Rumpole Tey the Self-Pwn Law Lecturer

I love Sammyboy. You never know what treasures you can find in the trash. The trick is to sort it out and that is half the fun while waiting for the bus, in the car, when taking a shit or during a boring team meeting in the office. The latest tale that made me laugh till I cried was about some unknown law professor Tey Tsun Hang who was screwing his law student. It's all consenting adults despite the dodgy ethics so WTF if they want to do it in the lecture hall or office wearing those white curly wigs and black gowns, and students outside waiting impatiently for consultation. It adds kinky to the quicky sex.

 Hee haw! I want some young ass too!

However, CPIB got into the picture because she offered her young body in exchange for better grades. Jealous law students show how it is done to get ahead and put down the competition! All this time, pretty basic JAV stuff and just waiting for the court case to start and hanky panky sexposed in Wanbao and TNP - like how many times of BBBJ, CIM or golden shower in the car in some ulu car park, or maybe how many times simple guilty missionary sex between teacher and student at Bt Timah campus. Mmmm nose bleed.

Then it got interesting. This Tey fella, feeling the cage closing on him, started a Sammyboy account Rumpole just this month in his one-man-internet-brigade! And so far with only 5 posts, and went defending the law lecturer in a thread he started, saying he the law lecturer was some heroic PAP critic and was therefore persecuted! Oh. Like that ah. He even said "First, I need to clarify that I do not know and have not met the law professor." All the more it is him in guilty conscience self-pwn! LOL

Rumpole Teh Self-Pwn

Who is Tey? PAP critic? Seriously ah? Sorry, never heard of him. And if the PAP wanted to fix Tey, they would have just shipped him out on the first Air Asia since he is a foreigner, or sued him until sarong drop. Simpler PAP neck chop for vocal critics on the judiciary like Shadrake and Gopolan Nair. PAP bullying 101. PAP pattern to whack their own people like Peter Lim, Ng Boon Gay, Bernard Lim is to use CPIB instead in public shame mode, we all know that from Teh Cheang Wan days. Same surname!!?? The use of CPIB and not a PAP attack dog lawyer to sue him bankrupt thus means that Tey is one of their own asses being sacrificed.  Facepalm.

Anyway, at the end of the day, did Tey take advantage of his position, and I don't mean sexual position like doggy or reverse cowboy, and get corrupt sex from Darinne Ko? BTW she hired Subhas. This already tells you a lot.

Professional Misconduct, Corruption and Naughty Behaviour

I have JAV role-playing fetishes in my mind playing the whole day. Dr Kong Sim Guan was suspended for 3 years by the SMC for screwing his patient. Also today, there was news about a NUS law faculty lecturer being investigated by the bloodhound CPIB in a sex-for-grades scandal with his consenting student. I want to see if she is some skanky chiobu and hoping someone updates Gutter. Waiting. Waiting.

Wait. WTF how come a doctor who screwed his patient is reprimanded by SMC while a still unnamed horny law professor who screwed his go-getter consenting student is having coffee with CPIB now? Where does misconduct end and corruption start in sex cases? As a parallel, there were many other cases where doctors who sold controlled Subutex probably to patients abusing Subutex, and were just give slaps on the wrists and suspended by SMC. Not CNB cases.

What about the horny SCDF and CNB chiefs and their sordid sex acts. Was it misconduct, which basically just means ear-pulling and towel flicks to the balls by their wives, or corruption. Ooooo corruption means jail time, and thus ear-pulling and towel flicks to the balls by other inmates who really want to get back at civil servants remotely related to the police.

Psychiatrist suspended over sexual relations with patient

Updated 11:44 PM Jul 25, 2012

SINGAPORE - A psychiatrist has been suspended for three years for having a long-term sexual relationship with a patient while she was under his care.

Dr Kong Sim Guan, a psychiatrist at The Psychiatric & Behavioural Medicine Clinic (Ang & Kong), faced one charge of professional misconduct arising from a complaint to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) on March 23, 2010.

"The fact that Dr Kong had a sexual relationship with the patient for at least 10 years between 1997 to about 2008 was never denied," said the SMC in a statement today.

Dr Kong, 63, contested the charge on the basis that the relationship only started after the doctor-patient relationship had ended.

According to the published grounds of decision, Dr Kong claimed that the sexual relationship only started after June 5, 1997, when the patient "seduced" him.

However during the hearing, which lasted six days and with five witnesses giving testimony, the disciplinary committee found "incontrovertible documentary evidence" that Dr Kong was her doctor and provided medical advice, prescriptions, admission notes, medical certificates and medical reports for the patient.

Dr Kong, whose suspension took effect on June 24, also contended that he was treating a family member by likening the patient to a mistress, who would be recognised as a "de facto wife" in "many countries".

Providing prescription to one's mistress cannot constitute a doctor-patient relationship, he had argued.

