Home » Posts tagged with "Singapore"
Posts tagged with "Singapore"
Sunny passes away – from political party member to homelessness
Jul. 28 | TOC just got news that Sunny passed away yesterday. Since this story was published, Sunny had found shelter in a Home for the Aged. His family cannot be traced to claim his body. TOC is enquiring how we may claim the body and give him a proper funeral....
Pink Dot 2010 – this Saturday, 15 May
May. 10 | Following its strong showing last year when 2,500 people turned up at Speakers’ Corner at Hong Lim Park, Pink Dot Sg has planned another event this year at the same location on 15th May 2010. Singaporeans are thus invited to come together in a show...
Civic Life: Operation Tiong Bahru
May. 2 | - By Ho Rui An - In March, Work-Life: The Making of Community, organised by the Theatre Training and Research Programme (TTRP), the British Council, and the National Museum of Singapore asked the question of what makes community and if art can bring...
HDB caught red-handed bending its own rules
Apr. 16 | Note: This letter was rejected for publication by TODAY Your VOICES page (TODAY April 13) featured two letters with opposing perspectives about sky-high HDB flat prices — the euphoric “Let’s talk about property” by Lulu See and the more sensible...
Al Jazeera English taken off air — whose loss is it?
Apr. 15 | The decision to drop news channel Al Jazeera English from Singtel’s mio TV this month has only served to generate needless negative publicity for Singapore. The Internet is abuzz with talk that this could be due to AJE’s coverage of Singapore...
Hair Zoom Studio raising funds for Changi Village cat sterilisation
Apr. 7 | A handful of volunteers want to stop the population boom in the Changi Village area (near Blks 9-13 Loyang Avenue) due to a surge in cats being abandoned and dumped there recently. The caregivers who live there are appealing for help as their funds...
Not in my name – No to the Mandatory Death Penalty
Apr. 5 | Kirsten Han This is The Online Citizen’s campaign video against the mandatory death penalty with regards to drug trafficking and the Misuse of Drugs Act. It is a video that I was privileged enough to work on, and I am glad to have the opportunity to...
Duo to longboard 108km around Singapore
Apr. 2 | Two Nanyang Technological University (NTU) undergraduates, Nurul Dini and Jon Jon, will attempt to cover an estimated 108km around Singapore on their longboards (an adaptation of the skateboard) on Saturday, 3rd April 2010. The colossal effort has been...
Reform Party to test support at walkabout
Apr. 2 | “We also want to use the walkabout to test support for the Reform Party, which has held walkabouts in (other) areas, such as the Hong Kah and West Coast GRCs.” Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam
SPF should build strong community partnerships in cyberspace
Apr. 1 | By Ravi Philemon The Online Citizen (TOC) sent in the following opinion to The Straits Times (ST) Forum on 30 March 2010. At the time of putting this up on TOC, ST had not responded if they would put this up in their papers. So, we publish our opinion...
Singaporean strawberries?
Apr. 1 | By Chua Yini In an address at the Singapore Scout Association’s 100th Anniversary dinner on the 27th of Feburary, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong described young Singaporeans as ‘fragile like strawberries’. Said SM Goh, ‘Fortunately, we have our...
Electricity charges to go up in April
Mar. 31 | “Electricity will cost more for the upcoming quarter, starting April. It will be the fourth consecutive quarter of increase. SP Services said that is because of a continued increase in fuel oil prices.” Channelnewsasia
Singaporeans furrow their brows over water festival
Mar. 31 | By Denise Lim The Water Festival is a highly celebrated festival in countries such as Thailand, Burma and Cambodia. While it is greeted by the natives with ostentatious pomp and fanfare in their home countries, the same festival that will be held in...
Vivian Balakrishnan – fallen off the speeding boat?
Mar. 30 | By Andrew Loh Once upon a time, Vivian Balakrishnan was among a group of PAP candidates which was termed “super-seven” by the local mainstream media. In the 2001 General Elections, then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had introduce the seven –...
Singapore in top ten – for the wrong reasons
Mar. 30 | “Singapore’s extensive trade links and efficient ports have lured opportunistic wildlife smugglers, who use the country as a transit point to ship exotic fauna to customers worldwide, animal welfare activists said. Wildlife trade monitoring...
CPF – we’ve got it right
Mar. 30 | “This issue of balance between housing, health and cash is always on the table. And there’s no perfect answer to that. By and large, we got it right so far. The problem is, we need to make it last a lifetime, because that’s what people...
