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A 40-year-old Singaporean man, Noor Azhar Bin Abdul Abas, was charged on Apr. 16, 2024 with unlawfully discharging dangerous fireworks.
Allegedly set off box of fireworks According to court documents, Noor Azhar allegedly set off a box containing 25 shots of fireworks at around 10:40pm on Apr. 9 at a grass patch near Block 644 Yishun Street 61. A video of the fireworks was uploaded onto TikTok that night. The original video has since been deleted. The police were alerted and responded to the incident at around 10:42pm the same day, according to the Singapore Police Force's (SPF) news release on Apr. 15. SPF said Woodlands Police Division officers identified Noor Azhar using images from police cameras and closed-circuit television (CCTV) and through ground enquiries before arresting him on Apr. 14. Intends to plead guilty Noor Azhar is in remand and appeared in court via video-link to be charged on Apr. 16, Today reported. He said he regrets the incident and intends to plead guilty. "I feel remorseful and regretful… I truly regret that this thing has happened," he reportedly said. Noor Azhar is scheduled to return to court to plead guilty on May 28. If convicted, Noor Azhar may be jailed up to two years, handed a fine between S$2,000 and S$10,000, or both. SPF reminded the public that it is an offence to possess, sell, transport, send, deliver, distribute or import and dangerous fireworks. SPF added that they have zero tolerance against acts that endanger the lives or safety of others as well as cause undue alarm to the public, and will not hesitate to take action against those who blatantly disregard the law. Tower Transit bus driver & cyclist get into expletive-laden exchange in Hokkien over not giving way4/16/2024 A Tower Transit bus driver was filmed on April 13 engaged in a heated verbal altercation with a cyclist.
Bus driver to be counselled A spokesperson of the bus operator told media that it will counsel its bus driver in the aftermath of the incident. The spokesperson said: “The bus captain maintained a safe distance from the cyclists while going past them, however he should not have gotten into an argument and should not have used offensive language.” All Tower Transit bus drivers are taught to give cyclists a wide berth when sharing the roads with them, the spokesperson added. Clip gains traction A 21-second clip of the incident was shared on various social media channels on April 14. It has been viewed more than 224,000 times by April 16 midnight after it was shared in one Facebook group. Those who commented mostly sided with the bus driver as they slammed the road-hogging antics of cyclists. What video showed The expletive-laden video, which showed the two man arguing in Hokkien, featured colourful language. The driver could be heard telling off the cyclist to keep to the kerb. The cyclist retorted if there was something wrong with the driver that day. The driver then told the cyclist not to be too haughty or he might end up dead by the road. The cyclist got agitated and challenged the driver to get off the bus. The driver subsequently told the cyclist to go away. The cyclist then shouted and challenged the driver to follow up on his threat. The driver returned to his seat and closed the door on the cyclist, who was still shouting. The video was cut off. Car hits 12-year-old Bukit View Sec student at zebra crossing, girl taken to hospital with injuries4/16/2024 SINGAPORE - A 12-year-old girl was taken to hospital after a car knocked her down at a pedestrian crossing outside Bukit View Secondary School.
The accident took place at about 7.05am on April 16, at Bukit Batok Street 21 on the way to Bukit Batok Central, the police said. In response to queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the girl was conscious when she was taken to the National University Hospital. In video footage put up on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page, the girl is seen running across a zebra crossing after a road traffic warden waves her through. A white Honda Vezel sport utility vehicle then knocks her down and sends her flying just as she is about to reach the end of the crossing. An eyewitness said teachers from the school rushed out to check on the girl. The police said a 50-year-old male car driver is helping with investigations. In 2024, there have been at least three incidents involving children. On Jan 23, a four-year-old girl died on the spot when a car knocked her down near her home in River Valley. She was walking home from her pre-school with her two-year-old sister and maid. A 40-year-old woman suspected of careless driving causing death was later arrested. In the same month, a 12-year-old girl died after being hit by a van in Taman Jurong on Jan 30. The van driver, a 23-year-old man, was arrested for careless driving causing death, said the police. On April 1, two Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) students, aged 12 and 13, were taken conscious to National University Hospital after an accident involving a lorry near their school in Buona Vista. Reporters has contacted Bukit View Secondary and the Ministry of Education for more information. SINGAPORE – A man concocted a plan to pose as an agent for social escorts in order to obtain free sex or discounted sexual services from the women who contacted him.
