Crime rate in Victoria,10 times more than SG per 100,000 pax
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Originally posted by SingaporeTyrannosaur:
Singapore Road Rage out of control?
Allibert wrote: Congratulations. You have just experienced a very common phenomenon here in Singapore. It's known as the "I may not have big balls or a brain but I have a car so watch what a hero I am" phenomenon. or "I may not have the money to pay for the car I'm driving but if I'm going to be in debt for the rest of my life just to own it, then everyone is going to damn well know that I have it"
You have just witnessed:
1. a display of kiasuism of the greatest degree
2. proof that although everyone have their 15 minutes of fame the average singapore driver reduces this to a couple of minutes of"yes, i am a d*ckhead and i know it but you sure won't find me apologising for it. I never spoken up to my wife my whole life so here's my big chance and I'm hiding inside my protective car zone"
2. proof that if the average Singapore driver actually takes a driving test he forgets everything he has ever learnt 10 seconds after passing the test
or
3. my personal theory that apart from the 3 registered driving centres there is some secret tree in singapore where driving licences can be found hanging from the branches as most of them would never have actually passed a driving test looking at the way they drive.
I have been here nearly 10 years and love quite a few aspects of Singapore but drivers are not one of them
Apart from not blinking, other things that are missing from most Singapore drivers are: not letting people into, or cross lanes and any knowledge of the meaning of "defensive driving"
This is so wonderfully put!! I agree with everything you have written and couldn't have said it better myself. Singapore has some of the worst and inconsiderate drivers I have ever encountered in a first world country. I recently went back to Australia, to Sydney, and spent 4 wonderful weeks there. Now I know everyone there complains about the traffic and the driving, but I didn't have to use my car horn ONCE. My first day back in Singapore, and I had to use it FOUR TIMES IN ONE HOUR!! So when people in Sydney complain about the drivers on the road, I tell them to be thankful they aren't driving on Singapore roads!
Rude, ignorant, inconsiderate, spacially retarded, and pushy - pretty much sums up Singapore's drivers. -
Violence in Sim Lim Square, unit # 02-76
I just want to warn everyone to AVOID going to unit # 02-76 in Sim Lim Square. They are grotesque scammers that has the tendency to be physically violent to customers. I was one of their unfortunate victims. Their signboad says 'Evolution Gaming LLP', but as I was researching on the net, they apparently regularly change their store name. They used to be called MH Electronics, or Mobile House Electronics. And a neighbouring store that's unit # 02-72 also used to be 'Evolution Gaming'. They were also called 'Compact Camera'. I've read a lot of complaints from that store too.
Anyway, here's what happened. My girlfiend and I went to Sim Lim to buy a PSP. I know, it was quite stupid of me to go there for a PSP. It's all over the net that the last place to buy a PSP is in Sim Lim. I went anyway, thinking it's "not gonna happen to me" (i was dead wrong). So we went to different shops to ask for prices. The prices we got were 360, and 340.. complete with all the necessary stuff like battery, 4G card, cable, case, and modification. When we got to unit # 02-76 (Evolution Gaming LLP), they quoted us $308. That was too cheap.. but it was almost 9pm and I was just tired and wanted the PSP. So I said I'll take one. The sales guy was friendly. He's tall, fat, and had a lot of pimples on his face. He took our money and said he'll modify it in front of us. After the so-called modification, he showed the PSP to me... and it was lagging! He said the modification took much of the RAM and it needed an upgrade, and that we had to pay $200! Holy sh*t... and while he was selling the upgrade to me, he kept calling me 'my friend...'. That was just annoying. I said we don't have that kind of money, and we'd like to get our money back. From here, things got ugly. The store owner (tall, skinny, and also had a lot of pimples) started shouting at us, saying just take the PSP, the we're wasting his time, etc. And another guy tried to talk to us,this short little guy with glasses, squeaky voice, introduced as the store manager. He tried to explain about the upgrade. But we've heard enough. We just wanted our money back, and we were not leaving. Finally they said we could have our money back, but since the PSP has already been modified, we should pay the GST (wtf!). After much debate, I just said fine.. if that's what it takes to just leave this place, then ok. So they gave us our money, less gst (that's $21 - not bad, but still hurts). We were so pissed leaving the store. I decided to take a photo of the store premises so I could have a 'souvenir' for the event. Suddenly, this little guy with glasses (store manager, they say) started to slap me in the face! (I'm not sure if it was a slap or a punch.. looked like a punch, felt like a slap) He also shoulted at me with his small squeaky voice. I prepared to hit back, aiming at his small face.. but suddenly I see this tall lanky guy running from the store carrying a metal stool. And the fat pimply guy who tried to sell the PSP also came out running towards us too. The little guy's got backup! So now there's 3 of them, and one of me. I remember thinking, if I fight back, this is going to get ugly for me. But then, the short guy took a plastic chair and continued to hit me, as well as this tall guy with the metal stool! Unit # 02-76 Evolution Gaming LLP is situated at the corner of the floor. The beating continued until we reached the escalator. They hit me on the face, the arms, and body. My girlfriend was just shouting 'please stop!'. Suddenly they demanded for me to delete the photo.. i had no choice but to comply. After deleting (they continued to hit me by the way), Sim Lim security came in the scene. The little guy gave me one last hit on the body with his reliable plastic chair. After that, security called the police. The police came to talk to me, then went up to talk to the store owner (tall pimply guy). The guys that attacked me where no longer there (of course). We went to the police station, I gave a statement, they gave me a medical form, we went to the hospital to document the scratches I obtained from the attack. The police said that they were going to launch an investigation about it.
So now here I am writing about it. The net has got loads of warning stories like this about the scamming happening in Sim Lim. Let this be an additional story about it. I haven't actually read about any violence happening, so I think this is the first.
Reading up on the net, here's a few more stories/complains about unit #02-76 / Evolution Gaming LLP for scamming and bad service.
This one is when they were still called Mobile House Electronics Pte Ltd (signboard MH Electronics): http://forums.************.com.sg/sh....php?t=1696186
Here's another one about #02-76 where they have bad attitude: http://talkback.stomp.com.sg/forums/...p/t-10687.html
Here's another one about Evolution Gamming LLP:
http://imcomplicatedyetsosimple.blog...m-sim-lim.html
And another one for Evolution Gaming LLP:
http://forums.gameaxis.com/showthrea...Sim+lim+square
And another yet one... "Extreme Lousey Service in Sim Lim Sqare". This time it's in #02-72 but still called "Evolution Gaming LLP" (it's either they like exchanging signboards, or its the same owner): http://forums.gameaxis.com/showthread.php?t=1482761
Here's another on #02-72, but it's no longer called "Evolution Gaming".. This time their signboard says "Compact Camera": http://forums.************.com.sg/sh....php?t=1793609
And another one on #02-72: http://********.com/forums/2535/topics/313622
So I guess # 02-76 and # 02-72 exchange names, and has the same modus operandi. Everyone beware of these shops! -
Suicide bids by young females up
Suicide attempts hit an eight-year-high here last year. 300 such cases referred to hospital doctors last year.ROUGHLY one in three people who tried to commit suicide here last year was either a woman or a young girl between the ages of 15 and 24, a study by the National University Hospital has found.
Females made up 118 of the 316 would-be suicide cases seen last year by doctors at NUH, to which most such cases are referred.
Suicide attempts rose steadily over the preceding three years for this group.
Last year, suicide bids hit an eight-year high, according to a study by Professor Kua Ee Heok, head of psychological medicine at the National University of Singapore, NUS research fellow Clarice Hong and former NUH consultant psychiatrist Brian Ho.
Although the population has also grown during the same period, the trend among girls and young women is worrying.
The study found that among girls under 19 who had tried to kill themselves, they were most likely to blame relationship problems, boy-girl problems and school stress.
Prof Kua said troubled relationships referred mostly to "quarrels in the family, especially bad parent-child relationships, where there are a lot of quarrels". Boy-girl problems could also result from family problems.
Dr Clarice Hong said that in the Indian community, for example, parental objections to a relationship might provoke a suicide attempt.
This was a factor in the Malay and Chinese communities too.
Poor emotional resilience could also explain the rising numbers. She said: "The threshold of tolerance for suffering is not as high as before. I was wondering if it could be because of the weaker resilience of younger Singaporeans."
Young people had relationship problems in the past too, she said. "But why did they not take it so badly?"
Impulse could be another factor, especially among adolescents. Another explanation could be that the extended family was dying out.
Said Prof Kua: "Before, there was always someone around to talk to in a big family -- an aunt, for example. Now, more families live on their own, and a lot of the youngsters are latchkey kids.
"They don't even talk to neighbours like before."
Due to this lack of communication at home, communication at school became all the more important.
There should be someone that students could talk to, because a suicide attempt was a cry for help.
Said Dr Hong: "In self-help groups in schools, they can learn from each other, or there could be a trained counsellor in school to go to."
That is why the NUS department of psychological medicine hopes to set up a webpage within the next six months, and make it accessible to students. It will offer tips on dealing with stress, where to turn to for help, relaxation techniques and other information.
Prof Kua said family, teachers and friends were the best people to advise youngsters under stress. "When stress levels are high, teach them what they can do. More serious cases may need medical attention. They should see their general practitioner."
371 committed suicide last year
THE number of people who succeeded in killing themselves last year came to 371 -- the third highest figure in a 20-year period.
According to the Singapore Immigration and Registration, 1995 was the year with the highest number taking their own lives -- resulting in 401 suicides.
The second highest peak from 1979 to 1998 came in 1989, when 395 killed themselves. The lowest was in 1981, with 191 self-inflicted deaths. Last year, there were:
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- 50 suicides in the 50 to 59 age group, the highest in 10 years.
- 22 suicides in the 10 to 19 age group, compared with only nine in 1992.
- 76 suicides in the 20 to 29 age group, compared with a low of 57 in 1993.
- 66 suicides among those aged 30 to 39, nearly 20 fewer than the 85 recorded in 1997.
Overall, the trend indicates that not only are more young and elderly people thinking of or attempting suicide, but more are also ending up killing themselves.
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More Singaporeans die from suicide than from accidents
SINGAPORE : More Singaporeans die committing suicide than from traffic accidents.
This is according to statistics revealed at the 2nd Asia Pacific Suicide Prevention Conference which bring together experts from around the region.
An average of one Singaporean dies from committing suicide every day.
Even then, Singapore's suicide rates are one of the lowest in Asia.
But what is getting authorities worried is a rising trend of youths committing suicide.
Suicide rates among the elderly, on the other hand, have dropped significantly.
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Dr Chia Boon Hock, Psychologist and Suicide Researcher, said: "The older people now are much better off. They have their HDB flats, CPF, they are married, not single, previously you had a old cohort where the elderly are single immigrants. For young suicide.. the level is steady, it is high."
Suicide is the second main cause of death among girls under 20 and the third among boys of that age.
Studies show that women are more likely to attempt suicide then men and in Singapore, most of the female teenagers who kill themselves do so because of relationship problems as well as study stress.
At the same time, psychologists also say that those who are single and unemployed are more likely to attempt suicide.
Between the year 2000 and 2004, the number of unemployed males killing themselves were 17 times higher than their employed counterparts.
The Health Ministry says what is important is that front-line staff like family doctors know how to identify signs that someone has suicidal tendencies.
Dr Alex Su, Head of Emergency Services at the Institute of Mental Health, said: "In Singapore, more than 50 percent of the people, if they were to end their lives, they would have left some form of message before that but unfortunately these messages were being ignored or not taken seriously.
"They may have made some arrangements to give away things that they had, or made some arrangements, as in after their death who will get what things, sometimes they may even release their pets.
"More importantly, they will leave some kind of suicide notes and these are very important things to note and should be taken seriously."
The Institute of Mental Health is currently running courses for family doctors to help them manage mental and suicidal conditions.
But psychologists say what is needed is a national suicide prevention strategy.
Dr Su said: "Depression is very treatable, you do not have to wait until depression evolves into a severe state, and all things around you have fallen apart, leading up to suicide.
Singapore has also launched a new offering information and support from qualified professions for people who are depressed.
DepNet is a way for people to discreetly seek help and advice for their problems. - CNA/de -
Suicide rate climbs despite good times
Insight Down South
By SEAH CHIANG NEE
A SURGING economy and promise of a brighter future have done little to prevent a decline of the city’s social ills, including a worsening suicide rate.
Not only are there higher rates of divorces, bankruptcies and crime against senior citizens, but in a land awash with jobs and better pay, the number of people killing themselves has surged.
The government reported 419 cases last year, or at least one suicide every day, compared to 346 in 2003.
This was a jump of 21 per cent and is one of the highest in its post-independence history. It is the fourth straight rise in as many years. More people die from suicide than in accidents.
Surprisingly, too, is the profile of the suicidal.
The Singaporeans who strived to end it all ranged from teenagers to grandfathers.
But the largest group was men who were in the 40s, mostly made up of the 1965 independence generation. This rising trend is worrying the authorities.
The other large group was women aged 50 and older. For every death there were seven attempted suicides.