Dr Kong further claimed that the patient had a "borderline personality" and was out to trap him from January 2007.

The disciplinary committee, however, said that regardless of whether one treats a family member or complete stranger, "the fact remains that the doctor is providing treatment as a doctor", said the SMC.

The committee also considered the patient as "vulnerable" as she started out seeking psychiatric help.

"As her psychiatrist, Dr Kong should have been more than aware that his sexual relationship with her can only be interpreted as taking advantage of her troubled state and vulnerability, let alone exacerbating and complicating her marital problems," said the SMC.

In the grounds of decision, the disciplinary committee said: "Whilst we are prepared to give the respondent (Dr Kong) the benefit of doubt that the patient did initiate the relationship, or even seduced him, the respondent could have stopped the patient from taking this matter further.

"We, however, find that he encouraged her, directly or indirectly, by visiting the patient at her home, taking her to her physiotherapist and accompanying her to a hotel."

In sentencing, the committee considered Dr Kong's "unblemished record for over 30 years" and his extensive service to the professional community and the community at large.

Dr Kong was also fined S$10,000 and has to bear the costs and expenses of the inquiry.

Khaw and the Brompton Saga

Taptaptap. Did you hear that? That is someone in Nparks tapping out after getting a Guillotine Choke for gaming the purchasing system. Khaw Boon Wan, famous for asking us to send our old folks to Batam or was it JB to live in retirement villages, is trying to gain moral high ground.

With a mighty wave of his hand, he has suspended a civil servant who outsmarted the system to get cool bikes for his teams. I want to work with such a boss if I was a civil servant! Use taxpayers money and get ourselves nice Subaru WRX or Volvos as company cars to drive around for productivity. Oh shit, Traffic Police already thought of that first! FUCK. Anyway, so far this Nparks Brompton bikes case is not a corruption scandal. Unless the suspended guy got a blow job, had money under the table or some other woohoo favours, like the CNB and SCDF chiefs had.

Just the start of this month, Ah Khaw supported the decision to buy 26 pricey Brompton foldable bikes, each costing S$2,400. I don't cycle and don't know the difference between a Cannondale and a Colnago, so maybe it is a good bang for buck for a branded bike in terms of value. Although the cheapskate in me says what looks like the stiff 20-kg sub-$200 bikes in Carrefour or Giant seem like a better deal in terms of absolute price. So cheap, can buy more! In different colours! The extra unspent money can even buy pretty blue and pink ribbons, and bells for the handlebars, and a tiny white basket at the back of the bike to tarpau food. OK these add-ons make the bikes look pussy compared to a rugged mountain bike. But fuck, a foldy, Brompton or not, is damn guniang anyway.

When public pressure mounted and painfully humped him in the backside, Khaw desperately decided to salvage the situation. While trying to defend the earlier productivity reasoning, he also finally admitted there might be personal bias in the buying.  Facepalm. Wasn't it obvious from the start? So cheers for the Hardwarezone CSI guys who exposed these eerrr "discrepancies" right at the start. It's our taxpayers money we are talking about!  For bringing this to light, give them a Tiger! I mean a Chang, errr I mean a Heineken, errr I mean a Kirin. FUCK. Which is it now? OK CSI team, Brompton bikes over, go check the books on those pre-owned Leopards we bought!

MND statement on suspension of NParks officer

Updated 09:34 PM Jul 24, 2012

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of National Development (MND) has released a statement on the suspension of the National Park Boards (NParks) officer in charge of buying foldable bikes. The following is its statement in full.

"Last month, an MND Internal Audit team was tasked by Minister Khaw Boon Wan to work with NParks to review the purchase of 26 foldable bikes by NParks, with a view to ascertain its justification and to see if its procurement process could be improved. This followed a report on the purchase, in the local media, on June 24.

"The internal audit has been completed. While the audit established that the reasons for purchasing foldable bikes to enhance work productivity of NParks field staff were valid, it had also uncovered some discrepancies which, although inconclusive by themselves, suggested the possibility of bias in the procurement.

"MND has decided that the discrepancies were significant and warrant further investigation. Meanwhile, the NParks officer responsible for the transaction has been suspended from duty."

M Ravi, Mad Ravi!

OK let's take another Kit Kat break from the serious boring stuff! You think Hougang MP wannabe Zeng Guoyuan is crazy while pretending that he is not, then someone who is competing with him and leading so far in the "crazy but pretend not" race is, M Ravi! M for Mad! Mad Ravi! LOL

People who put their Ostrich bird head in the sand and think that Ravi is perfectly sane, and crazily think the media and government conspired to say he is crazy, just this weekend Ravi showed his true colours to the world. OK accurately not the world but to a few people in the park who bothered to go and see whether he is turning up in a pink tutu and Marilyn Monroe bleached white hair wig, which to their disappointment he didn't.

