SINGAPORE — More than 950,000 Singaporean households in Housing Board flats will receive U-Save and service and conservancy charges (S&CC) rebates in October. The Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a statement on Sept 30 that the rebates, which are part of the permanent GST Voucher scheme and the Assurance Package, are the third quarterly disbursement for the 2024 financial year. The rebates will help those from lower- and middle-income households cope with goods and services tax (GST) and cost-of-living expenses, said MOF. «On average, this will cover about eight months of utility bills for those living in one- and two-room flats, and about four months of utility bills for those living in three- and four- room flats,» it added. In this round, those living in one-room and two-room HDB flats will get a total of $190 in U-save rebates. People living in three-room flats will get $170 in total, while those in four-room flats will get $150. Five-room HDB households will get $130. Those living in executive or multi-generation flats will receive the least — $110.
SINGAPORE — A teenager slashed his abusive father twice in their Yishun flat after the 47-year-old man taunted him by calling him «ah gua» (Hokkien for transvestite) and challenging him to «chop someone with a knife». When his father, Eddie Seah, left the fifth-floor flat after the initial confrontation, Sylesnar Seah Jie Kai, who was then a 19-year-old student, followed him, armed with two knives. He believed that if he did not kill his father, his father would kill him the following day, the High Court was told on Sept 30. At the lift lobby, the younger Seah repeatedly slashed his father's head and neck with the knives, and the two continued struggling at the staircase landing between the fourth and fifth floor. After his son dropped one of the knives, Eddie Seah picked it up, and approached a fourth-floor unit for help before he collapsed. The younger Seah then lay down near to his father, and waited for the police and paramedics to arrive. The father was pronounced dead at the scene.
SINGAPORE — In a surprising twist, Hin Leong founder Lim Oon Kuin and his two children, Evan Lim Chee Meng and Ms Lim Huey Ching, have agreed to pay US$3.5 billion (S$4.5 billion) to the liquidators of the now-defunct oil trading firm. The High Court on Sept 30 also gave the green light to a consent judgment the Lim family reached with HSBC Holdings, which had sued them and Lim Oon Kuin's personal assistant Serene Seng Hui Choo, for US$85.3 million in damages. This brings to an end a 50-day civil trial of both cases involving the family of oil tycoon Lim Oon Kuin — also known as O.K. Lim — which had been jointly heard in the High Court. «This is an important milestone in the liquidation of Hin Leong, and is a victory that belongs to (its) creditors,» said liquidator Goh Thien Phong. In the judgment reached by both parties, the family will have to pay the sum of US$3.5 billion plus interest at 5.33 per cent per annum — from April 2020 to the date of payment — and costs.
SINGAPORE — Gas and electricity tariffs will go down for the next three months due to lower energy and fuel costs. From Oct 1 to Dec 31, households supplied by grid operator SP Group will see a 2.6 per cent decrease in electricity tariffs compared with the previous quarter, the group said in a statement on Sept 30. For households, this amounts to a tariff of 29.10 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) before the goods and services tax, down from 29.88 cents currently. With the new tariff, the average monthly electricity bill for families living in four-room Housing Board flats will decrease by $3 before GST, dropping from $114.92 to $111.92. The drop in tariff — by 0.78 cent per kWh — is due to lower energy costs, said SP Group. City Energy, the producer and retailer of piped gas, said in a separate statement on Sept 30 that gas tariffs will decrease by 0.45 cent per kWh over the same period, also due to lower costs. This means households will pay 22.97 cents per kWh before GST, down from 23.42 cents. With GST, the revised gas tariff amounts to 25.04 cents.
The common area is not a storage space. Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council has given a resident a deadline to remove the clutter outside the resident's flat on the ground floor of Block 472 Segar Road in Bukit Panjang. Stomp contributor W shared photos of the many items in the area, including clothes racks, bicycles and folded tables. He said the resident «abused» the common corridor, turning it into a «junkyard» and safety hazard as well as causing obstruction for wheelchair users such as the Stomp contributor's wife. PHOTO: Stomp «This is the only sheltered walkway towards Zhenghua Community Centre during rainy days,» said the Stomp contributor. He added that he had made numerous complaints on the OneService app and emailed his MP about the issue.
