Saturday, December 31, 2005
News
Singapore Casino To Be World's Most Expensive
Singapore, which olds records for the world's biggest fountain and sand painting, also plans to host the world's most expensive casino resort, though government restrictions on gaming mean it won't be the biggest.
Opinion
Letter Defending Durai Did Not Address Concerns
What is there to forgive when Mr Durai has not apologised? In fact, time and again, he has expressed the view that he has done nothing wrong.
Entertainment
Going To: Singapore
Visitors may miss the chaotic vibrancy of Hong Kong or Bangkok, but Singapore's green spaces, clean air and yes, even its trademark functionality, can be a refreshing change from other regional capitals. In desperately seeking its buzz, Singapore has become a surprisingly lively destination.
Friday, December 30, 2005
News
Charities And Income Tax Acts To Be Strengthened To Better Regulate Charities
Dangling Carrots To Attract Malaysians
Singapore, desperate to check the decline in Malaysian visitors, is offering cash vouchers, a waiver on cover charges at bars and other inducements.
Hotel Room Rates Hike
Hoteliers may push up prices by as much as 50% to be on par with competitors.
In A Pickle Over A Jam
ICA says it may raise manpower and look at biometric solutions to relieve causeway jams.
Opinion
Trains On One Hand, Cabs On The Other
The city that hopes to to become the New York of Asia would do well to remember that New York is the "city that never sleeps." It's hard to compete with apublic transport system that shuts down obscenely early.
'No Tipping' Singpore Will Lose Out To Other Countries That Reward Service Staff
Ghost Gag On TV Show Went Too Far
MediaCorp should have an ethics committee to evaluate questionable story ideas before allowing their implementation.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
News
KDF Sees 40% Increase In Donations Following NKF Saga
Its chairman attributes the rise to the foundation's transparency and prudent use of funds.
Singapore Raises Bar For Fund Access To Pensions
Singapore has raised the bar for mutual funds that want access to the city-state's $71 billion retirement savings, its pension administrator said on Thursday.
Opinion
Which Side Is Singapore On?
The problem is that there does not seem to be a shared agreement about which side of the street to walk on, and so one is constantly forced to dodge and weave.
Is That A Vacation Job Or Free Labor?
I wish to highlight a practice by a local restaurant chain, Fish & Co, which appears to use students on vacation as a source of free labor.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
News
MOE Announces Measures To Promote GEP, Non-GEP Student Mingling
Small Taxi Companies Fined After Audit
The three relatively newer taxi operators — all smallish players — could not meet some of the service standards laid down by the Land Transport Authority.
Opinion
Open KL-Singapore Air Route
There will be adjustment costs in the short run but these should not prevent Malaysia from adopting policies that will make its economy more competitive in the long run.
Great, No Junk Mails In Post Box. But They Land On My Doorstep
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
News
Singapore Plans Emergency Exercise For MRT, Bus Bombings
A major exercise will be held over the weekend in the first two weeks of January next year, but the public will not be told in advance of the exact date, time and the venues.
ECP Facelife: Fears And Hopes
Will $160m upgrade result in more facilities and worsen the overcrowding problem?
Singapore Setps Up Qantas Rivalry
Qantas rival Singapore Airlines is about to turn the heat up on the Australian flag carrier by matching its recent US$10 billion order for new aircraft.
Opinion
The Political Parallels To The NKF Scandal
I can see five aspects of the NKF scandal that parallels features of Singapore's political system, and now that the systemic failings of the NKF are being brought to public attention in such an ignominious fasion, they may cause long-term complications for the ruling party. They are: 1) the use of defamation suits, 2) Durai's high salary and perks, 3) incompetence in government, 4)oversight of executives, 5) dollars and cents as the criterion of success.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Ramblings
Welcome, Where We Nooch You A Little
You'd think that if a restaurant promises that "No Service Charge" on its menu, you will not find a Service Charge entry on your bill?
News
NKF Issue Raising Questions On Long-Standing Policies
The straightforward, no holds-barred revelation of the report had regained some of the government's standing with the public. It required political courage. It could have been released after the polls.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
News
Premier Shopping Hub In Singapore A Fantasy Of Lights
It Isn't Feedback Fatigue
"More direct channels of feedback have opened up and that's encouraging. A lot of people are writing to the ministries directly."
Singapore Tips
It seems a natural evolutionary process for Singapore's well-behaved, ultra-trustworthy cabbies to become tour guides in their own right.
