Singapore Local News! + Crime & Punishment (Non Gay) (Compiled)

[pinkslut]

Arrested exec shared drugs in F&P flat

18 June 2006

By ADAM DUDDING

Graham Ball, the former Fisher and Paykel executive arrested in a Singapore drugs bust, was sharing drugs at a flat paid for by F&P when police swooped, say charge sheets released to the Sunday Star-Times by the Singapore courts.

Ball, 45, and local man Lim Kim Hui, who is in his late 20s, were charged with trafficking, consumption and other drug charges after police found 2.25g of methamphetamine and 1.19g of ketamine in Ball's company flat.

Urine samples from the men tested positive for drugs.

Ball has continued to live at the flat since he was released on bail a week after his March 31 arrest, but a Fisher and Paykel spokesman in New Zealand said he would leave the flat when its lease expired in a few days.

Ball's lawyer, Harbajan Singh, said the company fired Ball from his post as Singapore general manager soon after his arrest. He said Ball had "lost everything".

"He was earning good money, he was number one running operations here. It's hit him very bad."

Ball's $S100,000 ($102,000) bail was paid by his brother, who flew to Singapore after being told of the arrest by the New Zealand government.

The two trafficking charges against Ball, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and 15 strokes of the cane, have since been replaced with possession charges in a plea bargain arranged by Singh.

Singh said Ball, who is originally from Te Puke, in the Bay of Plenty, was likely to face a sentence of about nine months in prison plus fines. He will next appear in court on June 29.

News of the arrest came as Singapore's prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, arrived in New Zealand for an official five-day visit.

Prime Minister Helen Clark yesterday refused to comment on Ball because his case is before the courts. She would not say if she would raise the matter with her Singaporean counterpart during his visit.

A Fisher and Paykel spokesman in New Zealand said the company was "shocked" when Ball was charged, but he declined to comment on whether its reputation in Singapore had suffered as a result

[Guest Bypass]

He pleaded guilty in district court and was reported in ST today, but since he is not GAY nor celebrity, there is no further elaboration, I doubt the tabloid will bother to carry the reports further..

[pinkslut]

He pleaded guilty in district court and was reported in ST today, but since he is not GAY nor celebrity, there is no further elaboration, I doubt the tabloid will bother to carry the reports further..

How do you know he is not gay?

[erection day]

Many rides, one fare?

SINGAPORE: Fancy paying a flat fee as you hop from buses to trains to get from Ang Mo Kio to Clementi? That could be a reality, if the Government takes up a suggestion mooted to make public transport more attractive to Singaporeans.

The flat fee

[erection day]

Another worthy news of interest comes from NP today. As you know, Starhub has recently annouced an unpopular fee hike for its programme package- hardest hit is the sport channel with a rise of $10 per month. According to a NP sports sruvey of 320 responses- 85per cent said they would give up their sports plan. Mr Abdul Rab said he cant afford the price increase "It was $8, then it went up to $15. It keeps going up while my income does not'.

And for those who are enticed by the free gift which comes with new subscription, do note that there's a penalty for early termination. But some are caught in the middle. Like Miss Ruhaida, who signed up in Feb who's not happy with the fee hike and is thinking of terminating. She now has to choosse between paying the higher rates or the early termination fees. "When I signed the contract, the price was stated clearly. Now they tell us there's an increase. It's not fair."

For me I have been using Starhub for years (mum likes to watch 'animal' channel). Thank god, my contract with them is over. New customers always got free gifts but old loyal cutomer like me got almost no rewards from them. I ever thought of terminating it and then waiting for a promotion to sign in again. I did call them up and they said after terminating cannot re-contract for at least another three months and must pay extra for new set up service. :yuk:

[Guest Guest]

how do u decide between flat fee for bus-train hopper and those only need bus or train?

