Indonesia plans to stop sending new live-in maids abroad

May 19, 2016, 1:17 am

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It wants maids to live separately from bosses; move to be made in phases from as early as next year
By Arlina Arshad, Indonesia Correspondent In Jakarta and Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 18 May 2016

Indonesia says it will stop sending new live-in maids abroad from as early as next year. Its authorities want domestic workers to live separately from their employers in dormitories, work regular hours, and get public holidays and days off.

The Indonesian Ministry of Manpower's director for the protection and placement of Indonesian migrant workers abroad, Mr Soes Hindharno, told The Straits Times that, in turn, employers will get "better-quality" workers. They will be certified in Indonesia and trained to excel in specific skills, such as cooking, childcare and eldercare.

"They are also free to do other chores, but don't penalise them if they don't do too well in areas outside their skill set. We want better protection for our workers. If they are always indoors, we don't know if they have worked overtime. They should be compensated for that."

The move will be made in phases and will first require meetings with the authorities in receiving countries, including Singapore.

Mr Soes said the initiative will affect only new workers. Maids already working in households abroad who are happy with their employers can extend their visas.

The move is part of Indonesian President Joko Widodo's plan to professionalise informal employment. A road map to stop sending Indonesian maids abroad by next year was announced by the previous administration in 2012, amid worries about maids being mistreated.

Indonesia is the biggest source country for maids in Singapore, with around 125,000 working here.

Concerns have been raised in Indonesia about the working conditions faced by live-in maids working abroad, and progress on addressing them has not been made fast enough, according to Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) president K. Jayaprema.

The association has been working closely with the Indonesian authorities to address these concerns. Ms Jayaprema said: "We also want to ensure quality domestic workers can continue to come to Singapore."

Agents said they support formalised training, but logistical issues like lodging, travel and housing will need to be settled if maids live out.

"It might be difficult to get all employers on board," said Nation Employment managing director Gary Chin, adding that some might be concerned about unpredictable delays during maids' commutes.

One employer, a banker who gave her name as Madam Molly, 53, said she would prefer to have a helper at night as she sometimes works late. "She doesn't have to do anything after dinner, but it's just good to have an adult at home with the kids," said the single mother of two.

Mr Jolovan Wham of the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics said caregivers could have formal shifts, adding: "If where you live and work is the same, working hours are not clearly defined, and being socially isolated, domestic workers can't ask for help."

A spokesman for Singapore's Manpower Ministry said it had not received any information from Indonesia about the request for live-out maids, and the live-in requirement is not peculiar to Singapore, as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia have the same requirement.

"Singapore does not condone mistreatment of foreign domestic workers and has taken errant parties to task," said the spokesman.

Indonesian maid Aisyah, 27, who goes by only one name and has been living in Singapore for six years, was happy to hear about the possibility of a live-out arrangement. "My situation is okay but I have some friends who say they need help but cannot get it because they are always at home," she said.

"Living outside will give us more free time, more friends, but some might prefer to stay at home if employers treat them like family."

Live-out maids 'will lead to more costs, issues'
Employers raise concerns over Indonesia's move to have maids live separately from them
By Aw Cheng Wei and Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 19 May 2016

Maid employers in Singapore have raised concerns about plans by Indonesia to stop sending new "live-in" maids overseas.

The change, meant to "better protect" its helpers from being exploited, could kick in as early as next year, an Indonesian Manpower Ministry official said on Sunday.

However, many employers here told The Straits Times that they fear it could lead to higher costs and cause other problems.

Madam Fong Choye Har, 52, who works in accounting, is "unwilling to cover the extra costs of food, lodging and transport". She said: "We can already provide all this, so why would we spend (extra)?"

Bank executive Jazreen Tan, 32, said that both she and her husband, a real estate agent, have irregular schedules and that makes it difficult for her to be without a maid at night. The mother of a two-year-old said: "My clients might decide to meet me at the last minute. No one might be around to take care of our boy."

Employers also fear that maids could fall into bad company or commit crimes if they live elsewhere.

Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, foreign domestic workers must live with their employers at the addresses stated on their work permits. A spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said "exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis when the employer is temporarily not in Singapore", but added that "such requests are rare".

However, one employer here, a social worker who gave his name only as Mr Pang, admitted breaking the law to give his family's helper some time off. The Filipino visits the family of six to cook and clean from 8am to 7pm from Monday to Saturday but lives elsewhere. She has been with them for seven years.

Mr Pang, 36, said: "Living in their workplaces can be stressful... They need a mental break, not just physical. Allowing her to stay out is how we can avoid taking advantage of her availability."

Another employer, a 60-year-old marine company director who gave his name only as Mr Esmail, does not mind having live-out maids as long as "it remains less expensive to hire Indonesian helpers than to hire helpers from other countries like the Philippines and Myanmar".

"I value my privacy, so I like the idea of hiring a helper who isn't staying with me," he said.

Employers are allowed to house their maids in a temporary dormitory when they go on holiday.

Mr Tay Khoon Beng, who owns Best Home Employment Agency, runs a 250-bed facility called Well Care Home in Woodlands for trainee maids, those who are being transferred, and those whose employers are on holiday. "The place is really meant for short stays," he said, noting that the dormitory is always full.

He shares operating fees with four agencies. Agents must inform MOM when a maid moves in.

Besides wanting maids to live separately from their employers in dormitories and to work regular hours, Indonesia also plans to formalise maids' training in areas such as cooking, childcare and eldercare.

This move is part of efforts by Indonesia to improve the welfare and status of its overseas workers after cases of abuse and non-payment of salaries arose.

It banned maids from working in Malaysia in 2009 but lifted the rule two years later after an agreement between the countries on better protection measures.

A ban on new Indonesian domestic workers to around 20 Middle East countries has been in place since last year.

Former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono promised in 2012 to provide one million jobs by 2013 to encourage Indonesian women working overseas as maids to return home. The programme did not take off.

Indonesian maid Sarinah, 34, said: "It will be good working office hours, but if we have to rent a room and pay for our own supper, we will have to spend more."

Additional reporting by Cheryl Lin

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More help for companies to support older workers

May 19, 2016, 9:46 pm

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Guidelines for re-employing older workers also revised ahead of age cap going up to 67
By Olivia Ho, The Straits Times, 19 May 2016

From July, companies can get bigger grants from the Government to redesign jobs for older workers, in a move to encourage re-employment as the population ages.

They can apply for up to $300,000 for projects that will make jobs easier, safer and smarter for workers aged 50 and older, an amount double the previous cap under the Job Redesign Grant.

A total of $66 million will be available to companies over three years under the enhanced WorkPro scheme, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) announced yesterday. The move comes ahead of legislation to raise the re-employment age ceiling from 65 to 67 in July next year.

The agencies also said the Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers (Tricom) had announced revised guidelines to keep up with the raised ceiling. It wants employers to give re-employed workers five-year contracts from age 62, up from three-year ones, where possible. Also, it is suggesting a bigger one-off payout of up to $13,000 to workers who are not re-employed.

Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say said of the changes: "As our workforce continues to age, we are going to see more and more workers over 60 years old."

They currently form 12 per cent of the resident labour force, or about 267,600, a sharp rise from 5.5 per cent 10 years ago.

The enhanced grants come under WorkPro, which was started in 2013 to foster progressive workplaces and boost local manpower.

The Enhanced WorkPro scheme aims to further encourage employers to create age-friendly workplaces, and is jointly developed by MOM, WDA, Singapore National Employers Federation and National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

Under its Job Redesign Grant,the previous cap was $150,000 for workers aged 40 and older. Under the Age Management Grant, employers can get up to $20,000 to put in place age-friendly work and hiring practices. But conditions have been stiffened: Companies must have at least five workers aged 50 and older, up from 40 and older, among others.

A new Job Redesign Rider will allow companies already on the Capability Development Grant and Inclusive Growth Programme for redesigning jobs to get additional funds for up to 80 per cent of project cost, or up to $20,000 per worker aged 50 and older, whichever is lower.

Mr Lim said the re-employment age cap of 67 is the next step to help older workers, "but it won't be the final step". He added: "We want our workers even beyond 67 to find workplaces where jobs are easier, safer and smarter for them."

Welcoming the announcements, NTUC deputy secretary-general Heng Chee How said: "We urge all companies to prepare and redesign their workplaces to one that is ageless, so that they are better positioned to tap the knowledge and experience of mature workers."

Guidelines on re-employment of older workers
The Straits Times, 19 May 2016

From July next year, the re-employment age cap will be raised from 65 to 67. This means employers will have to offer eligible workers about to hit the retirement age of 62 the option to continue working till age 67.

Ahead of this change, a group of employer, worker and government representatives has updated the existing Tripartite Guidelines on the Re-employment of Older Employees. Key areas are highlighted here.

CONTRACTS AND ELIGIBILITY

• Employers should aim to re-employ most of their older workers. Contracts should be offered to all staff who are medically fit to continue working and whose performances are assessed satisfactory or better.

• Employers should engage staff on re-employment issues such as performance, pay and benefits as early as possible - not less than six months prior to re-employment - and offer contracts to eligible staff at least three months before retirement.

• To provide greater certainty, contracts should last five years, till workers turn 67. Or, workers could be on one-year contracts that are renewable up to 67, so long as they meet the eligibility criteria.

WAGES

• Reasonable adjustments to employment terms, including wages and benefits, may be made - but employers should consider the impact on the income of re-employed staff, particularly low-wage workers. Greater adjustments may be warranted for employees who previously held a larger or more senior job.

• If the worker is kept in the same job, wages can be adjusted down to the level of a younger employee with the requisite experience and competency for that same job, with the mid-point of the salary range of the job being a possible reference.

MEDICAL AND OTHER BENEFITS

• Employers can continue providing existing medical benefits. When costs are a concern, they can consider arrangements like co-payment of medical benefits or caps on claims.

• Employers can consider leveraging on MediShield Life- for example, by providing additional Medisave contributions for re-employed staff. This has the effect of making medical benefits more portable.

• Workers should not be required to serve the minimum qualifying period to be eligible for such benefits as annual and sick leave.

• Employers should, where appropriate, continue to reward re-employed staff based on company and individual performance in the form of performance bonuses, annual increments, long service benefits, gain-sharing incentives or one-off bonuses. This will help incentivise and motivate staff to perform well.

EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE PAYMENT (EAP)

• Employers should consider all available options to identify suitable jobs for eligible staff. If they are unable to offer re-employment, they should offer a one-off Employment Assistance Payment (EAP).

• The EAP amount could be 3.5 months of a worker's salary, with a minimum EAP quantum of $5,500. The EAP could be capped at $13,000 to moderate the burden on employers and prevent staff from being encouraged to stop working.

• The EAP should decrease over time as the worker approaches 67. Staff who have been employed for at least 30 months since age 62 could get a lower EAP of two months' pay, subject to a minimum of $3,500 and maximum of $7,500.

Restaurant commended for having age-friendly workplace
By Olivia Ho, The Straits Times, 19 May 2016

Clearing tables was once very taxing for Mr Raymond Ong.

He had to make repeated trips to the kitchen because balancing a mound of trays was a tall order.

But since he joined restaurant Lawry's The Prime Rib two months ago, the 67-year-old has had a light trolley to collect dishes and cutlery.

"It makes it easier for me to work, which I want to keep doing as long as I am healthy, so that I am not a burden on my family," he said.

Mr Ong is the oldest of Lawry's 13 mature workers aged 50 and older, who form one-fifth of its staff. In 2013, it had just three such workers.

Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say commended Lawry's for being an "early adopter" of job redesign for older workers, ahead of legislation to raise the re-employment age from 65 to 67 in July next year.

Speaking to reporters after a visit to the restaurant yesterday, he said: "We are encouraged that more and more companies are, like Lawry's, aware of the importance, the need to make workplaces age-friendly."

But the awareness is not widespread enough, prompting Mr Lim to announce the WorkPro scheme will be enhanced to better support job redesign for mature workers.

Starting from July this year, a company can apply for up to $300,000 in grants to fund job redesign projects targeted at workers aged 50 and older. The amount is twice the funding available previously.

Mr Lim said adopting better ways need not be grand measures. Just as valuable are "small ideas that mean a lot to mature workers".

Lawry's director Kevin Koh said the restaurant hopes to tap the enhanced WorkPro Job Redesign Grant to improve its e-menu system that allows its waiters and kitchen staff to use iPads to take and fulfil customers' orders.

The trial project has raised efficiency by 30 per cent, he estimated, and there are plans to improve it further to include age-friendly elements, such as a zoom function on the mobile devices for those who do not see too well.

Mr Koh, 45, said Lawry's struggled to fill vacancies in the past: "With this labour shortage, we realised we needed to tap these mature workers."

To make the work less physically strenuous on older employees, the restaurant has automated processes such as knife sharpening and dishwashing. Attendance is also taken with a fingerprint detector, to spare workers the need to remember to take their ID cards to work.

Lawry's offers flexible work schedules and has appointed younger staff as Silver Work Mentors, whom older workers can turn to for help.

Cook Patricia Leong, 60, said she appreciates the company for letting her take two weeks off during the Dragon Boat Festival to make some money fulfilling orders for dumplings from family and friends.

Labour MP Patrick Tay, NTUC's assistant secretary-general, gave a "loud call-out" to firms to redesign jobs for the aging workforce. His Facebook post follows yesterday's announcements of bigger grants for firms to redesign jobs, and recommendations for bosses to, among other things, give higher payouts to workers they cannot re-employ.

Said Mr Tay: "Workers (in particular low-wage workers) should not have their pay reduced when re-employed beyond 62, especially if they are still doing the same job with the same load."

He added: "Singapore as a society should also be more receptive and accepting of older workers."

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Woman sues grandkids for trying to sell HDB flat

May 20, 2016, 8:40 pm

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She says she paid for it single-handedly while they argue the flat was their inheritance
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 20 May 2016

Madam Tan Teck Soon says, for 26 years, she has paid the Housing Board $277 each month - mortgage instalments for the three-room flat that she lives in.

She paid over $117,000, including upgrading costs and conservancy charges, said the 76-year-old canteen vendor, but she might soon have to leave her home. In March, she said, she learnt her granddaughters were trying to sell the flat.

To stop this, she has sued both Ms Michelle Ng Li Xuan, 26, and Ms Isabella Ng Su Xi, 25.

The case is pending in the High Court, and the two sides met for a pre-trial conference on Tuesday, said lawyer Chia Boon Teck, who is representing Madam Tan pro bono.

Both sisters are registered owners of the flat, which they inherited when their father died in 2009.

But Madam Tan said she had single-handedly paid for the flat since its purchase in 1990. Her granddaughters were only holding it in trust for her, she said. In her affidavit, she said they were trying to sell it and "swallow" the proceeds.

The 10th-storey flat in Bedok South was bought under the name of her son - the sisters' father, Mr Ng King Nguang - said Madam Tan, who was then registered as co-owner of another flat with her older son. The disputed flat has an estimated value of about $330,000 now.

"The flat was registered under Ng's sole name at that time with the understanding between Ng and me that I was the sole owner," she said, adding that she paid the initial sum of $20,000 for the down payment and renovations.

She was registered as an owner of the flat in 1992, after the other flat was sold. But seven years later, Mr Ng chalked up about $100,000 in debts, she said. He then purportedly asked her for help. She said he wanted her to sell him her share of the flat so he could get an HDB loan on the pretext of paying her.

She said she did not get any money from the sale, but lent him $61,000 instead. He used the entire sum to pay creditors, she said.

"I'm not a lawyer. I didn't understand the implications. My son and I understood the flat still belonged to me," she told The Straits Times.

In 1992, Mr Ng divorced his wife, who got custody of Michelle. Isabella, about one then, grew up in the flat with her father and Madam Tan.

In 2009, Mr Ng died after a heart attack. The sisters inherited the flat, along with his mortgage life insurance payout of $40,200.

"I did not understand how (they) could sell the flat and throw me onto the streets when I had paid for the flat entirely single-handedly," Madam Tan said in her affidavit.

Both sisters denied trying to sell the flat without her knowledge.

Ms Michelle Ng disputed that Madam Tan had made all payments for the flat. "What I understand is that my dad was the one doing the payments," she said, adding that she and her sister let Madam Tan live there as it was near Madam Tan's workplace.

Ms Ng said Madam Tan made some payments for the flat after Mr Ng died, but that was because Madam Tan was living there then.

Ms Ng said the flat was an asset passed down to both sisters by their father, which they should be able to sell, and they had offered Madam Tan an alternative place to live - with Ms Isabella Ng at her upcoming BTO flat in Choa Chu Kang.

Said Ms Michelle Ng, a former marketing executive: "I'm not working at the moment. I'm expecting my second child. I'm not taking the money to go and enjoy myself."

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Food waste raises a stink for recycling

May 20, 2016, 9:15 pm

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Contamination of recyclables complicates the process and hikes cost of maintaining facilities
By Samantha Boh, The Straits Times, 20 May 2016

Singapore households have a dismal recycling rate of just 19 per cent and up to half of all items put into the blue recycling bins at the foot of every housing block go to waste because people dump trash like used diapers or soft toys into them, the National Environment Agency (NEA) told The Straits Times.

Such poor recycling practices not only complicate the process at materials recovery facilities - where workers manually separate plastic from paper, and paper from glass - but also increase the cost of maintaining the facilities, say public waste collectors.

Food waste, in particular, is corrosive and attracts pests like rats, said a spokesman for Veolia, one of Singapore's four collectors. On average, 35 per cent of the 12,000 tonnes of waste the company collects each year must be discarded.

At SembWaste, the average contamination rate is higher, at around 40 per cent of the 16,000 tonnes of waste collected each year, peaking at 50 per cent on bad days.

Such items end up wasting even more resources than regular trash.

Said Mr Lim Chin Khuang, senior vice-president of asset management at Sembcorp Environment: "First, you are bringing in waste into a recycling plant, which should not be the case, and this waste will have to be reloaded onto a truck and sent to the incineration plant.

"This is counterproductive."

As it stands, Singapore's only landfill on Pulau Semakau is expected to run out of space by 2035, and is under tremendous strain, said the NEA. Last year, the Republic disposed of 8,284 tonnes of waste a day - enough to fill 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Under the Paris Agreement, there is a need for the Republic to curb its emissions, and recycling is an important part of that process.

The authorities have made recycling easier. While existing blocks have the blue bins, all HDB developments launched from 2014 have recycling chutes in each block, with throw points on every floor.

But while the industrial sector recycles 77 per cent of waste produced, household recycling rates have fallen from 22 per cent in 2010 to 19 per cent last year.

They fall far short of those in places like Taiwan, where household recycling rates are more than double.

There, recycling is law, and this has produced results. A government-run fund financed by manufacturers and sellers subsidises collection and recycling industries. Residents are also required to separate their trash into general refuse, recyclables and kitchen waste. This has pushed household recycling rates from 5 per cent in 1997 to over 50 per cent today.

Ms Jeanne Stampe, Asian finance and commodities specialist at the World Wide Fund for Nature, said: "Attitudes needs to change and we must learn that recycling is not an inconvenient option but an absolute necessity."

