Public Others Government Business Arts Community
Entertainment Lifestyle Services People Travel Internet Stuff
INFORMATION
Emergency
Postal
Utilities
Flights
Police
Singapore Law
Immigration
Airport
Customs
Accommodation
Business Directory
Permits & Passes
Pets
Schools
Vehicles
Bank ATMs
Banks
24-hour Outlets
Hospitals
Getting Around
Embassies
4D/Toto/Score
 

SINGAPORE    High & Low Tides

 

    Singapore Law

Legal Matters      Police     Notaries Public

Not illegal for security guards to hold NRIC

 

Copyright © 2002 Andrew Reeves

     Drug Abuse

     Drug abuse is viewed seriously in Singapore. The death penalty is mandatory for those convicted of trafficking, manufacturing, importing or exporting more than any one of the following:

     - 15g of heroin                         30g of cocaine

     - 30g of morphine                    500g of cannabis

     - 1.2kg of opium                       200g of cannabis resin

     Possession of such quantities is deemed as prima facie evidence of trafficking.

     Those convicted of unauthorised drug consumption face maximum imprisonment of 10 years, fine of S$20,000 or both.

     Littering

     There are laws in place to discourage littering. A carelessly thrown tissue could result in a S$1,000 fine for first offenders, and up to S$2,000 fine and a stint of corrective work order cleaning a public place for repeat offenders.

     Smoking

     Smoking is banned on public buses, in taxis, lifts, theatres, government offices, cinemas, shopping centres and covered areas. First time offenders may be fined up to a maximum of S$1000. Smoking is not prohibited in air-conditioned pubs, discos, karaoke bars and nightspots.

     - Smoking ban to cover more public places from 1 Oct 2005

 

Excerpt of a letter by Billy CHEW, signing for Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, to The Straits Times of 29 Sep 2000

  "..It is an offence under the law to take a lighted cigarette into the lift, even if the person is not smoking it.

  "To state this clearly, the Ministry of the Environment is in the process of standardising all smoking signs in lifts to that which shows a lighted cigarette with a slash across.

  "This year, so far, our officers have apprehended 400 offenders who smoked in places where smoking is prohibited. Our officers will continue to be on the lookout for those who blatantly flout the law...."

    Common Driving Offences & their prescribed punishment

      TYPE OF OFFENCE                 APPLICABLE LAW                       PUNISHMENT

Speeding Section 63 of the Road Traffic Act Fine up to S$1000 or jail up to 3 months; and on subsequent conviction, fine up to S$2000 or jail up to 6 months. Disqualification from driving.
Reckless/dangerous driving Section 64 of the Road Traffic Act Fine up to S$3000 or jail up to 12 months, or both. Subsequently, fine up to S$5000 or jail up to 2 years, or both. Disqualification from driving.
Driving without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration Section 65 of the Road Traffic Act Fine up to S$1000 or jail up to 6 months, or both. Subsequently, fine up to S$2000 or jail up to 12 months, or both. Disqualification from driving.
Use of mobile phone while driving Section 65B of the Road Traffic Act Fine up to S$1000 or jail up to 6 months, or both. Subsequently, fine up to S$2000 or jail up to 12 months, or both. Disqualification from driving.
Causing death by reckless or dangerous driving Section 66 of the Road Traffic Act Jail up to 5 years. Disqualification from driving.
Drink driving Section 67 of the Road Traffic Act Fine between S$1000 and S$5000, or jail up to 6 months. Subsequently, fine between S$3000 and S$10000, and jail up to 12 months. Disqualification from driving.
Causing the death of any person by a rash or negligent act Section 304A of the Penal Code Jail up to 2 years or fine or both. Disqualification from driving.
Rash or negligent driving Section 279 of the Penal Code Jail up to 6 months or fine up to S$1000, or both. Disqualification from driving.

     Penal Code

 

Summary of key amendments to the Penal Code

It will be made an offence to engage in penetrative acts such as oral and anal sex with a minor under the age of 16, with or without the consent of the minor;

It will be made an offence to obtain commercial sex from a minor under the age of 18, or communicate with any person for such a purpose; and

A new offence of sexual grooming of minors under the age of 16 will be introduced...

More.....

Related Article: The Penal Code (Amendment) Bill passed

 

     NEWS SNIPPETS

     2009

 

     - HOTA Bill - working out safeguards

     - MAS issues guidelines on fair dealing

     - Loansharking duo busted at police road block

     - Films (Amendment) Bill passed

     2008

 

Pilot scheme makes it mandatory to give way to buses

To give more priority to buses on our roads the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will introduce a pilot scheme to make it mandatory to give way to all buses exiting at 23 selected bus stops located along three roads...

More.....

 

Enhancing public health measures against Tuberculosis

The Ministry of Health (MOH) will place tuberculosis (TB) under the Sixth Schedule of the Infectious Diseases Act (IDA) with effect from 1 December 2008, This will further strengthen public health measures against the spread of the disease, especially amongst air travellers...
There were 700[2]new cases of TB notified among Singapore residents in the first 6 months of 2008, as compared to 1,256 cases last year. The projected incidence of TB in 2008 is 38.4 per 100,000, which is higher than the 35.1 per 100,000 in 2007...

More.....

 

Parliamentary Q&A on euthanasia

Euthanasia is only allowed in Belgium and the Netherlands. In Switzerland and the states of Oregon and Washington in the U.S., doctor-assisted suicide is permissible, but not euthanasia...
My Ministry is promoting Advance Medical Directive (AMD) and palliative care. AMD is about letting nature takes its course for the terminally ill at the last stage of their lives; AMD is about not mindlessly postponing death through futile medical interventions. AMD is not euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide. I do not think that Singaporeans are ready to accept euthanasia...

More.....

 

Compulsory implementation of seat belts on mini-buses

The three-year time frame for school buses to retrofit seat belts is to minimise the disruption to the transport of these children that are displaced...
The five-year timeframe for the remaining small buses takes into consideration the fact that priority will be given to school buses during the first three years, and the capacity of the workshops to handle the retrofitting work.

More.....

 

Proposed amendments to the Human Organ Transplant Act

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is proposing three amendments to the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA). They are:
(a) Lift the upper age limit for cadaveric organ donation;
(b) Allow donor-recipient paired matching for exchanges of organs; and
(c) Compensate living donors according to international ethical practices.

More.....

 

     2007

 

8 youths arrested for unlicensed moneylending related activities

Police arrested eight Chinese male subjects, aged between 14 and 27 years old, for unlicensed moneylending related harassment activities in Hougang, Sengkang and Pasir Ris in a 20-hour operation which ended on the morning of 27 December 2007...

More.....

 

MediaCorp Radio settles fine for breaching the Radio Programme Code

MediaCorp Radio has paid a $5,000 fine imposed by the Media Development Authority (MDA) for airing a discussion on a sex-related topic during Class 95FM's "The Morning Express" programme in August this year.
The programme, aired between 7am to 8am on 21 August 2007, contained a prolonged discussion between the DJs on "whether men and women should make noise during sex" and "whether noisy men turn women off"...

More.....

 

More reported cases of tricksters impersonating government officers

Confidence tricksters continue to use the "Kidnap Hoax Scam" with 9 cases reported between 1 and 29 November 07 and 19 cases reported between 1 and 6 Dec 07...
Another ruse used by the cheats is to impersonate themselves as police officers or staff from the Supreme Court...
This method of cheating surfaced in September 07 which prompted police to alert members of public. As of 6 December 07, a total of 224 reports were received. The culprits were unsuccessful in 195 cases, but in 29 cases the victims were cheated of more than S$275,500 cash...

More.....

 

New foreign workforce measures to meet strong market demand

With effect from 1 January 2008, the S Pass quota for all sectors will be increased from 15% to 25%. The new S Pass quota will come entirely from companies' Work Permit quota which will be increased for all sectors. Companies can therefore employ more S Pass holders, in lieu of Work Permit holders, hence improving the quality of their foreign workforce...
To strengthen our global talent attraction and retention efforts, refinements will be made to the PEP scheme. Foreign professionals whose last drawn fixed monthly salary overseas was at least S$7,000 will be eligible for a PEP. The PEP will also be granted to former P1 Employment Pass holders upon application.
These changes will take effect from 1 March 2008. Existing and new P1 pass holders working in Singapore that apply for the PEP ahead of the 2-year requirement will be accorded in-principle approval. They can apply to take up the PEP at the end of 2 years on their current P1 pass...