The gloomy statistics came shortly after Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had said that Singapore was in a “golden period”, referring to its prosperity during the past two years.
For rich countries to register higher suicide rates than poorer ones is not a surprise by itself.
Singapore isn’t doing too badly when compared to Japan and several advanced Western nations whose rates, despite better welfare help, are faring worse.
Singapore’s leaders, however, have placed a higher emphasis on economic expansion over almost everything else on the basis that once you have achieved wealth, other problems can be resolved.
For many years, it had worked well in a simpler world, but less so in today’s harsher competitive environment that frowns on welfarism.
More jobs are eradicated; more businesses get restructured and life becomes more uncertain.
Between 2000 and 2004, 1,723 people committed suicide or about 345 cases a year.
The Samaritans, which operates a 24-hour distress hotline, handles some 135 calls a day from desperate people unable to resolve their problems.
The number of calls has risen from 43,255 in 2005 to 49,025 in the past year with one in seven considered to be suicide risks.
In perspective, Singapore hasn’t done badly against the developed world.
In 2003, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Singapore had a suicide rate of 18 per 100,000 people (12 male and 6 female) and ranked 52nd of 100 countries surveyed.
It was, however, ahead of more advanced nations like Japan (51 per 100,000), Belgium (40), Switzerland (37), France (35), Denmark (29) and Australia (26).
Sadly, it is not just about statistics. Each abandoned life has its own tortured tale of sufferings that are not always about money - although financial stress remains a top cause.
Overwhelming debts, neglect, family break-ups and poor health are some of the factors that push people to end their lives.
For the younger set, it is mainly over broken love or inability to cope with their studies or broken homes.
Singapore’s rapid success is achieved with a price. Life is a rat race for people who are at the bottom of the ladder.
For a family man in his 40s who has been retrenched as a result of restructuring, it could be a fearful experience. Unlike other advanced countries, there is no unemployment help.
“In Malaysia or Indonesia, when a person loses his job, he could go to the countryside and live off the land,” said a social worker. “Here there is no countryside to live off.”
One of the saddest cases happened last year when an odd jobs labourer in his 40s killed himself by jumping in front of a speeding MRT train at Jurong.
He had been unemployed for four months, relying on his wife’s S$500 monthly income to feed his family of four (with two teenage sons).
As bills mounted to $1,000, the hapless man promised his wife he would look for the money.
One night he gave $9 to his younger son and told him before leaving for his appointment with death, “Daddy is leaving for work, you have to look after mummy, you all have to take care.”
At a time when Singapore was basking in prosperity, his tale stirred the very soul of the nation and public donations – amounting to S$500,000 - poured in for the bereaved family.
“This speedy response shows that it is the people who are compassionate to its needs of their fellow beings rather than the government,” one letter writer said.
Over the past year, the mass transit has become an avenue for committing suicide.
Four took place within a period of six weeks last year-end with two of them video taped by witnesses and posted on YouTube.
Why is the suicide rate higher in Singapore than a country like, say, Thailand when life is reported to be so much more comfortable?
One explanation lies in the psyche of Singaporeans, who tend to be harder striving, less tolerant of failures and overly materialistic.
As a result of high-pressured living, the economic growth hasn’t spread happiness to all hard-pressed Singaporeans.
Many citizens do not have enough retirement savings and have been advised to work beyond 65 years to survive in this expensive city.
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Originally posted by SingaporeTyrannosaur:
Violence in Sim Lim Square, unit # 02-76
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The relentless rising cost of living in Singapore
From theonlinecitizen:
The following is a collated list of price increases which TOC could find – from various news reports, blogs, websites, forums, etc – since Jan 2006 to the present.
2006
Jan 9: Pump prices at all 29 Caltex stations will go up from 11pm on Monday night. Prices will go up by four cents per litre for all three grades.
Feb 13: Polytechnics and ITE increase fees by $50 and $10 respectively
Feb 14: NTU, NUS to raise tuition fees by 3% from next academic year. Tuition fees at both the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University will go up by S$180 for the next academic year. This 3 percent increase comes on the heels of a 5 percent hike just last year.
Mar 6: Expect annual tuition fee increases. Hostel fees will also go up by 10% to 11% from next academic year. (NTU)
Mar 9: Retail pump prices for Synergy petrol and diesel at all Esso and Mobil service stations in Singapore were increased by 6 cents a litre.
June 1: NTUC Car Co-Op raises fuel surcharge: We cannot continue subsidizing the fuel price increase in the long run without compromising the quality of service. Thus, the management has decided to implement a fuel surcharge of $0.30 for every 10km free with effect from 1 June 2006.
June 27: Electricity tariff to go up next quarter. Domestic users, for example, will have to pay 21.15 cents for every kWH of electricity, up from 20.49 cents currently.
July 10: Comfort Delgro raises taxi fares. Besides raising the flag down fare and the peak hour surcharge from $1 to $2, ComfortDelgro is also making distance-related adjustment.
July: Taxi companies raise fares.
July 17: SMRT hikes taxi fares.
Aug: SMRT, SBS apply for fare hike.
Aug: NUS hikes tuition fees by between $180, $220, and $510, depending on faculty.
Aug: ERP rates to go up at six gantries, mainly at CTE.
Oct: Public Transport Council approves 1.7% fare increase for bus and trains. Adult EZ-link fares for buses and trains will increase by 1 to 3 cents, which amounts to an overall fare hike of 1.7 percent.
Nov: SingPost revises postage rate.
Nov 12: Rates for HDB rental flats pegged to income.
Dec: Govt spells out fees to be frozen.
2006: Loan sharks cases rise by 19%, to 10, 221 cases.
2006: A total of 419 people committed suicide in 2006, up from 346 in 2003. The suicide rate per 100,000 residents - a sobering indicator in population statistics - is also on the upswing, growing from 9.3 in 2003 to 10.3 in 2006, figures from the Registry of Births and Deaths reveal. It is the fourth straight rise in as many years. (ST, Aug 13, 2007)
2006: Islandwide, home rentals climbed 10 per cent in 2006. (ST, Aug 6, 2007)
2006: At Alexandra Hospital, A&E charges went up from $55 to $60, as did C-class ward charges — from $21 to $23 — and subsidised specialist outpatient clinic consultation rates, from $18 to $20.
2007
Jan: All diesel-driven vehicles to undergo smoke test.
Jan: NUH’s A&E fee raised from $70 to $80.
Jan: Skilled Foreign workers levy raised by $50, from $100 to $150, for all sectors.
Jan 26: SMU Law Course to cost more, NUS says it may increase fees too.
Feb: KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital hikes ward treatment fees.
Feb 14: Tax penalties from GST audits could increase. With the hike in Goods and Services Tax (GST) by two percentage points, tax analysts said tax penalties arising from businesses making mistakes in GST audits may also increase.
Feb 25: Sunny Cove: Fees to Pulau Hantu Raised - As of 24th February 2007 (Saturday), the operator had increased the price for the chartering of boat to local water. With the price hike, all courses conducted at local water will be subjected to the increase from 25th February 2007 (Sunday) onwards.
Feb 25: Eldershield premiums to go up by year’s end.
April 1: Singapore Medical Association withdraws guidelines on fees. Doctors now have more flexibility to adjust their fees, following a decision by the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) to withdraw its guidelines on fees, as of 1 April.
April 1: URA increase fees for Housing Developers’s Licence – from between $500 to $8,000.
April 2: NUS revise car park charges.
April 8: Means testing for hospital admission to start within a year. Subsidised patients that stay more than five days in a public hospital can expect some questions about their income.
April 11: Ikea to start charging customers for plastic bags. (ST, 11 April, 2007)
April 25: The Singapore American School increased tuition fees by between $425 and $1,000.
April: Within hours of each other, the four petrol companies in Singapore - First Shell, then Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC), ExxonMobil and lastly Chevron - each revised its prices. The retail price of petrol and diesel rose by 10 cents. (Electric New Paper)
May 12: Inflation heads for a higher plane. For now, the major public concern is a rise in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 5% to 7% in July, which is likely to exacerbate the series of worrying price increases over the past year. (Littlespeck)
May 14: NUH increase ward charges for B2 and C-class wards by $2, increases of 4 and 8 per cent.
May 23: DBS raises its e-transaction fee for initial public offering (IPO) applications. Retail investors who applied for IPO shares launched on or after that date, through the local bank’s ATMs and Internet banking, were surprised that they now have to pay $2.
May 29: New fee hikes at public hospitals and polyclinics. A NEW round of fee hikes is underway at most public hospitals and some polyclinics. Subsidised patients at four public hospitals will now pay $24 or $25 for every visit to a specialist clinic, up from about $21. All 18 polyclinics, which used to charge a standard consultation fee of $8 for adults, now charge anything from $8-$8.80.
May: From milk to Milo, cooking oil to coffee, canned foods, processed foods, wheat products and more, prices have been rising recently at supermarkets and hypermarts here.
June 1: Prices of milk go up. The price increase for condensed milk ranged from $0.10 to $0.50, which means the prices for some brands of condensed milk have gone up by nearly 45 per cent. The price increase for evaporated milk ranged from $0.15 to $0.47, marking a percentage increase of between 18 per cent to 48 per cent.
June 4: Online hosiery shop increases price. There will be a overall price increase on 4th June 2007 for all brands due to increased cost of yarns and cost of shipping.
June 6: Even before the Nets fee hike kicks in, a shoe shop in Parkway Parade has already started charging customers extra to cover the increase.
June 7: Wholesale price of ducks goes up. The wholesale price of ducks has increased by 20 cents a kilogram.
June 7: Eggs price increase. Eggs now cost between 17 cents and 18 cents each.
June 29: Rental space rents rise. Islandwide, rents at Grade A malls have moved up by between 5-7 per cent in the first half of this year and could increase by another 5-6 per cent by end-2007, analysts said. (Business Times, June 29, 2007)
June 29: Fees up by 14% on average at NUS. Two days before the higher 7-per-cent GST kicked in on July 1, prospective students of the continuing education arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS) received news that fees for many courses had gone up — by an average 14 per cent.
July 1st: GST increased from 5% to 7%.
July 1st: THE Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC) and market leader ExxonMobil became the first companies to raise pump prices at their petrol stations following the GST hike. The two companies increased prices across the board for their three grades of petrol and diesel by 0.23 cents to 0.33 cents per litre from 7am. Caltex will be increasing its pump prices on Monday. (ST, July 1, 2007)
July 1st: NETS announced a price hike for its Electronic Funds Transfer Point-of-Sale (EFTPOS) and CashCard Services to between 1.5% and 1.8%.
July 1st: Pasir Ris – Punggol Town Council revise penalties for late payment of S&C charges to 2% and absorb 7% GST. (2004 rates) (2007 rates)
July 1st: Cigarette prices up as bar ban kicks in. Tobacco companies raised the prices of popular brands by an average of 40 cents. This brought the price of a 20-stick pack of Marlboro or Dunhill cigarettes, for example, to $11.60. (AsiaOne)
July 3: Resale price index for HDB flats rise 2.9% from 3 months before.
July 4: The Committee Against GST Profiteering (CAP) has found price changes to be generally moderate since the announcement of the GST increase in November 2006.
July 10: Changi General Hospital increases A&E charges. Following in the wake of earlier hikes by the National University Hospital and Alexandra Hospital, CGH this month increased its A&E attendance fee by $10 — or 15 per cent — to $75. For the B2 and C-class wards, the daily treatment fee went up by $1, representing a 6-to-10-per-cent increment. The daily ward charge for B2 wards also rose by $1, or 2 per cent.
July 11: Starhub raise prices for cable tv packages. SCV subscribers pay $4 more across the board.
July 11: The Committee Against GST Profiteering has received 33 complaints in the past six months about price increases, all dealing with food items. About 10 cases involve chain businesses. (ST, July 11, 2007) (link)
July 15: Electricity tariffs to be raised by almost 9% for July to September.
July 18: Govt raises development charge from 50% to 70% for new building projects from 50 per cent to 70 per cent of the increase in value of the land.
July 21: HDB rents at 10-year high. For the first time in recent memory, monthly rents for some HDB flats have pushed northwards of $2,000 in leases signed in the last couple of months. (ST, 21 July 2007)
July 25: Hospital bills up 10% to 30% across all ward classes.
July: July inflation hits 2.6%, highest in over 12 years.
July (CPI): Housing costs increased 4.9 per cent because of higher housing maintenance charges, electricity tariffs and rented accommodation costs. (ST, Aug 23, 2007)
July (CPI): Food prices went up by 1.4 per cent, mainly due to dearer cooked food, fresh fish, fruits, vegetables and milk powder.
July (CPI): Transport and communication prices moved up by 1 per cent, reflecting mainly dearer petrol and higher car prices.
July (CPI): The index for education and stationery rose by 2.1 per cent as a result of higher fees at commercial institutions and universities.
July (CPI): Prices of clothing and footwear increased by 3.9 per cent.
July (CPI): Health care cost rose by 2.2 per cent on account of dearer chinese herbs and higher charges for general medical consultation and dental treatment.
Aug 2: SBS, SMRT seeking bus, train fare increases. If approved, transport fares could rise by up to three cents from October.
