What to expect at Grand Prix Season Singapore 2023: Parties, food, music from Orchard Road to Sentosa

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Formula 1 season is right around the corner and this year’s Grand Prix Season Singapore (GPSS) will be back with a range of precinct parties and events at four locations across the island from Sep 8 to 17.

Under the theme Circuit of Festivity, the events will be held at Orchard Road, Clarke Quay, Kampong Glam and Sentosa. These will be complementing the actual Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2023 experience, from the races themselves to the musical acts such as Kings of Leon, Post Malone, Robbie Williams and Jackson Wang.

“The curated line-up of offerings across multiple facets such as dining, entertainment and retail showcase the best of Singapore’s lifestyle experiences, which both locals and visitors can enjoy,” said Ong Ling Lee, executive director, Sports and Wellness, Singapore Tourism Board.

Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect at each place:

WHERE: ORCHARD ROAD

A light and sound show titled Revolutions: The GPSS Immersive Experience, done by Singaporean artist Brandon Tay, will be the main attraction, located in a dome structure at ION Orchard.

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The error of NATO’s ways in Asia

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NATO engagement in East Asia to counter China’s influence is a misguided and potentially dangerous strategy for the alliance’s European members. It is bound to increase tensions between China and NATO and risks binding China and Russia closer together. 

A China containment strategy has no tangible benefits for European security and predominantly serves the interests of the United States, which is desperately trying to maintain its global hegemony.

While NATO is not currently looking to recruit new members in East Asia, it is forging strategic partnerships with “like-minded” states in the region.

Countries like Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand are all in the process of transitioning from being NATO’s “global partners” to becoming members of a more tangible arrangement that NATO has labeled “Individually Tailored Partnership Programs.”

NATO’s strategic cooperation with Japan has increased in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the July 2023 NATO Leaders Summit in Lithuania, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg greeted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, telling him that “no partner is closer than Japan.”

As a step toward more substantial security relations, NATO was planning to open a liaison office in Tokyo — the first of its kind in Asia. But these plans have been shelved due to apprehensions that they might fuel tensions between NATO and China. French President Emmanuel Macron warned that such a move would be a “big mistake.”

Officially, NATO’s outreach to East Asia aims at enhancing cooperation on issues such as “maritime security, new technologies, cyber, climate change, and resilience.” 

But in practice, the move is unmistakably an attempt to counter China, which NATO now openly regards as a “challenge [to] our interests, security and values.” 

In his meeting with Kishida, Stoltenberg noted his concern about “China’s heavy military build-up” and “the modernization and expansion of its nuclear forces.” This must have been music to Kishida’s ears, for he has persistently strived to develop closer relations with NATO for precisely this reason.

But it is difficult to see how European security would benefit from an enlarged NATO military role in East Asia, which is certain to antagonize Beijing. Unsurprisingly, China has responded vociferously to NATO’s words and actions. 

Chinese troops under a Russian flag in a file photo. Image: RT

China fears that the United States’ largely unconnected alliances in the region will take on a more integrated and anti-Chinese character under the NATO umbrella. NATO has countered that its military presence is benign and defensive in nature.

NATO’s allegedly defensive intentions are unlikely to reassure Beijing. Virtually all international relations experts agree that it is impossible to correctly decipher other states’ intentions. 

Without certainty of others’ intentions, states tend to raise their guard and take countermeasures. One does not have to be an international relations expert to predict that this could well happen in East Asia should NATO increase its military presence there.

NATO members often complain about Chinese attempts at changing the status quo, but they seem unable or unwilling to recognize that their own venture into East Asia constitutes a change of the status quo — something Beijing would feel compelled to respond to.

This dynamic of tit-for-tat escalation in the absence of certainty used to be common knowledge in the international relations community. It is often called the security dilemma. 

If Chinese leaders perceive NATO engagement with East Asian countries as increasing the threat to China, they might also take precautions by increasing armaments and alliance building. One counterproductive effect on European security, for example, would arise if China moved even closer to Russia.

But after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, warnings about security dilemmas have often been dismissed as appeasement. If we accept the security dilemma logic, hawks contend, would we not also have to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s excuse that NATO enlargement forced him to invade Ukraine? 

The answer is no. It is of course true that Russia’s invasion is illegal and unjustified. But it is also true that Moscow perceived NATO enlargement as threatening, although each new NATO member had purely defensive reasons for joining the alliance. Until recently, the latter point was not seen as a crazy appeasement argument.

A Ukrainian serviceman prepares to fire at Russian positions from a US-supplied howitzer. Photo: Screengrab / Euronews

Wars stir emotions. The Ukraine war has made Europeans blind to the dangerous consequences of geographically expanded engagement. While NATO’s enlargement in Eastern Europe was tightly connected to European security, deepened engagement in East Asia has zero rhyme or reason. It will only serve to antagonize China. 

