SINGAPORE: People’s Park Complex may be considered for conservation due to its “high heritage significance” and the collective sale effort should take that into account, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on Friday (Dec 22). Completed in Chinatown in 1973, People’s Park Complex was the first mixed-use commercial and residentialContinue Reading
Phitsanulok-based firearms reviewer says all weapons are legally owned by his father
PUBLISHED : 22 Dec 2023 at 20:34
UPDATED : 22 Dec 2023 at 20:36
PHITSANULOK: The owner of a house where large quantities of weapons and ammunition were found on Friday has told police that all the weapons are legally registered in the name of his father.
Trinsak Wachirasrisirikul, who reviews firearms on the YouTube channel Tacticool BoB and has nearly 20,000 subscribers, was the target of a police search at his home in Muang district on Friday.
A combined team of officers from the Police Cyber Taskforce and local police, armed with a warrant, searched the house at a housing estate in tambon Ban Krang. The operation was part of a stepped-up public safety campaign ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivals.
The search found 87 guns of various types, 4,576 rounds of ammunition and seven magazines, said Pol Maj Nikhom Kheunopparat, chief of Phitsanulok police.
Mr Trinsak, 33, told police that the weapons had been passed down from his father and were all legally registered in his father’s name.
Wiset Wachirasrisirikul, 65, subsequently confirmed his son’s story, saying he had collected weapons for 40 years.
Mr Wiset, a businessman in Phitsanulok and former chairman of the provincial chamber of commerce, said he would show police documents to verify his ownership of the weapons on Saturday.
Police are now in the process of determining whether the ownership of the weapons has been officially transferred to Mr Trinsak. If there is no record of ownership transfer, he could face charges related to unauthorised possession of firearms and ammunition, said Pol Maj Nikhom.
Police display seized firearms and ammunition at a YouTuber’s house in Phitsanulok province on Friday. (Photo: Chinnawat Singha)
Wiset Wachirasrisirikul, 65, the father of YouTuber Trinsak, says all the guns and ammunition found in his son’s house belong to him. (Photo: Chinnawat Singha)
SINGAPORE: The latest wave of COVID-19 cases in Singapore has possibly peaked, and there is no need for additional measures, like a mask mandate, to be implemented, said Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung on Friday (Dec 22). However, having about 600-700 hospital beds taken up by COVID-19 patients isContinue Reading
SINGAPORE: More than 40,000 Grab passengers were overcharged due to the mobile application using outdated Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) rates, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Public Transport Council (PTC) said on Friday (Dec 22).
The authorities had received feedback that some Grab passengers were overcharged for trips.
LTA established that this was due to inaccurate ERP charges being applied to fares, and directed Grab to go through its data to identify other trips where passengers might have been similarly overcharged and to take corrective measures.
Grab found that the outdated ERP rates were applied to the final fares for 60,787 trips from Nov 20 to Dec 4.
“This error affected 40,431 passengers, with excess ERP charges generally ranging from S$1 (US$0.76) to S$3 collected for the large majority of affected passengers,” said LTA and PTC.
“We understand from Grab that the ERP charges have been updated in their backend system and it has since taken action to reimburse all affected passengers.”
Last month, ERP rates were reduced by S$1 for a few gantries during the school holiday period.
“While Grab had earlier scheduled a revision to the ERP rates for these gantries, a temporary backend syncing issue prevented the Automated ERP feature from populating the updated rates,” the company said in response to CNA’s queries.
As a result, trips that passed through the affected gantries were overcharged.
The company said it impacted “a very small percentage” of rides between Nov 20 and Dec 4.
SINGAPORE: Some retailers along Orchard Road are noticing a quieter year-end, with thinner crowds and the traditional holiday season spending splurge missing in action.
Half of the 20 sales representatives who spoke to CNA on Friday (Dec 22) said they have seen a drop in footfall this month, with sales taking a hit compared to the same period last year.
One reason could be that many Singaporeans have gone overseas for a year-end holiday. At the same time, tourist arrivals have not fully recovered, the retail representatives said.
