'FEROCIOUS ATTACK' LEAVES M'SIAN CONSULAR WORKER DEAD

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SYDNEY - A Malaysian consular employee was stabbed to death in a "ferocious attack" outside his Sydney home in a suspected road rage incident, officials said yesterday.

The 43-year-old man, who worked as a driver for the Malaysian consul-general, was beaten and stabbed in inner-city Leichhardt by two men late on Sunday despite an attempted intervention by a female passer-by.

"It was a ferocious attack, there's no doubt about that," said Detective Inspector Shane Woolbank.

The authorities said they were examining whether the attack stemmed from a road rage incident moments earlier involving a dark-coloured sedan, the police said.

Malaysian Consul-General Mohd Nasir Abu Hassan said the victim, a Malaysian who had recently become an Australian citizen, had worked as a driver for the consulate for three years.

"This is a very stressful time for all of us at the consulate," he told reporters.

"We got on very well with him and we were shocked when we heard this tragic news." AFP

From TODAY, Tuesday, 23-Feb-2010

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WORKER LEVIES UP FROM JULY

Image via Wikipedia

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SINGAPORE - With the overall dependency for all categories of foreign workers unchanged - employers can continue hiring the same number of foreign workers, but they will be paying more.

From July, foreign worker levies will be increased gradually over the next three years, starting with a "modest increase", said Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday.

Levy rates will first be raised by $10 to $30 for most Work Permit holders. Further increases will be phased in until it reaches a total increase of about $100 on average per worker in manufacturing and services.

However, there will be a "larger increase" in the construction sector, where there is "much scope for productivity improvements," said Mr Shanmugaratnam.

The current levy for Work Permit holders ranges from $150 to $470.

S Pass workers will see the biggest jump in their levy rates. From the single $50 rate now, there will be two levy tiers introduced, with rates at $100 and $120. By July 2012, the rates will reach $150 and $250.

These changes will "provide clear incentives for businesses to restructure and upgrade their operations so as to rely less on low-skilled foreign workers", said Mr Shanmugaratnam. However, he assured businesses they will get financial support to invest in productivity and develop higher-skilled workers, especially Singaporeans.

Explaining the need to manage Singapore's dependence on foreign workers, the Finance Minister said they already comprise one-third of the total workforce, and there are limits to the numbers Singapore can absorb.

Having the levies will allow employers to continue hiring foreign workers, rather than be "constrained by fixed quotas", he said.

Head of SIM University's Business Analytics programme Randolph Tan noted that the Government had taken "a paradigm shift" to distinguish between productive workers, and those who were not.

However Mr Tan noted that for an S-Pass holder earning $3,000 - and engaging in higher-skilled work - the higher $150 levy would be just 5 per cent, "way too low to influence employers to favour local workers", he said.

Some employers were surprised at the steep overall increase in levies, but vice- chairman for the Foochow Coffee Restaurant and Bar Merchants Association Hong Poh Hin felt it was better than tightening the quota as it gives businesses more "flexibility" in hiring decisions.

Lucky Joint Construction managing director Yeow Kian Seng said that without locals being interested in construction jobs, "we still have to "face the music" in order to keep projects going". But the company will move from labour-intensive projects to those involving cabling work that still attract locals.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged the Government to "monitor its adverse impact" on local businesses - saying there is a need to be "more flexible and accommodating" in addressing manpower shortages in specific industries.

More details of the changes to the foreign levy will be released later this week.

From TODAY, Tuesday, 23-Feb-2010

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Storm strands passengers in central Philippines

I used to wade on the waters… a fishpond, a river, the sea, and the streets… back then the water is clear and unpolluted…

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Posted: 24 June 2009 0508 hrs

Pedestrians walk through flood water on a street in the financial district of Manila, Philippines.

MANILA: Vessels were on Tuesday told not to leave the central Philippine islands as tropical storm Nangka hit the region packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometres an hour, officials said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage as the strengthening storm struck Samar island in mid-afternoon.

The coastguard issued an advisory banning all maritime traffic around 14 central islands and the southeastern tip of the main island of Luzon - the expected immediate path of the storm.

Ferries and cargo ships weighing 1,000 tonnes or less were also restricted to port in Manila and along the nearby coast of Luzon or ordered to seek shelter if they were already at sea.

The local weather service said the storm was moving northwest and due to pass just south of Manila on its way to the South China Sea on Wednesday afternoon.

Local television in Samar said hundreds of people who rely on small ferries to commute between central islands were stranded at major ports in the area. - AFP/de

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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More Singaporeans using webcams to monitor events at home

Posted: 15 June 2009 2331 hrs

A Webcam

SINGAPORE: More Singaporeans are now using their webcams as closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) to monitor events at home.

This is done with a new beta software by local company Home Camera, which allows users to monitor what is happening at home and be notified of sudden movements with the camera's motion detecting system.

An email or an sms will also be sent to the user if any movement is detected.

Users can choose to capture the footage via photo or video, or both, and adjust the camera's sensitivity.

The software is currently used by thousands of people in over 180 countries.

The company has received a grant from SPRING Singapore for the software. It also plans to charge US$25 per year for the use of the software in a few months time.

Said Varun Arora, CEO of Home Camera: "It's not just an alert telling you there's some motion detected, but they can actually see what detected the motion, what caused it - was it the cat, was it the dog, was it the curtain, or is there a burglar and we need to notify the police."

- CNA/yb

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

Find your future in Singapore with online portal

LOH CHEE KONG

MORE efforts are underway to "help those who are interested to sink roots and set up a home in Singapore", said Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng.

These include the launch of a new online portal www.home-in-singapore.sg, which describes itself as a "one-stop portal for information about finding your future in Singapore".

The new website, which is already up-and-running, features a wide array of articles and video clips on life in the Republic.

Stressing that the Government would "press on with our efforts to build a strong core of committed and dedicated citizens", Mr Wong, who oversees the National Population Secretariat, added that citizens "always remain the Government's first priority, and citizen interests will always be accorded a higher priority over those of permanent residents and foreigners".

He noted that it was premature to assess if the marriage and parenthood package, which was enhanced in August last year, "has worked".

From TODAY, News – Wednesday, 20-May-2009

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Should the Committee of Inquiry be reconvened?

Letter from Leong Sze Hian

05:55 AM May 09, 2009

NOW that Mas Selamat Kastari has been captured, Singaporeans must be waiting in anticipation for his interrogation to be completed, to find out how he escaped.

I would like to suggest that the Committee of Inquiry be reconvened so that we can take appropriate measures to ensure that this does not happen again.

In the interest of fairness, the reprimand of the officers concerned may also be reviewed to see if any of them may be less to blame, in the light of new information. After all, they were judged based on the Committee of Inquiry’s understanding of the most likely escape scenario at the time.

From TODAY, Voices – Weekend, 09/10-May-2009

Well done, everyone

Letter from M Lukshumayeh

05:55 AM May 09, 2009

WELL done to the Singapore Government and to our security services for delivering on their promise to the nation of capturing Mas Selamat Kastari.

It is very heartening and reassuring to note the excellent working relationship and cooperation between the Singapore and Malaysian security agencies. Thank you, and well done Malaysia.

It was important to apprehend Mas Selamat not only because of the security threat he could have posed to Singapore and the region but also because it brings to an end all the theories of his death during detention and that the announcement of his escape was a ploy to cover it up.

Singapore’s agencies have redeemed themselves, but let us never forget the words of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew that we should never allow complacency to set in again.

From TODAY, Voices – Weekend, 09/10-May-2009