Sure A Not

In his article on Mar 13, Mr Cheng wrote about a group known as the Monday of Palestine Solidarity, whose people have been accused of disrupting PAP Meet-The-People Sessions.

” I would like to partner them to relocate to Gaza, expenses paid by me. But only if they always come up,” said Mr Cheng.

” I am offering business school to the officials. And to their 928 enthusiasts, you get them some running shoes each.   Take a gradual climb. “

While speaking to reporters on Wednesday on the latest cases being handled under the Internal Security Act, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam was asked about Mr Cheng’s article.  

Mr Shanmugam  said that his opinions on Israel and Palestine are” quickly unique” from those that Mr Cheng has expressed.

“Mr Calvin Cheng feedback on a variety of things – I don’t see all of them. Those that I come across: I may say some I agree with, and some I obviously disagree with, ” he said.

“His views on Palestine and Israel, I may state are very different from mine. I have a pretty sharply different perspective on Israel-Palestine from Mr Calvin Cheng. ”

“ I previously said in November 2023 that Israel’s actions are illegal and oppressive to Palestinians, and that remains my view, ” he added.

Mr Shanmugam declined to comment further as a police record has been made against Mr Cheng over his remarks on Israel and Palestine while Mr Cheng has said that he has commenced legal proceedings over complaints that have been made against him following the article.

In a Twitter post on Wednesday, Mr Cheng said that Mr Jufrie Mahmood, a former president of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, had filed a police report alleging that Mr Cheng is an Islamophobe.

Mr Cheng added that Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam and activist Martyn See had expressed related views to Mr Jufrie and that The Online Citizen and a Mohamed Khair had republished these opinions.

Refuting complaints that have been made against him, Mr Cheng said:” I have sought legal counsel from Senior Counsel and have been advised that these statements are very disparaging of me.

” I have instructed my professionals to create to Mohamed Khair, Jufrie Mahmood, Martyn See, Kenneth Jeyeretnam and The Online Citizen, to need them to rescind the comments they have made and sorry. “

Continue Reading

MND and the Urban Redevelopment Authority ( URA ) will continue to identify more sites for AACs in private housing and HDB estates.

A new AAC by Montfort Care at the Marine Parade MRT extraneous place in Joo Chiat may be set up, while recent examples include a “mobile AAC” strategy by Presbyterian Community Services Hannah AAC, with vehicles used to move gear to Anak Bukit parks for activities, such as K-pop fitness, said MND and MOH in the press release.

” For elderly, it is very important. It’s not just about seeing physicians, taking treatments and going for checks”, said Mr Ong, adding that it is extremely crucial to maintain friends, and keep both the heart and mind good.

” I hope with all these work we can promote more of our elders to come out and play”.

SENIOR-FRIENDLY INFRASTRUCTURE

Beyond AACs, there are also other initiatives to help seniors sit more safely and comfortably, such as enhancing senior-friendly system within homes and in lands, MND and MOH said.

” For HDB lands, MND has rolled out different activities, including the Silver Upgrading Programme and Neighbourhood Renewal Programme to strengthen infrastructure”, they said.

The Enhancement for Active Seniors ( EASE ) 2.0 programme, for instance, subsidises a senior-friendly infrastructure, like grab-bars, slip resistant floors and widened toilet entrances, the ministries said.

” For private estates, the first batch of the Estate Upgrading Programme ( EUP) for Silver Estates has been launched, where estates with higher concentration of seniors and have benefitted from EUP some time ago will be selected for senior–friendly enhancements to better support their ageing residents”, they added.

The range of the EUP for Regular Estates and the EASE program have also been expanded to cater to the needs of elders.

Attempts to better connect age-inclusive and senior-friendly functions and features into Singapore’s lands will also be incorporated into the continuous assessment for the Draft Master Plan 2025, according to MND and MOH.

SPOTLIGHT ON WEST Beach

” Bearing in mind that we have some seniors both in our common estates and our personal estates both across West Coast, we need to throw in a lot of effort to take better care of our seniors, and Age Also SG is a very significant nationwide initiative that needs to be implemented properly on the ground through tighter coordination”, said Mr Lee.

Mr Lee is currently the anchor minister in West Coast GRC.

He added that his team has been engaging with residents there for almost two years, through house visits and other festive occasions and gatherings, such as National Day and Chinese New Year events.

Continue Reading

SINGAPORE: Restriction orders issued under the Internal Security Act ( ISA ) against two Singaporeans were allowed to lapse this year, the Internal Security Department said on Wednesday ( Apr 2 ). &nbsp,

One of them- Dickson Yeo, 44- had been detained for acting as a paid adviser of a international status. &nbsp,

He was arrested after returning to Singapore in December 2020 and was interviewed to identify if he had engaged in activities discriminatory to Singapore’s protection.

