An 18-year-old student from Anderson Junior College fell into a river and drowned while trekking through the jungle near Kota Tinggi in Johor on Saturday. According to the Malaysian town's police, her name was WONG May Chen. She was among 24 young people in an expedition, believed to be organised by a community centre, bound for Kota Tinggi waterfall, located 56 km north-east of Johor Baru and 12 km from the town. Straits Times 31 Dec 2001) (3)

  Police swoops on night-market stalls and shops in two housing estates - Tampines and Bedok - netted about 80,000 pirated CD-ROMs and music CDs. Nineteen men, aged 17 to 37, were arrested during the raids on four stalls and four shops. (Straits Times 31 Dec 2001) (H4)

  A businessman who molested his 18-year-old maid on her first day of work was yesterday sentenced to 18 months' jail and nine strokes of the cane. KOO Lai Chuan, a father of three girls, aged 8, 12 and 14, brought the maid back to his Sengkang flat in Block 5 Buangkok South Farmway 1 from the maid agency on Oct 6 last year. At home, he said he wanted to check her body and molested her after removing her clothes, touching her breasts and other parts of her body. (Straits Times 28 Dec 2001)(H6)

  More time has been given to those who have yet to come forward to claim their relatives' graves at the Bidadari Christian Cemetery. The last date for registering a claim, originally 30 Nov 2001, has been extended till Feb 28 next year, according to the HDB. When registration closed on 30 Nov, only 8,857 of the 58,000 graves were claimed. Those graves not claimed will be exhumed and the remains cremated individually and scattered at sea. The cemetery is to be redeveloped for housing, transportation and other public works. It opened in 1908 and closed for burial in Nov 1972. (Straits Times 28 Dec 2001)(H5)

  An embarrassed Singapore Boys' Brigade yesterday apologised for including good gifts when it threw defective donations into a dumpster near its headquarters. It said it was very sorry that this had happened when The Straits Times told it that angry Zion Road residents had complained that toys in perfect condition, and even food, had been thrown out. (Straits Times 27 Dec 2001)(4)

  A study by property consultants Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) shows that the number of properties "repossessed" by banks and then put up for sale more than tripled to 1,400 this year, compared to the last downturn in 1998. In last year's brighter economic climate, the number of forced sales, also known as mortgagee sales, was 1,102. (Straits Times 27 Dec 2001) (3)

  To stem the hordes of curious people who have been flocking to Check Jawa to see the site which won conservation status recently, the National Parks Board (NParks) announced measures to control visitor numbers yesterday. Besides having to make bookings for their visit, visitors to the beach will also have to follow guides on designated routes. NParks also advised visitors to wear proper footwear, such as sandals and rubber boots. They should not litter, touch or collect plant or animal specimens. From this weekend, visitors must report to the NParks' information desk, opposite the Pulau Ubin Community Centre. (Straits Times 27 Dec 2001) (H5)

  Sydney: An intense ethical debate is raging over a child psychologist's decision to allow a 15-year-old boy with terminal cancer to have sex with a prostitute before he died, without the knowledge of his parents. While psychologists in Australia have condemned the decision, the case has aroused considerable public sympathy too, the Telegraph of London reported. The report said the boy, without speaking to his parents, told staff at a Sydney hospital of his desire to lose his virginity. (Straits Times 25 Dec 2001) (9)

  Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leader CHEE Soon Juan, who is facing defamation action from both the Prime Minister and Senior Minister, has retracted his apologies and is now denying that he had defamed both men. He also filed his own lawsuit against SM LEE on Saturday, claiming the Senior Minister had defamed him in the run-up to the recent General Election by calling him a "political gangster, a liar and a cheat". (Straits Times 25 Dec 2001)(4)

  A 75-year-old man allegedly set on fire his former daughter-in-law's flat as he could not bear to lose custody of his two grandsons to her. He allegedly set the door on fire after splashing kerosene outside the her parents' flat in Block 238 Serangoon Avenue 2, where she now lives with her children, aged about six and seven. The old man was later arrested and taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he is now under police custody. (Straits Times 24 Dec 2001)(1)

  Next year's Singapore River Hongbao at Marina Promenade features a 40,000 sq ft dinosaur enclosure which will house 50 dinosaur models, ranging from 1.5m to 10m tall, from Canada. To usher in the Year of the Horse, a 12m high model of the God of Fortune on a horse will be constructed. Other activities include horse riding, performances by acrobats and dancers from Hebei province in China and the usual pasar malam stalls. (Straits Times 22 Dec 2001) (7)

  United Overseas Bank (UOB) yesterday retrenched 435 employees in the first round of staff cuts after a S$10 billion merger with Overseas Union Bank (OUB). It seems that they were given until lunchtime to pack up - before the bank allegedly changed the electronic door codes to prevent them returning to the building. Some UOB insiders say that the total casualty toll could now be as high as 2,500 - up from the 2,000 previously announced. The balance of the job cuts will probably come next year. (Straits Times 22 Dec 2001) (1)

  Home Affairs Minister WONG Kan Seng has brushed aside suggestions that the Government rethink its opposition to the setting up of a casino here. Mr WONG said that a gambling house is not the only way to increase tourist arrivals. (Straits Times 21 Dec 2001)(H1)

  The Ministry of National Development yesterday announced the deferment of reclamation works at Tanjung Chek Jawa, thought to be Singapore's last mud flat and home to several rare marine creatures. Reclamation work, approved in 1992 to create land to be used eventually for military training, was originally slated to start in a few day's time. (Straits Times 21 Dec 2001)(5)

  As of yesterday, 306 litterbugs had done Corrective Work Order (CWO) this year, with 13 of them doing a repeat. Last year, the total number had come to 451, with 23 of them doing a repeat. More than 3,600 people have done CWOs since the first 10 made history in 1993 by cleaning up East Coast Park. (Straits Times 20 Dec 2001)(H6)

  POSB customers will pay tax - for the first time ever - on the interest earned in their savings accounts from 1 Jan 2002. Initially, only 40,000 people with balances of more than S$100,000 - or 1 per cent of its customers - will be affected. But from 1 Jan 2005 onwards, all interest earned in POSB savings accounts will be taxable. The changes are in line with a time-table set out by the Government for the phasing out of tax-exemption on POSB accounts when DBS bought POSB in 1998. (Straits Times 20 Dec 2001)(1)

  According to the police, the unauthorised use of people's computers and Internet accounts has become a new type of crime. In 1996, there were 14 such cases reported but last year there were 191. (Straits Times 19 Dec 2001) (H12)

  Political parties spent more than S$2.08 million contesting the last General Election, with the People's Action Party (PAP) spending nearly S$1.82 million, compared to S$1.7 million in the 1997 polls. Together the opposition parties spent a modest S$261,000 or so, around 14 per cent of the PAP's spending. (Straits Times 19 Dec 2001)(H2)

  Fourteen boys, aged 14 to 19, were charged in two separate courts yesterday with attacking schoolboy WONG Wei-En, 15, and his four friends at a bus-stop near a hawker centre in Circuit Road. They were accused of forming an unlawful assembly to cause hurt, and using a hammer and a knife during the alleged attack on the five boys, aged between 13 and 16. (Straits Times 19 Dec 2001)(H1)

  A 10-year study released by the institute of Mental Health and National University of Singapore (NUS) found that the number of depressed elderly people has increased considerably  - from five in every 100 in 1990 to nearly 9 in every 100 last year. Both groups (2,700 old folk in 1990 and 3,000 last year) studied consisted of men and women aged 65 years and above living alone or with their families. (Straits Times 18 Dec 2001)(H6)