[StockyMature]

They want radical ideas? Here's mine: Install the EZ Link reader in bus stops and not on buses. Tap before going up bus and tap when you reach destination. This way, you can change as much buses as you like. They can include a big fee if the passanger does not reach the final destination is say 2 hours.

hey ! i like your good idea! :clap:

this way not only make the boarding and alighting ever faster,

also great for those who are forgetful to tap before alighting the bus, then they wont be always pay extra donation to transit link. :thumb:

[erection day]

In an earlier thread, I did mention about that 'eye-catching' cross-dresser uncle in Chinatown who just looks different from the other effeminate cross dressers- he was in Wan Bao news the other night! This tanned, manly looking, moustached man with heavy makeup, sunglasses and who wears a bright floral dress can sometimes be seen in the busy Chinatown area. It was revealed that he's married with a daughter. The former security guard (now umemployed) lamented that his wife and daughter dont want to go out with him. Hmmm... I wonder why. In the report, he said he just like to wear women's clothes but insisted that he's not gay.

[oralb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_dresser

cross dresser may not necessary be gay. likewise not all gay men like to cross dress.

[TopChinese]

Maybe that's the Scorpion King?

[erection day]

While waiting at the bus terminal, I chanced upon the warning sign on the pillar at the bus entrance. Stop Abuse on the Bus! This afternoon co-incidentally the NP featured this disturbing trend of communters behaviour - bashing bus captains as the headline.

'SBS. As in Stop Beating our Staff. That is the message from Spore's biggest bus company, because of a sharp rise in violence against its drivers. SBS Transist siad that 18 of its bus captains have been assualted this year- that's an average of three cases every month. For the whole of last year there were 14 cases.

Starting today, it will put up posters at all 34 of its interchanges and terminal. The poster will encourage commuters to call 999 to report to the police any assaults they see. "We are dismayed and disgusted at what some commuters have done to our bus captains, we will take action against their assailants where appropriate." said SBS chief officer.

Some recent cases- On 9 May, a 17-year-old junior college student punched a bus driver in the face after the latter retained his friend's ez-link card. On 6 June, a passenger bashed up a bus driver after he declined to wait for the man to finish a cigarette before boarding the bus. The commuter who stubbed out his cigarettes boarded the bus, abused the driver and hit him. During his tirade, which went on for more than a min, he threatened to kill the bus driver.'

Thank got I personally have not been a witness to any of these violent behaviour on the bus. The only dramatic incident happened last week when the driver captain sternly warned an apparently drunk commuter who was trying to sleep with his legs blocking the aisle.

[erection day]

News of the day:

'The former head of Singapore's biggest charity, whose lavish use of public donations caused a scandal in the city-state, was sentenced to three months in jail on Thursday for fabricating an invoice.

T.T. Durai, the former chief executive of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) who sparked an outcry after he admitted to using charity funds to pay for gold-plated taps in his office bathroom, was sentenced by a court in one of the nation's most high-profile court cases in recent years. Last week, a Singapore court found Durai guilty of cheating the charity by submitting a fake invoice for S$20,000 ($13,030).

Judge Aedit Abdullah said as he passed the sentence that a fine would not reflect the crime and the harm caused.

"A chief executive officer of a charitable institution must perform his duties with utmost propriety," Abdullah said.

Durai plans to appeal the sentence, according to his lawyers, and is out on bail for S$100,000. Durai, who was forced to resign from the charity in 2005, has admitted to spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of the charity's funds on expensive hotels and overseas travel during his tenure, on top of his S$600,000 salary.

Dressed in a white shirt and a blue tie, Durai looked composed when the sentence was passed, smiling at friends who were present in court when the trial was over.

The NKF has sued Durai and other former officials in a bid to recover a total of S$12 million.

Durai's lawyer Sant Singh told the court on Thursday before the sentencing that Durai had agreed to pay the NKF about S$4 million over the next four years, and appealed to the judge not send his client to prison.

"He has lost everything that he has owned," said Singh, who added in his written plea that Durai also faced impending bankruptcy.

Singapore's reputation for efficiency and freedom from corruption was dented when the NKF scandal first came to light in 2005' Reuter

In the other news, Christopher Lee may be released this week.

[erection day]

News of interest about aunties from hell....