Aug 2: Singapore Airlines raises fuel surcharge – from between US$2, US$5 and US$9.
Aug 6: ERP rates at Orchard, YMCA and Fort Canning Tunnel to go up. From August 6, cars passing the Orchard, YMCA and Fort Canning Tunnel gantries will be charged an additional $0.50. That makes it $1 per entry. Rates for motorcycles will also double to $0.50. Goods vehicles and small buses will now be charged $1.50. Heavy goods vehicles and big buses will be charged $2.
Aug 7: Student made to pay adult fare.
Aug 7: Cost of living in S’pore getting higher compared to neighbours. Singapore retains its 9th position out of 41 Asian locations as the most costly city. (CNA)
Aug 7: Car insurance premiums likely to increase. Higher premium rates for car insurance look almost certain, after the motor sector suffered a second consecutive quarter of losses. Rises could be between 5 and 10 per cent, according to one insurer, as the industry battles higher claims. (AsiaOne, ST, Aug 7, 2007)
Aug 8: 17% hike in Delifrance’s tuna croissant sandwich, from $5.05 to $5.90.
Aug 10: Change of supplier sees spike in price of medicine. A 80ml bottle of Minoxi 5 from Trima Pharmaceutical used to cost $38.50. This time round, the price was $45.50 for a 60ml bottle. Going by volume, the price increase was a hefty 57.6 per cent. (ST Forum, Aug 10, 2007)
Aug 13: Up to 30% levy imposed on hotel room revenues during F1 race. The Trade and Industry Ministry (MTI) has decided a levy of 30 per cent for hotels on the trackside, and 20 per cent for others. (link)
Aug 23: More ERP gantries, extended hours.
Aug 24: By Aug 24, the Committee Against GST Profiteering had received 115 complaints on alleged GST profiteering. In the first two weeks of July, after the GST increase came into effect, 49 complaints were received, surpassing the 30 complaints received in May. (ST, Aug 29, 2007)
Aug 27: Singapore raises 2007 inflation forecast to 1-2 per cent. Singapore’s central bank confirmed an apparent off-the-cuff remark by Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang in parliament that inflation would come in at 1-2 percent this year, above the government’s previous forecast of 0.5-1.5 percent. (Reuters)
Aug 29: Middle-aged suicide rate up. In 2003, there were 14 suicides (of men in their 40s and 50s) per 100,000. In 2006, it went up to 19 per 100,000. For women, there were 8 per 100,000. In 2006, it went up to 13 per 100,000. (TODAY, Aug 29, 2007)
Aug 29: Storage boom as rents rise. Companies which provide self-storage facilities are reporting a rise in rentals by foreigners as rising rental prices force more of them to downsize. (The Electric New Paper, Aug 29, 2007)
Aug 31: Government raises property development charges. For non-landed residential use, the charge was raised by an average of 58 percent with prime areas like Cantonment Road seeing the biggest jump of 112 percent. Areas seeing the highest increase (of over 100 percent) include Telok Ayer, Maxwell, Shenton, Anson and South Bridge Road. (CNA)
Sept 1st: New dog licensing rules. To discourage dog owners from keeping unlicensed dogs, allowing their dogs to stray or not muzzling dogs of breeds2 that are required to be muzzled in a public place (eg, the Rottweiller or Mastiff); the maximum fine for such offences has been raised from $500 to $5,000.
Sept 5: Esso won’t go public on fuel price changes. IF YOU are an Esso customer, you will not know if the price of your fuel has changed until you drive right up to a pump. ExxonMobil - the biggest player here with 74 out of the total of about 200 stations - has adopted a new policy against revealing changes in pump prices to the media. Neither does it display prices at station entrances. (Straits Times, Sept 5, 2007)
Sept 11: Adult EZ-link fares for buses upped from October. From 1 October, adult EZ-link fares for buses will increase by between one and two cents. But there will be no increase for train fares. (CNA)
Sept 12: Special needs school raise fees by 100%. I was shocked to receive a letter in July stating that school fees would increase by 100 per cent from this month. No other institution - even private schools - operates in this manner by increasing its fees by 100 per cent. (Letter to ST forum)
Sept 13: Employers to buy medical insurance for foreign workers. From January next year (2008), employers will have to buy and maintain insurance for the medical expenses of all foreign workers on Work Permit or S Pass. (CNA)
Sept: Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society to increase fees from between $5 to $10 due to the society becoming a GST-registered entity.
Oct: Starhub Cable TV sports channels subscribers pay $10 more.
Oct: Public transport fare increase?
2007: HDB ups valuation and administrative fees for valuation report of flats. This is to include the new 7% GST.
Quote:
Aug 24:
‘With rents rising, and some retailers not passing on the GST hike until later, we expect CPI inflation to continue to climb, probably close to 3 per cent towards year-end,’ said Citigroup economist Chua Hak Bin.
“Consumers Association of Singapore president Yeo Guat Kwang, who is also MP for Aljunied GRC, said if prices go up because of supply and demand conditions, that cannot be helped: ‘What we need to ensure is that price adjustments are fair.
‘So far, we haven’t seen a phenomenon of businesses profiteering from the GST rise,’ said Mr Yeo, who is the deputy chairman of the Committee Against GST Profiteering.
‘Most importantly, prices of basic necessities have remained stable.’
(Straits Times, Aug 24, 2007)
Other reports:
A relentless spiral by Littlespeck.
CASE survey.
Govt spells out fees to be frozen.
Unconfirmed – from internet forums and blogs:
teh_si - Price of Marigold HL milk up from $4.85 to $5.25 for two (13% increase) and Milkmaid condensed milk from $1.10 to $1.60 (45% increase). Han’s restaurant increased its price for breakfast sets from $4.80 to $5.50 from May 15.
Man in the streets - I was at the roti-prata shop along jln masjid having lunch with a client, I heard the kosong roti will increase to 70 cents per piece. CASE is sleeping or closing its eyes.
nannan82: Even the chicken rice I used to eat was raised to $3 from $2.5 dollar recently at hawker centre.
ITR Guy: My fav yoghurt was selling for 2 for 1.7 to 1.8 depending on supermarket is now going for 2 shit…
Apr 30 - ERP rates to go up at 5 gantries. The rates of five Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries will increase by 50 cents for all vehicle classes starting from May 7, 2007.
April 5 (ST) - Beware spike in docs’ fees. THE dumping by the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) of private doctors’ consultation fee guidelines effectively deregulates the service.
Mar 31 (ST) - Motor premiums could go up as insurers lose money.
Hike expected as half of insurers are facing losses and cannot sustain premium levels.
Jan 20 (ST) - Big surge in CBD carpark rates. Situation could get worse as some 2,000 parking lots are likely to disappear soon. Carpark owners are raising rates - driving vehicle owners in the Central Business District (CBD) up the wall. Now $160-$330, monthly season charges will go up by 20%. The occasional visitor will pay up to $4.80 an hour weekdays.
Xen, Jan 17: Ya Kun stuck a statement beside its cashier, added 20 cents to its menu, and pushed its Set A to $3.90. Even my Kosong Prata went from 50cent to 60cents, effectively a 20% increase.
May 2007: Singapore Expats Forum: Our tenancy agreement is due to expire in 2 months time. We’ve just had notification from the landlord that he wants a 30% increase in rent!! (link)
ITR Guy: my fav store that sells craypot frog leg soup and a host of other stuffs all increase price by 50cents. its near the one ktv at tanjong pagar area.
Shuwan: Comics at comic connection increased by $0.50
Anonymous: When i was back recently in singapore, i was shocked at the size of a “typical” bowl of noodles vs what i had just 2-3 years ago. I practically had to order 2 bowls to have a portion that was similar to the ones i had previously.
Anonymous: Business costs are indeed rising across the board. Instead of highlighting the hawkers, the 157th should do a survey on rent increases, because rent represents a significant portion of the total business costs. It should also cover the period of time commencing from last year end till now, since a lot of land lords (e.g. SMRT, JTC) increased the rent after the GST announcement in November. 157th, please stop using smokescreens or scapegoats for this basically government-induced inflation. We are not as stupid as you are in thinking that we are…
MrsBudak: Coffee Bean raised the price of their Caesar’s Salad by more than 2%! I’m going to lodge a complaint with the CAP and see what they say!
Getforme: You see, I was down at the coffeeshop behind my HDB block buying breakfast for mywife and myself. As I stood waiting for my turn for a packet of mee-kia tah (dry fishball mee) and koey-teow tng (rice noodle fishball soup), the stallowner turned to me and, with a sheepish grin, announced to me that the price of a bowl of fish-ball mee had increased from S$2.00 to S$2.50.
My Bear Brick: I came across a Caucasian and his female ‘escort’ making payment for their 4 ‘peng kang’ dishes. The bill came up to S$120!!!
AnneChloe: My friend paid S$8.80 for a plate of nasi lemak at a food court in Vivocity!!! It’s just an ordinary plate of rice with 4 items in it. Ghee that’s broad light extortion! It’s not even a restaurant and we have to fight for the seats, queue for the food and self service. Wow, I didn’t know food court are charging restaurant price nowadays
Punjangamalam: I was expecting the meal to be about $40-$45 at the most but we ended up picking a hefty bill of $57++, of which 7% is from the dreaded GST and 10% for service charge.
This Other Eden: Dinner was at Food Republic. The place was so packed, was so difficult to find a seat. Beanie ordered wanton noodles. The price is quite ex, considering it’s hawker food. If you wanted char siew, you’ve to add 2 bucks more. So all in all, the plate of noddles cost $6.50.
B305: I bought kfc to the movie for dinner, and i realised that the prices have changed significantly! When did a zinger meal cost like 6 dollars?! And its not just kfc! I popped my head over at macdonalds and they increased the prices too!
Seah Chiang Nee: A stall near my home has just hiked his nasi lemak and mee rebus from S$2 to S$2.20 (RM4.50 to RM4.95). Across the road, a glass of sugar cane water is up 20 cents (44 sen) to S$1.20 (RM2.70). In some places – but not all – chicken rice, the closest to a national dish here, now costs 50 cents (RM1.10) more at S$3.50 (RM7.70). Condensed milk, bubble tea and Campbell soup have become dearer.
Source: http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/08/...-in-singapore/__________________ -
Originally posted by SingaporeTyrannosaur:
More Singaporeans die from suicide than from accidents
SINGAPORE : More Singaporeans die committing suicide than from traffic accidents.
This is according to statistics revealed at the 2nd Asia Pacific Suicide Prevention Conference which bring together experts from around the region.
An average of one Singaporean dies from committing suicide every day.
Even then, Singapore's suicide rates are one of the lowest in Asia.
But what is getting authorities worried is a rising trend of youths committing suicide.
Suicide rates among the elderly, on the other hand, have dropped significantly.
ADVERTISEMENT
Dr Chia Boon Hock, Psychologist and Suicide Researcher, said: "The older people now are much better off. They have their HDB flats, CPF, they are married, not single, previously you had a old cohort where the elderly are single immigrants. For young suicide.. the level is steady, it is high."
Suicide is the second main cause of death among girls under 20 and the third among boys of that age.
Studies show that women are more likely to attempt suicide then men and in Singapore, most of the female teenagers who kill themselves do so because of relationship problems as well as study stress.
At the same time, psychologists also say that those who are single and unemployed are more likely to attempt suicide.
Between the year 2000 and 2004, the number of unemployed males killing themselves were 17 times higher than their employed counterparts.
The Health Ministry says what is important is that front-line staff like family doctors know how to identify signs that someone has suicidal tendencies.
Dr Alex Su, Head of Emergency Services at the Institute of Mental Health, said: "In Singapore, more than 50 percent of the people, if they were to end their lives, they would have left some form of message before that but unfortunately these messages were being ignored or not taken seriously.
"They may have made some arrangements to give away things that they had, or made some arrangements, as in after their death who will get what things, sometimes they may even release their pets.
"More importantly, they will leave some kind of suicide notes and these are very important things to note and should be taken seriously."
The Institute of Mental Health is currently running courses for family doctors to help them manage mental and suicidal conditions.
But psychologists say what is needed is a national suicide prevention strategy.
Dr Su said: "Depression is very treatable, you do not have to wait until depression evolves into a severe state, and all things around you have fallen apart, leading up to suicide.
Singapore has also launched a new offering information and support from qualified professions for people who are depressed.
DepNet is a way for people to discreetly seek help and advice for their problems. - CNA/de -
Rising suicide rate: Do something when we see someone in need of a helping hand
I READ with dismay the article, 'Suicide figures up - 419 deaths last year' (ST, Aug 13). Nevertheless, I am not surprised at the rising suicide figures and believe that it will continue to climb in the near future as I see many people facing difficulty coping with a stressful lifestyle deprived of much support.
People belonging to the sandwiched generation especially face mounting pressures, mainly financial, and if they fail to see a way out of their problem, may attempt suicide. To them, living is tortuous and death seems like a permanent relief to all their problems which is but a myth. They will leave behind loved ones who not only will miss their presence but also have to live on with doubts of whether they are the ones at fault.