  About one in six of the 5,000-odd divorces last year was between couples married for more than 20 years. This is an increase from 15 per cent of the divorces in 1995 to 17 per cent last year, according to the Singapore Department of Statistics' Yearbook 2000 report on marriages and divorces. Last year, women filed for 64 per cent of the divorces. There were also fewer marriages. The number of weddings plunged about 12 per cent. There were 22,000 last year, compared to 25,000 the year before. Men and women continue to marry later with the average ages for grooms at 30 and brides at 27. In 1970, men generally tied the knot at 28, and women at 24. (Straits Times 17 Dec 2001) (H3)

  Police yesterday arrested 13 teenagers, aged between 14 and 19, yesterday after WONG Wei-En, 15, was savagely attacked with hammers on Saturday while riding an SBS bus with four friends. Police revealed that the five boys met the 13 youths at Blk 52 in Circuit Road to discuss an earlier assault involving Wei-En and a fellow schoolmate of Manjusri Secondary. Things turned sour and the 13 youths attacked the five boys who dashed across the road and boarded SBS Transit Service 135 at the bus-stop near Macpherson Primary School. (Straits Times 17 Dec 2001) (1) 

  New legislation coming into effect on Jan 1 will strengthen the Multi-Level Marketing and Pyramid Selling Act of 1973 that prohibits pyramid selling. Under the revised Act, no one should have to risk losing large sums of money as a condition of joining the scheme. And if he fails to sell the product, he should be entitled to a full refund if he returns everything within 60 days. The maximum penalty for breaching the Act is a S$200,000 fine and five years' jail. (Straits Times 14 Dec 2001)(H6)

  About 75 United States Navy Seals and marines in seven helicopters stormed the Kota Sejarah, a Singapore-chartered container ship, in the North Arabian sea and detained it for four hours while they searched for illegal weapons and Al-Qaeda troops. The ship had sailed from Karachi, Pakistan, and was headed for Bombay. (Straits Times 13 Dec 2001)(3)

  A new "virtual visit" service connects visitors at the new S$2.2 million Prisons Link Centre at the Cisco Centre in Jalan Afifi to more than 5,000 inmates in Queenstown Remand Prison, Tampines Prison, Selarang Park Drug Centre, Changi Women's Prison and Tanah Merah Prison. Visitors can chat with inmates through a 35-inch display screen showing the inmate's face in one of 10 air-conditioned cubicles. Nine other prisons will have this service in future. (Straits Times 13 Dec 2001)(1)

  The Consumers Association of Singapore said it received 262 complaints against maid agencies this year, and most were about unfair contracts. It received 168 complaints last year - almost 100 fewer than this year. Of the 30 complaints the Ministry of Manpower receives every month, two are about unfair contracts. (Straits Times 11 Dec 2001) (H4)

  Yesterday, private tutor Mark Astill, 37, a married man, pleaded guilty to two charges of molest and was jailed for two years. Mark, a British national and a permanent resident here, molested his victims - two girls both six years old - while teaching them English in his Woodlands flat early this year. (Straits Times 11 Dec 2001)(4).

  A two-year study found that there were 172,000 crows in Singapore in February last year. Since then, the Singapore Gun Club has reduced their numbers to the current 98,000 or so by shooting them. According to the survey, a sustained campaign against the birds can bring their population down to almost a tenth of what it is today, or 10,000, within 10 years. There will be no attempt to eradicate them altogether because it could mean a rise in other refuse-eating animals, like rats. (Straits Times 11 Dec 2001) (1)

  Only four people were barred in 1997 from employing another foreign maid after having abused their last maid. But, the number has climbed to 8 in 1998, 20 in 1999 and 39 last year. This year, up to October, 33 maid abusers were barred by the Manpower Ministry from getting another maid. Since 1998, people who ill-treat or hurt their maids have faced more severe penalties, such as jail terms of seven years or more, instead of only a maximum five-year sentence. (Straits Times 10 Dec 2001)(H1)

  Ten men, and the six companies they are linked to, were yesterday charged with dealing in securities without a dealer's licence. The accused are: Steve LEE Woon Lou, 54; PNG Kok Wah, 34; GOH Lam Huat, 50; Anthony LIM Heng Yong, 37; HO Kai Mun, 28; CHIAM Choon Aik, 44; CHAN Hup Seng, 37; LEE Weng Wai, 37; TAN Lee Meng, 44; and SEAH Choo Beng, 30. The companies, where the accused persons work either as a director, general manager or employee, are World Bond, Kingly Management, Master-United Traders, Leeds Consultants, Prama Traders and Izumi Trading. It is understood that the six companies used to deal in commodities. In May, a new Bill was passed to outlaw bucket shops - unlicensed commodities-trading firms that have tricked many people into losing large sums of money. (Straits Times 8 Dec 2001) (H7)

  A 14-year-old boy died yesterday after falling while attempting a bicycle stunt on an obstacle ramp set up at the Ngee Ann Civic Plaza for the Asian Xtour competition. The competition, organised by ESPN Starsports, involves stunts and tricks performed on online skates, bicycles and skateboards. The Montfort Secondary two student's family declined to be interviewed last night when approached by The Straits Times at their home in Hougang. (Straits Times 8 Dec 2001) (3) Read our editorial.

  A man who molested his young Indonesian maid on her first day at work was yesterday found guilty of four sexual-abuse charges. He was convicted of touching the maid's breast and private parts on Oct 6 last year, on the pretext of checking her body when he took her home from the maid agency on her first day. KOO Lai Chuan, 42, whose bail was increased to S$20,000, had his case adjourned to Dec 27.(Straits Times 7 Dec 2001)(H4)

  Almost half of Singapore, aged 15 and above, took at least one trip abroad that lasted more than two days last year, either by crossing the border to Malaysia or going further afield. According to the Department of Statistics' 2000 census, 1.21 million people went overseas for a holiday or work at least once a year. About 17,000 of them made 25 or more trips in the 12 months, most likely for business purposes. Nearly half of this group came from households earning S$8,000 and above each month. 26 per cent of HDB residents made at least one trip, compared to 35 per cent of those living in landed properties and 41 per cent of condominium residents. (Straits Times 7 Dec 2001)(H2)

  Retiree KOH Han Tin, 60, flung several drink cans - which he had filled with water - from his eighth storey flat in Block 347 Clementi Ave 5 at about 5pm on July 1. Yesterday, he pleaded guilty to acting rashly and endangering the lives of others at about 5pm on July 1 and was sentenced to three weeks' jail. (Straits Times 7 Dec 2001)(H4)

  Anthony LER will hang for masterminding the murder of his estranged wife, insurance agent Annie LEONG. The 15-year-old boy whom LER instigated to stab her to death will not hang. Because of his age, he will be detained indefinitely instead. The verdict was delivered by Judicial Commissioner TAY Yong Kwang yesterday after a 11-day trial. (Straits Times 6 Dec 2001)(3)

  ElderShield, the low-cost national insurance plan to help older people who become disabled, will start next September. Central Provident Fund (CPF) members who are between 40 and 69 years old will be covered automatically under this plan, unless they opt out. If they become disabled so that they need help with daily living activities, they will then be able to draw S$300 a month for up to five years. ElderShield premiums will be paid from Medisave accounts. Those who are not older than 55 when it is launched will pay premiums only until they are 65, but they will be covered for the rest of their lives. CPF members between 56 and 69 years old next September will have up to 10 years to pay. They will also receive a subsidy. Last year, 234,500 Singaporeans were 65 or older. This will leap to 798,700 by 2030 and more than 8 per cent will need help in daily living.(Straits Times 5 Dec 2001)(1)

