KARACHI: Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi said on Sunday (Aug 20) he had refused to sign into law two bills that would give authorities more power to prosecute people for acts against the state and military, a move the law ministry said was unconstitutional. The bills have already been passed byContinue Reading
SINGAPORE: Since the early 1990s, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has used a simple framework to guide the public in buying flats: By distinguishing between mature and non-mature estates, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the National Day Rally on Sunday (Aug 20). “This framework is easy toContinue Reading
Mr Lee spoke briefly about leadership renewal, recalling his original plan to hand over and step down as Prime Minister by 2022 – before his 70th birthday.
While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this, he said his succession plans are now back on track. Mr Lee is 71 years old this year.
“Recently, several controversial issues have drawn Singaporeans’ attention. I have spoken about them in parliament and in my National Day Message. We dealt with each of them thoroughly and transparently,” Mr Lee noted.
“Let me assure you – these incidents will not delay my timetable for renewal. We are on track.”
These issues included an extramarital affair between former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and former Tampines GRC MP Cheng Li Hui, which emerged in the public eye about a month ago. The pair have resigned from parliament and the People’s Action Party.
Shortly before that, Transport Minister S Iswaran was arrested in relation to a corruption probe.
Mr Lee said that more and more, his task is to support the 4G (fourth-generation) team led by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and their agenda.
He asked Singaporeans to give Mr Wong and his team their fullest support now and after they take over.
“Our nation’s future depends on them, working as one with you to take Singapore forward. I have every confidence in Lawrence Wong and his team,” Mr Lee added.
TIMELINE 1964 The government introduced the Home Ownership for the People Scheme to give citizens “a tangible asset in the country and a stake in nation-building”, as well as to enable Singaporeans with low income to purchase a flat. Eligible buyers had to be a part of a family with atContinue Reading
PUBLISHED : 20 Aug 2023 at 20:22
The Thai embassy in Berlin is closely following German police’s investigation into the suspected murder of a Thai woman whose body was found in Schöneberg in Berlin last week, said the Foreign Ministry.
In its statement, the ministry said that based on information from the Thai embassy in Berlin, German police are treating the death of Siriya Saiwongpanya as a homicide. It is unclear if any suspects have been identified.
Siriya was identified as the owner of the “Thai-Art” restaurant in Charlottenburg in Berlin. She was found dead on the night of Aug 18 in Schöneberg in Berlin.
According to the ministry, her belongings were found at the scene, so local police believe she was unlikely to have been killed for valuables.
While the embassy waits for the autopsy, Thai officials in Berlin have provided assistance to the victim’s family and will coordinate with German authorities in renewing her daughter’s visa.
The ministry on Sunday also extended condolences to the family of the victim.
According to some reports in German media outlets, the victim may have been stabbed with a bottle, broken shards from which found at the scene.
Citing a police spokeswoman, German media reports said the wounds indicated homicide and the victim’s personal belongings, including a blood-smeared purse, were secured at the scene.
The victim is said to have run a successful noodle business.
PUBLISHED : 20 Aug 2023 at 20:16
The Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) has issued an order prohibiting public gatherings around parliament, effective from 8am on Monday to midnight on Thursday.
The order, signed by MPB chief Thiti Saengsawang, under the 2015 Public Gatherings Act, came after parliament was scheduled to vote for a new prime minister on Tuesday, said a source.
The planned gatherings during the parliamentary vote will affect peace and order, the source said. The MPB’s order bans gathering within a 50-metre radius of the parliament complex, from 8am on Aug 21 to midnight on Aug 24.
On Friday, parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said that the joint sitting of the House and Senate to vote for the country’s 30th prime minister on Tuesday would start at 10am, with five hours allocated for lawmakers to debate – two hours for senators and three hours for MPs. The vote is expected to start at 3pm and finish by 5.30pm.
The Pheu Thai Party as the head of the coalition is expected to nominate Mr Srettha, the former chief executive of the property developer Sansiri Plc.
The Prime Minister said that the 4G leadership led by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is “increasingly setting the pace”.
For example, the themes in this year’s National Day Rally speech are the same themes put forth under Forward Singapore, a nationwide engagement exercise spearheaded by the 4G team.
“More and more, my task is to support the 4G team and their agenda,” said Mr Lee. “I want to get them off to the best start possible.
“The 4G will soon wrap up the Forward Singapore exercise, but their journey is just beginning. Our nation’s future depends on them, working as one with you to take Singapore forward.”
He added that he has “every confidence” in Mr Wong and his team.
“We share the same core convictions that we are stewards of Singapore, entrusted with the immense responsibility to lead and care for this nation; that our time as stewards is transient but we are building a Singapore for the ages; and that our best service to this nation is to hand over a better, stronger Singapore to those who follow us,” said Mr Lee.
“My team and I are deeply grateful to you for standing with us through thick and thin. Please give Lawrence and his team your fullest support too, now and after they take over.”