Chen Zelin, 42, told one victim she needed more “training” sessions with him and another woman she did not perform up to his expectations. Separately, he also threatened to send naked photographs of his girlfriend to her boss and colleagues in an attempt to sleep with her friends. On April 16, he was sentenced to two years and eight months’ jail after pleading guilty to two charges of cheating by personation, and one charge of threatening to release intimate images. He was married at the time of his offences. Court documents did not reveal details of his marriage. The victims cannot be named due to a gag order imposed by the court. Deputy Public Prosecutor June Ngian said that Chen placed an advertisement sometime in 2020 on online platform Locanto to recruit girls that wanted to earn a higher pay for their escort services. The first victim came across Chen’s advertisement around October 2020 and contacted him. Chen told the woman that he was able to get the girls from his agency up to 10 clients a week from the dark web. The woman agreed to provide Chen with a trial of her services at a rate of $60, instead of her usual rate of up to $400, after he said he had to assess her services first. They arranged to meet on Oct 14, 2020. After the woman provided her services to Chen, he did not contact her again for about six months. On April 4, 2021, he contacted her to say that her service had not been up to his expectations. He then offered her a second trial, which she declined. Sometime in 2021, the second victim contacted Chen after seeing his advertisement. DPP Ngian said she was working as a social escort to pay off her debts after falling victim to scams. During their conversation, Chen told the woman that he needed to see if she had the skills to please his customers. The woman asked Chen to confirm that he was running an agency for social escorts, as she was afraid of falling for another scam. He continued to deceive her and she agreed that he would not be charged for the session. After they had sex on March 22, 2021, he told her she needed to lose weight and that her skills were not up to par. He suggested that she would need more “training” sessions with him before she was ready to meet his customers, leaving her to foot the hotel room bill. Court documents did not reveal how these two cases came to light. The prosecution said Chen had reached out to 31 people, including the two victims, under the guise of a social escort agent. In July 2021, Chen entered into a relationship with the third victim, who was looking for a place to rent and also for a boyfriend. DPP Ngian said during this period, the woman agreed to send intimate photos or videos of herself on Chen’s request. Chen also threatened to show her boss their sex-related conversations if she did not allow him to take intimate photos or videos of her. The prosecution said Chen knew his girlfriend would feel threatened as she thought her work permit would be cancelled if she was fired. She gave in to his demands the next morning, with some photos showing her face clearly. On July 31, 2021, Chen sent these photos to his girlfriend and told her, “You’re sex slave. No rights.” Two days later, Chen asked her to introduce her colleagues to him to have sex. Feeling distressed, the woman made a police report and Chen was arrested on the same day. American man extradited to S’pore admits running fraudulent trading scheme involving over $18m4/16/2024 SINGAPORE – An American man was a director at Singapore-based firm Aureus Capital when he became the main person running a fraudulent forex trading scheme linked to it.