  An Indonesian maid died at a Bedok Reservoir Road flat on Sunday, apparently from injuries inflicted the day before. Her employer, a 46-year-old male freelance tourist guide, turned himself in at the Eunos Police Post that evening. The man, who lives in Chai Chee and is believed to be married with two children, was arrested for her murder. (Straits Times 4 Dec 2001)(6)

  Police on Saturday night nabbed 106 women who were suspected to be working as prostitutes in Orchard Towers. The women arrested, aged between 17 and 40, came from Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Mongolia, Vietnam and Cambodia. (Straits Times 3 Nov 2001)(H6)

  Using unscrupulous tactics, bucket shops have conned over 300 people out of more than S$2 million since last December, according to the Consumers' Association of Singapore (Case). But, over the past three months, Case has received only 17 new complaints about bucket shops. At its peak, there were almost 50 complaints a month.  New laws passed in Parliament earlier this year make it mandatory for all firms and traders dealing in commodities trading to be licensed, unless they are specifically exempted. To avoid being caught by the new laws, some of these shops have turned to trading in other areas, for example, stock indices such as the Hang Seng Index. According to MAS, under the Securities Industry Act, those dealing in share indices are required to hold a dealer's licence. (Straits Times 3 Nov 2001)(4)

  Desalinated water will be flowing from taps here in 2005, after the Public Utilities Board (PUB) gave the go-ahead to build the island's first desalination plant. PUB will buy the water under a 20-year agreement starting when the new plant comes on stream in 2005. (Straits Times 1 Dec 2001) (1)

  Singapore Democratic Party chief CHEE Soon Juan intends to contest claims for aggravated damages by Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong and Senior Minister LEE Kuan Yew for defamatory remarks made against them. He filed notice of his intention on Monday - and now has 14 days to submit his defence. (Straits Times 28 Nov 2001)(2) 

  Barely four hours after 23-year-old army lieutenant ANG Meng Vee lost his battle against cancer of the tongue, his heartbroken mother, Madam CHAN Poh Cheng, 45, jumped to her death because she was unable to bear the loss of her only son. Her body was found on Monday at the foot of Block 112 Tampines Street 11, a few streets away from her home at Block 270. (Straits Times 28 Nov 2001) (H6)

  Criminals are apparently targeting the elderly, with the number of snatch thefts and robberies against senior citizens on the rise. In the first nine months of this year, there were 97 cases of snatch thefts involving victims over 60 years old, up from 60 during the same period last year. More old people were also robbed this year - 59 cases this year, compared to 52 last year. But fewer senior citizens were cheated, with a drop in cases from 45 last year to 33 this year. (Straits Times 24 Nov 2001)(H2)

  A pastor is on trial for allegedly molesting a 21-year-old woman he had approached in the early hours of a Saturday morning along Orchard Road. KOH Seng Kee, 48, is accused of caressing the woman's arm, kissing her cheek and squeezing her breast in front of Faber House at about midnight on Feb 17. KOH, a pastor for 17 years, denies that he molested the woman. He is married and has since resigned from The Tabernacle Church and Missions in Tanjong Katong Road. (Straits Times 23 Nov 2001)(H12)

  More than 10 cars were scratched on Tuesday night at Block 509A, a multi-storey carpark in Woodlands Drive 14. The Chinese newspapers reported that most of the vandalised cars had been parked between the second and the fourth floors, with both old and new cars suffering the same fate. Some cars had "369" scratched on them, a number frequently associated with a secret society. Police said they are investigating. (Straits Times 22 Nov 2001) (H1)

  Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong and Senior Minister LEE Kuan Yew are claiming "aggravated damages" from Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leader CHEE Soon Juan for defamation during the recent General Election. Their claims were filed in the High Court and served on him on Monday. They did not state the amount of damages, legal costs and other reliefs as these are usually determined by the court after it hears the case. Dr CHEE had apologised publicly for defaming both Mr GOH and Mr LEE during the campaign in the Nov 3 General Election, but failed to offer them any compensation. (Straits Times 21 Nov 2001)(3)

  A former Web designer wanted his estranged wife dead and offered four youths S$100,000 to kill her, but only one of them agreed to do the job, the High Court heard yesterday. The prosecution said at the opening trial of Anthony LER Wee Teang, 34, that he had offered to pay S$2,000 a month until the full amount was paid up. The 15-year-old boy who allegedly killed insurance agent Annie LEONG told a psychiatrist that he had been pressured by her estranged husband into carrying out the murder. The boy is charged with murder, but, as a minor, he faces indefinite detention and will not be hanged if found guilty.(Straits Times 20 Nov 2001)(1)

  A man took his ex-lover to court to claim back about S$240,000 worth of 'gifts' that he had showered on her before their relationship went sour, in perhaps the first legal action of its type here. These 'gifts' comprise a S$220,000 downpayment for a HDB flat and another cash sum of S$2,000 which was given to her to buy household appliances. Mr NG Hai Hock, 38, who is married with two children, had also given Ms Lily WANG, 38, a mamasan in a hotel in Katong, a S$20,000 diamond ring, a Louis Vuitton handbag and other items. But he only sued Ms WANG, a divorcee with two children, which he insisted was a loan. However, the district court three out his case because it found that the man had given the money as a gift of love. And under the law, one cannot ask for the return of gifts. Mr NG has instructed his lawyer to appeal to the High Court. (Straits Times 19 Nov 2001)(4)

  Singapore has not asked Malaysia to resume supplying live pigs here, contrary to a recent report in Malaysian news daily, Nanyang Siang Pau. Singapore's food authority, the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), said this was not true. Singapore has stopped importing live pigs from Malaysia since March 1999, after a Nipah outbreak. Last year, Singapore imported 318,000 pigs from Pulau Bulan in Indonesia, a total of 28,000 tonnes of frozen pork from the Netherlands, China, Denmark and France, and a total of 24,000 tonnes of chilled pork from Australia and New Zealand. (Straits Times 15 Nov 201) (H6)

  Heads are not likely to roll as a result of the Nee Soon East temple donation controversy, according to its MP, Associate Professor HO Peng Kee. "But, I think that this in itself does not warrant any change in the grassroots leadership or Citizens' Consultative Committee (CCC) staff," he told reporters yesterday. Prof. HO said he had a "cohesive" grassroots team and that any changes to the slate would be mainly to include new members. (Straits Times 13 Nov 2001)(H2)

  A man poured two bottles of methanol spirit on the company clerk and set her alight after an argument in the office at Tanglin Shopping Centre. Yesterday he pleaded guilty in the High Court to the attempted murder of Madam NEO Aee Kee, 41, who suffered 35-per-cent burns on her body, including permanent facial scarring. NG Kwok Soon, 50, who has two criminal breach of trust (CBT) charges against him, was sentenced to life imprisonment. He is appealing against the sentence. (Straits Times 13 Nov 2001)(H1)

  It was all a misunderstanding that caused temple representatives to think they were being forced to donate money in order to get Hungry Ghost festival permits. A misunderstanding caused by miscommunication, said Associate Professor HO Peng Kee, the man at the centre of the Nee Soon East donation drama, who spoke to reporters yesterday. Senior Minister LEE Kuan Yew had said earlier that he will have the problem fixed after the general Election. Sources say this could involve the removing at least one grassroots official. During a press conference at Tanjong Pagar yesterday, SM LEE hinted at why he had stepped in to tackle the temple donation issue before the elections. Prof. HO, he said, was a very staunch Christian and "no good for showbiz". Concluded Mr LEE, "And the resources of the PAP sorted out the problems of the Seventh Month people and the temples and the betting changed." (Straits Times 12 Nov 2001)(H1)