'There are appropriate places to shell prawns. A bus isnt one of them. But that didnt stop one middle-aged woman from peeling her plastic bag full of crustaceans on a Tibs bus. A passenger who filmed and posted the clip online said "the prawns stank and polluted the whole air-conditioned bus". He said that if he hadnt confronted her, the woman would have left the prawn shells on the floor. After he told her off, she grudgingly picked up the shells. A quick search on YouTube for 'Spore auntie' comes up with several clips that reinforced the negative image of thes elderly or middle-aged women or housewives. The most infamous is probably the 'Spore Lift Auntie' who was caught on film as she started chasing and yelling at a man and his daughter, as they cowered in a lift. Other videos included women taking far more plastic bags than they needed, and a woman who, with two others who appeared to be her sister and elderly mother, argued with someone over a carpark lot. There was even one of a woman combing her wet hair at a corridor of a HDB block and leaving her used wet towel on the parapet every day. Eee....ee. . Perhaps the most difficult clip to watch is one entitled 'Hardcore nose digging auntie on MRT'. It shows a bespectacled woman taking up two seats on the train and clearing the gunk in her nose energetically." NP

[erection day]

An interesting article on 'ladies night' in Sunday Times yesterday.

'In a black-lace top, a grey Gucci beret and tight jeans, Ms Violet Lim was dressed for the party. But at the entrance of Powerhouse in mega-club St. James Power Station, a bouncer asked for her identity card, then denied her the five free-drinks vouchers typically offered to women on Ladies' Night. The reason? She was 'above 35'. "They are too much," she said. "My gf and I have been going to Ladies Night at various clubs for many years and we never had problems getting free drinks." But Andrew Ing, chief operating officer at St. JAMES said the club's coupons only extend to women 'who fit our target profile'- that is 'young and trendy'. Similarly snubbed-and annoyed- was 36-year-old Geraldine. "It's like gelling you you're old and wont attract guys, so go somewhere else," said Ms Lee. ' At these incidents, Ms Constance Singam, lashed out: 'They shouldnt call it Ladies' Night then. They should call it "Young & Sexy Night". Even men agreed, saying women should not be made to feel bad. At least, "the club should make it explicit", said Mr Chew. '

Well, I bet that if an ex-model who is above 40 and gorgeous, the bouncer would have let her in readily. Who cares about 'inner beauty"? It's the outer beauty that always get your foot first in the door isnt it?

[Guest suck]

Its appalling how discrimination is still so much alive today. Discrimination against gay men and now discrimination against aged women. Sigh. Thank god got blowing wind which appreciate aged men.

[Guest Guest]

A Japanese man who set a world record by wolfing down dozens of hot dogs within minutes has suffered a severe jaw injury due to his rigorous training, making his next title uncertain.

Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi said he can only open his mouth to make a gap the size of a fingertip after being diagnosed with jaw arthritis.

In an entry on his blog entitled "Occupational hazard," Kobayashi said: "My jaw refused to fight any more."

The injury occurred only a week after the slender 29-year-old started training to win his seventh straight title at the annual July 4 Nathan's Famous hot dog eating event on New York's Coney Island.

"I feel ashamed that I couldn't notice the alarm bells set off by my own body," he said. "But with the goal to win another title with a new record, I couldn't stop my training so close to the competition.

"I was continuing my training and bearing with the pain but finally I destroyed my jaw."

Kobayashi, who has become a niche celebrity in Japan and the United States, had already halted his competitive eating activities for several months due to mourning after his mother's death earlier this year.

But he said he still wanted to go to the competition in New York.

"I want to be the pride of my mother," he said in the blog entry posted Sunday.

Last year, Kobayashi put down a world-record 53 and three-quarters hot dogs in just 12 minutes.

In addition to the Nathan's Famous titles, he holds world records for scoffing cows' brains and rice balls.

In 2004, he founded the United Food Fighters Organisation in hopes of making people take competitive eating seriously as a sport.

Despite Japanese people's reputation as moderate eaters, Kobayashi helped to turn competitive eating into a television sensation with "food fighters" downing everything from sushi to cakes.

But Japanese television began to shy away from such contests after a 14-year-old junior high school student choked to death in 2002 trying to imitate competitive eating during school lunch

[jazz]

... ... ... Install the EZ Link reader in bus stops and not on buses. Tap before going up bus and tap when you reach destination. This way, you can change as much buses as you like. ... ... ...

