On Monday, The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced that the Singaporean teen M Arifil Azim Putra Norja'i who was arrested under the Internal Security Act in May has been released from custody and is under a Restriction Order (RO) under the ISA for two years from June.

Investigations revealed that the 17 year old had become radicalised after viewing videos, websites and social media materials spread by extremists ideologues and terrorist persons. MHA said: "He had wanted to engage in armed violence alongside the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and had started making preparations to carry out his plans".

Under the RO, the youth has to attend religious counselling and stop accessing violent or extremist online material. He is not allowed to leave Singapore without permission or issue public statements. If he breaches the conditions of the RO or is assessed that further measures are needed to protect the public, further measures will be taken against him.

MHA believes that Arifil's "release on an RO, with conditions attached, provides a balance between rehabilitation and preserving public security."

MHA reiterated that family members, friends, colleagues and members of the public have an important role to play in protecting fellow Singaporeans from radicalisation and terrorism. It is urging people to call the ISD Counter-Terrorism Centre hotline 1800-2626-473, if someone they know appears to be radicalised. "This could save such individuals and allow them to be helped and counselled, so that they are prevented from engaging in violent activities that may cause harm to themselves and others," MHA said.

KNN I was on a SMRT bus drive halfway reach at bus stop then suddenly, the bus driver stop engine... Without giving any notice to passenger, I saw the bus driver leap out of the car like olympic sprinter and run all the way to koptiam.

I thought got bomb in the bus or what, he just throw the bus at the bus stop. But when I see him run to the coffee shop then I realised he probably went to pang sai...

KNN inside so warm and so I went out for a smoke break.

FIRST time I take public bus can go smoke break.

Anyone encountered this before?

Annoyed Bus Passenger

My home fibre broadband got disconnected last Friday for no apparent reason and has been down since. This is the 3rd time i have had a prolonged disconnection under M1 since i switched to them from Singtel (big fking mistake) roughly one year ago.

Best part is I didnt have any such issues with Singtel under their ADSL broadband in my 10 over years with them. The last time this happened there was absolutely NO follow up at all and they only agreed to waive my bill after I angry-emailed them. They obviously didnt bother looking into the cause of the problem since, and here I am, using a public library's wifi typing this out on my small little handphone screen.

Thank god my contract is one year and will be expiring soon.

Its amazing that I am experiencing such a thing in Singapore with a provider that doesn't seem to care any less. I do wonder if I am in Uganda or something sometimes.

Should I bring this up to IDA?

Zi Zou

Next month, 1,388 teams will be sent out over three weekends to share the gospel with strangers on the streets. We will become Missionaries for a Day. A missionary is defined as one who crosses cultural and relational barriers to tell others about Jesus. Through this project, I would like all of you in FCBC to have a similar experience. Each team will hit the streets, parks, beaches, and even void decks for three hours to speak to as many people as possible. Our goal is for each team to see at least three persons pray to receive Christ within a span of three hours.

We have decided to engage in this project for a number of reasons. First, to put in our best effort as we approach the final leg of achieving our 1728 goal. Second, to equip ourselves with boldness, faith and clarity as we share John 3:16 with pre-believers. I believe one reason why many cell groups do not see salvations during our cell harvest events is because we are not well trained to share the gospel with confidence. Now, let's ask God for a special anointing to open our mouths boldly as we meet with strangers! Third, to experience God's power in and through us as we bring in the mighty harvest for His glory.

In fact, I've already received encouraging reports from the 12 pilot groups we sent out last week. Within just three hours, 44 persons prayed to give their lives to the Lord! The groups returned greatly motivated and strengthened in their faith as they had first hand experience of what Jesus said in John 4:35 (NKJV), "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"

If 12 groups led 44 people to Christ, I'm excited just imagining what 1,388 teams can do! Church, let's begin fasting and praying for God to use us mightily in releasing His great favour in this year of Jubilee for Singapore.

Tama the stationmaster was a well known sight to visitors at the Kishi railway station in Western Japan. Hired in 2007, she was appointed as stationmaster in 2007 and received her very own stationmaster's uniform - a cap and a jacket. Sitting quietly at the gates to Kishi railway station, she would greet and see off passengers to the station diligently everyday like most stationmasters would.

But Tama was no ordinary stationmaster - she was a cat. Her "service" to Kishi railway station soon became world famous.

Legend has it that Tama drew in enough curious tourists and passengers to the station that her employer went from near-bankrupt to profitable. Tourism flourished and even the local economy in Tama's town felt the effects of her popularity.