One man's joy of moving into a new home was dampened after he realised he is living next to a «neighbour from hell». In less than six months, 55-year-old Lin has called the police four times, as he is unable to bear the loud music blaring into his Bukit Merah flat, reported Shin Min Daily News. «She often listens to the radio at high volume, and I can hear the music from my bedroom. Sometimes, the music plays from the evening till the next afternoon,» said the salesperson. «Apart from the music, she often slams the door in the middle of the night, and the 'bang' sound would jolt me from sleep.» In videos and voice recordings provided by Lin, loud music can be heard playing through the night. As Lin's bedroom is right next to the woman's flat, the noise from her home has been disrupting his rest. «I bought headphones to block out some of the noise but the situation has worsened over the past few weeks. I can only sleep in the living room now,» he said. Lin explained that he was unaware of the noise disturbance issue as the previous homeowner had not mentioned it.
SINGAPORE - A 44-year-old Bangladeshi worker died on the morning of Sunday (Sept 29) after he was struck by a steel structure at a worksite on Sentosa. A part of the structure had collapsed during lifting operations, hitting the worker, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in response to queries. He was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic. The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the incident at 8 Sentosa Gateway at about 8am. No foul play is suspected, said the police, who added that investigations are ongoing. MOM said the contractor, Sunray Woodcraft Construction, has been instructed to stop all lifting activities on the premises. «As a general safety measure, lifting equipment and supporting structures must be properly designed, installed and inspected,» added the ministry. The accident occurred at a worksite where the former Maritime Experiential Museum was located, said a spokesperson for Resorts World Sentosa (RWS). The museum was closed in March 2020 to facilitate the expansion of the S.E.A. Aquarium.
The People's Association (PA) announced a range of measures under the new Community 2030 plan, along with a refreshed mission statement and vision on Sunday (Sept 29). Aimed to boost volunteering, expand the network of community partners and foster closer ties among residents, the initiative was launched by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong at PA's community seminar at One Tampines Hub. The seminar, officiated by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong — who is also Chairman of PA — was attended by about 2,000 volunteers, partners and grassroots leaders. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong officiated the seminar, also launching the refreshed mission statement for the People's Association. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Ong Chin Wee To achieve greater community participation, the PA will scale up its Community Volunteer (CV) scheme by increasing the number of projects and community volunteers.
The MRT disruption on the East-West Line (EWL) is set to continue into a sixth day on Monday (Sept 30), after stress tests on Saturday night saw new cracks appearing. Full train services are now targeted to be restored on Tuesday, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT in a joint briefing on Sunday. Train services on the western side of EWL have been disrupted since Wednesday, after a faulty train caused a power trip. The initial target was Monday, but during the stress tests, 12 new rail cracks appeared on unreplaced rail segments along a different 800m stretch between Clementi station and Ulu Pandan Depot. LTA and SMRT said these 10 segments had been weakened by Wednesday morning's faulty train. Therefore, an extra day will be needed for the segments to be replaced, before more stress tests tomorrow - including using trains filled with sandbags to simulate real-world conditions - to ensure the MRT's safety.
SINGAPORE — National postal service provider Singapore Post has closed 12 post offices, or one out of five branches, in the last two years. This comes as the company struggles with declining mail volumes as most turn to electronic communication instead. Five of the shuttered post office branches were in malls, including Suntec City, Northpoint City and Westgate, while the rest were either standalone branches or found in community clubs, office buildings or Housing Board blocks. SingPost has 44 post offices remaining. A SingPost spokesperson told The Straits Times that adjustments will be made to some post offices and locations to ensure postal services remain cost-effective and relevant. This is part of business transformation efforts to meet evolving consumer demands in a rapidly changing digital landscape, she said. One of the most recent branches to cease operations was the one at The Clementi Mall, which had operated for 11 years before it closed on Sept 20. The nearest alternative branch is a 15-minute bus trip away — in Clementi West Street 2, near West Coast Plaza.