He was therefore detained under the ISA in January 2021 for acting as a paid representative for a “foreign state”.

Although ISD at the time did not name the international position, Yeo was in 2020 sentenced to 14 weeks ‘ prison in the US for spying for China against the US.

Yeo was eventually released on a suspension course in December 2021 and issued with a limitation order in January 2023. &nbsp,

The order next lapsed upon deadline in January this year. &nbsp,

” The threat posed by Yeo as a foreign agent has been effectively neutralised and he no longer requires close supervision under the ( restriction order ) regime”, said ISD.

Those on limitations directions cannot go out of Singapore or change names or jobs, without authorization. They also cannot access the Internet or social media, matter public statements, handle public meetings or write, spread or add to any release without authorization.

The various Singaporean whose limitations order was allowed to fall is Asyrani Hussaini. The limitation order for the 35-year-old lapsed in March. &nbsp,

Asyrani, who was self-radicalised, was detained in March 2013 after he attempted to engage in the armed rebellion in southern Thailand. He was released from confinement in March 2019 and issued with a limitation order. &nbsp,

ISD said he has made” good improvement” in his treatment and no more requires close control under the restraint get program.

Continue Reading

PLANS TO ATTACK MOSQUES

The 17-year-old inmate shortlisted&nbsp, five mosque in June 2024 as possible targets for his strikes -&nbsp, Masjid Maarof, Masjid Jamek Queenstown, Masjid Darussalam, Masjid An-Nur and Masjid Hajjah Fatimah.

While he wanted to attack all five temples to attain a higher “kill count”, he gave greater consideration to attacking Masjid Maarof as he frequented the Jurong West region, said ISD in the media release. &nbsp,

He planned to attack when people were leaving after Friday prayer to maximise the number of deaths, setting a goal to kill at least 100 Muslims.

According to the ISD, this was to surpass Brenton Tarrant, who attacked Muslims in the New Zealand town of Christchurch in 2019, as well as other far-right guns.

He likewise planned to broadcast his problems. &nbsp,

At the stage of imprisonment, he admitted that he had but to implement his attacks simply because he was able to procure a gun.

FAR-RIGHT EXTREMISM

The children ‘s&nbsp, journey to radicalisation began in 2022 when he encountered Antisemitic and far-right radical supplies online.

The supplies, alongside his “pre-existing prejudiced opinions against Malays”, led him to “develop an dislike” towards Islam, Malays and Muslims, said ISD.

In November 2023, he came across a picture of Tarrant’s Christchurch harm. ISD said&nbsp, he felt a” sense of satisfaction” from watching Muslims being shot in the film and saw Tarrant as a “hero”. &nbsp,

After consuming website slogans of far-right extremists, the 17-year-old learned about the Great Replacement Theory, which claims that white groups in the West are in danger of being replaced by non-white refugees. &nbsp,

The children was convinced that it was happening in Singapore, and by early 2024, he had feelings of emulating Tarrant, shooting Muslims at mosque in Singapore with an AK-47 assault weapons, ISD said.

He was also influenced by anti-Semitic material online and fantasised about killing Immigrants, but did not have any material attack strategies. &nbsp,

The 17-year-old planned to use weapon for his problems at nearby temples to “maximise fatalities”, and failed in a few efforts to secure a gun, ISD said. &nbsp,

Between February and April 2024, for example, he reached up to a US-based online email who claimed to be a weapon manufacturer. &nbsp,

The touch told him it would be hard to bring weapons parts into Singapore and suggested 3D printing the parts and weapons rather – ideas the children did not follow through with because of the price and technical feasibility. &nbsp,

The 17-year-old reached up to another foreign call wanting to purchase and bring a Glock 19 handgun into Singapore, but the deal did not materialise, said ISD. &nbsp,

He also inquired about buying a replica pistol from an online seller, intending to modify it into a functioning firearm, but did not follow through with the purchase. &nbsp,

In addition, he considered buying guns and ammunition in Malaysia or Thailand and smuggling them into Singapore by land. He also watched online videos on handling firearms and planned to visit a shooting range in the US, said ISD. &nbsp,

While he did not share his plans for the attacks with anyone because he was afraid of getting arrested, the youth’s parents were aware that he hated Muslims and that he was spending an excessive amount of time online, said ISD. &nbsp,

Although his father had shared news reports of previous far-right extremist cases dealt with under the ISA to encourage his son to change his mindset, the youth’s parents did not seek help from the authorities. &nbsp,

” He told ISD quite openly, if he had gotten a gun, he would have carried out his attacks”, said Mr Shanmugam on Wednesday. &nbsp,

He added that there are likely to be other radicalised individuals in Singapore who may be consuming online material and planning to carry out attacks.