It is common knowledge that our population faces mounting work pressure. Many work long hours and only go home to sleep. Weekends are also confined to indoor activity as they recuperate from a long week at work. There is hardly any work-life balance here. Most people's lives revolve around work.
As families get smaller, the supportive reach of an extensive family network is also remote. Many also fail to have time to establish any meaningful friendships and may miss out on opportunities to confide their problems in someone. Many who have problems, especially men, will not seek out counsellors from nearby neighbourhood family service centres for counselling support, further compounding the issue.
A close classmate of mine committed suicide at the tender age of 21. He suffered from an inferiority complex and family members also failed to understand him. After being discharged from the mental hospital, he hanged himself outside a church. As his classmates who helped him along the way, we were devastated and blamed ourselves for not doing enough to help him.
I often questioned the quality of our counsellors in family service centres (FSCs), having worked in one myself a few years back as a social-work aide.
Most workers there are young and trained in social work. It will be difficult for them to identify with the issues a middle-aged person is going through and also how he can earn the respect of the counsellee who is much more seasoned in life.
FSCs need to deploy properly trained counsellors who are mature enough to deal with the issues of this critical age group. Hopefully, this will take some load off the suicide-prevention group Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) which continues to face manpower shortages.
As Singapore progresses, many will also struggle to keep pace in a modern fast-paced society. Let us offer our shoulder if we see someone in need of a helping hand. You never know that your kind words of comfort may dissuade someone from thoughts of ending his life. It is when we take time to care for one another that we can say we are a First World nation.
Gilbert Goh Keow Wah
-
Originally posted by crimsontactics:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate
Rather low I should say.
read your pm
-
Originally posted by SingaporeTyrannosaur:
The relentless rising cost of living in Singapore
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From theonlinecitizen:
The following is a collated list of price increases which TOC could find – from various news reports, blogs, websites, forums, etc – since Jan 2006 to the present.
2006
Jan 9: Pump prices at all 29 Caltex stations will go up from 11pm on Monday night. Prices will go up by four cents per litre for all three grades.
Feb 13: Polytechnics and ITE increase fees by $50 and $10 respectively
Feb 14: NTU, NUS to raise tuition fees by 3% from next academic year. Tuition fees at both the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University will go up by S$180 for the next academic year. This 3 percent increase comes on the heels of a 5 percent hike just last year.
Mar 6: Expect annual tuition fee increases. Hostel fees will also go up by 10% to 11% from next academic year. (NTU)
Mar 9: Retail pump prices for Synergy petrol and diesel at all Esso and Mobil service stations in Singapore were increased by 6 cents a litre.
June 1: NTUC Car Co-Op raises fuel surcharge: We cannot continue subsidizing the fuel price increase in the long run without compromising the quality of service. Thus, the management has decided to implement a fuel surcharge of $0.30 for every 10km free with effect from 1 June 2006.
June 27: Electricity tariff to go up next quarter. Domestic users, for example, will have to pay 21.15 cents for every kWH of electricity, up from 20.49 cents currently.
July 10: Comfort Delgro raises taxi fares. Besides raising the flag down fare and the peak hour surcharge from $1 to $2, ComfortDelgro is also making distance-related adjustment.
July: Taxi companies raise fares.
July 17: SMRT hikes taxi fares.
Aug: SMRT, SBS apply for fare hike.
Aug: NUS hikes tuition fees by between $180, $220, and $510, depending on faculty.
Aug: ERP rates to go up at six gantries, mainly at CTE.
Oct: Public Transport Council approves 1.7% fare increase for bus and trains. Adult EZ-link fares for buses and trains will increase by 1 to 3 cents, which amounts to an overall fare hike of 1.7 percent.
Nov: SingPost revises postage rate.
Nov 12: Rates for HDB rental flats pegged to income.
Dec: Govt spells out fees to be frozen.
2006: Loan sharks cases rise by 19%, to 10, 221 cases.
2006: A total of 419 people committed suicide in 2006, up from 346 in 2003. The suicide rate per 100,000 residents - a sobering indicator in population statistics - is also on the upswing, growing from 9.3 in 2003 to 10.3 in 2006, figures from the Registry of Births and Deaths reveal. It is the fourth straight rise in as many years. (ST, Aug 13, 2007)
2006: Islandwide, home rentals climbed 10 per cent in 2006. (ST, Aug 6, 2007)
2006: At Alexandra Hospital, A&E charges went up from $55 to $60, as did C-class ward charges — from $21 to $23 — and subsidised specialist outpatient clinic consultation rates, from $18 to $20.
2007
Jan: All diesel-driven vehicles to undergo smoke test.
Jan: NUH’s A&E fee raised from $70 to $80.
Jan: Skilled Foreign workers levy raised by $50, from $100 to $150, for all sectors.
Jan 26: SMU Law Course to cost more, NUS says it may increase fees too.
Feb: KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital hikes ward treatment fees.
Feb 14: Tax penalties from GST audits could increase. With the hike in Goods and Services Tax (GST) by two percentage points, tax analysts said tax penalties arising from businesses making mistakes in GST audits may also increase.
Feb 25: Sunny Cove: Fees to Pulau Hantu Raised - As of 24th February 2007 (Saturday), the operator had increased the price for the chartering of boat to local water. With the price hike, all courses conducted at local water will be subjected to the increase from 25th February 2007 (Sunday) onwards.
Feb 25: Eldershield premiums to go up by year’s end.
April 1: Singapore Medical Association withdraws guidelines on fees. Doctors now have more flexibility to adjust their fees, following a decision by the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) to withdraw its guidelines on fees, as of 1 April.
April 1: URA increase fees for Housing Developers’s Licence – from between $500 to $8,000.
April 2: NUS revise car park charges.
April 8: Means testing for hospital admission to start within a year. Subsidised patients that stay more than five days in a public hospital can expect some questions about their income.
April 11: Ikea to start charging customers for plastic bags. (ST, 11 April, 2007)
April 25: The Singapore American School increased tuition fees by between $425 and $1,000.
April: Within hours of each other, the four petrol companies in Singapore - First Shell, then Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC), ExxonMobil and lastly Chevron - each revised its prices. The retail price of petrol and diesel rose by 10 cents. (Electric New Paper)
May 12: Inflation heads for a higher plane. For now, the major public concern is a rise in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 5% to 7% in July, which is likely to exacerbate the series of worrying price increases over the past year. (Littlespeck)
May 14: NUH increase ward charges for B2 and C-class wards by $2, increases of 4 and 8 per cent.
May 23: DBS raises its e-transaction fee for initial public offering (IPO) applications. Retail investors who applied for IPO shares launched on or after that date, through the local bank’s ATMs and Internet banking, were surprised that they now have to pay $2.
May 29: New fee hikes at public hospitals and polyclinics. A NEW round of fee hikes is underway at most public hospitals and some polyclinics. Subsidised patients at four public hospitals will now pay $24 or $25 for every visit to a specialist clinic, up from about $21. All 18 polyclinics, which used to charge a standard consultation fee of $8 for adults, now charge anything from $8-$8.80.
May: From milk to Milo, cooking oil to coffee, canned foods, processed foods, wheat products and more, prices have been rising recently at supermarkets and hypermarts here.
June 1: Prices of milk go up. The price increase for condensed milk ranged from $0.10 to $0.50, which means the prices for some brands of condensed milk have gone up by nearly 45 per cent. The price increase for evaporated milk ranged from $0.15 to $0.47, marking a percentage increase of between 18 per cent to 48 per cent.
June 4: Online hosiery shop increases price. There will be a overall price increase on 4th June 2007 for all brands due to increased cost of yarns and cost of shipping.
June 6: Even before the Nets fee hike kicks in, a shoe shop in Parkway Parade has already started charging customers extra to cover the increase.
June 7: Wholesale price of ducks goes up. The wholesale price of ducks has increased by 20 cents a kilogram.
June 7: Eggs price increase. Eggs now cost between 17 cents and 18 cents each.
June 29: Rental space rents rise. Islandwide, rents at Grade A malls have moved up by between 5-7 per cent in the first half of this year and could increase by another 5-6 per cent by end-2007, analysts said. (Business Times, June 29, 2007)
June 29: Fees up by 14% on average at NUS. Two days before the higher 7-per-cent GST kicked in on July 1, prospective students of the continuing education arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS) received news that fees for many courses had gone up — by an average 14 per cent.
July 1st: GST increased from 5% to 7%.
July 1st: THE Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC) and market leader ExxonMobil became the first companies to raise pump prices at their petrol stations following the GST hike. The two companies increased prices across the board for their three grades of petrol and diesel by 0.23 cents to 0.33 cents per litre from 7am. Caltex will be increasing its pump prices on Monday. (ST, July 1, 2007)
July 1st: NETS announced a price hike for its Electronic Funds Transfer Point-of-Sale (EFTPOS) and CashCard Services to between 1.5% and 1.8%.
July 1st: Pasir Ris – Punggol Town Council revise penalties for late payment of S&C charges to 2% and absorb 7% GST. (2004 rates) (2007 rates)
July 1st: Cigarette prices up as bar ban kicks in. Tobacco companies raised the prices of popular brands by an average of 40 cents. This brought the price of a 20-stick pack of Marlboro or Dunhill cigarettes, for example, to $11.60. (AsiaOne)
July 3: Resale price index for HDB flats rise 2.9% from 3 months before.
July 4: The Committee Against GST Profiteering (CAP) has found price changes to be generally moderate since the announcement of the GST increase in November 2006.
July 10: Changi General Hospital increases A&E charges. Following in the wake of earlier hikes by the National University Hospital and Alexandra Hospital, CGH this month increased its A&E attendance fee by $10 — or 15 per cent — to $75. For the B2 and C-class wards, the daily treatment fee went up by $1, representing a 6-to-10-per-cent increment. The daily ward charge for B2 wards also rose by $1, or 2 per cent.
July 11: Starhub raise prices for cable tv packages. SCV subscribers pay $4 more across the board.
July 11: The Committee Against GST Profiteering has received 33 complaints in the past six months about price increases, all dealing with food items. About 10 cases involve chain businesses. (ST, July 11, 2007) (link)
July 15: Electricity tariffs to be raised by almost 9% for July to September.
July 18: Govt raises development charge from 50% to 70% for new building projects from 50 per cent to 70 per cent of the increase in value of the land.
July 21: HDB rents at 10-year high. For the first time in recent memory, monthly rents for some HDB flats have pushed northwards of $2,000 in leases signed in the last couple of months. (ST, 21 July 2007)
July 25: Hospital bills up 10% to 30% across all ward classes.
July: July inflation hits 2.6%, highest in over 12 years.
July (CPI): Housing costs increased 4.9 per cent because of higher housing maintenance charges, electricity tariffs and rented accommodation costs. (ST, Aug 23, 2007)
July (CPI): Food prices went up by 1.4 per cent, mainly due to dearer cooked food, fresh fish, fruits, vegetables and milk powder.
July (CPI): Transport and communication prices moved up by 1 per cent, reflecting mainly dearer petrol and higher car prices.
July (CPI): The index for education and stationery rose by 2.1 per cent as a result of higher fees at commercial institutions and universities.
July (CPI): Prices of clothing and footwear increased by 3.9 per cent.
July (CPI): Health care cost rose by 2.2 per cent on account of dearer chinese herbs and higher charges for general medical consultation and dental treatment.
Aug 2: SBS, SMRT seeking bus, train fare increases. If approved, transport fares could rise by up to three cents from October.
Aug 2: Singapore Airlines raises fuel surcharge – from between US$2, US$5 and US$9.
Aug 6: ERP rates at Orchard, YMCA and Fort Canning Tunnel to go up. From August 6, cars passing the Orchard, YMCA and Fort Canning Tunnel gantries will be charged an additional $0.50. That makes it $1 per entry. Rates for motorcycles will also double to $0.50. Goods vehicles and small buses will now be charged $1.50. Heavy goods vehicles and big buses will be charged $2.
Aug 7: Student made to pay adult fare.
Aug 7: Cost of living in S’pore getting higher compared to neighbours. Singapore retains its 9th position out of 41 Asian locations as the most costly city. (CNA)
Aug 7: Car insurance premiums likely to increase. Higher premium rates for car insurance look almost certain, after the motor sector suffered a second consecutive quarter of losses. Rises could be between 5 and 10 per cent, according to one insurer, as the industry battles higher claims. (AsiaOne, ST, Aug 7, 2007)
Aug 8: 17% hike in Delifrance’s tuna croissant sandwich, from $5.05 to $5.90.
Aug 10: Change of supplier sees spike in price of medicine. A 80ml bottle of Minoxi 5 from Trima Pharmaceutical used to cost $38.50. This time round, the price was $45.50 for a 60ml bottle. Going by volume, the price increase was a hefty 57.6 per cent. (ST Forum, Aug 10, 2007)
Aug 13: Up to 30% levy imposed on hotel room revenues during F1 race. The Trade and Industry Ministry (MTI) has decided a levy of 30 per cent for hotels on the trackside, and 20 per cent for others. (link)
Aug 23: More ERP gantries, extended hours.
