SINGAPORE: Crowds of Causeway bus travellers from Singapore were seen at Malaysia’s immigration building in Johor Bahru on Friday evening (Oct 21), ahead of the Deepavali long weekend.

Videos shared on the Facebook page Malaysia-Singapore Border Crossers showed a crush of commuters jostling for space at the bus platform. 

Shouts could be heard as people pushed forward to walk up the escalator and staircase into the arrival immigration hall. 

A video shared by Facebook user Gugan Zizou at about 10.40pm showed a Malaysian official standing on a platform. 

“Stop pushing, stop pushing!” the uniformed official was heard saying as he attempted to control the crowd.

A separate video taken by Facebook user Revathi Rajagopal showed how the travellers were standing shoulder to shoulder. Voices could be heard urging the crowd to stop pushing. 

“There is a person who is about to fall,” a man was heard saying. 

It had done this in the religious violence in eastern Indonesia in the late 1990s, and communal strife was what JI had planned to foment within and between Singapore and Malaysia as well.  

This is why today’s various grassroots initiatives, ranging from the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) to the current SG Secure campaign, have been designed precisely to strengthen the social resilience of Singapore’s multicultural fabric in the event of a terror strike.

A RE-EMERGING THREAT

With the rise of social media today, the tech-savvy propagandists of the Islamic State – an Al-Qaeda offshoot and global rival – promote the current significant threat of self-radicalisation. Violent ideology can thrive in a vast online space that often makes monitoring a deadly cat and mouse game.

Even more recently, the relatively nascent challenge of far right extremism has emerged in Singapore as well.

Adding to the complexity of the threat picture, JI itself, following its near-decimation by regional security forces in the 2000s, is gradually re-emerging, emphasising not violence but rather low-key infiltration of societal and political institutions. Ominously, JI appears to retain regional ambitions.

Twenty years after Bali, the threat of transnational terrorism remains but continues to evolve. So does the need for continued vigilance and not taking our social resilience for granted.

Professor Kumar Ramakrishna is Associate Dean and Head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

SINGAPORE: The former deputy CEO and head of private banking of BSI Bank Limited’s Singapore branch (BSIS) Raj Sriram was on Monday (Oct 10) issued a 10-year prohibition order and a 24-month conditional warning.

Mr Sriram contributed to BSIS’ failure to file suspicious transaction reports for transactions related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a statement.

The prohibition order, which took effect on Monday, was issued by MAS, while the conditional warning was from SPF’s Commercial Affairs Department (CAD).

The prohibition order bans Mr Sriram from “providing any financial advisory service or taking part in the management of, acting as a director of, or becoming a substantial shareholder of any financial advisory firm under the Financial Advisers Act”, said the joint statement.

CAD investigated Mr Sriram in relation to his role in BSIS’ business dealings and relationships with the subsidiaries of 1MDB and Aabar Investments PJS Limited, the purported subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investments PJS.

SPF and MAS said the department found that there were “reasonable grounds for BSIS to file suspicious transaction reports in respect of 1MDB-related transactions” as required under an MAS notice for merchant banks on the prevention of money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

Due to Mr Sriram’s neglect, BSIS did not file the reports, the statement said.

SPF and MAS said that, in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, CAD issued a conditional warning in lieu of prosecution to Mr Sriram for two offences under the MAS Act.

Under the warning, Mr Sriram paid a sum of S$150,000 to the Singapore Government’s Consolidated Fund and committed to refrain from criminal conduct for a period of 24 months.

He will also continue to cooperate with CAD in its 1MDB-related investigations and will not accept any directorship positions or positions of similar substance or form for a period of four years from Sep 6, 2021.

The statement also said that Mr Sriram’s conduct warranted a 10-year prohibition order as he held a senior position at BSIS and his neglect had contributed to BSIS’ failure to file the suspicious transaction reports. 

Ms Ho Hern Shin, deputy managing director of financial supervision at MAS, said: “BSIS, of which Mr Sriram was deputy CEO and head of private banking, was a key conduit for tainted funds in the 1MDB debacle.”

Ms Ho noted that MAS withdrew BSIS’ licence in May 2016 due to “serious and repeated breaches” of laws to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The ultimate responsibility for ensuring a financial institution’s compliance with such laws and regulations rests with its board of directors and senior management, she added.

SPF and MAS said that they take a serious view of compliance with these laws and the filing of suspicious transaction reports.

CAD director David Chew said: “The suspicious transaction reporting regime is a key pillar of Singapore’s approach to anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

“The Singapore authorities will not hesitate to take firm action against reporting entities, or their officers, who intentionally or negligently fail to file suspicious transaction reports when legally obliged to do so.”

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Sunday (Oct 9) said Malaysia will lift its temporary export ban on live chicken broilers from Oct 11. 

Responding to CNA’s queries, the agency said it received “official notification” from Malaysia’s Department of Veterinary Services on the lifting of the ban.

“We welcome the resumption of live chicken broiler imports, and are seeking clarification on the details,” said SFA. 