How would the bus-driver know if a person had not tapped on the card reader at the bus-stop before boarding the bus? Unless bus-stops or bus interchanges are build like MRT Stations!

Radical? ERP method. Install over the entrance/exit of the buses. Walk thru and immediately it would detect your card. Of course, I have not taken technology into consideration and I do not know if current technology is able to support such an idea!

[erection day]

Some Singaporeans have bought spyware via the internet, which allows one to read someone else's SMS messages.

Police warned that this is illegal as it violates the Computer Misuse Act.

They added that offenders could be fined by up to $10,000 or jailed for up to three years, or both.

But that hasn't deterred some from buying the spyware for S$207 at foreign websites.

All you need to do is to download the software into the mobile phone, and monitor the SMSes via a website.

Lawyers said users are liable for a civil suit as they are viewing what's considered sensitive information. - CNA /ls

[Buaya]

Tempting... I know who's sms-es I want to read... But sometimes, it is better NOT to know too much...

[Asura]

Know so much for what? Make your life more miserable?

If I tell you the list of things duck eat, would you eat duck ever again?

Ignorance is bliss

[erection day]

Another interesting thoughtful article from Today to share:

'I had just finished some volunteer work at the Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) office and was walking through Golden Mile Complex when I overheard a barrage of abuse raining down on a foreign domestic helper.Though it was in English, the shouting just drowned out the words. What was on display for all to see was the humiliation of a domestic helper by an employer who kept on yelling at her without missing a beat.

I loathed stepping in, but as a TWC2 member, it made no sense if my work was merely confined to an office, meetings, campaigns, dialogues or forums. I had to intervene. Mindful of not embarrassing the employer, I walked up to her and softly suggested that she should talk to her helper in private instead of in public.

Not surprisingly, she turned on me and roped in her husband who was walking some distance behind to complain about my interference. Disdainfully, the husband said to me: "Mind your own business. You are a busybody. This is a private matter."

When he paused, I managed to squeeze in two points: First, I was volunteering for TWC2, a non-government organisation on migrant workers; and secondly, the shouting was in public. He next asked for proof of my involvement. I passed some helpline cards to him and his domestic helper.His wife repeated that I did not know what her helper had done and that I was interfering in a private matter.

I simply replied that she was entitled to tell her helper off but that there was no necessity to shout at her all the way through the ground floor of the shopping complex to the walkway outside, and into the travel agency that they had walked into. In so doing, this was no longer a private matter.

As I drove off I could not help reflecting on what had happened. The downcast foreign domestic worker, whose humiliation was made absolute in my speaking up for her. The husband, who first walked a short distance behind his wife as she berated the helper, and then was suddenly thrust centre-stage to defend his wife's actions. The wife, who was, of course, exasperated and who felt betrayed that their money, training and even kindness, had not bought them a helper who was without fault. The shopkeepers, who pretended not to see what was happening to avoid being drawn into the fracas. And lastly, the browsers, who paused to gawk.

Did my actions help the domestic helper in any way? Did she feel better that someone spoke up against her humiliation? Did I improve the situation for the couple

[Asura]

Well done, but than, its not only foreigner who is being abuse. I as a Singaporean also am abuse like that by my boss...

What I am saying is not that the author should not help him/her. But than again, its good he/she ask that question about, "Did my actions help the domestic helper in any way?" I guess he/she will probably get more abuse and scolding, when the employer does not feel good about being "publicly humiliated". No I don't think the author is humiliating them, but people who do not know how to think, would think so.

Its good that the author have pass the knowledge of venues of seeking help. I think that is enough done. It is up to him/her to seek help.

Believe me, I have seen worst.

[erection day]

News of interest:

'ALMOST seven weeks to the day that he slipped out from under the nose of the authorities, disgraced former National Kidney Foundation (NKF) chairman Richard Yong (picture), will be hauled to court today

[Asura]

Finanlly he is caught, I am so glad :clap:

[erection day]

Another news close to where I live. Big fuss over small thing.

'A LITTLE room in AMK Hub is fast becoming a favourite haunt for middle-aged folks with cash and time to spare. But the jackpot facility run by NTUC Club is also attracting flak from conservative heartland residents and shoppers, who are concerned about the impact on students from nearby schools who hang out at the popular mall.

