Prisons to increase in-house coaches to equip officers with soft skills needed to help rehabilitate inmates

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CHANGING LIVES

“It is essential for staff to engage in purposeful interactions not only with their co-workers but also inmates and supervisees under their charge,” said the SPS. 
 
“Therefore, staff will be trained to contextualise and apply coaching skills in their daily operational engagements, strengthening the ongoing rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.”
 
The approach has ignited a flame in Brenna and many other inmates.
 
For Brenna, she found her purpose in the kitchen and is ready for a new chapter in life.
 
“I just enjoy cooking, but I never thought it would become a career. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life, if I can,” she said. 
 
“I feel more motivated. I am actually enjoying something, I am actually doing something I like.”
 
Paradise Now director Jonathan Koh has been impressed with her work ethic, as she has shown her passion and drive to excel in the field. 
 
“I think what she brings to the kitchen is creativity, hard work, and definitely a passion for cooking. The passion to be able to push the dishes further at every step is definitely what every kitchen will look for,” he said. 
 
“I won’t be surprised to see her running her own restaurant someday in the future.” 
 
Mr Koh added: “It is not easy, definitely not an easy industry to be in, and even harder to excel in. 
 
“I think she really put in a lot of dedication and showed me that she really wanted to work hard to achieve her dream of becoming a cook. I felt that we could really help her, to help her excel.”

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Jail for member of syndicate that won S3,730 at MBS casino by using baccarat ‘formula’

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SINGAPORE: A man who was part of a foreign syndicate that illegally used a formula to record cards dealt won a total of S$433,730 (S$324,100) over eight days of playing baccarat games at the Marina Bay Sands casino.

Tan Kian Yi, a 35-year-old Malaysian, was sentenced to three years and four months’ jail on Wednesday (Nov 22).

He pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiring to record cards dealt during a game under the Casino Control Act, with another seven charges taken into consideration.

The court heard that Tan, a sales manager, was part of a syndicate comprising five other members from Malaysia and Taiwan.

He first met two of them – Hung Yu-Wen and Chou Yu-Lun, a couple from Taiwan – in the Philippines in August 2022.

Hung asked Tan if he was interested in winning money in a game of baccarat. She knew Tan had an interest in card counting and that he had attended a class on advantage play in 2019.

The class was held in Taipei, and taught people how to count cards, how the interior of a shuffler machine looked like and how it worked.

Hung then told Tan that she was going to Singapore to do a survey on how the game of 7UP Baccarat was played at the Marina Bay Sands casino. 

Tan agreed to join her there, as he wanted to learn how to win money through the game.

In October 2022, Tan and the couple met in Singapore, staying at the MBS hotel and visiting the casino to observe how the game was played.

They met a month later at a casino in Manila, where Hung told Tan she had a formula that could enable them to win the game.

The formula was developed by a man she called her “teacher”, and the syndicate intended to use this formula to skew the odds of the game in its favour.

Hung showed Tan the formula on her laptop. It was in the form of an Excel sheet, and Hung showed Tan how to use it.

She gave him a set of codes to memorise, referring to the values and suits of the cards in the game. She also told Tan that he should key the codes into the sheet after someone else transmitted the information to him.

To use the formula, the syndicate would need someone to transmit information on the cards dealt to the person operating the formula, who would key in the values into the Excel sheet.

The formula would then predict and generate the game’s next outcome.

At this, Tan asked if his friend, 45-year-old Malaysian Chai Hee Keong, could join the syndicate. 

Hung agreed and promised to give Tan and Chai 20 per cent of the syndicate’s winnings.

She created a group chat on LINE, with a Chinese name that described a “work group” in Singapore.

The chat was used to keep track of how much capital each syndicate member started off with, the time they clocked in and out at the table, as well as the winnings or losses made.

The group arrived in Singapore in December 2022 to execute their plan. They were assigned roles to play – ranging from a marksman, a sorcerer, a tank and an auxiliary.

Tan was both a marksman and a tank. In the first role, he would be stationed in a hotel room where he received information that he keyed into the formula and told the sorcerer how to bet.

The sorcerer was a female member of the syndicate who wore Bluetooth-connected earphones hidden by her long hair, so she could communicate with the marksman. 