However he didn't disappoint that much, as in the end, he sportingly exhibited how important it was for him to take his medicine and see his shrink still! Yahoo news just had a funny report on poor Ravi being possessed by a cheeky singing spirit at Speakers' Corner! OK again there was no mention of cheeky monkey spirit possession but they should have, to be more accurate! LOL If there are Youtubes of what he did, please, SIC. I bet Ravi will just plead temporary insanity during his court case against the Law Society. Wait, the law suit against the Law Society is about him being not gila! Oh-oh, he sabo-ed himself! Wong Siew Hong is so relieved now that Ravi outed that he is mad.

Ravi humps and outrages the modesty of a hapless tree! NEA is going to sue him!

Scroobal, the whistle-blower with lots of juicy insider stories in Sammyboy (remember the lewd stories of lau chio Fook-Me-Hard, snigger), earlier swore that Ravi is Woodbridge calibre although in desperate denial. Errrr I think Ravi made Yong Vui Kong and his closed ones  a bit more worried now about him being their lawyer.

Scroobal, leaker or liar depending on whether he has dirt on you or your nemesis, exposes Mad Ravi! LOL

House Prices High! -Good or Not Depends...

Home prices would remain high, despite the dip in home sales in May and June. It was the school exams and holiday months then and house hunters were busy with their family. Developers are fat with profits from the happy selling since 2007 and even earlier, so they face no pressing need to lower drastically the prices for unsold stock of units. Seastrand gave some club membership to entice the pick up of unsold units while other developments actually pitched to potential buyers that the prices of unsold apartments would increase soon because of the bullish markets and buyers better go in before it is too late! LOL

UOB gave a little boost to the market with its unprecedented in Singapore 50-year loan. Those who grab it might be new HDB owners who find it difficult to afford DBSS homes, and at the other extreme, investors who want to take the longest loan tenure as possible for their private property given the low low low interest rates now. Other banks are expected to follow suit as the way for innovative mortgaging is paved. With such loans, it makes property more affordable again in monthly payments. Unless a real recession sinks in, this technical recession is not likely to affect the bullish property market that the government tried to cool with the ABSD slaps since December. Hence, renewed cooling measures might turn up soon.

If there are more cooling measures, good news for the buyer who has been priced out in recent times. Not so good news for the seller maybe.

Home prices at record high, seen peaking
by Alaric Yeo and Elaine Chow
04:45 AM Jul 20, 2012


Private home prices in Singapore have been on an uptrend post-global financial crisis, with the market having risen about 55 per cent since the middle of 2009 to hit a new high. Excess liquidity in Asian markets, a lacklustre United States economy and weakening European markets - as well as local factors such as low mortgage rates, higher immigration numbers, rising affluence and decreasing household sizes - have been driving demand for private residential properties in Singapore.

However, against a backdrop of increasing economic turmoil in the euro zone, slowing growth of Asian economies and increasing Government intervention, it appears that property prices here are beginning to peak.



Moderate rebound in Q2 2012



The Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) flash estimate earlier this month of the private residential property price index for Q2 2012 reveals a moderate rebound from the previous quarter, where property prices dipped for the first time since Q2 2009.

The 0.4-per-cent increase from 206.0 in the previous quarter reflected a stabilising of the market. Prices were generally flatter for the third quarter running, recording no more than a 1.1 per cent difference in index points on a quarter-to-quarter basis. Comparatively, the price index was increasing at a sharper rate of about 2 to 10 per cent across all sub-markets before Q4 2010. Nonetheless, property prices have continued to scale new heights - touching a high of 206.8 index points.

In the individual sub-markets, the price index for the Core Central Region (CCR) recovered by 0.6 per cent following a dip of 0.6 per cent in the previous quarter. The price index for the Outside Central Region (OCR), which reflects the suburban mass market segment, increased at a slower pace of 0.4 per cent, compared to 1.1 per cent in the previous quarter, while the prices for the Rest of Central Region (RCR) remained unchanged. This indicates a rather flat trend across all the sub-markets.

Interestingly, the increase in the price index of the CCR sub-market narrowly outpaced that of the OCR in Q2 2012 - for the first time since Q4 2010. The OCR sub-market however remained robust and surpassed the RCR price index for the fifth consecutive quarter.



Mass market drives demand



The resilient OCR sub-market could probably be attributed to the implementation of the Additional Buyer's Stamp Duties (ABSD) in December. Since its implementation, a sharp reduction in foreign demand for residential properties was observed, particularly that for investment-grade homes in the CCR and to a lesser extent the RCR sub-market.

URA data showed that the number of foreigners and companies that purchased uncompleted private residential units have decreased by about 34.7 per cent since Q4 2011. Moreover, cautious investor sentiment, as a consequence of global economic uncertainties, has dampened demand for such properties. The suburban mass market segment, which caters to the local population, remained largely unaffected. There was also a possibility that foreign demand spilled over to the more affordable OCR sub-market.

