Boat catches fire at river pier
AYUTTHAYA: A tour boat, which was modified from a cargo barge made of teak wood, caught fire while being moored at a boat pier in Muang district in the small hours on Sunday. There were no casualties.
The incident was reported to police at about 1am at a boat pier near Wat Phanan Choeng in tambon Khlong Suan Phlu. Fire trucks and a rescuer unite were rushed to the spot.
The boat was engulfed in flames when they arrived. The rope which was used to tie the boat to the pier was burned by the fire and cut off, causing the boat to drift into the middle of the Chao Phraya river.
The burning boat was towed to the river bank where the fire was subsequently put out.
An investigation was underway to establish what caused the fire. The damage was being assessed.
Nobody was hurt as the boat was not being used but moored at the pier.
Most believe information operations waged during election: Nida Poll
Most people believe information operations had been waged by political parties during the lead-up to the May 14 election, both to smear rivals and to win popularity, according to a survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
The poll was carried out on May 18-22 by telephone interviews with 1,310 people aged 18 and over of various levels of education, occupations and incomes throughout the country to compile their opinions on information, both true and false, they received them during the election and disseminated on social media.
Asked whether they believed information operations had been waged by political parties on social media to attack or smear rivals, a majority or 56.49% said “yes” – 31.22% moderately and 25.27% highly. On the other side, 23.59% said “no”, definitely, and 19.31% said “no” but in a lesser degree. The rest, 0.61%, had no answer or were not interested.
Asked whether they believed political parties had waged information operations on social media to win popularity, a majority or 57.48% said “yes” – 30.08% moderately and 27.40% highly. On the other side, 22.06% said “no” definitely and 19.54% said “no” but in a lesser degree. The rest, 0.92%, had no answer or were not interested.
Asked whether they believed other countries had interfered in the election, a majority or 78.77% said “no” – 56.56% definitely and 22.21% in a lesser degree. On the other side, 8.17% said “yes”, highly, and 11.76% moderately. The rest, 1.30%, had no answer or were not interested.
Most believe misinformation used during election: poll
Most people believe political parties issued misinformation during the lead-up to the May 14 election, both to smear rivals and to win popularity, according to a survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
Asked whether they believed the parties used social media to attack or smear rivals, a majority or 56.49% said “yes” – 31.22% to a moderate degree and 25.27% a lot. On the other side, 23.59% said “definitely not”, while 19.31% said “yes, but only to a small degree”. The rest, 0.61%, had no answer or were not interested.
Asked whether they believed political parties had posted misinformation on social media to win popularity, a majority or 57.48% said “yes” – 30.08% to a moderate extent and 27.40% a lot. On the other side, 22.06% said “definitely not” and 19.54% said “yes, but only to a small degree”. The rest, 0.92%, had no answer or were not interested.
Asked whether they believed other countries had interfered in the election, a majority or 78.77% said “no” – 56.56% “not at all” and 22.21% “to a small degree”. On the other side, 8.17% said “yes, a lot” and 11.76% somewhat. The rest, 1.30%, had no answer or were not interested.
The poll was carried out on May 18-22 by telephone interviews with 1,310 people aged 18 and over of various levels of education, occupations and incomes throughout the country to compile their opinions on the information, both true and false, issued by the parties and disseminated on social media.
Chinese comedy group punishment sends chills through arts sphere
BEIJING: China’s recent punishment of a comedy studio has sent a chill through the country’s cultural sphere – a striking reminder of the increasingly limited public space for artistic expression under President Xi Jinping. Authorities last week fined Xiaoguo Culture Media millions of dollars and suspended their performances indefinitely afterContinue Reading
The Indian woman who writes exams for others who can’t
Pushpa In 2007, a blind man asked Pushpa to guide him across a busy road in Bengaluru, a teeming metropolis in southern India. After they reached the other side, he made another request which changed her life.
“He asked me if I could write an exam for his friend,” recalls Pushpa, who goes by one name.
She said yes, but when the day came, her excitement gave way to anxiety. She had never written an exam for someone else and didn’t know what to expect.
Many Indian students with physical or learning disabilities use a scribe to write exams on their behalf. They dictate answers to the scribe, who notes them down. As per government guidelines, scribes are not allowed to write for any subject they themselves have studied at university level. They can get a defined fee for exams conducted by the government, but most of the time, the work is voluntary.