She asked if households fully understand what to do with their recyclables, noting that perhaps clearer instructions from the Government and manufacturers are necessary.

The lack of awareness is clear at SembWaste's Materials Recovery Facility in Tuas, where the stench of rotten food wafts through the air.

Houseflies attack a 3m-tall mountain, sampling remnants of what might once have been someone's lunch, now smeared on plastic, metal and paper collected for recycling.

Here, workers in orange overalls sort through 16,000 tonnes of recyclables collected each year.

Although items are supposed to be relatively clean and dry, such as magazines and plastic bags, the men have to sort through soiled diapers, dirty tissue paper and food waste, which makes their job more difficult and far more unpleasant.

Some items are not suitable at all - such as lightbulbs or mattresses, which have too many components to be recycled easily.

At a recent visit, 20 were hard at work, sorting through the load dumped by a truck minutes earlier that included bags of plastic bottles, cardboard and tin cans.

The bags were placed in a machine called the bag splitter, which broke them apart and dropped the items onto conveyor belts.

Next to the conveyor belts, in sweltering heat, men wearing helmets, masks and gloves, picked out the items, placing them into different containers rhythmically.

Paper, right bucket. Glass, left bucket. Plastic, container across.

After the first round of sorting to pick out larger items, the remaining recyclables go through a magnetic separator that removes ferrous materials, and then a machine called the ballistic separator.

This segregates flat from rounded objects, placing them on two different conveyor belts where they go through another round of sorting by material type.

The sorted recyclable materials are tied up in bales weighing between 200kg and 300kg and transported to local recycling plants or overseas, to countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

At these plants, recovered paper is turned into recycled paper while plastics are turned into pellets and used to create new plastic products such as cups and coasters, or placed in shipment crates to protect the items within.

The men's job at the local facility is a critical part of the recycling process. But it is arduous.

According to the NEA, the contamination across all four public waste collectors - SembWaste, Veolia, Colex and 800 Super - is between 30 per cent and 50 per cent.

Mr Seah Tiong Han, 71, who has been on the secondary sorting line at the SembWaste facility since 2008, said the smell used to put him off but, after so many years, it no longer bothers him.He urged the public to think twice before they dump trash into the blue recycling bins as that renders all efforts useless.

For example, a perfectly good piece of cardboard - dirtied with food - will now join the trash at the incineration plant.

A Veolia spokesman said contaminants like the toxic components of electronic waste, used diapers and tissues also pose a health hazard to the workers.

While the Government has not taken the hard line, the NEA stressed that people need to be more mindful about what they throw into the recycling bins.

"In a worst-case scenario, the thoughtless behaviour of one person can render an entire bin of recyclables non-recyclable, wasting the efforts of many," said NEA.

Mr Lim said getting the contamination rate down to 20 per cent would be a "major milestone".

"We have to press on because the aim is to minimise waste" he said. "Can you imagine 16,000 tonnes of recyclables going to the landfill every year?"

FUN FACTS ON RECYCLING

• Recycling 1,000kg of paper saves 17 trees.

• Recycling an aluminium can saves 95 per cent of the energy used to make a new one. For a glass bottle, 30 per cent of the energy is saved.

• Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60-watt bulb for up to 6 hours.

Tips on recycling

Q What can be deposited in those blue recycling bins found in housing estates?

A Paper, plastic, metal cans, glass and clothes. This includes plastic and glass bottles, jam jars, plastic bread wrappers, biscuit boxes, liquid soap bottles and refill packs, milk tins, egg trays and cereal boxes.

Q What cannot be recycled?

A Bulky items like furniture, items with composite materials like mechanical pencils and shoes, and anything contaminated with food waste - even sweet wrappers.

Tissue paper, styrofoam, disposable plastic cups and containers, window glass, cassette tapes as well as ceramic and porcelain items cannot be recycled economically and are not accepted.

Light bulbs, fluorescent lamps and electronic waste like computers and home appliances cannot be deposited in the blue bins and must be taken to special designated recycling stations.

Q How can I recycle?

A Have a separate bag to collect recyclable items. For containers, empty them of all contents and rinse them. When your bag is full, deposit the items in the recycling bin.

• For more information and to find the closest recycling bin or station, download the myENV mobile app, available on the Apple and Google Play stores.

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Traffic police to deploy new speed laser cameras at 44 hot spots

May 20, 2016, 9:20 pm

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Warning: Better slow down at these hot spots
New speed cameras can take better images and capture video
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 20 May 2016

Speed demons beware, the Traffic Police have a new gadget to nab those who break the speed limit.

Yesterday, the TP unveiled a new portable speed laser camera that will be deployed at 44 speeding hot spots, including West Coast Highway, Braddell Road and Changi Coast Road.

It is the first time the older cameras are being replaced since speeding enforcement operations began in 2004.

Manned by a single officer, the new camera can capture higher-resolution images, works better in low-light conditions and has a battery life of eight hours - double that of the older model.

It can also capture video, unlike the older model.

Officers will be stationed on overhead bridges or by the roadside.

Signs will be placed about 200m before the speed laser cameras.

"The intent is to let motorists be aware that they are entering an accident-prone area, so slow down and drive carefully," said TP deputy commander Devrajan Bala.

The new speed laser cameras will complement existing efforts to curb speeding with the TP's other cameras on the roads, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Devrajan said.

When asked why it took 12 years for the TP to replace the speed laser cameras, he said: "The technology has improved tremendously. We were looking for something that would be a game changer, in terms of camera capabilities.

"In the past, (cameras performance was) dependent on light conditions... The current ones are very reliable."

The number of accidents caused by speeding fell to 1,197 last year, from 1,363 in 2014.

But there were 8,021 injury accidents last year, up almost 3 per cent from 7,809 in 2014.

Fatal speeding accidents rose to 48 last year, from 43 in 2014.

In recent years, the TP have replaced their ageing film cameras with digital ones and deployed mobile speed cameras - autonomous devices that can be taken down and set up within a week - at speeding hot spots.

The mobile speed cameras, first launched earlier this year in Seletar Link, have been deployed at two more locations - Jurong Island Highway and Lim Chu Kang Road.

"The mobile speed cameras have been very effective; we see very good behaviour now... Our idea is to shape the motorist's behaviour," said TP commander Sam Tee.

Motorist Steve Keh, 41, who works in the maritime industry, said: "These will surely be effective and make people drive carefully."

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Singapore has right conditions for start-ups: Forbes CEO

May 20, 2016, 11:01 pm

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By Wong Wei Han, The Straits Times, 20 May 2016

Singapore is now the "Mecca for entrepreneurship", thanks to favourable government policies that have created an environment conducive to business start-ups.

Forbes chief executive Michael Perlis offered this description of the Republic's great strides in the field of start-ups yesterday at the inaugural Forbes Under 30 Summit Asia.

"This is a community that can have a great deal of Silicon Valley-like aspects. There are inhibitors - business costs can be high - but there are also extraordinary motivators," he told The Straits Times.

"There is a youthfulness and can-do attitude at the government level that is very motivational for starting businesses."

The Under 30 Summit Asia named and invited 300 Asia-Pacific entrepreneurs and innovators - including 24 from Singapore - aged under 30 to a forum held at The South Beach. It is part of Singapore's Smart Nation Innovations Week.

Minister of State for Education and Communications and Information Janil Puthucheary, a speaker at the forum's opening, noted that the start-up scene is "booming" in Singapore.

"Forty per cent of start-up acquisitions in Asia are here, which is incredible, given our size. There were 230 start-ups last year at Bash by Infocomm Investments, and 60 per cent of them are getting follow-up funding," Dr Puthucheary said, referring to Build Amazing Start-ups Here, a facility in one-north that provides business venues for start-ups at low rental rates.

Education also plays a key role, Dr Puthucheary added, as the Government works on exposing students to industry mentorship at an early stage.

All this is being done as Singapore seeks to reinvent itself into a smart economy with jobs and growth driven by innovations.

"Reinvention is a playbook that we know. We've done this again and again, whether it's (solving the constraints on) trade, oil, water, or moving our manufacturing to high-end manufacturing. We want to not just be pushed by the wind of change - we want to surf on that," Dr Puthucheary said.

For individual companies, innovation is just as important, Mr Perlis stressed.

"It's not all about being the next Facebook or e-commerce sensation. Technology is now the tool for all businesses, not just for tech companies," he said.

Forbes has been able to grow its website's unique views from around 10 million monthly to 40 million in five years via an army of paid online contributors who create and manage their own content across a wide range of areas.

"Traditional media companies need to wake up and smell the coffee. If you don't change and adjust, you might die off," Mr Perlis said.

The forum was a showcase of budding young entrepreneurs in the region. Among the Singaporeans were Mr Mohamed Abbas, co-founder of licensed moneylender rate comparison portal Onelyst, and Mr Tengku Syamil, co-founder of Skolafund, a crowdfunding platform for poor university students to raise tuition fees.

From Australia, CliniCloud co-founder Hon Weng Chong brought the firm's smartphone-connected digital medical kit which transfers a user's health data to medical service providers via cloud.

Given Singapore's ageing demographic, Dr Hon hopes his products - currently only sold in the United States - can come here soon to help improve the efficiency of medical services.

↧

PM Lee Official Visit to Russia

May 21, 2016, 1:06 am

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PM Lee: Room for greater cooperation between Singapore and Russia in many areas
By Lim Yan Liang, The Straits Times, 21 May 2016

SOCHI - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is cautiously optimistic that a free trade agreement between Singapore and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) can be completed in the next two years.

He is also positive about Russia's business potential, saying many opportunities exist for Singapore companies.

These can be found in Moscow as it redevelops and upgrades the city, transforming outdated industrial estates into modern business parks, cultural centres or education centres.

The changes, in turn, create opportunities in urban masterplanning and transport.

But to pursue them, businesses need to invest time and energy to understand the country, how its systems operate and how best to fit in, Mr Lee told Singapore reporters in an interview on Friday, at the end of his four-day working visit to Russia.

In the short term, Russia faces challenges such as shrinking growth, low energy prices and the impact of Western sanctions, Mr Lee noted. But for the long term, it is "the place we ought to be", he said.

"Russia is a country with a long history, with deep roots and powerful science and technology capabilities, determined to be an influence in the world - somebody we can cooperate with in many areas," he said.

"Our trade with them has been growing, still modest but growing quite rapidly over the last decade. We co-operate with them in science and technology, education and culture. Even our investments back and forth have increased noticeably over the years."

"It is an account which we would like to develop and grow," said Mr Lee.

On its part, Russia has shown a new keenness in building economic ties with ASEAN countries like Singapore.

At the ASEAN-Russia summit on Friday to commemorate their 20 years of dialogue, President Vladimir Putin stressed to ASEAN leaders that his country wants stronger business links with the regional grouping.

He presented to them a roadmap with 57 projects to build technology and innovation alliances, offered Russian assistance for any development initiative in ASEAN, and invited ASEAN businesses to take part in priority development programmes.

He also highlighted the potential of the EAEU, which has a market of 180 million people and a combined gross domestic product of US$4.2 trillion (S$5.8 trillion), and was supportive of the proposed EAEU-Singapore free trade agreement.

"We have been working to create the most attractive conditions for doing business - cutting red tape, lowering the tax burden and monitoring the investment climate in Russia's constituent entities," said Mr Putin.

In PM Lee's view, however, companies have to be in Russia for the long haul to see success. They need to spend the time to understand how Russian business networks are linked up, how government decisions are made, and what their principal considerations and objectives are in order to fit in, he added.

"If you make a quick trip in-and-out, you meet some people and you shake hands, drink some vodka, maybe that's helpful, but that will not cause you to have a deep understanding and be able to have your company sink roots and grow vibrantly," he said.

But he stressed this does not mean only companies with large resources can succeed in Russia. PM Lee cited Educare, a co-op set up by the Singapore Teachers' Union, which has had good demand for its services to modernise the teaching pedagogy of Russian schools.

"They have a very established project with the Tatarstan government and they're looking at opportunities elsewhere," he said.

"It's not a huge company; if they can do it, so can other companies," he added.

Asked if Russia's enthusiasm to boost links with faraway countries like Singapore can be sustained, Mr Lee said the ASEAN-Russia summit and Mr Putin's remarks indicate "a desire to take it another step forward".

Even when circumstances change, the urgency may lessen but "you already have something valuable there, and you will look at it with a different perspective".

Likening it to worker training and upgrading in Singapore, he said: "When the economy picks up over time, your bonuses are up, employers take their eyes off the ball and workers also say, well, maybe after I've finished my overtime, after I've gone on leave, then maybe we can think about (upgrading).

"It's natural, but it doesn't mean we can't make progress," he added.

Mr Lee also said that signing an EAEU-Singapore FTA by 2018 - the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Russia - is possible, as Singapore had negotiated other FTAs in two years. The EAEU has also signed an FTA with Vietnam.

"I made the pitch here in Russia to my host, to Mr Putin as well as to Mr Medvedev, and Mr Putin expressed support and talked about it," Mr Lee said, noting that negotiations can begin once the five countries in the EAEU agree to conduct a feasibility study.

"If there's a will, it can be done," he said.

PM Lee Hsien Loong meets Russian President Vladimir Putin, affirms deepening bilateral ties
By Lim Yan Liang, The Straits Times, 20 May 2016

SOCHI- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday evening (May 19), on the sidelines of a summit marking 20 years of ASEAN-Russia ties.

Mr Lee, who is on the third day of his visit to Russia, thanked President Putin for hosting the ASEAN-Russia commemorative summit, and affirmed the deepening relations between Singapore and Russia and the growing economic partnership.

Both leaders also welcomed the strong progress made by the high-level Russia-Singapore Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), said Mr Lee's press secretary Chang Li Lin.

The first step towards a free trade agreement (FTA) between Singapore and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) - which includes Russia - was taken on Wednesday, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deepen ties.

Mr Lee had said after witnessing the signing of the MOU that it will hopefully pave the way for a feasibility study and negotiations on the FTA.

It was at an IGC meeting last November that officials from both sides had agreed to commence the process to negotiate a comprehensive FTA between Singapore and the EAEU.

Mr Lee said following his meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev that he hopes the FTA will be completed by 2018, in time for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Russia.

Mr Putin, too, expressed support for the FTA during his meeting with Mr Lee. Both leaders also looked forward to further collaborations in new areas, said Ms Chang.

Following the meeting, Mr Putin hosted a gala reception for ASEAN leaders of the summit, where he emphasised the mutual benefit of closer economic ties between ASEAN countries and those of the EAEU.

"It is essential that both ASEAN and Russia seek to improve integration, with a view to establishing links between the current large-scale economic projects implemented in the territory of the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

ASEAN, Russia can do more to build on links: Leaders
They take stock of ties at summit and discuss strategies for ensuring peace and prosperity
By Lim Yan Liang, In Sochi, The Straits Times, 21 May 2016

ASEAN leaders yesterday gathered in the resort city of Sochi to mark 20 years of cooperation and dialogue with Russia.

At the closed-door ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit, the leaders of 10 South-east Asian countries and Russian President Vladimir Putin took stock of their relations and discussed strategies to work even closer on ensuring peace and prosperity for their regions.

Russia supports a stable, prosperous ASEAN, Mr Putin stressed.

At an earlier reception for ASEAN leaders, he noted that trade and investment links were far below their potential, and pledged his country's support to boost them.

"It is important that both Russia and the ASEAN countries support stronger integration and links between the big economic projects under way in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

He also told business leaders he would discuss the idea of a free trade zone between ASEAN and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) with other members Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, whose country is ASEAN chair this year, said: "Russia and many ASEAN countries have much deeper ties that go back to the more distant past. This is a very good framework for developing relations on a modern footing."

Addressing the commemorative summit, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong set out the significant role Russia can play in the Asia-Pacific.

"To fully harness the potential of our region, we should strive for a region which is characterised by, firstly, peace and stability. Secondly, building on that, growth and prosperity," he said.

But peace and stability require management of specific issues.

"In the South China Sea, we see a significant and worrying escalation of tensions... This bodes ill for a region that is highly dependent on maritime trade and commerce and on freedom of navigation," he said.

"On the Korean peninsula, the deliberate and provocative actions by (North Korea) can trigger its neighbours also to go nuclear and destabilise the whole region."

There is also the challenge of terrorism, with groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) recruiting many citizens in ASEAN and elsewhere to fight in Syria, and radicalising them to violent acts.

Mr Lee called on leaders to work together to tackle these issues. This means adhering to international law and peaceful resolution of disputes - including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes - and exercising self-restraint, and sharing intelligence and combating the spread of radical ideology.

"At the strategic level, it means we need to build an open and inclusive architecture, where regional players and major powers can constructively engage each other," he said, pointing to ASEAN-centric mechanisms for cooperation.

These include the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum, and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus for ASEAN and eight key partners - including the United States, China, India and Russia - to strengthen security and defence cooperation.

"That is why we welcome Russia as a dialogue partner, because Russia has a valuable role to play in upholding the region's peace and stability," said Mr Lee.

Moscow, he noted, has been a valuable participant in ADMM-Plus, co-chairing its experts' working group on military medicine.

It has also engaged ASEAN partners in non-traditional security matters like counter-terrorism and combating transnational crime.

With peace and stability, Asia-Pacific countries have a chance to establish a growing and prosperous region, Mr Lee added.

"Right now, we are experiencing anaemic global economic growth, volatile market fluctuations and low commodity prices," he said, adding that economic cooperation can be a "win-win approach to promote greater prosperity".

ASEAN is also heartened by the interest from Russia and the EAEU to deepen economic links, he added, saying an EAEU-Singapore free trade agreement (FTA) being studied can be a "useful pathfinder" towards an ASEAN-EAEU pact.

Mr Lee arrived in Sochi and met Mr Putin on Thursday. They affirmed the deepening bilateral ties and growing economic partnership. Mr Putin also expressed support for an EAEU-Singapore FTA, and both looked forward to further collaboration in new areas.

Yesterday, Mr Lee met Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for the first time since the former deputy prime minister became premier last month. Both affirmed the good relations between their countries and looked forward to developing closer links and expanding economic cooperation under their strategic partnership agreement.

Singapore reaffirms strong ties with Russia
PM Lee hopes for a cultural centre, trade pact by 2018, when countries mark 50 years of ties
By Lim Yan Liang, in Moscow, The Straits Times, 20 May 2016

Singapore hopes a Russian Cultural Centre will open in the Republic in two years' time, when it celebrates 50 years of diplomatic relations with Russia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

He is also optimistic Singapore and the five-country Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will reach a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) by then, opening doors to new markets for each other's companies.

Speaking to reporters after an hour-long meeting with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the 19th-century Government Reception House, a converted fortress home, Mr Lee reaffirmed the longstanding and deep ties with Russia since Singapore's independence.

Both countries signed a trade agreement in April 1966, and established diplomatic relations two years later.

Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew made his first visit to Russia in 1970, and would return many more times.

"My father, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, believed that Russia would play a major role in world affairs, so when I was a teenager he encouraged me to study Russian, which I did," said Mr Lee.

"Even after he retired as prime minister, he kept the links up. He took an interest in the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management (and) became its board member."

The late Mr Lee was also a keen supporter of the Russia-Singapore Business Forum, which helps connect business leaders and broaden economic cooperation, he added.