The scheme involved more than $18 million from over 1,300 clients. On April 15, Michael Philip Atkins, 51, pleaded guilty in a Singapore district court to carrying on a business for a fraudulent purpose. This came 10 years after he was first arrested here in 2014. He jumped bail subsequently. In March 2023, he was extradited from the US to Singapore. Deputy Public Prosecutor Hon Yi told the court that Atkins, who was a majority shareholder of the firm, had full control of the scheme which used only a fraction of the clients’ monies for forex trading. The prosecutor added: “The scheme was run in the style of a classic ‘Ponzi’, where the purported returns to clients were paid using the funds from other clients... Such a business model was clearly unsustainable and... the company finally imploded.” In the end, the clients received around $12.7 million in total from Aureus Capital and they suffered nearly $6 million in losses. DPP Hon urged the court to sentence Atkins to up to three years and eight months’ jail, adding: “In effect, the scheme was his and all losses caused to the clients of Aureus must be directly attributable to him only.” Between April 2013 and July 2014, Aureus Capital offered leveraged foreign exchange trading services and schemes. Clients entered into agreements allowing Aureus Capital to engage in forex trading on their behalf. Under these agreements, the company would be entitled to 40 to 50 per cent of the profits generated from the trading, while the losses from trading would be fully borne by the clients. At the time of the offence, Aureus Capital maintained two trading accounts with Oanda Asia Pacific, a separate company which offers foreign exchange trading. Clients were told that Auereus Capital would manage their funds by trading forex on Oanda, said DPP Hon. They were instructed to transfer cash into a bank account. The bank account received more than $18 million in total from clients between April 2, 2013, and July 15, 2014. Instead of using the amount for forex trading, more than $14.7 million was used for other purposes, such as paying Aureus Capital’s directors, including Atkins. Only around $1.7 million of the more than $18 million was deposited into Oanda, the court heard. Weekly statements sent to clients concealed the fact that only a small portion of clients’ funds was used for forex trading. The weekly statements also reported profits which were not reflective of actual trading results. In fact, Aureus Capital was making losses on its Oanda trading accounts. According to the clients, they were told on June 13, 2014, that Aureus Capital needed to cease trading as it was acquiring a banking licence. The clients did not receive any money when they asked for their investments to be withdrawn. Subsequent e-mails from the company claimed that it was being rebranded, and that all clients’ monies would be refunded by July 28, 2014. Clients alerted the police when the company and its directors became uncontactable soon after. Atkins was arrested. An Interpol red notice was issued against him after he jumped bail. Such a notice requests law enforcement units worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or other legal actions. He was traced in the US in 2017 and an extradition request was sent to the authorities there three years later. He was successfully extradited to Singapore and re-arrested here on March 18, 2023. Atkins will be sentenced on April 25. SINGAPORE – Doctors treating respiratory issues are not always aware if their patients have been vaping. Therefore, cases are not tracked systematically at hospitals because these patients are not always willing to share their vaping history.
With the clampdown on vaping and the authorities stepping up checks, even in public hot spots such as the Central Business District, parks, malls and bars, patients with breathing issues caused by vaping are aware and are keeping mum. Dr Sewa Duu Wen, who heads the department of respiratory and critical care medicine at Singapore General Hospital, told reporters about one case of a patient who had been smoking e-cigarettes. “We have reported (a case) where a patient developed respiratory failure due to abnormal build-up of protein and fatty material within the air sac (in the lungs) after having started vaping.” He said the man underwent an uncommon treatment procedure, termed whole lung lavage, at the hospital. Sometimes called lung washing, the treatment is a specific procedure that uses saline solution to “wash out” the lungs. “There are also (other) anecdotal cases of patients who were admitted for exacerbation of asthma and lung conditions after starting on vaping,” Dr Sewa added. Experts are sounding the alarm on the dangers of vaping amid a global spike in the use of disposable vapes and e-cigarettes, especially among teenagers and young adults. According to peer-reviewed journal Emerald Insight, the number of vape users was estimated to be 82 million worldwide in 2021, with 14.3 million in South-east Asia, and the global e-cigarette and vape market was valued at US$22.8 billion (S$31 billion) in 2022. From data of individual countries, it looks like there has been an alarming rise in vaping, especially among teenagers and young adults in their 20s around the world. According to the US National