54-year-old cancer sufferer Lin Jin Jiao yesterday strapped a cardboard sign on herself and staged a protest against DBS Bank at Raffles Place during lunch hour. Lin had invested, and lost her retirement funds in the now-worthless DBS High Notes 5 (HN5) investment product. In her protest yesterday, she alleged that DBS Bank was guilty of mis-selling for investing her money in a high-risk venture (read the report here, read English report here.).
Click on picture to enlarge:
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very sad…..sigh
And we thought the old were the fearful ones. Desperation can show up one’s courage and true character. Very sad indeed. Right here in paradiso Singapore.
Singapore big ambition to be biggest financial hub of the east got ito such a mess with consumer investment. Reuters, FT, CNN, please feature this 54 year woman plight with bank of singapore on your asian headlines.. :) uniquely singapore!!!
Too bad she’s a lone protestor.
I just came back from a trip from Mainland China, HK and Macau.
On my second full day in HK, I woke up the morning to South China Morning Post reporting about a group of elderly citizens, protesting the proposed hike in elderly transportation concessionary fares.
A full page report with photographs of elderly men and women carrying placards, sitting down (probably to broke a road or something) and using chopsticks and ricebowls to make noise.
Its an amazing sight. The streets of Mongkok are also rowdy with peaceful protests and performances by the Falun Gong.
I wonder if we ever see active citizenry here in Singapore in our time.
i say this woman got more “balls” than a lot of us out there!….
aiyoyo
investment really can make commoners poorer…
ELITEs do sinking funds investment also, correct?
do ELITEs get better returns on the investment latelt?
aiyoyo
This elderly got attention from dbs becos she protests at raffles place where there are many ang mohs around. She won’t get a cent back if she protested at a downtown’s dbs branch. That’s why i say this woman is smart, very very smart.
sad lor … it makes us think deeper what has our life become in this nation.
This is a solo effort by someone who is desperate and cheated of her hard-earned monies. It also demonstrate the pain & sorrow of the thousands of affected investors (especially the retirees). If the government & DBS are still not moved by their distress call for help & plight, I including all Singaporeans will never forget this episode….
Walter Woon! I dare you to try to charge her in court!
Last night at 10 pm, I took two pictures of a Chinese woman with an eight year old girl standing outside the Tampinese MRT station with tears in her eyes selling (begging?)tissue papers. A man passed by, then returned and gave her a $2 note.
I can’t be positive about the woman, but the eight year girl I guarantee you is 100% pure blooded Singaporeon! My heart cried……..What in the world is happening that she must be involved in this situation. She is supposed to be a valuable future resource of our first world country status! How will it affect her psychology in the future?
Is this our Golden Period? If TOC desires I can email the photos.
Zeitgeist,
Yes, please do email the pictures to us, if you don’t mind.. theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
Thanks.
Andrew
now you all know
why
every morning
i hear sadness crying
on the same void deck in my castle
this are the neighbours i knew
from day 1
they all beleived in leekuanyew the day leekuanyew cried merdeka
till today
yet being broke
they still vote for leekuanyew
mocking @ the oppositions for being stupid
and if i am not cold enough
what is?
I including all Singaporeans will never forget this episode…. #9) Cancer,
Neither should we ever forgive them.
“DBS spokeswoman Karen Ngui said that it was never the intention of the bank to alienate any particular group. ‘DBS supports children and learning in Asia . . . it’s the cause that we are supporting and not FOTF, and or what it stands for,’ she said.”
http://www.asiaone.com/News/The%2BBusiness%2BTimes/Story/A1Story20081205-105856.html
more should come out and protest, see whether the police dare to catch them ?
Protest is illegal if more then 4 persons gather
DBS CEO Richard Stanley also serves as a Director and Vice Chairman of The Islamic Bank of Asia Limited. Since he believe in islamic banking, certain investment products are banned from this kind of banking practice, such as this poor woman investment which wipe out all her $$ in a few months time. Can you please explain islamic banking over this bankrupt investment to all people who invested in this uniquely singapore bank?
Protests are often the LAST resort that a citizen can use to get his government to listen to his pleas.
The PAP bans protests SIMPLY because it makes their job easy. Not all that bull about scaring away investors, racial riots, dangerous, etc.
If you write letters to the press, see MP, etc, they can safely choose to ignore you. However if you protest on the streets, the government is forced to help you or use the police on you (gives poor public image).
This shows that $$$ rules all.
People can stand up to fight for $$$. But ask them to fight for freedom of speech or right to democracy.. You can forget it.
This is just the beginning. Usher in the new year with a long sigh, a big fall, and lots of lies from the PAP.
The people in the background look very indifferent.
It’s really sad.
No smug elites / minister / MPs offer to help.