  About 800,000 Singaporeans, or four in ten, of those given New Singapore Shares, have cashed in part of their allotments, said Deputy Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong yesterday. (Straits Times 12 Nov 2001) (3)

  Singapore will be divided into five districts, down from the present nine, and each to be managed by a super community development council (CDC). A full-time mayor will head each of the councils, said Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong yesterday. The five new CDCs will be: North-east, North-west, South-east, South-west and Central. He also named Mr Othman Haron Eusofe (Marine Parade GRC) as the mayor for South-east CDC and Mrs YU-FOO Yee Shoon (Jurong GRC) to head the South-west CDC. The other three mayors will be named in two weeks' time. PM GOH said the position of full-time mayors would be elevated to the level of parliamentary secretaries or ministers of state (MOS).(Straits Times 12 Nov 2001)(1)

  A woman who was fined S$4,500 for slapping her Indonesian maid will now go to jail for 12 weeks instead. The Chief Justice yesterday allowed the appeal of the Public Prosecutor that the offence should attract a jail term. In yesterday's case, businesswoman CHONG Siew Chin, 43, assaulted her maid, Miss Bonasih Sarmo, 23, and told her to say she had fallen in the toilet if anyone asked her about the marks on her face. (Straits Times 9 Nov 2001)(3)

  Hungry Ghost Festival organisers and temple officials applying for a permit to hold a festival celebration were asked by Nee Soon East grassroots leaders to tell them how much they would donate to community funds from the event. When they did not do this, their permits got delayed or they were given the run-around. Sources said this was what Senior Minister LEE Kuan Yew was told two days before Polling Day, when he met 100 temple folks in a closed-door meeting. (Straits Times 8 Nov 2001)(2)

  When sexuality education is introduced to upper primary school pupils next year, it will cover pornography on the Internet and warn them about the dangers of chatting on the Net. Last year, eight teenage girls were raped and two were molested by men whom they had met on the Internet or through telephone chatlines. In 1999, there were seven such cases. The programme will also allow Primary 5 and 6 pupils to discuss openly other topics in class, such as wet dreams, body odour and menstruation. The MOE introduced Sexuality Education to lower-secondary students last year. Previously, there was no formal structure to sexuality lessons conducted in schools. Programmes for upper-secondary students will be introduced next year, and in 2003, for students in junior colleges and centralised institutes.(Straits Times 7 Nov 2001) (H5)

  Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong yesterday said that he would pursue the idea of allowing the new People's Action Party (PAP) MPs to speak their minds freely in Parliament so as to draw younger Singaporeans into debates on national issues. The idea will be refined for 20 PAP MPs who are not holding government office. The whip will be lifted for them in all except constitutional bills. He planned to limit them to one or two years in this role, so that other government backbenchers could have their turn. (Straits Times 7 Nov 2001)(H1)

  The Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) candidate for Chua Chu Kang, Mr Steve CHIA, looks set to take up the role of Non-Constituency MP after getting the go-ahead from his party leaders. (Straits Times 6 Nov 2001)(6)

  Local sculptor NG Eng Teng, 67, died in his sleep on Sunday at Studio 106, a kampung house at 106 Joo Chiat Place, opposite his residence at unit 127. He was a 1981 Cultural Medallion winner. Most of Mr NG's works have been donated to the National University of Singapore (NUS) where a gallery was set up in his name in 1997. (Straits Times 6 Nov 2001) (4)

  Six of the 16 people arrested after a Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) rally on Friday night are out on bail, the police said. In a statement yesterday, the police confirmed that the six, including the lone woman held, were offered bail at about 5pm. The remaining 10 are still under investigation. The police arrested them for rioting in Lavender Street, after an SDA rally in Jalan Besar GRC. (Straits Times 4 Nov 2001)(14)

  People's Action Party (PAP) incumbent for Nee Soon East Associate Professor HO Peng Kee, 47, romped home with 73.7 per cent of the valid votes to beat newcomer POH Lee-Guan of the Workers' Party. This was his first election battle since he entered politics in 1991. Bookies had at first given Nee Soon East a 50-50 chance of falling into opposition hands. But the turning point came on Thursday when Senior Minister LEE Kuan Yew stepped in to settle what he termed as "some mishandling" over temple procedures for the Hungry Ghost Festival celebrations in the seventh lunar month. After Mr LEE's intervention, the odds changed in favour of Prof. HO. Prof. Ho declined to say much but hinted that some Seventh Month Festival operators had felt pressured into giving donations to the Citizens' Consultative Committee (CCC). He said he would look into the matter. (Straits Times 4 Nov 2001)(3) 

  Mr CHIAM See Tong, 66, leader of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) and Potong Pasir MP for 17 years, retained his parliamentary seat with a margin of 751 votes. Workers' Party (WP) chief and Hougang MP Mr LOW Thia Khiang managed to retain his seat by beating the PAP's new face, Mr Eric LOW, with 55 per cent of the valid votes. This was a drop from 58 per cent in 1997. (Straits Times 4 Nov 2001)(2)

  The People's Action Party (PAP) last night scored a landslide victory in the 2001 General Election capturing all but two contested seats. The ruling party received 75.3 per cent of all valid votes. This sterling showing is its third best after 1968's 86.7 per cent and 1980's 77.7 per cent and marks a 10 percentage point swing from its 65 per cent share in 1997. (Straits Times 4 Nov 2001)(1)

  More than 130,000 Singaporeans have cashed out part of their New Singapore Shares (NSS), putting about S$75 million into their pockets. This works to 6.6 per cent of the 1.9 million people who received the S$1.7 billion of the shares on Nov 1, and they have asked for the cash switch before Oct 25. (Straits Times 3 Nov 2001)(3)

  Former SBS driver WONG Gion Chin was jailed for two years yesterday - for causing the deaths of two schoolgirls at a traffic-light crossing after he fell asleep at the wheel. He was also banned from driving for 15 years. (Straits Times 3 Nov 2001)(2)

  A woman who used to work at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) was charged yesterday with sending an anonymous letter containing "white powder" to a secretary at the hospital. The secretary's boss reported to the police who investigated it as a possible anthrax threat, but the white substance turned out to be talcum powder. In a district court yesterday, part-time tutor YONG Yuet Mei, 42 - a clerk with SGH before she resigned in 1999 - was charged with committing criminal intimidation by sending the anonymous letter to her former colleague, Madam CHUA Sok Hong, 37, on Monday. (Straits Times 2 Nov 2001)(3) 

  The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) yesterday urged United Overseas Bank (UOB) to be "compassionate" and delay its planned 2,000 job cuts until after Chinese New Year next year. UOB completed its takeover of OUB last month and promised shareholders it would move immediately to streamline operations. (Straits Times 2 Nov 2001) (1)

  United Overseas Bank (UOB) is set to retrench up to 2,000 staff by year-end to cut costs after it acquired Singapore's second-smallest lender Overseas Union Bank (OUB) in September. An e-mail sent to all staff last Saturday, a copy of which had been obtained by The Straits Times, said all employees unable to be offered jobs in the new combined bank would be "offered a retrenchment package no later than the end of December 2001". (Straits Times 1 Nov 2001)(3)