The jackpot facility, which houses 40 fruit machines, is located on level four and stands beside the cineplex and arcade centre. Access is restricted to members and sign-in guests, who must be above 18.When Today checked out the facility at lunchtime on Wednesday, it was enjoying brisk business from middle-aged men and women as well as young working professionals. .It also turned the heads of teens

[oralb]

The concerns of residents concerns were "natural and valid", he said, adding that the NTUC Club had given assurances of "very strict checks" on patrons' age, and that staff had been trained to identify gambling addicts for counselling.While the AMK Hub location was "not ideal", gambling is already prevalent and accessible here, noted Ms Debra Soon, chairman of the National Council on Problem Gambling's youth sub-committee.

.

The objective, she said, is to ensure "responsible gambling practices" and that the Responsible Gambling Code of Practice is adhered to. ' today

:thumb:

to ensure "responsible gambline practices" is to open one gambling den in heartlander mall... as "gambling is already prevalent and accessible here"

way to go...

[erection day]

A reporter went undercover and came up with an expose about Fake Monks and Nuns in Sunday Times today. The report also came with what looks like shots taken with the suspects all unaware of being caught on film. Some of them are actually quite good looking.

'A four-storey motel smack in the red light district of Geylang has been the hideaway for groups of bogus monks and nuns who make their way from northern Thailand in and out of Spore for quick pickings. Numbering as many as 100, they take refuge in Lor 28 in Geylang, venturing out in the mornings for their 'alms' rounds. The whole group of about 50 made a quick exit on Fri aft, after police came sniffing around their lodgings the night before.'

[Guest fm am]

The New Seven Wonders of the World

The Great Wall of China, the Andean fortress of Machu Pichu and the Mayan pyramid of Yucatan have been listed among the new Seven Wonders of the World.

The results of a two-year poll were announced in Lisbon. Latin America topped the tree with three wonders hailing from the region.

But the first vote went to the Great Wall of China, which was followed by the Andean fortress of Machu Pichu, the Mayan pyramid of Yucatan.

The statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro, the 'rose-red' desert city of Petra in Jordan, the Rome Colosseum and India's Taj Mahal completed the set.

Spontaneous celebrations broke out on the streets of Agra as soon as it was announced that the 17th century Mughal monument was on the new list. In Rome people reacted to the news that the Roman Colosseum would be added to the list.

The giant amphitheater in Rome was inaugurated in AD 80 by Titus in a ceremony of games lasting 100 days. The 50,000-seat Colosseum, which has influenced the design of modern sports stadiums, was as an arena where thousands of gladiators duelled to the death, and, as tradition would have it, Christians were fed to the lions.

[oralb]

Good article by Janadas Devan in ST today.

The Straits Times (Singapore)

July 7, 2007 Saturday

HEADLINE: Can mum, mum and kids make a family?

BYLINE: Janadas Devan, Senior Writer

BODY:

I HAVE a good friend who is a lesbian. She believes she was born one, not having experienced any heterosexual inclinations since she became sexually conscious in puberty.

My friend has a partner. They are not legally married, since the state they live in in the United States does not recognise gay marriages. But their partnership was solemnised in a Quaker ceremony, witnessed by family and friends, including myself. To all intents and purposes, theirs is a stable marriage.

It is also a fruitful marriage, for my friend has two children, both biologically hers. She conceived them by means of artificial insemination, the sperms having been donated by suitably screened men.

Apart from the fact that there is no father in the picture, my friend's family is normal and exemplary in every way.

The two children are healthy, cheerful, intelligent and well-behaved. They have two loving parents. My friend and her partner are highly educated, with five university degrees between them.

They own the home they live in, they pay their taxes, they save for their children's education, they are charitable, they never fail to vote, they attend church every Sunday. They are model citizens.

Of course, there are any number of other model citizens - in the US and Singapore, in China, India, Indonesia and elsewhere - who would think my friend's family is anything but normal. Homosexuality is against the laws of God and Nature, they would say. Artificial insemination is all well and good for heterosexual couples - but not for homosexual ones. A family must consist of a husband, a wife and children - not same-sex parents with children. I find all these assertions incomprehensible.