“It was three hours of tension. The candidate was dictating the answers very slowly and was asking me to read out the questions again and again,” says Pushpa, who chose to help out for free.
But she did enough to help 19-year-old Hema (who uses one name) pass her school final exams.
Soon, an NGO working with blind people approached Pushpa for help and then other students. In the past 16 years, Pushpa has written over 1,000 exams, free of charge.
“Exam halls are like a second home for me,” she tells the BBC.
In addition to school and university exams, Pushpa has also helped candidates appearing in entrance exams and selection tests for government jobs.
“Now it is routine work for me. I don’t feel any stress,” she says, adding that the experience has helped her learn about many subjects she had no knowledge in – from history to statistics.
She has helped blind students, those with cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, autism, dyslexia and students incapacitated by accidents.
But it can be challenging sometimes. When working with students with cerebral palsy, which often impairs speech, Pushpa says she has to “concentrate hard and look at their [the students’] lip movements to try to understand words”.
But she takes it in stride. She has helped Karthik (he goes by one name), who uses a wheelchair, write 47 exams.
It was a crises that forged their long association. During a school exam, Kartik’s scribe left abruptly and Pushpa stepped in to help. The 25-year-old says he greatly appreciates her continual support since then.
“I’m lucky to get a scribe like Pushpa. Scribes are really like gods for us,” he says.
Working together for years has given them a great understanding of each other – Karthik has now graduated and is preparing for government clerical recruitment exams.
“I have written multiple exams for many students and each one has a unique story,” Pushpa says.
In the third week of March, Pushpa wrote a university degree exam paper for 19-year-old Bhoomika Valmiki.
Ms Valmiki, who is blind, uses tools that convert text to audio to study, but such apps cannot be used during exams.
“I can only move forward in my life if Pushpa writes for me,” Ms Valmiki says.
“Pushpa was very patient and waited till I finished my answers. She never distracted me and repeated my answers before writing them down,” she adds.
Most people who seek Pushpa’s help have struggled to get into university, yet she says her empathy won’t undermine her integrity.
“My job is to write what they say,” she says. “I have no choice when they ask me to tick a wrong answer or dictate a sentence which is grammatically incorrect. I can’t intervene.”
When students who speak other languages struggle to understand English words she translates the word for them. “That is the only help I give,” Pushpa says.
Pushpa comes from a poor family. After her father was injured in an accident, her mother worked hard to feed her and her brother.
“At one point, me and my brother had to drop out of school because we couldn’t pay fees,” she recalls.
A stranger stepped in to help and Pushpa says she volunteers as a scribe to give back this goodness to society.
She has taken up several small jobs over the years to make a living, but the past few years have been particularly hard.
In 2018, her father died and in 2020, her brother passed away. A year later, Pushpa, who was then unemployed, got some more bad news.
“In May 2021, my mother passed away. A few months later, in August, I wrote 32 exams. Some days I would write two exams.”
She says she found scribing therapeutic and helpful in overcoming her grief.
Her tireless work has not gone unnoticed. On 8 March 2018, she was honoured by the then Indian president, Ram Nath Kovind, for her efforts. She also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other award winners.
Pushpa now works in a tech start-up and gives motivational talks at corporate events.
But she still writes exams for those who cannot, and since she can speak and write in five Indian languages – Tamil, Kannada, English, Telugu and Hindi – there’s plenty of demand for her services.
“I give my time and energy. If I write an exam for someone, it changes their life,” she says.
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9 November 2022
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Why Australia decided to quit its vaping habit
AleksandrYu“The horse has bolted now, they are addicted,” says Chris, a high school teacher in New South Wales.
He’s talking about students in his class, teenagers, who can’t stop vaping.
He sees the effect of the candy-flavoured, nicotine-packed e-cigarettes on young minds every day, with children even vaping in class.
“The ones who are deepest into it will just get up out of their seat, or they’ll be fidgeting or nervous. The worst offenders will just walk out because they’re literally in withdrawal.”
Those who are most addicted need nicotine patches or rehabilitation, he says, talking about 13 and 14-year-olds.
