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[khunking]

Videolink from S'pore in Romania diplomat hit-and-run case

http://forums.asiaone.com/showthread.php?t=30991


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</TD></TR><TR><TD>News @ AsiaOne
Videolink from S'pore in Romania diplomat hit-and-run case
A Bucharest court ruled Wednesday that witnesses in Singapore can be heard via videolink. -AFP

Wed, Mar 09, 2011
AFP
[photo: The former Romanian Embassy charge d'affaires in Singapore, Silviu Ionescu, leaves on March 9, 2011 the tribunal in Bucharest after a new hearing in his trial.]
BUCHAREST - A Bucharest court ruled Wednesday that witnesses in Singapore can be heard via videolink in the case of a Romanian diplomat charged with manslaughter after a hit-and-run car crash there.


Silviu Ionescu, a former Romanian charge d'affaire in the state city, is charged with manslaughter, causing physical injuries and making false statements after the accident in December 2009.
Ionescu pleads not guilty. He has always denied he was the driver and says the car was stolen.
The diplomat is alleged to have hit three pedestrians while driving a car belonging to the Romanian mission and to have fled the scene.
One pedestrian, a 30-year-old Malaysian national, suffered brain damage and died on Christmas Day.
One of the victim's friends, Bonghwee Haw, a 23-year-old Malaysian who was also severely injured in the crash, will testify through a videolink on May 6, the judge ruled.
Another pedestrian injured in the crash, Yenny Young, will be heard the same day also through videolink.
A further 20 witnesses from Singapore are also expected to testify between May 12 and May 20.
The court on Wednesday asked to receive the complete listing of calls given from the Romanian mission in Singapore as well as from Ionescu's phone there at the time of the accident.
Ionescu's trial started on October 6 last year in front of a Bucharest court. Asked about the lenghth of the trial, Anil Kumar Nayar, a Singapore envoy attending the hearing in Bucharest, told AFP that he believed the court "has its own consideration in terms of how it has timed the case". "There is a legal process in Romania which we must respect. The important thing for us is that the process must move forward in a way to make sure that justice is done", he added.











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[khunking]

The Tale of 2 Leukemia Cases:- The Haves versus the Have nots

The Tale of 2 Leukemia Cases:- The Haves versus the Have nots

http://www.chiocs.net/noticeboard/

Firstly, let me preface this by saying its no laughing matter that BG Yeo's son has leukemia, and also that Marjorie Soh, the 12 year old girl lost her battle with leukemia at the age of 12. I can't imagine the pain of losing one's child at that age.

However, I am struck by the contrast and simlarity between these 2 cases. In one case, BG Yeo has a young son diagnosed with leukemia, and the Sohs also have a young daughter diagnosed with leukemia too. One family carries on life with no noticeable financial burden, and the other family is in effect bankrupt and chased after by creditors and have to sell their home.

BG Yeo is a wealthy man, we all know this, and dispite the ability to get cheap medical care in singapore for his son (such as $8 heart bypass surgeries available only to ministers like him), he choses to send his entire family (all 5 of them) to Memphis Tenessee to live there for 9 months while his son undergoes medical treatment there. I am not even going to guess what the cost is. And while there, he renovates his house into a sterile enviornment for his son, yet another $1 million spend there easily.

The heartlanders Soh in the meantime, using singapore doctors and hospital (because the govt. tells them they are best in medical field in the region) runs up a $400K medical bill, and still the daughter dies. I guess that BG Yeo did not get the memo that he was already living in the country that has the bestest facilities and doctors, and decided to take his son to the US. The SOhs have spend literally every dollar they have to save their daughter, just like any forumer reading this would have done. They have even sold their home and yet its not enough to cover the bills. They will be made bankrupt soon. And no govt. agency, hospital or doctor can or is willing to save them. Even the evil doctor cut her bill in half and then to zero for the Sultan of Brunei's sister. But not applicable if you are just a normal citizen.

Sad to say, in singapore, this is not the exceptional case at all. From personal experience, I have friends and relatives that have incurred 6 figure medical bills dispite all the plethora of supposed insurance, and financial aid plans available according to the PAP. Wooden Goh used to say repeatedly that no one will be left behind in S'pore's economic success. I beg to differ, many people are being left behind and they are not on the lower spectrum either. They are regular people, not poorly educated or jobless.

What happened to the principal that all will receive the same medical care? Since went has it been ok for a servant of the people like BG Yeo to say local medicine is not good enough, I go to the US. If the Sohs could afford it, I am sure they would have gone to Memphis too, and maybe the BG and the Sohs could have been neighbours.