More.....

 

Use of outdoor display areas (ODA) by HDB shop retailers

Since 17 Oct 07, HDB, SCDF and NEA have been mounting joint inspections with the Town Councils to enforce the ODA guidelines. Sixteen joint inspections, one in each of the 16 Town Councils, involving a total of 1,180 commercial units, have been carried out to-date.
Upon the first joint inspection, an average of 41% of the shops at each site were found to have infringed the ODA guidelines. Some of the common infringements include installation of drop-down screens and lack of 1-metre distance between rows of goods...

More.....

 

Cosmetic products to be regulated from 1 Jan 2008

Effective from 1 January 2008, all new products must comply with the ACD requirements and notify HSA prior to sale.
All existing products that are currently sold in the local market will be given 12 months to notify HSA and to fully comply with the requirements by 1 Jan 2011...

More.....

 

Police arrest 20 persons for illegal soccer betting activities

Between 24 October to 18 November 2007, Singapore police conducted a series of island-wide raids targeted at illegal soccer bookmaking activities and arrested a total of 20 persons for illegal soccer bookmaking and gambling activities...

More.....

 

Guidance Programme has helped 6,000 young offenders since 1997

In his Opening Address, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan announced the increase of up to 25 per cent in funding for the 17 social service agencies that are running the Guidance Programme (GP) - a six-month programme for first-time young offenders to divert them away from being charged in Court...
Towards the end of the 6-month programme, the social worker will assess the youth’s overall progress and make an appropriate recommendation to the Police Investigation Officer.
Depending on the risks and needs of the youth, the programme may be extended for up to six months. The youth, if he completes the programme successfully, may be let off with a stern Police warning in lieu of prosecution...

More.....

 

Singapore to start video games classification system in 2008

The Board of Film Censors (BFC) will be launching a video games classification system next year to provide more choice for adults while protecting the young.
In the interim period, the BFC has decided to selectively use games rating to enable highly anticipated games to be launched in Singapore...

More.....

 

Chee Siok Chin and John Tan removed from ASEAN Summit Protected Area

At about 6.00 pm today, Chee Siok Chin and John Tan had walked into Orange Grove Road, which is an area gazetted as a Protected Area.
Police officers deployed along the stretch of road first engaged the pair at the junction of Orange Grove Road and Orchard Rd and advised them that they were about to enter the protected area and that they should not do so...
They were warned repeatedly that they had entered the protected area, and should they refuse to leave, they would be removed. When they ignored the repeated warnings, and still refused to leave and continued to move forward, police officers led them into a police vehicle to bring them out of the protected area...

More.....

 

National Registry Of Diseases Bill passed

Part II of the Bill establishes the National Registry of Diseases and sets out its functions.  These include the collection of information on reportable diseases, establishment of registers, compilation and publication of statistics, and the provision of information for supporting health services and national public health policies...
Clause 6, in Part III of the Bill, makes the notification of reportable diseases mandatory for managers of all healthcare institutions.  The burden is placed on the manager as he has the management and control of the institution.  Very limited data will be required to make a notification...

More.....

 

Stiffer measures to deter errant taxi drivers

  • Stiffer penalties for errant taxi drivers
  • Taxi advisories for the public
  • More taxi stands within the Central Business District (CBD) / Street hail of taxis on CBD roads disallowed from 1 March 2008
  • Enhanced taxi QoS requirements fully phased in from 1 January 2008
  • Taxi Mystery Customer Audit kicked off

More.....

 

Regulation of cyber gaming cafes in HDB estates

Computer gaming establishments are only allowed to be set up at shopping, recreational or commercial centres. This includes HDB Town Centres, which are part commercial and part residential.
In addition, licensees of computer gaming centres are required not to admit persons below 16 years of age before 6.30 pm on a school day.
Further, the licensee has to ensure that students wearing school uniforms are not admitted into the establishment at any time, and is not allowed to provide a change of clothes to students...

More.....

 

Police bust illegal Internet cafes in Geylang

Police raided 3 internet cafes at in Geylang on 9 November 07, which resulted in the arrest of 15 men and 3 women aged between 18 and 47 years old.
Acting on information received, Police quickly established that three Internet cafes along Geylang Lorong 17 and 18 were involved in the provision of illegal online gambling games...

More.....

 

Crackdown on errant taxi drivers

Over a five day period from 30 October - 3 November 2007, 26 taxi drivers were found overcharging, seven were found touting while the rest were caught for refusing to convey passengers, in enforcement operations conducted at several spots such as Sentosa, Clarke Quay, Orchard Towers and Boat Quay...

More.....

 

MOH starts inquiry into Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre

As the general review into Ren Ci’s past transactions also disclosed other gaps in corporate governance and internal controls, MOH commissioned EYA to carry out a more in-depth evaluation.
The follow-up reviews have since identified some possible irregularities in certain financial transactions involving Ren Ci and certain external organisations. Hence, MOH is commencing an Inquiry into Ren Ci to establish a fuller and better understanding of these irregularities...

More.....

 

Lottery scam targets Singaporeans

The number of people falling prey to lottery scam fraudsters remains a concern to Police. In the past month, on average, 1 Singaporean falls victim to it daily. So far this year, more than 210 victims have been cheated of over S$2 million...

More.....

 

3378 drivers caught speeding on new KPE

Since the opening of Phase 1 of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) on 26 October 2007, the speed cameras installed in the KPE tunnel have captured a total of 3,378 vehicles speeding above the prescribed road speed limit of 70km/h in the first six days.

More.....

 

MediShield coverage for newborns and youths in Singapore

From 1 December 2007, all newborn Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (PRs) will be offered MediShield coverage on an opt-out basis.
From mid-2008, the Ministry of Health will also facilitate coverage for Singaporean and PR youths...

More.....

 

Travellers to declare currency or bearer negotiable instruments over S$30,000

From 1 November 2007 onwards, persons who move into or out of Singapore physical currency1 or bearer negotiable instruments2 (CBNI) the total value of which exceeds SGD 30,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) will be required to give a report by filling up a form and submitting it to the authorities.
The form is available at all checkpoints, police establishments, Singapore Visitors Centres and branches of Singapore Post...

More.....

 

The Penal Code (Amendment) Bill passed

The new section 376C (Commercial sex with minor under 18 outside Singapore) will have extra-territorial effect so that it would be an offence for Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents to solicit or engage in commercial sex with minors under 18 in other countries...
Feedback received highlighted concerns over female sexual abuse of male minors. On further consideration, we accept that these younger male children could be exploited by older women. Consequently, we have decided to make it an offence for a woman to engage in penile penetrative sexual acts with a male minor under 16 and to have commercial sex with a male minor under 18...
Whilst prostitution per se is not an offence, new section 376B (Commercial sex with minor under 18) will make it an offence for a person to solicit, communicate or obtain sexual services from a minor under 18 years of age...

More.....

 

6406 cases of voluntarily causing hurt reported in 2006

In 2006, out of the 6,406 VCH cases, Police initiated action on behalf of the victims in 468 cases, which accounted for 7.3 % of the VCH cases reported...
Police will initiate prosecution into VCH cases where there is harm to the public interest and safety, and when it is assessed that the assailant is a bully who is taking advantage of the weak and vulnerable - especially young children, senior citizens and physically or mentally-disabled persons...

More.....

 

Tricksters impersonating Supreme Court staff and police officers

Police would like to alert the public of a phone scam where callers impersonate themselves as police officers or staff from the Supreme Court...
Over the past 3 weeks, Police have received 35 reports by victims who have received such calls, of which a victim have parted with about S$10,000...

More.....

 

Secondhand Goods Dealers Act effective from 1 Dec 2007

Under the new Act, only dealers who deal in secondhand goods that are listed in the Schedule will be regulated. This will be regardless of whether such dealings take place at a shopfront, via a makeshift stall or over the Internet.
The list of items was drawn up based on crime data of commonly stolen items. While the existing Act has a wider list of items, the new regulatory regime has a reduced list which comprises commonly stolen items. This allows a sharper regulatory focus in preventing fencing1.
Dealers who deal in items which are not in the new list will not be regulated. The list of items may also be revised according to crime trends...