Mr Lee also spoke on the founding values of Singapore.
The country’s forefathers had built more than a nation of skyscrapers and a thriving economy, but also a nation founded on ideals such as justice and equality, religious freedom and racial harmony, a commitment to excellence, a fair system of meritocracy, as well as an “uncompromising insistence” on an honest and clean government, he said.
Mr Lee noted that integrity and incorruptibility are “fundamental” to Singapore, serving as the foundation to run a “clean and effective” government and to deliver results for Singaporeans.
Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had “considered these the most crucial ideals of all”, he added.
Recalling how the elder Lee had attended a parliament sitting on his 90th birthday in 2013, the Prime Minister said: “Frail and ill, Mr Lee said just a few words. He spoke only about one thing.
“He reminded us Singapore must always remain clean and incorruptible, and ministers and MPs have to set the example. Otherwise, he said, we are finished.”
SINGAPORE: Singles who are at least 35 years old will soon be able to apply for new two-room Housing Board flats in any location, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the National Day Rally on Sunday (Aug 20).
Currently, they can only apply for Build-to-Order (BTO) flats in non-mature estates, which are usually further from the city centre.
From the second half of 2024, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) will no longer be categorising housing estates as mature or non-mature. Instead, flats launched from then will be classified Standard, Plus or Prime depending on their location and other attributes.
The reclassification is not retrospective and will not apply to existing flats or those already launched.
The bulk of HDB’s flats will be Standard flats with the current subsidies and restrictions, including a minimum occupation period of five years.
Plus flats, which will be in “choicer locations” such as near an MRT station, will have more subsidies from HDB but also more restrictions. The minimum occupation period for these flats will be 10 years, and there are tighter resale conditions.
Prime flats will have the same restrictions as Prime Location Housing projects, which were introduced in November 2021. These include the 10-year minimum occupation period and a clawback of subsidies on resale. In addition, Prime flat owners can only sell their flats in the future to owners who meet BTO eligibility criteria such as the prevailing income ceiling.
When the new classification is launched, singles will be able to apply for BTO flats in any category – Standard, Plus or Prime.
These changes to public housing were announced by Mr Lee, who said that more and more Singaporeans are choosing to be single and want their own homes.
PUBLISHED : 20 Aug 2023 at 20:10
Every Thai citizen is eligible to receive preventive healthcare services under the universal healthcare (UHC) scheme at almost 1,500 community clinics and drugstores nationwide regardless of whether they are subscribers or not, says the National Health Security Office (NHSO).
NHSO secretary-general Jadet Thammathataree on Sunday said that as part of a health promotion policy, eight preventive healthcare services are extended to all Thais free of charge.
Previously, these services were only available to UHC “gold card” subscribers.
According to Dr Jadet, the eight preventive healthcare services are now available for all at the NHSO’s 331 community clinics across the country.
They include birth control pills, condoms, pregnancy tests, antenatal care, iron supplements against anaemia, postnatal care, prevention of iodine, iron or folic acid deficiency and basic physical and mental health screenings, he said.
According to Dr Jadet, people can also seek six preventive healthcare services at 1,167 drug stores that take part in the NHSO’s health scheme.
They include contraceptive pills, emergency birth control pills, condoms, pregnancy tests, iron and folic acid supplements and basic physical and mental health screenings, he said.
Those interested can make an appointment through the Pao Tang app.
The new Plus flats will be in “choicer locations” within each region, such as near MRT stations and town centres. One example is the upcoming Bayshore project near East Coast Park which is close to two MRT stations, a future shopping mall and Siglap Community Club.
They will have a 10-year minimum occupation period and Plus flat owners will have to return to HDB a portion of the resale price that is reflective of extra subsidies they receive, if they choose to sell the flat.
The longer minimum occupation period will favour buyers who are planning to stay there for the longer term, and discourage those who may be thinking of flipping the property and moving out as soon as they can, said Mr Lee.
“This will help mitigate windfall gains and ensure equity with other flat owners who do not enjoy these additional subsidies,” said MND and HDB.
Mr Lee said that developments like Central Weave in Ang Mo Kio posed a dilemma for HDB. The BTO project made headlines for its high prices ranging from S$713,000 to S$877,000 (US$525,000 to US$645,000) for the five-room and 3-Gen flats, before grants.
Even then, these flats were heavily discounted off their true market value, said Mr Lee. And despite the high price, they were heavily oversubscribed, with more than 17 applicants for every flat.
“If we price them higher, we will shrink the windfall gains and we will reduce the lottery effect. This will moderate demand … but there will be ‘sticker shock’ – these flats will become so expensive that they are unaffordable to most families,” said Mr Lee.
In addition, the precinct can become a “higher-income enclave” if only those near HDB’s income ceiling of S$14,000 can afford them.
“But if HDB prices such flats lower … we exacerbate the lottery effect, because the potential windfall gains will be even richer. Even more families will try for these flats,” said Mr Lee.