Five years to be among top Asian footballing teams
Mar. 29 | “We have identified the gaps between us and the Asian giants like Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Australia.” Zainudin Nordin President of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS)
Engaging Singaporeans in new media: focus on the issues
Mar. 28 | By Leong Sze Hian This article has been updated with an edited version. During a recent REACH forum, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that feedback obtained online needs to be assessed “critically and carefully”, and that it is easy to...
Poor? Government “will deliver meals to you”
Mar. 28 | By Andrew Loh This article is updated with the video of the minister’s remarks. (Please see below). Read also: Vivian Balakrishnan – Wannabe tough guy’s fall from grace on TOC Facebook. At a forum organised by REACH, the government’s...
PM Lee on engagement of new media
Mar. 27 | “Mr Lee (Hsien Loong) noted the government must also be cautious of what he calls ‘Astroturfing’ campaigns. That’s where individuals or groups fake identities and orchestrate online movements.” Channel NewsAsia
Church member critical of City Harvest Church’s investment in Suntec
Mar. 27 | City Harvest Church member Simon Teoh, an investment banker, is critical of where the $310 million investment by City Harvest Church into Suntec will go. He wants to know how much would be spent on the lease and how long it would last. Troubled by the...
PM Lee, MM Lee and SM Goh wins libel suit again
Mar. 25 | “In a February 15, 2010, article, Mr. Bowring nonetheless included these two men in a list of Asian political dynasties, which may have been understood by readers to infer that the younger Mr. Lee did not achieve his position through merit. We...
TOC Editorial: Sheng Shiong’s extortionate increase – a failure of political representation
Mar. 25 | By Ng E-Jay From next month, supermarket chain Sheng Siong will increase the stall rentals by a whooping 30% at five of the wet markets it purchased last year. The five wet markets are in Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Batok and Serangoon. The current monthly...
Early childhood teachers: why are they being frowned upon?
Mar. 25 | By Farah Aziz I know someone from Australia and she told me a story that stayed with me for a long time. She had gone to a party and met some new people, but there was one gentleman that she remembered in particular. They had a casual conversation and...
MARUAH Pillar Talk – Human Rights in Singapore History: Questions, Assertions or Parenthesis?
Mar. 23 | MARUAH is launching the first of its quarterly Pillar Talk Series on Human Rights titled “Human Rights in Singapore History: Questions, Assertions or Parenthesis?“. The talk will feature Professor Loh Kah Seng who is a Singapore Historian,...
Sexual harassment and sanctity of the workspace
Mar. 23 | By: Ravi Philemon I recently hyperlinked The New Paper article, ‘Be my special designer girlfriend’ on TOC’s Facebook (FB) page and most people who commented on the link chided TOC for giving a wider circulation to the ‘gutter journalism’ of...
Ho Ching and western names
Mar. 23 | “One nephew, when he was in school, asked his parents’ permission to adopt a western name. His mother Ho Ching told him: ‘In China, only waiters and waitresses use western names.’ My father also explained how ‘Harry’...
Red light area gets out of line
Mar. 20 | From the Star Online By Seah Chiang Nee With Singapore allowing in a million foreigners in the past 10 years, it just had to happen. Recent police crackdowns on hot spots was an eye-opener on how deep organised crime has dug in Do not be afraid of the...
Celebrity scandal – transgression, media circus, spectacle
Mar. 20 | By Howard Lee, Guest Contributor By now, Jack Neo’s fall from grace would stand a good chance at winning News Story of the Year. The highly-acclaimed filmmaker and actor’s multiple infidelity has been well-documented in every major newspaper...
Undercover investigation on illegal tiger parts trade
Mar. 19 | TOC APPEAL We have 19 photos from you, our readers, so far – please continue to support The Anti-Mandatory Death Penalty Photo Project by simply taking a photo of yourself that says you do not support the Mandatory Death Penalty, and send it to...
Some creative messiness, please
Mar. 19 | “But to become a great centre for the arts and culture, like New York or London, Singapore needs unbridled freedom of speech and expression, and some tolerance for the creative messiness that accompanies it.” Dr Narain D Batra Professor...
Singapore – no grand story to tell the world
Mar. 19 | “But to become a great centre for the arts and culture, like New York or London, Singapore needs unbridled freedom of speech and expression, and some tolerance for the creative messiness that accompanies it. It is freedom of speech in all its manifestations...