The Malaysian government had earlier banned the export of up to 3.6 million chickens from Jun 1 in its efforts to tackle supply and pricing issues for chicken in the country.

The ban was implemented following complaints of supply shortage and price increases of chicken, with some traders selling their poultry above the price ceiling to cover their costs.

Explaining the curbs, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government’s priority was its own people and that authorities will also investigate allegations of cartel pricing. 

FILL THE GAP

Malaysia exported poultry meat worth US$18.9 million in 2020, making it the 49th largest exporter of the product in the world.

Its main export markets are Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Brunei, according to the data platform Observatory of Economic Complexity.

Singapore imports about 34 per cent of its chicken supply from Malaysia, almost all of which is brought in as live chickens that are then slaughtered and chilled locally.

To fill the gap amid Malaysia’s export ban, Singapore increased imports of chicken meat from Thailand and Indonesia. 

Malaysia’s ban was partially lifted in mid-June to allow poultry importers in Singapore to resume bringing in live kampung and black chickens. 

 

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Sunday (Oct 9) said Malaysia will lift its temporary export ban on live broiler chickens from Oct 11. 

Responding to CNA’s queries, the agency said it received “official notification” from Malaysia’s Department of Veterinary Services on the lifting of the ban.

“We welcome the resumption of live chicken broiler imports, and are seeking clarification on the details,” said SFA. 

The Malaysian government had earlier banned the export of up to 3.6 million chickens from Jun 1 in its efforts to tackle supply and pricing issues for chicken in the country.

The ban was implemented following complaints of supply shortage and price increases of chicken, with some traders selling their poultry above the price ceiling to cover their costs.

Explaining the curbs, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government’s priority was its own people and that authorities will also investigate allegations of cartel pricing. 

FILL THE GAP

Malaysia exported poultry meat worth US$18.9 million in 2020, making it the 49th largest exporter of the product in the world.

Its main export markets are Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Brunei, according to the data platform Observatory of Economic Complexity.

Singapore imports about 34 per cent of its chicken supply from Malaysia, almost all of which is brought in as live chickens that are then slaughtered and chilled locally.

To fill the gap amid Malaysia’s export ban, Singapore increased imports of chicken meat from Thailand and Indonesia. 

Malaysia’s ban was partially lifted in mid-June to allow poultry importers in Singapore to resume bringing in live kampung and black chickens. 

 

Investors are bullish on the potential of plant-based fish, with alternative seafood companies raising US$175 million in 2021 – nearly double the amount raised in 2020.

In total, more than 120 companies are now developing alternative seafood products around the world, including many in East and Southeast Asia. For example, Singapore-based Growthwell, which is backed by Temasek and other investors, recently outlined plans to export their alternative proteins, including seafood products made of konjac, to China and the UK.

As the old adage goes, “the customer is always right”. When it comes to alternative seafood, customers want products that can match or exceed the taste, texture, nutritional value and affordability of the conventional seafood they know and love.

These are not unreasonable requests, but satisfying them will require substantially more investment from public and private stakeholders into open-access research and development. These funds should go towards improving the quality, variety and cost of plant-based seafood products beyond what’s currently available.

For the sake of securing Asia’s increasingly fraught food supply and preserving the richness of our oceans amid a world of surging protein demand, we should all hope that alternative seafood producers can live up to consumers’ high expectations.

Ryan Huling is the senior communications manager of alternative protein think tank Good Food Institute APAC.

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday (Oct 7) offered his condolences to bereaved families of victims in a mass shooting at a nursery in north-eastern Thailand, calling the incident a “heinous act” that “deserves to be condemned in the strongest terms”.

Mr Lee said this in a condolence letter addressed to Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

“I was shocked and saddened to learn of the mass shooting that took place in Nong Bua Lam Phu on Oct 6, 2022,” Mr Lee wrote.

“This senseless act of violence took many innocent lives, most of whom were children.

“On behalf of the Singapore Government, I offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved families of the victims in this heart-breaking tragedy. I also wish all the injured swift recoveries.”

Concluding his letter, Mr Lee told Mr Prayut: “This heinous act deserves to be condemned in the strongest terms. Singapore stands in solidarity with Thailand during this difficult time.”

The attack on Thursday left at least 37 people dead, including the attacker’s wife and child.

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Mr Prayut will visit survivors on Friday.

“Our heartfelt congratulations go out to each and every bar on the list and we are delighted to once again be able to showcase the incredible diversity of the global bar sector, from grand hotel bars and dive bars to neighbourhood speakeasies and stunning rooftop spaces,” said Mark Sansom, content director of The World’s 50 Best Bars in a press statement.

“The consumer appetite for quality cocktail bars just keeps on growing and to be able to introduce 14 new entries to help sate this and encourage travel plans couldn’t make us happier.”

