Singapore rolls out multi-agency effort to make pre-planning for old age more accessible
COMMUNITY OUTREACH EFFORTS
To encourage more people to plan for old age, the government has launched a series of community outreach efforts such as roadshows.
The campaign comes after a recent survey by the Public Service Division found that more than one in 10 Singaporeans lack knowledge about the LPA, and nearly 20 per cent did not know how to make advance care plans.
Agency for Integrated Care chief executive officer Tan Kwang Cheak said the aim is to make it easier and more convenient for people to be able to complete these care plans.
“The challenge for us is really to focus on the call to action, translating awareness to them actually coming through to… then complete their LPA or ACP together with a loved one or a spokesperson,” he noted.
As part of the campaign, the government will also roll out mobile clinics.
“There will also be free certification services, as well as advanced care planning facilitation sessions,” said Ms Regina Chang, a public guardian at the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).
“It will be rolled out over the course of the year at our various community touchpoints.”
Indonesia sees rising wildfire risk amid dry weather conditions
JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities said on Monday (Jul 24) the number of areas where a wildfire could occur has doubled over the past week due to dry weather, raising concerns over widespread forest fires even before the country hits peak dry season. The number of ‘hotspots’ recorded between Jul 17 andContinue Reading
Migrant worker rights groups in Singapore call for timeline to ban transporting workers in lorries
“By communicating an intention to ban this unsafe practice according to a timeline, we can send a powerful message about our commitment to ensuring the well-being of all workers in Singapore, regardless of their nationality or occupation.”
The statement called on the Transport Ministry to provide a timeline of measures that work towards the removal of an exception in the law that allows workers to be transported in lorries and a timeline for when workers can be transported safely on vehicles with seats and belts.
It pointed out that there are rules stating that equipment must be secured so that they do not fall or shift during transit.
But belts are not required for workers on lorries, which “increases the risk of injuries in case of a collision or abrupt stops”.
“We must build a society where empathy guides our actions, and where every individual can work and live in safety and dignity,” the statement said.
Earlier this month, MP Louis Ng (PAP-Nee Soon) raised an adjournment motion on the matter.
“Over the years, we have done so much to make transport safer for our children taking the school bus and soldiers in (Singapore Armed Forces) tonners, but we still continue to transport our workers in unsafe conditions on the back of lorries. Why the double standards?” he asked.
“The worker sitting on the back of a lorry is also someone’s son, brother or father, someone’s loved one,” he said.
In response, Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor said the number of injuries and fatalities has fallen, but the ministry does want to do more and do better.
She also highlighted challenges such as insufficient private buses and bus drivers, adding that a wider shift to mandate the use of buses to ferry workers would likely exacerbate the manpower crunch.
Covid-19 cases continue lower
PUBLISHED : 24 Jul 2023 at 16:16
The number of Covid-19 cases continues to drop, with the fatalities either elderly, people with a chronic disease or unvaccinated, public health permanent secretary Opas Karnkawinpong said on Monday.
Speaking after chairing a meeting of the committee monitoring the Covid-19 situation, Dr Opas said thatlast week 556 people were admitted to hospitals for treatment of Covid-19, an average of 79 per day, and 178 had a severe infection.
There were eight fatalities last week, or about one a day. All were of the “608 group” comprising people over 60, those with underlying diseases and pregnant women, or were unvaccinated or had a booster shot more than three months ago.
An analysis of the 749 Covid-19 fatalities in 2023, showed people in crowded communities had a high risk of catching the virus from other family members. He said 116 of those deaths were in Bangkok.
Dr Opas said it was still necessary to continue with the vaccination campaign.
15 dead, all missing passengers found after Indonesia boat sinks
KENDARI: At least 15 people were killed on Monday (Jul 24) after a wooden boat sank off the coast of Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, search and rescue officials said, adding that all missing passengers had been accounted for. The boat sank with 48 people onboard just after midnight, the local officeContinue Reading
UN Command says it is in ‘conversation’ with North Korea over US soldier
Most of the border between the two Koreas is heavily fortified. But at the JSA, the frontier is marked only by a low concrete divider and is relatively easy to cross, despite soldiers on both sides. The JSA has been closed to tourists since King’s border crossing, and it willContinue Reading
Man who deserted NS post since 1992 and came back because of COVID-19 gets 6.5 years’ jail
SINGAPORE: A man who had deserted his national service post with the Singapore Civil Defence Force in 1992 and left for the United Kingdom returned to Singapore more than 20 years later because of the COVID-19 situation.
Soh Choon Wee, now 50, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years’ jail by a district court on Monday (Jul 24) for three counts of desertion under the Civil Defence Act.
This is believed to be the longest jail term meted out for such an offence. Soh is also too old now to fulfil his NSF obligations.
The court heard that Soh enlisted as a full-time Construction Brigade national serviceman in December 1990.