Despite China’s often problematic behavior, it does not pose a direct threat to Europe. In 2020, this was recognized even by the European Union foreign affairs chief. But such realism is hard to come by in post-invasion Europe. NATO’s East Asian ambitions unnecessarily risk turning China into an enemy of Europe.

When NATO strays so far “out of area” that it begins operating in East Asia, one has to question the benefits for European security. There seem to be few, if any. For the United States, NATO’s turn to East Asia is strategically significant. 

Washington is seeking to maintain US global hegemony by binding together its loose alliance networks into a firmer coalition capable of containing a rising China. It seems clear that NATO’s new East Asia policy is primarily directed from Washington.

But Europe does not have to play the United States’ power games. As French President Macron correctly stated earlier in 2023, getting involved in such games would be “a trap for Europe.”

Ulv Hanssen is Associate Professor at Soka University.

Linus Hagstrom is Professor of Political Science and Deputy Head of the Department of Political Science at Law at the Swedish Defence University.

This article was originally published by East Asia Forum and is republished under a Creative Commons license.

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Selection of new police chief postponed

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PUBLISHED : 25 Aug 2023 at 14:30

Selection of new police chief postponed
Royal Thai Police Headquarters in Pathum Wan district, Bangkok. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)

The selection of the new police chief has been postponed until the inauguration of the new government for the sake of appropriateness, Royal Thai Police (RTP) spokesman Pol Lt Gen Achayon Kraithong said on Friday.

The decision was made during a meeting of the Police Commission, chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, at the RTP headquarters on Friday morning.

The agenda included the selection of a new RTP commissioner-general to replace Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, who is set to retire at the end of September. The meeting also discussed the selection of deputy police chiefs, the police inspector-general and commanders of all police divisions.

According to Pol Lt Gen Achayon, the meeting agreed to postpone the selection of the new police chief until after a new cabinet has been sworn into office, in line with the principle of good governance.

Pol Gen Damrongsak was assigned to chair the meeting to proceed with the selection of deputy police chiefs and other positions.

On reports that Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, a deputy police chief, is the frontrunner candidate for the top police post, Pol Gen Achayon declined to reply, saying that this matter should be left for the new prime minister to decide.

On Tuesday, a joint sitting of the House and the Senate elected Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai Party as prime minister with 482 votes for, 165 against and 81 abstentions.

When asked about security arrangements for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who has been admitted to the Police General Hospital for treatment, Pol Gen Achayon said the issue was not discussed during the meeting.

Thaksin, 74, was admitted to prison on Tuesday after his return to his home country the same day, following a court appearance.

On Wednesday, the inmate was transferred from Bangkok Remand Prison to the Police General Hospital at 12.20am Wednesday, suffering from chest pain, hypertension and low blood oxygen, according to the Department of Corrections.

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Trash fire ’emergency’ chokes locals on Indonesia’s Java

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Sprawling Indonesian cities on its most populated island Java lack modern waste management infrastructure to process hoards of solid trash produced each day. Kurniawan on Thursday blamed the fire on discarded cigarette butts and called on residents not to throw them away, “especially in this drought season”. He added thatContinue Reading

Watch: India’s Chandrayaan-3 rover leaves its lander

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has released the first-ever video of its rover for lunar mission Chandrayaan-3.

In the video, the rover is seen coming down the ramp of Chandrayaan-3’s lander, Vikram, onto the surface of the Moon.

India made history on 23 August when Vikram successfully touched down near the south pole of the Moon.

The 26kg rover called Pragyaan (the Sanskrit word for wisdom) was carried to the lunar surface in the lander’s belly.

It will now roam around the rocks and craters of the Moon, gathering crucial data and images to be sent back to Earth for analysis.

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Philippine, Australian troops hold South China Sea drills

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SAN ANTONIO: Australian and Filipino troops held exercises on Friday (Aug 25) near flashpoint South China Sea waters claimed by China, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos hailing them as an “extremely important” example of close cooperation. China deploys hundreds of coast guard, navy and other vessels to patrol and militariseContinue Reading

Parents settle with IMH, psychiatrist for S0,000 over son’s suicide; ex-lawyers press for ‘unpaid’ fees

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SINGAPORE: The parents who sued a private psychiatrist and the Institute of Mental Health for S$3.3 million (US$2.4 million) over alleged negligence linked to their son’s suicide have settled for a sum of S$330,000.

However, the father’s former lawyer filed court summonses asking for the money to be paid into court, as he felt the plaintiffs might “run off” with the settlement money while his fees of more than S$372,000 remain unpaid. 

A second lawyer, who acted for the deceased man’s mother in the suit, is claiming fees of about S$141,000.

In a judgment released on Friday (Aug 25), Justice Choo Han Teck dismissed the summonses by the first lawyer. He said that all those involved may move on “sadder but wiser” if the lawyers can settle with their ex-clients on costs and “leave them with a sum sufficient as a balm for their grief”.