On 22nd June last Sunday, Tama passed away in hospital of heart failure. After her death, Tama's employers held a short Shinto-style funeral at the station where she served, where Shinto priests elevated Tama to a "goddess".

Wakayama Electric Railway President Mitsunobu Kojima thanked the cat for her "service", and said Tama would be enshrined at a nearby cat shrine next month.

“Tama-chan really emerged like a savior, a goddess. It was truly my honor to have been able to work with her,” Kojima said in eulogy to the cat.

During her tenure, Tama had contributed an estimated 1.1 billion yen ($8.9 million) to the local economy.

Kojima said that when he visited Tama at an animal hospital the day before she died, the cat woke up and reached out to him with her paws, as if asking for a hug, and looked straight into his eyes. He said he told Tama to get well so they can celebrate the cat’s upcoming 10th anniversary as a stationmaster, and said the cat responded with a “meow.”

Tama had climbed the corporate ladder from stationmaster to “ultra-stationmaster” and vice president of the company before receiving the additional title Sunday of “honorable eternal stationmaster.”

She will be succeeded by another calico cat, Nitama, now an apprentice stationmaster.

Was disturbed to receive this projection payslip from a 53-year-old jobless PMET last week about to enter the security sector.

It stated the amount he will receive if he works 72 hours a week for 6 days straight without any interruption. Its a daily 12-hour work day either from 8am to 8pm or vice versa.

Its almost slavery I thought to myself and he told me MOM allows it according to the labour law.

What disturbed me more is the fact that he once worked as a regional director earning $12,000 a month at his peak.

He dines at the finest restaurant and has close to 200 workers at his command then.

The fall has been swift and brutal with him ekking out a tough living now after the retrenchment during the 2008/9 financial crisis.

He is earning $80 a day patrolling his work station after looking fruitlessly for viable employment for about a year.

He told me he felt very hurt seeing so many foreigners sitting in well-decorated work stations at his work place whereas he has to work as a guard there.

There is nothing to be proud of as a Singaporean especially when you are reaching the twilight of your career.

Employers find you both too old and unteachable…they won’t consider you even if you ask for less than half of your usual salary.

Moreover, to add to his desperation, he has two children studying in local university and one other taking his A level.

He says he has no choice as he is literally scrapping the barrel especially after losses in a folded-up tour business.

If you are doing well now spare a thought for those who aren’t as you may end up like them one day.

Hello everyone would like to get help from whoever living in Sengkang area..

anybody who recognise him can update me coz he go knock down my son with an electric scooter n just walk away like that.. it happen at punggol end near the jetty.. my son head is swelling badly..

he claim to live at blk 204A but went there and nobody ever saw him living there.. will be making a police report soon.. hope that anybody can help me as I wanna to claim hospital bill...

thank you..

The only Singaporean, 18 year-old Megan Loy, who was hurt in the Taiwan Water Park blast last weekend (27th June) was on a graduation trip with her friends.

She had gone to the party expecting to have a good time, but ended up with 50% burns on her body - she is currently fighting for her life in an intensive care unit at Shuang Ho hospital in New Taipei CIty.

Based on photos uploaded to her social media accounts, Megan Loy and 4 other friends had embarked on the tour of Taiwan for over 5 days and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The last picture that the group uploaded of themselves was a group photo taken at Taipei 101, which was taken on the 5th day of their tour, just before Megan went for the ill-fated party at Formosa Fun Coast Water Park. (Megan is 2nd from the right.)

According to online media, the Pasir Ris One Design Build and Sell Scheme project was developed by PRC company SingHaiyi Group, which subcontracted the job to construction firm Kay Lim Holdings.

The project comprises 447 units put on sale since April 2012 for between $390K and $770K. Little wonder why residents are up in arms over the poor quality finishings of their flats.

According to SingHaiyi's website, the company specializes in an "investment banking" approach towards property development, "whereby SingHaiyi leads in identifying development projects or other related opportunities, sets the commercial parameters and then brings in co-investors and joint venture partners, playing as far as possible a lead or co-lead role for the duration of such projects."

On its website, the founders of SingHaiyi are listed as husband and wife, Gordon Tang and Chen Huaidan, both of whom are from the PRC.