PM Lee recounted that his first visit to Russia was as a student in 1972, when he spent several weeks in Moscow and Leningrad, today's St Petersburg. He returned again six years later for his honeymoon.

"I am happy to be able to continue building on this foundation and taking our relationship another step forward," he said, calling his visit "long overdue for me personally and a significant milestone for bilateral ties".

Singapore's signing on Wednesday of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Eurasian Economic Commission - the regulatory body of the EAEU - will hopefully pave the way for a feasibility study and negotiations on the FTA, said PM Lee.

But ties with Russia go beyond just economics, he added. Cultural ties are strong, while Singapore universities have deep partnerships with Russian institutions.

Yesterday, two more MOUs were signed. One was between the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and its Russian counterpart to strengthen cultural relations.

Minister Grace Fu, who signed it, hoped it would see more Russian arts and culture programmes in the ASEAN region.

The other MOU is between Nanyang Technological University and the Russian Academy of Sciences, to explore developing products and taking them to market.

PM Medvedev said in Russian it is a good sign that trade between Singapore and Russia has grown substantially - almost quadrupling in the last decade - and that "almost every important area of economic cooperation is in our focus".

"We have embraced different aspects of cooperation: construction, shipping and transport, airlines and big air projects, and lately also agriculture. This was discussed substantially today," Mr Medvedev said.

"The models used by Singapore in government and business management are also in demand, and of interest to our country," he added.

Mr Lee invited Mr Medvedev to visit Singapore, which he last visited in 2009. It resulted in the setting up of the high-level Russia-Singapore Inter-Governmental Commission. The commission led to both sides agreeing to start the process to negotiate a comprehensive FTA between Singapore and the EAEU.

The visit also boosted cooperation in many areas, including education, healthcare and agriculture.

"It continues to expand in scope into governance and counterterrorism," Mr Lee said.

"The next time PM comes, I hope we'll be able to do even more."

Yesterday afternoon, Mr Lee flew to Sochi, where he was scheduled to meet President Vladimir Putin.

He will attend a summit of ASEAN leaders and Mr Putin today to mark 20 years of ASEAN-Russia ties.

MOU with Eurasian Union to boost economic links

Signing first step to FTA; PM Lee urges both sides to work closely
By Lim Yan Liang, In Moscow, The Straits Times, 19 May 2016

The first step towards a free trade agreement (FTA) between Singapore and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) was taken yesterday, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding to deepen ties between them.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who witnessed the signing at the office of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), noted that an FTA will intensify economic cooperation and urged both sides to work closely to start the negotiations.

"Our two economies will benefit greatly from a free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Singapore, because such an FTA will reduce the obstacles to trade and establish a conducive strategic environment for business and bilateral cooperation," said Mr Lee.

"So I hope both sides will work closely together to study the possibilities and opportunities, and hopefully, to work towards launching negotiations for the FTA," he added.

The MOU was signed by Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon and EEC Minister for Development of Integration and Macroeconomics Tatyana Valovaya. It will provide a platform for regular interactions and facilitate closer collaboration between the EEC and Singapore in areas such as customs administration, trade in services and investments, and information technology.

The need to negotiate for an FTA between Singapore and the EAEU was mooted last November at a meeting of top officials from Singapore and Russia. The EEC is the regulatory body of the EAEU, which groups Russia and former Soviet states Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in a common market of 180 million people, with a total gross domestic product of US$4.2 trillion (S$5.8 trillion).

Before the signing, Mr Lee met EEC chairman Tigran Sargsyan, a former prime minister of Armenia, and discussed the untapped potential in ties between Singapore and the Eurasian Union. Mr Lee noted that with the MOU, the more frequent interactions will help find new trade and investment opportunities in each other's markets that companies can take advantage of.

Mr Sargsyan said a working group will be set up to look at how ties can be developed further.

He also thanked Singapore for its interest in economic cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union and said the MOU with Singapore represents "a new age of relations".

Trade between Singapore and Russia grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 13.1 per cent between 2011 and 2015, rising from $4.68 billion to $7.66 billion.

But it is still not in proportion to its potential, Mr Lee said earlier.

Yesterday, he said the signing of the MOU represents "a positive and concrete step towards deepening engagement between Singapore and the EEC".

Mr Lee was hosted to lunch by Mr Ruben Vardanyan, a founding member of the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management.

He also met Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who updated him on his plans for the city. They had a fruitful exchange on urban planning and development, and agreed there was much that Singapore and Moscow could exchange experiences on, Mr Lee's press secretary Chang Li Lin said. They also discussed business and investment opportunities in Moscow and welcomed greater participation from Singapore.

Today, Mr Lee will meet Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev before flying to the Black Sea city of Sochi.

PM Lee visits Kremlin, meets Singaporeans

After visiting Russia's historic and political centre, he attends reception for Singaporeans and meets business delegation

By Lim Yan Liang, In Moscow and Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 18 May 2016

A little bit of Singapore was waiting for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday morning when he arrived in Russia's capital for a four-day working visit yesterday.

He met about 30 Singaporeans working and studying here at a reception. Among them were computer science graduate Lim Loon Haw and Singapore Airlines' Moscow station manager Derrick Leow.

Mr Lim, 25, said his attachment at software security company Kaspersky Lab has got him hooked on a field he had hardly given a second look.

"Cybersecurity is still not very popular in Singapore but here, in such a big company, I've been able to learn the breadth and depth of the field," he said.

But like Mr Leow, 32, he has been pleasantly surprised by Moscow. The city is safe, the people are friendly, and the changing seasons are beautiful.

Mr Leow added: "Once you break the ice, the people are very friendly. It's very different from how they are depicted in Hollywood."

Before the reception, PM Lee visited Red Square and the Kremlin, Russia's historic and political centre. At both tourist attractions, he met Singaporeans on holiday, including Mr Timothy Lim, 24, a student at New York University, and two students from Nanyang Technological University.

Said Mr Ignatius Wong, 25, a final-year accountancy student: "It's such a coincidence to bump into Mr Lee here; we saw some members of the delegation wearing Singapore lapel pins and wanted to say hi."

Later, PM Lee had lunch with members of the Singapore Business Federation delegation that is on a business mission to Russia.

Trade between Singapore and Russia has a lot of potential for growth, PM Lee had said in a wide- ranging interview with Tass news agency before his visit.

He hopes to give it a boost with the proposed free trade agreement between Singapore and the Eurasian Economic Union, of which Russia is a member.

He noted that the high-level Russia-Singapore Inter-Governmental Commission was set up in 2009 to beef up cooperation in such areas as trade, investment and education.

"There is active participation on both sides - government as well as business. But our trade is not in proportion to the potential," he said.

Though bilateral trade has about quadrupled in the last 10 years, Russia is still "just our 21st largest trading partner", he added.

In the same way, PM Lee said, "economic ties between ASEAN countries and Russia have been growing but (it is not) commensurate with the importance of Russia in the world. This is gradually changing".

A proposed free trade pact between Singapore and the Eurasian Economic Union will boost Russia's ties with individual ASEAN countries, which will "strengthen the ties between Russia and South-east Asia, and the ASEAN region as a whole", he added.

PM Lee's agenda includes meeting Russian businessmen and executives to "get them interested in Singapore a bit".

The last Singapore prime minister to go on such a mission was the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who visited the then Soviet Union in 1990.

PM Lee also disclosed that there are advanced plans to build a Russian Cultural Centre in Singapore.

"We have found a site and it is a good location," he said.

"I look forward to the day when we see a Russian Orthodox onion dome appearing in Singapore," he added, referring to the architecture of Russian churches.

PM Lee arrives in Russia for visit to boost business ties
By Lim Yan Liang, In Moscow, The Straits Times, 18 May 2016

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrived in Russia yesterday for a four-day working visit that is focused on strengthening business ties.

He told Tass news agency in an interview that he hoped to boost trade between Singapore and Russia with a free trade deal between the Republic and the Eurasian Economic Union, of which Russia is a member.

He noted that bilateral trade is below what it should be, although it has quadrupled in the last 10 years.

Mr Lee also disclosed that there are advanced plans to build a Russian Cultural Centre in Singapore.

He visited the Red Square in the city, and the Kremlin, the country's historic and political centre. He also met about 30 members of the Singapore community in Moscow, including students and professionals, before having lunch with members of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) delegation that is on a business mission in Russia.

"It's been a long time since I've been in Moscow: The last time was 1978, which was probably before some of you were born," he said at the reception. "But the Kremlin hasn't changed; Moscow has changed, the world has changed."

Mr Lee is scheduled to meet Eurasian Economic Commission chairman Tigran Sargsyan today, and witness the signing of a pact between the commission and Singapore to promote greater cooperation.

SBF chief executive Ho Meng Kit, who is leading the business delegation, noted that Western sanctions have created opportunities for Singapore businesses in Russia.

"They are a European country, but as a result of the political difficulty now between Russia and the West, therein lies opportunities for us to come in, because they cannot trade so easily with the West," he said. "This strategic orientation is going to last a long time."

Mr Lee will fly to Sochi tomorrow to attend the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit marking 20 years of ASEAN-Russia relations.

"We hope that from this (summit), we'll be able to develop our friendship and push our relationship another step forward," he said.

Racial, religious harmony in Singapore a result of give-and-take: PM Lee
The give-and-take between the different communities in Singapore is a matter of constant effort, social policy and integration, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says in an interview with Russian news agency TASS.
Channel NewsAsia, 17 May 2016

The racial and religious harmony that Singapore enjoys is a result of give-and-take between the different communities in the country, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

“This is something which we have to always continue to work upon, because it is not something which will ever become a solved problem,” Mr Lee said in an interview with Russian news agency TASS at the Istana on Saturday (May 14).

“All the major religions of the world are in Singapore. There are three major races, but many other communities in Singapore. We speak very different languages. Tamil is Dravidian, Chinese is totally different from English and we have to get on together.”

This give-and-take between the different communities is a matter of constant effort, social policy and integration, PM Lee said.

In his comments responding to a question on how Singapore maintains a harmonious balance between different ethnic groups and religions, Mr Lee added that this policy of integration sees Singaporeans of different races and religions come together in schools, housing estates, workplaces and during National Service and learning to work and live together in a multi-racial context.

“If you are in Singapore as a Christian, you do not treat this as a Christian country. If you are in Singapore as a Buddhist, this is not a Buddhist country, even though the Buddhist may be one of the biggest religious groups in Singapore. If you are a Muslim in Singapore, you can practice your faith, you can fast, you have mosques, but you understand that this is a multi-racial society and you are working and living within a multi-racial context.

“It is this give and take, and trust that has been built up over a very long period of time, which we think makes for the nature of our society, which makes for what is gradually emerging as a Singapore identity.”

RUSSIA CONTRIBUTES TO REGION’S STABILITY: PM LEE

During the interview, which was held ahead of Mr Lee’s visit to Russia to attend the Russia-ASEAN summit, he also touched on the relationship between Russia and ASEAN, describing bilateral relations as “very good”.

Singapore appreciates Russia’s participation in regional affairs and its contribution to ensuring stability and peace in South-east Asia, PM Lee added.

“Russia is an important power and economy in the world. The economic ties between ASEAN countries and Russia have been growing, but (do) not really commensurate with the importance of Russia in the world.”

This is gradually changing, Mr Lee noted. For example, Singapore is planning to negotiate a free-trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.

“In this way, by strengthening the ties between Russia and individual ASEAN countries, we can strengthen the ties between Russia and Southeast Asia, and ASEAN region as a whole,” he said.

50 YEARS OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

Russia and Singapore will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations this year – a “major milestone”, Mr Lee said.

“Fifty years ago, Singapore was newly independent, and the world was completely different, and Russia was still the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Today, Singapore has celebrated its 50th anniversary of statehood and the world has completely changed,” he said.

Plans to build a Russian Cultural Centre in Singapore are at an advanced stage, Mr Lee said, adding that a site at a “good location” has been found.

In terms of economic ties, major Russian companies like Lukoil and Gazprom are in Singapore while Singapore companies like Olam are in Russia and Changi Airports International is co-managing several airports in Russia, he noted.

The two countries also cooperate in the educational, scientific and cultural fields. Singapore’s universities have cooperation partnerships with Russian institutions, and Singapore is also a popular destination for Russian tourists, he said.

Still, more can be done in terms of trade between the two countries, Mr Lee said. “Our trade is not in proportion to the potential. It has risen rapidly in the last 10 years – has about quadrupled – but still Russia is just our 21st largest trading partner. It should not be like that.

“With my trip to Moscow, I hope to meet some Russian business people and executives and get them interested in Singapore a bit. We hope something will grow from there.”

Related
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in an exclusive interview with TASS ahead of the Russia-ASEAN summit in Sochi

↧

Elbowgate: Trudeau says sorry for manhandling opposition

May 22, 2016, 7:32 am

≫ Next: SMRT and NTU launch joint research laboratory to boost rail reliability

≪ Previous: PM Lee Official Visit to Russia

Canadian PM will accept any punishment for 'elbowgate' and grabbing a lawmaker's arm
The Straits Times, 21 May 2016

OTTAWA • Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, under fire over an unprecedented physical fracas in Parliament, said he was only human and apologised for a third time for manhandling an opposition legislator and accidentally elbowing another in Parliament.

Mr Trudeau, who led his Liberals to power last October with a promise of "sunny ways", said he was in a high-pressure job, but promised there would be no repeat of his actions. He said he would accept any punishment meted out by a committee examining the incident which took place on Wednesday.

"I think people understand that there is a tremendous amount of pressures that come with this job and I am human," Mr Trudeau, 44, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. "But I think, at the same time, a big part of recognising strengths and weaknesses is when you make a mistake, you admit it, you make amends, you ask for forgiveness and you make sure it never happens again."

The affair was a rare public loss of control for Mr Trudeau. Telegenic and tattooed, he has gained a rock star level of celebrity, thanks partly to an avowed feminist stance, and he is often swarmed by fans seeking selfies.

Mr Trudeau is in no immediate political danger since the next election is not due until October 2019 and opinion polls put him far ahead of his rivals.

"It was my mistake, it was unbecoming of any member of this House. I expect better from myself," a contrite Mr Trudeau told the legislature on Thursday, adding that he wanted to make amends. "I wield full responsibility for my poor choices last night and I ask for Canadians' understanding and forgiveness."

During preparations for a Wednesday evening vote, Mr Trudeau, irritated by what he saw as delaying tactics by the opposition, strode across the floor and grabbed a legislator by the arm before pushing him towards his seat.

In the process, he accidentally elbowed New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau in the chest and later got into a heated exchange with an opposition leader.

NDP legislator Tracey Ramsey said the Prime Minister swore as he approached opposition whip Gord Brown and the opposition benches. She added: "He said, 'Get the bleep out of the way.'"

Sources told Canada's CBC News that Mr Trudeau had used the F-word, which decades earlier landed his Prime Minister father Pierre Trudeau in hot water in the same House of Commons

After the incident, Mr Trudeau again crossed the floor and engaged in a loud and heated conversation with NDP leader Tom Mulcair.

"What kind of man elbows a woman? It's pathetic! You're pathetic!" Mr Mulcair can be heard on tape shouting at Mr Trudeau.

While mild compared with the brawls between legislators in Taiwan, Japan and Ukraine, the incident was rare in Canadian politics. Photographs of the fracas were splashed across front pages with unflattering headlines, such as "Mad House" and "Hair Trigger", and gleefully dissected on Twitter with the hashtag #elbowgate.

"There is not a parallel in contemporary Canadian history. We hear about members becoming physical in other countries but that is not Canada," CBC quoted NDP House Leader Peter Julian as saying later as MPs raised points of privilege after the vote.

Conservative MP Peter Van Loan said it was an "extraordinary example of physical intimidation".

He said: "I witnessed as (Trudeau) strode across the floor with an anger fierce, in his face and eyes."

REUTERS

↧

SMRT and NTU launch joint research laboratory to boost rail reliability

May 22, 2016, 7:44 am

≫ Next: HDB launches fund to help promote community bonding

≪ Previous: Elbowgate: Trudeau says sorry for manhandling opposition

SMRT-NTU lab to help tackle rail woes
$60m Corp Lab to focus on real-time monitoring systems for trains, tracks and power supply
By Christopher Tan, Senior Transport Correspondent, The Straits Times, 21 May 2016

Transport operator SMRT and Nanyang Technological University have set up a research laboratory to develop ways to fix rail engineering problems even before they arise.

The $60 million SMRT-NTU Smart Urban Rail Corporate Laboratory (Corp Lab) was launched yesterday, with equal funding from the two parties, along with $20 million from the National Research Foundation.

Although the lab is its first rail-related research venture, NTU is confident that its track record stands it in good stead.

NTU vice-president for research Lam Khin Yong cited the university's collaboration with companies such as ST Engineering, Rolls-Royce and BMW Group.

For Singapore's rail system, Corp Lab will work on a suite of real-time monitoring systems for trains, tracks and power supply.

For trains, these systems will continuously monitor vibration, wheel axles and gearboxes, as well as door mechanisms. Door faults often lead to trains stalling as a result of a safety design.

Sensors will also be embedded into the running rail and the power-supplying third rail.

SMRT head of trains Lee Ling Wee said some problems cannot be detected by off-the-shelf solutions - for instance, cracks developing on the underside of a running rail, which, if left undetected and unresolved, can lead to serious track breakages.

To this end, the joint venture will work on thermo-acoustic sensors, which can sense temperature fluctuations within materials. These will be able to detect cracks and defects which may lie deep within components. Corp Lab will also work on better maintenance and reconditioning of assets.

NTU president Bertil Andersson said Corp Lab will also "develop core competencies and human capital for the railway industry".

"It aims to train 50 research engineers, 35 PhD students and 100 undergraduate students in the next five years," he said.

"Commuting woes can cause tempers to fray, so as a university, we hope to develop technologies that can lead to smoother and more sustainable modes of transportation."

SMRT chief executive Desmond Kuek said monitoring systems have already been proven to work. The operator's Third Rail Sag Alert system captured 14 incidents last year which could have led to the third rail sagging.

"Timely remedial actions and time-critical decisions can be made, preventing a single but critical fault from cascading into a major service disruption," Mr Kuek said.

Corp Lab will work on more advanced condition monitoring systems. One example is defect detection of a train's electrification system via radio frequency. Another is automated inspection of train undercarriages.

Electrical faults are increasingly common in Singapore's rail network. More than half of the major breakdowns in recent months have been power-related.

For instance, a power trip at the Buona Vista intake substation crippled the western section of three MRT lines and one LRT line on April 25.

Corp Lab will have to show quantifiable results. Prof Lam said a number of patents must be filed and half of them must be commercialised.

The guest of honour at yesterday's launch was Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

↧

HDB launches fund to help promote community bonding

May 22, 2016, 8:10 am

≫ Next: Sisters' Islands to be heart of marine life conservation

≪ Previous: SMRT and NTU launch joint research laboratory to boost rail reliability

By Yeo Sam Jo, The Straits Times, 21 May 2016

A new fund which residents can tap has been created to encourage community bonding in public housing estates.