Centre for Health Statistics, people aged 18 to 24 were most likely to use e-cigarettes among all adults in 2021. In the same year, 69 per cent of vape users in Britain were 11 to 17 years old. It is no wonder, as vaping vendors often market their products as “healthier” alternatives to cigarettes or even as a way to quit smoking. They claim e-cigarette “smoke” generally contains fewer toxic chemicals than the deadly mix of 7,000 chemicals in smoke from regular cigarettes. However, the World Health Organisation in December 2023 urged governments to treat e-cigarettes in a similar way to tobacco, and ban all flavours. Dr Sewa said e-cigarettes generate an aerosol of fine particles by activating a heating element to a reservoir containing vape liquid. This liquid usually contains propylene glycol (a colourless and nearly odourless synthetic liquid), glycerine, flavouring additives and nicotine, exposing the user to higher levels of toxins. “There are still many harmful chemicals such as carcinogens, toxicants, heavy metal and nanometallic particles in e-cigarette vapour, which have harmful effects on the body. There is no minimal level of these compounds which are considered safe to be inhaled into our body,” he said, adding that there has been little research done on the long-term effects of vaping. In Singapore, the vaping situation has been worsening steadily. The purchase, use or possession of vapes jumped 58 per cent to about 7,900 cases in 2023, from about 5,000 cases in 2022. Dr Sewa said that with the evolution of e-cigarettes into more “personalised” devices, and manufacturers adding different flavours and additives, the risks of some of these chemicals are now being recognised. “There is substantial evidence that some chemicals present in e-cigarette aerosols, such as formaldehyde and acrolein, together with the trace metals nickel, lead and cadmium, are capable of causing DNA damage and mutagenesis, with potential carcinogenic effects,” he added. Many vape devices offer flavours such as cotton candy, cupcake, butterscotch, pop rocks and peanut butter to increase attractiveness to young people. Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman told Parliament in October 2023 that about 800 students were referred to the Health Sciences Authority for vaping offences in 2022. This is an increase from 2019 and 2018, when the total for both years was fewer than 50. He said that although schools and institutes of higher learning have stepped up checks in recent years, it is likely that there is under-detection. Dr Maliki’s ministry had previously revealed that an average of about seven in every 1,000 students in primary and secondary schools and institutes of higher learning had been caught for smoking and vaping offences. Students at dormitories in the NUS, NTU and SMU campuses had said in September 2023 that vaping culture still persists on campus, with some residents reselling vaporisers that were bought in bulk from dealers. “While considered safe when consumed, these flavours are linked to serious health diseases during aerosolisation and inhalation. Take diacetyl for example, a chemical used to create a buttery flavour. It has been associated with the development of ‘popcorn lung’ or bronchiolitis obliterans, a serious lung disease causing chronic breathlessness,” Dr Sewa said. According to the American Lung Association, diacetyl scars the tiny air sacs in the lungs, resulting in thickening and narrowing of the airways. Dr Philip Eng, a senior consultant respiratory physician with his own practice, said vaping-induced lung injury, called Evali, was an epidemic in the US in 2019. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the US reported more than 2,000 suspected cases of severe lung illness related to vaping in 2019. Of these, there were more than 60 deaths. Dr Eng said: “Such severe cases causing hospitalisation and death have never been reported in Singapore.” Dr Sewa said while the exact mechanism is not known, it is thought that the compound tetrahydrocannabinoid found in cannabis, when mixed with vitamin E acetate in some of these e-cigarettes, appears to be most strongly associated with the development of lung disease due to vaping. The most recent case was of a British woman, Ms Abby Flynn, 20, whose addiction to vaping left her hospitalised with “popcorn lung” in January 2023. She had never smoked a cigarette before but took up vaping in summer 2021 because it was “trendy”. She had consumed an entire cartridge of vape liquid a day, the equivalent of 140 cigarettes a week, for about 1½ years. Doctors told her that if she did not kick the habit, she would be forced to rely on an oxygen machine by the time she was 30. She has since thrown her vapes into the bin. Buying, owning or using an e-cigarette or vaporiser here can result in fines of up to $2,000. First-time offenders who import, distribute, sell or offer for sale e-vaporisers and their components can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both. S'porean couple last 2 people missing in Taiwan earthquake, search suspended due to aftershocks4/15/2024 A married Singaporean couple — Sim Hwee Kok and Neo Siew Choo, both 47 — are the last two people who remain missing after an earthquake struck Taiwan 12 days ago on Apr. 3, 2024.
