No external signs of termite infestation in tree that pinned jogger in Marsiling Park, killing her: Coroner

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SINGAPORE: A coroner’s court has ruled the death of a jogger who was pinned by a tree in Marsiling Park a misadventure, adding that there were no external signs of the termite infestation that was eating away at most of the tree, which was 20m to 22m tall.

Ms Loke Xiao Li Dag, a senior technical coordinator at CNA studio, had gone for a jog in Marsiling Park on the morning of Feb 18, 2021, when the tree fell and pinned her.

Although a jogging couple who had taken an adjacent path went to help her, they could not lift the tree as it was too heavy. Ms Loke was released only when the tree was cut into three portions with chainsaws and the middle portion lifted.

However, by then there was no heart activity detectable from Ms Loke, who had sustained serious injuries. She was pronounced dead at the park at 8.50am the same day, with her cause of death certified to be multiple injuries.

Her brother, who went to the park with his family to make sense of what happened, said a National Parks Board (NParks) employee had whispered to him that there had been soil erosion.

The brother took a photo of the Araucaria excelsa tree in question and said an academic had given an interview to the media saying that there was nothing wrong with the tree. However, the brother felt that there was in fact an issue with the tree, based on the photo he took.

It was revealed during the coroner’s inquiry that the tree had in fact been infested with a subterranean species of termite.

NParks’ group director of the streetscape division, Mr Oh Cheow Sheng, testified that the termites had entered the tree trunk from underground and did not leave any externally visible sign.

The foliage did not show any sign of poor health, he said, as the living tissue of part of the tree was still functioning and sending water and nutrients to the upper part. 

The tree was one of several growing on the upper slope of a knoll at the park, on sandy clay with good drainage, the court heard.

The tree in question was estimated to be 20 to 30 years old, with a height of about 20m to 22m and a girth of 1.3m.

When the termites entered the tree, they consumed the hardwood of the centre and spread upwards and outwards, consuming 80 per cent of the internal wood.

At the time of the incident, only a band measuring about 2cm to 4cm thick of sapwood at the circumference of the tree was not consumed or degraded by the termites.

The structural integrity of the tree had been severely compromised, and it was inevitable that the tree would “fail” eventually, said the coroner.

The moderate gust in the park that morning, along with the force of gravity, was the final push that caused the tree to fall, he said.

INSPECTIONS DID NOT REVEAL INFESTATION

State Coroner Adam Nakhoda accepted the evidence given during the inquiry that the tree in question had been inspected and was reported to be in good condition, with no pests or disease observed.

All three reports for visual tree inspections conducted in October 2016, October 2018 and April 2020 had stated that the vigour of the tree was excellent, its foliage normal and its crown balanced.

Such a termite infestation, which is very rare, would have been detectable only through an advanced level inspection, which is not a blanket first measure for trees in Singapore as it is very costly and not practical to impose for all trees.

The coroner clarified that soil erosion did not contribute to the tree falling, adding that the roots were not uprooted from the soil, meaning it was well-rooted.

The coroner said he was “heartened” by work done by NParks in conjunction with tertiary institutes to develop new diagnostic tools to detect damage to trees, including termite infestations, without the need to do invasive checks.

He said one can “only hope” these advances could be adopted soon and be used more widely during inspections.

BROTHER’S STATEMENT

He gave his condolences to Ms Loke’s family. Her parents and older brother attended the hearing, and her brother read out a statement.

In his statement, he thanked the coroner for his patience as the family sought answers.

“It has been over two years since my dear sister’s passing, made all the more painful on public holidays and occasions where the family would ordinarily gather – such as Chinese New Year’s ‘ren ri’. Not a day goes by without our family thinking of her. These occasions and celebrations are now cold and hard without her,” he said.

He said the incident was especially painful for his parents, who lived with his sister and are old and frail. Ms Loke had cared for another brother in the home, who had a disability, but this is now left to his parents.

He said his parents are unable to come to terms with the sudden departure and the “horrific manner” in which Ms Loke passed.

“Xiao Li was the best of us and it is unfair that her young life, full of potential and greatness, ended in tragedy,” he said. 

He said he was grateful to Ms Loke’s friends and colleagues who supported the family.

While it was painful for the family to attend the coroner’s inquiry, he said the facts have been made public, including their own observation of severe termite infestation.