SM Goh Hints General Election Likely To Be Earlier Than Mid-2007
"The economy will be good next year, so I can tell you the PM is thinking when to hodl the elections."
Friday, December 23, 2005
News
NKF Sets $28m Fund Raising Target For Next Year
Of the $28 million it hopes to receive, about $20 million will come from existing donors through its monthly Lifedrops donations scheme.
Opinion
What Protection For Whistle-Blowers?
Take the two former NKF volunteers who spoke up about alleged excesses by their former chief executive officer and ended up getting sued when they did not have sufficient substantiating evidence.
Reported Spat Between Lee And Nair Not True
These and many other unfounded statements were made by Devan Nair after his bout of alcoholism.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Ramblings
T T Durai, Defamation Lawsuits, And The PAP Government
T T Durai, the former CEO of the NKF, has previously successfully taken legal action against Archie Ong and Piragasum Singavelu. T T Durai had accused Archie and Piragasum of defamation by saying that T T Durai has travelled on NKF business in first class.
As we all know now, T T Durai did travelled on first class.
It seems then, that T T Durai had successfully — almost — made use of the Singapore's legal system to silence valid critisim. If not for Durai's "mistake" of suing SPH, a company with deep pockets, the truth will not be revealed.
On the other hand, we hear from Lee Kuan Yew: "If you defame us, we're prepared to sue you, go into witness box and be cross-examined... If you don't sue, repetition of the lie [makes it credible]. It will be believed..."
And we all know that the PAP government had successfully sued and won in defamation lawsuits against some of its critics.
Now, with this whole NKF saga, it is probably timely to ask: is the PAP government right in that those critics did indeed slander the PAP government, or is it just that the PAP government has yet to meet its SPH?
In other words, how much can we still trust our legal system? Is T T Durai's suits an anomaly, or do we need some serious rethinking?
This issue of NKF's use of defamation lawsuits to intidimate and silence critics has not really been acknowledged and addressed by the Singapore government, and the local media has not touched on this issue. (There is an opinion piece by Siew Kum Hong in Today newspaper on July 25, 2005, but this piece did not address Singapore government's use of defamation lawsuits directly.)
Lee Hsien Loong should clarify his government's stand on the use of defamation lawsuits, and should tell the public what changes will be made to the legal system so as to prevent rich folks, companies, organisations, and governments from using defamation lawsuits to intimidate, silence, and/or bankrupt valid critisims.
Otherwise, the next time Lee Hsien Loong and his colleagues press defamation charges against others, we will have to ask: is the government pulling a Durai?
News
Kill Domestic Worker: Fine S$250, 3 Months Jail Or Both
Singapore Hopes Skies Can Open Early
Singapore is seeking to jump-start air services liberalisation initiatives in Southeast Asia by uring its fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to accept multilateral "open skies" earlier than originally planned.
Opinion
Let Govt-Held Info Be An Open Book
The introduction of Freedom of Information legislation is important as it allows checks and balances on government activity.
No Need For Reminders If Auto-Return Ticket System In Place
While competitor cities are going out of their way to welcome visitors with tourist-friendly measures, TransitLink is doing the reverse.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
News
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
News
Singapore Sets Pace For Developing Nations
A country that was once Uganda's 'age mate' economically is today one of the most highly developed in Southeast Asia.
Opinion
Ops, TT Durai Did It Again!
I was screaming What The Fuck? inside me as I was reading it.
Look For Win-Win Solutions To Taxi Woes
The 'flaws' aris from the way taxi operations are run here.
Monday, December 19, 2005
News
Report Finds Extravagance, Lack Of Governance At Singapore's NKF
The findings by MPMG are startling, from revelations that only 10 cents of every charity dollar went to subsidize patients' direct treatment costs, to wasted opportunities by regulators to commence investigations earlier.
New PAP Faces Likely In Marine Parade Race
The Falungong Eyesore?
Many complaints have been lodged against the group's activities in public areas.
Workers' Party Eyeing East Coast?
Walkabouts in Bedok North, but party chief says election focus areas still undecided.
Shocker Over Private Armies Patrolling Straits
Private armies comprising Gurkhas and commandos are plying the Straits of Malacca armed with machine guns and combat equipment. The private security companies based in Singapore have engaged the troops to provide security for merchant vessels transiting the Straits. The revelation of such operations in the Straits during the recent Lima International Maritime Conference 2005 came as a surprise even to the Ministry of Defence officials.
Embracing Otherhood In Singapore
Singapore prides itself on being multi-racial. But not many are aware of how multi it really is.