Tan’s second role involved him placing high bets at the table based on instructions relayed to him by the sorcerer.

Each of the syndicate’s members started off with S$100,000 worth casino chips.

Over several days in December 2022, they received winnings from their games using their scheme. At one point, one of the other members wanted to know how the formula worked as he felt very impressed by it, but Hung did not want to share the specifics with him.

Between Dec 16 and Dec 23 last year, casino employees began to take notice of the syndicate’s conduct, by going through closed-circuit television footage.

On Dec 24, 2022, one of the members went alone to the casino to gamble. He was taken to a room by security officers and the police later arrested him.

When the other members of the syndicate realised that this member could not be contacted, they suspected that he had been arrested.

Hung suggested they leave Singapore, and the rest agreed. Tan left with four other members at about 2am on Dec 25, 2022 via the Woodlands Checkpoint.

He was arrested at the airport in Kuala Lumpur by Malaysian authorities on Feb 3, when he was intending to travel to Taiwan. Tan was extradited to Singapore and arrested.

He initially claimed that he had come to Singapore for a holiday and to gamble, but admitted to his involvement after being confronted with the messages in the chat group.

The syndicate operated in Singapore from Dec 16 to Dec 23, 2022, winning a total of S$433,730 through its operations at the casino.

Casino chips worth around S$790,730 were seized from rooms occupied by the syndicate.

FIRST SUCH CASE TO BE PROSECUTED

This case was the first prosecution for an offence under Section 171 of the Casino Control Act for using a device to count or record cards dealt in a casino game.

The prosecution sought 42 to 48 months’ jail for Tan, saying the offence “struck at the heart of Singapore’s engine for growing tourism – the MBS casino”.

“The syndicate leveraged technology and devices to record cards dealt in the casino, which illegally tilted the odds in its favour,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Shao Yan.

He said the jail term should be imposed to discourage potential offenders, especially syndicates, from entering Singapore and “compromising the integrity of our casino’s operations”.

Tan’s lawyers, Mr Adrian Wee and Ms Lynette Chang from Lighthouse Law, asked for 12 to 18 months’ jail instead.

They said Tan’s partner was expecting her first child with Tan when he was arrested. She has since given birth while he was still remanded, and he has never seen his child.

Mr Wee argued that the offence was a distinct one from cheating at play. He also stated that the court documents did not set out the workings or objective of the formula.

“It would appear from the statement of facts that none of the accused persons understood how the formula worked,” said the lawyer.

“It is thus impossible to determine whether the effect of the formula would have been to change the odds of a game beyond that envisaged by the casino, thereby crossing the line into fraud or cheating at play.”

He said the use of a formula did not amount to fraud or cheating at play.

The cases for two of Tan’s co-accused are pending.

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More women in Singapore seek referrals for abortion following unplanned pregnancy: SingHealth Polyclinics study

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SINGAPORE: More women are seeking referrals for abortion following unplanned pregnancy in Singapore, going by a three-year study conducted by SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP).

In 2020, 340 local women went to the eight polyclinics under the healthcare cluster to ask for a referral to a gynaecologist for an abortion, a 60 per cent increase from the 210 in 2018. 

Of them, more than 10 per cent had records of repeated referrals for abortions. 

The study, titled “Surveillance of Abortion and Family Planning in Primary Care”, is the first of its kind. It is aimed at identifying the profile of women who visited polyclinics for a referral on their unplanned pregnancy, and if there was an increasing trend.

Women seeking referrals were more likely single, aged below 20 or above 40 years of age, and from poorer households, it found.

Foreign women made up about 16 per cent of women referred for unplanned pregnancy, with an almost two-fold increase from 2017 to 2019, which the main author of the research paper, Ms Stephanie Quak described as a “growing concern”.

“Every year, about 100 foreign domestic workers are sent home because they are discovered to be pregnant, which breaches the legislation. This number could be under-reported, as an unknown fraction of them may have proceeded with the abortion quietly,” said Ms Quak, a student at Duke-NUS Medical School.

“The rise may be due to issues, such as language barriers, poor awareness and knowledge of health, and lack of healthcare accessibility.”