17 dead, couple are the last two people missing The Taiwan authorities found the body of a missing truck driver on Apr. 13, Hualien County Fire Department (HLCFD) said in a Facebook post on the same day. Focus Taiwan reported that rescuers recovered the truck driver's body from a quarry in a mining area in Hualien at 11:45am that day. This brings the death toll from the earthquake to 17. Taiwan authorities continued searching for Sim and Neo at the Shakadang Trail in Taroko National Park, the location where they were last seen. However, search efforts were suspended on Apr. 14 due to safety concerns after aftershocks from the earthquake sent rocks tumbling towards rescue workers and dogs. Search effort suspended with family's consent Hualien County Fire Department said the rescue workers and dogs leapt into a nearby stream, narrowly escaping the falling rocks, some of which were the size of a car. They evacuated through the waterbody. None the rescue workers and dogs were injured. Search efforts will resume when the trail is deemed safe and new evidence is found. Taiwan authorities suspended the search efforts with the consent of Sim and Neo's family, according to reporters. Sim and Neo's family members were at the trail on Apr. 14 morning and a religious rite was performed. The couple's family cried out Sim and Neo's names and asked them to return home. SINGAPORE – A 24-year-old man who tried to rob a cashier at a Choa Chu Kang supermarket by pointing a metal rod at the employee was charged in court on April 15.
Harry Chia Yin Xiang faces one charge of attempting to commit robbery, over the incident which took place at U-Star Supermarket at around 3.10am on April 14. The amount of money he demanded was not disclosed in court documents. In a statement on April 14, the police said the cashier did not accede to Chia’s demand and the latter left the supermarket, which is located in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 7. A police report was lodged at 3.15am. Through inquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras, police officers identified and arrested the man within two hours of receiving the report, police said. The metal rod was seized. Chia is being remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for a medical examination, the court heard. Those convicted of attempted robbery can be jailed for two to seven years and receive at least six strokes of the cane. Over 470 youth arrested for sexual crimes in 2023; offenders’ exposure to porn cited as a reason4/15/2024 SINGAPORE – More youth aged 19 and below committed sex crimes in 2023, with more than 470 of them getting arrested for such offences, about a 30 per cent rise from 2022.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling, who said this at the police’s Sexual Crime Awareness Seminar at the Police Cantonment Complex on April 15, cited two reasons for this increase. One was youth were being exposed early to sexually explicit materials or adult sexual activity, and also to inappropriate or inaccurate information about sexual behaviours and relationships. The police said among those youth arrested, sexual penetration of minors was the most common offence. In most cases, victims knew the culprits. Ms Shamala Gopalakrishnan, lead psychologist and assistant director of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) Home Team Psychology Division, highlighted the rise of the internet, mobile phones, and youth being digital natives. She said: “The internet has become an accessible ‘sex educator’ through spreading misinformation on sex and relationships through sexually explicit materials, including pornography. That’s our concern.” She added that without early detection of sexually inappropriate behaviours displayed by youth, they can become preoccupied with online sexually explicit materials. “They adopt unrealistic, harmful perceptions towards women and girls, and this can contribute to sexual offending.” To address this, Ms Shamala said the division is working with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to develop programmes to reduce the likelihood of inappropriate behaviours and sex offences. The police said the aim of the seminar was to raise awareness of the youth sexual offending situation, and the criminal justice procedures for both offenders and victims. Those present at the seminar included the Attorney-General’s Chambers, MOE, the Ministry of Social and Family Development, Singapore Prison Service, non-profit organisation SG Her Empowerment, and specialists from the Serious Sexual Crime Branch. To tackle sexual offending among youth, Ms Sun said the police, MHA and MOE have been working to improve training for counsellors who help children and youth. Both ministries are developing a resource package to train counsellors in schools and in the community to recognise early signs of harmful sexual behaviours in children and youth, she said. The package will be available in the second half of 2024, and enable counsellors to intervene early, added Ms Sun. She said the police will visit schools and give talks on sexual crime prevention. More support will also be provided for