Opinion
Could The Walt Disney Company Now Be Setting Its Sights On Singapore?
Given the stigma and negative publicity that's usually associated with gambling, I've heard that the Singapore government is also interested in building something that's much more family-friendly. To counter-act this casino resort, so to speak.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
News
Adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow Submerged In Controversy
Some are asking why Dare To Dream Fund sponsored him thrice but Northeast CDC says fund eligibility is on yearly basis.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Ramblings
Denyse Tessensohn, in Today: Business guru Peter Drucker, whose clients included the American Red Cross, had warned charitable institutions that their donors would judge them increasingly by their results, rather than their good intentions.
Good salary, comfortable working environment, and high-profile charitable events are all okay. But whatever results or good intentions are wiped out by a board that is dishonest.
News
Singapore Paper Attacks Australian Media
Singapore's main English-language newspaper has taken a wide swing at the Australian media, contrasting its treatment of this month's hanging in Singapore of drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van and Sydney's race-related violence.
Drive: $ingapore $wing
Planning to drive down to Singapore? How does 10 days of free road usage there sound?
Friday, December 16, 2005
News
Opinion
Asking Commuters To Tip Cabbies A Bad Idea
If tipping cabbies becomes the norm, it may lead to discriminatory picking of passengers.
NKF Provides More Than Dialysis Treatment
National Service: Clarifying The Law
Trying to force someone to defend a country he has no intention of remaining in is silly on the ground of fairnes, but in a strategic sense it is also foolish.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
News
Opposition To Contest All Single Wards, At Least 6 GRCs In Next GE
The major opposition parties here have come to an agreement to contest in all nine single-seat wards and at least six Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) in the next general election. But plans will change if boundaries are redrawn, which some opposition members have said they expect.
Opinion
Does NKF Need Huge Reserves If It Invests Wisely?
Perhaps, NKF should convert all its current investable reserves into an endowment and get a good fund manager to manage the money such that it gives good and steady long-term returns.
Be More Realistic In Accessing NKF Reserves
The new NKF management has an obligation to present to the public, and especially to renal patients, a more realistic assessment of the situation. By singing the same T.T. Durai worst-case-scenario song with a new choir, it is unlikely to gain public confidence.
Entertainment
The Height Of Good Taste
Singapore has some of the rarest restaurants in the world. Restaurants that soar over a mile above ground and give new meaning to the term mile-high club. Yes, these "restaurants" can only be found on board Singapore Airlines.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Ramblings
Singapore Government Bans iPod In Gyms
Apparently, Singapore Sports Council bans MP3 players in gyms, as reported by Caprice Ng.
"When probed for further explanation on the safety hazards posed when tuning in to my MP3 player, the employee replied that: I might have my arm or neck entangled in the earphone cord; and I might not be able to react in a fire as my hearing would be impaired."
I guess they don't allow people with poor hearing in gyms too, eh?
Yong Teck Meng: The word "global" in Mr Chong's article should be replaced with the word "western", for he assumes that being global means being westernised... More than a quarter of all human lives in China and India, and Asians far outnumber Europeans and Americans cmbined. True globalisation, therefore, naturally takes into account the value systems of these masses of people, and is not merely a reflection of the prevailing, "chic" western sentiment.
In my opinion, this writer couldn't be more wrong. Globalisation doesn't mean adopt a particular set of values, whether "western" or "Asian" or what-have-you. Globalisation means the ability to accept and embrace values that are different from one own's.
News
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Ramblings
Today: The [NTU] spokesperson said the university conducted a market survey and found that its current rental rates were "much lower" than that of other local universities.
Read: We just discovered that we can charge more and get away with it.
News
Free Checkup, But There's A Blood 'Fee'?
It was to be a public service to senior citizens above 55 years old. But to their surprise, they claimed they soon learnt that this 'free' service came with a condition: Some elderly participants said they were told they had to sign a consent form to agree to take part in a study.
Singapore Reaffirms Casino Plan
Singapore will stick to its "basic principles" of governance and land pricing for its second planned casino resort, despite a decision Friday by two bidders to drop out of the race for the first site, a government official said.
Opinion
Singapore Is Not A Bloodthirsty City
Singapore is not China, where executions take place the same day as the trial.
Employer Would Be Less Critical If She Had To Work As A Maid
NSmen Under Pressure To Donate Blood
Organisers of blood-donation drives should refrain from pressurising potential donors through the use of rewards.