Herein lies the deception that Khaw, Mah and the other have played on the singapore people.
1) health care is affordable. No its not, ask the Sohs and thousands like them.
2) U can monetize your flat for your retirement. Not if you or your spouse or child has a serious illness, in which case, u will do just like the Sohs and sell your flat to pay for the medical costs. What are the odds that a serious illness will happen to you or someone in your family before the age of 65 yr?. Its high, so good luck to you if you are relying on your flat to fund your retirement.

What does it say about a country with hundreds of billions $ in reserve, multi million dollar ministers and politicians, shiny new high rise, fantastic govt. buildings, politicians who go overseas for medical treatment and french cooking, and all this cannot save one little girl's family from financial ruin. If you still think u want to vote for the PAP, u have rocks in your brain. Just remember, TODAY IT WAS THE SOHS, TOMORROW, IT COULD BE YOUR FAMILY. Just like that.​

 

[khunking]

Re: The Tale of 2 Leukemia Cases:- The Haves versus the Have nots

 

[khunking]

Singapore opposition draws big crowds but may not translate to seats

<TABLE class=contentpaneopen><TBODY><TR><TD class=contentheading width="100%">Singapore opposition draws big crowds but may not translate to seats </TD><TD class=buttonheading width="100%" align=right>http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/poli...g-crowds-but-may-not-translate-to-seats.html# </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=contentpaneopen><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>Written by Reuters </TD></TR><TR><TD class=createdate vAlign=top>Sunday, 01 May 2011 13:15</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
SINGAPORE: Tens of thousands of people are attending opposition rallies in Singapore, a show of defiance against the long-ruling People's Action Party (PAP) as one of Asia's wealthiest and fastest-growing nations heads for its most hotly contested election ever.
The criticism of the government at the rallies and the boos and catcalls are extremely rare in a state where political freedom is usually restricted.
No one is suggesting that Singapore, one of the world's biggest centres for trade, business and banking, is headed for a change in government in the May 7 election. But the PAP, which has swept all 10 previous elections and did not lose a single seat until 1981, could see its percentage of the vote drop.
"I think a very likely scenario (for the opposition) is that there will be an increase in the vote, but potentially not much progress in terms of seats because it's a first-past-the-post system," said Garry Rodan, a professor at Australia's Murdoch University who writes on Singapore politics.
"Clearly from the opposition's point of view, they seem to think that there is a groundswell of disenchantment that they can capitalise on to a greater extent than in past elections. I think the government seems a little bit more apprehensive about what might happen."
At the last election in 2006, the PAP had about 67 percent of the vote and lost two seats out of 84. Only about half the seats were contested at all, because the dispirited opposition conceded walkovers.
The opposition is fighting 82 of the 87 seats this time, the highest ever, and it has overcome much of the its own divisiveness. Except for one, the contests will be PAP versus one opposition party.
The only constituency to be uncontested is a five-seat district represented since before independence in 1965 by the architect of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, a former prime minister and the father of the current prime minister.
The plain-talking 87-year-old has said the state does not need a strong opposition.
"From 1966 to 1981 there was not one opposition MP and the PAP remained un-corrupt, completely dedicated to the job, made great progress and brought Singapore up to a higher level," he said in a newspaper interview this weekend.
Asked if people wanted more checks and balances for the government, he said: "It is a footloose generation that hasn't experienced the past and believes that Singapore is flying safely and can go on autopilot and anybody can take over.
"I don't happen to believe that. I think we will run into all kinds of bad weather and you need capable people in charge."
A constituency would have "five years to repent" if it elected the opposition, he said.
DILUTED
But at the rallies, feelings run high over inflation, an increasingly high proportion of foreign workers as the city-state grows rapidly and the spin-on effects on jobs, education and home prices.
"What I feel has changed is definitely the population landscape with too many foreigners," said Nuraini Malik, a 22-year-old consumer research analyst who was among an estimated 15,000 people at one recent opposition rally.
"I feel the sense of being Singaporean has been strongly diluted."
Evelyn Yip, a 43-year-old who was also at the rally, said: . "We are far from first world. We have Swiss costs of living but not their quality of life."
Economists say these bread-and butter issues are almost always present but give the opposition a ready-made platform to promote its cause despite 14.5 percent gross domestic product growth last year and a transformation since independence from a sleepy post-colonial port to a gleaming global financial hub.
This is being reinforced by the open recourse to the Internet and social media to voice dissatisfaction, which is outside the control of the government.
And with one in four voters under 35 and many never having voted before, there is a substantial proportion of unknown loyalties.
"The PAP has not done anything wrong, it has only failed to listen to the people," said Richard Tan, a 65 year old retiree at one of the rallies.
"People like me don't care, I have one foot in the grave. But those around 21 are very upset and worried. They cannot afford anything."
Rodan, the Australian professor, said: "Politics under the PAP is pretty bland, uncharismatic, almost mechanical at times.
"Many of the opposition rallies have had more interesting orators and at times some expressions of disenchantment with the PAP that have had a degree of attraction for people who wonder what politics could be like if it were more free-ranging."
Economists however say few long-term changes in policy are likely even if the PAP were to see its share of the vote drop since the government's long-term focus remains fixed on being competitive, encouraging foreign investment and maintaining an open economy.
"There may be slight tweaking here," said Song Seng Wun, a senior economist at CIMB.
"I think currently perhaps this balance between how many people Singapore is going to house, be it local or foreigners, and the social impact etc will perhaps be more keenly evaluated by policy-planners than before.
"I think that's about probably the only significant measure which investors may be looking to see if there's any hint of change. At the end of the day, the Singapore Inc machinery will basically move relentlessly on." – Reuters