The 17-year-old was &nbsp, an online contact of Lee- the youth detained in December- and they had exchanged Islamophobic and far-right extremist materials on social media. &nbsp,

The two had not met in person and were not aware of each other’s plans to conduct attacks in Singapore, ISD said on Wednesday.

Like Lee, he identified as an” East Asian Supremacist” who believed that Han Chinese, Korean and Japanese ethnicities were superior to Malays and Indians.

ONLINE SELF-RADICALISATION OF YOUTHS

Since 2015, 17 youths aged 20 and below have been dealt with under the ISA. All were self-radicalised online and nine of them aspired to carry out attacks in Singapore, ISD noted. &nbsp,

Those radicalised are getting younger, the agency said, adding that the case of the 15-year-old mirrors a global trend of female teenagers who aspire to travel to Syria to fight or support the Islamic State’s cause by marrying militants.

” The threat posed by ISIS has not abated, sustained through its online propaganda efforts, virtual network of supporters and global affiliates”, ISD said.

Far-right extremism is also “finding resonance” among Singaporean youths, and materials from terrorists like Tarrant had influenced all four youths detained for far-right extremism under the ISA. &nbsp,

Self-radicalisation can happen very quickly, warned ISD, adding that the 15-year-old girl’s self-radicalisation “only took weeks”.

” Family members and friends are best placed to notice changes in behaviour and quickly alert the authorities if they suspect their loved ones have been radicalised”, said ISD, adding that it is critical for the public to be vigilant and quickly seek help.

The two latest cases are a cause for concern, said Mr Shanmugam, adding that both youths were consuming very radical material online and sharing their extremist views with their family and friends. &nbsp,

Families also may not realise how far the radicalisation has gone, he said. &nbsp,

” We have to ask friends, families of people to alert us when you see someone consuming material, which is radical, going online, talking to you in very radical terms, it’s good to tell the Ministry of Home Affairs”, said Mr Shanmugam.

” We will investigate. We can guide them, and really, we are here to help them in many ways. We stop them from harming themselves and others”, he added, noting that many cases can be rehabilitated. &nbsp,

For example, the first far-right extremist who was arrested was doing badly in school. After he was detained, a Christian pastor talked to him regularly, ISD “helped him to study”, and the youth passed his O-Level examinations two years ago, said the minister. &nbsp,

” He can look forward to a life rehabilitated, as opposed to getting himself killed in some venture”.

Anyone who knows or suspects that a person has been radicalised should promptly contact the ISD Counter-Terrorism Centre hotline at 1800-2626-473. &nbsp,

Continue Reading

Warning: This article contains facts of mistreatment which readers may find threatening.

SINGAPORE: A two-month-old child died after enduring days of mistreatment by her own parents, culminating in fatal head injuries inflicted by her mother.

On Jan 13, 2023, Zabelle Peh Yu Xuan was pronounced brain dead after acts of blunt force injury to her head, caused by her mom, Sim Liang Xiu. &nbsp,

When examined, Zabelle was found to have healed bones sustained over the course of her short life.

Sim, 31, and her husband, Peh Wei Jian, 34, were each sentenced to jail on Wednesday ( Apr 2 ) over the death of their biological daughter. &nbsp,

Sim received a jail term of eight times, while Peh was handed seven times.

While she originally faced a command of death, Sim, who has been diagnosed with post-natal despair, pleaded guilty to a lesser cost of criminal homicide not equivalent to death. &nbsp,

Peh pleaded guilty to failing to take steps to protect Zabelle. &nbsp,

Each also had one cost of ill-treating Zabelle taken into consideration for their punishment. &nbsp,

The child’s abuse of Zabelle began soon after her baby on Nov 6, 2022.

Sim slapped her child, pulled and bit her left arm, and firmly dropped her into the bed, while&nbsp, Peh strongly pushed a milk jug into Zabelle’s teeth, pinched and slapped her, and threw her into the cot. &nbsp,

According to court records, Sim caused blunt force trauma to Zabelle’s brain on Jan 8, 2023 after becoming upset that the child had soiled herself.

The next day, Peh found the child indifferent after bathing her.