Move On, Singapore
As Singapore has focused on the tangible and material elements of this, it appears to have failed to notice the world moving on.
Monday, December 12, 2005
News
Temasek Expects Only Fair Play
Singapore government investment arm Temasek Holdings expects no special privileges and just hopes for equal treatment like any other Singapore investor when it invests in the region. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: "Temasek takes a purely commercial view of its investments and that is how it operates. It is no different from any other Singapore company."
Govt Accepts The Temasek Sensitivities
Not worth souring ties over perceptions, says PM.
Opinion
Sieve Out The Good In Human Rights Reports
We must not underestimate how difficult it is for an abused person to speak out against injustice, especially when her much-needed job hangs in the balance.
The Airport Passenger's Headache: Making Short Trips Worth The Cabbie's While
We can always suggest ways to work around the problem. But if the attitude and mentality of the taxi drivers is wrong, nothing will work out.
The Front Door's Open, The Backyard's Locked
To be global, must we rethink our conservative outlook at home?
Sunday, December 11, 2005
News
Singapore PM Urges Asean To Liberalise In Order To Integrate
Saying that Asean is competing in a tough international race, and that quitting the game is not an option, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Sunday urged the grouping "to liberalise in order to integrate" and move forward as one economic entity.
Build Bridge Without Singapore, Says Mahathir
Former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad says he would prefer the Malaysian government to go ahead with its proposal to build a new bridge to replace the Causeway without waiting for Singapore to make a move.
Opinion
Too Few People For Democracy?
Singaporeans will continue to remember that the government had every opportunity to stop the harassment by the police and the MDA during the past 8 months, even if the politicians did not initiaite it (hard to believe thought that may be). Yet, here we have a cabinet minister who now says this whole affair should never have arisen. Why?
Entertainment
Singapore Caters To The Young And Old
Together with four other Ugandan journalists, we set off to the city of glittering skyscrapers and busting seaports.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Opinion
$15 For A 5-Min Taxi Ride
Do residents of the east have to pay this much just to get good service from the airport?
Friday, December 9, 2005
News
Singapore High Achievers Like Guilford Schools' Innovations
Singapore's schools are arguably the best in the world, so when a group of principals from that Asian nation say they are impressed with Guilford County Schools, that's no small compliment.
He Refuses To Pay, Then...
PSA demanded a refund of the scholarship because Chong Kwong Ki was deemed to have broken the rules by failing his exams.
Singapore Rejects HRW Report On Maid's Condition
"With such flawed standards of research and reporting, it would be difficult to treat your findings and conclusions seriously."
They Pay $400,000 To Be Investigated
Sources told Today that each bidder has to fork out $400,000 so its suitability for the project can be assessed. Details of the investigation will be made known to the bidders by the Singapore Tourism Board.
'Poor' NKF To Raise Cash Again
The numbers revealed yesterday showed that the old management of NKF under Mr T T Durai had not been very far off hte mark with its projections after all.
From Public Flats To A Boutique Hotel
Ageing Tiong Bahru flats to get a rebirth, the area to get more diversity.
Opinion
Singapore Impressions
People seem more relaxed [compared to 10 years ago], the streets aren't by any means dirty but they're not quite as "is this really a city"-spotless as they used to be.
Why Does Reading Campaign Poster Show Couple In Bed?
It seemed to advocate the practice of reading while lying down.
Thursday, December 8, 2005
Ramblings
Hey, did Jstice V K Rajah just gave out to the public a recipe on how to do a proper protest?
News
The Man Who Saw It All
Lee Kuan Yew and his ideas helped to make Asia what it is today. Now, in a candid, wide-ranging conversation with Time, he shares his hopes and fears for the region's future.
Lee Kuan Yew Reflects
"[Former U.S. Secretary of State] George Shultz once wrote to me about why I insist on this right of reply. I said to him, 'We believe in the marketplace of ideas. Let the ideas contend, and the best ideas the public will buy.' But I also said, 'That assumes a large well-educated group of people as readers. Look at the marketplace of idas in the Philippines, and see the chaos.' Americans can have a marketplace of ideas... When we have a large enough educated population like America, able to make independent judgments, we will loosen up. But even without the cacophony, all ideas are accessible in the media and the internet."
Singapore Airlines Accuses Virgin Of Hypocrisy
The 3 Letters That Made The Difference
Four protesters lost case because they mentioned NKF.