If homosexuality is against the laws of God and Nature, how come there are so many homosexuals? What sort of iron-clad laws can these be if they can allow for so many exceptions to the rule?

The demographics on sexual orientation is hazy, but it is evident that a fair number in any population is either homosexual or bisexual. Alfred Kinsey's famous studies of sexuality in the 1950s claimed that as much as 10 per cent of American males were homosexual. Most experts today believe this was an over-estimation.

Recent studies suggest 3 to 6 per cent of adult American males, and somewhat fewer adult females, are homosexual. Surveys in other countries reveal similar or somewhat lower proportions. It is possible such surveys underestimate the number of homosexuals, since homosexuals are often reluctant to admit to their sexual orientation.

Whatever the correct figure, it is impossible to believe God (or Nature) is of the view that Socrates and Alexander the Great, Walt Whitman and Ludwig Wittgenstein, W.H. Auden and E.M. Forster, are all somehow deformed versions of humanity simply because they were gay.

'Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.'

It is astonishing the number of people who profess to be religious who manage to forget this most momentous of statements in Christ's Sermon on the Mount. (There are similarly powerful statements in all the major religions.)

As for the belief that there is an ideal family unit - father, mother, children - and that any straying from this model is somehow dangerous, it is worth remembering that the nuclear family as we know it was not always considered the norm.

Till recently, the norm in many cultures was the extended family. Some cultures are matrilineal, with the line of descent and inheritance being determined by the mother, not the father.

No single model of the family has dominated throughout history. The traditional nuclear family just happens to be a structure that contemporary society finds stable and workable - and it too is changing, as women become more educated and have careers. And even among today's supposedly ideal nuclear families, how many live up to their billing?

One in two heterosexual marriages in the US ends in divorce. Are the children of divorced heterosexual couples better off than the children of my lesbian friends?

How about the children of single mothers or of constantly bickering heterosexual couples locked in loveless marriages?

No matter how happy and well-adjusted the children of lesbian couples may be, they are always, by virtue of their parentage, morally suspect in comparison to the products of broken heterosexual marriages?

The only problems the children of my lesbian friends would face derive, not from the circumstances of their birth, but from the nature of the wider society in which they may find themselves. Fortunately for them, they are growing up for now in a university town, a liberal and tolerant milieu. If they were growing up in Utah, say, it would be a different story. 'You've two mothers and no father? You're a freak.'

One can imagine the taunts they might face in school if they were growing up in Utah or Alabama instead of Massachusetts or California.

What about Singapore?

It is probably closer to Utah than to California in this matter. Despite none other than Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew saying 'homosexuals are mostly born that way, and no public purpose is served by interfering in their private lives', there is considerable social resistance to accepting gays as equals.

Male homosexual acts remain, officially, crimes under Section 377A of the Penal Code. The Singapore Government has in effect adopted a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy where homosexuality is concerned. And as for gay marriage, Mr Lee himself, despite his progressive views on homosexuality, has said: 'We cannot go that far. We are a more conservative society.'

What are homosexuals in Singapore to do?

They really have no alternative but to accept the somewhat larger scope the Singapore Government has now afforded them and work to change society. That is not going to be easy, given the deep-seated views - the prejudices, actually - of the majority.

The fact that the Government - usually never shy of forcing through a policy, no matter what the public resistance to it might be, if it believes the policy is correct - finds it necessary to give way to public sentiment in not officially decriminalising male homosexual acts, indicates the depth of the prejudice against gays.

On the hopeful side, two factors would favour homosexuals in the long run: One, the growing evidence that homosexuality has a genetic basis. And two, the growing cosmopolitanism of Singapore.

What will those who hold that homosexuality is against the laws of God say when it is definitively established that homosexuality has a genetic basis? That God deliberately made a mistake with the DNA of gays - and wishes us to persecute them for his mistake?

And what will they say when they discover homophobia renders Singapore a less attractive place to the talented and creative, both local and foreign? There is a reason why some of the most creative cities in the world - San Francisco, Boston and London - are also among the most accepting of gays.

Clever people cannot abide intolerance.