Earlier this month the government decided enough is enough and introduced a range of new restrictions. Despite vapes already being illegal for many, under new legislation they will become available by prescription only.
The number of vaping teenagers in Australia has soared in recent years and authorities say it is the “number one behavioural issue” in schools across the country.
And they blame disposable vapes – which some experts say could be more addictive than heroin and cocaine – but for now are available in Australia in every convenience store, next to the chocolate bars at the counter.
For concerned teachers like Chris, their hands have been tied.
“If we suspect they have a vape, all we can really do is tell them to go to the principal’s office.
“At my old school, my head teacher told me he wanted to install vape detector alarms in the toilet, but apparently we weren’t allowed to because that would be an invasion of privacy.”
E-cigarettes have been sold as a safer alternative to tobacco, as they do not produce tar – the primary cause of lung cancer.
Some countries continue to promote them with public health initiatives to help cigarette smokers switch to a less deadly habit.
Last month, the UK government announced plans to hand out free vaping starter kits to one million smokers in England to get smoking rates below 5% by 2030.
But Australia’s government says that evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit is insufficient for now. Instead, research shows it may push young vapers into taking up smoking later in life.
‘Generation Vape’
Vapes, or e-cigarettes, are lithium battery-powered devices that have cartridges filled with liquids containing nicotine, artificial flavourings, and other chemicals.
The liquid is heated and turned into a vapour and inhaled into the user’s lungs.
Vaping took off from the mid-2000s and there were some 81 million vapers worldwide in 2021, according to the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction group.
Fuelling the rise is the mushrooming popularity of flavoured vapes designed to appeal to the young.
These products can contain far higher volumes of nicotine than regular cigarettes, while some devices sold as ‘nicotine-free’ can actually hold large amounts.
The chemical cocktail also contains formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde – which have been linked to lung disease, heart disease, and cancer.
There’s also a suggestion of an increased risk of stroke, respiratory infection, and impaired lung function.
Experts warn not enough is known about the long-term health effects. But some alarming data has already been drawn out.
In 2020, US health authorities identified more than 2,800 cases of e-cigarette or vaping-related lung injury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 68 deaths attributed to that injury.
In Australia, a major study by leading charity The Cancer Council found more than half of all children who had ever vaped had used an e-cigarette they knew contained nicotine and thought that vaping was a socially acceptable behaviour.
School-age children were being supplied with e-cigarettes through friends or “dealers” inside and outside school, or from convenience stores and tobacconists, the report said.
Teens also reported purchasing vapes through social media, websites and at pop-up vape stores, the Generation Vape project found.
“Whichever way teenagers obtain e-cigarettes, they are all illegal, yet it’s happening under the noses of federal and state authorities”, report author and Cancer Council chair Anita Dessaix said.
“All Australian governments say they’re committed to ensuring e-cigarettes are only accessed by smokers with a prescription trying to quit – yet a crisis in youth e-cigarette use is unfolding in plain view.”
In addition to the government’s move to ban the import of all non-pharmaceutical vaping products – meaning they can now only be bought with a prescription – all single-use disposable vapes will be made illegal.
The volume and concentration of nicotine in e-cigarettes will also be restricted, and both flavours and packaging must be plain and carrying warning labels.
But these new measures are not actually all that drastic, says public health physician Professor Emily Banks from the Australian National University.
“Australia is not an outlier. It is unique to have a prescription-only model, but other places actually ban them completely, and that includes almost all of Latin America, India, Thailand and Japan.”
‘We have been duped’
Health Minister Mark Butler said the new vaping regulations will close the “biggest loophole in Australian healthcare history”.
“Just like they did with smoking… ‘Big Tobacco’ has taken another addictive product, wrapped it in shiny packaging and added sweet flavours to create a new generation of nicotine addicts.”
“We have been duped”, he said.
Medical experts agree. Prof Banks argues that the promotion of e-cigarettes as a “healthier” alternative was a classic “sleight-of-hand” from the tobacco industry.
As such vaping has become “normalised” in Australia, and in the UK too.
“There’s over 17,000 flavours, and the majority of use is not for smoking cessation”, she tells the BBC.
“They’re being heavily marketed towards children and adolescents. People who are smoking and using e-cigarettes – that’s the most common pattern of use, dual use.”