 

[khunking]

Singapore opposition makes election breakthrough

Singapore opposition makes election breakthrough







May 8, 2011 7:06 AM




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The city-state of Singapore. The opposition relied heavily on the Internet, particularly social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Photograph by: Archive, PNG




SINGAPORE—Singapore's ruling party was returned to power Sunday with a huge majority but Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong admitted that opposition gains had marked a "distinct shift" in the country's politics.
The People's Action Party (PAP) has ruled since the former British colony became self-governing in 1959 but despite the poll victory, it sank to its lowest ever approval rating and lost a key district to resurgent opponents.
The PAP won 81 of the 87 parliament seats in Saturday's election, down slightly from its 82 out of 84 seats when Singapore last voted in 2006.
Its share of all votes cast — the equivalent of an approval rating in a country that does not publish surveys about government performance — fell to an all-time low of 60 per cent from 67 per cent in 2006 and 75 per cent in 2001.
The win by the opposition Workers' Party in six seats may appear modest but it was the opposition's best performance since Singapore became independent from the Malaysian federation in 1965.
It upstages a previous best of four seats in 1991.
The number of seats did not reflect the opposition's 40 per cent share of the total votes cast because most constituencies elect teams of four to six candidates, a system critics see as stacked in favour of the PAP.
"This is a watershed general election," Premier Lee said in a televised post-election address.
"This is a very different world in 2011 as compared to 2006, and a very different Singapore."
He said the PAP would undergo some soul-searching and expressed willingness to work with lawmakers from the opposition.
Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang said the results showed Singaporeans wanted "a more responsive, inclusive, transparent, accountable government" and "a more caring political leadership."
Four days before the election, Lee apologized in public for the government's shortcomings after opponents and voters berated the PAP over the rising cost of living, competition from immigrants and foreign workers, high salaries of cabinet ministers and other grievances.
The opposition relied heavily on the Internet, particularly social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, because the mainstream local media are widely regarded as PAP mouthpieces.
In the most intensely fought contest, Foreign Minister George Yeo and four other PAP candidates lost to the Workers' Party in a group contest, forcing him out of the cabinet.
Bridget Welsh, a political science professor at the Singapore Management University, stressed the significance of the opposition's first ever win in a group representation constituency (GRC).
"The GRCs have been a cornerstone of one-party dominance in the Singapore state, and the breaking of its GRCs is really allowing a diversity of political views in the country," Welsh said.
Six opposition parties took part in the election with the modest goal of winning more seats from the PAP, dividing electoral districts among themselves to force the ruling party to fight on several fronts.
Despite growing optimism in opposition ranks after the election, Cherian George, one of Singapore's leading social commentators, warned against expecting a radical transformation after the vote.
"The problem is that Singapore society has been systematically depoliticised over the decades and is mired in apathy," he wrote in an essay.
He said the PAP could seize the opportunity to overhaul itself and address Singaporeans' grievances in time for the next election five years from now.
"The sobering truth for the opposition is that the vast majority (of its supporters) will return to their private lives tomorrow, and continue to outsource public affairs to politicians."
The PAP was co-founded by the prime minister's father Lee Kuan Yew, who governed Singapore for 31 years and was re-elected to parliament unopposed on Saturday at the age of 87.
The PAP has long relied on its economic record to convince Singaporeans to return it to power and kept the opposition in check by imposing curbs on political activity — except during elections.
Tens of thousands of supporters attended opposition rallies during the campaign, far greater than the crowds drawn by the PAP.
© Copyright (c) AFP
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The city-state of Singapore. The opposition relied heavily on the Internet, particularly social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Photograph by: Archive, PNG










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[Robert Half]

Well Done to 39.9% Singaporeans. And that showed that a country cannot do without Oppositions.

Hope foreign monkeys based here must understand this