  The Singapore Bus Services (SBS) driver who knocked down and killed two schoolgirls at a signalised crossing had fallen asleep at the wheel after attending a Hungry Ghosts festival ceremony the night before. WONG Gion Chin, 34, who has since been dismissed from SBS, had just four hours' sleep before starting work on bus No. 275, a district court heard yesterday. WONG pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, and failing to have proper control of his SBS bus. He could be jailed for up to five years on the dangerous driving charge. (Straits Times 1 Nov 2001)(5)

  A lawyer who was caught shoplifting at Tangs department store had her two-week jail sentence doubled yesterday. Lilian ONG, 51, who was found guilty of shoplifting after a four-day trial in May, had appealed against her conviction. The prosecution, meanwhile, had appealed against the leniency of ONG's sentence. But ONG dropped her appeal, leaving the court to decide whether to allow the prosecutor's appeal. ONG stole two cheese slicers and a kettle worth a total of S$180 from Tangs on March 14 last year. (Straits Times 31 Oct 2001)(H10)

  Chief Justice YONG Pung How yesterday sent a strong message to molesters, saying that from now on they can expect to be jailed for a minimum of nine months. Stiffer sentences were needed to deter potential offenders, he said, as the number of molestation cases had risen by 25 per cent this year. (Straits Times 31 Oct 2001)(4)

  A man fell to his death from the 11-storey kitchen window of his Tampines flat shortly after a fire broke out in the unit in Block 420 on Saturday night. Neighbours interviewed by The Straits Times said they had heard explosions and the sound of hissing gas before the blaze. Mr HONG Choon Chwee, 46, who lived alone, was found lying on the pavement at the foot of the block. (Straits Times 29 Oct 2001)(4)

  Veteran politician J.B.Jeyaratnam announced yesterday that he had accepted Dr CHEE Soon Juan's invitation to support the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) at its election rallies, where he plans to speak about the need to dump the People Action Party's (PAP) legacy for Singapore. (Straits Times 25 Oct 2001)(H1)

  Veteran opposition politician J.B. Jeyaratnam has quit the Workers' Party (WP) and 10 other members, including two cadres, are set to leave. Mr Jeyaretnam, who resigned on Monday, said he could have avoided bankruptcy and losing his Non-Constituency MP seat if the WP leadership had helped him pay off his debt. But party chief LOW Thia Khiang and chairman TAN Bin Seng would not help. (Straits Times 24 Oct 2001)(H7)

  Family quarrels made up 139 out of 500, or 28 per cent, of the cases that community mediation centres handled in 2000. Most of the cases - 211 out of 500, or 42 per cent - dealt with disputes between neighbours. The other cases involved friends, shopkeepers or hawkers, landlords and tenants, and employers and employees. This is the first time the centres have offered such a breakdown of the cases handled, so there are no comparable figures for 1998 and 1999.  (Straits Times 7 Oct 2001)(20)

  New noise rules that stop piling, blasting, demolishing and concreting works from being carried out between 7pm and 7am came into effect on Monday, but will affect only new projects, and not ongoing ones, said the Environment Ministry (ENV). It told The Straits Times that his was because the new limits could affect completion time. The move by the ENV came after complaints from residents about noisy construction sites shot up to 33 per week last year, up from just 21 per week in 1999. The new limits allow only quiet work, such as bricklaying, plastering and painting, to be carried out between 10pm and 7am. (Straits Times 6 Oct 2001) (H6)

  With 70,000 to 80,000 unemployed Singaporeans expected this year, employers are likely to get more help to hire and train people, when the Government unveils its anti-recession measures later this month. This figure is 3.5 to 4 per cent of Singapore's total workforce of two million. The number would include people joining the job market for the first time. In 1998, during the Asian economic crisis, unemployment stood at 3.2 per cent of the workforce, or 62,700 Singaporeans. The following year, it rose to 3.5 per cent or almost 70,000. During the mid-1980s recession, unemployment reached 4.1 per cent or about 50,000 people in 1985. In 1986, it shot up to 6.5 per cent, or some 80,000 people. Minister without Portfolio Mr LIM Boon Heng told reporters yesterday that the off-Budget measures "should encourage employers to employ the retrenched workers, a large number of them older." (Straits Times 5 Oct 2001)(1)

  Four hundred more taxis will soon ply the roads here. Yesterday, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology and National Development Dr John CHEN said 100 new licences had been issued to each of the four taxi companies here, adding to the 18,000 cabs currently on the roads. He said the move followed requests from taxi companies. According to industry sources, the government has not been issuing licences to taxi companies since 1995. (Straits Times 5 Oct 2001) (3)

  Bucket shops are now posing as employment agencies to get unsuspecting job-seekers to part with their money, now that all commodity-trading firms are required to be licensed. Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) president Dr TEO Ho Pin said at a press conference yesterday, "We have received more than 80 complaints of this nature in the last 2½ months." The people who have complained to Case have lost between S$2,000 and S$5,000 each, he said. In the past, bucket shops targeted cash-rich retirees to open commodity-trading accounts. Now, their prime targets are young working adults, 20 to 45 years old, who have been retrenched recently. In April and May alone, Case said it received close to 100 complaints. The sums involved totalled moe than S$700,000. Dr TEO said there were about 15 to 20 bucket shops at work, at least half of them new firms. (Straits Times 4 Oct 2001)(H6)

  Residents in Sengkang will get a new polyclinic by 2004. There are about 100,000 people living in Sengkang now, but the population will shoot up to 150,000 in 2005. The number of residents living in Punggol will rise to 95,000 by then. (Straits Times 2 Oct 2001) (H6)

  Singaporeans overseas will get to vote in future General Elections, despite the Government's U-turn on the coming one, said Deputy Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong. Overseas voting has not been cancelled, he stressed, it has been put off because of security problems. (Straits Times 1 Oct 2001)(3)

  More than half the Malay/Muslim families here have a computer at home and two in every five households are plugged into the Internet, a survey by self-help group Mendaki has found. The results, which are similar to figures revealed last month by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), show that the digital divide is narrowing between Malay/Muslim families and other ethnic groups. (Straits Times 20 Sep 2001)(H5)

  The Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (Score) has trained 19,000 inmates in a variety of job skills and has helped 16,000 former prisoners to get jobs. It celebrated its 25th anniversary yesterday. When the scheme started in 1976, only 73 employers from the private sector participated. Today, about 1,300 employers are involved in its prison rehabilitation and vocational-training programmes. (Straits Times 18 Sep 2001) (H1)

  Plans are underway to minimise the pain of what could be the largest ever retrenchment exercises in the banking industry here. The Straits Times understands that bank unions have already met the Big Five local banks and have an appointment with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) next month. The meetings come ahead of formal retrenchment exercises by OCBC Bank, which has taken over Keppel Capital Holdings and United Overseas Bank (UOB), which is in the midst of completing its marriage with Overseas Union Bank (OUB). (Straits Times 17 Sep 2001) (S11)

  Minister for National Development Minister MAH Bow Tan said yesterday that less-skilled jobs like assembly line work are being lost here as companies move to other countries where salaries are lower, and the new jobs that are being created require different skills. Many people who are retrenched are "generally fairly up the seniority ladder" and if they move to a new job, it will be at a more junior position and with less pay. He said this makes older workers reluctant to take jobs that are now available in the service sector. (Straits Times 17 Sep 2001) (H7)