Chen Huaidan
Group Managing Director

Mdm Chen Huaidan was appointed Non-Executive Director on 14 January 2013 and re-designated as Executive Director on 1 February 2013 and subsequently Group Managing Director on 1 December 2013. Mdm Chen was last re-elected as a Director on 29 July 2013. She has served as the Managing Director of Haiyi Holdings Pte Ltd (“Haiyi”) since 2003 and is in charge of its daily operations and decision-making. She has been a Director of APIC since 2001 and an Executive Director of Tang Dynasty Pte Ltd since 1995.

From 1990 to 1994, Mdm Chen was the Assistant Judicial Officer of Shantou Longhu District Court, China and was also the General Manager of Centaur International LLC, US from 2001 to 2003. In addition to her extensive management experience, she is a keen supporter of youth education. She has been a member of the Advisory Committee of West Spring Secondary School since 2003 and has provided donor support to the school’s activities.

Mdm Chen graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature from China People’s University for Police Officers (now known as People’s Public Security University of China). Mdm Chen is the spouse of Mr. Gordon Tang who is a Non-Executive Director of the Company.

Gordon Tang
Non-Executive Director

Mr. Gordon Tang was appointed as Non-Executive Director on 14 January 2013 and last re-elected as a Director on 29 July 2013. He has also been the Chairman of APIC since 2003.

Under Mr. Tang’s leadership, APIC has grown into a significant company with a strong track record in real estate development and investment and management of hotels under the Haiyi brand. Beyond providing strategic business links between China and the U.S., APIC utilises its unique access to Asian capital and markets to create a portfolio of quality investments and businesses which it brings to the investment community. Leveraging on Mr. Tang’s business acumen, APIC transforms business models to keep up with changes in the operating environment, while delivering healthy growth and returns.

Mr. Tang set up Tang Dynasty Pte Ltd in 1995 and Haiyi in 2003 in Singapore. Their main businesses include international trade, and financial and corporate investments.

Mr. Tang is the honorary chairman of Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan, a Teochew clan association in Singapore, and is a keen supporter of the Singapore Judo Federation and Singapore Sailing Federation. Mr. Tang is the spouse of Mdm Chen Huaidan, who is the Group Managing Director of the Company.

Want to know the creepiest roads to drive in Singapore? Be careful what you wish for, when you visit these locations, you may get more than you bargained for!

South Buona Vista 99 Turns aka Devils Bend
Infamous for its many turns, the place is not so bad in the day, but becomes creepy and dangerous at night. Many motorists have lost their lives navigating the sharp, narrow bends along that stretch, so rumors have spread that the road itself has its fair share of "guests".

Jalan Bahar / Old Choa Chu Kang Road
The stretch of road is lined with trees and cemeteries nearby. For the adventurous, a walk through the cemeteries should suffice. There is also a rumor that an old woman spends the night at a certain bus stop just after the Civil Defence Academy. What she does there all night? No one knows.

Old Tampines Road
The road is one long stretch of road with nothing but trees and road. Taking a walk through the barely lit route at night is a dare that not many people have attempted, or survived to tell the tale.

Punggol Road
This is the road which leads to Punggol Jetty also known as Punggol End. The area is well known to be very "dirty" because it used to be an execution ground used by Japaneses soldiers during World War 2. Rumors say that cyclists who attempt to cycle out of the road after 12 midnight are never able to do so. Our advice? Don't try it if you value your life.

Changi Coast Road
A old woman and her grandson died in that stretch of road after getting knocked down by a speeding vehicle. It’s not unusual, because the stretch of road is long and straight, so many drivers tend to driver faster then the limits. Not only has that, many car accidents happened in this area before…

Hi A.S.S.,

Seeking your advice. Recently my Muslim neighbor died, leaving behind his wife, children and many grand children.

He was a very nice and friendly man to me and my family since young. During CNY he even gave my baby nephew angpao. He had been battling cancer for a period of time.

As a non-Muslim, how can I help? I do not want to accidentally do something insensitive during this period of time but I would like to help them.

As his eldest son is returning with his wife on a flight from overseas, I was wondering how fast must a Muslim person be buried? I worry that he may not be able to make it in time for the burial.

Finally, how do I express my sympathy as a non-Muslim and what should I do to show support? Is sending flowers or a sympathy card appropriate?

Thanks in advance.

Justin

A 39 year old man went mad after an argument with his step father over buying dinner. Afterwhich he started hacking his step-father on the back with a chopper found from the kitchen. After his violent attack, he then jumped to his death at Blk 126 Geylang East Avenue 1.

The single Singaporean deceased named Ah Zhong was last seen arguing loudly with his step-father who was sick and wanted him to buy dinner for the family.