[erection day]

'JJ Lin's psycho music video which sees the Spore singer killing and mutilating his co-star is banned on 3 Taiwanese TV station. In his MV, The Killa, which is about 5 mins long and costs $250,000 to make, tells the story of a novelist writing a story of a man in love with an exchange student from Brazil. His love turns into an obsession and he eventually kidnaps, kills and cuts her up. He then frames her body parts on his wall - including her severed head- turning it into one giant 'portrait'. In the full-blown version of the mv, Liz's topless body is visibe in two scenes. Student Janice Lim, 13, said she caught the video on the Net. 'I was quite shocked,' she admitted. 'I think it's gone a bit too far.' She has seen all 3 versions of the video on the internet. This is not the first time JJ has flirted with controversy and raised questions over whether his is deliberately trying to grab attention.' - The New Paper

[GachiMuchi]

Nice article, but alas the minority "religious zealot" will surely have their say and he most probably get slammed for his article in the ST forum page for trying to speak out for gays.

[TopChinese]

This development confirms Singapore is a democractic country! You cannot break the [EDIT: chain] of command. Even in your grandfather's army.

http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNew...SP1129520070713

In his anger for having to do extra duty, 2LT Lee ("

=============

SINGAPORE | Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:31pm EDT

(Reuters) - A son of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has received a rebuke from the country's military for violating its chain of command with an e-mail complaint about a fellow officer, the ministry of defense said on Friday.

Li Hongyi, a 2nd Lieutenant doing his national service, had sent the e-mail to Singapore's defense Minister and hundreds of military personnel to complain that a colleague had gone absent without leave on two occasions.

Li also said in the June 28 missive that the errant officer's supervisors failed to act even after he raised the matter.

"Second Lieutenant Li was found to have contravened the General Orders...by broadcasting his letter of complaint to many other servicemen -- almost all of whom were neither directly under his command, nor in an official capacity where they could deal with the matters contained in his letter of complaint," the ministry said in a statement.

"There are proper channels within the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) to address servicemen's grievances or concerns."

The defense ministry said Li, 20, was formally charged and reprimanded after a summary trial earlier this month.

It added that the errant officer Li had complained about had been court martialed for going absent without leave while his two supervising officers were issued warning letters for "poor judgment in administering appropriate disciplinary action".

Li's letter -- totaling 2,000 words according to the Today newspaper -- has been posted online by several Singapore blogs, which have emerged as an alternative source of information for the city-state's Internet-savvy population, over pro-government newspapers.

Singapore newspapers said that Li was about to leave for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. to read economics on a government scholarship.

Li is the first-born son of the prime minister's second wife, Ho Ching, who heads Singapore state investment firm Temasek Holdings.

[Guest Guest]

Wow, yan-dao-gnia wo, I like his thin lips.

[reflection]

xxx

[Guest Guest]

Eh...who is rockson? How come he got a copy of the letter? Is the letter authentic?

[reflection]

xxxx

[Asura]

He is showing us an example of properly writing to the higher authority using email, and at the same time, spread whatever he did to the mass media. Another one-man-can-save-the-world American hero movie theme?

Well-done :clap: Probably preparing to step up the Political Ladder, toss to our 2Lt Li who step on another person to climb, but than again, the LTA X deserve it.

If I would think it in the normal kind citizens on the street, that LTA X is probably another white elephant, and our PM Li's son, probably no happy that he is not doing better, so stab behind.

Let see who is capable of publishing the photo of LTA X online. He is probably better looking that 2LT Li

[Guest Guest]

do you think he consulted his father before he email the letter :clap:

[reflection]

xxxx

[Guest Guest]

reflection, i can feel that you have fallen in love with him already. U spent the whole afternoon searching his news from the internet? See you can find more pictures of him from the net for your wall posters !

[reflection]

[xxx

[Guest Guest]

reflection he wistle blow because he know he is leaving for oversea.On hindsight if he had another 6 months to go would he do it, do you think he is concern about his safety :twisted:

[Asura]

I really think its not worth blowing the whistle anymore. Why blow it when you know you will be whack upside down. Let see how Singapore deteriorate.