Aug 24: By Aug 24, the Committee Against GST Profiteering had received 115 complaints on alleged GST profiteering. In the first two weeks of July, after the GST increase came into effect, 49 complaints were received, surpassing the 30 complaints received in May. (ST, Aug 29, 2007)
Aug 27: Singapore raises 2007 inflation forecast to 1-2 per cent. Singapore’s central bank confirmed an apparent off-the-cuff remark by Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang in parliament that inflation would come in at 1-2 percent this year, above the government’s previous forecast of 0.5-1.5 percent. (Reuters)
Aug 29: Middle-aged suicide rate up. In 2003, there were 14 suicides (of men in their 40s and 50s) per 100,000. In 2006, it went up to 19 per 100,000. For women, there were 8 per 100,000. In 2006, it went up to 13 per 100,000. (TODAY, Aug 29, 2007)
Aug 29: Storage boom as rents rise. Companies which provide self-storage facilities are reporting a rise in rentals by foreigners as rising rental prices force more of them to downsize. (The Electric New Paper, Aug 29, 2007)
Aug 31: Government raises property development charges. For non-landed residential use, the charge was raised by an average of 58 percent with prime areas like Cantonment Road seeing the biggest jump of 112 percent. Areas seeing the highest increase (of over 100 percent) include Telok Ayer, Maxwell, Shenton, Anson and South Bridge Road. (CNA)
Sept 1st: New dog licensing rules. To discourage dog owners from keeping unlicensed dogs, allowing their dogs to stray or not muzzling dogs of breeds2 that are required to be muzzled in a public place (eg, the Rottweiller or Mastiff); the maximum fine for such offences has been raised from $500 to $5,000.
Sept 5: Esso won’t go public on fuel price changes. IF YOU are an Esso customer, you will not know if the price of your fuel has changed until you drive right up to a pump. ExxonMobil - the biggest player here with 74 out of the total of about 200 stations - has adopted a new policy against revealing changes in pump prices to the media. Neither does it display prices at station entrances. (Straits Times, Sept 5, 2007)
Sept 11: Adult EZ-link fares for buses upped from October. From 1 October, adult EZ-link fares for buses will increase by between one and two cents. But there will be no increase for train fares. (CNA)
Sept 12: Special needs school raise fees by 100%. I was shocked to receive a letter in July stating that school fees would increase by 100 per cent from this month. No other institution - even private schools - operates in this manner by increasing its fees by 100 per cent. (Letter to ST forum)
Sept 13: Employers to buy medical insurance for foreign workers. From January next year (2008), employers will have to buy and maintain insurance for the medical expenses of all foreign workers on Work Permit or S Pass. (CNA)
Sept: Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society to increase fees from between $5 to $10 due to the society becoming a GST-registered entity.
Oct: Starhub Cable TV sports channels subscribers pay $10 more.
Oct: Public transport fare increase?
2007: HDB ups valuation and administrative fees for valuation report of flats. This is to include the new 7% GST.
Quote:
Aug 24:
‘With rents rising, and some retailers not passing on the GST hike until later, we expect CPI inflation to continue to climb, probably close to 3 per cent towards year-end,’ said Citigroup economist Chua Hak Bin.
“Consumers Association of Singapore president Yeo Guat Kwang, who is also MP for Aljunied GRC, said if prices go up because of supply and demand conditions, that cannot be helped: ‘What we need to ensure is that price adjustments are fair.
‘So far, we haven’t seen a phenomenon of businesses profiteering from the GST rise,’ said Mr Yeo, who is the deputy chairman of the Committee Against GST Profiteering.
‘Most importantly, prices of basic necessities have remained stable.’
(Straits Times, Aug 24, 2007)
Other reports:
A relentless spiral by Littlespeck.
CASE survey.
Govt spells out fees to be frozen.
Unconfirmed – from internet forums and blogs:
teh_si - Price of Marigold HL milk up from $4.85 to $5.25 for two (13% increase) and Milkmaid condensed milk from $1.10 to $1.60 (45% increase). Han’s restaurant increased its price for breakfast sets from $4.80 to $5.50 from May 15.
Man in the streets - I was at the roti-prata shop along jln masjid having lunch with a client, I heard the kosong roti will increase to 70 cents per piece. CASE is sleeping or closing its eyes.
nannan82: Even the chicken rice I used to eat was raised to $3 from $2.5 dollar recently at hawker centre.
ITR Guy: My fav yoghurt was selling for 2 for 1.7 to 1.8 depending on supermarket is now going for 2 shit…
Apr 30 - ERP rates to go up at 5 gantries. The rates of five Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries will increase by 50 cents for all vehicle classes starting from May 7, 2007.
April 5 (ST) - Beware spike in docs’ fees. THE dumping by the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) of private doctors’ consultation fee guidelines effectively deregulates the service.
Mar 31 (ST) - Motor premiums could go up as insurers lose money.
Hike expected as half of insurers are facing losses and cannot sustain premium levels.
Jan 20 (ST) - Big surge in CBD carpark rates. Situation could get worse as some 2,000 parking lots are likely to disappear soon. Carpark owners are raising rates - driving vehicle owners in the Central Business District (CBD) up the wall. Now $160-$330, monthly season charges will go up by 20%. The occasional visitor will pay up to $4.80 an hour weekdays.
Xen, Jan 17: Ya Kun stuck a statement beside its cashier, added 20 cents to its menu, and pushed its Set A to $3.90. Even my Kosong Prata went from 50cent to 60cents, effectively a 20% increase.
May 2007: Singapore Expats Forum: Our tenancy agreement is due to expire in 2 months time. We’ve just had notification from the landlord that he wants a 30% increase in rent!! (link)
ITR Guy: my fav store that sells craypot frog leg soup and a host of other stuffs all increase price by 50cents. its near the one ktv at tanjong pagar area.
Shuwan: Comics at comic connection increased by $0.50
Anonymous: When i was back recently in singapore, i was shocked at the size of a “typical” bowl of noodles vs what i had just 2-3 years ago. I practically had to order 2 bowls to have a portion that was similar to the ones i had previously.
Anonymous: Business costs are indeed rising across the board. Instead of highlighting the hawkers, the 157th should do a survey on rent increases, because rent represents a significant portion of the total business costs. It should also cover the period of time commencing from last year end till now, since a lot of land lords (e.g. SMRT, JTC) increased the rent after the GST announcement in November. 157th, please stop using smokescreens or scapegoats for this basically government-induced inflation. We are not as stupid as you are in thinking that we are…
MrsBudak: Coffee Bean raised the price of their Caesar’s Salad by more than 2%! I’m going to lodge a complaint with the CAP and see what they say!
Getforme: You see, I was down at the coffeeshop behind my HDB block buying breakfast for mywife and myself. As I stood waiting for my turn for a packet of mee-kia tah (dry fishball mee) and koey-teow tng (rice noodle fishball soup), the stallowner turned to me and, with a sheepish grin, announced to me that the price of a bowl of fish-ball mee had increased from S$2.00 to S$2.50.
My Bear Brick: I came across a Caucasian and his female ‘escort’ making payment for their 4 ‘peng kang’ dishes. The bill came up to S$120!!!
AnneChloe: My friend paid S$8.80 for a plate of nasi lemak at a food court in Vivocity!!! It’s just an ordinary plate of rice with 4 items in it. Ghee that’s broad light extortion! It’s not even a restaurant and we have to fight for the seats, queue for the food and self service. Wow, I didn’t know food court are charging restaurant price nowadays
Punjangamalam: I was expecting the meal to be about $40-$45 at the most but we ended up picking a hefty bill of $57++, of which 7% is from the dreaded GST and 10% for service charge.
This Other Eden: Dinner was at Food Republic. The place was so packed, was so difficult to find a seat. Beanie ordered wanton noodles. The price is quite ex, considering it’s hawker food. If you wanted char siew, you’ve to add 2 bucks more. So all in all, the plate of noddles cost $6.50.
B305: I bought kfc to the movie for dinner, and i realised that the prices have changed significantly! When did a zinger meal cost like 6 dollars?! And its not just kfc! I popped my head over at macdonalds and they increased the prices too!
Seah Chiang Nee: A stall near my home has just hiked his nasi lemak and mee rebus from S$2 to S$2.20 (RM4.50 to RM4.95). Across the road, a glass of sugar cane water is up 20 cents (44 sen) to S$1.20 (RM2.70). In some places – but not all – chicken rice, the closest to a national dish here, now costs 50 cents (RM1.10) more at S$3.50 (RM7.70). Condensed milk, bubble tea and Campbell soup have become dearer.
Source: http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/08/...-in-singapore/<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
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Platform doors for elevated MRT stations
"The Land Transport Authority will spend more than $126 million to install platform screen doors at elevated MRT stations to prevent track intrusions...
"Track intrusions have gone up from an average of 16 cases a year in 2004 and 2005 to 30 in 2006 and 31 last year..."
Source: The Straits Times Page B2 3 Sep 2008
INCIDENT AT PAYA LEBAR STATION ON 4 APRIL 2007
On 4 April 2007, eastbound train service from Aljunied to Eunos stations was disrupted at 10.21am when a man was hit by a train at Paya Lebar Station.
To maintain service on the unaffected stretches of the EastWest line during the incident, all eastbound trains were turned around at Aljunied Station. Train services on the westbound and the NorthSouth
Line were not affected. Eastbound train service resumed at 11.02am.
A bus bridging service was deployed to ferry passengers between Aljunied and Eunos stations during the train service disruption. About 1,800 passengers travelling from Aljunied to Eunos stations were affected during the incident.
Passengers were informed of the service disruption and free bus services through announcements, notices and the rail travel information system at affected stations.
Passengers who were unable to complete their journeys due to the disruption can claim a full fare refund from the Passenger Service Centre in any of the 51 SMRT stations, within the next three working days.
Police investigations are in progress.
Source: www.smrt.com.sg News Release 4 Apr 2007
INCIDENT AT WOODLANDS MRT STATION ON 2 MARCH 2007
On 2 March 2007, northbound train service from Admiralty to Kranji stations was disrupted at 3.20pm when a woman was hit by a train at Woodlands Station.
To maintain service on the unaffected stretches of the North-South line during the incident, all northbound trains were turned around at Admiralty Station and some southbound trains were turned around at Kranji Station. Train services on the southbound and the East-West Line were not affected. Northbound train service resumed at 4.12pm.
A bus bridging service was deployed to ferry passengers from Admiralty to Kranji stations during the train service disruption. About 2,900 passengers travelling from Admiralty to Kranji stations were affected during the incident.
Passengers were informed of the service disruption and free bus services through announcements, notices and the rail travel information system at affected stations. Passengers who were unable to complete their journeys due to the disruption can claim a full fare refund from the Passenger Service Centre in any of the 51 SMRT stations, within the next three working days.
Police investigations are in progress.
Source: www.smrt.com.sg News Release 2 Mar 2007
Incident at Eunos Station on 23 January 2007
Date of Issue: 23 January 2007
On 23 January 2007, eastbound train service from Aljunied to Tanah Merah stations was disrupted at 3.01pm when a man was hit by a train at Eunos Station.
To maintain service on the unaffected stretches of the East-West line during the incident, all eastbound trains were turned around at Aljunied Station and some westbound trains were turned around at Tanah Merah Station. Train services on the westbound and the North-South Line were not affected. Eastbound train service resumed at 3.49pm.
A bus bridging service was deployed to ferry passengers from Aljunied to Tanah Merah stations during the train service disruption. About 4,000 passengers travelling from Aljunied to Eunos stations were affected during the incident.
Passengers were informed of the service disruption and free bus services through announcements, notices and the rail travel information system at affected stations.
Passengers who were unable to complete their journeys due to the disruption can claim a full fare refund from the Passenger Service Centre in any of the 51 SMRT stations, within the next three working days.
Police investigations are in progress.
Source: www.smrt.com.sg News Release 23 Jan 2007
- MP suggests using half-height platform screen doors in MRT stations
Man fatally hit by train
A Chinese man in his mid-40s died last night after he was hit by a train at Chinese Garden MRT station. The man had reportedly flung himself into the path of an oncoming train.
Source: Straits Times 19 Oct 2006 (H2)
"Despite the various safety measures in place, there have been more than 220 cases, where commuters were found trespassing on the tracks at above-ground MRT and LRT stations, between 1991 and 15 September 2004.
"Eighty-seven percent of such cases were non-accidental acts, which involved commuters jumping onto the tracks to retrieve personal items, walking, running or taking short cuts to another platform, and acts of suicide....."
SMRT to conduct more patrols on platforms
SMRT has doubled the number of patrols at its 35 open-air platform stations to try to make sure commuters stay behind the yellow safety line until the trains have stopped. It will not put up full-height screen doors, estimated to cost more than S$220 million, at these platforms.
Source: Straits Times 21 Sep 2004 H5
See also: Community Issues: MRT Accidents
Man fatally hit by MRT train after fall
A man died when he fell and was hit by an oncoming train at Bishan MRT station yesterday afternoon. This is the second fatal accident at this station.