More.....

 

Medical devices in Singapore to be regulated

HSA is adopting a phased approach in implementing the new regulations to minimise the impact to the supply of medical devices and to provide sufficient time for the industry to meet the new standards and requirements. The control measures will be implemented in three phases, starting from 1 November 2007:..

More.....

 

Chee Soon Juan's demonstration outside Istana

Upon arrival at the Istana, Police officers observed that Chee Soon Juan and some of his SDP supporters were staging a demonstration with various placards at the Istana Park.
Police issued repeated warnings against Chee Soon Juan and four persons who were part of his demonstration group, as they have contravened the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) (Prohibition of Assemblies and Processions - Istana) Order...
Despite repeated warnings to disperse, Chee Soon Juan and the others refused to comply and persisted with his unlawful demonstration. The Police seized the placards and arrested Chee Soon Juan and others...

More.....

 

Proposed exemption from maximum credit card limit

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has issued a consultation paper proposing to exempt card issuers from complying with the maximum credit limit when issuing credit or charge cards to individuals with an annual income of at least $120,000 or net personal assets exceeding $2 million[1].
With the proposed exemption, card issuers may determine the appropriate credit limits for this higher income group in line with their assessment of the credit worthiness of these individuals...

More.....

 

Proposed amendments to the Infectious Diseases Act

Therefore, we propose to amend the IDA to empower the Director of Medical Services (DMS) to obtain left-over samples, and send them for the tests and examinations for the purpose of monitoring the infectious disease situation in Singapore...
The Ministry proposes to expand the IDA to empower DMS to close any premises as non-food establishments may also be the source of an outbreak...
We propose to amend the IDA so that when required, the DMS may require medical practitioners as well as other categories of health care workers (e.g. TCM practitioners, dentists, pharmacists, etc.) to obtain disease related information from their patients...
MOH proposes to expand the IDA to address the situation where an individual who, although unaware that he is HIV-positive, has reason to believe that he has been exposed to the risk of contracting HIV or AIDS (e.g. by having unprotected casual sex with multiple partners)...

More.....

 

Singapore and UK conclude landmark Open Skies Agreement

Singapore and the United Kingdom (UK) have concluded a landmark Open Skies Agreement (OSA) on 2 October 2007, removing all restrictions on air services operated by carriers of both countries.
With this agreement, Singapore Airlines (SIA) will now be able to operate as many services as the Singapore-UK market could support...
Similarly, UK carriers will be able to operate any number of services beyond Singapore to any other city in the world. These rights, which will be effective from end-March 2008, come nearly two decades after Singapore first made its request to the UK...

More.....

 

MAS issues revised property fund guidelines

The revised Guidelines are intended to improve safeguards for investors and to provide greater clarity and flexibility for commercial transactions...
MAS will amend the Securities and Futures Act (SFA) to include REIT management as a regulated activity...

More.....

 

Profile of inmate population in penal institutions in Singapore

The profile of the population by gender and education in the drug rehabilitation centres, penal institutions, and juvenile homes as of Jun 2007 are set out in the tables below:...

More.....

 

Five arrested for online sale of pirated and counterfeit goods

Police have arrested five Singaporeans for peddling pirated and counterfeit merchandise on the Internet.
The four women and a man, aged between 24 and 34 years, were arrested at various locations in a 12-hour island-wide operation conducted on 24 September 2007...

More.....

 

MOM revokes licences of three employment agencies

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has revoked the licences and forfeited the security deposits of three employment agencies (EA) - Ms Bushra Employment Agency, CM Manpower Centre Pte Ltd and Angel Maids Agency.
These EAs have breached the Employment Agencies Act by illegally deploying foreign domestic workers (FDWs) to perform work at households when they have not obtained valid work passes1...

More.....

 

Cancellation of licence for public lecture by Prof Emeritus Douglas Sanders

Our laws are an expression and reflection of the values of our society and any public discourse in Singapore on such matters should be reserved for Singaporeans.
Foreigners will not be allowed to interfere in our domestic political scene, whether in support of the gay cause or against it.

More....

 

Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act passed

Clause 11 of the Bill makes it mandatory for anyone physically carrying currency and bearer negotiable instruments or CBNI, above S$30,000, into or out of Singapore, to declare this to the authorities at the checkpoints...

The threshold amount of S$30,000 is based on the recommendation by the FATF, and includes not only currency in circulation, but also bearer negotiable instruments such as travellers cheques, money orders, cheques, bonds and promissory notes...
Hence, for clarity, a crossed cheque made payable to a specific person with the word “bearer” deleted is not considered a bearer negotiable instrument because only the person named on the cheque can receive the amount stated on it.
The new measure would be non-discriminatory and will be imposed on all travellers, including citizens, residents and foreigners, entering and exiting the country.
The penalties for non-declaration and false declaration are a maximum fine of S$50,000 or a term of imprisonment of up to 3 years or both...

More.....

 

Registration of optometrists and opticians starts in Sep 2007

In July this year, Parliament passed the Optometrists & Opticians Act. The Act which aims to raise the standard of eye care in Singapore will come into effect on 1 January 2008...
Applications for registration by the Optometrists and Opticians Board have just started. Optometrists and opticians are advised to apply for registration before 15 December 2007, in order to continue practising as optometrists or opticians from January 2008...

More.....

 

Employer-financed insurance for medical expenses of foreign workers

The Ministry of Manpower will require employers to purchase and maintain insurance for the medical expenses of foreign workers from 1 January 2008.
This requirement is being implemented in tandem with the withdrawal of healthcare subsidies for foreigners1, which was previously announced by the Ministry of Health. The requirement will apply to:
  • All new and existing foreign workers on Work Permit or S Pass from 1 January 2008.
  • All new foreign domestic workers, and existing foreign domestic workers when employers renew their Work Permits, from 1 January 2008.

More.....

 

The Private Security Industry Bill 2007 passed

"Should a private investigator or security officer be charged with or convicted of a prescribed offence which makes his continued employment as a private investigator or security officer undesirable, his licence can be suspended with immediate effect. This power is provided in Clause 24(5) of the Bill.
"With the introduction of the licensing schemes for security officers and private investigators, more than 500 private investigators and 30,000 security officers will need to apply for a licence..."

More.....

 

Police arrest armed full-time national serviceman in Orchard Road

"Police apprehended an armed 20-year-old SAF serviceman along Orchard Road near Orchard Cineleisure at about 8pm on 3 Sept 2007.
"The serviceman had gone missing from Mandai Hill Camp on the night of 2 September 07 with a rifle and some ammunition that had been issued to him..."

More.....

 

Police investigating illegal Myanmese assembly at Orchard MRT Station

"On 25 Aug 2007, a group of Myanmese dressed in similar white attire had assembled around Orchard MRT Station.
"The intent of the assembly, which did not have a police permit, was to show support for fellow Myanmese who had been protesting back in Myanmar...

More.....

 

Drug addiction situation in Singapore

"The drug addiction situation in Singapore is under control, even though 999 drug abusers were arrested in the first half of this year, compared to 446 over the same period last year.
"Of the total number of abusers arrested, Buprenorphine abusers formed the majority, at 41%, with heroin abusers at 30% and synthetic drug abusers at 25%.
"One reason for the increase of 553 abusers is that the Central Narcotics Bureau gazetted Buprenorphine as a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act in August last year..."

More.....

 

Proposed amendments to the Human Organ Transplant Act

"Following the recent ruling by the Fatwa Committee of MUIS that Muslims can be included under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA), the Ministry of Health intends to amend HOTA to improve the access of Muslim patients to donated organs...
"MOH proposes to amend the HOTA to include, upon death, Muslims who are Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents (PR) between the ages of 21 and 60 years, who are of sound mind, and who have not opted out...
"The inclusion of Muslims under HOTA is expected to provide up to five additional organ donors per year (yielding up to 10 kidneys, 10 corneas, 5 livers and 5 hearts)..."