[Baloo]

where this case is concerned, if it were another 'whistle blower' not of such powerful family background, the case won't even see the light of day.

This is obviously a public relations stunt to show that no one especially not HIM is above the law here.

However, with so powerful a background, he need not have done this at all in the first place. I wonder why he did it...

overwhelming sense of 'justice' and 'doing your duty'?

I cannot agree with this line of thinking... and not 'politically astute' imho...

such information is powerful leverage in the future, and the other LTA can become someone of use in the future where he will have to repay the debt or face powerful retribution... (hahaha too much of the Godfather/Noble House thinking in this?

imho... too naive and too straight thinking... and too arrogant to think that he can just email to so many seniors up to MOD level ... maybe becos he keeps seeing them at his home and totally respectful to grandpa and daddy... that he no longer thinks there is any 'barrier' or protocol to follow whether uniform or not...

just my tots... mods pls censor in case it's too critical or attracts too many flies...

[enjoylife77]

Publicity stunt

[Guest Guest]

Publicity stunt

Frankly, what's there to publicize?

And what stunt is that?

[Guest Guest]

I agree. Wat publicity stunt? I know there are always smart alecky people out there who are always cynical and always on the lookout for conspiracy theories. But I dun think this is the case here. Well just look at the letter itself. U can easily detect the genuineness in his writing. Also why would anyone about to disrupt soon write something like that unless he is passionate about it? It only shows that he cannot let someone so incorrigible serve as a leader of soldiers. That AWOL LTA clearly cannot be trusted to fight for his country or take care of his men or unit. Someone must know this before he does more grievous damage.

[Guest Guest]

oic...this is the son of the pinky leong..no wonder he dare to voice out and cc to all.

[Guest Guest]

i get the feeling that some of the members here have no idea what they are talking about. Probably just making a comment for the sake of one.

I read the letter and confirm that the one Topchinese posted is authentic. I don't noe how rockson got it, but im sure as hell MINDEF does not want that letter going around.

Firstly, it's no "publicity stunt". It was a measured, and very well calculated move on Lee Hongyi's part. He knew very well the consequences of his actions, and was prepared for it. Notice that he quoted a section of the Directive to make his point. It would make perfect sense for him to ascertain the full extent of his punishment should he disseminate the letter to the so called "irrelevant" ppl thru the Directive. As such, i believe he deliberately included practically the entire Signal formation in that letter.

And for what reason? So that people like you and me and those no longer serving as NSFs can come to know of such an occurence. I believe he was also banking on the fact that the letter will somehow be leaked out onto the Web for civilians to read and make their own value judgement.

Lee Hongyi is not a stupid person. The way the letter was crafted was well thought out, leaving no space where one can accuse him of defamation, and scathing (albeit rather serious) comments of "corruption". In fact, such cases of especially lenient treatment towards officers in the SAF is an open secret, just that common NSFs are too jaded and impassioned in voicing out their displeasure at such a travesty of justice.

Lee Hongyi understood his RIGHTS as an NSF and a civilian. Unlike many other NSFs, he stood up for his RIGHTS and made known to the rest of NSFs that they have RIGHTS that are worth fighting for.

SAF has always been a "reactive" organisation. It always waits for incidents like these to happen before they -do- something to show that they are not as inefficient as they are being accused of, although those of us who have been thru NS knows exactly how the SAF functions.

Again i reiterate, this letter was no publicity stunt. it was a calculated and shrewd maneuvre to expose the prefrential treatment and moral corruption in the SAF at a tiny cost to himself. He had nothing more than a local disciplinary reprimand that wouldn't even register on his records.

[oralb]

read this part

"MINDEF adds that arising from 2LT Li's complaint, an investigation was conducted and appropriate disciplinary action has been meted out to the officers concerned.

The officer who was found to have been absent without leave will be court-martialled.

Two supervising officers have been issued warning letters for poor judgement in administering inappropriate disciplinary action."

i just wondered what sort of "appropriate disciplinary action" be melted out for him?

in every countries' army, Secrecy is very important. in a way, you can say that no washing of dirty linen in public. while he wasnt wrong in writing that email, forwarding to the others wasnt appropriate, at least in the army sense.