Structure collapses at Tanjong Pagar work site, one worker reported missing

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“We are deploying heavy machinery at (the) site to be utilised in the cutting and lifting operations,” Colonel Firoz Ramjan, commander of the 1st SCDF Division, told reporters at the scene.

“Apart from the missing worker, our rescuers will also carefully comb the entire area to ensure no one else is left trapped,” said Colonel Firoz, who is also the incident commander for the operation.

A video sent to CNA showed a collapsed structure, with debris falling out of the construction hoarding and onto the pavement outside the work site.

Multiple SCDF and police vehicles were seen, while a road was cordoned off.

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Worker missing after building structure collapses at Tanjong Pagar work site

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“VERY SHOCKING”

An employee at Napolizz Pizza, located across the affected site, said she saw police running towards the scene of the incident.

“Then we saw people started to walk (that way) and that’s when we went out and saw that the building had collapsed,” said the 29-year-old, who only wanted to be known as Ms Avinisha.

Mr Chen Xiao Wei, who works across the road at Anson House, said he felt a “vibration” at about 2pm but did not hear anything.

“It was not so strong but can feel something. Then my colleague told me that the building collapsed,” said the 50-year-old, who works on the 12th floor.

Mr Kartik Vaidya, who also works at Anson House, said he was extremely concerned about the safety of workers when he first learnt of the collapse.

“This building has been undergoing demolition works for a few months now and so every week, when I come down, I see the levels coming down,” he said.

“To see that it has collapsed was very shocking.”

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Excise director axed for supporting oil smuggling

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An excise director has been suspended and will face severe disciplinary action for trying to persuade police to release an oil-smuggling truck, according to the Excise Department.

An investigation found that the director for crime prevention and suppression was the individual who made a phone call to a police officer, requesting the release of the truck that was transporting 15,000 litres of smuggled oil, Excise Department deputy director-general Kriangkrai Pattanaporn said on Thursday. 

On June 3, Anti-Corruption Division police stopped the truck and apprehended its 47-year-old driver, identified only as Sombat, in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. The truck was allegedly en route from the southern provinnce of Songkhla to the central province of Pathum Thani.

The director, whose identity has been withheld, was suspended on Tuesday and will face serious disciplinary measures, Mr Kriangkrai said.

The department is also expanding its investigation to determine if any other officials were involved, he said.

Earlier, crime activist Atchariya Ruangratanapong said the truck was part of a big oil-smuggling network.

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Phuket's diarrhoea outbreak wanes, cause still unknown

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Health officials check a drinking water plant in Phuket after a diarrhoea outbreak in June 2023. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)
Health officials check a drinking water plant in Phuket after a diarrhoea outbreak in June 2023. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)

PHUKET: A diarrhoea outbreak in this southern resort island province is subsiding, while health officials have not yet determined its cause.

Dr Kittisak Aksornwong, inspector of the 11th Health Region, which covers Phuket, said on Thursday that the number of diarrhoea patients in Phuket began to rise on June 6, with 383 cases, and the cases peaked at 1,238 on June 9.

Starting from June 10, the number of patients started to decline, with 808 cases, followed by 659 cases on June 12 and 376 cases on June 13.

The largest group of patients, accounting for 26.23% of all cases, were aged 25-34 years old, followed by individuals aged 15-24 years (19.20%), 34-44 years (14.12%), 5-9 years (10.76%) and 10-14 years (10.44%).

Most patients exhibited mild symptoms, and only 13.32% of all patients were admitted to hospitals. About 75% of the patients had norovirus while the rest showed no signs of suspicious diseases, Dr Kittisak said.

Despite the improving situation, disease investigation and surveillance are ongoing, he said.

Phuket health chief Dr Koosak Kookiatkul said health officials had examined samples from six ice factories and three majoring drinking water plants in Phuket, but they did not find any signs of suspicious diseases.

Dr Koosak’s office warned local administrative organisations and schools to maintain cleanliness of their water and food containers.

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Four police, villager hurt in Yala roadside bombing

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Police and soldiers inspect the scene of a roadside bomb blast in Raman district of Yala on Thursday morning. (Photo: NBT Yala Radio Facebook page)
Police and soldiers inspect the scene of a roadside bomb blast in Raman district of Yala on Thursday morning. (Photo: NBT Yala Radio Facebook page)

Four police officers providing protection for teachers and one villager were hurt in a roadside bomb attack in Raman district of Yala province on Thursday morning.

The blast occurred on a local road at Na Toey village Moo 3 in tambon Kotabaru, said police at Kotabaru station. The incident was reported at around 7.10am.

Upon arrival, the officers found a partially damaged police pickup truck parked about 50 metres away from the scene. The vehicle’s left side was perforated by bomb shrapnel. 

The blast left a deep crater about 5×3 feet on the road. Pieces of the bomb and iron rods were scattered over the area.

Pol Sub-Lt Abdulrosa Masaning, deputy crime suppression chief at Kotabaru station; Pol Sgt Maj Natthawut Paduka and Pol Sgt Maj Masaidee Karee suffered from chest pains and a ringing in the ears, while Pol L/C Theeradol Signsrisanti sustained neck injuries. One local resident whose name was not identified suffered from a chest pain. 