Vietnamese In Australia Uninted In Boycott Against Singapore
Modest Benefits For Singapore Air Share
Giving Singapore Airlines the right to compete with Qantas on its Pacific routes at best will deliver a $10 million net benefit to the economy. But that benefit, achieved in the first year, would be overshadowed by the extra competition that will cost the economy in the second year, Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics modelling shows.
Australia's Howard Sees Arguments Against Singapore Air Access
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said not all arguments are "in favor" of allowing Singapore Airlines to fly between Australia and the U.S. and it may be some time before a decision is made.
Singapore's Former President Dies In Canada
When Devan Nair resigned, then-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew claimed in parliament that Nair had quit to get treatment for alcoholism. Nair denied Lee's allegation, claiming that Nair's questioning of Lee's government had cuased conflict between the two.
Opinion
NKF Clarifies Human-Resource Issues
Van Nguyen Died For Your Sins: Executions As Public Communication
The Australians were doomed from the start, literally and metaphorically. They were doomed because they misapprehended the nature of capital punishment for drug offenses in Singapore. They thought of it as retribution, or punishment. This is wrong. Drug-offense executions in Singapore are, first and foremost, public communication.
Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Ramblings
They're Just Popping Up Everywhere
Goh Min Yen, Managing Director, Eng Wah Organisation, wrote in to Today to defend her company's decision to stage the Crazy Horse show.
To me, she was making sense until the last paragraph: "We cannot pretend to be able to protect [the family] institution simply by blocking by what we deem unsavoury. The internet is a case in point where, despite the best efforts of content filtering software, pornogaphic sites still pop up uninvited on one's personal computer screen."
Huh? When's the last time porn popped up uninvited on your computer? I must have missed all that popping on my computers. Damn. I am never there when good things pop up. :-)
Next thing you'll know, the Crazy Horse dancers will be popping out at your local kopi-tiam uninvited for free.
I better go drink more coffee.
News
Singapore: A Tale Of Two Cities
Underneath there's another reality that speaks of a widening wealth gap, with most forced to work long hours to make a living.
Sands Says Does Not Need Singapore Ally For Casino
Las Vegas Sands Corp., the world's biggest casino operator by market capitalization, said on Wednesday it does not need a Singapore partner for its bid to build the city-state's first casino.
Maid Abuse? Or Made Up?
MOM slams Human Rights Watch report of maid exploitation here as being 'grossly exaggerated.'
Former Singapore President Devan Nair Dies In Canada
Singapore Won't Hang Terrorists
While drug traffickers receive the mandatory death sentence, Singapore shies away from executing terrorists. Instead, Singapore detains would-be bombers and their backers without trial.
Opinion
Singapore - Christmas Is Shocking!
I noticed a new trend this year: the outdoor decorations and many displays in stores now sport signs saying "DANGER - HIGH VOLTAGE."
Singapore's AIDS Situation
Collapsing this into the broad categories of "women and children" and "men", so that all women and children are "good positives" and all men are "bad positives," distorts the picture even further and reinforces stereotypes about the sexual behavior of men and women.
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
News
Singapore Unlikely To Get Air Deal
Coalition backbenchers have expressed strong support for Qantas as cabinet prepares to decide whether to allow Singapore Airlines to compete on the lucrative trans-Pacific route.
Singapore Accused Of Maid Neglect
Women migrants in Singapore work in conditions that amount to forced labor due to a lack of legal protection, US-based rights campaigners say. Human Rights Watch says domestic workers suffer sexual and physical abuse and overwork, and are frequently denied food, pay and social contact.
'No' To More KL-Singapore Flights
Malaysia will not allow Kuala Lumpur-Singapore shuttle flights ahead of the Asean "open skies" policy which will come into effect in 2008.
Punggol 21's Not Quite Come Of Age
Watersport centers, seafood villages, Safra clubs and libraries were the selling points of the Punggol 21 plan, spelt out just months before the 1997 General Election — none of which have materialized so far.
Opinion
A Perfect Country But Without A Soul
It's The One Senence You Can't Retract
The death sentence is an irreverisible punishment.
Monday, December 5, 2005
News
Hang Democracy, Let's Trade
Singaporeans don't like to be reminded they do business with Burmese narco-traffickers, and admit they don't mind punishing the innocent to preserve law and order.
Singapore Crazy Horse Says Topless Show Not Sleazy
The Singapore Crazy Horse, which will bring the famous French topless dance act to the city-state, is not just another nude show, but a classy act, its owner said.