In Q1 2012, developers launched a large number of properties to meet this growing demand - a record 6,903 units, compared to 4,105 from the previous quarter. Of these, 6,526 properties were sold, with 80 per cent located within the OCR sub-market.



Prices likely to stay flat



The mid- to long-term outlook for global economies is generally optimistic. The International Monetary Fund forecasts the euro zone economies to recover by next year on the back of increased fiscal stability. Asian markets are anticipated to rebound due to the expansion of developing and emerging economies and the massive rebuilding of disaster-affected areas in Thailand, Japan and New Zealand.

In light of the positive international outlook, investor sentiment is likely to become less cautious and the demand for investment-grade residential properties here is likely to increase.

Population growth in Singapore is anticipated to slow with tougher immigration regulations and decreasing fertility rate. This will result in reduced demand for mass market properties in the mid to long term.

Moreover, a steady supply of residential properties in Singapore is expected in the near to mid-term. Major project launches expected in H2 2012 include Parc Olympia, Riversails and projects in Jalan Lempeng.

On the whole, we expect residential property prices in Singapore to remain largely flat with marginal and gradual growth, barring more Government intervention. The record supply in the pipeline could help alleviate any pent-up demand in the OCR sub-market, thereby preventing spikes in property prices. In the mid to long term, strengthening global economies would also boost investor sentiment, leading to a gradual recovery of CCR and RCR prices.

The authorities have said they will continue to monitor the residential market closely to ensure stability and sustainable growth. As such, based on the URA flash estimates for Q2 2012, we do not expect the imposition of more cooling measures yet.

Alaric Yeo and Elaine Chow are analysts at HSR Research & Consultancy

Donate to Locals or Foreigners?

Recently, there was the sad MRT accident at the Downtown Line Bugis station work site and 2 PRC workers unfortunately died. Condolences.They are foreign workers working at MRT and other construction sites as Singaporeans like me don't want to do such hard jobs. Even if one day manual workers are really unionised and have minimum wages, not the NTUC-type of union, raise the pay to $5000 a month also I might not take it up - injuries, short shelf life since I get too old for the job fast as it is a physically demanding job, stigma of being a construction worker in white-collar economy Singapore.

Some do-gooders want to start a donation drive for the dead. Score karma points, go ahead, whatever makes you feel tingly and good. Whatever, but these workers get compensation as the company bought insurance which is compulsory. In the event of unfortunate uplorry, the compensation is $111,00 maximum if those workers earn less than $1,600 a month under the Workmen's Compensation Act by MOM.Just so that you know the context of your donation and whether you should donate now or after the compensation is given so that you can adjust how much to give.

Then the sensible question most cynics would ask. Donate is good, even donate to foreigners, as they are humans too. However, those who donated or worse, ask people to donate but don't donate themselves, have they ever donated to people in Singapore, fellow Singaporeans? They have, good! They don't, errr ok. Facepalm. So many uncles and aunties living on streets, who look shit poor. Any big calls for donations to these locals?  Furthermore, some do-gooders were mortified by Singaporeans' triage mentality over donations arising from dramatic events and accidents!

They have compensation. It is never enough compensation one. It is harsh reality of workers, migrant or not, manual or not.

Cynics like me have the right to be selfishly selective in how we want to be selfless what. LOL  I donate to temple or my alma mater building fund or some kids charity, I buy overpriced tissue packets from the tissue aunty at hawker centres as I support her for not depending on a handout, I donate to the blind lady singer at Tampines MRT when I see her for the same reasons and more since she really can sing not like some other baskers, and I don't feel bad at all not donating to the families of the PRC workers who died in the sad accident. I'm outright discriminatory on this form of charity.

Why? Because there is a priority in who I donate to and who I want to feel good about. $2, $20, $200 donate to the PRC families who can get compensation from insurance anyway? I would rather give that $2, $20, $200 to someone local who needs it just as much. Zero-sum games in life is a bitch, and we prioritise. It is right and our right to express on prioritising who to donate, not based on xenophobia as I don't hate foreigners at all, but I sympathise with the plight of locals more and have a kindred bond with them especially in charity.

LOL sounds like the government telling the people - Complain so much, you come up with better suggestions and do it! We so unappreciated boohoohoo!

Poh Lee Guan's Turn in Slimelight

This has been an exciting week of distractions from the rising COE prices, shrinking of Singapore's economy by 1.1% in 2nd quarter, a still bullish property market etc Alex Au, Ravi and now Poh Lee Guan are getting people's attention. We in the internet are better and more interested in bitching about politics, rather than arguing about policies affecting transport, housing, jobs etc. Why? Politics easier to complain than policies, and more interesting! LOL

The latest incident entertaining us in the internet is that WP finally sacked Poh Lee Guan. Ah Poh is the uncle in the recent By-E who wanted to run for Hougang and sabo WP by turning that Teochew ground into a 3-corner fight. Why did he do that? Why did people leave WP around that time too? The simple explanations are why do people leave any organisation or company? They can't get along as there is no advancement, and there is promise of advancement elsewhere instead. Is Ah Poh going to retire from politics as he knows he is deemed a traitor and disloyal to his party? The million dollar question is which party dares accept Ah Poh if he thinks he still wants to try his luck in the next election.