  More unemployed people with university degrees or diplomas, who are aged 40 and above, are finding it difficult to get new jobs quickly. Their numbers have risen by more than three times in the last four years. There were 2,120 of them without jobs in June this year, compared to only 566 in the same month in 1997. Many of them are former mid-career managers and executives who now find it tough to get work amid the slowing economy. Employers prefer to hire more flexible and adaptable younger workers who are willing to accept lower salaries, the Ministry of Manpower said in a report, released yesterday, on the labour market in the second quarter of this year. The number of additional people in the workforce rose by only 3,289, compared to 23,210 in the previous quarter. (Straits Times 14 Sep 2001) (H2)

  Two Singaporeans feared missing in the aftermath of Tuesday's devastating attacks on the World Trade Center are safe. In Singapore, the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MFA) said yesterday morning that it had located the pair, but it refused to name them or give any details about them. As of yesterday at 7.30pm, a total of 408 Singaporeans had registered through the Ministry, it disclosed. (The Straits Times 14 Sep 2001)(22)

  Over 46,000 HDB households will benefit from a S$1 billion programme to upgrade the lifts, interiors and common areas of Housing Board flats over the next five years. The flats are spread out over 64 precincts around the island, including 14 precincts picked for the first phase of the Lift Upgrading Programme, which aims to have lift stops on every floor of the 4,000 high-rise HDB blocks built before 1990. Blocks built since 1990 already have such lifts.(Straits Times 8 Sep 2001)(1) 

  London: Text messages (SMS) may be great for courtship but not so it seems for a happy marriage. They are the latest weapon in Britain's divorce courts, a judge has warned, urging cheating wives or husbands to delete them. Judge Timothy Nash gave the warning during a case at Canterbury Crown Court, Kent, involving a man who attacked his partner after reading her text messages from a lover. (Straits Times 7 Sep 2001) (4)

  An unemployed man believed to be responsible for starting a spate of fires in Tampines, and for making telephone calls to the police threatening to burn down police stations, was arrested yesterday. Residents in Tampines have been plagued with fires since June. So far, there have been about 25 such cases in an area bounded by Tampines Ave 4, Ave 2 and the MRT line. (Straits Times 4 Sep 2001)(H3)

  The two teenage girls who died after being hit by a bus on Sunday were Agnes TEO, 12, from Dunearn Secondary School and Aasta NG, 13, from Chua Chu Kang Secondary School. An SBS spokesman said that the driver, who joined the company in July, had been suspended. (Straits Times 4 Sep 2001) (1) 

  14 agencies, including the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS), Changi General Hospital, National Council of Social Service and the Singapore Police Force, have banded together to form The Golden Life Workgroup to bring down the high suicide rate among the old. In 1997, one in 2,000 of those aged 75 and above committed suicide, compared with about one in 10,000 in all age groups. Twice as many elderly men killed themselves, compared with their female counterparts. The main reasons for elderly suicide: ill health, physical pain, depression, loneliness due to loss of spouse and neglect by families, and financial hardship. (Straits Times 31 Aug 2001)

  The NTUC Fairprice chain of supermarkets is forgoing S$10 million by slashing prices up to 20 per cent on a basket of 200 essential items, such as sugar, salt and oil. Besides giving out special offers on groceries weekly, it will continue the 20 per cent discount on rice. At NTUC Foodfare's more than 12 coffeeshops, the price of beverages will go down by 5 to 10 per cent. Insurance co-operative NTUC Income is extending the biggest helping hand, worth about S$17 million, by deferring insurance-premium payments and reducing loan payments. (Straits Times 29 Aug 2001)(1)

  A 21-year-old youth was sentenced to six years' jail and six strokes of the cane for knifing a fellow computer game player in a computer gaming centre in Tampines on 21 Feb 2001. Daniel TAN Thiam Soon was playing CounterStrike when his game character was stabbed to death during a computer game. He stormed over to the player's computer terminal and during a scuffle stabbed NG Qiyong, 16, in the back. (Straits Times 25 Aug 2001) (H2)

  Young PAP (YP) has relaunched its website at youngpap.org.sg and resurrected its online discussion forum to invite feedback. The forum, which has been offline since 5 May 2001, has been modified to emphasise responsible and active participation, said Mr Gerald HOOI, 35, coordinator of the YP Internet editorial team. He also said YP's discussion forum would fill the void left by the closure of the Sintercom website and Think Centre's online forum. (Straits Times 24 Aug 2001)(H2)

  A 10-year-old girl committed suicide because she was stressed out with schoolwork, a coroner's inquiry heard yesterday. Lysher LOH Jia Hui, a top pupil at Bedok West Primary, jumped from the fifth storey of the Bedok Reservoir Road block where she lived on 25 Jun 2001, the day school reopened after the holidays. Lysher, who lived on the second storey, was found dead at the foot of the block at 6.10am, dressed in her school T-shirt and shorts. In recording a verdict of suicide, state coroner John NG said, "There is a need to let young people in Singapore know that failures and disappointments, particularly in their academic life, are part and parcel of growing up. They need to know that their worth is not tied to how well or how badly they do in their assessments or examinations." (Straits Times 22 Aug 2001)(3)

  Two former directors of political-discussion group Think Centre, Mr James Gomez, 36, and Mr YAW Shin Leong, 25, are now Workers' Party (WP) cadres. The infusion of young blood is a move by the new Workers' Party chief and MP for Hougang, Mr LOW Thia Khiang, to rejuvenate the party, which was led for 30 years by Mr J.B. Jeyaratnam, who stepped down in May. The WP chairman, Dr TAN Bin Seng, said yesterday that Mr Gomez and Mr YAW would work closely with Mr LOW and other party leaders to woo voters. (Straits Times 21 Aug 2001)(H3)

  South-east Asia has become the new theatre for terrorist operations by Muslim extremist groups - and experts warn this makes Singapore a possible target. The number of supporters of Saudi billionaire-fugitive Osama bin Laden and his global terrorist network Al-Qaeda is growing in countries like the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, they said. Analyst Rohan Gunaratna wrote in Jane's Intelligence Review this month that Al-Qaeda cells had been identified in about 50 countries. Al-Qaeda, known for its anti-American ideology, targets US property and citizens. Assistant Professor Andrew TAN, a Singapore-based specialist on conflicts in South-east Asia said if the terrorist groups attacked Singapore, the target would be Changi Naval Base, which allows access to US warships. (Straits Times 20 Aug 2001)(4)

  Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong in his National Day Rally speech last night said, "Singaporeans must believe that the building of Singapore is an exciting enterprise. For Singapore to survive in the longer term, we must have a core of Singaporeans who feel passionately that this place is worth fighting for. To succeed, we must be proud of who we are, of our country and our fellow citizens. We must feel that together, we have created something special which belongs to all Singaporeans." He also announced a new scheme in which each Singaporean will get "New Singapore" shares, with those in the lower-income group getting more. These shares will give a guaranteed dividend for a fixed number of years, plus bonus payments when the economy does well. He said he would decide the details after the third-quarter economic results are out. (Straits Times 20 Aug 2001)(1)

  The Environment Ministry (ENV) has worked with town councils and the Taoist Mission here to create 150 new burner covers, which fit onto the joss burners that town councils put out for residents to use in the seventh month of the lunar calendar. The covers, costing S$28 each, will be distributed to seven town councils here and the Taoist Mission. (Straits Times 17 Aug 2001) (H1)

