It must be their day off. A condominium resident is unhappy to regularly see maids and their friends dressing scantily and posing provocatively for videos in the condo pool. Stomp contributor IL, who lives in a condo in District 11, shared photos of one such incident, which took place on Sept 22 at around 6pm. «I know there had been controversies with whether domestic helpers are allowed to use condo common facilities,» said the Stomp contributor. «I am not against a domestic helper who is hired by condo resident to use the facility as she is also a resident of the condo herself. »But what happens if every week or alternate week for the past six months, a few of the domestic helpers would invite their friends to the condo, dressing scantily and posing provocatively to take pictures and videos?« The Stomp contributor said the women could be around from late mornings, bring their own lunch and stay until 8pm. »They moved pool furniture around without rearranging it back and showered in the only one shower room before leaving the condo," said the resident.

Cigarette butts were strewn on the floor. The police were called twice because of noisy gatherings in the void deck of Block 22 Hougang Avenue 3. Stomp contributor Daniel shared photos of tables and chairs left behind in the void deck after the gatherings. «Despite numerous attempts at communicating with Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, the table and chairs as highlighted were not removed,» said the Stomp contributor. «These posed a fire hazard and threaten the safety of the residents. Other than this, pails with water were left behind, which is a concern due to mosquito breeding. PHOTO:Stomp »I have compiled the photos since Sept 3 and have been in contact with the town council since August.« The Stomp contributor said: »These illegal gatherings of more than five adults drinking beer, smoking and making loud noises happens almost daily for years."

Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam has responded to Lee Hsien Yang's claims about the $619,335.53 in damages paid to him and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.  In a Facebook post on Sept 29, Lee claimed the amount he paid to the two ministers was «equivalent to 13.6 months' rental for the two Ridout houses».  Pointing out that his «significant asset» in Singapore is 38 Oxley Road, Lee said that he made the payment to honour his late father's wishes in connection with his home. He also did it to allow his ill sister, Wei Ling, to continue living in the house.

SINGAPORE — Three Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) warrant officers are now in trouble with the law after they allegedly disturbed the peace by fighting in a public place in June. Ranger Ng Zhi Wei, 41, who is a second warrant officer, and third warrant officers Kevin Nicholas Simon, 34, and Kelvin Tang Chee Tat, 43, are accused of committing the offence at the Aviary KTV at The Chevrons recreational club in Boon Lay Way shortly after 8pm on June 28. They were each handed an affray charge on Sept 27. The Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Sept 30 that the SAF is aware of the case. Its spokesperson added: “(Mindef) and the SAF will consider taking further disciplinary actions against them, following the conclusion of the court proceedings. As court proceedings are ongoing, Mindef and the SAF are unable to comment further on the case at this juncture. “The SAF holds its service personnel to high standards of discipline and integrity. Service personnel who commit offences will be dealt with in accordance with the law.” The trio are expected to plead guilty on Nov 8.

The sight of a train arriving at Clementi MRT station brought relief to some passengers.  After six days of disruptions on the East-West Line, full train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations resumed on Tuesday morning (Oct 1).  When AsiaOne visited Clementi MRT station at about 5.30am, SMRT service ambassadors could be seen greeting commuters and guiding them when assistance was needed.  An SMRT service ambassador giving directions to a commuter at Clementi MRT station.  PHOTO: AsiaOne/Jasper Lim Operations were also running smoothly, with passenger trains arriving and departing the station according to the scheduled times displayed on the information system panel. 

Full train services on the East-West Line (EWL) will resume on Tuesday (Oct 1), said Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operator SMRT.  Services will resume at the start of passenger service hours, the authorities announced in a joint press release on Monday.  LTA and SMRT engineers successfully replaced the 10 rail segments that developed new cracks late last night. Comprehensive testing of the track and trackside equipment was then done to ensure commute safety before fully resuming passenger services. However, temporary speed restrictions will be imposed on westbound trains travelling on the repaired sections of the tracks until Oct 3 for safety reasons, they explained.  «This is part of the standard process following rail replacements, where trains will travel more slowly at 40km/h.» They advised commuters to plan for an additional five minutes of travel time to their destinations. LTA and SMRT also thanked all the personnel involved in the repair works, as well as ground staff such as bus operators, police officers and volunteers for assisting commuters with their journeys.

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.