“We do not know when the pain for our family will end, but all we ask is that Xiao Li’s death not be in vain. We hope whatever necessary corrective actions will be taken, so no other family has to suffer as we did. We hope that public safety will always be paramount in the consideration of the authorities,” he said.

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Malaysian health ministry orders recall of 2 types of instant noodles over carcinogenic fears

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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Health Ministry has ordered the recall of two types of instant noodles – made by a Malaysian and an Indonesian manufacturer respectively – after health authorities in Taiwan detected a type of carcinogenic substance in the products.

In a statement on Wednesday (Apr 26), health director-general Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said that the manufacturer of the Malaysian-made “Ah Lai White Curry Noodles” had complied with local health standards but that a recall order was made on a batch of the products to ensure food safety.

“The Health Ministry has instructed the manufacturer to voluntarily recall batches of the instant noodles expiring on Aug 25, 2023, from the local market,” he said.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for “Ah Lai White Curry Noodles” told local media that the firm had sent samples to be tested by a laboratory following claims by Taipei’s Department of Health. 

“We have sent our samples to a lab and are awaiting the results,” the spokesman was quoted as saying by The Star.

The spokesman also reportedly said that they do not think the noodles which were tested by the Taipei authorities were produced by the company. 

“They (Taipei’s Department of Health) have not shown us their results or the samples they used but we do not think they used our instant noodles,” said the spokesman, as quoted by The Star. 

Dr Muhammad Radzi on Wednesday also confirmed that the “Indomie: Special Chicken Flavour” noodles from Indonesia were imported into Malaysia. 

“The ministry has issued a hold, test and release order for the products at all entry points to the country. It has also instructed the company to voluntarily recall the product from the market,” he said.

Taipei’s Department of Health reportedly said on Monday that a batch of “Ah Lai White Curry Noodles” and a batch of “Indomie: Special Chicken Flavour” noodles both contained ethylene oxide – a chemical compound associated with lymphoma and leukaemia.

The findings were part of the city’s 2023 inspection of instant noodles available in Taipei.

The unspecified retailer from which the samples were collected had reportedly been asked to pull the two products off their shelves.

The products’ importers will reportedly be fined between NT$60,000 (US$1,958) and NT$200 million.

According to information on the website of Taiwan’s Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau under the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration, ethylene oxide is poisonous when consumed or inhaled.

Bernama reported that aside from leading to lymphoma and leukaemia, ethylene oxide can also seriously irritate the skin and eyes of those who come into contact with the substance and can even trigger birth and hereditary defects.

Separately, Dr Muhammad Radzi said in the Apr 26 statement that the health ministry has been monitoring food safety on products sold in the local or imported market following a recall of Mi Sedaap products last year. 

This came after samples taken of the Indonesian-made noodles were found to contain ethylene oxide. 

Dr Muhammad Razi said that of the 36 samples taken from various instant noodle products in the Malaysian market, 11 Mi Sedaap samples were found to have contained the chemical and enforcement action has since been taken. 

“Actions taken include compounding, court action and the recall of products from the market,” he said.

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Singapore economy faces uncertain near-term outlook, inflation to slow in second half of 2023: MAS

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Growth is also set to be subdued in the financial sector amid a dimming external outlook, persistent inflation and restrictive financial conditions. In addition, the recent banking turmoil in the United States and Europe has fanned fears of a broader contagion in the sector, raising downside risks to growth.

MAS said that while regulators intervened decisively to limit the fallout, the outlook remains uncertain as “latent vulnerabilities” could emerge among under-capitalised banks globally in the coming quarters.

It added that the local banking system “appears to be well-insulated from the shock” at this juncture, citing diversified, large corporate-heavy and Asia-centric loan books and minimal exposure to the tech start-up ecosystem.

While Singapore banks could face losses on their bond holdings amid the sharp rise in interest rates, less than 20 per cent of their total assets are in bonds, said MAS.

This is compared to the 55 per cent for Silicon Valley Bank, the US bank which collapsed abruptly last month and marked America’s biggest banking failure since the 2008 global financial crisis.

With the bulk of their assets in floating rate loans, the Singapore banks have also been able to pass on the higher funding costs to their customers, the central bank said.

MAS also reiterated that the takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS is not expected to impact the stability of Singapore’s banking system.

That said, the high interest-rate environment will continue to exert “a broad-based drag on the financial sector” in the coming quarters, according to the report.