  A 47-year-old Malaysian man was yesterday charged with trying to extort S$640,000 from Singaporean businessman Mr Bernard NGIAM Mia Hai, 41, an executive director of listed IPC Corporation. Mr NGIAM made a police report after receiving an envelope containing two bullets and a tape recording in Mandarin that demanded S$640,000. YAP Kok Foy, a debt collector from Kuala Lumpur, was arrested by the Malaysian police last Friday. On Monday, two other men, one aged 57 and the other 40, were arrested in Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur.(Straits Times 17 Aug 2001) (3)

  Singaporeans are taking fewer train rides. In fact, they seem to be cutting back on trips for recreational and non-essential purposes, SMRT president KWEK Siew Jin said yesterday. He expects the annual growth in passenger trips this year to be lower than the usual 6 per cent when the economy was stronger. An average of 1.1 million passengers travel on MRT trains every day. (Straits Times 16 Aug 2001)(H3)

  Sintercom, a Singapore website dedicated to alternative viewpoints on local issues, will be closed down unless someone volunteers to take over its running. Founder TAN Chong Kee surprised the online community when he posted a message on the site's forum yesterday, declaring that his heart was "no longer in it". He asked those interested in taking over to e-mail him. (Straits Times 16 Aug 2001)(5)

  Teenagers and youths caught having sex with an underaged girl can plead ignorance of the victim's age, but adult men cannot offer such a defence in court. Legal experts said that the law here has made it clear that men above 21 years old who are caught for such offences will be jailed for up to five years and fined up to S$10,000. (Straits Times 13 Aug 2001) (H4)

  Singapore's economy may see a recovery by the middle of next year, said Mr LIM Boon Heng, Minister without Portfolio and NTUC secretary-general. Mr LIM also said that he did not expect the situation to be worse than the projected figure of 20,000 retrenchments this year. (Straits Times 13 Aug 2001) (4)

  When the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents was set up in 1996 - to give parents over the age of 60 who cannot support themselves a legal means of claiming maintenance from their children - it received 152 applications between June and December that year. The numbers have been falling gradually over the years, and last year, it received 102 applications. Of the 653 applications received since 1996, the tribunal approved 514, or 4 out of 5 cases. The rest withdrew their applications or had their cases dismissed. According to the Ministry of Community Development and Sports, three out of four applicants are aged between 60 and 80, the rest are over 80. The number of children who defaulted on payments went up more than threefold - from 24 in 1997 to 78 in 1999.(Straits Times 12 Aug 2001)(H1)

  In 1988, only 19 per cent, or about one in five households, had aircons but in 1998, the figure rose to 58 per cent, or about six in 10 households, a three-fold increase. The more widespread use of the aircon and the increasing use of electrical gadgets are reasons why the energy bill for most households have shot up by at least 10 per cent across the board since 1995, with that for three-room and four-room flats showing the sharpest rise. (Straits Times 11 Aug 2001)(H9)

  A 15-year-old boy, who together with a 14-year-old accomplice, used kerosene to set fire to two shoe racks and a discarded sofa and mattress in three different blocks in Toa Payoh between 1.15am and 1.50am on 13 Jun 2001, told a district court he started fires because he was "bored". The court heard that the boy had dyed his hair brown, smoked and listened to satanic music. He also has a tattoos with satanic images. The boy will spend the next two years in the Singapore Boys' Home. Probation was denied. (Straits Times 8 Aug 2001) (6)

  Hawkers at Jurong East, Boon Lay and Bukit Merah have been selling fake Viagra pills to regular patrons looking to improve their sex lives - at half the normal price. Pfizer, the company that makes the anti-impotence drug, said the pirated pills are sold under the counter. Mr Michael KHOR, marketing director of Pfizer Singapore, said doctors and members of the public brought the fakes to its attention about a month ago. They wanted to know if the blue pills, retailing at S$10 each, were genuine. He made a report to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) last month.(Straits Times 7 Aug 2001)(4)

  The woman who forged a marriage certificate to rent a Housing Board flat is likely to lose her home. Madam LEE Chin Phong, 54, and her lover have been told to move out of their rental flat by the end of the month. She was fined S$2,000 last Friday for faking her marriage certificate.(Straits Times 2 Aug 2001)(H6)

  The findings of a survey conducted between February and April 2001 by students of the Singapore Polytechnic's school of business show that 84 per cent of respondents said they read The Straits Times regularly. The New paper came in second with 58 per cent. The Sunday Times clinched third place with 48 per cent. The survey of 800 people aged 15 to 30 who were interviewed in the streets aimed to find out where young people get their news and what they think of the news sources. Two in five surveyed were students. Almost half said they preferred the print media, with 37 per cent choosing television, 8 per cent citing radio and 7 per cent preferring the Internet. (Straits Times 2 Aug 2001) (H4) 

  There were at least 483 suicide attempts between April 2000 and March 2001, said the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS), a volunteer agency which helps people in distress, in its annual report just released. Overall, nearly 30 per cent more suicide attempts were referred to SOS by the police and hospitals - which are its main source of referrals. Hospitals, mainly the Changi General Hospital, referred a total of 227 attempted suicides to the agency, a rise of 147 per cent from the previous year's 92. Referrals from the police, however, were down by 9 per cent, to 256. Among female would-be suicides, the number of hospital referrals soared to 183 from 71 last year, an increase of 158 per cent. The SOS said that in more than half of these cases, the people were under 30 years old. Among women in their 30s, the number more than tripled to 32, from just 10. Among men, it more than doubled to 44 from 21 over the same period. (Straits Times 1 Aug 2001)(H3)

  A plumbing contractor who punched his 53-year-old wife and threw a vase at her was sentenced to 15 months in jail yesterday. HENG Back Sia, 54, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching the personal protection orders issued to his wife and daughter in 1998. The prosecution said HENG had not shown any remorse and had already been jailed twice for similar offences. (Straits Times 31 Jul 2001) (H4)

  A couple who pinched and caned their Indonesian maid repeatedly was yesterday sentenced to three months' jail and fined S$1,500 each. They are appealing against the district judge's decision. On 21 Jul 2001, LIM Chuan Huat, 42, and his wife, TAN Suan Kheng, 34, were convicted of abusing Ms Suprapti, 27, at their home in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 2 after a trial. (Straits Times 29 Jul 2001)(28)

  About 300,000 people here have diabetes, the sixth most common cause of death here. Another 450,000 are predisposed to becoming diabetic. Now, 11 per cent of the population of Singapore are known to have diabetes compared with a scant 1.9 per cent in 1975. This makes the republic fourth on the world's diabetes ranking, just after Hongkong, Pakistan and the Czech Republic. Every day in Singapore, two people lose a leg to diabetes. One in five patients with diabetes will have eye problems, and of this group, more than one in 10 will go blind. (Straits Times 28 Jul 2001) (4)

  Foreign workers help fill the gaps in the local economy, allowing Singapore to operate a more complex economy - leading to more jobs being created, said Trade & Industry Minister George YEO in Parliament yesterday. Foreign workers anchor the third shift in many factories. Without them, many Singaporeans would not have jobs because no one would set up a factory here and not operate it 24 hours a day, he said. "For work-permit holders, we have a dependency ratio which ensures that the foreign workers who are in Singapore help Singaporeans find employment," he added. (Straits Times 27 Jul 2001) (H5)

  A study of almost 2,000 youngsters here found a direct link between myopia, work and genes which could account for Singapore's dubious reputation as the country with the highest rate of myopia in the world. The results of the study by the Singapore Eye Research Institute (Seri) and the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) were published recently in The Lancet. The study, which began in November 1999, tracks 1,900 children from Primary 1 till they reach Primary 6. It has so far shown a rapid increase in moderate myopia - meaning kids need spectacles powered to 300 degrees and more. (Straits Times 27 Jul 2001) (6)