More.....

 

Significant changes to the CPF system

"By 2012, we will require employers to offer re-employment to workers reaching 62, up to age 65, and eventually to 67. This change will precede the raising of the Draw Down Age (DDA). By 2012, employers will be required to offer re-employment up to age 65 but the DDA to 65 will only be effected in 2018 – a significant time lag to help workers and employers adjust...
"1% additional bonus interest will be paid on the first $60,000 in a CPF member's combined accounts, with not more than $20,000 from the OA accounts. This will enhance CPF's existing risk-free framework...
"While our employment rates are among the highest in the world, our residents are also among the longest living. The present DDA of 62 years is hence too early and results in the majority of members prematurely depleting their savings. Thus, we will do the following: a. progressively raise draw down age..
"Even after changes to DDA, there will be those who live longer than 85. We want to ensure that they have a stream of income for life. The Government will therefore be looking at making annuities compulsory for members to protect them against outliving their retirement savings...

More.....

 

Sleight Of hand culprit nabbed

On 19 August 2007 at about 3.15pm, an Iranian man was arrested for an offence of theft by sleight of hand. The man had earlier managed to steal money from foreigners by asking to see their foreign currency.

More.....

 

Draft Mental Capacity Bill for public consultation

"Currently, under the Mental Disorders and Treatment Act (MDTA), the High Court can appoint a Committee of Person or Committee of Estate to manage the personal welfare of or make property related decisions for a person who is incapable of managing himself or his affairs. However, the appointment can only be done after a person has lost his mental capacity.
"One of the key features of the draft Mental Capacity Bill is that it will provide a statutory framework to allow a person to voluntarily make advance plans for his financial and personal welfare..."

More.....

 

Singapore Crime Situation for first half 2007

"While the figures for outraging of modesty and cheating and related offences were not significantly different, index crimes that were significantly higher in Jan-Jun 2007 from the same period in 2006 were rape, motor vehicle theft, robbery and snatch theft.
"However, there is no cause for alarm. For rape, which saw the greatest percentage increase of 32%, the vast majority of cases (90%) involved offenders who are known to their victims..."

More.....

 

Licence for public forum with foreign speaker cancelled

"Police has cancelled a licence under the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act to organise a public forum on 7 Aug 2007 at 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road on gay issues by a foreign participant.
"A Singaporean, Mr Au Wai Pang, had applied for the licence. He had separately applied to ICA for a professional visit pass for the foreign national to speak at the forum..."

More.....

 

New dog licensing rules from 1 Sep 2007

"All licensed dogs must be microchipped with an ISO compliant microchip.
"Dogs that were licensed before 1 Sep 07 will be exempted from the requirement. However, owners of such dogs are strongly encouraged to have their dogs microchipped for better traceability...
"Under the new Rules1, the annual licence fee for all unsterilised dogs (both male and female) is $70 while the licence fee for sterilised dogs is $14..."

More.....

 

Dating agencies and practitioners in Singapore to be accreditated

"Upon approval by the Accreditation Council, dating agencies and practitioners will be awarded the SDU Trust Mark. They will also be listed in two national registries that SDU will be setting up - Registry of Dating Agencies (www.rda.gov.sg) and Registry of Dating Practitioners (www.rdp.gov.sg).

"Singles should see the first batch of accredited dating agencies and practitioners by early 2008..."

More.....

 

Rehabilitation regime for first and second-time abusers of cannabis and cocaine

"The aim of the treatment and rehabilitation regime is to give first and second time abusers a chance at rehabilitation without the stigmatisation of a criminal record...

"Recalcitrant abusers with two previous records for consumption of cannabis or cocaine or that of opiates, synthetic drugs or buprenorphine who are arrested again for the consumption of any of these drugs would be liable for long term imprisonment under the Long Term (LT) Imprisonment Regime, if convicted..."

More.....

 

Public consultation on proposed National Registry of Diseases Bill

"The Ministry of Health is proposing to introduce a National Registry of Diseases (NRD) Bill...
"Currently, the NRD includes registries for cancer, renal failure, heart disease and stroke.
"The information captured by the NRD is mainly from public sector healthcare institutions who submit data on a voluntary basis.

"There is a need for data from the private sector to be included so that the dataset is complete and useful for national level planning..."

More.....

 

Optometrists and Opticians Bill 2007 passed

"For optometrists, those with recognised qualifications and at least a year of optometry experience will be fully registered. Optometrists with less than a year of experience will be provisionally registered, and will have to work under supervision for 1 year before they become fully registered...
"For opticians, those with work experience of at least 5 years will be fully registered as opticians if they pass a competency test. Those with between 2 to 5 years of experience will need to undergo a part-time modular upgrading course.  There may be some opticians who do not intend to do any refraction but wish to do only dispensing; they will need to undergo a competency test or failing which, an upgrading programme but without the refraction component. This will ensure that they can uphold safe standards in dispensing. 

"Opticians with less than 2 years experience and all new entrants to the profession will need to attend a certificate course in opticianry in order to qualify for registration. Singapore Polytechnic has organised a course to cater to these opticians. Such a course can be completed in 9 to 24 months..."

More.....

 

Minister answers questions on Internet-related sexual crimes

"There were 124 reported cases of females becoming victims of sex crimes as a result of them knowing the offenders through the Internet between 2001 and 2006...

"Of these reported cases, 80 cases (or about two-thirds) involved victims who were below 16 years of age. Of these 124 cases, two of them also involved the victims’ property being stolen..."

More.....

 

Passports (Amendment) Bill passed

"Thus, this Bill repeals the existing Act, and re-enacts a new Passports Act which introduces measures against the abuse and misuse of Singapore passports and travel documents, as well as foreign travel documents...

"Clause 45 of the Bill makes it compulsory for Singaporeans, or a person who has parental responsibility for a Singaporean aged 16 and below, to report the loss or theft of a passport within 14 days when he first knows of the fact...

"Clause 23 of the Bill allows the Controller to refuse passports to persons for law enforcement reasons, such as to persons who have been placed under supervision under the Misuse of Drugs Act. This will ensure that they do not indulge in drug-related activities overseas. Others who may be refused passports include those who are the subject of warrants of arrest issued for seizeable offences...

"A person who is found guilty of giving away his Singapore passport or travel document and is reckless as to whether it will be misused by another person for travel or for identification purposes will face a fine of up to $5,000, a jail term of up to three years, or both..."

More.....

 

Police conduct raid on syndicate selling counterfeit products

"In a 13-hour island-wide operation conducted from 9.30am to 11.00pm on 11 July 2007, Police busted a major local distributor and a syndicate involved in the sale and distribution of counterfeit luxury and sportswear products..."

More.....

 

Five Vietnamese nationals arrested for stealing spree

"Police arrested two men and three women, aged 22 - 37 at the airport yesterday after they were found with nine pieces of luggage containing more than 350 pieces of new garments...

"Preliminary investigations revealed that about 30 of the items in their possession were found to be stolen from shops in the Orchard area..."

More.....

     - Licence needed for 15 chemicals (explosive precursors) in Singapore

     - Thieving cabby nabbed by police

     - Apple Scam Cheats Nabbed

     - Company using pirated software raided by police

 

Phasing out of temporary registered doctors for service provision

"Only temporary medical registration for service provision is being phased out by 31 Dec 2007.

"Existing temporary registered doctors brought in as service providers before 1 Jan 2008 can still continue to work here until they either become conditionally registered (acquired recognized postgraduate qualifications) or they have completed their 4-6 years of service in Singapore..."

More.....

     - Apple scam cheats nabbed by police

     - Statistics on number of persons jailed for unlawful assembly

 

Further detentions and releases under the Internal Security Act

"In Feb 2007, ISD arrested and subsequently detained one self-radicalised Singaporean under the Internal Security Act (ISA) – Abdul Basheer s/o Abdul Kader (Abdul Basheer), aged 28...

"At the time of his arrest, he had purchased an air ticket to Pakistan, where he intended to make contact with a militant group – the Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) - that could help him train for ‘militant jihad’ and to cross over into Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban..."

More.....