DBS – Don’t Believe Smugs
Did this old lady “run”into a DBS bank with a bag of money after researching, reading the prospectus, understanding CDOs and CDSs, risk and return, and clamoured to invest in the High Notes? And the RM said to the lady, “It is caveat emptor, hor, auntie” . “Please sign here and tick ‘no advice option’
13) gemami
yesh, we shouldn’t forget and forgive them…and seeing this poor women really saddens me.
but what make her purchase this in the first place? i don’t think she was aware of the danger of this investment?
Dear OverclockSingaporean,
I am not a master in Islamic banking but from what I understand of it, generally Islamic banking prohibits” riba” or usury which is the lending or practice of lending money at an exorbitant interest. esp. in excess of the legal rate.
You can find a more comprehensive explanation of why such “mini bonds” are not allowed by Islamic Banking at the following link.
http://www.islamic-banking.com/ibanking/whatib.php
I hope you find this helpful.
I guess everyone should just follow her example.
DBS brings shame to itself and Singapore.
* 24) st Lady on December 23rd, 2008 5.21 pm
Thanks st Lady,
Managed to find information on http://www.islamicbankasia.com.
Surprised, it belongs to DBS with so many familar directors :
His Excellency Abdulla Hasan Saif – Chairman
Mr. Richard D. Stanley – Vice Chairman
Mr. Khalid Abdulla Al-Bassam
Mr. Khalid Abdullah Al-Zamil
Mr. Andrew Buxton
Mr. Lee Hsien Yang
Mr. Abdullah Tarmugi
Ms. Jeanette Wong
Mr. Eric Ang
Now, I know difference between ethical and unethical banking practice.
with the support of the people putting in their life savings,
DBS prospered.
I hope DBS help her.
She has more guts than the rest of us.
Out of 10 000 investors who lost their life long savings,
only 10% signed a petition.
She definitely knows about fighting for herself.
She definitely knows that if she does not speak up for herself,
she might have to wait long long for someone to help her.
I pray that she does not get charged for speaking up for her hardearned money.
She is suffering more than most of us already.
Alas, life is all about black and white.
If someone falls sick and don’t have enough money for medical service,
he is less fortunate than a dog with an owner who can pay and pay for her medicals, food and lodging.
Buy car insurance, don’t use the insurance coverage if you do not want to lose your bonus and increase in your premium to pay the next year. If you switch insurance company after that, you may have to pay more premium also or worse, no one will cover you.
My message is Life is tough. no one owes us a living and thus we must learn to speak up for ourselves or when bad things happen to us, we may be left to fight darkness by ourselves as no one got time or is free to help you.
but if you rich, people all over wants to be your friend.
” Riba” is haram but interest is an economic tool just like a swiss knife. it can be used for good and bad. Usury is bad just like AH Long san is bad. It is a measure of economic rent , a yardstick like rate of return.
Is it because it can be put to bad use therefore it is evil? Then , there are many thing s we have to ban.,. A very prominent scholar once said ‘interest’ will continue to be used as a economic tool for progress. Progress cannot progress without the use of interest rate.. Bond measure is in interest or coupon and it is determined by demand and supply and therefore there is risk sharing or bearing. A rose by another name is still a rose.
Hope that the woman and more like her will keep on protesting there everyday. Just too much
This is so sad. I hope DBS can really open their eyes and help not only her but those with savings gone because of their mis-selling.
Like some of you said, she got “balls” doing this. Maybe it’s because all her retirement funds are gone and living in Singapore without savings for old age is just suicide. If it were to happen to me, I probably will do the same thing..
Even I showed that It would take > 15 years for me to earn back the money, I still rejected.
It is very clear that I wld not buy such product if I know of he risk. How can risk > 15 years of my earnings for 5% yearly return?
So it is not surprise so many people are being rejected.
I hope she gets her “compensation” through her antics.
This public display is direct and straight -forward, draws sympathy, attracts attention and effective. Reminds me of the acronym, KISS: Keep it simple, stupid.
She is a fine example of a true blue Singaporean, fighting for their rights, despite her illness.
If it works, it beats wayanging around around a grass-mound for weeks and no concrete resolution.
3) Overclock Singapore on December 23rd, 2008 11.48 am
Singapore big ambition to be biggest financial hub of the east …..
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sorny hor, i think singapore may become the banking hub of the world
if millionaires and billionaires start to transfer money from Swiss banks, under pressure by USA, to here.
then again hor, secrecy rule means what huh? so secret for what?
what is there to secret?
oh, no let people know your money how much saved in bank here is it?
but why would people secret secret about their money in bank?
what sort of business they doing?
this TOC recommended link is interesting:
http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=565&fArticleId=4770927
but if one fine day USA comes knocking on singapore banks ……
8-p
30) jefj0901 on December 23rd, 2008 8.40 pm
This is so sad. I hope DBS can really open their eyes and help not only her but those with savings gone because of their mis-selling.
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90% of the investors-victims did not sign the petition. Does this mean just need to help the 10%? I think DBS should just help the 10% first, if at all. The rest does not seem to be bothered to sign a petition. maybe got some unpetitioned reason leh?
