairs to the damaged gas valve was completed at about 10.30am. There was no interruption in gas supply to residents in the area.

MOM said it has instructed the worksite's contractor, Ryobi- Kiso, to work with a professional engineer to remove the concrete blocks - each weighing 2.5 tonnes - from the road safely.

The MOM spokesman added: "Meanwhile, all pile load tests on site have been stopped pending further investigations."

Saturday, January 15, 2011

PAP moves to control The Online Citizen


Singapore moves to curb popular news website

Singapore plans to impose restrictions on a liberal, popular news website ahead of general elections Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong may call this year.

The Prime Minister's Office plans to designate "The Online Citizen" (www.onlinecitizen.com) as a "political association," which means the website is banned from accepting donations from abroad.

The office said the website was not barred from supporting any political party or candidate in local elections.

"As a website that provides coverage and analysis of political issues, TOC (The Online Citizen) has the potential to influence the opinions of their readership and shape political outcomes in Singapore," said the Registry of Political Donations, which comes under the Prime Minister's Office.

"It has been gazetted to ensure that it is not funded by foreign elements or sources," the registry added.

The Online Citizen, which is run by volunteers, declined comment.

Oppositions politicians in Singapore have complained of biased coverage by the city-state's newspapers and television.

Reporters Without Borders ranks Singapore 133rd among 175 countries in its 2009 World Press Freedom Index.

An increasing number of Singaporeans, in particular the young, have been turning to websites such as The Online Citizen and Temasek Review (www.temasekreview.com) for alternative views about developments in Singapore.

The Online Citizen, for example, has lobbied against laws that discriminate against homosexuals, taking a different stance from newspapers published by Singapore Press Holdings, which generally adopt a pro-government stance.

Singapore has gazetted several groups as political associations in the past, including the Singapore arm of a regional human rights advocacy body. The action against The Online Citizen is the first against a website.

Other restrictions The Online Citizen will face once it becomes a political association include a requirement that it list the identities of its owners, editorial team and administrators.

It must also designate a president, treasurer and secretary who will be held responsible for the preparation and accuracy of reports about donations to the site.

Prime Minister Lee told members of his ruling People's Action Party (PAP) to prepare for elections during an annual meeting on Nov 28. Although elections need not be held before February 2012, some observers believe polls could take place as early as March this year.

Investors have been drawn to Singapore, a financial center and manufacturing hub, for its

stability and the PAP, founded by Lee's father Lee Kuan Yew, has ruled Singapore since independence in 1965.

The country's opposition parties currently have just two of 84 seats in Parliament but may make inroads during coming polls amid a widening income gap and unhappiness over rising property prices.
---------------------------------------------------
From TOC's website:-

Singapore's online community was abuzz with excitement after The Online Citizen (TOC), a popular group blog that discusses politics and current affairs, was told by the government it will be gazetted as a political association.

This means that they cannot accept donations from foreign sources, among other restrictions. For instance, they will also need to list the identities of its owners, editorial team and administrators.

Why being gazetted should be look on as an honor

I think TOC should feel proud about being given this honor. To be so influential that the ruling party thinks you are a potential shaper of opinions at the coming elections, and need to be gazetted, well, that's like getting a National Day Award!

Some of you might be thinking, perhaps it may be better to run a website that discusses politics anonymously in future. Or maybe the entire TOC team should just shut down the site and start a new one with secret identities.

I have some suggestions for new website names. How about:

1. The Unknown Citizen website

2. The Anonymous Citizen website

3. These Are Not The Online Citizens You Are Looking For website

And the writers and editors can give themselves pseudonyms too. Like, Chief Editor: Mr Giant Potatohead. Foreign Correspondent: Mr Suk Mai Kok. Political Desk: Miss Kant Sue Mi.

Then when the government sends them a letter to tell them to register themselves as a political association, the letter will read:

"Dear Editors of Feeling Oppressed Citizen website,

As a website that provides coverage and analysis of political issues, FOC (Feeling Oppressed Citizen) has the potential to influence the opinions of their readership and shape political outcomes in Singapore.

Hence, FOC has been gazetted to ensure that it is not funded by foreign elements or sources.

We hereby require Chief Editor Giant Potatohead, Foreign Correspondent Suk Mai Kok and Political Correspondent Kant Soo Mi to provide the identities of the site's owners, editorial team and administrators.

Mr Potatohead, Mr Kok and Miss Mi have 14 days to comply.

Yours sincerely,

The Department of Gazetting"

It's all WikiLeak's fault!

May I also point out that "gazette" should not be mistaken for the word "garrote". They sound alike but garrote is to strangle someone with a cord or wire, a great way to silently kill someone off. "Gazette" is nothing like that.

However there are some drawbacks to operating a political website anonymously. It would make it hard for the government to recognize you for your great contributions to society.

I think there has been great concern about the online media's influence lately. With the WikiLeaks saga fresh in their minds, the government has warned that anyone caught leaking any official government documents in Singapore will be "dealt with firmly."

Even if you were just leaking what someone else leaked, all leakers will be prosecuted. So we need to mindful before we take a leak.

But what about the taxi uncles?

Frankly, I think the government should extend their gazetting to other entities. Taxi drivers, for instance, provide coverage and analysis of political issues, and have the potential to influence the opinions of their passengers and shape political outcomes in Singapore.

So taxi drivers should all be gazetted as political associations.

This may complicate their ability to be paid by foreigners taking their cabs but trust me, it is for the Greater Good of Singapore. We can't have people giving their opinions about politics here willy-nilly and influencing political outcomes.

Taxi drivers who pick up passengers in future will need to ask for proof of identity. If the passenger is not a local, the taxi driver needs to reject the passenger's money. One way around it would be for the foreign passenger to give the money to a citizen, who can then pay the taxi driver directly.

Another way is for the foreign passenger to become a citizen. This will then give the passenger the right to fund the taxi driver.

However, given the current political climate and the fact that the elections are coming, I recommend that foreign passengers apply for their citizenship or permanent residence after the elections. They will stand a better chance then.

I wish to add that becoming a political association will in no way restrict taxi drivers from their current practice of disappearing from the streets just before the midnight surcharge kicks in.

Oh, by the way, those opinionated old men at coffee shops had better watch out too. They could be next to be gazetted.

CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/singapore/life/say-what-mrbrown/mrbrown-if-online-citizen-should-be-gazetted-544916#ixzz1B9hse7NC

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Casino Levy Collected $130 million


The Singapore Government has released figures on revenues collected from the two integrated resorts (IRs). Between April and November 2010, the net increase to the government coffers was S$420 million from betting taxes and GST. Entrance levy collected from Singaporeans and PRs entering the casinos amounted to S$130 million.