Professor Banks says authorities need to “de-normalise” vaping among teenagers and make vapes much harder to get hold of.
“Kids are interpreting the fact that they can very easily get hold of [vapes] as evidence [they’re safe], and they’re actually saying, ‘well, if they were that unsafe, I wouldn’t be able to buy one at the coffee shop’.
But could stricter controls make it harder for people who do turn to vapes hoping to quit or cut down on tobacco?
“It is important to bear in mind that for some people, e-cigarettes have really helped. But we shouldn’t say ‘this is great for smokers to quit’, says Prof Banks.
“We know from Australia, from the US, from Europe, that two-thirds to three-quarters of people who quit smoking successfully, do so unaided.”
“You’re trying to bring these [vapes] in saying they’re a great way to quit smoking, but actually we’ve got bubble gum flavoured vapes being used by 13-year-olds in the school toilets. That is not what the community signed up for.”
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29 September 2022
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24 June 2022
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Wherever UTN goes, so must Prayut
The United Thai Nation (UTN) Party could join the coalition alliance if Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha remains in the group, said UTN secretary-general Akanat Promphan on Saturday.
However, Mr Akanat said the party will not join the coalition which the Move Forward Party (MFP) is trying to put together if Gen Prayut is excluded. Some have called for Gen Prayut to be left out of any such arrangement.
Nor would UTN agree to any attempt to change Section 112, the so-called lese majeste law, which is one of the coalition’s key policy planks. “The UTN’s newly-elected MPs can perform their duties regardless and the party needs to make sure the coalition has the same direction in politics,” he said.
“As for Gen Prayut, we nominated him as our prime ministerial candidate. Despite being defeated, he can still be the party’s strategy team chairman.” Asked what will happen if MFP and Pheu Thai fail to cobble together a government, he said the UTN has not thought that far ahead. “We’re focusing on the present.”
New parliament: PM Modi set to inaugurate building amid Opposition boycott
Government of IndiaPrime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate India’s new parliament building despite a boycott of the ceremony by 19 opposition parties.
The opposition has criticised the government for not asking the president to open the new building.
They also denounced the decision to hold the event on the birth anniversary of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called the boycott a “disrespect of democracy”.
The new parliament building is part of the government’s ambitious project to develop the Central Vista power corridor in capital Delhi.
On Sunday, as the new building is inaugurated, Mr Modi will also unveil a new 75-rupee coin to commemorate the event and serve as a tribute to 75 years of India’s independence.
Built in front of the colonial-era parliament, the new four-storey building – built at an estimated cost of 9.7bn rupees ($117.1m, £94.2m) – has increased seating capacity.
The Lok Sabha chamber, which will seat the lower house of the parliament, is designed in the likeness of a peacock, India’s national bird. The Rajya Sabha chamber, which will seat the lower house, is designed resemble the lotus, India’s national flower.
On Wednesday, 19 parties – including the main opposition Congress – announced their “collective decision” to boycott the inauguration ceremony.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi said that the building should have been inaugurated by President Draupadi Murmu, the parliament’s highest constitutional authority.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh also criticised the government’s decision to hold the event “on the birth anniversary of the man [Savarkar] who opposed Mahatma Gandhi vehemently all his life”.
Commentators say the row reflects a fractious milieu where the ruling party and the opposition are unable to reach an agreement on most issues.
“Both sides need to find a way out of the separate corners they have backed themselves into. They must do so because history will not forgive them if they won’t,” The Indian Express newspaper argued in an editorial. “They must do so, for the sake of the people, and for the people’s parliament.”
As the new parliament is inaugurated, it will also witness protests by India’s top wrestlers outside the building.
The wrestlers, including Olympic medallists, have been on a months-long protest at Jantar Mantar, a heritage site in the capital Delhi, demanding the resignation and arrest of their wrestling federation president, Brij Bhushan Singh
Singh, an influential lawmaker and politician from BJP, is accused of sexual abuse and harassment of female wrestlers – allegations he denies.
Read more India stories from the BBC:
- Indian wrestler whose ‘marriage bout’ no one could win
- The man who made Hindu nationalist politics acceptable
- India and Australia announce migration deal
- Is India batter Shubman Gill cricket’s next big thing?