 

Spam Control Act 2007 will come into effect on 15 June 2007

"Under the Act, marketers - particularly those based in Singapore or who have operations here - who continue to spam the “not interested” group face potential financial penalties. The statutory penalty is $25 for each electronic message, up to a total of $1 million..."

More.....

 

MediaCorp Radio to be fined $15,000 for breaching radio programme code

'The Media Development Authority (MDA) has informed MediaCorp Radio that it will be fined $15,000 for breaching the Radio Programme Code when it broadcast exploitative and inappropriate content in its programme “No Bra Days with the Muttons” from 14 – 16 March 2007...'

More.....

 

Man arrested for making bomb hoax calls

"At about noon on 2 June 07, the culprit, a freelance web page designer, called the SCDF control room to inform that there was a bomb at Raffles Place. SCDF immediately reported the call to the Police...
"Subsequently, around 2.30pm, the same caller made a second call to the SCDF control room informing that someone had planted bombs at Orchard Road and the Tanjong Pagar area..."

More.....

 

MAS and SGX to oversee corporate governance for listed companies

Oversight of corporate governance of listed companies will be transferred from the Council of Corporate Disclosure and Governance (CCDG)[1] to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX) with effect from 1 September 2007...
The Code of Corporate Governance will continue to be implemented through the SGX Listing Rules via the “comply or explain” approach[2], as is currently the practice...

More.....

 

920 persons arrested for drink driving in 1st quarter 2007

"For the first quarter of 2007, SPF arrested 920 persons for drink driving, an increase of 22% over the same period in 2006. Slight injury accidents related to drink driving increased from about 200 cases in 2004 to 260 cases in 2006.
"Fatal and serious injury accidents related to drink driving have remained stable over the past 3 years, registering 38 cases, 28 cases and 32 cases in 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively..."

More.....

 

Optometrists and Opticians Bill

In May this year, the Ministry of Health will propose legislation, in Parliament, to regulate the practices of optometrists and opticians. If passed in Parliament, it will be called the Optometrists and Opticians Bill.

More.....

 

Pilot project allowing cycling on all footways in Tampines

"Land Transport Authority (LTA), Traffic Police (TP) and the Tampines Grassroots Organisations (GROs) will be conducting a study in the Tampines Town to assess the feasibility of allowing cycling on footways with effect from 27 May 2007.
"The study will last for one year and end on 30 May 2008...
"Currently, under Rule 28 of the Road Traffic Rules, enacted in 1981, cycling on footways is prohibited. Like any other vehicles, bicycles are to be ridden on the roads and cyclists are required to abide by all relevant traffic rules and regulations..."

More.....

 

MOH drafting a National Disease Registry Bill

"We support the stand that personal information identifiable to an individual participating in human biomedical research should be safeguarded.
"Proper rules governing the access and use of personal information and a secure system of information protection would re-assure research subjects on the confidentiality of personal information.
"In this connection, MOH is drafting a National Disease Registry Bill to provide an overarching legal framework for the collection of epidemiological information on key diseases for public health policy and planning purposes..."

More.....

 

Changes to childcare subsidies for PRs

"From 1 January 2008, PR children aged 2 months to below 7 years will only be eligible for half the current amount of centre-based child care subsidy.
"From January 2009, such children will not be eligible for the subsidy..."

More.....

 

New Burial System using concrete crypts for all burials

"The New Burial System (NBS) introduced in 2002 for the re-internment of exhumed remains from the Bidadari Cemetery will now be extended to all burials from the end of this month.
"The system will first be implemented in the Muslim Cemetery end of May. This will be followed by the Chinese Cemetery in August, Christian and Lawn Cemeteries in October, and Hindu Cemetery in December..."

More.....

 

Commissioner of Charities deregisters three dubious charities

"Following the implementation of new regulations governing charity registration, public fund-raising appeals and large charities on 1 May 2007, the Commissioner of Charities (COC) announces today the removal of three charities from the Register of Charities with immediate effect.
"These are the Children of Singapore Foundation, Children's Lukaemia Foundation Limited, and Club Sunshine Limited (previously known as Kids-In-Distress Foundation Limited[1]).

"The COC has also decided not to grant charity status to Kidney Fund Organisation..."

More.....

    - Public forum on democracy organised by the Singapore Democratic Party

 

New restrictions for hand-carry luggage on flights departing Singapore

"Singapore will be implementing new aviation security measures for hand-carry luggage on flights departing Singapore from 8 May 2007 (Tuesday), 1200hrs..."

More.....

 

Police bust unlicensed moneylending syndicate

"Seventeen Chinese men aged between 17 to 38 years old believed to be members of an unlicensed moneylending (UML) syndicate were arrested in an island-wide operation conducted on 12 April 07. More than $130,000 in cash was seized...
"Fifteen premises in Woodlands, Sengkang, Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, Hougang, Yishun, Sembawang, Serangoon and Changi were raided during the operation, which lasted from 8pm on 12 April 07 to 1am on 13 April 07..."

More.....

 

Spam Control Bill 2007 passed

"Part I of the Bill defines spam. A message is “spam” when it is an unsolicited commercial electronic message sent more than 100 times, with the same or similar subject-matter, during a 24-hour period, or more than 1,000 times during a 30-day period, or more than 10,000 times during a one-year period...

"An opt-out approach is adopted under the Bill as it balances the need of companies and marketers to send unsolicited messages for business reasons...

"In order to balance between consumer interests and industry needs the Bill will require that each message contains a valid unsubscribe facility, an ‘<ADV>’ label to mark it out as an advertisement, accurate header information or subject titles and functional contact details of the sender...

"The unsubscribe process has been structured to be consumer-friendly so that even individuals who receive small volumes of spam have a means of recourse, without resorting to legal action. The Bill makes it mandatory for senders to allow recipients to unsubscribe via the same medium through which the spam was received. This ensures that unsubscribing from spam can be done easily and conveniently by replying to an email or SMS..."

More.....

     - Film "Zahari's 17 Years" banned from 12 April 2007

 

Man to be charged for importing pellet guns

"When asked, the man did not declare any items. Subsequent screening revealed images that appeared to be guns within his baggage. A physical check of his check-in carton revealed 20 sets of pellet guns and 5 bottles of pellets. He was subsequently detained for investigation.

"Police investigated a total of 38 cases involving airsoft guns in 2006. Since the beginning of this year (2007), Police have investigated 21 such cases. Most of these airsoft guns were detected at the airport and other checkpoints, as well as the Singapore Post Centre..."

More.....

 

Changes to Bus Lane Scheme from 1 April 2007

ADJUSTMENTS TO BUS LANE HOURS

Days

Existing Operation Hours

New Operation Hours

Mondays to Fridays

7.30am to 9.30am

7.30am to 9.30am
(No Change)  

4.30pm to 7.00pm

5.00pm to 8.00pm

 

Saturdays

7.30am to 9.30am

No Longer Applicable

11.30am to 2.00pm

Indicated by a continuous yellow line

More.....

 

Public consultation on draft Postal Services (Amendment) Bill

"The Postal Services will be fully liberalised when Singapore Post Ltd (SingPost)’s monopoly license for Basic Mail Services expires on 31 March 2007.

"The Postal Services (Amendment) Bill will provide the legislative framework for liberalising Basic Mail Services...

"MICA will take into account the comments provided during this public consultation when finalising the draft Postal Services (Amendment) Bill in preparation for its consideration in Parliament..."

More.....

 

Singapore Crime Situation 2006

"Theft and related offences 2, which accounted for more than half (61%) of overall crime reported, fell by 2,192 cases from 22,711 to 20,519 cases in 2006.
"The overall decrease was largely due to fewer cases of shop theft, theft from person and other theft3 . In addition, handphone crimes4 also dropped from 4,825 to 4,594 cases...
"Youths made up 19% of total persons arrested in 2006, compared to 23% last year..."

More.....

 

HDB further relaxes policy on subletting of whole flats

"With immediate effect, HDB will be relaxing its policy on the subletting of whole flats through a further reduction of the MOP and delinking it from the lessees’ HDB loan status. The revised MOP is:
"5 years for owners of subsidised flats, i.e. flats purchased directly from HDB or from the open market with a CPF Housing Grant; and

3 years for owners of non-subsidised flats, i.e. flats purchased from the open market without a CPF Housing Grant..."