Workers' Party expels veteran member Poh Lee Guan

The Workers' Party (WP) has expelled veteran member Poh Lee Guan, after he put himself up as a candidate in the Hougang by-election in May.

In a letter sent to the 50-year-old last week, it told him that the party executive council did not find his explanation of his actions - given at a meeting on July 10 - acceptable and decided to expel him.

WP chief Low Thia Khiang confirmed the move to The Straits Times, saying that the decision was based on Article 22 of the WP's constitution. This provides for the expulsion or suspension of a member whose conduct is deemed to have gone against the party's aims, principles and welfare.

But Dr Poh maintains that he had the party's interests at heart, and stands by his explanation that he had submitted the paperwork to be a candidate just to act as a 'spare', in case something happened to WP candidate Png Eng Huat.

SMRT Gets a Painful Slap on the Face

$1million fine slapped on left cheek. $1million fine slapped on right cheek. Total is $2 million fine and two slaps on the ass cheeks! Some will always say it is not enough. OK. Since when it is ever enough LOL.

Back in 2007, SMRT was fined before by LTA about $400,000 for a 7-hour delay for services between Tanah Merah and Pasir Ris MRT stations. This time, the fine is about 5 times more. $1 million for disruption on December 15, and another million for the frustration and inconvenience caused on December 17. The amount fine is the max permitted under the Rapid Transit Systems Act and that is the law, so we should not be dumbfuck and bitch that the right formula for the fine is 10% or 50% or 90% of the average profit for the past 5 years and some shit pulled-out-of-our-ass keyboard commentator insights.

The fines are huge amounts and the limits of the law, although they are loose change dropped into the seat for one player in the public transport oligopoly. According to SMRT, the profit from train services was around $91 million in FY 2012 (while buses and taxis were in the red). Remember also that the government as part of Budget 2012 gave a $1.1 billion subsidy to SMRT and SBS to renew and improve their bus fleets and routes earlier this year. A handout to the strained and stretched public transport system. Seriously?

So SMRT shareholders, don't feel too down about the hefty fines and jump in front of a MRT train and further disrupt MRT services and inconvenience the peak hour commuters out of stupid spite. There is still net gain in the books, although the company reputation's has derailed.

Singapore subway operator fined for December breakdowns


(Reuters) - Singapore subway operator SMRT will be given the maximum fine of S$2 million ($1.58 million) for two major disruptions in December that affected hundreds of thousands of commuters, a regulator said on Monday.

SMRT, about 54 percent owned by Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings, failed to maintain its network in good working order, the Land Transport Authority said.

A series of train disruptions in December tested Singapore's reputation for efficient services and dealt a blow to government efforts to promote public transport in the small and densely populated city-state of 5.2 million people.

During one of the biggest outages, hundreds of commuters were trapped underground without light or ventilation for more than an hour before they heard from SMRT.

"There were overall shortcomings in SMRT's maintenance and monitoring regime," the regulator said, adding that the maximum fine it could impose for each incident was S$1 million.

SMRT, which also operates buses and taxis, had net profit of S$120 million in its 2011 fiscal year on revenues of nearly S$1.06 billion, according to Temasek's latest annual report. ($1 = 1.2650 Singapore dollars)

The PR HDB Owner and Landlord: Boooooo!!!!!!

BTW in case you were distracted by more entertaining but less widespread impact personal stories like AGC vs Alex Au or save the Malaysian drug donkeys, HDB came up with a small reassuring gesture mid-week, a token of the PAP's understanding and concern for us citizens. Sarcasm here in case you think I was sincere.

There are now more restrictions on PR renting out flats. They can rent out a max 5 years, only after the PR owners reach MOP, and if they have not sublet the flat before. The approval to rent out is for 1 year only compared to previously, 3 years.

About to clap your hands and think HDB is very understanding? Wait! Stop! Think! HDB did something right, of course, but it is not enough here. Not because we are spiteful whiners about anything the government and its agencies do. It is because with national day staring right at us in the face, and when there is an identity crisis over why our national anthem is in the national language, Malay, we must be reminded that foreigners are still getting a free lunch at our expense.