young victims of sexual crimes as they are particularly vulnerable and may require support even after the police case has concluded, said Ms Sun. The police and their community partners have been exploring a structured referral process for more young victims to receive long-term care so they can be linked to agencies that can provide the intervention they need, she added. In February, a legislative framework for conducting forensic medical examinations, under the Criminal Procedure (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, was passed to better deal with sexual crime. Ms Sun said: “The new legislative framework empowers the police to secure valuable forensic evidence in the investigation of serious sexual offences and other major crimes, while ensuring the safety and dignity of victims. “This is especially important when victims are minors as they are more vulnerable and need more support through and beyond the investigation process.” During the second edition of the seminar in April 2023, it was announced that victims of sexual crimes will be given priority and greater privacy when they file reports at neighbourhood police centres. Ms Sun said this initiative has been fully implemented, and instead of getting a queue number, those reporting sexual crimes will be brought to a private area to lodge their report. Trained volunteers known as victim care officers will also offer practical and emotional support to victims under the Victim Care Cadre Programme (VCCP) while police investigations are ongoing. Under the VCCP, Ms Sun said, the police are piloting a collaboration with the Singapore University of Social Sciences to tap the expertise of students pursuing their masters in forensic psychology. Since March, these students, who go through the same training process that victim care officers do, have been activated to respond to victims’ needs. One such student is Ms Charmaine Foo, 26, a clinical counsellor working with mothers struggling with mental health and children at risk of suicide. Speaking to the media at the seminar, Ms Foo said she felt compelled to help young victims of sexual assault after her work as a caseworker at a residential girls’ home. “In sexual assault cases, sometimes a family member is the perpetrator. So, victims may worry about the repercussions if they speak out against their father, for example. They may question how their mother would treat them, and sometimes can feel alienated.” Ms Foo said in some cases, the victims feel shame and guilt even though they did nothing wrong. She added: “My role is to hear them out, tell them that the feelings and reactions they have are normal, and to direct them to get the appropriate help they need.” SINGAPORE – A senior operations technician at the Singapore Refining Company told employees of another firm to carry out works at an oil refinery plant on Sept 17, 2020, when some toxic gas were released into the air.
Mr Palanivel Pandidurai and Mr Periyasamy Kolanginathan, who were then working for a firm called PEC, were exposed to hydrogen sulphide gas and collapsed. Their colleague, Mr Narayanan Murasoli, also collapsed when he tried to rescue the pair. The trio were rushed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, and Mr Palanivel, a 30-year-old Indian national, died five days later of multi-organ failure following chemical burns. Mr Periyasamy and Mr Narayanan also suffered serious injuries but survived. Court documents did not disclose details about their nationalities and ages. Leck Ching Hwa, 47, who was the senior operations technician at the time of the incident, was sentenced to four months’ jail on April 12 after he admitted that he had been negligent at the oil refinery plant in Merlimau Road on Jurong Island. Hydrogen sulphide is a colourless poisonous gas that has a foul odour similar to that of rotten eggs. It is commonly found in the production of crude oil and natural gas. Hydrogen sulphide is also flammable and volatile. On Sept 17, 2020, Leck told workers of PEC – a company that provides maintenance services to the petrochemical industry – that work could start on some pipes without ensuring that it was safe for them to do so. Mr Palanivel and Mr Periyasamy were working there at around 6pm when there was a sudden release of hydrogen sulphide gas and hazardous liquid material. When they collapsed, Mr Narayanan tried to rescue them, only to be similarly overcome by the toxic fumes. Ministry of Manpower prosecuting officer Melvyn Low told the court that Mr Palanivel was found to have sustained chemical burns on 40 per cent of his total body surface area. He also had extensive blistering and peeling of the skin over his upper abdomen and back. He later developed multiple organ failure during his stay in the intensive care unit and died on Sept 22, 2020. Meanwhile, Mr Periyasamy sustained 9.5 per cent superficial partial thickness burns to his upper back, hip area and legs. He was discharged on Sept 21, 2020. Mr Narayanan, who suffered a chemical injury to his eyes and abrasions to places including his back, was discharged three days later. |
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