In a fit of anger, he went to the kitchen to take a chopper and start chasing after his step-father who tried to ran away. Ah Zhong hacked his step-father multiple times on his back then jumped off his HDB flat in front of his wheelchair-bound mother. His step-father is still receiving treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

A pest control company caught 91 rats and detected 211 rat burrows from May to June after they were hired by Ang Mo Kio GRC Town Council. Ang Mo Kio Town Council acted after multiples complains of rat sightings by residents who have been complaining for the past half a year.

Mostof the rats were found near the central rubbish collection sites and near HDB blocks. This however is nothing new in AMK GRC has there were past instances of rat infestations in Ang Mo Kio too.

Back in December 2012, NEA found numerous rats in the premises of food Dian Xiao Er Restaurant and MOF Restaurant, noth located within Ang Mo Kio Hub.

Earlier this year in January 2015, a resident complained to the NEA after spotting four huge rats running around inTeck Ghee Court Market & Food Centre. According to a worker at the hawker center, the rodent problem is not new and stall holders are taking their own precautions to guard against these unwanted pests.

Motorcyclists beware! Remember to remove your cash cards from your bike’s IU when leaving the vehicle unattended. This man was spotted taking cash cards from motorcycles parked at an open-air carpark in Marsiling Drive.

The eyewitness happened to be in his car at the time, and recorded the incident using his car camera.

He says the man was circling the motorcycles in the carpark, and took cash cards from the IU of several motorcycles. The incident happened on Saturday (27 Jun 2015), at around 3pm.

In April this year, a man was arrested for a spate of theft from vehicle cases in Jurong. Anyone convicted of Theft from Vehicle can be jailed for up to 3 years, and face a fine, or be slapped with both.

Dear Editors,

Lack of maintenance at this children playground at Tampines North has led to degenerate to such deplorable condition.

The rubber flooring are really dirty and peeling off, the equipment really need a good cleaning. How do we expect our kids to play in such a dirty condition?

Ironically, this playground is right in front of the coffeeshop where the Tampines MP cum Town Council Chairman conducts his monthly "Kopitalk" there.

Jen
A.S.S. Contributor

So I was sharing the story of my charge with my fellow prison mates during the yard, expressing my perplexity that there would even be these things like remand or bail conditions, before you were found guilty by the judge.

So then my prison mate said to me:

‘In America, you’re innocent until proven guilty. But in Singapore, you’re guilty until proven innocent.’

Damn, I do love me a good little philosophy session in prison.

We’re way below our closest neighbours, Malaysia (40th) and Indonesia (73th), when it comes to well-being, having come in 97th.

Such are the results of the latest Gallup poll on global well-being.

The scary revelation of this poll, which was done by telephone and face-to-face interviews, is how Singaporeans are well-off but have no sense of purpose in life.

We’re ranked 111 for “purpose” and 9 for “financial”.

Purpose:
-You like what you do every day.
-You learn or do something interesting every day.

Financial:
-You have enough money to do everything you want to do.
-In the last seven days, you have worried about money.

Maybe it’s the numbing effect of all those Korean dramas (damn you, Da Chang Jin), or even Candy Crush, but it’s pretty scary to see such a trend.

We’re constantly told by the government to increase productivity, or face the threat of joblessness and salary cuts.

Amongst peers, comparing material items and trying to go one up over the others is common (maybe only Maj-Gen Chan Chun Sing dares to wear his Casio watch in public and be photographed).

Even communications minister and minister for Muslim Affairs, Yaacob Ibrahim, when comparing the plight of Singapore Malays, chooses to describe them solely in economic terms.

This was Yaacob’s response to Malaysia’s law minister, who said he admired Malays in Singapore.

“The quality of life for the Malay-Muslim community in Singapore has “improved tremendously” compared to 50 years ago. Malays are now homeowners, we have a better educated population, wealth has been increasing in the Malay-Muslim community and we collected more ‘zakat’ last year compared to previous years. By and large, the state of affairs of the Malay-Muslim community here is quite good.”

Yaacob’s response is pretty telling: It’s always about amassing more and more money, isn’t it.

That’s life in Singapore, as we know it.

What we should look at as Singapore progresses beyond 50 years of existence, is perhaps better social integration, and development of our unique Singaporean identity and culture.

That’s building a Singapore that our children can recognise and call home, wherever they may be in the world.

That gives us purpose, beyond just grasping for more Yusof Ishaks every day.