- Indian wrestlers risk Olympic dream for ‘#MeToo’ protest
- Political row over India’s new parliament openingIndian banks start exchanging withdrawn top currency
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Industry up in smoke?
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by eight prospective parties on forming a coalition government could be bad news for advocates of the current freer cannabis policy.
Under the 23-point agreement, the Move Forward Party-led bloc has agreed to reinstate the plant as a narcotic drug under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Health and pass new laws supporting just certain beneficial uses while regulating all other use, cultivation, import and export of the plant.
The move marks a reversal of the cannabis policy which has become divisive and politicised due to the absence of an umbrella law to govern its use despite the introduction of regulations to prevent abuse, particularly by children.
With the sale of cannabis products spreading and a new industry flourishing in recent months, the prospective government will find it tough revoking the policy without stirring the pot among cannabis enthusiasts.
Cannabis use is ‘too liberal’
The proposed relisting of cannabis will allow authorities to work fully to control the abuse of cannabis, according to Pol Maj Gen Supisal Pakdinaruenart, a former list-MP for the MFP.
He said the absence of a specific law governing cannabis use has caused loopholes which prompted the Public Health Ministry to put cannabis on the list of controlled herbs under the Thai Traditional Medicine Protection and Promotion Act.
But many claim the move is insufficient to address concerns following the mushrooming of cannabis shops and the sight of people selling and smoking weed on the street, he said.
A cannabis cafe near a well-known all-girls school in the Silom area caused uproar and there is nothing authorities can do because there is no law controlling the location of such establishments.
“Cannabis buds are illegal while other parts can be used. But its use is way too liberal. Shops are popping up everywhere. This is against the objective, so many people want to recriminalise the plant,” said Pol Maj Gen Supisal, who is member of the House panel amending the narcotics laws.
He said people are not opposed to medical use of cannabis and it is better to issue clear-cut regulations supporting its beneficial uses rather than legalising the plant.
In his view, cannabis shops should not be allowed to open freely. Cannabis use must be supervised by doctors and cannabis-based products should face tighter regulations.
Asked about criticism that the cannabis policy is being politicised, he said: “Of course, we campaigned on it. It’s a political issue that we must push ahead and get it done. That’s the reason it’s there in the MoU.”
Supisal: Highlights lack of law
Relisting urged
Dr Adisak Plitapolkarnpim, director of Mahidol University’s National Institute for Child and Family Development (NICFD), said pediatricians support only medicinal uses to relieve pain, not recreational use.
However, decriminalisation has resulted in the widespread availability of cannabis-infused products and cannabis shops, and the regulations to control cannabis use are ambiguous, he said.
“It is against the law to sell cannabis products to pregnant women. Why don’t they entirely ban the use of cannabis in restaurants? Unlike cannabis use in the food industry which is regulated by the FDA, it’s hard to control cannabis use in food shops,” he said.
Asked about the economic impacts on entrepreneurs in the cannabis sector, Dr Adisak said he believes cannabis-related businesses are flexible and can adapt if cannabis is reclassified as a narcotic drug.
Adisak: ‘Hard to control eateries’
Sakulrat Thongtongkham, a 52-year-old office worker and mother of two, said reclassifying cannabis as a narcotic drug is a better option.
“When it was illegal, we didn’t see it being used like this. Now cannabis shops are all over the place…near schools, temples and communities. How can parents guard their kids when it can be accessed so easily?” she said.
She slammed parties that had advocated legalisation of cannabis without putting proper controls in place first, saying law enforcement is lax and state agencies are in the dark as to which regulations can be used to take action against vendors.
“I bet more than 90% is for recreational use. If it is for medical purposes, these shops must have doctors to prescribe it,” she said, adding that more measures such as zoning must be put in place to keep cannabis out of children’s reach for as long as this legal vacuum continues.
The public interest
Supachai Jaisamut, a member of the Bhumjaithai Party that successfully pushed for cannabis delisting and campaigned on the issue in the 2019 polls, said he was confident the bill pending House scrutiny will address such concerns.
The national committee on narcotic drugs will set guidelines for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the plant’s psychoactive ingredient. On criticism the current policy triggered an influx of illegally imported cannabis from abroad, he said the Customs Department must step up its efforts.