The Housing Board has set aside $500,000 over the next five years for the new HDB Friendly Faces, Lively Places Fund, which aims to spur residents to initiate ground- up, community-building projects. They can propose activities and apply for a grant of up to $10,000.

This is an increase from the $1,000 available for each activity under another scheme to encourage neighbourliness - the Good Neighbours Project.

National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, who announced the new fund at the start of HDB's Community Week at the new Bedok Town Plaza yesterday, encouraged residents to apply for the fund and foster greater neighbourliness. They can do so on HDB's website at any time of the year. To qualify, activities must involve diverse groups and individuals, and be free and open to the public.

Mr Wong said: "Now that there is more funding and a longer window to apply, please spread the word around. I encourage everyone to make full use of this opportunity and come up with something meaningful for the community."

To further boost community bonding, HDB has also formed a Town Plaza Activation Team to spearhead activities such as mini-concerts and mass workouts at Bedok Town Plaza.

This team consists of local community partners, including schools, grassroots leaders and the National Arts Council. Two upcoming town plazas, in Punggol and Yishun, will get activation teams too.

Yesterday, Mr Wong and adviser to grassroots organisations Lee Yi Shyan officially opened the new Bedok Town Plaza, which includes a heritage corner on the East Coast.

Mr Lee, who is an MP for East Coast GRC, said the plaza's central location makes it useful for activities such as taiji, dancing and even announcements.

"If you have an important message to send out, for example, maybe (about) dengue, Zika virus... this is a very good place," he added.

On display at the plaza yesterday were Good Neighbours Projects, including a dinner and movie night for over 100 residents last month hosted by a team from Casuarina Primary School.

One of the pupils on the team, Diyanah Amani Ismail, 11, said: "We had fun doing this and we all grew closer."

↧

Sisters' Islands to be heart of marine life conservation

May 22, 2016, 10:13 pm

≫ Next: F-35: The future of the RSAF?

≪ Previous: HDB launches fund to help promote community bonding

Plans include nursery for corals, turtle hatchery and facilities where people can get close to nature
By Danson Cheong, The Sunday Times, 22 May 2016

From Singapore's first sea turtle hatchery to a floating pontoon with see-through panels, detailed plans to transform Sisters' Islands into the heart of the country's marine life conservation efforts were revealed yesterday.

Announcing these yesterday on St John's Island, Senior Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee highlighted how, despite covering less than 1 per cent of the world's surface, Singapore's waters are home to over 250 species of hard corals, a third of the world's total.

"We may be small, but we are large in our marine richness," he said, as he highlighted the need to ramp up conservation efforts and to raise awareness among Singaporeans of the life in surrounding waters. "The marine park is meant for Singaporeans, and we hope our people will love it, grow it and take ownership of this park."

The 40ha Sisters' Islands Marine Park, first announced in 2014 and about the size of 50 football fields, comprises the two Sisters' Islands - which are a 40-minute boat ride from Marina South Pier - surrounding reefs and the western reefs of nearby St John's Island and Pulau Tekukor. Its ecosystem supports corals, anemones, seahorses, fish and other marine life.

With the help of a $500,000 donation from HSBC, a turtle hatchery will be set up on Small Sister's Island by the end of next year.

The island will be a dedicated site for marine conservation and research. It will have a coral nursery where rare corals can be grown before being transplanted onto Reef Enhancement Units (REU) on the reef. Yesterday, HSBC also donated $180,000 for nine REUs under the new Seed-A-Reef programme.

Open to the public, donations of at least $20,000 will pay for an REU - an artificial scaffolding to which corals attach and grow.

To encourage Singaporeans to take ownership of the marine park on the islands, they will be able to also "sponsor" a coral for $200 in the new Plant-A-Coral initiative.

Big Sister's Island meanwhile will serve as a "gateway to the marine park" for the public, said Mr Lee.

It will have facilities where people can get close to nature, such as a floating pontoon, intertidal pools, a boardwalk and forest trails.

Most of these new facilities will be built by the end of 2018.

Ms Karenne Tun, a director at NParks' National Biodiversity Centre, said each sponsored coral will be grown in aquariums or a coral nursery in the sea from small fragments before being transplanted.

"We will target key species in Singapore that we feel need a bit of help, (or) those that are rare in Singapore," she said, adding that it can take six months to two years for corals to be transplanted, depending on how fast the species grows.

If these programmes are done right, they could have an "add-on effect on the natural reef", said Mr Stephen Beng, who chairs the marine conservation group of the Nature Society (Singapore).

Professor Wong Sek Man, director of the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Tropical Marine Science Institute, said the upcoming plans on Sisters' Islands will help educate the young on how to protect the environment. "Kids are very curious... to know what kind of marine organisms can be found in the sea. If they can also touch them, it will be very nice," he said.

NUS first-year environmental science undergrad Lim Hong Yao, 22, who has been on a guided walk with NParks to the intertidal area on Sisters' Islands, said the zone is full of wildlife. "Everything is interesting... I've seen corals, hermit crabs, octopus and even stingrays."

•To sponsor a coral, visit www.gardencityfund.org/coral.

Big plans for the two Sisters
The Sunday Times, 22 May 2016

ON BIG SISTER'S ISLAND

Early 2018

A floating pontoon will be built adjacent to the jetty. Visitors will also get to observe marine life such as sea fans, sponges and sea anemones through viewing panels on the base of the pontoons.

Mid-2018

Forest trails that cut through the island will allow visitors to explore the island and go bird-watching.

End-2018

A boardwalk along the lagoon will provide sweeping views of the coastline. Visitors can also get up close with coastal flora and fauna.

Intertidal pools will be built along the island's inner sea walls to create an environment similar to natural rock pools, where marine life can be viewed up close at low tide.

ON SMALL SISTER'S ISLAND

End-2017

The first turtle hatchery here and an outreach facility will be built. The hatchery will be a refuge for rescued turtle eggs, where they can hatch safely.

A coral nursery will be established to safeguard hard corals. The nursery will play an important role in the conservation of coral species, especially in view of rising sea temperatures. Corals undergo bleaching when the temperature of the water gets too high.

ON BOTH ISLANDS

Ongoing now

As part of the Plant-A-Coral and Seed-A-Reef programmes, corals will be transplanted onto reef enhancement units, which are artificial structures placed within the reef to encourage coral growth.

End-2018

Areas will be set aside for coastal plant conservation. These will feature around 30 coastal plant species including critically endangered ones.

The public can visit the coastal plant conservation area on Big Sister's Island. The area on Small Sister's Island will be a dedicated site for research and conservation.

Plans to restore eroded Ubin shoreline
New measures to protect island's flora and fauna amid erosion of its northern shores
By Melissa Lin, The Straits Times, 23 May 2016

More will be done to protect Pulau Ubin's flora and fauna, including plans to restore its northern shoreline, build a coastal boardwalk and support the recovery of endangered plants and animals.

Announcing these initiatives yesterday on Pulau Ubin, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Desmond Lee said more must be done to protect the rich biodiversity teeming on the island.

Noting that Pulau Ubin has more than 720 native plant species and over 500 animal species, including some not found on mainland Singapore, he said: "This is remarkable but we must do more.

"We have plans to restore Ubin's eroding shoreline, which will serve as a base for more of Pulau Ubin's flora and fauna to be restored in the near future."

Shoreline restoration was one of the earliest priorities for The Ubin Project, announced in 2014 to generate ideas from the public on how to retain Ubin's rustic charm.

Erosion has badly affected about 40m of northern Ubin, threatening critically endangered species such as the Eye of the Crocodile tree and leading to the closure of Noordin Beach - a popular camping site - in 2013 for public safety.

A year-long study, concluded this month by the National Parks Board (NParks), found that changes in wave conditions partly as a result of ship wakes, or waves generated by the movements of vessels, as well as changes in land use were among the key causes of erosion.

NParks has identified possible measures to restore the shoreline, such as using man-made rock structures and sand to widen the existing beaches, growing more mangroves and adding wooden poles along the shoreline to mitigate the impact of waves.

NParks will call a tender, and works are expected to start next year and end by 2020.

An impact assessment will be done, said NPark's director for Pulau Ubin, Mr Robert Teo.

"Until we call a tender, we won't be sure how much (the work) is going to cost. It depends on the magnitude of the designs and the amount of work that's going to be done," he added.

A coastal boardwalk of about 500m, part of which will extend into the sea, will be built at Noordin Beach, which will reopen when restoration works are completed. From the boardwalk, visitors can view the island's coastal mangroves and hills.

Yesterday, NParks also unveiled a design for new otter holts - essentially dens for the critically endangered oriental small-clawed otter. By the end of this year, two holts will be installed on the island which will allow researchers to monitor and study otter behaviour.

Other species' recovery efforts include installing 30 bat boxes of six different designs across the island for bats to roost, and reintroducing endangered native orchids to parts of the island.

At the event to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity yesterday, Mr Lee joined more than 100 participants to plant 100 mangrove saplings at the mangrove arboretum in the Ubin Living Lab.

Among them were executive manager Sean Lam, 47, and his wife and son. He said: "This is one of the last places in built-up Singapore where you can enjoy such nature. Without the mangroves, the soil will be eroded and the next generation won't have anything to see."

Related
NParks announces new conservation, research, outreach and educational plans for Sisters’ Islands Marine Park
Community participates in efforts to enhance Pulau Ubin’s natural heritage as part of the International Day for Biological Diversity celebrations on island

↧

F-35: The future of the RSAF?

May 23, 2016, 1:32 am

≫ Next: To Airbnb or not to Airbnb...

≪ Previous: Sisters' Islands to be heart of marine life conservation

The F-35 has been billed as the world's most advanced fighter jet. It flies at nearly twice the speed of sound, has stealth capabilities and is armed with a supercomputer. But production has been hit by flaws, delays and ballooning costs. Has Lockheed Martin done enough to persuade Singapore that this jet is the future of its air force? The Sunday Times examines the issue
By Jermyn Chow, Defence Correspondent In Dallas Fort Worth, The Sunday Times, 22 May 2016

Welcome to Dallas Fort Worth, where production of what has been labelled the world's most advanced fighter jet is continuing apace.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter can travel at nearly twice the speed of sound, has stealth features that make it tough to detect by enemy planes and radars, and high-tech systems which let it strike the enemy first before being spotted.

But the plane, which Lockheed Martin started developing in 2001, has also become a lightning rod for criticism. It has faced delays, ballooning production costs and a series of production flaws, such as a fuel tank prone to exploding, a vulnerability to lightning strikes and even a faulty ejection seat which could snap a pilot's neck during ejection.

But that has not stopped 11 countries, including the United States, Britain, Israel, South Korea and Japan, from buying the F-35, with Denmark possibly joining the list after its defence ministry made a pitch to Parliament two weeks ago to opt for fifth-generation aircraft.

Now, Lockheed is looking to sew up a multibillion-dollar deal with Singapore, which is in the final stages of considering if it will also go down the F-35 route and buy both the conventional F-35A and the F-35B, which takes off from shorter runways and can land like a helicopter.

A MATTER OF WHEN

Several sources told The Sunday Times that Singapore looks all but certain to say yes to the F-35s, explaining it is "not a matter of if but when" and that a decision may be expected as early as next year.

That will be when the Pentagon issues a notice to the United States Congress highlighting the possible deal. If Singapore does buy the plane, it will probably receive its first F-35 around 2021 when the warplane is considered "full matured", said one source.

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) would only say that the F-35 "is still under evaluation", citing Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen's comments to Parliament in 2013 that fifth-generation jets, such as the F-35, are "potential options".

"As a small country with no strategic depth, Singapore will always need superior air capabilities to protect its interests and borders," said a MINDEF spokesman.

Dr Ng has seen both the F-35A and F-35B jets up close as recently as last December. A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) evaluation team has also been to Lockheed's aeronautics headquarters in Dallas Fort Worth at least twice in the last three years to go through their paces in F-35 simulators.

The Pentagon's F-35 programme chief, Lieutenant-General Christopher Bogdan, paid an unpublicised visit to Singapore in February during the Singapore Airshow, and was said to have made his closing pitch to the country's military leaders - two years before the F-35's development is scheduled for completion.

For Singapore to be mulling its options at this stage is unprecedented, said observers. It acquired its F-16s and F-15s years after they were built in the 1970s and battle-tested.

But this also means Singapore needs to be more careful that it will not be buying into a problematic platform. A source said: "This is the first time that we are buying a fighter jet that is fresh off its development phase. We need to make sure that the platform is ready."

TEETHING PROBLEMS

It has been a bumpy ride for the F-35. In the latest blow, engineers last year uncovered computer glitches that can shut down the plane's radar, requiring pilots to turn it off and on again.

Such issues have pushed the F-35's development seven years behind schedule and made it the world's costliest weapon programme in history. The initial estimate in 2001 had been around US$200 billion. Today, the Pentagon has already spent US$400 billion (S$553 billion).

The F-35 was also reportedly outclassed by a 40-year-old F-16 in a dogfight last year. Last month, US Senator John McCain, a former navy pilot, slammed the F-35's troubled history, saying it "has been both a scandal and a tragedy with respect to cost, schedule and performance".

PILOTS GIVE THUMBS UP

Yet, pilots who have flown the F-35 told The Sunday Times that it is a cut above the rest.

Lieutenant-Colonel Gregory J. Summa, who is the commanding officer at the VMFAT-501 squadron which trains the US Marine Corps' F-35 pilots, said: "The airplane has more power than others and the power is there immediately.

"Because of its low observable design, there is not a lot of drag, so the airplane accelerates very, very fast and does not decelerate. You have to force the airplane to slow down."

Major Michael Rountree, the squadron's executive officer, has clocked 400 hours on the F-35. The 38-year-old said the jet was much easier to fly, allowing him to pay more attention to threats.

The information collected by the plane's many sensors is also put together in one single display, which means the pilot can quickly have a complete picture of what is happening around him, he added.

Lockheed's F-35 chief test pilot Alan Norman, who has clocked 6,000 flying hours in more than 70 types of aircraft such as the F-22, said the plane is also more survivable and lethal than any other.

He said: "Nobody is going to sneak up behind an F-35 because you know where every adversary is in the battlespace well before they are on your tail."

Maintenance crew said F-35s take half the time to maintain, given its advanced computer system.

Lockheed's executives assure that all the glitches will be fixed by 2018.

Mr Steve Over, Lockheed's F-35 business development director, said the defence manufacturer has "a solution on hand for every one of the technical flaws pointed out".

"The flaws found are not unlike any weapons programme that is still under development", added the engineer, who worked on F-16s for 29 years before moving to the F-35.

Defence analyst Kelvin Wong said developmental challenges are par for the course for modern combat aircraft programmes, more so with the F-35 programme's scale and complexity. Pointing to the F-16 programme, which is one of the most successful with at least 25 countries flying over 4,500 jets, Mr Wong, who is IHS Jane's Asia-Pacific defence technology reporter and upgrades editor, said the F-16 suffered "subpar performance" for about 10 years.

Lockheed is also optimistic as it has been able to cut production costs by 60 per cent since the first plane rolled off its factory floor in 2010. It said it is on track to shave a further 20 per cent off the current price by 2019. By then, each F-35 will hopefully cost around US$80 million to US$85 million.

The optimism was palpable when The Sunday Times visited Lockheed's F-35 factory floor.

Visitors were not allowed to take photos or capture videos in the high-security production line, which is about 1.6km long.

The area was a hive of activity, with engineers and technicians working like clockwork to assemble the warplanes. To meet expected higher demand and ramp up production to hit full steam by 2019, Mr Over said Lockheed will increase the number of final assembly stations from 14 to 22. More hands will also be needed, with 1,000 people to be hired by 2020 to add to the current 5,000-strong team.

Mr Jack Crisler, Lockheed's vice-president of F-35 business development and strategy integration, said the "sweet spot" for countries to lock in their orders would be between next year and 2018, to gain economies of scale.

He expects interest from other countries to grow when Japan and Israel start to take delivery of their warplanes and fly them, putting paid to doubts of a sustainable worldwide F-35 fleet. Mr Crisler said countries will want to be in a growing shortlist that Lockheed and the Pentagon will pick from to set up maintenance and repair warehouses around the world.

DOES SINGAPORE NEED THE F-35?

Beyond the marketing spin, questions still swirl over the need of having the F-35s to protect Singapore's airspace. Currently, the country has fourth-generation fighters F-16s and F-15s. While the 60 F-16 jets are getting their midlife upgrades to extend their operational lives by another 20 years, the F-15s, which the Republic is believed to have as many as 40 of, are considered the best currently.

Defence observer David Boey, who sits on the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence, believes existing fighters are "numerically and technologically superior to that of anyone in the immediate region who may want to pick a quarrel with us".

He said: "In the absence of the F-35, options include expanding this fighter force with latest variants of these or other warplanes."

He added that the hefty price of the F-35 is not the chief hurdle.

The F-15s were said to be about US$120 million each when Singapore bought them. He said: "The deal-breaker is convincing ourselves that the F-35 can perform as advertised and serve as a credible deterrent. With enough time and money, any bug can be fixed. We need to ask ourselves if the patience and money will always be there to bankroll this project."

Defence analyst Richard Bitzinger thinks Singapore is in no hurry as it already has an "overwhelming (air) superiority" over its regional neighbours, although several, including Indonesia and Malaysia, are also eyeing fifth-generation platforms. "I think that Singapore will eventually opt for the F-35, due to its overall technophilia, but it can afford to wait," said the senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Other observers said there is also a limit to how much the RSAF can upgrade its existing fourth-generation warplanes to outdo the enemy.

As one put it: "You can only do that much with a Toyota and Suzuki. Given the strategic challenges, we may need to get a sports car to stay ahead."

↧

To Airbnb or not to Airbnb...

May 23, 2016, 9:20 am

≫ Next: Indonesia needs to stop acting as a “big brother”: Johannes Nugroho

≪ Previous: F-35: The future of the RSAF?

Can Singapore make room and rules for Airbnb and other home-sharing offerings?
As URA continues to study issue, residents and hospitality players remain divided
By Janice Heng and Yeo Sam Jo, The Sunday Times, 22 May 2016

From stylish apartments to cheerful single rooms, tourists in search of alternative lodgings in Singapore are spoilt for choice.

The website of Airbnb, a leading player in the home-sharing market here, has options such as a Kallang shophouse for $249 a night, a Tiong Bahru flat for $114 or a room in East Coast with queen-sized bed and balcony for a mere $48.

According to Airbnb, there are about 6,000 properties listed on its website here.

Other home-sharing websites have set up here as well, such as PandaBed and Roomorama.

Yet, it is currently illegal for private and public home-owners to lease their properties for less than six months.

While a few home-sharing site listings are for long-term options, most are for short stays, which means they are breaking the law.

The authorities are still trying to decide if rules should be relaxed for private properties.

From January to April last year, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) held a public consultation to assess if this short-term rental policy for private properties needed to be reviewed.

But last Wednesday, more than a year on, the URA said it needs more time to consider the issue.

In the meantime, enforcement action will still be taken, it added.

Under current rules, private home-owners who lease their units for less than six months can be fined up to $200,000 and jailed for up to a year.