More.....

 

Alcoholic beverages consumption in foreign workers' dormitories

"In a pilot test, Police has allowed beer to be sold in four dormitories1, and where the beer is then consumed at designated social areas inside the dormitories...
"Police is now conducting a review to assess if the sale and consumption of beer can be extended to other dormitories..."

More.....

     - Health Products Bill passed

     - Police raid second company using pirated software

 

Commissioner of Charities to launch online charity portal

"In tandem with the tightening of charity registration, the COC's office will also launch the Charity Portal (http://www.charities.gov.sg) to provide a convenient one-stop ''paper-less'' process for application for charity status and institution of a public character (IPC) status.
"The Charity Portal provides a one-stop resource centre for the public who want to know more about charities in Singapore, including those interested in setting up charities and IPCs..."

More.....

 

Number of traffic summonses for speeding going down"

In 2005, as part of Police’s overall enforcement strategy, more resources were diverted to ensure greater police presence on our roads to deter motorists from flouting traffic rules.
"The public had by then become more aware of the PSLC deployment through Traffic Police’s website and radio.
"This contributed to the number of summonses issued for speeding falling 37% to 51,800 in 2005 as compared to 2004. In 2006, the number of summonses issued for speeding decreased 13% to 45,130 compared to the 51,800 summonses issued in 2005..."

More.....

 

Income Tax (Amendment) Bill passed

"Currently, the penalty for not filing an income tax return is significantly less severe than the penalty for under-declaring income. This creates an incentive for taxpayers to avoid taxation by not submitting their income tax returns.
"To discourage this practice, a penalty of double the amount of tax undercharged will be introduced for the failure to file a tax return in respect of any year of assessment within 3 years from the filing deadline..."

More.....

 

10,221 reported cases of loan shark harassment activities in 2006

"In 2006, 294 persons were arrested for UML offences and related harassment activities. This is an increase of 11% as compared to 2005.
"In 2006, Police also dealt with 39 UML syndicate members under the CL(TP) Act, which is an increase of 63% compared to 24 in 20053. In addition, Police smashed 8 syndicates last year4 ..."

More.....

 

Proposed changes to rules for unsecured credit

"A measured step of lowering the minimum annual income threshold for unsecured credit facilities from $30,000 to $20,000. A more conservative maximum credit limit of twice the borrower's monthly income will be set for individuals in this $20,000 to $30,000 income group, with no access to credit cards...
"Create appropriate modifications to the moneylenders regime.  For instance, for unsecured loans of $3,000 and below, no minimum income requirement would be imposed but such loans would be subject to an interest rate cap..."

More.....

 

Secondhand Goods Dealers Bill 2007 passed

"The current Act does not cover dealers operating without a shop. We recognise that many secondhand goods dealers today actually carry on their business via other means, such as on the Internet, or in an open-air setting like Sungei Road. This is unacceptable, as thieves and robbers will simply get rid of their loot through these other dealers who do not have a shop-front...
"MHA is hence widening the coverage of the law to include those dealers who do not operate within a shop. However, in keeping with the emphasis on a sharper regulatory focus, only dealers who trade in secondhand goods that are listed in the Schedule will come under the ambit of the Act..."

More.....

 

Commissioner of Charities completes inquiry on Youth Challenge

"The COC found that the Executive President's total annual remuneration for the financial year ended 31 January 2006 was $248,867. Of this amount, only $53,836 was disclosed as the Executive President's salaries in the Income and Expenditure Statement.
"Another $164,475 was disclosed in Note 3 to the audited financial statements as salaries apportioned to various projects/events...
"The Executive President's total remuneration of $248,867 amounted to 56% of the total donation and other income of $442,287 raised for the same period..."

More.....

 

The Banking (Amendment) Bill passed

"Entities that have not been approved to issue credit cards in Singapore will be prohibited from soliciting for or accepting card applications in Singapore, and this applies equally to third parties acting on their behalf...
"The proposed regime also clarifies that single party merchant credit is exempted from regulation.  Such an arrangement, where the card is used only for transactions with the issuer, is essentially a deferred payment scheme offered by merchants to their customers.
"In addition, a new exemption for cards granting credit in small amounts not exceeding S$500 will be introduced.  This allows flexibility in payments for small-ticket items without raising substantial concerns about Singaporeans spending beyond their means..."

More.....

     - Two students to be charged in court for misuse of sparklers

 

SMU starts School of Law

"The Third Committee on the Supply of Lawyers estimated that an additional 140-150 legal professionals will be required each year from 2010 until 2015 to meet the needs of Singapore’s legal industry.

"To meet this number, the SMU School of Law will take in 90 students in AY2007, reaching a steady-state intake of 120 from AY2008 onwards.
"The NUS Faculty of Law will also increase its intake from the current 220 to 240 beginning in AY2007..."

More.....

     2006

 

What really happened with Chee in prison

"Coincidentally, on the day that Chee stopped eating (28 Nov 06), the SDP website posted a statement “Dr Chee Soon Juan’s health deteriorates in prison” and started to purvey the story that Chee was unwell because of his treatment in prison.
"Soon after that, several foreign Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) wrote to express concerns similar to that purveyed by the SDP over Chee’s health and his treatment in prison.
"Then just as strangely as Chee had stopped eating on 28 Nov 06, Chee abruptly resumed eating his meals on 4 Dec 06. He ate his dinner ordered from a menu of choices at Changi General Hospital...

More.....

     - Police nab armed robber preying on convenience stores

     - Withdrawal of 1998 off-budget concession on stamp duty deferment

     - Police arrest 12 people in island-wide anti-piracy raids

 

Police nab Internet trickster selling car parts and accessories

"The culprit lured unsuspecting car enthusiasts in an online motoring forum into parting with their money by claiming that he was able to get bulk discounts on car parts and accessories.

"The victims would place orders with the culprit and make payment electronically. However, the victims never received their goods. When the victims discovered that they had been cheated, the culprit taunted them to catch him if they could..."

More.....

 

Banking (Amendment) Bill - First Reading in Parliament

"The Bill introduces a requirement for foreign full and wholesale bank branches to maintain a minimum level of eligible assets in Singapore in proportion to their liabilities...

"Such a requirement would help to improve the recovery of assets from a failed foreign bank branch in Singapore to meet the claims of Singapore depositors..."

More.....

     - Proposed amendments to the Penal Code

     - Singapore ranks 5th in 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index

     - Stricter smoke test for diesel vehicles from 1 January 2007

     - Police bust foreign housebreaking syndicate

     - 34 people to be charged in court for assisting loansharks

     - SCV fined for showing footage of lesbian sex on Zone Reality Channel

 

Singapore eases admission criteria for new lawyers

"Government announced on 17 August 2006, its in-principle acceptance of the recommendation of the Third Committee on the Supply of Lawyers chaired by the former Attorney-General, to allow Singaporean citizens or Permanent Residents ("PRs") who graduated from Overseas Scheduled Universities with Second Class (Lower Division) Honours to practise law in Singapore, provided they possessed certain relevant work experience or qualifications..."

More.....

     - AVA to implement grading scheme for pet shops

 

Option for foreign maids to have salary paid into their bank account

"To ensure prompt salary payment, FDWs can ask for their salaries to be paid into their bank accounts in Singapore.

"Effective 1 November 2006, MOM will introduce this as a new work permit condition for employers to comply..."

More.....

     - Singapore withdraws circulation approval for Far Eastern Economic Review

     - Police bust foreign syndicate using cloned ATM cards

 

Incident at Speakers’ Corner

"On 16 Sept 2006, Chee Soon Juan and a few of his associates gathered in the late morning at the Speakers' Corner.

"After making speeches at Speakers' Corner, Chee attempted to proceed on a protest march to Parliament House...

"However, he and his group were stopped by the Police and advised not to break the law..."

More.....

     - Police may not allow some IMF/WB civil society representatives to enter Singapore

     - Chee Soon Juan distributing pamphlets at Raffles City

     - Update On Subutex Voluntary Rehabilitation Programme

     - Singapore tightens security ahead of IMF/World Bank meetings

 

New personalised employment pass not tied to any employer

The Ministry of Manpower will introduce a Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) from 1 January 2007 to help us better attract and retain global talent...