Other contributing factors include concerns about inflation and the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, as well as a persistently-weak Malaysian ringgit luring locals to take their spending across the Causeway.
Ms Mademoiselle Recto, who works at the Converse store in Ion Orchard, noted that daily takings at the till have dipped to about S$3,000 (US$2,260) this month, down from a range of S$4,000 to S$5,000 last year.
“It’s not as good as last year. (We) don’t see many people around,” she said.
In neighbouring Wisma Atria shopping mall, a salesperson at Porter International said business on weekdays has been generally slow this month. Weekends may see around 20 to 30 “serious” shoppers, but only half make an actual purchase.
“Maybe (it’s) because people are overseas, maybe (it’s) because of the economy … It’s been very slow for us, even slower than (the) last few years,” said the salesperson who declined to be named.
Over at the Isetan department store in Shaw House, a shoe promoter by the name of Serena said footfall and sales are down by about 30 per cent this month, versus the same period last year.
“It is very quiet in Orchard Road,” she told CNA. “I think many people (have gone) on a holiday or maybe people are scared of COVID-19.”
A fellow promoter, Mr Tan, chimed in to say that sales have also been subdued due to a lacklustre tourist crowd.
Latest figures from the Singapore Tourism Board showed a fourth straight month of declines in Singapore’s international visitor arrivals for the month of November. At 1,100,459, it was a 2.3 per cent dip from the 1,125,954 visitors in October, albeit still 34.8 per cent higher than the 816,340 visitors recorded in November last year.
Industry players and observers have attributed the slower recovery in tourist numbers to higher inflation and the stronger Singapore dollar.
SINGAPORE: Up to a dozen F-15SG fighter jets from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) could be stationed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, which is set to be the fourth RSAF detachment on US soil and the closest one to Singapore.
More details of the permanent fighter training detachment were revealed in a press release issued on Dec 13 by the US Department of the Air Force, which has proposed the bedding down of up to 12 RSAF fighter aircraft and associated mission support at Andersen Air Force Base.
This builds upon a memorandum of understanding signed in 2019 by Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the US Department of Defense.
The agreement laid out the framework for the Guam detachment, which will allow RSAF to quickly redeploy and recall assets back to Singapore when required.
On Friday (Dec 22), a MINDEF spokesperson told CNA that access to vast airspace overseas “allows the RSAF to overcome local airspace constraints, and conduct high-end, realistic training to hone its operational competencies”.
“Overseas training detachments are integral to meeting the RSAF’s training requirements,” the spokesperson added.
“MINDEF will continue to work closely with the US Department of Defense and the relevant agencies, to ensure that the RSAF’s requirements are met in a cost-effective and timely manner.”
The Singapore Armed Forces has trained in Guam since the 1990s, while RSAF has previously deployed fighter aircraft to Andersen Air Force Base for training with the US Pacific Air Force.
The MINDEF spokesperson said that the establishment of any long-term overseas detachment “requires careful and in-depth feasibility studies from all involved parties”.
In its press release earlier this month, the US Department of the Air Force said it initially issued a notice of intent in April 2021 to prepare an environmental impact statement for infrastructure upgrades at Andersen Air Force Base.
This includes environmental impact studies, as well as studies that look at factors such as suitability of the location and training area, infrastructure, and logistics support.
The environmental impact statement was subsequently paused to further consider its scope, including “the requirements of evolving strategic initiatives in the Indo-Pacific” region.
The US Department of the Air Force said it is now considering the bedding down and mission support of up to 12 RSAF F-15SG fighter aircraft.
“The purpose of the proposed action is to provide critical infrastructure that enhances US posture west of the international date line,” it added.
Construction of upgrades would take place over about three to seven years. These include an aircraft hanger, maintenance and utilities buildings, and fuel systems.
In identifying Andersen for “enhanced capabilities”, the US dismissed five other potential alternative locations within the Pacific Air Forces area of responsibility for consideration.
The public has 30 days from Dec 15 to submit comments on the revised proposal.