RESIDENTS' WORRIES

For Housing Board flats, there is no plan to review the short-term stay rules, which aim "to pre-empt high turnover of occupants, which could affect the living environment for HDB residents", said the HDB.

Such disruption is also why some private property residents object to short-term rentals. "Some Airbnb users throw their cigarette butts and cause a lot of inconvenience," said housewife Ruth Tiang, 50.

Residents are also worried about safety in general.

When dental assistant Rodelita C. Leng's family members travel, they use Airbnb. Yet, the 38-year-old resident of Vacanza@East in Kembangan would not like the same to happen here.

"If my neighbours register their units under AirBnb, anyone can just go in and out. This is not safe and secure for my two young children," she said.

Those who list their condominium properties on home-sharing sites often offer the use of facilities such as gyms.

Businessman Kenny Tan, 40, said guests are sometimes not as careful as residents.

He said: "We pay a premium for the security and the facilities. The treatment of common facilities by transient tourists will inevitably be worse than the owners'."

In 2013, 2014 and 2015, the URA received 231, 375 and 377 complaints on short-term stays respectively. From January to April this year, there were 161 complaints.

OPEN TO THE IDEA

However, residents at condominiums such as the Soleil @ Sinaran in Novena and Vogx in Dorset Road - both of which have units listed on Airbnb - said they had not noticed disturbances. Others are more open to the idea of home-sharing, especially if the authorities regulate it.

Said 25-year-old housewife Meggie Liu, who lives at Casa Merah condominium in Tanah Merah: "I will support URA legalising it as I feel that owners have the right to make their own choices about their property."

Rules can be included to ensure that landlords take steps to screen their guests, she added.

Mr Yeo Tong Wei, 21, who is waiting to start university, said that welcoming Airbnb will help Singapore be a more immersive cultural hub.

"I think it's a very organic way of learning about the city and its inhabitants, as compared with hotels," he said.

MAINTAINING MARKET STANDARDS

The hospitality industry is another stakeholder whose views have been sought by URA.

The Singapore Hotel Association (SHA), for one, supports the status quo. Private home-owners could become competition for both hotels and serviced apartments, said SHA executive director Margaret Heng.

"Equally critical to the tourism industry in Singapore is how do we ensure safety, security and hygiene standards in private outfits" which are unregulated, she added.

This need to uphold tourism standards was echoed by hotels.

Said Royal Plaza on Scotts general manager Patrick Fiat: "Home-shares are inconsistent in service delivery and cleanliness standards, which will have an impact on the image of Singapore as a travel destination in the long run."

Said Regent Singapore director of marketing Jeff Crowe: "All of us benefit directly or indirectly from Singapore's reputation as a safe destination... Hopefully, (any) upcoming legislation will ensure new entrants are held to the same high standards required of the established hospitality operators."

Still, both high-end hotels and backpacker hostels told The Sunday Times they were not overly worried about direct competition.

"It's a different market that we cater to, where our guests are looking for luxury, as well as unique and special experiences," said a spokesman for Hotel Fort Canning, which offers packages such as a buggy tour in Fort Canning Park.

Shophouse The Social Hostel co-founder Mustaffa Kamal has even turned Airbnb to his advantage, listing some of his rooms there. "There's no point in fighting, so I leverage on it."

TO LEGALISE OR NOT

Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Darryl David compared the rise of home-sharing sites with other "disruptive innovations" such as private-hire services UberX and GrabCar, which have given commuters more transport choices.

Last month, the Land Transport Authority announced it will introduce regulations for these services. These include requiring drivers to apply for a licence.

Mr David, who is in the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for National Development, said home-sharing could also have potential benefits for both tourism and home-owners, but it needs more study.

"Because these are disruptive technologies, we are forced to sit down and see how to incorporate them into our system," he said. "To ban them or to ignore them is not necessarily the best solution.

"You don't want to have this go underground."

GPC for National Development deputy chairman Chong Kee Hiong said that if short-term rentals are allowed down the road, then they should be subject to rules "that ensure equity among all stakeholders". The rules should also address safety and privacy concerns.

What about the fact that home-sharing sites still operate despite the current legal issues?

"My view is that it is not correct to say that since these sites are likely to continue, we should legalise it. This is putting the cart before the horse," replied Mr Chong, who is an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.

If the rules against short-term rentals remain, then the authorities should further step up enforcement so owners are aware of the consequences, he added.

Additional reporting by Clement Yong, Jessie Lim, Aleysa John, Delphine Kao, Timothy Goh

Asia a fast-growing region for home-sharing firm Airbnb

By Yeo Sam Jo, The Sunday Times, 22 May 2016

Airbnb is perhaps the name most synonymous with home rental websites.

With about two million listings across more than 190 countries, the San Francisco-based firm is arguably the largest of its kind.

In 2012, Airbnb opened its Singapore office, which also serves as its Asia-Pacific headquarters.

It recently moved into a three-storey office in Cecil Street.

There are about 6,000 properties in Singapore listed on the website, an Airbnb spokesman said, adding that Asia is one of its "fastest-growing regions".

He said that home-sharing can support local businesses away from the usual tourist spots, and help hosts afford rising living costs and prepare for retirement.

Pointing to seniors who might have spare rooms in their homes, the spokesman said: "It provides them an extra source of income and an opportunity to welcome travellers from all over the world without leaving their home.

"They find great joy in being local ambassadors and continuing an active lifestyle."

Addressing the issue of security, Airbnb said safety tools such as detailed profiles and authentic reviews allow guests and hosts to "get to know each other before a reservation". "An example is our Verified ID system, which connects a person's offline identification (like a passport) with the online profile they've created on Airbnb."

Asked about Singapore's rules against rentals shorter than six months, Airbnb noted that more cities around the world are embracing home-sharing.

The spokesman pointed to South Korea and Dubai, which recently signed tourism-related agreements with Airbnb.

"We encourage Singapore to join this trend, and adopt fair and progressive rules to allow regular people to share their homes."

Extra cash spurs some to open homes to strangers
By Yeo Sam Jo, The Sunday Times, 22 May 2016

The chance to make new friends, a passive income and a weak rental market are among the reasons why people here offer their homes and rooms for short-term rentals even though the practice is illegal.

One such host on home-sharing website Airbnb told The Sunday Times that he started letting out his condominium unit at the end of last year as he found it increasingly difficult to find a long-term tenant.

The 56-year-old businessman, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "The rental market now is horrible. I started doing this to defray my mortgage and maintenance costs on the apartment."

To date he has hosted about 20 groups of visitors at his city-fringe condominium for about $150 per night. A four-star hotel in the same area could cost twice as much.

"Visitors to Singapore may not have the budget for luxury hotels and may not like hostels," said the businessman, whose guests include tourists and business travellers from countries like Britain, China and Malaysia.

"They like staying in a condo because it's almost like a hotel suite. They can even cook and do their laundry."

The host soon discovered other perks. "When I have time, I take my guests out and become their unofficial tour guide," he said. "I point out where the hawker centres are, what are the good dishes to eat - stuff which only a local would know."

An Airbnb "superhost" - an experienced host who has received good reviews - said he occasionally gets Singaporean guests over the weekend.

"They want to buy a place here and get a feel of the neighbourhood," said the 33-year-old, who lets out two rooms in his Buona Vista condominium apartment.

But most of his guests are foreign professionals and research students who are here for a few months.

"I like getting to know people from all over the world," said the tech start-up founder, who has hosted more than 40 guests from countries including Finland and Germany since June last year.

"When I travel, they even help me water my plants. We add each other on Facebook and some of them have become business contacts."

Another host, a 30-year-old nail artist and freelance travel planner, also said some of her guests have become good friends.

"I visited them in their countries and they welcomed me to their place without any charge," said the host, who leases out a spare room in her Balestier condominium.

But things are not always peachy.

"Some treat me like a hotel boy and want me to do everything for them," said the start-up founder.

The businessman host has had guests steal two towels from his apartment. Some others do not clean up after cooking in the kitchen, or leave the air-conditioner on when they go out.

"It's very time consuming. We have to be there to open the door for guests, clean up the house and get calls in the middle of the night from those who lock themselves out of the room," he said.

"I don't intend to do this for too long."

Berlin cracks down on home-sharing
Bid to stop websites like Airbnb from worsening housing shortage and driving up rents
By Neo Hui Min, In Berlin, The Straits Times, 21 May 2016

Mr Joel Westerheide used to rent out a room in his Berlin apartment on Airbnb, but he hosted his last guest over the weekend after a ban on such private holiday lets went into force in the German capital this month.

"I cancelled the rest of the bookings," said Mr Westerheide, who used to rent out the living room in his one-bedroom apartment to pay off his student loan, and later for extra income.

The new housing law that took effect on May 1 prohibits property owners and tenants from putting up more than half the floor space in their apartments for short holiday lets. Those who flout the law risk a fine of up to €100,000 (S$155,000).

Berlin authorities took the drastic step in a bid to stop home-sharing websites such as Airbnb, Wimdu and 9flats from exacerbating a housing shortage and driving up rents.

The crackdown came after similar action in New York.

The average monthly price of rental apartments in Berlin is nearing almost half - 45 per cent - of the country's median monthly household income, according to a survey by property specialist Immonet. That is far higher than the 30 per cent affordability rule that property owners apply when considering a tenant's solvency.

With rents in Berlin soaring by 50 per cent between 2011 and this year, from €6.17 to €9.29 per square metre for a 60 sq m apartment, officials are anxious to limit the surge.

"Apartments are for living in," said Mr Andreas Geisel, who is Berlin's senator for city development and environment, in a statement. "We should not have to explain, least of all to those looking for apartments in Berlin, why the illegal usage of apartments for commercial purposes should continue to be tolerated."

With property prices relatively low in Berlin compared to other key European capital cities, some speculators have bought apartments to put on the lucrative short-term rental market rather than lease them out to the city's residents.

Berlin authorities estimate that around 12,000 apartments are being illegally used as holiday lets.

But home-sharing websites are fighting back. Wimdu has filed a lawsuit at the constitutional court challenging the new rule in Berlin. It claims the law violates constitutional protection for freedom of occupation and property ownership rights.

Its competitor 9flats, which backs the lawsuit, has moved its operations to Singapore where it keeps its database of Berlin apartment hosts, shielding them from German authorities.

"To pass a law against what people want is fundamentally wrong," Mr Roman Bach, chief executive of 9flats, told The Straits Times.

Sites like 9flats feel that they are being made scapegoats for the failure by city authorities to build sufficient housing.

"There will be a shortage of 220,000 apartments by 2020, and putting 4,000 holiday apartments back into the market is just a drop in the ocean," said Wimdu chief executive Arne Kahlke in a statement.

Mr Bach said Berlin authorities have not tackled the root of the problem. "Numbers clearly show that the negligence of housing policy in combination with increased demand for properties in Berlin are driving up the cost of living," he said. "Rents will not go down if holiday letting is forbidden."

Airbnb defended its business model by releasing a slew of data showing that a typical host earns just €1,800 by sharing his space for 34 nights a year.

"And we hear from countless Berliners who couldn't afford their homes or the city if they could not share their homes," it said.

Others resent the authorities' meddling with the privacy of their homes. "I think I should be allowed to do what I wish with the apartment that I am living in," said Mr Westerheide.

For now, many apartments are still available as holiday lets, as hosts - and district authorities - take a wait-and-see approach before the verdict from the Wimdu case is given.

Others advertise just one room, as is permitted under the 50 per cent rule, and then offer more if asked.

Open policy on open doors in some countries
With short-term rentals growing in popularity with services such as Airbnb, Correspondent Walter Sim looks at the situation in other parts of the world.
The Straits Times, 21 May 2016

JAPAN

Japan has backtracked on guidelines to regulate home sharing, or minpaku, that a Bloomberg report said were issued in February. For example, hosts were allowed to rent to guests only for seven days or more, in a move aimed at protecting the hotel industry.

Business daily Nikkei reported last week that a new law has been drafted and is due to be tabled in the Diet by next year. The new law is said to be a full deregulation of short-term rentals, and will update rules that are almost 70 years old.

AUSTRALIA

Current regulations prevent tourist and visitor accommodation in residential zones, but the Sydney city government has been pushing for softer rules, ABC News reported in February.

The proposal comes after a few homeowners were fined over A$1 million (S$995,000) in 2014, and will "balance the desire of property owners to sign on with providers like Airbnb with a wish to maintain the safety and amenity of neighbourhoods", the report said.

UNITED KINGDOM

A law passed last year allows Londoners to rent their homes for up to 90 days a year without having to apply for special permission.

British Secretary for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles said then: "The Internet is changing the way we work and live, and the law needs to catch up."

CHINA

There are no laws against short- term rentals in China, which has its own equivalent of Airbnb - Tujia, an online apartment-sharing platform.

INDIA

India's tourism ministry said last month it will review laws on home-sharing. There are now more than 18,000 homes listed on Airbnb in 100 cities - a 115 per cent growth over one year.

MALAYSIA

There are no laws banning short- term rentals, although falling occupancy rates have prompted a Johor hotel association to seek government intervention. The Johor Baru City Council in turn said no licence was required for owners to rent out their homes.

URA needs more time to study short-term stays issue
'No clear consensus' in public consultation on such stays in private residential properties, it says
By Yeo Sam Jo, The Straits Times, 19 May 2016

After holding a public consultation on short-term rentals last year, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said yesterday that it needs more time to review the issue.

Results of the consultation, held from January to April last year, were "split, with no clear consensus", the URA revealed.

"This issue on short-term stays is complex, multi-faceted, has wide- ranging implications and it warrants a careful and balanced review," it said, adding that it "needs more time to study the issue".

Last year, the authority conducted the consultation to assess whether there is a need to review the policy on short-term rentals in private residential properties.

It is illegal to lease a home for less than six months in Singapore. Private home offenders can be fined up to $200,000 and jailed for up to a year. Despite this, listings for short-term rentals have sprung up on home-sharing websites like Airbnb, PandaBed and Roomorama.

The consultation came in two forms. The first was an online survey open to the public, which ran from January to February and had about 2,000 respondents.

Discussions were also held with close to 100 stakeholders, including home-sharing portals, hotel and serviced apartment representatives, neighbourhood committees of private housing estates and condominium management corporations.

The URA said that while participants acknowledged the need to accommodate the demand for short- term home sharing, there was also "strong endorsement" of existing controls on subletting.

These controls are intended to "preserve the privacy and sanctity valued by the vast majority of home owners", it added.

Noting that hotel and serviced apartment operators are subject to business taxes and requirements to ensure the safety and well-being of their occupants, the URA said: "There was important feedback that any change in rules should ensure a level playing field."

It stressed that while the review is ongoing, the six-month rule still stands and enforcement will be taken against misuse.

In 2013, 2014 and 2015, the URA received 231, 375 and 377 complaints on short-term stays respectively. From January to April this year, there were 161 complaints.

A spokesman for Airbnb said: "We are disappointed that after more than a year since URA concluded its public consultation, there has not been a revision to URA's guidelines. We encourage Singapore to adopt fair and progressive rules to allow regular people to share their homes."

PandaBed chief executive James Chua, 36, hopes that any change in regulation will consider the interests of all parties involved. "There are tourists who find home-sharing a bona fide better alternative to hotel rooms," he said. "The regulations need to take into account what the Internet brings to the market."

Singapore Hotel Association executive director Margaret Heng said the consultation results indicate that there is concern relating to short-term rentals, especially in the areas of safety and security.

"The hotel industry shares the same concern as these two factors are critical for the continued growth of the tourism industry in Singapore," said Ms Heng.

A 43-year-old business owner, who wanted to be known only as Ms Chew, said the condominium unit next to hers has been used for short-term stays for a few years.

"This did not bother us until my daughter's bicycle was stolen from outside our house in January.

"I am not against short-term rentals but landlords should put in place adequate checks and balances, like making sure visitors are registered. I have three young kids in the house and am worried for their safety."

Freelance property broker Alex Poh, 62, said short-term rentals could be regulated "like Grab and Uber", referring to the ride booking apps. He said: "It'll boost tourism and be good for our economy."

To Airbnb or not to Airbnb...
As URA grapples with issue of short-term home rentals, here are some points to consider
By Chua Mui Hoong, Opinion Editor, The Sunday Times, 22 May 2016

Sometimes, the best regulatory response to emerging disruptive technologies is to stall.

Not rushing to regulate lets the market find its own level, and gives time for the disrupter, the incumbent, the consumer and other stakeholders time to adjust.

So I wasn't unduly surprised when the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced last Wednesday that it needed more time to review the issue of short-term rentals of homes.

It had conducted a public consultation exercise from January to April last year and said that views were "split, with no clear consensus".

"This issue on short-term stays is complex, multi-faceted, has wide- ranging implications and it warrants a careful and balanced review," it said, adding that it "needs more time to study the issue".

The lull gives the URA more time to study the issues and come up with a regulatory framework. It needs to balance the interests of those who want to let out rooms to tourists for income on home-sharing platforms, like Airbnb, with the interests of hoteliers and accommodation providers which are subject to licensing requirements; and the interests of neighbours who are entitled to peaceful living spaces.

It helps that other cities have grappled with the Airbnb challenge. Their experiences point to some sensible approaches the URA can adopt on common issues.

TAX

One criticism of Airbnb is that its renters do not pay occupancy or other government tax that hotel guests have to pay. Others say the income that hosts receive should also be taxed.

In Amsterdam, one of the first cities to legalise Airbnb rentals, the city council created a new class of "Private Rental" accommodation permitting home owners to rent their homes up to two months of the year to up to four people at a time.

Hosts have to pay income and tourist taxes. Complaints from neighbours over noise or nuisance will be investigated by law enforcement agencies.

Airbnb itself has been proactive in working with the tax authorities to collect room taxes : In its home city of Portland, Oregon, it added an 11.5 per cent hotel tax to all reservations. It is also collecting such taxes in San Francisco and Washington DC and remitting them to the cities in one lump sum.

A similar approach can be adopted in Singapore: Get Airbnb to impose an occupancy tax payable to the state and get the hosts to file their income taxes.

NEIGHBOURS' CONCERNS

Unlike Uber or other car-sharing platforms, where passengers share space in a driver's car for just a few minutes of a commute, home-sharing platforms bring strangers together in a home for much more intensive interactions, which may fuel tension. Strangers may live for weeks in a host's property. Neighbours may object to living next to a unit with a constant flow of short-term guests.

Addressing neighbours' concerns is thus a big part of Airbnb regulation.

There is also concern about short-term rentals driving out long-term tenants. A landlord may prefer to rent out two bedrooms in his apartment for $100 each a night, for a potential $6,000 a month rent, rather than let out the entire apartment to a long-term tenant for $3,000. If more landlords then evict long-term tenants in favour of short-term ones in an area where housing is in short supply, housing affordability becomes an issue. Workers cannot afford to rent and live nearby.

Property prices may also soar, if commercially minded landlords are prepared to pay higher prices for apartments they intend to let out for high yields for short-term rentals.

A report by ING last month said that housing prices can increase by up to €100,000 (S$155,000) due to tourist rentals, as residents can get loans for higher amounts due to such incomes. It has become a political issue: Green party GroenLinks last Thursday said it would push for an Airbnb ban in Amsterdam, citing rising housing prices.