The PEP allows the holder to remain in Singapore for up to six months in between jobs to evaluate new employment opportunities. This helps us to retain selected global talent who would otherwise have to leave Singapore...

The PEP will be issued only once with a validity of 5 years. It will be nonrenewable. A PEP holder will retain the dependant privileges of his original EP type and the minimum annual basic salary requirement of S$30,000 will continue to apply throughout the 5-year duration...

More.....

     - New "R18" rating for cabaret shows

     - Commissioner of Charities appointed

     - Circulation Of Foreign Newspapers In Singapore

     - Police arrest Malaysian for smuggling counterfeit S$1 coins

 

Subutex a Class A Controlled Drug from 14 Aug 2006

"From 14 August 2006, doctors will not be permitted to prescribe and dispense any take-home dosages for existing patients.

"All patients who require Subutex will have to consume their medication under direct visual observation of the pharmacist, doctor and/or his treatment team on a daily basis1 ..."

More.....

 

Proposed Changes to Unsecured Credit Rules

"To lower the minimum income threshold for unsecured credit facilities to $20,000 from $30,000.  The minimum income requirement for credit cards remains at $30,000.

"To set the maximum aggregate credit limit of all unsecured personal credit facilities and credit cards granted by a financial institution at four times monthly income for individuals with at least $30,000 in annual income. For individuals with annual income of at least $20,000 and below $30,000, the maximum aggregate credit limit will be twice their monthly income..."

More.....

     - Proposed changes to the Banking Act

 

Subutex to be classified as a controlled drug

"While some heroin addicts appeared to have benefited from Subutex, many others seem to have merely shifted their addiction from heroin to Subutex.

"In addition, many more who have never tried drugs before have become new addicts. Within 4 years of introduction, we now have at least 3800 Subutex users, 45% of them Malay, 43% Chinese and 10% Indian...."

More.....

     - No outdoor demonstrations and processions during IMF/WB meetings

 

Exit permit rules relaxed for National Servicemen from 1 Aug 2006

"Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) will henceforth be exempted from applying for exit permits for short overseas trips of less than 3 months...

"NSmen who have completed their Operationally-Ready National Service Training Cycle and have been phased into the MINDEF Reserve (MR) will no longer be required to notify the MNC of their overseas trips of more than 24 hours and less than 6 months..."

More.....

 

Singapore Crime Situation - First half 2006

"Crimes involving handphones being stolen, which was one of the key concerns in 2005, decreased significantly, from 2,423 to 1,962 cases, in the first half of 2006...

"The drop in handphone crimes, despite the continued high mobile phone penetration rate in Singapore3 , may be in part due to enhanced public education on such crimes as well as tighter enforcement against errant second-hand handphone dealers..."

More.....

     - Use the National Flag during National Day Celebrations 2006

     - Police arrest 77 foreigners illegally working as masseuses

 

Entrapment: A Necessary Enforcement Tool

When Yeo was asked if he had any drugs, Yeo volunteered to bring drugs to the hotel where he was subsequently arrested with Ecstasy, ‘Ice’, and Ketamine.

Adrian Yeo was, therefore, not a law-abiding person enticed into committing an offence by CNB.

In omitting to highlight the fact that Yeo was a habitual drug abuser, the ST report has misled readers into thinking that CNB had acted unethically when the circumstances of the case clearly show the contrary and that CNB had acted professionally...

More.....

 

Smoking ban in eating places starts today (1 Jul 2006)

Food outlets such as hawker centres, coffeeshops, cafes and fast food restaurants will be smoke-free from 1st July. To protect patrons from second-hand smoke, smokers are reminded to light up only at designated smoking corners.

Under this new regulation, smoking is banned within the indoor refreshment areas (IRA) of all foodshops (Eg. Coffeeshops, Cafes, Restaurants). They can designate up to 20% of the floor area in their outdoor refreshment areas (ORA) as a smoking corner upon NEA’s approval....

More.....

     - Exhibition of Non-Voters' List

 

Changes To Conditions For Massage Establishments

Under the new requirements, establishments administering foot-reflexology, physiotherapy, traditional massage or curative massage must ensure that the massage services are conducted in full view of the public and satisfy the following new requirements before they are exempted from the provisions of the Act...

To safeguard public health and safety, masseuses, therapists and reflexologists who are working or will be working in licensed massage establishments may be required to undergo and pass a medical health screening before they can be allowed to work for any licensed establishment for massage...

More.....

 

Hawker centres, coffeeshops and cafes prepare for smoking ban

Smoking ban will be extended to hawker centres, coffeeshops and cafes come 1st July.

To protect patrons from second-hand smoke, foodshop operators can set up smoking corners for those who want to light up. To date, close to half of the affected outlets have decided to set up smoking corners in their outdoor refreshment areas...

More.....

     - Age limit for taxi drivers to be raised to 73 years

     - Chief Justice expresses shock about lawyer's alleged misappropriation of clients' moneys

     - Q & A on lewd photos posted by bloggers on blogs

      - New Website lets ex-offenders check own 'spent' criminal records

     - Counting of ballot papers & announcement of election results

     - General Election: Podpasting for campaigning not allowed

 

Amended Enlistment Act requires males 13 years & older to get exit permits

MINDEF will require pre-enlistees aged 13 to 16˝ to apply for Exit Permits if they intend to be away from Singapore for 3 months or more...

Those who require Exit Permits of 2 years or more will be required to furnish a bond...

The penalty regime for Exit Permit offences for those aged 13 to 16˝ will be only a fine of up to $2,000, with no custodial sentences...

We will thus be introducing a new offence in the Enlistment Act under which parents and guardians can be made liable for the Exit Permit offences of their children or wards of ages 13 to 16˝ so that the penalty can be imposed on their parents or guardians when the circumstances warrant it. The penalty regime for the offence will also be a fine of up to $2,000.

More.....

Deposit Insurance Scheme launched in Singapore

"From 1 April, the deposit insurance scheme will compensate individuals and charities for the first $20,000 of their Singapore dollar deposits in standard savings, current and fixed deposit accounts, net of liabilities, in the event that their bank or finance company fails...."

More.....

     - Law against Singaporeans who sexually exploit minors overseas

     - Police arrest kidnappers of two Indonesian men

     - Police bust illegal 4-D syndicate

 

2nd Defence Minister speaks on NS deferment & disruption

Therefore, MINDEF will only grant deferment for pre-enlistees to gain their basic educational qualifications of ‘A’ levels, polytechnic diploma, or below.

This is reasonable as most of our 18 year old NS enlistees would either have completed their basic qualification programme or are about to complete it.
As university degrees are considered higher educational qualifications, deferments for university studies will no longer be allowed. This new policy for deferments has been in place from the end of last year.

More.....

 

Home Affairs Minister tackles MPs' questions on crime situation

"As for snatch theft, where a person’s belongings are forcibly snatched away from him, cases involving handphones have increased from 160 cases in 2004 to 280 cases in 2005 and accounted for 45 per cent of the total number of snatch theft cases in 2005.
"Of particular concern are the cases specifically targeting the handphones of young victims, which has increased from 50 cases in 2004 to 93 cases in 2005.
"Robbery and theft cases involving handphones remain a key area of concern for the Police. The number of such cases increased significantly by 42 per cent to 4,830 cases in 2005.
"This is due to the higher mobile phone penetration rate in Singapore, thereby giving rise to a larger pool of potential victims. There are 4.3 million handphone subscribers in Singapore..."

More.....

 

Singapore Crime Situation 2005

Robbery and theft cases involving handphones taken remain a key area of concern for the Police. The number of such cases increased significantly by 1,414 cases, from 3,411 to 4,825 cases in 2005.

Handphone crimes increased most notably for theft in dwelling (excluding shop theft) from 832 to 1,119 cases (+287 cases), and for other thefts (from 1,096 to 1,837 cases in 2005).
Robbery (from 344 to 488 cases), snatch thefts (from 162 to 283 cases) and cheating and related offences (from 275 to 343 cases) also saw notable increases.
The increase in handphone crime may be due to the rise in mobile phone penetration rate in Singapore indicating a larger pool of potential victims...