He said the value of cannabis-based products is estimated to be 40-50 billion baht, so it is best for all parties concerned to push for enactment of a law that allows cultivation for medical purposes and economic benefits.
Mr Supachai urged the MFP-led alliance and MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat to stop politicising the issue and put the people’s interest before anything, as he warned of possible protests from advocates of the current policy.
“The best way forward is to get the bill passed. If there are flaws, address them. Make it complete. People will soon start questioning why the MFP wants to break up a monopoly there while leaving untouched alcohol which has no benefits. It looks like hypocrisy to them,” he said.
Supachai: ‘Stop politicising the issue’
Alcohol yes but cannabis, no?
Daycha Siripatra, founder of the Khaokwan Foundation, who has been a vocal supporter of medical marijuana, said there is no reason to support relisting of cannabis as a drug.
Citing research by the Ministry of Public Health, he said medical cannabis was effective in treating cancer, Parkinson’s disease and migraines in 80% of the people who used it as a treatment. Another study in the US also found a reduction in drinking and substance abuse in states where cannabis cultivation is allowed.
“What diseases can alcohol cure? But there is evidence medical cannabis can treat several diseases,” he said, referring to the MFP’s progressive liquor policy.
Mr Daycha suggested that a national referendum should be held on the cannabis policy.
He also criticised Mr Pita for going back on his word about cannabis, saying the MFP leader had joined his campaign to declassify the plant when he was an election candidate in 2019 and praised the benefits of the plant.
“Now you’re bidding for prime ministership and you’re saying cannabis is harmful and must be put back. How can this come from the same person? We won’t allow it because this is about people’s health.
“And I think you’d better control alcohol. If you’re concerned, enact a law to control it like we do tobacco and smoking,” he said.
An owner of a cannabis shop in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area said any reversal of the policy would spell disaster for his business and more than 2,000 others across the country.
Zoning of cannabis shops should be introduced to address concerns, he said, adding some shops do not understand the regulations but said they are trying to comply as best as they can.
“It’ll be another disaster after the Covid-19 pandemic if there is a policy change,” he said.
Daycha: Suggests national referendum
A new tourism segment
Sanga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Business Association, said more than 40 cannabis-related operators are based in the area with initial investments of at least one million baht per business.
The economic value of cannabis-related businesses is estimated at 30 million baht per month, while the value of other businesses are 600 million baht per month, he said.
He said the current policy has drawn foreign visitors to Thailand who want to sample it for recreational use and seek it as an alternative treatment for illnesses. Entrepreneurs and investors see the potential of a new tourism sector, he said.
However, Mr Sanga said business operators are adopting a wait-and-see attitude after the MFP-led alliance announced a policy change which they believe would affect the country’s image and credibility.
He disagreed with relisting cannabis and urged the new government and lawmakers to move towards better regulation instead.
“The next part is to issue a law for better control, not for declaring it as illegal,” he said.
Sanga: Wants better regulations
Ex-accountant sells handmade beancurd with Taiwanese-style toppings at Hong Lim Market & Food Centre
FORMER ACCOUNTANT AND PART-TIME ADMIN EXEC
The couple graduated from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Ipoh with degrees in Commerce Accounting and Banking and Finance, but always dreamt of starting a food business together. The now-Singapore PRs relocated here eight years ago, where they worked corporate jobs in accounting and admin before calling it quits to chase their F&B dreams. Currently, Lau works full-time at DDSD, while Lee still works part-time in her admin job and tends the stall from 9am to 2pm.
Why sell beancurd? Lau said they “ate a lot of beancurd living in Ipoh”, and hence “know what the right texture” for the dessert should be. They learned how to make it with the help of “a few very good teachers – Google, YouTube and Xiaohongshu (a social media and e-commerce platform from China),” he added jokingly. He took a year to “measure every single (ingredient)” and formulate his recipes on Excel sheets, a skill he carried over from his years in accounting.
EARNING 75 PER CENT LESS THAN BEFORE
Lau told 8days.sg that they invested around S$20,000 into DDSD, and are paying over S$3,000 a month for rent. The duo aims to recover their costs in six months, but Lau shared that they’d only “managed to cover the rent” this past month. Unsurprisingly, he’s taken “more than a 75 per cent” pay cut.