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Commemorative Lee Kuan Yew coins available for walk-in exchange at bank branches from Dec 4

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SINGAPORE: The commemorative S$10 coins marking the 100th birth anniversary of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew will be available for walk-in exchange at bank branches from Dec 4.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced on Wednesday (Nov 22) that the general public can walk into 142 participating bank branches from Dec 4 to Dec 31 to exchange for the LKY100 coins.

Those who did not manage to apply online earlier, or those who would like to have more LKY100 coins, can walk in to exchange during this period. More than 700,000 coins will be available.

Members of the public should bring along their NRIC, passport, or work pass for the exchange. There is no restriction on the number of coins that can be exchanged, subject to stock availability at each bank branch, MAS said.

Those who applied for the coins earlier but have not collected them are reminded to do so at their designated bank branch by Dec 3. After this date, all uncollected and remaining coins will be made available for the walk-in exchange. 

A total of four million LKY100 coins were minted to meet the demand of over 700,000 applications for 3.3 million coins during the online application exercise, MAS said in August. The remaining coins were made available for the general exchange.

Successful applicants for the LKY100 coins were allocated a two-week collection period during the window of Sep 4 to Nov 26, and a designated bank branch to collect the coins.

The gold-coloured LKY100 coins, unveiled in May, are minted in aluminium bronze and have a diameter of 30mm, making them about 22 per cent larger than the Third Series S$1 coins currently in circulation.

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Chinese media missing the mark on Myanmar

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While many have expressed disappointment with the limited attention from the West regarding Myanmar’s political crisis, it is especially surprising that Myanmar’s neighboring countries have not exhibited more interest. 

A perusal of Chinese newspapers – Myanmar’s most substantial neighbor – reveals scant coverage of the Myanmar population’s distress and the resistance forces opposing the military junta, the State Administration Council (SAC).

This media oversight is not a coincidence. Politically speaking, the Chinese government may be apprehensive of its citizens drawing parallels or being influenced by Myanmar’s democratic struggles, especially in an era where information spreads rapidly across digital platforms.

In a heavily censored information environment, Beijing is not interested in providing news coverage about the violence inflicted by the SAC on its citizens or footage of armed rebellions by ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and the anti-military People’s Defense Forces. 

Despite the ongoing civil war, widespread resistance and associated violence, few in China are aware of what is going on in Myanmar. And even though Beijing has significant economic and strategic interests in Myanmar and has a strong preference for stability in the country, Chinese domestic media has been silent since the 2021 coup.

Much of China’s domestic population is not interested in learning about their neighboring countries. Despite China’s rapid ascent as a global powerhouse, there seems to be limited interest in the affairs of less affluent countries like Myanmar, perhaps except from those residing in Yunnan or areas directly bordering Myanmar. Attention is either focused domestically or oriented toward more developed nations in the West and East Asia.

Some of China’s neighboring countries, despite geographical proximity and historical ties, often find themselves overshadowed in public discourse, with their challenges and successes receiving less scrutiny from the average Chinese citizen. 

This has inadvertently marginalized the significance of Myanmar’s challenges, relegating them to the periphery of public discourse in China. It is an ironic situation, given the profound implications Myanmar’s stability and political changes hold for China. The woes of Myanmar – from its political upheaval to the struggles of its people – have limited resonance among the Chinese public.

But Myanmar has not disappeared from China’s domestic media coverage. The Chinese public’s primary interest in Myanmar revolves around its role as a hub for criminal networks involved in online scams.

These operations are often based in the border regions Myanmar shares with Thailand and China. These areas are marked by fragmented control among ethnic armed groups, militias and border guards and are exploited by criminal networks. 

They primarily target Chinese citizens but also those from other nearby countries, leading to significant financial losses and a surge in related crime. In response, the Chinese government has intensified its law enforcement efforts, either by collaborating with regional governments or directly intervening to combat these cross-border operations.

Myanmar has garnered a negative reputation in China, with some domestic media outlets portraying the country as a “living hell.” Reports often highlight how these criminal networks engage in scam operations, drug production and rampant human trafficking, describing accounts of the mistreatment and suffering of Chinese people. 

Some reports even sensationalize accounts of tourists being kidnapped from Thailand and smuggled across the border into Myanmar’s Kayin state.

Public outrage has compelled the Chinese government to adopt a more assertive stance concerning Myanmar’s internal matters. Beijing has pressured the SAC to cooperate in actions related to countering online scams. But Beijing recognizes that many territories where these scam operations are based are not under the SAC’s control.