For example, credit demand is likely to weaken, while the stock of loans could also shrink further as corporates look to reduce interest expenses by repaying early.

Elsewhere in the economy, the pace of expansion in the domestic-oriented sectors will likely moderate as higher consumer prices and interest rates restrain spending.

“The near-term outlook remains uncertain and fragile, with risks to growth skewed to the downside,” said MAS, as it maintained its full-year forecast for growth in 2023 at between 0.5 to 2.5 per cent.

“Should other latent vulnerabilities in the global financial system manifest in the coming months, consumer and investor confidence will take a further hit, with wider adverse implications for the economy beyond the current manufacturing-led downturn.”

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MAS says increase in home rents may moderate in coming quarters as housing supply ramps up

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SINGAPORE: Home rental pressures may ease in the coming months because of a “significant” supply of new housing units, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Wednesday (Apr 26).

Almost 40,000 residential units will be completed across the public and private housing markets this year, which is the highest number of annual completions since 2018.

This pace of completion will continue over the next two years, with nearly 100,000 public and private residential units coming on-stream over 2023 to 2025, the central bank added in its latest half-yearly macroeconomic review.

At the same time, rental demand will also be tempered by people vacating their rental units once their new homes are completed. 

Anecdotally, real estate agencies have seen a decline in viewings for rental units and leasing enquiries since the start of 2023, said MAS.

The global economic uncertainties and slower growth may also further weigh on sentiments in the rental markets.

MAS said rents for Housing Development Board (HDB) and private residential housing units have risen sharply by 38 per cent and 43 per cent, respectively, since 2021.

WHY RENTS WENT UP

This broad-based increase in home rents was largely due to an “exceptional demand-supply imbalance” brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pandemic-induced disruptions, ranging from manpower to construction materials, had led to severe delays in the completion of private and public residential projects.

An average of about 20,000 private and public residential units were completed each year between 2020 and 2022, about 22 per cent lower than the yearly average of 26,000 units from 2018 to 2019.

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The reality behind infertility: No single reason why a woman can’t get pregnant, multiple factors make it complex

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Often, there may be tell-tale signs in women who face complex infertility issues, said Dr Agarwal. 

For example, if your menstrual cycle extends beyond the average 28 to 30 days, if the bleeding is so heavy that you need to change your sanitary napkin every two hours or less, or if you experience severe pain during your period or while having sex, you may have endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome. 

Endometriosis is a condition where uterine tissue grows outside the uterus, while polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal disorder that affects egg development and release. Both gynaecological conditions have an impact on fertility.

Dr Agarwal added that some women, in addition to having either of these conditions, may also have blocked fallopian tubes, cysts in their ovaries, or problems with their uterine lining.  All of which make getting pregnant even more challenging.

Some of these issues, such as cysts and blocked tubes, may not have noticeable signs or symptoms as they are usually painless. They happen beyond the woman’s control, and she only finds out when she visits her gynaecologist for an assessment after having trouble getting pregnant.

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Commentary: Are preschoolers equipped to care for classroom pets?

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THE RIGHT LESSONS

Ultimately, when it comes to the child, the onus is on both the educators and parents to instil the right lessons.

My son grew up with our seven-year-old cat and has shown that he understands what it means to respect animals. But getting to this point required dedication on our part as parents, to supplement what they learn in school.

Credit goes to our cat too for being so patient with a toddler who sometimes gets a little carried away when hugging (more like squeezing) or petting her. Once, after my son learned about facial features in school, our cat was subjected to some accidental poking as he tried to point out her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth to us (“Where are her eyebrows?”).

I’ve had three late pets and believe me when I say my former charges wouldn’t have made it easy for us – and that’s exactly what I mean, not all animals are suitable for a life living in such close proximity to curious kids.

So, if class pets are brought in to either complement lessons or provide a forever home to rescue pets, the animal’s well-being should be given higher priority and importance.

Perhaps make pet care workshops compulsory for schools with class pets, with limits to the number of pets a centre can have, along with occasional checks to ensure the pet’s basic needs are met and it is not living under stress.  

As responsible adults, we should treat all living things with care and respect. Children, after all, look to us to show them the way.

It is only right we lead by example.

April Zara Chua is a freelance content developer and mother to a preschooler and 7-year-old cat. She was also formerly from the pet industry covering topics on responsible ownership, care, health, and welfare.

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