PRs are here to work supposedly in industries we don't want to work in or don't have enough locals to work in. Fine, I don't bitch about that. Since they are here to work, they need somewhere to stay. However, why are they allowed to sublet their HDB flats and get rental yield as moonlight income, so to speak? And we go even a step further. Why are they allowed to buy HDB flats at all as HDB, even resale, should be for citizens? I spoke to PRs before now and then at social functions and one reason why they got PR, which they admitted to me while we were lining up to get satay bee hoon at the buffet table, is so that they can buy HDB flats and then cash out the property when they leave! WTF

HDB flats are the spartan means for Singaporeans to be rooted here since the 1960s. Ownership of their own property gave Singaporeans a stake in Singapore. Furthermore, HDB was supposed to be "subsidised" housing for locals, a cheaper alternative to private housing.

So why are foreigners allowed to buy HDB homes? HDB flats are the cash cows of Singaporeans only, not the engineer from India, the researcher from China or even the businessman from Malaysia. These PRs are not citizens. Their Blue IC and when they leave Singapore for home or another stepping stone as a global citizen, they would sell their HDB flat as a profit. Does that sound right? No it doesn't. Just like it doesn't sound right that PRs can even sublet their flats.

Stricter rules for PRs subletting flats

SINGAPORE - Singapore permanent residents (PRs) who want to rent out their public flats will now face stricter subletting rules, such as a shorter rental period of one year.

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced several revisions yesterday, which take immediate effect, to "reinforce the policy intent of providing HDB flats as homes to the SPRs and to deter those who are buying the flats for rental yield or investment purposes".

Singapore citizen homeowners will not be affected by the changes.

Previously, all flat owners - both Singaporeans and PRs - who meet the minimum occupation period could apply to rent out their flats for a period of three years. They could then ask for an extension, with no cap on the number of renewals, or the total period of subletting.

Under the new rules, when the new one-year rental period expires for PRs, any extension will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and approval will be granted only if there are extenuating reasons, said the HDB.

In addition, PRs can now only rent out their flats for a total period not exceeding five years.

For PR homeowners already renting out their flats, the HDB said they would be allowed to see out the three-year agreement, after which they would be subject to the new rules.

Said the HDB: "If the SPR families no longer need the flats for their own occupation, they should sell the flat instead of subletting them."

As of April, 49,190 flats are owned by Singapore PRs. Of this number, 2,142 owners currently sublet their flats, making up just 5 per cent of the total approved sublet cases.

However, property firm ERA said its figures showed that more PRs are renting out their HDB flats, and this might have prompted the revision of the rules.

ERA Key Executive Officer Eugene Lim said the new rules are "just to put a check on the potential numbers of PR households that would actually consider renting out their flats".

Another market watcher, Dennis Wee Group Senior Manager of Research and Consultancy Lee Sze Teck, felt the changes better fit the housing needs of PRs.

"PRs may only be here for work-related purposes … one year is good enough for them."

Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee for National Development Lee Bee Wah supported the changes, saying that PRs should not be "entitled to the same privileges or benefits that Singapore-born citizens enjoy".

She added: "This will also resolve some of the concerns residents have pertaining to an influx of strangers and foreigners in their neighbourhoods as a result of their neighbours subletting their flats freely."

The changes come two days after the Manpower Ministry tightened the criteria for work pass holders to sponsor dependents, as part of plans to moderate the growth of Singapore's non-resident population.

As for the impact on the rental market, PropNex CEO Mohamed Ismail said that PRs held too small a share of the HDB sublet pie for the move to have a significant impact on rental supply and prices. JOANNE CHAN

Thank You for Smoking

They are tax-payers, they are fellow Singaporeans. They are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. They used to have freedom to practice what they do. They used to have more space for themselves. Over the years, there is a public campaign to marginalise them, keep them out of public spaces. They can't do it anymore in restaurants, bars, indoors and even outdoors. Their rights are being encroached, it is the tyranny of the public. Why is nobody defending their rights? I'm not talking about gays or lesbians. I'm not talking about Scientologists or Satanists. I'm talking about smokers.

More public places to be designated as non-smoking areas

There will be more non-smoking areas in Singapore within the year.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said in Parliament yesterday that the National Environment Agency (NEA) will be extending the prohibition to common areas in residential buildings, sheltered walkways, linkways, overhead bridges, outdoor compounds of hospitals and a five metre buffer zone around bus shelters.

In reply to a question posted by Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim about the effectiveness of non-smoking areas in Singapore, Dr Balakrishnan said that the Ministry is actively monitoring and implementing initiatives to protect non-smokers and to reduce smokers.

The ministry's long-term goal is to prohibit smoking at all public places, except at designated smoking points.

Dr Balakrishnan said that the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act was introduced in 1970 to protect the public from the toxic health effects of environmental tobacco smoke. Other measures to achieve their objectives involve public education, legislation and taxation measures, provision of smoking cessation services and promotion of a smoke-free lifestyle.

Through the enforcement rounds conducted regularly and with the help of the public, the number of offenders caught has increased from 4,379 in 2007 to 5,057 in 2011.

Those caught smoking in a prohibited area will be liable to a maximum court fine of $1,000.