See also: Community Issues: MRT Accidents
Source: Straits Times 16 Sep 2004 (H6)
Two women fall into path of MRT trains, 1 dies
A 50-year-old Chinese woman died after she fell off the platform and was hit by an MRT train at Bukit Batok MRT station yesterday afternoon. In a separate incident, another woman, in her 40s, suffered serious head injuries and an open fracture in her right leg when she fell off the platform and was hit by an MRT train at Redhill MRT station yesterday evening. These are the third and fourth such incidents in just over a month. LATEST: The second woman has died in hospital. (1 Sep 2004)
Source: Straits Times 1 Sep 2004 (3)
Man falls on MRT tracks, survives being run over by train
A man who fell onto the tracks at Bukit Batok MRT station yesterday suffered crushed toes when a train pulling into the station ran over him.
Source: Straits Times 15 Aug 2004 (3)
Man falls and dies at Bishan MRT station
A 31-year-old Chinese man died after falling on the track in front of an oncoming train in Bishan MRT station at about 1pm yesterday. The tragedy disrupted the northbound service between Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio MRT stations for about an hour.
Source: Straits Times 29 Jul 2004 (6)
Man hit by MRT train dies
A man was killed when he was hit by an MRT train near Marsiling station at about 11.40pm on Saturday night. Mr Tan Ngak Yam, 70, a Malaysian, was walking along the MRT tracks when he was hit by a northbound train about 500 m from the station.
Source: Straits Times 2 Dec 2002 (H5)
Boy injured in accident at Bishan MRT station
A 10-year-old boy was taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital yesterday evening, after being dragged by an MRT train along the platform at Bishan MRT station. Moses TAN had a fractured right leg, a fractured right shoulder, bruises on his limbs and chest, and lacerations on his head after the incident. It is not known how the incident happened.
Source: Straits Times 8 Nov 2002 (3)
Three injured in LRT accident
An LRT train with 20 passengers crashed into an empty one in Choa Chu Kang on Sunday 19 Nov 2000 after an operations officer failed to do a manual check of the lines before restarting the network system. The impact threw seated and standing passengers to the floor of the train, injuring three of them. The service was disrupted for seven hours but it was restored in stages and was fully functional again by 2.30pm the same day. Communications and Information Technology Minister YEO Cheow Tong visited the site soon after being told of the accident.
Source: Straits Times
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NewbieJoin Date: Dec 2006Posts: 7
Are the MRT tracks becoming a new medium for suicide?
It looks like the MRT tracks are now becoming the "happening" places for crazy people to become part of the floorbed! Just wonder why do they have to make such a dramatical exit? Isn't a normal bus or lorry good enough for them to be "grounded" ?
Really reminds me of the 70's HDB block jumpings...and that was way before spiderman even became a motion picture!
I heard there was a recent case at admiralty station, which went unreported in the papers...is this true?
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In oz,sometimes u have to give way to outlaw bikes who are treated
like VIP and escorted by police!!
Hogging the road: More than 200 members of the Bandidos motorcyle gang cruised into Melbourne yesterday with a police escort and immediately got ready for some serious partying. Picture: Craig Borrow
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,24478015-2862,00.html
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,24473097-2862,00.html
Bandidos bikie gang gets VIP police escort for family weekend
Bandidos outlaw bikie gang rules Melbourne's streets
October 11, 2008 12:00am
THE Bandidos bikie gang will visit their Sunshine clubhouse tonight for a strip show and heavy boozing after their blazing run into Melbourne's CBD yesterday.
mmm
http://search.news.com.au/search?us=ndmheraldsun&sid=2862&as=HWT&ac=NEWS.STATE&q=bikies
waste tax payers $$$
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5071078/union-slams-police-escort-for-bandidos/
Union slams police escort for Bandidos
October 10, 2008
The 200-strong bikie mob took a full minute to pass any given point. They were led by a police van, with motorcyclists blocking on-ramps and keeping stray motorists at bay.
Wow!! Bikes are so well disciplined ---on road.They are on family outings!!
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24477492-24218,00.html?from=public_rss
Bikies' Big Day Out
October 11, 2008 12:00am
VICTORIANS will react with alarm at the spectacle of hundreds of members of a notorious motorcycle gang riding into their capital city under police escort and with traffic lights switched from red to green.
The Bandidos, clad in orange and black, have come to Melbourne to party and enjoy "a family weekend".
Unfortunately they bring with them a national reputation for causing mayhem and breaking the law.
Their unwelcome visit clearly presented police command with a dilemma: if police do nothing, there's a strong chance the weekend could get out of hand; if they negotiate and participate they risk being accused of taking a soft option.
Chee Soon Juan shall quote this example that next time SG police
shall escort SDP rally and procession!!
mmmm
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Violence in Sim Lim Square, unit # 02-76
I just want to warn everyone to AVOID going to unit # 02-76 in Sim Lim Square. They are grotesque scammers that has the tendency to be physically violent to customers. I was one of their unfortunate victims. Their signboad says 'Evolution Gaming LLP', but as I was researching on the net, they apparently regularly change their store name. They used to be called MH Electronics, or Mobile House Electronics. And a neighbouring store that's unit # 02-72 also used to be 'Evolution Gaming'. They were also called 'Compact Camera'. I've read a lot of complaints from that store too.
Anyway, here's what happened. My girlfiend and I went to Sim Lim to buy a PSP. I know, it was quite stupid of me to go there for a PSP. It's all over the net that the last place to buy a PSP is in Sim Lim. I went anyway, thinking it's "not gonna happen to me" (i was dead wrong). So we went to different shops to ask for prices. The prices we got were 360, and 340.. complete with all the necessary stuff like battery, 4G card, cable, case, and modification. When we got to unit # 02-76 (Evolution Gaming LLP), they quoted us $308. That was too cheap.. but it was almost 9pm and I was just tired and wanted the PSP. So I said I'll take one. The sales guy was friendly. He's tall, fat, and had a lot of pimples on his face. He took our money and said he'll modify it in front of us. After the so-called modification, he showed the PSP to me... and it was lagging! He said the modification took much of the RAM and it needed an upgrade, and that we had to pay $200! Holy sh*t... and while he was selling the upgrade to me, he kept calling me 'my friend...'. That was just annoying. I said we don't have that kind of money, and we'd like to get our money back. From here, things got ugly. The store owner (tall, skinny, and also had a lot of pimples) started shouting at us, saying just take the PSP, the we're wasting his time, etc. And another guy tried to talk to us,this short little guy with glasses, squeaky voice, introduced as the store manager. He tried to explain about the upgrade. But we've heard enough. We just wanted our money back, and we were not leaving. Finally they said we could have our money back, but since the PSP has already been modified, we should pay the GST (wtf!). After much debate, I just said fine.. if that's what it takes to just leave this place, then ok. So they gave us our money, less gst (that's $21 - not bad, but still hurts). We were so pissed leaving the store. I decided to take a photo of the store premises so I could have a 'souvenir' for the event. Suddenly, this little guy with glasses (store manager, they say) started to slap me in the face! (I'm not sure if it was a slap or a punch.. looked like a punch, felt like a slap) He also shoulted at me with his small squeaky voice. I prepared to hit back, aiming at his small face.. but suddenly I see this tall lanky guy running from the store carrying a metal stool. And the fat pimply guy who tried to sell the PSP also came out running towards us too. The little guy's got backup! So now there's 3 of them, and one of me. I remember thinking, if I fight back, this is going to get ugly for me. But then, the short guy took a plastic chair and continued to hit me, as well as this tall guy with the metal stool! Unit # 02-76 Evolution Gaming LLP is situated at the corner of the floor. The beating continued until we reached the escalator. They hit me on the face, the arms, and body. My girlfriend was just shouting 'please stop!'. Suddenly they demanded for me to delete the photo.. i had no choice but to comply. After deleting (they continued to hit me by the way), Sim Lim security came in the scene. The little guy gave me one last hit on the body with his reliable plastic chair. After that, security called the police. The police came to talk to me, then went up to talk to the store owner (tall pimply guy). The guys that attacked me where no longer there (of course). We went to the police station, I gave a statement, they gave me a medical form, we went to the hospital to document the scratches I obtained from the attack. The police said that they were going to launch an investigation about it.
So now here I am writing about it. The net has got loads of warning stories like this about the scamming happening in Sim Lim. Let this be an additional story about it. I haven't actually read about any violence happening, so I think this is the first.
Reading up on the net, here's a few more stories/complains about unit #02-76 / Evolution Gaming LLP for scamming and bad service.
This one is when they were still called Mobile House Electronics Pte Ltd (signboard MH Electronics): http://forums.************.com.sg/sh....php?t=1696186
Here's another one about #02-76 where they have bad attitude: http://talkback.stomp.com.sg/forums/...p/t-10687.html
Here's another one about Evolution Gamming LLP:
http://imcomplicatedyetsosimple.blog...m-sim-lim.html
And another one for Evolution Gaming LLP:
http://forums.gameaxis.com/showthrea...Sim+lim+square
And another yet one... "Extreme Lousey Service in Sim Lim Sqare". This time it's in #02-72 but still called "Evolution Gaming LLP" (it's either they like exchanging signboards, or its the same owner): http://forums.gameaxis.com/showthread.php?t=1482761
Here's another on #02-72, but it's no longer called "Evolution Gaming".. This time their signboard says "Compact Camera": http://forums.************.com.sg/sh....php?t=1793609
And another one on #02-72: http://********.com/forums/2535/topics/313622
So I guess # 02-76 and # 02-72 exchange names, and has the same modus operandi. Everyone beware of these shops! -
Singapore's Dirty Little Secret? An Australian is shocked by the treatment of maids in Singapore:
Maid Abuse - No Longer A Dirty Little Secret
There are so many stories circulating the internet, of disregard for basic human rights, people suffering and abuse by authority. But the most recent reports of maid abuse in Singapore has left my heart aching for the victim.
According to staistics from the Ministry of Manpower, the number of substantiated maid abuse cases handled by the police dropped from 157 cases in 1997 to 68 last year. Now we need to find ways to eradicate this dirty little secret forever.
In the most recent and disgusting episode, 18-year-old mother of one, Nur Rizan Mohd Sazali was yesterday jailed for 26 months - 12 months for forcibly extracting the two teeth of, and another 14 months for pouring boiling wax on the maid. She has been dubbed by the press as "The Dentist".
The maid from Indonesia was accused of stealing from her employers. Although she kept protesting her innocence, 29-year old Ms Badingah was thought to be lying. This resulted in the ad-hoc dentistry, which saw her lose two of her front teeth, by the teenage mother wielding a pair of pliers.
Ms Badingah's employer, 25-year old Elsa Elyana Said, forcibly held the maid's head and forced her mouth open while the extraction took place.
Elsa pleaded guilty to punching the maid and assisting in the torture. She will be sentenced on Oct 16. She lived with Nur Rizan, as well as the teenager's mother and brother, in a flat in Jalan Minyak, off Chin Swee Road.
The series of abuse and torture that Ms Badingah endured at the hands of these four sadists, took place between June 2 and July 26 last year.
20-year old Muhammad Iz'aan was jailed for six weeks after having pleaded guilty to caning Ms Badingah. He is Nur Rizan's brother.
Muhammad Iz'aan caned the maid in a very bizarre torturous kind of punishment. She had been ordered to stand facing the door for a whole night with one leg off the ground and holding her ears. Every time that she dropped her leg, she was caned. The reason for this punishment is still unknown.
38-year old Maselly Abdul Aziz is the mother of the two convicted. She pleaded guilty, but had her pleae rejected, because she had initially claimed that all the accusations were lies.
According to public prosecutors, the abuse started just three months after Elsa 'borrowed' Ms Badingah from her mother's apartment to work in the Jalan Minyak household.
In another incident, the four accused had accused the maid of stealing their money and other small valuables. After Ms Badingah denied stealing their cellphones, Nur Rizan and her brother ordered her to take off her blouse. They then tied up her wrists with a bathrobe sash, and then Nur Rizan poured hot liquid wax from a candle over her back and head.
Ms Badingah, who had serious and extensive injuries, feared her abusers so much and for her life, that at one time, she actually jumped out of the kitchen window of the second-storey apartment and ran for her life.
Finally, the Defence lawyer said his clients were extremely remorseful for their actions. He said the case had brought immense shame to the family - well, doh... it's a little late for remorse now, isn't it?? -
EIA reports "smuggler friendly climate" of Singapore threatens efforts of the United States to protect its borders from environmentally harmful substances.
The nongovernmental Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) caused a stir at the meeting with its revelation of elaborate CFC smuggling operations spanning three continents and including Singapore, South Africa, and the United States.
The report, entitled “Lost in Transit – Global CFC Smuggling Trends and the Need for Faster Phase Out” is based on undercover investigations by EIA personnel. It reveals the global nature of the illegal trade and exposes CFC smuggling operations coordinated by Singaporean dealers who seek to deceive U.S. authorities and dump illegal CFCs on the American market.
The EIA report shows how Singaporean companies offer to sell CFCs to the United States, mislead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and engineer elaborate international trading schemes to avoid U.S. enforcement efforts.