The pair called the hospital and the child was conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for emergency care. &nbsp, The doctor noted dried heart over her ears and that she had no signal. &nbsp,

An X-ray of Zabelle’s stomach showed that she had a collapsed returned lung with liquid, and a twisted higher left shoulder likely to be an old wound. &nbsp,

Zabelle was afterwards conveyed to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. However, the baby showed no response to stimuli and had evidence of significant brain damage. &nbsp,

No progress was picked up despite care and Zabelle was pronounced brain dying on Jan 13, 2023. &nbsp,

During their care of the child, physicians found old accidents, including healed fractures on her breast and middle left shoulder bone. &nbsp,

An examination found that Zabelle sustained a bone fracture and bleeding around her head, adding to her broad list of injury. The mother’s cause of death was determined to be from a head injury. &nbsp,

However, the few sought to suppress their misuse by lying that Peh had dropped Zabelle while bathing her. &nbsp,

PEH AWARE OF ABUSE

In court, the trial read out a series of messages exchanged between Sim and Peh, showing that Peh had been aware of the violence inflicted on his child. &nbsp,

In these messages, Peh asked Sim not to beat Zabelle and “don’t make her bone fracture”, with Peh warning “if we keep like that beat her or what ( sic ), sure one day we go police station”. &nbsp,

In her answers, Sim may often chastise Zabelle for crying, or may respond violently to Peh. &nbsp,

In one message, she stated:” Dun ( sic ) act like you never abuse la I want to make her die also not your problem”. &nbsp,

After the child’s imprisonment, Sim was assessed to possess post-natal despair which contributed to her infractions. Her situation was deemed to be an impairment of brain which” considerably impaired her mental obligation” for her actions. &nbsp,

Peh was assessed to be of good head, although his report noted that he was diagnosed with mental impairment in 2009. Nevertheless, he did not meet the requirements for academic illness and does not have a mental illness. &nbsp,

Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh highlighted Zabelle’s extraordinary youth and risk, and the child’s “pattern of violent conduct”. &nbsp,

Pointing out that Zabelle’s older injuries, Mr Koh said:” It is surprising that such accidents can be found when the deceased is just two months old. The inference can be drawn that the injuries ( were inflicted ) close in time to her date of birth, as it has taken time to heal”.

These accidents indicated prolonged misuse over the course of Zabelle’s little life, he said. Mr Koh finally told the judge that the couple had referred to beating Zabelle when she was less than two months old. &nbsp,

The prosecutors sought eight to nine times ‘ prison for Sim and seven to eight times ‘ prison for Peh. &nbsp,

In prevention, Sim’s attorney Manoj Nandwani highlighted his lawyer’s history of depression, which existed before her present crimes. &nbsp,

Sim’s earliest touch with the Institute of Mental Health had been in 2007 when she was 14, and she attempted murder in 2011, the prosecutor said. &nbsp,

Mr Nandwani said Sim had instructed him never to subject to the lawyer’s proposed word. &nbsp,

The lawyer even expressed Sim’s grief to the judge. &nbsp,” Beyond any word, she will have to sit with, in her consciousness, the death of her own natural kid, which will be with her for the rest of her life”, said Mr Nandwani.

Sim and Peh, both attended court via videolink. While Peh appeared stoic throughout most of the hearing, Sim would at times show signs of emotion. &nbsp,

Lawyer Ng Yuan Siang, who mitigated for Peh, said his client’s culpability was low, in part because he was physically abused by Sim during their time together. &nbsp,

Peh was the sole breadwinner of the family who struggled to make ends meet, and was frequently away from home for work, Mr Ng said. &nbsp,

Despite his domestic abuse, Peh did not retaliate and would even try to placate Sim, Mr Ng said. &nbsp,

Mr Ng called the prosecution’s argument that Peh had done “practically nothing” to stop the abuse of Zabelle an “unfair characterisation”. He said Peh had told Sim to use less force or stop hitting the infant on at least seven occasions, and urged the court to impose three to four years ‘ jail on his client. &nbsp,

Delivering the sentence, Justice Dedar Singh Gill noted that it was “difficult for a sentient person to fathom the cruelty inflicted on Zabelle”. &nbsp,

The judge took into consideration Sim’s mental condition and her remorse, as well as her plea of guilt.

Justice Gill rejected the portrayal of Peh as a victim of domestic abuse and found that his culpability was high. &nbsp,

Pointing out Peh’s own abuse of Zabelle, the judge said there was no indication that he carried out these acts due to his wife’s “dominance over him”, and added that there was no evidence to show that Sim was physically abusive. &nbsp,

Peh’s messages to Sim asking her not to hurt the baby were “plainly inadequate”, Justice Gill said, adding that the defence’s proposed sentence for Peh was “manifestly inadequate” as it failed to take into account the seriousness of the offence and its aggravating factors. &nbsp, &nbsp,

Continue Reading