Some cities have dealt with this by requiring hosts to live in a property, and restricting the number of days a property may be let. This allows home owners to rent out rooms occasionally for extra income, but makes it commercially not viable for landlords to buy properties to start a short-term rental business.

London permits home owners to rent out their home or rooms for up to three months a year. Santa Monica, in California, requires a host to register for a business licence, live in the property during a renter's stay, and collect a 14 per cent occupancy tax to be paid to the city.

Similar rules can be implemented in Singapore requring hosts to live in the property, and limiting the number of days a place can be let to short-term tenants to, say, 60 a year.

The authorities here are unlikely to permit short-term rentals in Housing Board flats, which are primarily meant for owner occupation, given the issues with social cohesion, neighbourliness and security.

As for private properties, current URA rules do not permit rentals of under six months for residential units. But even if URA rules change to permit short-term rentals under some conditions (if landlords live on the properties, and for up to a certain number of days a year), those living in condominium estates have to consider their condo's Management Corporation (MC) rules.

Some MCs may pass bylaws to totally ban short-term rentals in their condo estate, for example.

Those prepared to allow such rentals may introduce additional rules, such as requiring hosts to register their units for short-term rental, and to pay a higher maintenance fee, since their guests can also use the common recreational facilities, and the constant flow of visitors may tax security services.

Letting MCs determine whether to permit short-term rentals in their estates may result in a segmented market, with some "Airbnb-friendly" condo estates emerging. These may attract investor-buyers rather than occupier-buyers.

This is where the URA will also need to set a cap on the total proportion of units permitted for short-term rental in an estate. This is essential to prevent commercialisation of residential blocks.

SAFETY REGULATIONS

Hoteliers are unhappy that Airbnb rentals are not subject to the kind of safety regulations that they are subject to. This results in commercially run hotels incurring higher costs, so they can't compete on price with private room rentals by home-owner hosts.

The uneven regulatory landscape also affects tenants.

In a widely read article last November, journalist Zak Stone wrote about his father dying in an Airbnb rental home in Texas. His father was trying out a rope swing tied to a tree when the trunk of the tree collapsed and fell onto his head. He died days later in hospital.

In his feature, Mr Stone also highlighted the case of a Canadian woman who died in a Taiwan Airbnb rental home in 2013: "A leaking water heater placed on a fully enclosed balcony next to the room she was staying had filled the apartment with carbon monoxide. Her five friends staying in the adjoining room were hospitalised and survived. The apartment was being run as an illegal hostel by two men who lacked proper permitting, and didn't bother to install a carbon monoxide detector or conform to 'structural or fire safety standards'."

Mr Stone raised questions about Airbnb's minimalist approach towards safety of the homes rented out, questioning why it could afford to send professional photographers to help take pictures of hosts' homes, but not arrange for basic safety inspections.

There is also the issue of liability: Will the home owners' home insurance policy cover the damage in a guest accident? Many policies rule out liability for commercial activities.

Safety and liability issues are a potential minefield. Here, the Singapore approach can be to help facilitate an insurance scheme that covers such claims, while pressing Airbnb to come up with a safety checklist or even safety inspections for hosts.

Like Uber, Airbnb has unlocked tremendous potential in the sharing economy, matching people with rooms to spare at home, with travellers looking for a place to stay.

As an Airbnb guest myself, I have enjoyed the unique experience of living in locals' homes, and making friends as I travel.

But the truth is that such sharing platforms, while benefiting the direct host and guests, create externalities that neighbours, hoteliers and the neighbourhood have to endure.

This is why sensible regulation is needed. I hope the URA will come up with a framework of regulation before too long, and that Singapore joins the ranks of cities that permit short-term rentals, with safeguards.

↧

Indonesia needs to stop acting as a “big brother”: Johannes Nugroho

May 23, 2016, 9:22 pm

≫ Next: Organ donations remain low despite changes to law

≪ Previous: To Airbnb or not to Airbnb...

High time Jakarta treats Singapore and other South-east Asian countries as equals
By Johannes Nugroho, Published TODAY, 22 May 2016

Tensions between Indonesia and Singapore are simmering as a kerfuffle is developing over the decision by a Singaporean court to grant a warrant to the National Environment Agency (NEA) for an Indonesian businessman suspected of involvement in last year’s forest fires. The warrant was obtained after the businessman, whose identity remains hidden, failed to turn up for an interview with the Singaporean authorities while he was in the city-state.

The saga took an interesting twist as Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied its counterpart’s repeated claims that a formal complaint against the warrant had been lodged by the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore.

The reason for Indonesia’s umbrage remains unclear, although implicit in the protest was the notion that Singapore had tried to force Indonesia’s hand in acting against responsible parties for last year’s environmental disaster, which saw much of South-east Asia engulfed in a haze. Jakarta’s reaction suggests that it deemed Singapore to have overstepped its scope of action. By contrast, Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) felt that it had every right to prosecute those deemed responsible, based on the 2014 Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.

To be fair, Singapore’s move was both logical and laudable. However, it was an inadvertent slap in the face for the Indonesian government. Chiefly, politicians in Jakarta were worried that, if successfully pulled off, it was bound to be seen by the public as a derogation of sovereignty: that an Indonesian national could be arrested and even tried in a foreign country.

The swift action was also an embarrassing reminder of Jakarta’s own unmistakable sluggishness in bringing the forest fire perpetrators to justice as a deterrent. Although the Indonesian police did arrest several company executives suspected of wrongdoing last year, no tangible progress has been made with regard to their prosecution so far. A lack of transparency has also marred the process, with Jakarta seemingly intent on protecting the identities of the companies suspected of setting fire to the forests, or negligence in preventing forest fires, in their respective concessions.

STUCK WITH A RESOURCE MENTALITY

Singapore’s foreign ministry has understandably described Indonesia’s reaction as “puzzling”. To any outsider, this view probably holds sway, too. Yet the majority of Indonesians would really see Singapore’s action as an insult.

The main problem here is that post-Suharto Indonesia is still grappling with how to deal and interact with the Singapore of today.

Most Indonesians probably admire the city-state for its efficient bureaucracy, cleanliness and overall orderliness, which are the opposite of how things are in Indonesia.

Our middle class still like to shop in Singapore for luxury goods and, given the choice, most of them, when ill, would rather be treated in Singapore than at home.

Yet for a resource-oriented nation like Indonesia, it is difficult to understand Singapore’s economic success fully, especially as the latter lacks natural resources. The “resource” mentality is after all part of the national myth in Indonesia, with every student taught from an early age how “resource-rich” Indonesia ought to make the country prosperous and how this makes it the envy of the world, even the target for colonial agenda in the past and neo-colonial exploitation subsequently.

It rarely occurs to most of us that today’s advanced economies have gone beyond the exploitation of natural resources and the production of goods as their mainstay in prosperity.

The green-eyed monster is now quite real in the way many Indonesians see Singapore. Coupled with the firmly held belief that many of Indonesia’s super rich park their funds there, it has been conveniently cast as a “foreign” scapegoat for Indonesia’s own failures, even among the educated classes. Singapore is often portrayed as a pushy and cunning little neighbour who takes advantage of Indonesia’s good and gullible nature.

However, many of the accusations against Singapore widely circulated in the Indonesian press could hardly pass the litmus test. For example, the “revelation” by former Air Force chief Chappy Hakim that the airspace above Riau islands falls under Singapore’s Flight Information Region (FIR) — while factually true — neglects to mention that FIRs overlapping national boundaries are more common than he would allow.

Conveniently forgotten is also the fact that Indonesia manages the FIRs for both Timor Leste, a sovereign state in its own right, and Christmas Island, a territory belonging to Australia. The Indonesian press hardly informs the public that revenues derived from managing airspace above Riau are remitted monthly by Singapore to the Indonesian government. Instead the issues of national pride and “unjust” benefits for Singapore at Indonesia’s expense are exaggerated ad nauseam.

It is high time that Indonesians cultivated a new mindset in dealing with Singapore. The Suharto-era self-imposed view that Indonesia must necessarily act as South-east Asia’s “big brother” is no longer relevant in today’s geopolitical realities. Former President BJ Habibie’s jibe at Singapore being a “little red dot” has also gone sour as Singaporeans appropriated the insult as a badge of pride.

In many ways, the consoling myth of Indonesia as “big brother” to the rest of South-east Asia has been a source of great complacency for Indonesians. Rather than chastising us into bettering ourselves, it has lulled us. Isn’t it time for us to wake up?

THE JAKARTA GLOBE

Johannes Nugroho is a writer and businessman from Surabaya.

↧

Organ donations remain low despite changes to law

May 23, 2016, 10:17 pm

≫ Next: Smart Nation report card: Let's get digital

≪ Previous: Indonesia needs to stop acting as a “big brother”: Johannes Nugroho

Average wait for kidney transplant still 9 to 10 years, and 1 to 2 years for liver or heart
By Janice Tai, The Straits Times, 23 May 2016

Singaporeans are still not donating their organs despite several legislative changes made over the years to enlarge the donor pool.

"The numbers of deceased organ transplantation for kidney, heart and liver (have) remained low for the past 10 years," said a Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesman.

There were 58 such organ transplants last year, compared with 69 in 2006, the latest figures from the National Organ Transplant Unit show. These numbers are a far cry from those in other developed countries such as Spain and Norway, which have eight times the number of cadaveric kidneys for every million people.

Donations from living donors - which are much better for recipients than cadaveric organ donations - have seen only modest growth. Last year, 58 people donated their kidneys and livers, up from 34 in 2006.

Despite legislative changes, such as including Muslims as donors, the average wait for a kidney is still nine to 10 years and one to two years for a liver or heart. Many people with heart and liver failure here die each year, and thousands with kidney failure are on dialysis.

The availability of organs for transplantation is influenced by factors such as public awareness, and societal views and religious beliefs, said the MOH spokesman.

"Even with legislation aimed at improving deceased organ donations, there is a need to continuously engage the public to raise awareness about the issues around organ donation and transplantation, including the benefits of transplantation," she added.

Last year, 334 people were on the waiting list for kidney transplants, with 54 people waiting for a liver and 23 for a heart.

While the number of people waiting for liver and heart transplants has risen, the figure for those waiting for a kidney has plunged by about 70 per cent over the last 10 years. People are usually taken off the waiting list because they could not get the organs in time and had either died, or become too old or sick for a transplant.

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) said eight in 10 of its patients are above 51 years old.

"We hope that more people will come forward to donate because there is still a long way to go, with the kidney failure population continuing to increase at an alarming rate," said the NKF spokesman.

On average, about five people here lose the use of their kidneys each day. Singapore has one of the highest kidney failure rates in the world, as a result of more people getting diabetes and hypertension, the main causes of kidney failure.

Low transplant rates here are partly due to worries about surgical risk, poor health after donation and the cost. Surgeons say the lack of "buy-in" by other doctors to harvest organs upon death is also a factor, as organs have to be retrieved during a certain time period.

Donating an organ does not only save lives. Many studies have shown that it is cheaper for the country and better for a kidney patient to get a transplant than to stay on dialysis.

"Organ donation is an emotive and sensitive issue, especially for the next of kin who are coping with the loss of their loved ones," said the MOH spokesman.

"With greater social awareness, acknowledgement and acceptance about the realities of (the) sufferings of patients with organ failure and the life-saving acts of organ donations, we are hopeful that the organ donation rates in Singapore will improve in the coming years."

Man's gift of love to girlfriend - a kidney
She was on transplant waiting list for 10 years; procedure is rare between people who are not family members
By Janice Tai, The Straits Times, 23 May 2016

Mr Ng Chai Lai dated his girlfriend for six years before popping the question in 2013. But instead of a marriage proposal, he offered her the gift of life - one of his kidneys.

Back then, Ms Chua Bee Leng had been on the waiting list for a kidney transplant for 10 years after an autoimmune disease caused her kidneys to fail in 2004.

"I thought he was joking. I had already given up hope of receiving a kidney as my family members were unsuitable. Who would have thought a boyfriend would do that?" said Ms Chua, 47.

The transplant was done in December 2013. Such transplants, between people who are not family members, are few and far between.

The transplant was nothing less than a miracle due to three factors, said Mr Ng, 47, a taxi driver.

First, the doctor told them that should they have wanted a transplant a few years earlier, it would not have been possible. Both had different blood types and it was only recent medical advancements that enabled the transplant to proceed.

Second, Mr Ng was a former drug abuser who had been behind bars for close to 20 years. He first met Ms Chua while undergoing rehabilitation at a halfway house, as she was visiting her brother, who was then also a drug addict.

Due to Mr Ng's history of drug abuse, he had to get the nod from the authorities and a transplant ethics committee, as well as go through a battery of tests, before the transplant was approved.

Third, doctors found that one of Ms Chua's coronary arteries was blocked and she needed heart bypass surgery before the transplant.

But the couple were willing to go through the obstacles as Ms Chua had been in great pain while on dialysis. Several operations had to be done to create a fistula in her arms, legs, neck and thigh for blood to enter and leave her body during dialysis.

Serious infections kept setting in and she had to be hospitalised almost weekly. Mr Ng recalled that her screams of pain were so loud that everyone in the ward could hear them. After her thrice-weekly dialysis sessions, she would be so weak that she could not walk home.

"The doctor said she did not have much time left and I made up my mind to give my kidney to her.

"I figured that even if my health fails after that, better to have two of us around for that short span of time than me having two kidneys yet end up losing her," said Mr Ng.

Ms Chua's quality of life improved greatly after the transplant.

She is now able to work as a part-time cashier. In her downtime, she jogs slowly or does brisk walking. Mr Ng also recovered quickly. He said being a donor has not affected his health at all.

Both of them have since applied for a flat in Bukit Batok and intend to marry in the next two years.

Said Ms Chua: "He made a noble sacrifice and I am forever indebted and grateful. Life is no longer the same now."

Efforts to spur organ donation
The Straits Times, 23 May 2016

In 2004 and 2008, the Human Organ Transplant Act was extended to include as donors, people who die from non-accidental causes and Muslims respectively.

The list of organs was also expanded beyond kidneys to include livers, hearts and corneas.

In 2009, the age cap of 60 for dead donors was lifted. In 2011, the law was amended to allow living organ donors to be reimbursed for medical expenses and loss of income.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said it has, with charities such as the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), regularly engaged with the public and organ failure patients and families to increase awareness of organ donation. This year, it will again embark on an awareness campaign.

Likewise, the NKF has started a campaign this year, featuring radio interviews with its patients and donors to dispel fears about kidney transplants. Almost every other day, NKF staff go to schools, offices and community and religious organisations to conduct educational roadshows on live kidney donation.

These campaigns are important because would-be donors often have concerns about their health should they go ahead with the donation, said the NKF. People can live on easily with one kidney, and the risk to the donor is low, it added.

In response to cost concerns, the NKF launched a scheme in 2009 to provide financial aid for needy live donors to assure them that many post-transplant charges will be taken care of. It also enhanced its insurance coverage for donors in 2013.

↧

Smart Nation report card: Let's get digital

May 24, 2016, 1:51 am

≫ Next: Commitment of Government critical for rule of law, good governance: Chief Justice

≪ Previous: Organ donations remain low despite changes to law

Catching a bus is now a breeze, as is renewing a passport. But how far has Singapore really come in its Smart Nation drive? The Sunday Times speaks to those with their finger on the (pulsing) screen, including the minister overseeing it, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
By Grace Chng, Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 22 May 2016

Creation of new high-tech jobs? Tick

Improved quality of life? Tick

Impact on society? Tick

When Singapore launched its Smart Nation initiative in November 2014, these were the goals the minister in charge of the drive, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, wanted to achieve.

Other facets have emerged as the digital push went into overdrive: openness of data and the notion of creating solutions.

Asked for his report card on the Smart Nation project in an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times recently, Dr Balakrishnan, who is also the Foreign Minister, says: "By looking at these areas, in terms of jobs, business, quality of life and openness of data and the whole (notion of) creating solutions, I think we have made reasonable progress in the past 18 months."

In terms of jobs, he says, based on reports in the media, there is a shortage of engineers, computer scientists, cyber security experts and data analysts, which is a good sign because "we have generated demand for jobs by Singaporeans".

There is no question then that Singaporeans know something is afoot, and that there are fresh opportunities for those who want to switch careers and get retraining in infocomm and communications technology (ICT) skills. General Assembly, a global educational firm that teaches digital technologies to mature students, for instance, has even opened an office here.

"Even the universities are getting better-quality students, truly interested in computer science, and this is good," he says.

There is a greater sense of community ownership, participation and problem-solving on the Internet - whether it is in coming together to help deliver masks during the haze or to identify and help those with special needs.

There is also good progress in the start-up sector. More start-ups are emerging. As a result, Launchpad @ OneNorth, which offers affordable office rentals to firms in this sector, is expanding by at least a couple of blocks.

There is interest from other countries, which want to connect their start-up communities to those in Singapore. And software developers and entrepreneurs are using more government data to develop their own smart mobile apps or solutions.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA), for example, has made available data on estimated bus arrival times through a special software called application programme interface (API) to coders, entrepreneurs and others, who can use it to build other apps.

Last month, the downloads for that API numbered nearly 400 million - or 83.3 per cent of the 480 million API downloads from LTA's Datamall, which contains other transport-related APIs.

Other third-party apps that use LTA's Bus Arrival Information include SG Buses and gothere.sg. With these, bus commuters do not have to wait too long for their rides. They can find bus arrival times, to more than 95 per cent accuracy, from the Mytransport mobile app.

Says Dr Balakrishnan: "So, if I can get people's waiting time reduced, travelling time reduced, you may think it's very mundane, but I think it's an important index that you're using Smart Nation and using technology to make life better."

There are also fewer complaints from the public about the inability to get data on different issues such as the incidence of lightning, flooding or weather patterns.

"We're willing to share government data with anyone. At the same time, we want to make sure that the Government is not a choke point, we need to ensure that we are more efficient. We must ensure that the APIs are integrated to our back-end systems, then we step out of the way and let the community come forward," he says.

Still, there are gaps to be plugged. The Smart Nation march has not touched mobile payments, for example. While there will be demand for it, implementation is not so straightforward, not only because of the kind of technology involved, but also because of the challenge in implementing it smoothly and securely.

'BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOALS'

The Smart Nation initiative was launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong with the aim of developing and deploying technology at the national level, to improve lives, create opportunities for the future and strengthen community togetherness. He appointed the tech-savvy Dr Balakrishnan as Minister-in-Charge. "I'm the runner for the Prime Minister," says Dr Balakrishnan.

To galvanise the smart city movement, a Smart Nation Programme Office (SNPO) was set up in the Prime Minister's Office, headed by civil servant Tan Kok Yam. This signalled to ministries and agencies that the initiative was vital for Singapore's continued growth.

The SNPO acts as a flag-bearer, nudging the public sector to create smart digital solutions. The more smart solutions that are created, the greater the velocity, and the Smart Nation movement can gather momentum.

The Smart Nation initiative is looking for "needle movers", the big innovations described by people as "BHAG" - big hairy audacious goals - that would push Singapore to the next level.