RSAF currently has two other fighter detachments in the US: The Peace Carvin II F-16 fighter detachment at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, and the Peace Carvin V F-15SG fighter detachment at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. It also has an AH-64 Apache helicopter detachment at Marana in Arizona.
Apart from the US, RSAF has overseas training detachments in Australia and France.
70 passengers and crew from wave-battered vessel brought safely to tourist island
PUBLISHED : 22 Dec 2023 at 17:08
SURAT THANI: All passengers, mainly foreign tourists, and crew were safely rescued after a night ferry travelling to the popular tourist island of Koh Tao was hit by high waves before it sank on Friday morning.
The T. Sandee Maneesap 111, a vessel of 115 gross tonnes, was smashed by waves as high as 3 metres in the Kong Hin Tung Ku area, about 4 nautical miles from shore off Koh Tao. Seawater entered the vessel and damaged its water pumps, said officials at the Koh Tao rescue radio centre who were alerted at 8am on Friday.
The ferry was carrying about 70 passengers and crew.
Speedboats and other craft dispatched to the spot with rescue workers and police arrived at 9.10am to help those on board the stricken vessel. They were taken to two other boats and brought safely to the Koh Tao pier.
The ferry later sank about 10.30am.
Passengers are transferred from the ferry T. Sandee Maneesap 111 to another boat. (Photo supplied/Supapong Chaolan)
According to police, the ferry, owned by Paithoon Khongchan, left the Surat Thani municipal pier at 11pm on Thursday and was scheduled to reach Koh Tao at 5am on Friday.
The navy’s Second Fleet sent the Tor 112 patrol boat to inspect the scene and search for the bags and belongings of the passengers. Navy divers were preparing to examine the sunken ferry.
An initial investigation found the number of passengers did not exceed the limit.
The Meteorological Department earlier warned of strong wind and waves in the Gulf of Thailand and heavy to very heavy rain on the eastern coast of the southern region from Friday through Tuesday. Small boats were advised to stay ashore during this period.
Passengers from the stricken ferry arrive at Koh Tao. (Photo supplied/Supapong Chaolan)
Rented vehicle catches fire at intersection near Chang Arena
PUBLISHED : 22 Dec 2023 at 16:55
BURI RAM: Five members of an Indonesian car racing team escaped unhurt after a rented car they were travelling in caught fire while stopping for a red light in Muang district on Friday.
The incident occurred at 10.30am in front of the Chang Arena football stadium, said Pol Lt Gen Adichart Meesa, deputy superintendent for investigation at the Muang district police station.
Police and rescuers from a charity foundation rushed to the intersection along with a fire engine. They found a Toyota Vios engulfed in flames at the intersection on the Buri Ram-Prakhon Chai road.
Firefighters sprayed water at the burning car and put out the fire in 20 minutes, but the car was severely damaged.
Five Indonesian men, members of a racing team, managed to escape when the fire started.
The driver said they had rented the car in Bangkok and travelled to Buri Ram to see the Buriram International Circuit, a car racing stadium.
When the car stopped for the red right at the intersection, an explosion went off and the car caught fire. They jumped out with some belongings before the flames started to spread.
Police are examining the wreckage to find the cause of the blaze.
Rescue workers douse the burning car with water. (Photo: Surachai Piragsa)
(Photo: Surachai Piragsa)
At Downtown East, which is seeing almost full occupancy rate for its D’Resort accommodation and higher-than-usual foot traffic at its water theme park and shopping premises, management has extended the need for security awareness to even tenants.
“No success can be achieved without the communities’ involvement. With an effective TOPSIS framework in place, potential suspicious activities can be addressed swiftly,” said Ms Felice Low, director of infrastructure at NTUC Club, which manages the hub.
The programme was first conceptualised in 2007 and is being continually reviewed and enhanced to make sure it stays up to date.
It has been progressively rolled out to areas with high traffic and limited security resources, such as tourism, public transport, and religious and education sectors.
“Our TOPSIS partners have trained and engaged their communities to play a part in recognising, reporting and resolving tell-tale indicators to complement the efforts of the police to keep their premises safe and secure,” said the SPF’s assistant director of the Security Programmes Centre for Protective Security Bridget Goh.