She limped and limped under the merciless sun
along raffles place
full of people
and people just watched
and nothing they can do
to help
someone suffering
and
its the season of giving…..
And all we can do (as always)
is watch this woman suffer in broad daylight.
trust me, no one would dare go near her.
’tis the season to be jolly…..
merry x’mas one and all , Singaporeans unique type.
Recession? What recession?
No, no, that’s just an old lady whose lost her mind, right? People who protest like Dr Chee are psychopaths, right?
Right ST? Right PAP? Right LKY?
If she get compensated,you can be sureto see more people with placard in raffles place during lunchtime.
Here goes the Singapore brand…
Work so hard for so many years, but to see savings and Singapore washed down the drain…
What to do?
Protest for what? Those banks will probably just laugh at Singaporeans: Singaporeans so stupid, my problem?
You think a signboard will change anything…? Poor old woman.
Don’t think u will not get affected.
Don’t feel happy / lucky when u are not affected this time round.
If such products are allowed to be sold here.
If such tactics are allowed here.
Sooner or later, u or yr friends / relatives may be the next victims.
This poor woman definitely qualifies as a “vulnerable” investor for whom (according to ST report) DBS has already paid back the toxic investment. So, apparently even she has still not be repaid. It shows that you can’t trust our 154th newspaper. Don’t you believe the report that all vulerable investors have already been paid.
but what make her purchase this in the first place? SZ
Thanks for sharing the same sentiment, SZ.
As for what made her purchase the bombs, we should not even be asking the question in the first place. The rightful thing for the govt to do is to investigate if there is mis-selling. This alone will make all other questions invalid.
Is there mis-selling involved?
1. Yes; make the institutions foot the bill, account for and repay every cent owed.
2. No; Say it loud enough for all to hear. Wishy, washy statements that do not give a definite answer are not acceptable.
So you see, the answer has to be given, either in black or in white, not half black, half white.
I pray that she does not get charged for speaking up: Lee Kam L
I fear the authorities (Water Wound) might use her as a guinea pig to bring across the point they made that all are treated equally in the eyes of our kangaroo court; and; since they found it necessary to prosecute and charge the three kangaroo t-shirt guys, I fear they will also do the same to her. If not, how to disprove the glaring sentiments that our court is a kangaroo one?
Thanks 1st lady for the link on Islamic Bank and thanks too to Overcock Singapore for picking out the list of board members. It does tell a big story doesn’t it. Very much along the same line as Nepotism.
Here goes the Singapore brand indeed, Elfred.
YA very sad when I saw this article but also admired her desperate plead for justice and intervention by the relevenat authorities.
She is unlike many of the minibond investors in that she dare to take up the issue by stating her rights clearly.
Maybe she needs the money to take care of her health.
Singapore remains the only country in the world affected by the minibond investment not to have take up the issue sternly with the authorities. This not only reveals a very cowardly society that could not take a stand for their own rights but also show that we are too individualistic for our own good.
Unity is strength in any collective show of force. When we stand together in numbers people take notice but when we stand alone we are already defeated.
Singapore will not progress with the way we take up the issue with the minibond investment. We already lost the civil consumer right to a fair trial when we could not even raise issue with clear wrongful mis selling.
SIngapore has all to lose and nothing to gain with such lousy consumer right and the way we move, we are not going to change much.
heroine.
pay her back her money.
just ask the each minster to donate a tiny peanut each will be enough to save many more ppl like her.
Holly shit..!
This poor woman’s case would mark an important test whether DBS has got a heart to pay her for all the mis-selling and ill advice given to her.
She should be one of those vulnerable investors that DBS claimed to have already refunded their investments.
Let us see what is DBS’s response to know whether DBS still has a heart and a soul.
No problem.. press report today..
tomorrow everyone forgets about the woman and dbs.
Life goes on as usual..
This is Singapore
any hints of double standards here by our police?
Isn’t it illegal to hold any form of protests?
why no arrests, or are they afraid of the backlash?
this old lady no threat to their “national security”?
come on, police, we need some answers. why the double standards?
disclaimer: i am not advocating any arrests and i do think if there is mis-selling, compensation needs to be made. at the very least, DBS should look into helping her find assistance with the relevant authorities or even out of their own pockets. look into giving her temporary loans or anything. what i am questioning here is: why the double standards?
47) me on December 25th, 2008 5.09 pm
any hints of double standards here by our police?
How about that Seelan Palay’s 5-day fast in front of the Malaysian High Commission and Dr Chee’s one-man protest outside the Istana? Can compare these two cases with the old lady’s action?
Just Like what the name respresents
DBS
Don’t Bank on us for Safety – They lost the safe boxes in Dao Heng Bank
and peoples savings
Don’t Bank on us for Sound of Mind
Don’t Bank on us for Sense
DBS has received her complaint of mis_selling of the investment product and dismissed her complaint. She then took to the street to share her plight with the public.DBS has now promised to review her case. I wonder whether her appeal would be successful? Every one will be watching out for this case for the outcome.