  The labour movement yesterday announced a string of measures worth S$6.4 million to help workers hit by the downturn. The measures focus on slashing the prices of goods and services offered by the National Trades Union Congress's (NTUC) co-operatives, ranging from food to healthcare and insurance. An immediate move is to cut the prices of about 20 essential items, such as sugar and cooking oil, sold at Singapore's biggest chain of supermarkets, NTUC Fairprice, by up to 20 per cent. In addition, the price of rice will be cut by up to 20 per cent. The price cuts will last till 31 Aug 2001.(Straits Times 25 Jul 2001)(1)

  Unscrupulous contractors are once again conning unwary Housing Board residents into making unnecessary repairs. Posing as HDB contractors, they pressure their victims into paying up to S$1,000 for new doors, grilles, pipes and rubbish-chute covers. Instead of asking residents whether they want the repairs, some of the contractors will tell them it is compulsory for them to replace these items. While the culprits do not carry official passes, they usually produce documents which have HDB-lookalike logos. The HDb advises residents to ignore such touts, or take down the company's particulars. They should file a police report if they have been intimidated or harrassed. (Straits Times 23 Jul 2001) (H1)

  Housing Board residents affected by the current economic downturn do not have to worry about losing their flats as the Government has put in place schemes to help them extend or defer payments for their flats, said National Development Minister Mr MAH Bow Tan yesterday. He noted that the HDB had also put similar schemes in place to help owners during the last financial crisis. While more people were retrenched then, he said that only about 3 per cent of the total flat owners with mortgage loans applied for such schemes in 1999. (Straits Times 23 Jul 2001) (3)

  Last year, the coroner's court heard 63 drowning cases, of which 12 involved children under the age of 10. Three children have died so far this year. (Straits Times 13 Jul 2001) (H7)

  A Straits Times survey aimed at discovering Singaporeans' attitudes towards dating, marriage and family revealed that seven out of 10 people have no problems with wives initiating sex. Seven out of 10 among the 400 married people surveyed said they would not kiss or hug their spouses in public. A third of the respondents said they were too shy to do so. Only 15% of women said they would report forced sex with their husbands to the police. Eight in 10 said they would prefer to have two or more children. The survey, commissioned by The Straits Times, was carried out between 16 and 22 May 2001. (Straits Times 6 Jul 2001) (H6)

  Bangkok: A Singaporean man, thought to be a member of a major drug-trafficking syndicate, was shot dead by police here yesterday after a pre-dawn car chase through a Bangkok red-light district. Police officials told The Straits Times that the man, identified as 39-year-old TAN Buck Weng, died on the spot after the gunfight near Ratchadapisek Road at about 5am. Eight packets of cacaine, 30 Ecstasy pills and 60,500 baht (S$2,420) in cash were found on him, Lt Surasak Boonsipirat of the Metropolitan Police Bureau said.  (Straits Times 5 Jul 2001) (6)

  A survey commissioned by The Straits Times and done by the Marketing, Planning and Development (Research) division of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) found that only about half of the 629 men and women aged 15 and above polled said they would date someone of another race, and fewer said they would get hitched to such a person. Those who were most receptive to marrying outside their race tend to be younger, under 35 years old; from a minority group, mainly the Indians; and better educated, holding at least a diploma. Two-thirds are willing to date someone from a different religion, and half would marry them too. More than two-thirds said they had no qualms about taking a non-virgin as a mate. But more than seven out of 10 said they would reject smokers and those who drink as a prospective partner. The survey, carried out between 16 and 22 May 2001, was done to find out male and female Singaporeans' attitudes towards dating, marriage and family. (Straits Times 5 Jul 2001) (H1)

  National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) chief LIM Boon Heng warned Singaporeans to brace themselves for an economic slowdown that may be longer than expected. He based his expectations of a "longish downturn" on external economic developments and Singapore's reaction to them. Three of the world's biggest economic engines - the United States, Europe and Japan - are stalling and this will slow growth here and in other countries, he noted. (Straits Times 27 Jun 2001)

  According to the Central Narcotics Bureau, as many as 128 Singaporeans were caught trying to smuggle drugs into countries, such as Australia and Taiwan, between January 1999 and December 2000. In 1997 and 1998, a total of 67 Singaporeans were arrested for trafficking. The SIngaporean couriers caught in the last two years were carrying about 325 kg of heroin, 24 kg of cacaine, 10 kg of Ice and 200,000 pills of Ecstasy in all. (Straits Times 25 Jun 2001)

  Since the Corrective Work Order (CWO) punishment for litterbugs was introduced in 1992, about 50,000 litterbugs have been caught. Over the last eight years, the number of litterbugs made to pick up trash went up from 166 in 1993 to 427 last year. And by 1996, the first repeat offenders were coming back to don the familiar yellow jackets for the second time. From nine that year, it went up to 23 last year. Another worrying trend - almost three-quarters of litterbugs caught this year were below 30 years of age and some youths found performing the CWO cool rather than shameful. (Straits Times 14 Jun 2001)

  A man who threw a 10-kg stepper exercise machine from his fifth-floor flat in Blk 54 Chai Chee Street was jailed for two months for the rash act. NEO Hock Bee, 41, received his sentence in a magistrate's court on 30 May 2001 when he pleaded guilty to the offence. (Straits Times 31 May 2001)

  The NTUC and the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) have expressed their concern over proposed fare hikes by bus and train operators. Fares were raised in June last year. Then, bus, MRT and LRT fares went up by between five and 20 cents, or between 1.5 and 2.5%. The Public Transport Council confirmed recently that it was deliberating on bus and train operators' applications for fare revisions. (Straits Times 31 May 2001)

  Nine out of 10 juvenile offenders, arrested mostly for petty crimes such as shoplifting, never have to step inside a courtroom. Instead they must complete a six-month counselling and rehabilitation programme conducted by the Ministry of Community Development and Sports (MCDS), together with the police, schools and social-service agencies appointed by the MCDS. The Guidance Programme, which began in 1997, offers youths a chance to be let off with a stern warning instead of a sentence. A total of 941 youths, who were all arrested for the first time, have since benefited from it - 87% of them were aged between 10 and 15, and about 60% of them were male. 90% of them had shoplifted, said Miss ANG Bee Lian, director of MCDS' rehabilitation and protection programme. (Straits Times 29 May 2001)

A study of a sample group of 55 young female offenders who were arrested in 1998 and 1999 showed that most offenders did not come from poor families. About seven out of 10 girls came from families that had monthly incomes of over S$1,500, while about one in 10 were from families earning more than S$5,000 a month. The study on female juveniles by the Subordinate Courts was released yesterday. It showed that almost two out of five fathers who took a back seat were neglectful of their daughters, while more than half of the mothers were overly indulgent. (Straits Times 19 Apr 2001)

  At a forum on multi-level marketing and pyramid selling last August, officials from Goldquest International Limited assured the public that its operations were legal. But, on Monday night, after numerous public complaints about the company, the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) raided its office in Liat Towers. The CAD is investigating the company for allegedly promoting pyramid-selling schemes involving gold products. The department has also advised the public not to attend Goldquest's daily seminars. According to Goldvein, which manages Liat Towers, Goldquest had taken up a lease in the building two years ago. (Straits Times 12 Apr 2001)

News Snippets commenced on 14 Apr 2001