He added: “The fact that this is the first time we have crowned a bar outside New York or London as The World’s Best Bar is a testament to the huge achievements of Giacomo, Margarita and their team… It is an honour to name it as The World’s Best Bar and the win is credit to Paradiso’s outlandishly inventive cocktail programme, sustainable ethos, work in the global bar community and brilliant sense of fun.”

Let’s get you up to speed with the day’s stories.

Singapore has recorded a 35 per cent to 40 per cent week-on-week increase in COVID-19 daily cases, translating to 900 to 1,000 more infections every day, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday (Sep 30).

There has been no indication that the increase in cases has led to more severe diseases. There has also been no significant impact on Singapore’s healthcare system due to this higher number of daily infections.

The Omicron variant BA.2.75 or “Centaurus” accounted for about a quarter of all daily infections.

MOH said the main reason for the increase in cases is most likely due to social mixing and gatherings, and relaxing of rules on masks.

The proportion of reinfections also increased from about 6 per cent of all reported cases from the beginning of September, to about 10 per cent this week. However, they only account for a small proportion of the rise in cases and “are not the main driver for the higher number of cases”, MOH said.

It says it expects higher numbers of cases over the next few weeks and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Shares of Singapore property developers took a hit on Friday morning (Sep 30) after cooling measures were announced late on Thursday.

The tightened housing loan limits will help homeowners exercise prudence in their purchases amid rising interest rates and cost of living, analysts said.

Another measure requires private property owners to wait 15 months before they can buy an HDB resale flat.

Analysts CNA spoke to say the wait-out period is a “surprising turn of events”, but will likely serve as “a form of deterrence for buyers with deep pockets”. This ruling will likely “curb demand for private property owners who are looking for larger spaces in the HDB resale market”, said one analyst. 

Here’s what you need to know about the new property cooling measures and how they will affect your ability to take up home loans. 

South Korea will remove its on-arrival COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing requirement for inbound travellers starting from Oct 1 (Saturday).

The move means all COVID-19 restrictions on inbound travellers will be lifted.

The South Korean government has been easing restrictions recently as infections in the country gradually decline. However, it added that it could step up restrictions again if it sees the emergence of risky virus variants and the global virus situation changing.

A total of 174 Malaysians who are victims of job scams are still stranded in foreign countries, said Malaysian police.

Police secretary Noorsiah Saaduddin said they received 224 reports made by family members and friends of 284 scam victims. Of the total, 110 Malaysians have been rescued.

She advised Malaysians to be careful when accepting overseas job offers on social media and to verify the authenticity of the employers with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Operating out of countries like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, the scam syndicates generally use social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to advertise high-paying jobs overseas. Once the victims are lured overseas and held against their will at the scam compounds, they are then taught and forced to cheat people online.

Let’s get you up to speed with the day’s stories.

Pfizer’s Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in children aged six months through four years. The vaccination regimen for the primary series in this age group consists of three 3-microgram doses.

The first two doses should be administered three weeks apart, followed by a third dose to be administered at least eight weeks after the second dose, the Health Sciences Authority said.

Clinical data, based on an ongoing trial conducted by Pfizer, showed that the immune response in young children with a three-dose primary series was comparable to that in adults aged 16 to 25 years who received two higher doses of 30 micrograms as the primary series vaccine.

This is Singapore’s second vaccine authorised for use in young children. The first, Moderna’s two-dose Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine, was in August approved for use in children aged six months to five years.

The Moderna vaccine will be available next month, while the Pfizer shot is expected to be available by the end of the year, MOH said.

Taiwan will end its mandatory COVID-19 quarantine for arrivals from Oct 13. Arrivals will still need to monitor their health for a seven-day period and take rapid tests.

A series of other measures came into force on Thursday (Sep 29), including ending polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for arrivals and resuming visa-free entry for citizens of all countries that previously had that status.

Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng told reporters that with a well vaccinated population and the pandemic under control at home, the time had come to reopen borders.

Two logistics workers who conspired to help smuggle the suspects in the multimillion-dollar Tradenation luxury goods scam out of Singapore in a lorry were sentenced to jail on Thursday (Sep 29).

Mohamed Alias, 40, and Mohamad Fazli Abdul Rahman, 38, received a year’s jail each.

The two worked together to help smuggle Singaporean Pi Jiapeng and Thai national Pansuk Siriwipa into Malaysia for a fee. Pi and Pansuk were under investigation by the Singapore Police Force at the time over a series of alleged cheating cases.

In mitigation, both Fazli and Alias said they needed support their family.

A new inland ash scattering site will open at Mandai by 2024. Called the Garden of Serenity, it will be introduced with the new Mandai Crematorium Complex.

The new complex will be Singapore’s second such facility. Initially expected to be completed by end-2022, it was delayed, with its main contractor Greatearth Construction citing financial difficulties in 2021. 

The first one at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex, which opened in May 2021, has received more than 1,900 applications as of mid-September. 

With Singapore’s ageing population, the annual number of deaths in the country is projected to double, said NEA. The projected doubling of annual deaths would drive demand for after-death services infrastructure and industry manpower.