China has also notably pressured some EAOs in Myanmar for cooperation. In September 2023, hundreds of criminals were repatriated from the Wa state across the Chinese border. At the same time, two Chinese courts have officially charged two leaders from the Wa state for involvement in scam operations. Reports suggest that more will be repatriated to China.

Amid the ongoing developments in Myanmar, China has primarily focused on matters that directly impact its own interests. The broader Chinese public seems either unaware or unengaged with Myanmar’s population and their concerns. 

This asymmetrical attention from China towards Myanmar warrants careful consideration in studies of the bilateral relationship between the two countries and in assessing the future of Chinese influence in Southeast Asia.

Enze Han is Associate Professor at the Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Hong Kong.

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PSLE results: 98.4% of students can progress to secondary school

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“To ensure smooth completion of their online submission, students should – in discussion with their parents 0 first consider their secondary school choices, make their decision, and complete the option form before logging on to the Secondary 1 internet system,” said MOE and SEAB. 

“When choosing a secondary school that would be a good fit for the student’s overall educational needs, strengths and interests, students and parents are encouraged to consider a holistic range of factors.

“This includes the school’s distinctive programmes, subject offerings, co-curricular activities, ethos, culture, location and support for special educational needs, if required.”

More information on the offerings by the 141 secondary schools taking part in the 2023 Secondary 1 Posting Exercise is available via MOE’s SchoolFinder website.

MOE and SEAB encouraged parents and students to take the time to explore the schools’ websites, social media pages, as well as take part in their open houses before making a decision. 

SECONDARY 1 POSTING RESULTS

The posting results will be released between Dec 20 and Dec 22. The posting results can be accessed through any of the following channels:

  • Short Message Service (SMS)
  • Secondary 1 internet system using the student’s birth certificate number/FIN and the S1 PIN
  • The student’s primary school

Students do not need to report to their posted secondary schools upon receiving their Secondary 1 posting results. They should instead refer to their posted schools’ websites for more information such as the reporting details, book list, and purchase of books and uniforms. 

Parents of the incoming Secondary 1 cohort who are on Parents Gateway will also receive instructions from their posted schools from the afternoon the posting results are released.

If students are unable to report to their posted secondary school on the first day of school in January 2024 due to valid reasons, they should inform the secondary school directly after receiving their posting results to confirm that they are taking up the place.

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Kratom-influenced gang killed student

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PUBLISHED : 22 Nov 2023 at 11:54

Kratom-influenced gang killed student
Dried Krathom leaves. (File photo: Pongpat Wongyala)

A 22-year-old man has allegedly told police he shot dead a teenage technical college student on Ranong 2 Road in Dusit district on Monday morning because he stabbed one of his gang members.

He also allegedly said they had consumed kratom-laced drinks before attacking the 16-year-old.

Dusit station chief Pol Col Traipop Paetrat said case investigators arrested  Akarapol Sirimekanon, 22, and an 18-year-old male identified only as Thanakorn on Tuesday.

They are suspects in the murder of Pongpeera, 16, a student at Dusit Technical College who was wearing his school uniform when slain on Monday morning.

The two suspects allegedly told police there were four of them and they had consumed kratom drinks before picking on the student. 

They said the victim was on his way to school, riding pillion on a friend’s motorbike. The approached him on their motorcycles.

Mr Akarapol, who works as a deliveryman and formerly went to school in the Thon Buri area, said there was an argument and alleged that Pongpeera had stabbed Thanakorn, who was riding pillion on another motorcycle. So he shot him.

Thanakorn is a former student of a technical college in Charansanitwong area.

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Now’s the time for Japan to join AUKUS

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In a report on the Indo-Pacific Tilt, the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee stated that there would be greater technology and security benefits if Japan joined its Strand B, or Pillar 2, cooperation in the development of advanced military technologies and increased interoperability between AUKUS members’ armed forces.

The committee’s report calls for the United Kingdom to propose to Australia and the United States that Japan, along with South Korea, participate in an AUKUS technical defense cooperation agreement focused solely on Strand B activities.