ST and LHZB censor Chee’s letter on PAP undermining Singapore’s interests
Mar. 18 | This article first appeared in SINGAPORE DEMOCRATS In an interview which Lianhe Zaobao (28 Feb 10) did with Dr Chee Soon Juan, reporter Ms Yew Tun Lian implied that Dr Chee was being funded by foreigners to undermine Singapore. This story was also reported...
Do we not have room for remorse, repentence and conversion?
Mar. 17 | By Andrew Loh I have been wondering why the Singapore government has been reluctant to abolish the mandatory death penalty, or at least impose a moratorium on it. It is obvious to anyone familiar with how the MDP is practised in Singapore that there...
Don’t stand in the way of evolving social workers
Mar. 17 | By Sonia Suka Social Workers are evolving into “care coordinators”, according to the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sport, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. By adding, “coordination then means you need to be able to communicate with all the...
Re-tune the COE quota
Mar. 17 | By Chemical Generation The government just announced a change in the COE quota system. From April onwards with a pro-rated formula first and then every 6 months from July, the car population growth rate would be the number of deregistered vehicles...
What is a “procession”?
Mar. 17 | “But Mr Bala yesterday argued that the law did not allow any procession of five or more people in any public place to demonstrate support for, or opposition to, the views or activities of any person; to publicise a cause or campaign; or to mark...
Foyce Le Xuan makes police report
Mar. 17 | “I don’t believe it is Jack (Neo) who instigated the calls but rather others who want to watch the show go on.” Foyce Le Xuan, on receiving threatening phone calls
Gagged by the church – Foyce Le Xuan
Mar. 16 | By Sonia Suka The New Paper reported yesterday that Foyce Le Xuan was advised by her pastor from City Harvest Church (CHC) not to speak to the media about revealing all the details of Jack Neo’s advances towards her, six years ago. It would have been...
TOC Editorial: Cooling-off day may lead to heated confusion
Mar. 16 | By Ng E-Jay Three bills were tabled in Parliament last week to amend the Constitution as well as the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Acts. The proposed changes include raising the maximum number of Non-Constituency MPs from six to nine, making...
M Ravi: Death penalty should not be dispensed ‘in an automated, robotic, spasmodic approach’
Mar. 16 | By Yini Chua At the appeal hearing for Yong Vui Kong today, the Court of Appeal, consisting of Chief Justice Chan Sek Long, Justices of Appeal Andrew Phang Boon Leong and VK Raja, chose to reserve its judgment instead of delivering a verdict. Yong is...
Discretion to the judges – judgment reserved
Mar. 15 | By Kirsten Han p style=”text-align: justify;”>It’s a “slippery slope” argued Attorney-General (AG) Walter Woon; the thin edge of the wedge which pitted the legislature against the judiciary. With the multiple notices around Singapore’s...
Time for someone new to drive Singapore
Mar. 14 | BREAKING: The Court of Appeal has heard Yong Vui Kong’s appeal. After hearing submissions from Mr M Ravi, representing Yong, and the response from Attorney-General Walter Woon for the prosecution, the Court has reserved judgement for a later date. By...
Alex Au on what HDB flats should mean
Mar. 14 | “The policy direction should be not to build costly flats with bells and whistles and then dishing out subsidies so people can buy them. Instead, it should be to build them at an affordable cost, so that no subsidies are necessary.” Alex Au,...
COE: Another solution that may make more money, but may not solve the problem?
Mar. 13 | By Leong Sze Hian I refer to the report “LTA announces changes to Vehicle Quota System” (Channel News Asia, Mar 11). The report states that the number of COEs is likely to be reduced, which means car prices may go up. Will higher COE prices...
Getting into bed with Jack Neo
Mar. 12 | By Lee Song Kwang, with additional reporting by Ravi Philemon Mr George Yeo, Minister for Foreign Affairs, wrote in his personal blog recently that he was concerned for Jack Neo’s wife (Rallying around Jack Neo and his family). Was not Mr Yeo concerned...
HDB: Homelessness due to policies? BTS better than BTO? 31,000 flats unsold, but nobody knows?
Mar. 12 | By Leong Sze Hian I refer to the article “Life’s a beach, but it’s no holiday: Parents’ irresponsibility, greed and policy are depriving kids of homes” (ST, Mar 9). The article begins by mentioning how a certain Mr Yusof lost his...