Disruptions to SMRT's train services on the East-West line for the past five days have impacted not just commuters, but some businesses around the affected stations as well. Lunchtime crowds have visibly thinned at malls and food courts near Buona Vista station, according to Shin Min Daily News on Saturday (Sept 28), with F&B operators reportedly seeing up to a 70 per cent drop in business. Train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista in both directions were halted since last Wednesday (Sept 25) because of a train fault and subsequent damage to tracks and trackside equipment. At The Star Vista mall and The Metropolis business center located near Buona Vista station, the usual lunchtime crowds were missing when reporters visited the area on Friday, Shin Min reported. When interviewed, several F&B operators expressed that they've seen a drop in business since the start of the disruptions. One employee at a cafe shared that the number of patrons has halved.
SINGAPORE — From Oct 1, all foreign-registered vehicles entering Johor from Singapore must have a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP), though those without one can still enter the country, but receive a warning. If you have not already registered for your permit, you can find out more here. If you already have registered for one, or activated the RFID tag, here are some things to look out for before you drive into Malaysia on Oct 1. 1. Activation of RFID tag Log into the TCSens portal at vepams.jpj.gov.my. Under the «VEP Tag Application» tab, make sure that your tag is activated.
JOHOR BAHRU/SINGAPORE — Motorists from Singapore continued to throng the TCSens Centre at Danga Bay to secure a vehicle entry permit (VEP) on Sept 28 despite assurances that they can still enter Malaysia after Oct 1 without one. Drivers that The Straits Times spoke to were fraught with worry and uncertainty despite clarifications on Sept 27 from Malaysia’s Road Transport Department (JPJ) that they will be allowed into Johor even if they do not yet have VEP tags. However, the agency — responsible for the enforcement of the VEP — said they will be given reminders to register, install and activate their radio frequency identification (RFID) tags upon entering Johor’s two land checkpoints as enforcement is implemented in phases. They can also be given a warning when they leave Malaysia, along with reminders to install the tags as soon as possible. Many motorists, however, were unconvinced about the leeway given to them if they drive to Johor without a VEP.
A family has accused a helper of elder abuse, after capturing footage of the Indonesian maid man-handling her employer's bedridden mum. The employer, surnamed Wang, told Shin Min Daily News that this happened «thrice in one night», with the helper accused of pushing her mother's head down onto the bed, shaking her and forcefully prying open her eyelids. According to Wang, the 26-year-old Indonesian helper named Janna (transliteration) was hired to take care of her elderly mother in her 70s, who'd suffered a stroke. The family were in the living room having dinner last Monday (Sept 23) when they saw through a CCTV camera Janna man-handling the elderly woman. The helper appeared to be rough and impatient while feeding the elderly woman milk in her bedroom, forcefully pushing her head onto the bed, reported Shin Min Daily News. On seeing this, the family rushed into the bedroom to confront Janna. The latter stated that she had reacted this way as the elderly woman refused to drink her milk. The family then left the room after giving the helper a stern warning.
Singaporeans have often shown great resilience and togetherness during adversity. Covid-19 was a good example, while the ongoing MRT disruption is proving no different. As Singapore enters day four of disruptions to the East-West Line, stories have emerged of how some Singaporeans stepped up to help others, such as the taxi drivers who provided free rides to students sitting for their Primary School Leaving Examination. Volunteers have also been seen at some bus stops in Jurong East and Buona Vista providing directions and help to commuters. Caring Commuter Champions are ordinary commuters who volunteer to assist those in need during their daily travel on public transport.
SINGAPORE – “Is he your grandson?” That is the question Singaporean Suan Bailey, 53, often gets whenever she goes out with her 10-month-old son. “I used to get upset. After all, it was a long journey for me to get to where I am today... but not any more. He is my son, and I am proud I went through the experience to have him,” the office manager told The Straits Times. However, she asked ST not to show her face. “I want to share my story of how, as an older woman, I overcame all odds to have my son – the excitement, the fear and the disappointment – but I don’t want the backlash and the negativity from it,” she explained. Mrs Bailey was among the 19 women in Singapore aged 50 or older who gave birth in 2023, reflecting the shift in the age boundary of women becoming mothers over the past 20 years.