Strand B designates cooperation in advanced technology areas, including undersea capabilities, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, advanced cyber, hypersonic weapons, electronic warfare, innovation and information sharing.

These advanced capabilities are critical in reinforcing the integrated deterrence capabilities of the United States’ Indo-Pacific allies, including Japan.

Since Japan already has a defense cooperation framework for joint research and development with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, there is a foundation for AUKUS-Japan cooperation. But cooperation based on the current frameworks is project-based, with an emphasis on basic technologies rather than a list of priority capabilities, unlike AUKUS. 

For example, most of the joint research with the United States involves technologies directly related to equipment, such as next-generation amphibious technology and modular hybrid electric drive vehicle systems. Based on this background, Japan could considerably benefit from participating in AUKUS Pillar 2.

The AUKUS nuclear submarine deal is making ripples across the Indo-Pacific. Image: US Embassy in China

The Japanese government stated in the National Defense Strategy 2022 that leveraging cutting-edge technologies for defense has become critical. Japan, which has high technological capabilities, needs to cooperate with its allies and mobilize their technological capabilities to prepare for a long-term race for technological leadership. 

Because advantages in critical and emerging technologies covered by Pillar 2 of AUKUS will directly translate into military advantages, having access to these technologies will deter potential adversaries in the Indo-Pacific.

Given Japan’s declining economic power, its future science and technology investment will likely also decline. Japan can acquire critical and emerging technologies more efficiently by closely collaborating with allies and partners. Cooperation through an expanded AUKUS Pillar 2 agreement would allow its members to complement each other’s capability gaps and leverage economies of scale.

Most importantly, it will promote the internationalization of Japan’s defense industry. For a long time, the Japanese defense industry’s only client was the Japanese Ministry of Defense and Self-Defense Forces.

But they are undergoing major changes, relaxing the restrictions on defense equipment transfer and promoting exports. Strengthening ties between the defense industries of Japan and AUKUS members is a good opportunity to improve the Japanese industry’s competitiveness. 

In Japan, investment in critical and emerging technologies has been driven by civilian usage. In 2020, defense-related procurement from domestic manufacturers made up less than 1% of Japan’s total industrial production value.

The Japanese defense industry must become more internationally oriented. Although joint research and development takes time, the expanded AUKUS group can create an opportunity for Japanese defense manufacturers to learn the marketing and sales know-how of defense equipment from AUKUS partners.

But before it can join AUKUS, there are challenges Japan needs to overcome. The most critical issue is the lack of an adequate security clearance system. 

The Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets, the only existing law on information security in Japan, limits the scope of information that can be classified as state secrets to four areas: diplomacy, defense, prevention of espionage, and prevention of terrorism. 

It does not cover information in economic and technological fields, and without a security clearance system in these areas, Japanese manufacturers will struggle to access classified information in joint developments. Japan needs a security clearance system before it joins AUKUS.

Additionally, Japan is striving to become a major arms exporter like the United States and the United Kingdom, so there are concerns about potential conflicts of interest. The heart of AUKUS is reminiscent of Japan’s efforts to sell its conventionally-powered submarines in 2015. 

But considering the lead time to acquire effective deterrence capabilities in the critical theatre of the Indo-Pacific, this is not the time for commercial clashes. Japan should accept the division of labor within the extended AUKUS framework.

Given the military-oriented nature of AUKUS, Japan joining AUKUS would signal to China that it is part of the “integrated deterrence” network the United States promotes.

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers conducting an exercise in the Philippine Sea in February 2018. Photo: US Navy via AFP
The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers conducting an exercise in the Philippine Sea in February 2018. Photo: US Navy

Considering that China, Japan, and South Korea are working together to revitalize the dialogue channel through the Japan-China-South Korea trilateral summit, policymakers in Tokyo may feel that the timing is inappropriate.

But the security environment in East Asia is more dire than ever, and technology implementation takes years, especially the critical and emerging technologies that define future victories. The United States has also expressed a positive attitude toward the expansion of AUKUS’ Pillar 2 membership. 

Japan cannot afford to delay its efforts to strengthen its defense industrial base with these technologies. Now is the time to accelerate discussions on Japan’s participation in AUKUS.

Rena Sasaki is a PhD student at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University and a Fellow of the Pacific Forum’s Next Generation Young Leaders Program.

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

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