The Death Penalty is Dead! Long Live the Death Penalty!

In a surprise ass-kissing thought-provoking sensible move, the PAP decided that they are going to kill the mandatory death penalty for drug traffickers. Clap clap, pop a champagne, clap clap. Drug donkeys are happy, among them Yong Vui Kong, the poster boy for the anti-death penalty crowd, who love him and want to give him a second chance. Eee-haww. He is not let off the noose just yet BTW, just that it is not guaranteed he is a dead drug donkey, for the moment. His gay lawyer Ravi probably got a hard-on at the good news - his years of love the dead man walking on death row lobbying paid off. Finally, the government has the pig brain that the mandatory death penalty is a cock idea. If there is a mandatory death penalty in the first place, it should be for kidnapping and armed robbery with a firearm. Where is the sense of proportion if it is confirmed gallowing for drug peddlars but not for psycho killers? If there is a mandatory death penalty. That's my disclaimer.

Don't think that I'm a lefty softy wussy. I'm all for the death penalty for serious crimes. What is serious? Murder, kidnap, use of firearms in crimes, drivers who change lanes without signalling. OK maybe the last is not serious enough for the death penalty, but chopping off their fingers on the right or left hand for Jap or Conti car drivers at least is a must.

Anyway, the death penalty is not a deterrence in my book, should be fucking retribution, let's not be pussies - the noose is sometimes better than rehab. The government can kill mandatory capital punishment, but I want them to save capital punishment in the law and courts. Let the judge earn his pay and reserve the right of offing a kidnapper or murderer, or a driver who changes lanes without signalling - there I go again on road idiots. Some harsh penalties must remain, it is the fiery court of public opinion and the cold court of law to exercise together whether death is bestest form of punishment.

Seriously, the softy wussies over at changi-gallow.blogspot.com or sgdeathpenalty.blogspot.com or whatever can argue to save drug donkeys but they can stop there and don't come over and take away the court's and therefore public's right to off some kinds of criminals. The anti-death groupies know that - people at The Online Citizen, Maruah, and the usual suspects know all too well. They didn't bother save the lives of the murderers - oops! An obvious selective this-but-not-that "they deserve a second chance" crap. Their efforts to remove the mandatory from death penalty is a great small step. However, that should be the last step.

Singapore to Soften Death Penalty for Drugs
By SHIBANI MAHTANI

SINGAPORE—Singapore announced plans to amend laws that dictate a mandatory death penalty for drug traffickers, a surprise move that signaled a small but significant shift in the city-state's strict laws on drug-related crime.

The proposed new law will give courts the discretion to sentence some people convicted of drug-related crimes to life in prison with caning, rather than to death, provided they cooperate with authorities in a "substantive way," or provided they have a mental disability, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

Speaking in Singapore's parliament on Monday, Mr. Teo, who is also the Minister for Home Affairs, said the changes would apply to drug couriers, rather than to those involved in the supply or distribution of drugs at higher levels. Convicted drug distributors and syndicate leaders would still face the mandatory charge of death by hanging. Mr. Teo didn't elaborate on how the law will differentiate between low-level couriers and more-serious offenders.

The changes come after a yearlong review of the county's death penalty, and include an easing of the penalty for homicide in the city-state. Also speaking in Parliament, the country's Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs K. Shanmugam said that certain types of homicide cases, in which there is no explicit intention to kill, will no longer result in the mandatory death penalty.

"Our cardinal objectives remain the same. Crime must be deterred," said Mr. Shanmugam when announcing the proposed laws on Monday. "But justice can be tempered with mercy and where appropriate, offenders should be given a second chance."

The changes to the laws must be approved by Parliament before they are adopted, but will likely pass with little opposition as the ruling People's Action Party controls a majority of seats—81 of 87—in Parliament.

Legal representatives, including the Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore and the Law Society of Singapore, called the proposed changes a "milestone" in the country's legal history and said.

They are a sign that the government has been responsive to the views of the legal community, many of whom have pushed for a change to the mandatory death penalty in favor of giving courts more discretion.

"This change... recognizes that the measure of a society is how it treats its most unfortunate," said Subhas Anandan, president of the Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore and one of Singapore's most prominent defense lawyers, in a statement. "Death row inmates deserve punishment, but not all deserve death. These new measures...will have a massive impact on the criminal justice system."

But some legal experts say the law doesn't represent a huge shift in Singapore's policy on capital punishment, but rather is a refinement of an existing policy according to changing social norms.

"There is a concern that this could lead to false hope and expectations. This is not a big bang at all, but a refinement," said Eugene Tan, a professor of law at the Singapore Management University and an independent lawmaker. "This is not Singapore sending a signal that it is soft on capital punishment."

Many activists who have campaigned against the country's strict death penalty said the announcement was unexpected but is a step in the right direction for Singapore, which has long been criticized for what human-rights group say are unnecessarily harsh laws around drug control.