It’s time to stop being just mere economic digits in a machine that only wants to churn out more economic digits to feed itself.

You can’t take all that money to your grave.

I told you right, this is the best minister in the PAP. His thinking at least is thinking. He is the only one who can see the silliness of depriving a Singaporean from buying a HDB flat and living in a HDB flat. Only sick minds can deprive a Singaporean from living in a HDB flat. It is a betrayal to all NSmen to deprive them of buying a HDB flat when new citizens that never served NS can buy and live in HDB flats. And it takes so long until a good Buddhist man comes up with a clear idea of what is wrong with that insidious policy against NSmen. Imagine no one can see anything wrong with it. It must be Boon Wan’s meditation and he saw the light.

And many young couples have been excluded from buying HDB flats and forced to buy private flats and have to live with a huge mortgage that many would find it a big burden to carry. It happened. And asses would be blaming them for not having enough savings for retirement.

Now, when would Boon Wan correct this wrongful policy, a crime against our young people? Let’s hope he does not take another 56 man years to make this right. All NSmen paid a heavy price to serve the country, how can they be excluded from buying a HDB flat? And to rub salt into their wounds, new citizens never serve NS can buy HDB flats to resell to these NSmen at a profit. I want to use the four letter word already, but must respect Boon Wan, so I try to be polite here.

Even in practical terms, every young couple would start life earning $2k or $3k and be eligible to buy HDB flats other than those whose parents are ministers and can afford to buy private homes. Many have to delay buying because of circumstance beyond their control, unable to find the right partners or other reasons that made them to do so. And by the time when they needed a flat, their incomes could have exceeded the stupid income ceiling imposed by HDB. And they became the citizens that sacrificed 2 and ½ years of their precious youth to serve the country, pledged to defend the country with their lives with more years as a reservist, and cannot buy HDB flat! Can you believe it?

Lucky, so very lucky, there is a wise and good man in Boon Wan to make things right. So, how are they going to compensate for the wrongs done to those young couples out there? And please, no more silly schemes to force young couples to buy bigger flats just because they are earning more. Prudence! You know what is the meaning of prudence? It means don’t anyhow spend. Spend only when necessary and save your money for the rainy day or for retirement. Do not let silly fucks to blame them for buying bigger flats and ended with little savings for retirement. It is elementary isn’t it? And it is a sickness of the mind to continue to victimize the young people with silly policies.

Ok, the ball is now in Boon Wan’s feet. Do the right thing and the decent thing. No more silly schemes and silly explanations please.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean

Following a series of investigative reports by online websites which showed that :

a) AHPETC received the least grant, per elector, compared to other GRCs and that TanjongPagar and AMK received among the highest.

b) AHPETC’s grants had decreased by 73% ever since WP took over.

I’ve done further analysis into some other numbers.

Arguably, the most important index is “deficit before grant per elector”. This essentially shows how well-run a town council is, in terms of managing its revenue sources and minimising its costs. In this regards, TanjongPagar’s“deficit before grant per elector” is noticeably the worst among the GRCs, at $50 per elector and is 50% higher than AHPETC. JurongTC’s“deficit before grant per elector” is the best at $26 per elector, but that is partly because it charges among the highest service fees per elector.

As has been pointed out by other online articles, AHPETC received the least govt grant per elector, compared to the other GRCs.

Interestingly, AHPETC also charges the least in terms of service fees per elector, compared to other GRCs. On average, each elector pays 20% less in fees compared to TanjongPagarGRC and 10% less compared to AMKGRC.

When you put all these in context, AHPETC looks quite well-run, doesn’t it? It charges among the least, per elector, compared to the other GRCs. Yet it manages to achieve comparable average deficit (before grant) per elector, compared to the other GRCs.

This is despite it having higher uncollected bad debts, which show the “compassionate” side of the town council’s administration.

The only reason it’s in a net deficit position is that the Govt had mysteriously decided to give the lowest grant per elector to AHPETC, compared to the other GRCs.

JG

Aiyah what’s the big farking deal? In less than 2 years time he will go NS.

Last time in my OCS course, do you know how much time we had for sleep? During exercise, training etc, where got time to sleep? A little bit of sleep deprivation is good. Let him have a taste of what it is to become a man.

Next time when SG is invaded, he will be able to fight like a man. Imagine staying in a foxhole waiting for your enemy 3 days 3 nights without sleep. This is the real test of being a man!

So, Mrs Yee, don’t be such a pussy to go pamper your kid. Let him grow up as a man!

What’s the big deal?