Mr Wilbur Sim, director of the SGSecure Programme Office, said: “Every little action counts. Our strongest defence against terrorism is our collective vigilance. We should work hand in hand together with our security agencies, and play our part in keeping Singapore as well as our family and friends safe and secure.”
Hawkins was monitored closely for the rest of the flight, and he was compliant, remaining in his seat.
The plane landed at a remote location at Changi Airport, where airport police set up a cordon. Airport staff and police officers were activated.
The K9 unit performed checks and the airport emergency services were also activated in case there was a fire from a bomb blast.
Checks of the luggage and belongings of Hawkins and his wife revealed nothing incriminating. He was escorted out of the plane and arrested at about 9.10pm.
The plane was towed along the tarmac to a gate at Terminal 1, and the 11 crew members and the remaining 362 passengers got off the plane at about 9.20pm.
They reboarded the plane at about 10.45pm and departed for Perth at about 11.40pm – a total of about seven hours’ delay.
Hawkins was remanded for psychiatric assessment at the Institute of Mental Health and found to have suffered a relapse of schizophrenia along with an episode of major depressive disorder around the time of the offence that contributed to his offending.
However, he was not of unsound mind and was fit to plead in court.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Chua asked for four to six months’ jail for Hawkins, saying bomb hoaxes are “particularly pernicious” in the present climate and citing the difficulty of determining from the outset if a threat was genuine or not.
Substantial resources were deployed to combat the perceived threat, said Ms Chua.
She cited three aggravating factors – the first being that the bomb hoax was made on a plane where there was no means of escape and parties were forced to remain on board and “endure the stress”.
Second, there were significant disruptions to other passengers, and the “frustration and distress caused” cannot be understated, she said.
Fighter jets, airport and police staff had to be mobilised, with the net effect being “a severe drain on public resources”, said Ms Chua.
Defence lawyer S S Dhillon asked for four months’ jail for his client, who is a forklift operator in Australia.
Hawkins is married with no children, said Mr Dhillon. His father suffers from bipolar disorder and his mother had major depression with anxiety, so his mental condition “is sort of inherited from his family”, said the lawyer.
He said Hawkins was previously hospitalised for psychotic episodes in 2019 and suffered no relapses until the current incident.
Mr Dhillon stated in his written mitigation plea that Hawkins had gone to Thailand for a holiday with his wife and stayed with her parents there.
Hawkins felt suspicious as he felt left out of family activities and began hearing a repetitive voice telling him to divorce his wife. He also began feeling that his wife did not love him and felt that her family members were talking about him, said Mr Dhillon.
The lawyer said Hawkins felt the plane would crash when he boarded the Scoot flight, as he thought people were looking at him suspiciously and speaking about him.
He felt it was better if he was arrested and put into a mental hospital for the rest of his life, so he did not have to face his social problems.
Hawkins posted on his Facebook account that he was going to murder his wife when they returned to Perth, but he deleted this.
Then, he told the crew he had a bomb, hoping to be arrested in Perth but not knowing he would cause the plane to return to Singapore and inconvenience others, said Mr Dhillon.
“He just wants to get over this episode,” said Mr Dhillon. “Return back home, and continue his treatment.”
In sentencing, District Judge Elton Tan said an empty threat such as in this case is both “expensive and wasteful”, causing “considerable disruptions to the lives of innocent parties”.
False threats often have the potential to exact and often do exact considerable private and public costs, said Judge Tan.
However, he accepted two mitigating factors in Hawkins’ favour – his plea of guilt, a sign of contrition, and his mental disorders which contributed to the offence.
“He did not know at the time the extent of the inconvenience he would cause,” said the judge, citing a psychiatric report.
However, despite Hawkins’ understanding of the situation being distorted by his mental condition, he still knew what he was doing, said Judge Tan.
He urged Hawkins’ family to help him seek the necessary psychiatric care upon his release and allowed the jail term to be backdated to his first date of remand in October.