He was posted to the Construction Brigade Monitoring Unit at Jalan Bahar Camp to continue his NS in October 1992.
Soh did not report for NS duty on Nov 16, 1992. He was arrested by the police at his registered address in March 1993 and instructed to report back to camp about a week later.
However, Soh did not report at camp and did not turn up for his court mention. Instead, he avoided arrest and stayed at a rental flat instead of his official address.
SCDF officers made multiple visits to Soh’s address in March 1993 but could not find him.
According to Soh’s lawyer, he worked part-time as a handyman until 1998, when he left Singapore and went to Malaysia via the causeway.
He then moved to the United Kingdom where he lived and worked in a Chinese restaurant.
In January 2021, 23 years after he had left the country, Soh returned to Singapore.
His mother had advised him to do so, as the COVID-19 situation in the United Kingdom was bad, the court heard.
Defence lawyer Wee Hong Shern also said that Soh returned because he “really missed his family” and his parents were getting old.
Soh was placed on stay-home notice for a few weeks before being arrested by SCDF for desertion from NS.
SENTENCING ARGUMENTS
The prosecution had asked for seven-and-a-half to eight-and-a-half years’ jail for Soh, pointing to a previous conviction for being absent without official leave.
She also highlighted the length of the desertion period, Soh’s evasion of arrest by not living at his registered address, and the fact that his current age prevents him from fulfilling his NSF obligations.
Mr Wee asked instead for four to five years’ jail. He said his client had thought that the authorities had “given him a chance” when he encountered no problems leaving Singapore for Malaysia in 1998.
He worked as a “wash-up crew” member for £150 (S$257) a week in a Chinese restaurant in the UK.
Mr Wee said Soh suffered a stroke that required an operation in March 2021. He also has kidney failure, requiring dialysis treatments three times a week.
The judge noted that Soh had remained crime-free in the period of desertion and returned home voluntarily.
However, he noted that Soh was not only unable to fulfil his NSF obligations, but also his NS ones.
He said he did not find the personal circumstances cited by the defence “compelling”, as they do not amount to a strong mitigating factor.
“NS is vital to the security of Singapore and requires sacrifice from NSmen and their families,” said the judge.
Hong Kong market well positioned to benefit from China and wider global economic growth: HK stock exchange chief
“Now, offerings were a little bit smaller because the markets are a bit choppy, and therefore people prefer to wait and to time it a little bit more, or just to do a smaller offering,” he explained.
“In terms of capital rates, it’s a single percentage digit below last year. So it’s not that much, considering that globally it’s 40 per cent down.”
The HKD-RMB Dual Counter Model and the Dual Counter Market Making Programme will also help connect China and the rest of the world.
“Now there will be this unique opportunity to have Chinese domestic investment that can invest in international companies that decide to list in Hong Kong. This is very unique. There’s no other market that provides that strength,” said Mr Aguzin.
Mr Aguzin said the first half of the year has been a “stubborn” and “challenging” environment for Hong Kong stocks, with factors like high inflation and interest rates.
While it is exposed to such global developments, it is also uniquely positioned to benefit.
“It has this ability to be part of two systems in a way, and be part of China and be part of the international (system), which I think positions it very well,” said Mr Aguzin.
MFP rejects generals’ parties
PUBLISHED : 24 Jul 2023 at 15:28
Move Forward MPs resolved on Monday the party would not join a coalition government with the Palang Pracharath (PPRP) or United Thai Nation (UTN) parties.
The party announcement after the meeting said that PPRP was led by Gen Prawit Wongsuwon and UTN had Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha as its prime ministerial candidate.
Both were key figures in the coup d’etat on May 22, 2014, and there was a push to prolong their hold on power.
Voters showed through the May 14 general election that they wanted different people in government and MFP, as the election winner, was determined to form a new government and ensure they did remain in power.
Any attempt to form a government that went against the people’s decision would erode their faith in democracy, the announcement said.
Singapore, Hong Kong reaffirm close and longstanding relations
Earlier on Monday, Mr Lee was hosted to breakfast by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.
Mr Wong and Mr Lee affirmed the “warm and friendly” ties between Singapore and Hong Kong. They also exchanged views on cooperation across a wide range of areas, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora.
“As international financial centres, Singapore and Hong Kong enjoy close cooperation on fintech, information sharing, as well as supervisory and regulatory matters,” MFA said.
“With Singapore and Hong Kong playing complementary roles in their respective regions, both sides stand to benefit from further deepening collaboration, including in Southeast Asia and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.”
Singapore is the first leg of a week-long ASEAN trip for the Hong Kong chief executive.
He will also visit Malaysia and Indonesia, accompanied by top government officials and leaders from the finance, investment, business, legal, innovation and technology and logistics sectors, reported the South China Morning Post.