More.....

Casino Control Bill 2006

To discourage locals from developing into problem gamblers, Section 116 of the Bill shall require the casino operators to collect an entry levy from Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents for every consecutive 24 hours in the casinos or $2,000 for an annual membership.

This levy will also underscore the message that gambling is an expense and not a means to get rich...
Section 108 of the Bill shall prohibit casino and junket operators from extending credit to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, unless they maintain a credit balance of at least $100,000 with the casino operator at the start of their gaming which would qualify them as premium players.
Automated Teller Machines or ATMs shall be prohibited within the casinos under Section 109 of the Bill so that patrons will not have easy access to their savings accounts to gamble continuously.
Minors are also another potentially vulnerable group who may fall prey to the glamour of the casino, without realising the possible dangers of gambling. Sections 130 to 137 of the Bill will prohibit persons below the age of 21 years from entering the casinos...

More.....

     - Five illegal immigrants nabbed entering Singapore by sea

     - Exhibition of the Registers of Electors

     - LTA to administer bus lane offences from 1 Feb 2006

 

MINDEF to press for jail sentence in serious cases of NS defaulters

"Since the appeal case in the High Court in 1993, besides Melvyn Tan there have been 13 other cases of convicted defaulters who were sentenced only to a fine and who were not subsequently enlisted because they were already over 40 or almost 40.

"This is something that we need to look into more closely, especially as there may now be more defaulters who are 40 or older coming before the courts with the passing of time...
"MINDEF will be proposing to the House to increase the maximum fine provided for in the Enlistment Act from the current $5,000 to $10,000...
"...from now on, MINDEF will ask the prosecutor to press for a jail sentence in serious cases of NS defaulters, and explain why we consider a jail sentence appropriate in a particular case... "

More.....

     -   New speed limits for 65 roads in Western Singapore

 

Manpower Ministry revokes maid employment agency's licence

"The EA had failed to provide acceptable housing for FDWs under its charge by housing them in the kitchen and backyard of a house.

"In a separate incident, the EA also withheld the passports of FDWs placed by them. Finally, the EA had failed to repatriate an FDW upon the revocation of the in-principle approval of her work permit within the Ministry’s stipulated deadline of 14 days..."

More.....

     2005

Changes proposed for nomination of beneficiaries in insurance policies

"Presently,...a nomination by a policyholder of his spouse and/or children will automatically create a statutory trust in favour of the spouse and/or children governed by section 73 of the Conveyancing and Law of Property Act (CLPA).

"The creation of a statutory trust effectively causes the policyholder to lose all rights to and control over the policy. This means that without the consent of all the beneficiaries, he cannot make any change to his nomination or the terms of the policy...
"MAS proposes to amend the Insurance Act to bring under its purview the nomination of beneficiaries in respect of the proceeds of insurance policies..."

More.....

      - Manpower Ministry responds to HRW's report on maids in Singapore

     - National Service Dues: Did pianist Melvyn Tan get off too lightly?

 

Nguyen Tuong Van Case: Separating fact from fiction

"If we let off a convicted courier because of age, financial difficulties or distressed family background, it will only make it easier for drug traffickers to recruit more "mules", with the assurance that they will escape the death penalty..."

More.....

     - Small Claims Tribunal to cover short-term residential tenancy agreements

 

Law amended to impose heavier penalties on loansharks

"But the number of unlicensed moneylending and related harassment cases continues to rise: from some 1,500 cases in 1995 to almost 6,000 cases in 2004.

"In some instances, parties who did not borrow money were also harassed; for example, new occupants of dwellings that were formerly occupied by debtors and people who had lost or misplaced their identity cards.
"In addition, the number of arrests made in harassment cases more than doubled from 123 arrests in 2003 to 284 arrests in 2004..."

More.....

 

Prevention of child abuse and neglect in Singapore

"Over the last 5 years, my Ministry investigated an average of 188 complaints of alleged child abuse each year. Only in 40% of cases did our investigations reveal real evidence of abuse.
"Granted, the number of cases with evidence of abuse increased by about one and a half times from 61 in 2000 to 90 in 2004. This is due largely to greater awareness among those who have regular contact with children and who reported the incidents to the authorities for intervention..."

More.....

 

Survey shows some companies infringing software copyright law

"...a recent survey highlighted that for small medium enterprises, nearly a third of them are still not fully compliant in the proper usage of software products in their business environment. This could be as a result of the use of illegal software or under-licensing the use of software products...
"The survey also found that among those who were non-compliant, a significant number were smaller companies, averaging ten workstations or less. 47.3% of this group were non-compliant...

More.....

      - New speed limits for 55 stretches of roads in southern Singapore

 

Compulsory registration for pre-paid SIM card holders

"From 1 November, mobile service providers, such as the Singapore Telecom Mobile Pte Ltd, StarHub Mobile Pte Ltd and MobileOne Ltd, will be required to ensure compliance in recording the personal details of all customers who buy prepaid SIM cards...

"...all existing prepaid SIM card users are required to re-register at retail outlets which sell prepaid SIM cards sold by their respective mobile service providers.

"Customers must be at least 15 years old before being eligible to purchase a prepaid SIM card..."

More.....

      - Draft Casino Control Bill released for public consultation

     - Law to let criminal records of minor offenders be rendered spent

     - Police raid company using pirated software

     - Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre launched

     - Police act against unlicensed second-hand handphone dealers

 

Three arrested for illegally distributing copyrighted songs online

"A pre-dawn raid on 3 locations by the Police on 17 August 2005 saw the arrest of 3 male subjects aged between 16 and 22 years old for distributing infringing copies of copyrighted music on the Internet.
"The 16 year-old student, 21 year-old unemployed man and 22 year-old factory operator were arrested in their respective residences..."

More.....

 

Rehabilitation for first- & second-time synthetic drug abusers

"From 1 July 2005, first- and second-time abusers of MDMA (Ecstasy, Ketamine), Methamphetamine (Ice or Yaba) and Nimetazepam (Erimin-5) will undergo a new rehabilitation regime in Drug Rehabilitation Centres (DRCs)....."

More.....

     - Give your view on changes to Income Tax Act

     - Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill 2005

     - Singaporeans engaging in sex with minors overseas

 

Registration of Criminals (Amendment) Bill 2005

"We are amending the Registration of Criminals Act or 'RCA' to allow the record of a conviction kept in the Register of Criminals for a less serious crime to be considered as spent if the person stays clean after a specified period...

"As we are making a start in this area, we have decided to do so on a more cautious note, by providing for criminal records to become spent. In the light of experience gained, we can consider expunging criminal records in the future..."

More.....

     - New speed limits for 43 roads from 1 Apr 2005

     - Smoking ban to cover more public places from 1 Oct 2005

     - 11,790 Immigration Offenders Arrested in 2004

     - Release/detention of persons involved with JI and MILF

     2004

Copyright (Amendment) Bill

Changes At A Glance

New Right of Communication for works

New Rights for Producers of Sound Recordings

New Rights for Performers

Removal and alteration of rights management information

Technological Measures protecting Copyrighted Works

Stronger Enforcement Measures

Criminal Liability for wilful infringement of copyright

 

Amendments to the Immigration Act

"..in 2003, ICA repatriated more than 11,800 foreigners who had either entered Singapore illegally or violated the conditions set out in their immigration passes.

To enable swifter repatriation of these undesirable foreigners, clause 16 will empower the Controller to seize monies found in possession of any prohibited immigrant to cover any expenses incurred by the Government in connection with his or his dependents' detention, maintenance, medical treatment and removal from Singapore.

More.....

      - Review of laws governing sexual offences

      - Employer ordered to compensate maid for failure to pay her salary

      - Enhanced safety requirements for motorised bicycles & riders

      - Automatic registration of societies from 1 Sep 2004

      - Changes to citizenship laws from 15 May 2004

      - Home Detention Scheme to be expanded

      - Rules on use of national symbols relaxed from 1 Jan 2004

     2003

     2002

 

     2001

News Snippets commenced on 20 Jun 2001

 

 

 
Email Login
Password
New users
sign up!
powered by
Everyone.net