It is early days yet, says Mr Tan, and a leap of faith is needed. "It's almost like the swamp reclamation to build Jurong. Smart Nation is akin to Jurong. It may not be impressive but it is essential for our growth."

One measure of how well and how fast Singapore can build smart solutions rests squarely with the Government. Its facilitator is the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), which provides the technology know-how to assist and guide the public sector in developing its own smart solutions.

IDA drives the Digital Government, which is a key pillar of the Smart Nation initiative. It is doing this by building in-house software development capability, then mobile apps, and then "architecting" and developing bigger software systems to run larger projects.

About 120 specialists in data science, engineering, coding and other areas form the central team that undertakes product design and development work.

IDA assistant chief executive Chan Cheow Hoe says the team will be developing the Business Grants portal, which organises public-sector grants according to business needs at different phases of their growth.

First announced in this year's Budget, the portal addresses the issue businesses find time-consuming and challenging: finding the government grant that best suits them. This project cuts across various ministries and agencies and will be ready by the fourth quarter of this year.

Consultant Simon Giles, from ICT consulting firm Accenture, credits Singapore for being able to break down the silos represented by different agencies and ministries, and then proceed to integrate them to get smart services.

A city is only smart when you are able to co-relate data across dimension, he says. "It is where someone takes information from a mobility system and co-relates with meteorological info and derives some sort of insights to make a decision," says Mr Giles, who is managing director and industry lead for Global Cities at Accenture.

Indeed, Mr Tan notes that ultimately, the Government wants to make interaction with people frictionless, and because it knows the most about people here, it can anticipate their needs.

For example: Passport expiring? No need to apply for a new one, because the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore knows the expiry date and can send you a message with an icon on it.

Click on it and it means you need a new travel document, and it will be ready for you in a few days.

However, Accenture's Mr Giles feels that looking ahead, Singapore has lots more to do in the area of human-centred design, which is a creative approach to problem-solving. It starts with the customers and ends with solutions that are tailor-made to suit their needs.

"Singapore needs to embed human-centred design, not only within government, but also among the private sector," he says.

For Dr Balakrishnan, implementation, data security and promoting local start-ups are challenges that need to be addressed. "Implementation of big projects must be rolled out that reach out across the whole of government. Local start-ups must be born global from day one. So, we must help them go overseas."

He says the Government must also ensure that people's personal data is protected, "otherwise no one will share their data with us".

In reality, medical records are already electronic. "But why can't we make it available to the relevant people?" he asks. The answer is security. Solve security and the other things will fall into place. But he adds that security is not trivial - it is hard to protect and defend data against cyber threats.

Looking ahead, the private sector also has to step up and play a greater role in developing smart solutions. The setting up of four corporate venture funds last week is a good development. The four, which received financial support from the National Research Foundation, are logistics provider YCH, agribusiness Wilmar International, real estate firm CapitaLand and local ICT firm DeClout.

Each of them can set up a $20 million corporate venture fund, with the NRF chipping in $10 million on a matching basis. They can use the money to fund start-ups to develop innovative smart solutions in logistics, homes and offices, and health.

Regulations have also to be re-thought. In past years, when information about businesses was hard to come by, it made sense to impose rules and check for compliance. But with analytics, errant firms can be pinpointed quickly and business practices tracked in real time. So, such regulation may amount to overkill.

Says Mr Tan: "We've to think a lot more about legislation. It should be used as a tool to enable tech adoption and create platforms."

For example, he wonders: Does Singapore require legislation for banks to offer a single payment system? It can be done but Singapore is an open economy and the Government is wary about intervening in business.

Looking at the sharing economy in the US, where services like Airbnb and Uber are gaining greater popularity, he asks if Singapore should also consider some regulation in this area.

"Do we need to take a look at labour laws, and do freelancers require legal protection?" he asks.

"All this is worth thinking through. But we shouldn't be so tight about our laws that any sharing economy service can't operate here. Fundamentally they create value - you call for a shared car that takes you from point to point, value has been created. We should ensure that there is a level playing field and leave the market to decide the winners."

As a small country, Singapore is on its way to being a Smart Nation.

Its work will never be done as new technologies emerge, new ideas and services become achievable, and fresh challenges appear.

But what is heartening is that IDA is rolling up its sleeves and getting its hands dirty again, being involved in the nitty-gritty of designing ICT systems and writing code.

As one part of IDA cuts over to the new GovTech Agency later this year, this in-depth technical "I-know-how-to-do-it" expertise will be crucial for its role as the chief information/technology officer for the Digital Government.

As everyone figures out how to roll out the smart services, it is worth remembering that the best measurement of success for any Smart Nation solution is when technology becomes invisible, and the service becomes natural to use.

What other cities have come up with
The Sunday Times, 22 May 2016

Singapore is not the only place that has switched on to being Smart.

Japan, Sweden, South Korea, Dubai and Spain are among the many countries embarking on smart city initiatives. Many of these centre on the sustainable use of energy and more efficient government services. Most of them aim to improve residents' quality of life.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Sunday Times was in the state in March to check out an app of the Dubai Police. It includes:

• A certificate of traffic record. This is a person's driving history from the time he gets his licence. It shows traffic fines, accidents and other violations. If he has a clean slate, he can use it electronically to get better auto premiums from his insurance company.

• Traffic accident report. Drivers can make a police report using their smartphones. They snap a photo of the accident or sketch a drawing on the touchscreen to show the positions of the cars. This is e-mailed to police with the drivers' particulars. An official report is issued within two hours. Forty per cent of all road accidents are reported through this channel.

• Drive Mode. This notifies drivers via a voice message of traffic accidents near their homes. It can be configured to within a 10km or 20km radius. This feature also suggests an alternative route.

• Transactions Bar. This is where every e-transaction is recorded. It could be the issue of a driver's licence or an online fine payment. A soft copy is kept in a digital evidence box. Once recorded, the files cannot be changed. Only the user can easily view the materials.

Over at the Dubai Police command-and-control (C&C) centre, a huge wall-to-wall screen of the city is on one side of the room. Video feeds are pumped in by surveillance cameras, enabling police to monitor traffic activities.

This centre monitors all calls and e-mail from the public, whether it is to report a crime or someone who has fainted. Between 6,000 and 7,000 calls and e-mails are received on weekdays, reaching 10,000 on weekends.

The centre's features include:

• Emergency numbers: These are configured to be visitor-friendly - for example, just as one calls 911 in the United States, the same number in Dubai will also reach the police. The C&C also accepts the emergency numbers of Europe, China, Russia and India. Its police in the centre can speak seven languages, including Persian, Urdu, Dutch and Mandarin.

• Heart patient services: Such patients can register their addresses, phone numbers and next-of-kin details. The centre can see the concentration of "hearts" on its big screen, which means that police can station ambulances in the vicinity to provide more immediate help. Once registered cardiac patients dial 999, police instantly recognise them. Within 15 minutes, an ambulance with paramedics can arrive to treat them and, at the same time, their next of kin are contacted.

• Closed-circuit cameras near emergency exits at public places like the airport and malls can be remotely controlled by the C&C centre in an emergency. During last year's New Year's Eve inferno at a 63-storey hotel, police used the cameras to locate people and evacuate them. Hundreds of thousands had gathered there to watch fireworks, yet no one was seriously injured.

BOSTON, THE UNITED STATES

A digital dashboard in the mayor's office keeps him updated on the health of his city. The central piece of information comes from CityScore, which counts 24 metrics from Wi-Fi availability to crime statistics to grants for the arts, said a report in The Economist magazine. Anything above one on CityScore means all is going as planned, while under one means the mayor is likely to act. The dashboard also charts happenings such as the number of road potholes filled every day.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

Smart city services target different segments that include healthcare for the elderly, sustainable use of energy and mobile payments. The city also supports entrepreneurship, making available government data to develop third-party apps.

Some of its smart solutions are:

• Mobile payment for parking. One-third of all payments are made via the app.

• GrowSmarter, a project that aims to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. It includes a scheme for hybrid cars to guide drivers to routes that limit the number of stops, and environmentally friendly trucks with equipment that allows traffic signal prioritisation at junctions.

• Drive Me is the world's largest pilot in self-drive cars.

SONGDO, SOUTH KOREA

South Korea is building a city from scratch to showcase smart solutions.

Songdo aims to reduce carbon emissions by 70 per cent and cut energy use by 30 per cent. Electric-powered water taxis will ply canals, and energy-efficient trains will link Songdo to Seoul.

New concepts include sensors embedded everywhere to tell temperature and weather, while household waste is sucked into underground tunnels before being processed at waste plants.

The Sunday Times' trip to Dubai was sponsored by US-based infocomm technology firm Avaya.

10 smart public-sector ideas
By Grace Chng, The Sunday Times, 22 May 2016

If you have ever had to type your address into an online government document, you will know how frustratingly easy it is to get it wrong. But an opt-in feature called MyInfo now stores that personal data, so you never input it incorrectly again.

Frustrated by overflowing rubbish bins in your estate? There are now sensors to tell garbage collectors which are full.

Want to know what time your bus arrives? There is an app for that - MyTransport.sg.

These are just three of the ways in which the Government is being the flagbearer for Singapore's Smart Nation initiative.

Ministries and public-sector agencies are using technology to create services to make people's lives easier and make it more convenient to deal with the public sector.

Leading the charge is the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA). Software development was something it used to outsource. But two years ago, it built a central team of engineers, data scientists, coders and others to do this.

It has built an application platform for government mobile apps to plug into. This platform has been tested to ensure it works with all mobile devices and computers. This promotes reusability and time to market. Certain software components need to be developed only once and then re-used. Agencies save development time and costs because they do not need to do testing.

Next up, the IDA technical team is working with ICT vendors that have won tenders for agency projects. One collaboration involves building from scratch a National Trade Platform to replace the 20-years-plus Tradenet.

IDA's assistant chief executive Chan Cheow Hoe said in this way, both parties learn from each other, which lifts overall industry standards. "It also means the Government now knows the code and systems developed for each project, so that should anything happen, it can provide future support."

Here are 10 mobile apps and systems developed by the public sector:

MyResponder

Designed to help save lives. It alerts the Community First Responder Programme - a collaboration between the People's Association, Ministry of Health and Singapore Civil Defence Force - to send someone to perform CPR on a cardiac arrest victim while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

MyInfo

An opt-in feature where users need provide their personal data only once to the Government, instead of doing so for every e-transaction. This saves time, avoids mistakes and eventually removes the need for physical documents as verification. It is now available across 10 e-services, including applications for new flats, the Baby Bonus scheme and polytechnic admissions.

By 2018, most SingPass-authenticated e-services will be linked to this platform.

SGBioAtlas

A citizen-based app for people to share sightings of flora and fauna here. People send in their sightings, which are then mapped.

Litter-bin management system

Sensors have been installed in about 10,000 rubbish bins to detect when they are full. Garbage collectors can know which bins need collection. This also allows the National Environment Agency to find out where bins are most needed and to monitor the work of waste collectors.

MyTransport.sg

A major mobile app from the Land Transport Authority (LTA). It comprises several apps that help users of public transport.

One is Bus ETA, which helps reduce waiting time at bus stops. Sensors embedded in 5,000 buses let the LTA monitor the travelling time of buses. Analysing the data, the LTA system can predict bus arrival times. Launched in April last year, Bus ETA tells the daily ridership of 3.75 million commuters' arrival times - with between 95 and 98 per cent accuracy.

Outpatient Pharmacy Automation System

Available at National University Hospital (NUH) and others, this cuts waiting time for prescriptions to be readied at hospitals and polyclinics. At NUH, for example, 95 per cent of prescriptions are filled within 15 minutes.

eMOS

An electronic meal-ordering system prevents wrong diet orders from being given to patients. Orders are taken on iPads. This enhances accuracy, efficiency and productivity. The system saves 40 man hours for nurses and, for kitchen staff, seven man hours in consolidating orders.

AG Boxes (aggregation gateway boxes)

These provide street-level connectivity to send data such as traffic numbers and air quality measurements, collected by cameras, sensors and other components, to government agencies for analysis.

They are located at places such as traffic junctions and bus stops. They also supply power to equipment such as surveillance cameras and weather sensors. Applications include security and crowd management.

SingStat app from Statistics Singapore

This lets people easily access national data such as gross domestic product figures, manufacturing indicators and population information on the go. More than 200 charts show the data in an easy-to-understand manner.

Open data

This has about 1,000 data sets that can be processed by computers. They can be used by anyone from schoolchildren to teachers or retirees to develop apps to benefit the community.

Vivian Balakrishnan on Smart Nation: Buying a couple of decades of global relevance
The Smart Nation report card may have a lot of gold stars, but where to go from here? The Minister-in-Charge of the initiative, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, tells The Sunday Times about the gains - and the challenges ahead
By Grace Chng, Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 22 May 2016

Q What are the challenges for Smart Nation?

A Implementation is one. I'll give you an example. We have been looking at autonomous vehicles and I've come to the conclusion that technology is actually here.

What we need now is policy implementation (such as) insurance, licensing, liability.

Another challenge is data security. How do you protect data? Because if you don't protect data, people will not share.

Actually, all our medical records are already electronic. But why is it we can't make it freely available? It's because you have to solve security.

There's always this tension between security and convenience. But at some point, we have to take a risk. But this is something that cannot, should not, be decided by one man or an agency. We need to do it collectively.

Q How do you get SMEs to participate in Smart Nation activities?

A (They should) take advantage of the Budget's targeted assistance - on capability development, providing funds for robotics, for platform technologies.

Don't just (use the funds to) buy a computer. Seriously think about revamping and upgrading your capability and your innovative potential.

It's not just a subsidy scheme. It requires focus and bandwidth.

Whatever business you're doing - running a restaurant, a retail outlet - all this has been transformed. And if you don't transform, you're going to be out-competed.

Q What are your three key priorities for the next 12 months?

A The role of the Government in Smart Nation is: 1) making sure our infrastructure is the best; 2) to invest in research, development and education and capability building; 3) policy innovation (where) our policies, rules, regulations need to catch up; 4) Government as a smart buyer, by encouraging the development of prototypes, new products, new service by local SMEs.

These are things that only the Government can do. Then we stay out of the way. Let the private sector and the people get on with it.

Q What help do Singapore start-ups need?

A I'm trying to connect them more globally, internationally. That's why this idea of getting others to come here, getting ours to also establish bases overseas.

Our start-ups need global opportunities because in this digital age, you have to be global almost from day one. Your app is competing, whether it's Google Play or the App Store. It's a global marketplace.

Q Where is Singapore's competitiveness in the global economic value chain?

A We are not Silicon Valley. So we must think carefully about the global value chain and where we are most competitive. I think we can be competitive in a few things.

First, compared with Silicon Valley, our infrastructure will be better than theirs.

I can tell even Google that we will try to solve the policy issues for autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence because we have a single layer of government. We have a prime minister who "gets" it.

So there are some things which we can do, and it's not a zero-sum game. Singapore just needs to be part of this global value chain that will buy a couple of decades of global relevance for Singapore.

Q What is your report card on Smart Nation around a year and a half since it was launched?

A We were looking at three dimensions: jobs, quality of life and society.

On the jobs, you know that there's a shortage (of engineers, computer scientists, cyber security experts and data analysts). That's a good sign because we have generated demand for jobs by Singaporeans.

Then we're bringing in courses like those provided by General Assembly (a global educational company teaching digital technologies to mature students).

The emphasis is not on paper qualifications but on practical qualifications. So on the job front, I'm quite happy that we've been able to move the needle on jobs.

The other index I've been looking at is start-ups.

Launchpad (at one-north) is already expanding into a second phase. It even has a Block 71 San Francisco (a US-based co-working space).

Other countries are also interested in connecting their start-up communities to ours, so there is definitely more buzz in the start-up community.

The third area is quality of life.

Simple things like waiting times (at bus stops), less (bus and traffic) congestion are important.

I must give credit to LTA (the Land Transport Authority). It really used data and data science to help inform their decisions on planning bus routes, on injecting more buses.

On the community space, people are using the Internet to find common causes and to actually do things, whether it's to deliver masks (during the haze) or to help people with special needs.

There is a greater sense of community ownership, participation and problem-solving, and it goes beyond the Government. It's not just about "I wait for the Government to do it".

The fourth thing I'm quite happy with is the level of open data. Go to data.gov.sg

Five years ago, everybody would complain to me: "Oh I can't get data on dengue, on lightning, on floods." Today all that (data) is available real time, online and free.

By looking at these four areas, in terms of jobs, business, quality of life and openness of data and the whole (notion of) creating solutions, I think we have made reasonable progress in the past 18 months.

Smart Nation push to see $2.8b worth of tenders this year

By Irene Tham, Tech Editor, The Straits Times, 24 May 2016

Singapore's infocommunications technology infrastructure is poised to be ramped up like never before, as the country's Smart Nation drive gathers pace.

In all, a record $2.82 billion worth of technology tenders will be called this year, with infrastructure alone accounting for close to two-thirds of the total budget. This proportion was last seen in 2007 when the Government installed standard computer systems across all its agencies.

There will be a bulk tender for network and cabling, new computers for civil servants, and IT security services. Another tender will help extend Wi-Fi coverage in all 367 government schools to every classroom, from just assembly areas and canteens now.

The projects will be rolled out over three to five years, said Infocomm Development Authority managing director Jacqueline Poh at a briefing with the infocommunications industry yesterday.

"Investment in infrastructure is necessary so that innovative citizen-centric services can be built and enhanced on a strong foundation," she said.

For instance, the Government's data storage and hosting capacity will increase by at least 25 per cent, which is needed as more data will be gathered by the agencies to better anticipate citizens' needs.

Also, all civil servants will receive new desktops and laptops over the next three to five years.

National Trades Union Congress assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay said there will also be a big push for manpower development following this huge infrastructure outlay.

"There will be a structural shift in the types of jobs needed to fuel this new economy, with openings in the areas of data analysis, cyber security and software development."

Over the past two years, the Government has spent more than what was budgeted. In 2014, for instance, $1.2 billion was budgeted but $1.95 billion was spent.

Last year, $2.2 billion was set aside but contracts worth $2.69 billion were awarded. They included Smart Nation infrastructure such as Aggregation Gateway boxes to supply power to surveillance cameras and traffic sensors deployed islandwide.

Mr Aloysius Cheang, Asia-Pacific executive vice-president of global computing security association Cloud Security Alliance, said the spending is just the tip of the iceberg. "We are not even in the thick of the Smart Nation action, which is mostly about data collection and analysis and ensuring data privacy and security."

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Commitment of Government critical for rule of law, good governance: Chief Justice

May 25, 2016, 12:00 am

≫ Next: What the 'CV of failures' really reveals about career setbacks

≪ Previous: Smart Nation report card: Let's get digital

Detention case highlights Govt's compliance with law pronounced by judiciary
By Selina Lum, The Straits Times, 24 May 2016

A few weeks after the Court of Appeal freed alleged match-fixing kingpin Dan Tan from detention without trial, the Ministry of Home Affairs reviewed its legal position and released three others who had been similarly detained.

Citing the case in a speech he gave recently in the United States, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said the apex court released Tan on the ruling that detention is permitted only if the detainee's activities caused harm in Singapore. But the grounds for Tan's detention failed to show how his activities did this.