According to a police investigation, the injured officers were members of a police team providing protection for teachers at Ban Na Toey School. Pol Sub-Lt Abdulrosa was head of the team.

When their pickup truck, driven by Pol L/C Theeradej, drove past the area, a home-made bomb, weighing about 5 kilogrammes, which was hidden in roadside grasses along the road, was detonated remotely with a communication radio .

Pol Col Supakorn Phuengros, deputy Yala police chief, led a team of bomb disposal officers, soldiers and forensic officers to inspect the scene. The road section was cordoned off.

Police initially believed the explosion was the work of insurgents wanting to create unrest in the deep South.

A police patrol pickup truck is partly damaged in a roadside bomb blast in Raman district of Yala on Thursday morning. (Photo: Abdullah Benjakat)

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Healthcare, maritime sectors tackle local talent shortage by redesigning jobs, creating work stints for undergraduates

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“Physiotherapy is a highly-skilled profession and the training is complex. You need to attract the correct candidates with the right attributes and fit. In particular, the shortage is in the area of experienced therapists,” said Associate Professor Ong Peck Hoon, programme leader for physiotherapy at SIT. 
 
“(While) we look at the training of new graduates, we also need to think about the training of experienced therapists, in order to support their development.”
 
An initiative by SIT is also in place to allow students to volunteer at clinics.
 
This will help them gain working experience, and better prospects of a full-time role in the sector.

SOME ROLES IN MARITIME, AGRICULTURE HARDER TO FILL

However, some experts said other roles such as those in maritime and agriculture may be even harder to fill.
 
“The perception is that (those occupations are) more archaic and blue-collar pursuits, and side by side, far less glamorous than your banking jobs, health care jobs,” said Mr Richard Bradshaw, managing director for Asia at recruitment firm Ethos BeathChapman. 
 
To attract more talent, the maritime sector is redesigning some job roles. It is also raising the appeal of one role that ensures safe ship operations and compliance.

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Total employment in Singapore grows for 6th straight quarter: MOM

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“Looking ahead, employment growth is likely to moderate given the weaker external demand outlook and downside risks in the global economy,” said MOM.

UNEMPLOYMENT, RETRENCHMENTS 

Overall unemployment rates remained low at 1.8 per cent, said MOM.

“Even though the economic outlook has weakened, residents have yet to encounter more difficulties with job search,” it added.

Retrenchments continued to increase in the first quarter to 3,820 – an increase from 2,990 in the fourth quarter of 2022. 

The rise in retrenchments – for the third consecutive quarter – was mainly driven by the electronics manufacturing, information and communications and financial services sectors, said MOM.

“Retrenchments in other sectors have remained stable,” the ministry added.

The Manpower Ministry said that retrenchments were mainly due to reorganisation or restructuring at 47.7 per cent, while 19.4 per cent were due to recession or downturn.

“Among retrenched residents, majority (71.7 per cent) of those retrenched in 3Q 2022 were able to find new jobs by 1Q 2023. The rate of re-entry has fared well compared to the pre-pandemic level of 65.9 per cent (4Q 2019).”

MOM noted that the labour market tightness eased as job vacancies declined for the fourth consecutive quarter to 99,600 in March 2023.

While the ratio of job vacancies to unemployed persons remained high at 2.28, it declined from December 2022 (2.33).

GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES

MOM advised employers and workers to press on with business and workforce transformation, and make full use of government programmes to adapt to the changing environment. 

These government programmes include Jobs Transformation Maps and Workforce Singapore’s Career Conversion Programmes.

This would help both employers and workers to “remain competitive and resilient amidst a backdrop of a global economic slowdown and a more uncertain business environment”, said the ministry. 

On MOM’s latest labour market report, NTUC assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday that there were some “positive observations”, including the overall unemployment rate at 1.8 per cent and the growth in total employment – excluding migrant domestic workers – in the first quarter of the year.

However, he noted the increase in retrenchments compared with the previous quarter, adding that “structural challenges such as skills and jobs mismatches continue to be one of the main causes of unemployment”.

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Prices of commercial shophouses projected to rise due to higher demand, limited supply: Analysts

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Huttons Real Estate Group’s senior research director Lee Sze Teck said: “There are lesser restrictions on ownership for commercial shophouses … (even if) you buy a second one. Moving forward, we think there will be increasing interest in the shophouse market.”

For a shophouse with mixed commercial and residential use, however, the residential component is still subject to ABSD for foreign investors. This also applies to local buyers who already own a residential property in Singapore.

Furthermore, Singaporeans, permanent residents and foreigners are all subject to the buyer’s stamp duty (BSD) of up to 6 per cent for the residential component and up to 5 per cent of the commercial component of the shophouse. 

LIMITED SUPPLY

Market watchers said a limited supply of such properties has also led owners to raise prices due to higher offers from buyers.

With just about 6,500 conserved shophouses in Singapore, the quantity is not enough to meet the appetites of investors.

“The main attraction of shophouses is scarcity,” said Mr Lim. “Shophouses are seen as a limited supply asset. They are seen as a good form of capital appreciation as well as wealth preservation.”  

About 60 per cent of these shophouses are located in central areas like Rochor, Outram and Downtown core, which command higher prices.

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