EIA campaigner Alexander von Bismarck says, “Over the last decade, the United States has been working hard and effectively to stop the illegal import of these dangerous chemicals. Our investigations suggest that these efforts are now threatened by sophisticated smuggling operations in Singapore and other transit countries.”
EIA undercover investigators met with Singaporean businesses involved in such illegal practices and revealed the role which transit countries play in this trade by facilitating the diversion of CFCs onto the black market.
Singapore and other transit points in the illegal CFC trade such as Dubai do not sufficiently control or monitor the movement of CFCs through their ports, and companies are able to operate illicit trading schemes with minimal interference. One particular company, Leempeng Enterprise Pte Ltd offered EIA investigators a shipment of CFCs complete with false paperwork and offered to conceal the goods behind uncontrolled chemicals to avoid detection.
In May, President George W. Bush signed a Free Trade Agreement with Singapore, which the U.S. Congress ratified in September. The EIA report suggests that the smuggler friendly climate of Singapore threatens the efforts of the United States to protect its borders from environmentally harmful substances.
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Stop violence, and gang and crimes in singapore
Anyone with information on the incidents can call the police hotline at 1800-2550000.
BLACK ski masks. Long parang knives. Black-shirted men.
The gang attacked and slashed Ash on his head, which required stitches, as well as his shoulder and back. - Picture: KENNETH KOH
They looked like they belong in a fight scene in a Hong Kong movie on triads.
But there they were, at the void deck of Block 13, Eunos Crescent on Friday night.
And they confronted a group of five friends gathered there.
At first the group of friends were puzzled at the sight of seven men, who suddenly appeared in front of them.
Then trouble struck.
At around 9pm, the men attacked them with the weapons, causing them to scatter in different directions.
The attackers split up and chased the victims, slashing them viciously with the parangs and knives after catching up with them in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack.
All five victims were later sent to the hospital, where two received outpatient treatment and three have been hospitalised since then.
And it was not the only such attack that night.
Over at Tampines at around 8.15pm, an 18-year-old boy was assaulted and seriously injured. (See report on facing page).
When contacted, police spokesman ASP Stanley Norbert said they are investigating if both incidents are linked.
SHAKEN
Ahmad (not his real name), 24, was the most seriously injured among the five at the Eunos attack, suffering slash wounds on both arms and his head.
The other two, who were also warded, suffered slash wounds on their hand and stomach respectively.
Still looking shaken from the attack, Ahmad told The New Paper yesterday at Changi General Hospital (CGH), where he is warded, that it was an unprovoked attack.
He claimed that he and his group have no enemies nor have they offended anyone.
That was why when he first saw the armed, masked men, he thought they were going to attack others, not their group.
Ahmad said: 'I first saw about seven men, who appeared from behind the walls. They were wearing ski masks and each one was carrying either a parang or a sword.
'I thought they were looking for others. We had no time to react or run away at all before they attacked us.'
Ahmad said he and his friends, whose ages range from 17 to 24, fled in different directions with the assailants in hot pursuit.
Ahmad himself ran to Block 16 where he was pounced upon at the void deck by two attackers.
He said: 'Then three other men, also wearing ski masks and carrying parangs, appeared and also started attacking me.'
He tried to protect his head by using his hands to cover it.
'But when I did so, I heard the (hacking) sounds,' he recounted.
'I knew that the parang had hit me.'
Ahmad then tried to run into a lift.
A middle-aged man was about to exit and was threatened by the attackers.
Ahmad said: 'They warned him to get out of the way or they would also chop him.'
The five attackers then tried to force their way into the lift as Ahmad kept kicking them out.
He succeeded only after one of them told the gang 'enough' in Malay and they left.
By then, Ahmad's hands were soaked with blood, with bones visible from the wounds.
'I thought I was going to die,' he said. 'If they had managed to enter the lift, I think I would have been dead by now.'
Taking the lift to the sixth floor, he sought help from a household, whose main door was open.
'I told them that I had been attacked by a gang and asked them to help call for an ambulance.'
The family also helped dress his wounds and gave him drinks.
Ahmad said they also kept talking to him because he told them he was going to faint. Later, the police and ambulance arrived to take him to hospital.
Ahmad's elder sister, 33, said she was distraught to see him badly injured.
She said: 'I don't know why they attacked my brother. He isn't the sort to mix with bad company.
'I hope the police will step up patrols and also arrest these people soon.'
Ahmad is now fearful of returning to Eunos Crescent, the neighbourhood where he had lived for nearly 20 years.
He moved out of the area five years ago, but would return there almost daily to hang out with his childhood friends. He said his family had plans to move back there next year because they like the area so much.
'But now, I'm not so sure.'
One of his injured friends, who is still warded at CGH, said Ahmad was the worst hit.
Requesting not to be named, he added: 'We do not know who these guys are and we have never offended anyone before.'
Police spokesman ASP Stanley Norbert said that so far, there have been no arrests and those injured in both the cases are being interviewed.
'The two cases are being investigated as rioting armed with dangerous weapon,' he added.
Those convicted of the offence face a jail term of up to seven years and caning -
Gang violence by girls on the rise
They dress, fight and commit crimes very much like male
GIRL gangs are making a comeback, with an attitude and aggression that bear an unsettling resemblance to boy gangs.They dress like the boys, they fight like boys, even the crimes they commit are what the boy gangs are notorious for: rioting, robbing and extorting money, all offences which carry jail sentences.
One of the five detectives interviewed for this report, offered this snapshot of today's girl thugs: "In the past, girls broke the law in such areas as unlawful assembly, fights over men, and in staring incidents at public places such as discos.
"Now, they are doing what boy gangs do: breaking into cars to steal, threatening people and demanding money from schoolmates and neighbours."
Official figures show a disturbing rise in teenage girls committing extortions, robberies and other crimes.
In the first six months of this year, girls were involved in: 16 robberies, up from five last year; 25 thefts, up from 21; 236 shoplifting cases, up from 188, and 15 extortion cases, up from 10. In 1996, there were no reports of girls involved in extortion cases.
A total of 310 girls were arrested in the first six months of this year, compared with 273 in the first half of last year.
The detectives said that the pace picked up last September. They now make two to three arrests a week. Before, one a week was about average. Most of these girl gangsters are between 13 and 17 years old, although the police have come across girls as young as 10.
Police officers have sometimes mistaken them for boys because of their "short hair, men's shirt, trousers and Doc Martens shoes".
And when they fight, it is with a vengeance.
"Before, the girls would scratch and pull each other's hair. Now, they punch, kick and scratch their victims with sharp objects such as small knives. In some cases, they attack with stiletto-heeled shoes, leaving a bloody mess."
Compared with their forerunners, the Butterfly and Rose gangs of the early Sixties, the gangs today give themselves "cutesy" names like: Xiao Ding Dang (Little Doraemon, a Japanese cartoon character) and Xiao Tian Tian (Little Candy, another Japanese cartoon character).
They operate in gangs with between 15 and 20 members. Membership comes easy too: Initiation rituals are not required. There's no need to make offerings to Guan Kong (the Chinese God of War), for example. They just wear the same shoes, coloured wrist bands or sport similar tattoos.
Girl gangs often pick on neighbours or schoolmates.
Said a detective: "They would extort money from other girls, after accusing them of staring or spreading rumours about them."
Counsellors who have dealt with these girls say the lack of parental control and attention is the main cause of this rising tide of thuggery.
Most of the girls are from homes with a history of family abuse or where the parents have marital problems.
Their parents tend to shrug off the misdeeds, and often ask the police to let the girls off because "they're just kids", the detectives said.
Even after the girls are convicted and sent to homes or placed on probation, many parents refuse to see that their child is developing into a full-fledged criminal.
Counsellor Lindy Ong, 35, who has set up a support group in a church for parents with problem teens, said: "Some just leave their kids with us and expect us to perform miracles. They don't even turn up for counselling sessions."
In a research bulletin issued by the Subordinate Courts, a court official said: "If the young person's undesirable values and erroneous methods of solving her problems are not corrected early, there will be dire consequences."
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Terror Road Rage Case in SingaporeHANGING on to the bonnet of a speeding car as it kept swerving to throw you off is something that happens only in the movies.
For two minutes yesterday afternoon, he did just that.
The reason he ended up on the bonnet is even more shocking - it was an argument over a scratch.
Luckily for Mr Koh, 36, he escaped with only abrasions.
The sales executive was walking back to his Toyota Wish which was parked on Tembeling Road, near Joo Chiat.
He recalled: 'I had just collected a cheque from a client and was walking back to my car to drive off for lunch.
'From a distance, I saw a man walking pass the right side of my car.
'I thought I saw him scratching the right passenger door with his car keys.'
When Mr Koh reached his car, he found a 15cm scratch on his silver Wish which he bought new two years ago.
The man who scratched Mr Koh's car got into a black Nissan Cefiro which was parked behind Mr Koh's.
Both cars were in parallel parking lots.
Mr Koh said: 'By the time I reached my car, the man was already trying to get out of the parking lot.
'I tapped on the bonnet to get the driver's attention.
'But he kept inching his car forward even though I signalled to him to stop. I had to keep stepping back in order not get hit.
'All of a sudden, the driver surged forward and I had no time to react. As a result, I slumped forward on the car's bonnet.'
The car did not stop and Mr Koh had to hold on to the bonnet so as not to fall off.
The Nissan drove about 15m towards the junction of Tembeling Road and East Coast Road.
There, the driver slowed down to make a left turn to get on to East Coast Road.
Mr Koh said: 'I kept yelling at the driver to stop. But it was no use. I couldn't really see his face because of the glare from the front windscreen.
'The windows were shut, so I don't think he could hear me.'
After the Nissan got on to East Coast Road, the driver tried to shake Mr Koh off.
Mr Koh said: 'He kept swerving left and right after he turned left on to East Coast Road.
'I couldn't do anything except to grip the bonnet very tightly and shouted at him to stop.
'I remembered turning my head back as he sped on. I saw the back of a lorry and the Nissan slowed down to avoid hitting the lorry.'
About 200m after getting on to East Coast Road, the Nissan brushed against a motorcycle which was travelling on the left lane of the two-lane road.
Mr Koh said: 'The driver continued moving ahead even after the Nissan brushed against a motorcycle. Then, it turned left towards Still Road.
'After that, I couldn't hang on to the car any more and I fell off the bonnet.'
Mr Koh landed on the road and rolled onto the middle lane of Still Road and almost got hit by a despatch rider when he rolled into his lane.
The despatch rider, Mr Mohd Shahril, 32, thought that an 'object had came into his path'.
Mr Shahril, who was on Still Road travelling towards Eunos, said: 'I was surprised when I found out that the 'object' was actually a man. If I had not braked in time, the both of us would surely be hurt.'
Mr Koh finally came to a stop near a bus stop.
Mr Koh said: 'My chin hit the ground even though I tried to use my arms to cushion the fall. It was very painful and I couldn't move.
'Luckily, a motorcyclist came by to help me. Some other people from the bus stop also came to help.'
Mr Shahril said he does not know who was more crazy - the driver of the fleeing car or the man who held on to the bonnet.
He said: 'From the corner of my eye, I could see and hear the screeching sound the speeding car was making. The driver didn't even slow down as he entered the filter lane.
'The driver is crazy because the man could have been dragged under the wheels of his car.'
Those who had helped Mr Koh took him to the bus stop and called for an ambulance. He was taken to Changi General Hospital.
Mr Koh suffered abrasions to both his arms and his knees. His left shirt pocket was torn and his pants were also torn at the knees.
Mr Koh recalled that the driver of the Nissan wore a blue T-shirt with blue shorts, but couldn't make out his appearance as he only saw the driver from a distance.
But Mr Koh said the driver was a short and plump man in his 40s.
Mr Koh said: 'Scratching my car was a small matter. I only wanted to talk to him about it. But what he did could have cost me my life.'
He made a police report at the accident and emergency ward of CGH.
Mr Koh's wife, Madam S Chong, 36, said the Nissan driver's behaviour was 'outrageous'.
She was having lunch when her husband called her while he was in the ambulance to CGH.
Madam Chong said: 'At first, I thought he was joking as my husband likes to joke a lot. As he could still talk to me on the phone, I knew he wasn't too badly hurt.
The Kohs have two children aged 4 and 8.
A passer-by gave Mr Koh the licence plate number of the Nissan.
He said: 'It all happened so fast that I didn't have time to see the car plate number.
'Luckily, there were witnesses who saw what happened.'
The police said they were informed of the incident at about 1pm.
They are investigating the matter which involves a car driver, a motorcyclist and a pedestrian.
A similar incident happened on 9 Apr. Mr Alex Lim was driving his girlfriend home for dinner, but along Paterson Road, his red Mazda was involved in a minor collision with a taxi.
Both drivers then parked along Scotts Road and got out of their vehicles. An argument followed.
Cabby Lee Yuet Kong, who was carrying a passenger at the time, allegedly got back into his taxi and tried to drive off.
Mr Lim, a finacial adviser, wanting to get Lee's particulars, stood in front of the cab, but Lee reportedly drove away, throwing him onto the bonnet.