Tan was later re-arrested and detained on fresh grounds that set out the relevant threat in Singapore.

Noting that the Home Affairs Minister then reviewed the detention of three other detainees and revoked it in the light of the court's ruling, CJ Menon said it is critical to have the commitment of the Government in complying with the law pronounced by the judiciary, to have rule of law and good governance.

In his address to the American Law Institute in Washington, DC last week , he focused on the instrumental role played by the courts in upholding the rule of law. CJ Menon is the only Singaporean to be elected a member of the institute, an independent organisation established in 1923 that produces scholarly work to clarify, modernise and improve the law.

In his speech, The Rule Of Law: The Path To Exceptionalism, he said that despite the vast differences in the legal systems, history and culture of the US and Singapore, both nations share a commitment to the rule of law, although the application could differ in practice.

After taking a broad look at how conceptions of an independent judiciary upholding the rule of law had evolved in the US, CJ Menon turned to the Singapore story.

"If the American republic was born out of a pursuit of high ideals, Singapore was the progeny of an austere and existentialist necessity."

Singapore's founding fathers, he said, understood the need for a clean, efficient and independent judiciary in an environment that sought to attract investment from abroad to drive economic growth.

He noted that Ms Christine Lagarde of the International Monetary Fund had cited Singapore as an example to emulate for its honest and competent public institutions.

CJ Menon said Singapore's fidelity to the rule of law has "coexisted comfortably" with an emphasis on communitarian - involving dialogue, tolerance, compromise and placing the community before self - over individualist values.

In a case in which the Court of Appeal was asked to review a decision by the Commissioner of Labour involving a controversial doctrine, the court made no decision on the doctrine but provided guidance to the Government on the issues to look out for in future cases.

"What underlies this approach is the belief that a court which is respected by the other branches of government can effectively shape the debate and ensure the legality of government actions by setting out its concerns openly and potentially obviating a binary clash between the judiciary and the executive," said CJ Menon.

"Having said that, confrontation may be inevitable and then, the judiciary must stand firm as the last line of defence," he went on to add. "Judicial review is the sharp edge that keeps government action within the form and substance of the law."

The CJ said: "In the final analysis, the robustness of a nation's rule of law framework depends greatly on how the other branches view the judiciary and whether it, in turn, is able and willing to act honestly, competently and independently."

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What the 'CV of failures' really reveals about career setbacks

May 25, 2016, 12:29 am

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Not all rejections are equal and those followed by successes stop mattering at once
By Lucy Kellaway, Published The Straits Times, 24 May 2016

Professor Johannes Haushofer, an assistant professor of psychology at Princeton, last month published a CV recording every professional failure in his career to date. He listed the university courses he didn't get on to. The academic jobs he failed to land. The papers that were turned down for publication. The fellowships that went to someone else instead.

New "publication": My CV of Failures! https://t.co/d8ot5vvynY
— Johannes Haushofer (@jhaushofer) April 23, 2016

The resulting "CV of failures" was a Twitter sensation and picked up by newspapers around the world. So humble! So inspirational! So brave! - was the verdict. The whole thing was so popular it constituted what Prof Haushofer called a meta failure - as it attracted far more attention than his entire academic output combined.

Although amusing, his curriculum vitae doesn't strike me as brave in the slightest. If you teach at Princeton, listing your failures takes little courage. To say that the Stockholm School of Economics turned you down feels more like a taunt: Look what they missed. It is not humble: it is a humblebrag.

To prove how easy it is to be blase about failure when you've had some success, last week I cheerfully sat down to compose my own CV of rejections. It involved quite a lot of brain-racking as my memory has done me the service of forgetting most of my failures over the past 40 years but, as far as I recall, it goes roughly like this.

In 1977, I failed to get accepted by Exeter, York, and Sussex universities to do a bachelor's degree in economics.

In 1981, Boston Consulting Group, Bain, Shell, BP and the Treasury rejected me as a graduate trainee. Two years later, I failed to get jobs on The Times, the Telegraph and (I think) the Evening Standard. In about 1985, I was turned down by The Economist and in 1987, failed to land the Laurence Stern fellowship on the Washington Post.

In 2004 and in 2010, successive novels were rejected by numerous publishers in various countries. In 2015, I was interviewed for board positions at ITV, British Land and Belmond - and given the thumbs down by all of them. And from 1985 to the present day, I have failed to win so many journalism awards that listing them all would fill half this newspaper.

Studying my failure CV, the most interesting thing is the very long period in which I appear to have failed at nothing at all. From about 1991 to about 2004, I hardly received a single rejection. Yet far from being the most successful part of my career, it was the most sluggish. I was bringing up children, trying to hold it together at the Financial Times (FT) and generally attempting to keep the show on the road.

This shows that if your failure CV is very short, that in itself is a failure - you aren't trying hard enough.

If, on the other hand, it is very long, that may mean you are a no-hoper - or it may show you merely aim high. For each of us there is a perfect ratio of rejections to acceptances - probably about four to one: any fewer than that, and you aren't putting yourself out there enough.

The next thing that occurs to me is that not all rejections are equal. Some hurt a lot (like when a detested rival won a prize that I had my heart set on) and others hurt not at all. Failures followed by successes stop mattering at once. As you can only do one degree or one job at any given time, as soon as you have landed one, those that got away are meaningless. I minded not getting a job at The Economist until I got one at the FT, when I stopped minding entirely.

Indeed the only rejection that still hurts almost half a century on is not even on my list. I was 10 years old and failed to secure even a minor part in the primary school leavers' production of The Boy Friend.

When I asked my colleagues about their failure CVs, many reported something similar. None minded their assorted rejections from the BBC and the Foreign Office, but it was an early rejection at school - often in sport - that still rankled. My husband always used to claim that his failure to get on to the first 11 cricket team at Eton was the most bruising thing that ever happened to him, and made him turn against the establishment for the following 20 years.

The bald CV is silent both on pain, and on explanation. Prof Haushofer offers the reassuring thought that most failure is no more than bad luck as the world is stochastic, applications are crapshoots and selection committees often make mistakes.

I'm not so sure this is the right way of looking at it. If I think back to my failures, I remember concocting comforting stories to explain them away, telling myself that the process was arbitrary, or I was too outspoken, or it was just someone else's turn for success.

Yet looking at my CV of failures, a more plausible explanation occurs to me.

I failed in almost every case simply because there was someone else who put in a stronger application or gave a better interview.

THE FINANCIAL TIMES

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ISIS video shows terror battle is about winning young hearts, minds: Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen

May 25, 2016, 1:19 am

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By Kelly Ng, TODAY, 24 May 2016

The latest propaganda video by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) showing child fighters from Malaysia and Indonesia firing guns, burning their passports and denouncing their citizenships — while a wanted terrorist delivered a provocative message for regional governments — has raised concerns among terror experts.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen yesterday also weighed in on the “disturbing” 16-minute clip, calling it a reminder that “this fight against terrorism is global and above all, about winning hearts and minds of the younger generation”.

Noting that the video showed footage of young children “excelling in unarmed combat, drills with rifles and knives”, Dr Ng wrote on Facebook: “Many of them should be in school getting a proper education to ensure a bright future. Instead they spend their days in training camps, indoctrinated to hate their fellow countrymen in Malaysia and Indonesia, burn their passports as a sign of their allegiance to terror groups like ISIS, and drilled to kill innocent lives.”

Dr Ng described the clip — which named Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand as countries which “created trouble” and “damaged” Islamic beliefs — as “the first ISIS video that targets South-east Asia explicitly”. “But unfortunately, I expect more to come,” he said.

The video, titled The Generation of Epic Battles, was released by ISIS last week. Narrated in Arabic with subtitles in Bahasa Indonesia, it showed crowds of children clad in combat uniform and headscarves who were firing weapons and undergoing drills. They were also told to wrestle with one another. Individual children pledged to wage jihad against those who have “changed the laws of God”.

Mr Zainuri Kamaruddin, who leads the Malay-speaking ISIS arm Katibah Nusantara and is wanted by the Malaysian authorities, was also featured in the video. He led the child fighters in tossing their passports into a bonfire.

Speaking in Malay, he said the “cubs of the caliphate” were preparing themselves to “become the fighters of tomorrow”. He added: “To all the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia, we are not your citizens and we rid ourselves of your passport. But know that we will come back with the strengths of a mighty force that you cannot fathom that you cannot defeat. We will now burn these passports as symbol of our liberation.”

In March last year, ISIS also released a video titled Education in the Shadow of the Caliphate, which featured children from South-east Asia in military garb studying, praying, eating and undergoing weaponry training.

The latest video was further evidence that the ISIS threat is “real and present” in the region, experts said.

Ms Nur Diyanah Anwar, a research analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ (RSIS) Centre of Excellence for National Security, noted the recent surge of propaganda materials from ISIS that were translated into regional languages such as Malay and Bahasa Indonesia.

“It is clear that ISIS is placing great focus on South-east Asia,” she said.

Videos centered on children are a timely reminder that ISIS runs a “multigenerational campaign” that targets everyone in society, including children and women, said Professor Rohan Gunaratna, who heads the RSIS International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research.

National University of Singapore political scientist Bilveer Singh said the act of burning passports was symbolic of ISIS followers severing ties with their home countries. “(The scene) shows to the world that ISIS supporters were defiantly abandoning their home state for the Islamic State. It is a public act of disavowal,” he said.

He added: “We cannot (for) any longer compartmentalise our response to ISIS. It has become everybody’s business and hence, all of us should be involved in building national resilience.”

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NOOR ASYRAF KAMIL

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Singapore orders Swiss BSI bank unit shut as 1MDB probe widens

May 26, 2016, 3:21 am

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1MDB probe: BSI Bank told to stop operations in Singapore
MAS cites poor management oversight and orders first bank shutdown in 32 years
By Grace Leong, The Straits Times, 25 May 2016

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has ordered the closure of BSI Bank's operations here over anti-money laundering rule violations, as the bank's Swiss parent faces criminal proceedings in Europe in a deepening probe into scandal-hit Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

"BSI Bank is the worst case of control lapses and gross misconduct that we have seen in the Singapore financial sector," MAS managing director Ravi Menon said yesterday.

The MAS condemned poor management oversight and gross misconduct by some bank staff as it effected the first such shutdown of a merchant bank here in 32 years.

The closure is also the most dramatic development in the 1MDB probe, which now spans at least seven jurisdictions, including Singapore, the United States and Hong Kong.

The MAS has also referred six individuals from BSI to the public prosecutor to evaluate if they have committed criminal offences.

The Office of the Attorney-General of Switzerland said it has opened criminal proceedings against BSI SA Bank, BSI Bank's Swiss parent, over suspected deficiencies resulting in it being "unable to prevent the commission of offences", including suspected money laundering.

The Swiss moves are based on information from criminal probes into 1MDB - and a decision issued on Monday by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma).

Finma said the bank was happy to accept the client's explanation in one case that US$20 million (S$28 million) of new funds were a "gift", while in another instance an account was credited with over US$98 million without any effort to clarify the money's commercial background.

"Through business relationships and transactions linked to the corruption scandals surrounding... 1MDB, BSI SA committed serious breaches of money-laundering regulations and 'fit and proper' requirements."

At least US$4.2 billion of irregular 1MDB transactions have been identified by a Malaysian parliamentary committee, which recommended an advisory board headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak be disbanded.

The Swiss authorities said they will seize 95 million Swiss francs (S$132 million) from BSI SA and begin enforcement procedures against two former BSI staff. BSI group chief executive Stefano Coduri has quit.

An MAS spokesman said: "MAS' regulatory actions... arose from serious lapses by (BSI Bank) in connection with suspicious transactions and relationships, including with 1MDB-related entities, and broader failings in management oversight."

BSI Bank wasfined $13.3 million for 41 regulatory breaches, including failure to monitor suspicious customer transactions. It said it has cooperated fully with the probe into 1MDB.

EFG International said the Swiss authorities yesterday approved its takeover of BSI. The MAS said it will allow the transfer of the BSI Singapore unit's assets and liabilities to the Singapore branch of EFG.

MAS action 'signals zero tolerance for financial system abuse'
By Rachael Boon, The Straits Times, 25 May 2016

Observers say swift, tough action by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to shut down BSI Bank here sends a strong signal to the banking industry - and wider international community - that Singapore has zero tolerance for any abuse of its financial system.

The MAS yesterday withdrew Swiss-based BSI Bank's status as a merchant bank in Singapore, citing "serious breaches of anti-money laundering requirements" among other things.

BSI's Singapore branch has been operating since November 2005, offering private banking services.

Ms Foo Mee Har, a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Finance and Trade and Industry, said: "This strong action taken by MAS clearly demonstrates the authorities' commitment to ensuring that Singapore, as an international financial centre, is determined, transparent and ready to act decisively against breaches of anti-money laundering regulations."

Mr Chrisol Correia, director of international anti-money laundering compliance at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, said the regulator is countering the threat posed to the financial system here by economic crime and corruption, by making a priority of tackling money laundering.

Although rules have been tightened considerably, leading to increasing costs, Ms Tan Su Shan, co-chair of the MAS' private banking industry group, reminded industry players that "standards are lifted across the board".

When The Straits Times visited BSI's main office on the 31st floor of Suntec Tower One, security was tight and no visitors were allowed without an appointment.

The police were present at the building but did not comment.

The bank's premises seemed quiet. The 31st level was empty except for a receptionist and, occasionally, an employee who paced the corridors. Staff at the bank reception redirected queries to the bank's Swiss headquarters, while those who left the office after work either denied they were employees or refused to comment.

The MAS also referred six members of BSI's senior management and staff, including former wealth planner Yeo Jiawei, who has been charged in court, to the Public Prosecutor to evaluate any criminal wrongdoing.

Mr Tham Soon Kit, Asia-Pacific risk practice director at information services company Wolters Kluwer, noted that the consequences of such incidents suggest growing emphasis on personal accountability.

He said: "In such situations, senior management who may not have sufficient information to prove they took reasonable steps to prevent operational failure cannot use these reasons as an excuse to absolve themselves from fines or prosecution.

"Operational control policy implemented with a systematic approach helps banks to institute appropriate controls, and demonstrates to employees, international customers and regulators that strong governance is in place to support Singapore's pivotal role as a global financial centre."

Additional reporting by Tan Fong Han

BSI ordered to stop operations: Bank has history of breaches going back years
Some led to MAS warnings but bank apparently did little to fix faults, resulting in loss of licence
By Grace Leong, The Straits Times, 25 May 2016

Investigations by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) uncovered a history of money-laundering breaches and weak financial controls at BSI Bank that go back several years.

Some of these breaches prompted warnings from the MAS, but it appears the bank did little to rectify the faults, culminating in the MAS decision to yank the bank's licence to operate in Singapore.

In 2011, the MAS found policy and process lapses at the front office, as well as weak enforcement. The lapses were rectified, but inspections three years later uncovered serious shortcomings in the due diligence checks on assets underlying the investment funds that were structured for the bank's customers.

The MAS told the BSI Bank management to increase scrutiny of its risk management processes and internal controls. Another inspection last year revealed multiple breaches of anti-money laundering regulations and a pervasive pattern of non-compliance.

The MAS said that in rescinding the bank's licence, it took into account the repetitive lapses as well as last year's findings. It found "poor and ineffective oversight by the senior management of BSI Bank and (an) unacceptable risk culture, with blatant disregard for compliance and control requirements as well as MAS' regulations".

Specific lapses included "processing of multiple unusual transactions, which were essentially pass- through trades often without economic substance", it added.

Pass-through trades involve cash moving from one account to others, often as part of a money-laundering operation.

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma) stated on Monday that it found many cases of "clear indications of pass- through transactions".

"In one case, US$20 million (S$27.7 million) was routed through a variety of accounts within the bank on the same day before eventually being transferred to another bank. Transactions of this kind are often a clear indication of money laundering," it said.

"Nevertheless, the bank failed to properly document or carry out plausibility checks on these transactions, or was happy to accept the explanation that the beneficial owner of all the accounts was the same person, or that the transactions were being executed for 'accounting purposes'."

Finma also found serious shortcomings in identifying transactions that involved increased risk.

"These failures related in particular to business relationships with politically exposed persons, the origin of whose assets was not sufficiently clarified, and whose dubious transactions involving hundreds of millions of US dollars were not satisfactorily scrutinised," it said.

Finma also noted that, in the context of the probe into Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the bank had business relationships with a range of sovereign wealth funds whose accounts were booked in both Singapore and Switzerland.

"The fees charged were above average and out of line with normal market rates. Senior management at the bank did not question why the sovereign wealth funds should use a private bank to provide institutional services and pay excessive out-of-market fees for doing so," Finma said.

Swiss banks devising transfer plan for closure of BSI Singapore
By Grace Leong, The Straits Times, 26 May 2016

Swiss private banks BSI and EFG International are working to devise a transfer plan that will allow them to effect an orderly closure of BSI's unit in Singapore.

The move involves Zurich-based private bank EFG taking over BSI, a deal that has been approved by Swiss and Singapore regulators and is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will allow the transfer of the Singapore subsidiary's assets and liabilities to EFG in Singapore, or to BSI in Switzerland.

"Both BSI and EFG are currently working on a transfer plan to be submitted to MAS," it told The Straits Times.

EFG is also helping address staff morale in the wake of BSI's closure notice, an EFG spokesman said, but she declined to comment on the firm's plans for BSI's staff.

An MAS spokesman said: "Customers are however assured that BSI Bank would not be closing down immediately.

"The bank remains solvent and has the full support from its parent bank in Switzerland."

The moves come after MAS ordered the closure of BSI's Singapore unit over anti-money laundering rule violations while its Swiss parent faces criminal proceedings amid a deepening probe into troubled Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The MAS condemned poor management oversight and gross misconduct by some bank staff as it effected the first such shutdown of a merchant bank here in 32 years.

Although no deadline has been mentioned on the timing of the closure, Switzerland's Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma) approved the takeover of BSI by EFG on condition that BSI be completely integrated and dissolved within 12 months.

In addition, none of BSI's top management associated with its misconduct can take leadership positions in EFG. BSI Singapore said it is "operating normally" and working to ensure a smooth and quick integration with EFG.

BSI said in a statement yesterday: "The decision by MAS to withdraw the bank's status as a merchant bank will take place only at a future time given that MAS 'will allow the transfer of the Singapore subsidiary's assets and liabilities to the Singapore branch of EFG or the parent entity, BSI SA'."

The bank here is not affected by the financial penalties levied by MAS and Finma as they will be paid from BSI's general reserves.

Mr Renato Cohn, acting chief executive and a member of BSI's group executive board, is managing the Singapore operations in the transition.

EFG is controlled by the Greek Latsis family. Its purchase of BSI from Brazil's BTG Pactual will create Switzerland's fifth-largest private bank. BSI, which began in 1983, had net client outflows of 9.3 billion Swiss francs (S$13 billion) last year and its global assets under management declined 16 per cent to 87.7 billion Swiss francs. It has 1,900 employees worldwide, including over 200 here, while EFG International has a headcount of 2,200 worldwide, with 354 here.

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