Asian Hangings Will Go On: PM
Australia could do little to stop capital punishment throughout the world, Prime Minister John Howard has insisted.
New Donations Spell Hope For NKF
Despite the conroversy over how its funds were used, the National Kidney Foundation has managed to attract 50 new individual donors — as well as three who have returned.
Windfall Or Liability, Those CMF Millions?
After the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) hived off its Cancer Fund two weeks ago, talk has been rife about the fate of its other subsidiary charity — the Children's Medical Fund (CMF).
Opinion
Singapore: A Case Of Regulations Gone Too Far
The citizens did not have the possibility of electing, freely and through the ballot box, the one person who can grant clemency, not just to Nguyen, but to any other human being.
Sunday, December 4, 2005
News
NUS To Have Its Very Own University Town By 2009
PM Lee Hsien Loong Forgets To Bow At german Flag, Embrassing Moment Captured By AP
ASEAN Lawmakers Press For Myanmar's Removal
Southeast Asian lawmakers want Myanmar expelled from the ASEAN regional grouping unless it frees democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners within a year, Malaysia's state media said on Saturday.
Card To Pay For All Travel Charges Being Developed
The LTA and Nets are working on a new, as-yet-unnamed card, which will double as both the ez-link card used to pay bus and MRT fares, and the CashCard used to deduct road tolls and parking charges.
Singapore Working With KL On Tourism
Singapore is looking at wooing high-spending Middle Eastern tourists, as well those from India, with a helping hand from Malaysia.
Singapore Bans Execution References In Play: Paper
The government's Media Development Authority (MDA) demanded that "Human Lefts," a play about the hanging of Singaporean drug courier Shanmugam Murugesu in May, make no mention of the death penalty and no reference to any political leader, the play's director was quoted as saying.
End Death Penalty: Singapore Nun
A senior Singapore nun has taken the dramatic step of calling on her government to drop the death penalty.
Speakers Believe Mandatory Death Penalty Is Unlikely To Become An Election Issue
The speakers for the Think Centre Human Rights Day Forum believed that the mendatory death penalty is unlikely to become an election issue as they believe that Singaporeans are more concerned with bread and butter matters.
Opinion
Trust, Rules And Singaporeans V. Malaysians In Resolving Issues
A Malaysian friend of mine claims that Malaysians are less calculative.
Mega Makeover For Housing Estates In The East? Better Spend The Money On Needy
MediaCorp Explains Coverage Of SEA Games
The telecast is subject to the availability of feed from the Philippines SEA Games Organising Committee.
Saturday, December 3, 2005
News
Friday, December 2, 2005
News
Singapore Hangs Drug Trafficker, Thousands Mourn
A Slight Dent In Singapore's Armor
Today's execution of Nguyen Tuong Van has forced the mandatory death penalty onto the agenda in Singapore, with the local media unable to ignore the politcal lobbying, threatened trade boycotts and heated public debate in Australia.
Nguyen Lawyer Describes Painful Journey
Singapore Takes Nguyen's Life
Van Tuong Nguyen went to the gallows this morning amid silent protests in Australia and a vigil by his twin brother at Singapore's Changi Prison.
Thursday, December 1, 2005
News
Nguyen And Mother To Hold Hands
Condemned Australian drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van and his mother will be allowed to hold hands, but not to hug, before he is put to death. Singapore officials today said they would grant Kim Nguyen an exemption from a total ban on physical contact with death row inmates.
Lawyers Refused Permission To Witness Hanging
Australia Divided Over Drug Runner's Execution
The looming execution of a young Australian drug smuggler in Singapore on Friday has seemingly polarised Australians, many of whom still support capital punishment.
Singapore Denies Qantas Merger Talks
Singapore Airlines has flatly rejected a claim from former deputy prime minister John Anderson that it held merger talks with Australia's national carrier, Qantas, last year.
I Know You Are Angry - Singapore Ambassador
Singapore Death Row Man Denied Hug With Family
An Austrlaian drug courier who is due to be hanged in Singapore on Friday has not been allowed to embrace his mother or twin brother and will not donate his organs for transplant, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
Glitch At Changi Leaves Passengers Without Bags
'Accounting Inconsistencies' In NKF's 2004 Financial Statements
Going forward, Ng Boon Yew, chairman of NKF Audit Committee, the NKF has put in place the proper procedures so that it would not commit itself to unnecessary projects.
Decision On Last Hug Expected Today
It is understood the decision is being made at a very senior level at Singapore's Home Affairs Department.