He later allegedly braked abruptly, causing Mr Lim to fall backwards and hit his head on the ground.
Mr Lim died on 13 May.
Lee, a 68-year-old relief driver, has been charged with causing grievous hurt with a rash act.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
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Rage in "safe" Singapore
Lee Yuet Kong, a taxi driver, was charged in court this week with "causing grievous hurt", for driving his vehicle into Alex Lim Wee Chong, who is now in a coma. [1]Alex Lim's car and the taxi had a small collision along Paterson Road on 9 April 2007. A little ahead, at Scotts Road, both of them pulled over as is normal practice, to exchange drivers' identification. An argument broke out and Lee, the taxi driver, refused to provide Lim with his details. He got back into his cab intending to drive off. Lim tried to stop him by positioning himself in front of the taxi.
Lee drove straight into Lim, throwing the latter onto the bonnet. Then he stopped suddenly, throwing Lim forward onto the road. Not only did Lim's girlfriend witness this, apparently so did a passenger in Lee's taxi.
Alex Lim, aged 30, and a financial advisor, has been in a coma since. He's had a part of his brain removed.
* * * * *
In the early hours of last Monday, just outside a Clarke Quay bar, an off-duty bar manager (from a different bar) was attacked. Eugene Chua was so brutally beaten he died in hospital 2 days later. Exactly who did this and why has not been revealed but the police have arrested 2 persons in connection with the crime, and are investigating. [2]By all accounts, Eugene Chua was very much liked. His boss described him as "a small, spunky, affable and hardworking guy", and his premature death at age 32 was deeply mourned.
24 hours prior to that savage incident, six teenagers were attacked by 16 young men near the Esplanade. The six claimed that the fight, which included vulgarities and racial taunts, was unprovoked. One of the six, Chan Voon Ho, aged 17, was so badly beaten that he suffered multiple fractures on his face and lost nearly all his front teeth.[3]
The police are now looking for the 16 other guys. Whether it will be classified as causing grievous hurt, rioting or some other offence is too early to say.
Then we have stories of schoolgirls engaging in "happy slapping", a form of bullying, where a group gangs up on a victim, strip and beat her and record everything on video to be uploaded onto the internet. Such brazen behaviour, I can hardly imagine.
* * * * *
For some years now, I have been disturbed by how quickly Singaporeans resort to violence. Bar fights are common, as is road rage, but even if you're nowhere near a bar or on the road, you can still be beaten to pulp just by looking at the wrong person. "Staring" incidents, a marker of immaturity, can escalate into running battles within minutes.Staring comes out of an animalistic instinct, where one party uses his eyes to establish his social rank over the other. The one who turns away first concedes.
In young men, with their testosterone impulses, self-control is already lower than other age groups, but when we stir in low self-esteem, then the challenge is perceived even more acutely. All the more, the staring party, whether initiator or responder, cannot afford to back down. That is why staring incidents leading to fights are typically reported among the less educated or the less economically well-off.
That being the case, a widening income gap and increasing financial stress for the lower half of society does not bode well at all.
Road rage, on the other hand, involves the better off and the well-educated too. We sometimes hear of people driving Mercedes Benzes getting into a scuffle after an accident. No social class is immune.
I just wonder if we are increasingly stressed out. Frustrated with working long hours at the office, or no job at all. Or lousy pay while the bosses award themselves huge bonuses. Congestion and crowding as we go from one place to another. Noise all around us even when we reach home, because the damn town council keeps giving out getai [4] permits....
Others would put the blame on screen and TV violence. Exactly how media portrayal of violence affects social tendency to violence is not fully established, but it should be no surprise if there is a relationship to some degree. Even indirectly, as in audiences imbibing attitudes regarding fighting for one's sense of honour, or group loyalty right or wrong, can have an effect.
I have long thought that Singapore over-regulates the depiction of sex and sexuality, and under-regulates the depiction of violence. Sure, people can be influenced by the depiction of sexual lives to adopt different sexual values, but rarely are there victims arising from those new sexual values. On the other hand, violence produces victims, almost by definition.
Moreover, I see instances where our justice system tends to be too lenient on violence too. In an earlier article The pimp and the cabby, I pointed out two court cases that occurred at the same time.
In one, a taxi driver tried to run down a pedestrian. Twice. He was given a sentence of 4 months' imprisonment.
In the other, a pimp was sentenced to 4 years in jail, twelve times longer than the taxi driver, someone whose actions could have killed another person. There was no suggestion that the pimp used coercion of any kind to run his business. His "boys" were willing sellers -- that's typical for male prostitution, unlike female prostitution where the power relationship is often unequal -- and his buyers were willing buyers. In other words, there were really no victims.
Besides the question of whether such a disparity in penalties strikes anyone as reasonable, there is also the question of why the police are devoting resources to chasing after victimless crimes.
Yet righting the balance in law enforcement, needed though it is, is certainly not the whole answer. We have to identify and address the social causes. They will be many and complicated. First though, we must understand that violence is a symptom of social breakdown, when people feel hopeless or powerless, or just so frustrated with a zillion other things in their lives, they lose control at a snap.
© Yawning Bread
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Sg Ty.quality of postings is more important than quality.
Old news of common Sg crimes will put many pple off.
Learn to take cover...
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24486894-2761,00.html
Shooting may be first in bikie war
October 13, 2008 05:55am
POLICE fear the shooting of a motorcyclist at Wooroloo, 55km east of Perth, may be the start of a bikie war in Perth.
A member of The Finks motorcycle gang was riding his motorcycle on Great Eastern Highway at Wooroloo when he was shot about 3pm yesterday.
He is under police guard at Royal Perth Hospital where he is in a serious but stable condition.
Another member of the group was also hurt in the shooting when he fell from his motorcycle.Police are now investigating possible links between the attack and outlaw motorcycle groups.....end of quote.....
...@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
i was accused copy and paste too much.
Now Sg Ty just do the the same thing and no body take note.
Big picture.Man.
SG get 4.8 million pple and sure there are crimes of various
type.
I am here to share organised crimes in Oz which few SG pple
know and wants to know.U are one of them.
Gangsters cant survive alone.They are helped by incompetent
and/or corrupted police and politicians.Also,the kind Judges
also make them do as they want!!
When u drive in Oz ,pl give way to bikies.
Pl tell frens who are planning to drive in Oz about bikies.
Even Oz police have to escort them!!
What a FxxK!!
The 200-strong bikie mob took a full minute to pass any given point. They were led by a police van, with motorcyclists blocking on-ramps and keeping stray motorists at bay.
above--Australia police escort bikies gang
pl read my 12 oct posting in this thread.
Oz is more lenient than USA to bikies!!
if u think they are just weekend bikies,then u are too wrong.
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lionnoisy.quality of english in postings is more important than length.
your posts of bad english already put many pple off.
SG crimes not old news, still happening and nothing being done
why?
is this acceptable?
Learn to take cover...
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More Singaporeans die from suicide than from accidents
SINGAPORE : More Singaporeans die committing suicide than from traffic accidents.
This is according to statistics revealed at the 2nd Asia Pacific Suicide Prevention Conference which bring together experts from around the region.
An average of one Singaporean dies from committing suicide every day.
Even then, Singapore's suicide rates are one of the lowest in Asia.
But what is getting authorities worried is a rising trend of youths committing suicide.
Suicide rates among the elderly, on the other hand, have dropped significantly.
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Dr Chia Boon Hock, Psychologist and Suicide Researcher, said: "The older people now are much better off. They have their HDB flats, CPF, they are married, not single, previously you had a old cohort where the elderly are single immigrants. For young suicide.. the level is steady, it is high."
Suicide is the second main cause of death among girls under 20 and the third among boys of that age.
Studies show that women are more likely to attempt suicide then men and in Singapore, most of the female teenagers who kill themselves do so because of relationship problems as well as study stress.
At the same time, psychologists also say that those who are single and unemployed are more likely to attempt suicide.
Between the year 2000 and 2004, the number of unemployed males killing themselves were 17 times higher than their employed counterparts.
The Health Ministry says what is important is that front-line staff like family doctors know how to identify signs that someone has suicidal tendencies.
Dr Alex Su, Head of Emergency Services at the Institute of Mental Health, said: "In Singapore, more than 50 percent of the people, if they were to end their lives, they would have left some form of message before that but unfortunately these messages were being ignored or not taken seriously.
"They may have made some arrangements to give away things that they had, or made some arrangements, as in after their death who will get what things, sometimes they may even release their pets.
"More importantly, they will leave some kind of suicide notes and these are very important things to note and should be taken seriously."
The Institute of Mental Health is currently running courses for family doctors to help them manage mental and suicidal conditions.
But psychologists say what is needed is a national suicide prevention strategy.
Dr Su said: "Depression is very treatable, you do not have to wait until depression evolves into a severe state, and all things around you have fallen apart, leading up to suicide.
Singapore has also launched a new offering information and support from qualified professions for people who are depressed.
DepNet is a way for people to discreetly seek help and advice for their problems. - CNA/de -
Suicide rate climbs despite good times
Insight Down South
By SEAH CHIANG NEE
A SURGING economy and promise of a brighter future have done little to prevent a decline of the city’s social ills, including a worsening suicide rate.
Not only are there higher rates of divorces, bankruptcies and crime against senior citizens, but in a land awash with jobs and better pay, the number of people killing themselves has surged.
The government reported 419 cases last year, or at least one suicide every day, compared to 346 in 2003.
This was a jump of 21 per cent and is one of the highest in its post-independence history. It is the fourth straight rise in as many years. More people die from suicide than in accidents.
Surprisingly, too, is the profile of the suicidal.
The Singaporeans who strived to end it all ranged from teenagers to grandfathers.
But the largest group was men who were in the 40s, mostly made up of the 1965 independence generation. This rising trend is worrying the authorities.
The other large group was women aged 50 and older. For every death there were seven attempted suicides.
The gloomy statistics came shortly after Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had said that Singapore was in a “golden period”, referring to its prosperity during the past two years.
For rich countries to register higher suicide rates than poorer ones is not a surprise by itself.
Singapore isn’t doing too badly when compared to Japan and several advanced Western nations whose rates, despite better welfare help, are faring worse.
Singapore’s leaders, however, have placed a higher emphasis on economic expansion over almost everything else on the basis that once you have achieved wealth, other problems can be resolved.
For many years, it had worked well in a simpler world, but less so in today’s harsher competitive environment that frowns on welfarism.
More jobs are eradicated; more businesses get restructured and life becomes more uncertain.
Between 2000 and 2004, 1,723 people committed suicide or about 345 cases a year.
The Samaritans, which operates a 24-hour distress hotline, handles some 135 calls a day from desperate people unable to resolve their problems.
The number of calls has risen from 43,255 in 2005 to 49,025 in the past year with one in seven considered to be suicide risks.
In perspective, Singapore hasn’t done badly against the developed world.
In 2003, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Singapore had a suicide rate of 18 per 100,000 people (12 male and 6 female) and ranked 52nd of 100 countries surveyed.
It was, however, ahead of more advanced nations like Japan (51 per 100,000), Belgium (40), Switzerland (37), France (35), Denmark (29) and Australia (26).
Sadly, it is not just about statistics. Each abandoned life has its own tortured tale of sufferings that are not always about money - although financial stress remains a top cause.
Overwhelming debts, neglect, family break-ups and poor health are some of the factors that push people to end their lives.
For the younger set, it is mainly over broken love or inability to cope with their studies or broken homes.
Singapore’s rapid success is achieved with a price. Life is a rat race for people who are at the bottom of the ladder.
For a family man in his 40s who has been retrenched as a result of restructuring, it could be a fearful experience. Unlike other advanced countries, there is no unemployment help.
“In Malaysia or Indonesia, when a person loses his job, he could go to the countryside and live off the land,” said a social worker. “Here there is no countryside to live off.”
One of the saddest cases happened last year when an odd jobs labourer in his 40s killed himself by jumping in front of a speeding MRT train at Jurong.
He had been unemployed for four months, relying on his wife’s S$500 monthly income to feed his family of four (with two teenage sons).
As bills mounted to $1,000, the hapless man promised his wife he would look for the money.
One night he gave $9 to his younger son and told him before leaving for his appointment with death, “Daddy is leaving for work, you have to look after mummy, you all have to take care.”
At a time when Singapore was basking in prosperity, his tale stirred the very soul of the nation and public donations – amounting to S$500,000 - poured in for the bereaved family.
“This speedy response shows that it is the people who are compassionate to its needs of their fellow beings rather than the government,” one letter writer said.
Over the past year, the mass transit has become an avenue for committing suicide.
Four took place within a period of six weeks last year-end with two of them video taped by witnesses and posted on YouTube.
Why is the suicide rate higher in Singapore than a country like, say, Thailand when life is reported to be so much more comfortable?
One explanation lies in the psyche of Singaporeans, who tend to be harder striving, less tolerant of failures and overly materialistic.
As a result of high-pressured living, the economic growth hasn’t spread happiness to all hard-pressed Singaporeans.
Many citizens do not have enough retirement savings and have been advised to work beyond 65 years to survive in this expensive city.