"[We] certainly did not expect this announcement to be made today," said Kirsten Han, co-founder of the anti-death penalty activist group We Believe in Second Chances. "I think it is a good first step and hope it means that inmates... will be able to have their cases relooked, and that they will be shown mercy."

Since the review of the mandatory death penalty last year, all pending executions have been halted, Mr. Teo said. He added that draft legislation implementing changes outlined in Parliament on Monday will be introduced later this year, but all accused people, including those in open cases and those already convicted, may choose to be considered for resentencing under the new laws.

Adding that she had "initial concerns" on how certain criteria and specifics would be defined, and that drafting and implementation of the new laws remain to be seen, Ms. Han said that the new rulings are a sign that the government is responding to civil society groups and is willing to engage with them.

Other groups, while applauding the government's efforts, maintain that this is but a "small step" in the right direction but want to see an end to the mandatory death penalty without any conditions such as those sketched out by the government. Human-rights group Maruah, for example, said in a statement that the government still has not provided evidence of the effectiveness of the death penalty in deterring crime and added that the death penalty is "fundamentally troubling" and continues to be applied to a substantial number of offenses.

Singapore's use of the death penalty, particularly to control narcotics, has invited widespread criticism over the years. In the early 1990s, a journalist dubbed the city-state "Disneyland with the death penalty"—a catch phrase that has stuck. According to an Amnesty International report published in 2011, at least 26 people were sentenced to death between 2007 and 2010—though not all of these people have been executed. Since 2009, nine people have been executed in the city-state, according to official prison statistics.

In recent years, cases of those on death row—including Yong Vui Kong, a 24-year-old Malaysian—have garnered emotive responses from those in the increasingly politicized city-state who believe the mandatory death penalty should be implemented mercifully. Lawyers and activists say Mr. Yong is illiterate, didn't know the penalty for smuggling drugs was death, or that the package he was carrying contained drugs. Appeals for clemency on his case have so far been turned down by courts, and his case has widely been viewed by opponents of the death penalty as a symbol for the problems with Singapore's implementation of the death penalty.

Mr. Tan added that high-profile cases, including that of Mr. Yong, may have pushed the government to amend the laws in tandem with what he said are society's norms and expectations.

The government has long defended its strong stance on crime and the death penalty, which it says has succeeded in keeping drug usage and homicide rates among the lowest in the world.

Not Urban Legend! Swear! Singaporeans in Peril in Msia!

Don't look away or act blur. It's for real! M'sians have a penchant to screw Singaporeans. It's all to do with that "I can kick him around as he is just adik" thinking. Believe it, it happens, even if you are not a Singapore high commission (it's not "embassy" for those dumbasses who call it "embassy"). BTW, if you haven't realise it yet, that stunt about 3 MFA diplomats attending a Bersih protest, nothing bersih or clean about the political shit heaped around - elections time and BN wanted to pull out the nationalist and race card to distract Msian voters with tried and tested Singapore-bashing, with threats to cut water supply thrown in again. Yeah right.

Oh, how average Singaporeans can be screwed? It's all in the drive up north. Carjacks are the big slam, at least the victims this time were not hurt, raped, killed, kidnapped or sold off not necessarily in that order. Frankly, don't matter if you are Singaporean Ah Beng, Mat or Ah Neh, once they see Singapore car plate it means free-for-all for them to victimise you and me. Do you hear of M'sian cars being singled out for crime along PIE or any other Singapore roads?  I don't. If you want to go M'sia, sure go ahead, fly up direct to KL or Penang, and drive up in convoy with baseball bats placed next to the umbrella at the back of the car. For every 10 incident-free trips up you hear one suay case of someone getting screwed. Just be prepared and hope that you are not that unlucky one.

Kidnapped S'porean family now safely back home

Updated 08:04 PM Jul 01, 2012SINGAPORE - A Singaporean family is now safely back home after a harrowing experience early this morning in Johor Bahru.

37-year-old Rita Zahara was driving back to Singapore with her sister, two children and her maid.

About three kilometres from the Immigration Checkpoint at Woodlands, she stopped at a petrol station to top up her tank.

Her sister, two children and maid remained in the locked car while Rita left to buy fruits.

That was when two men armed with guns and knives demanded they open the door.

After accessing the car, they sped off with the four members in the car.

Upon seeing that her car was missing, Rita called her sister's cell phone, which was answered by one of the kidnappers.

They demanded money from her and threatened to kill her family if she went to the police.

For the next four hours, Rita negotiated with kidnappers.

At the same time, she was also in contact with Malaysian and Singapore authorities.

The kidnappers finally released her family by the roadside.

Helped by villagers nearby, they were brought back to the police station.

The culprits stole her car and all the valuables inside worth some 200,000 Malaysian ringgit (S$80,000).