Mr Steven Joseph Arokiasamy, a 68-year-old retiree who previously worked with the Ministry of Defence, and Madam Tan Kin Tee, a 67-year-old part-time teacher, had sued Dr Nelson Lee Boon Chuan and IMH for S$3.3 million.

They blamed the defendants for the suicide of their son, Mr Salvin Foster Steven, who died aged 31 in 2017.

Mr Arokiasamy was initially represented by Mr Vijay Rai, while Mdm Tan was represented by Mr Anil Balchandani.

However, the pair terminated the services of both lawyers in July, before the trial was set to begin in September.

About a week after this, the parents settled with the defendants and agreed to discontinue the suit.

On his judgment, Justice Choo sai this would ordinarily mean “an uneventful end”, but Mr Rai filed a summons for his law firm to record the settlement, with the sum of S$330,000 to be paid into court.

Mr Rai later filed another summons for his law firm to be joined as a plaintiff or claimant.

He wanted to be made a plaintiff so that he can pursue his own demands over the settlement. He said that his fees rendered so far came to about S$372,000, with a separate sum of about S$13,000 in disbursements likely to be incurred.

These amounts do not include a sum of about S$56,000 already paid to him, nor another S$40,000 in costs to be paid to the defendants for a discontinued action against a second psychiatrist.

Mr Balchandani, the former lawyer of the deceased’s mother, said he would be seeking costs of about S$141,000. This does not include a sum of about S$10,600 that was already paid. Mr Balchandi expressed support for the two summonses brought by Mr Rai.

According to Justice Choo, Mr Rai filed the summonses because “he is anxious to have the S$330,000 paid into court because he thinks that the plaintiffs, especially the father, may ‘run off’ with the settlement money”.

Justice Choo dismissed the two summonses, with Mr Rai’s law firm to pay costs to the plaintiffs and defendants.

JUDGE EXPLAINS

In explaining his decision, Justice Choo said the pleadings did not indicate what cause of action the parents relied on.

He said it appeared that they claimed that their son was prescribed the wrong medication, was not properly attended to and was wrongly diagnosed as suffering from depression and not schizophrenia.

However, the judge said these claims should have been made on their son’s behalf, by the father suing as the administrator of his son’s estate.

“It does not explain why the father (personally) and the mother were suing as plaintiffs,” said Justice Choo. “In their respective affidavits, they claim that their son’s death drove them to depression and they could not therefore work.”

The parents said this led to them being dismissed from their jobs.

Justice Choo said that the parents’ case appeared to be “a difficult one”, with an early settlement sparing them much anger and grief, not just “on account of the loss of their son, but now fuelled and furthered by festering animosity with their own lawyers and a looming sense of dread over the fees”.

He said the settlement that was reached was “in itself right and fair”, but said he was not satisfied that the fees incurred are justifiable.

He cited a previous document from November 2020 that estimated the fee for Mr Rai’s law firm, inclusive of trial, to be about S$150,000.

This estimation was expected to be lower if the matter was settled before trial, which turned out to be the case.

“Despite having settled the suit before trial, Mr Rai is now claiming a sum of at least S$372,022.34, with an unknown amount yet to be claimed in further bills,” said Justice Choo.

He said Mr Balchandani’s fees of S$141,061.55, while a smaller sum, are “not insubstantial as well”.

“In this connection, Mr Balchandani’s support of both summonses is misplaced,” said Justice Choo. “The overall sum which the father and mother have already paid and the sums the lawyers are now claiming against them amount to around S$600,000, almost twice the settlement sum received by them before trial.”

He said the clients are entitled to have the lawyers’ fees taxed, to determine what the actual amount payable is.

“Until that is done, I need not comment further – save to say that it is for Mr Balchandani and Mr Rai to justify why the plaintiffs should incur the costs of hiring two sets of counsel to act for them in the matter of the death of their son,” said Justice Choo.

He said there were overlaps in the work done by both lawyers, which should be considered in rendering the final bill.

“It is not too late for parties to salvage something from this situation,” concluded Justice Choo. 

“If Mr Balchandani and Mr Rai can come to a settlement on costs with their clients and leave them with a sum sufficient as a balm for their grief, then everyone concerned may move on, as they say, sadder but wiser.”

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Changi Airport rolls out first fully automated passenger loading bridge

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SINGAPORE: There are two minutes to spare once an aircraft landing at Changi Airport comes to a complete stop and chocks are put in place to prevent it from moving.

Within this window, operators of the passenger loading bridge must currently activate the bridge and manually manoeuvre it for the last 50cm to dock to the aircraft door accurately. Then they open the doors for passengers to disembark the plane and enter the terminal. 

For wide-body planes, which have two aircraft doors, one operator is required for each arm of the bridge during the docking process. 

While operators usually complete the process within two minutes, the speed depends on how proficient the operator is. 

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