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[Vultan]

Vietnamese jailed for 15 months for smuggling rhino horns worth more than $1 million

Elena Chong
The Straits Times
Thursday, Jan 16, 2014

SINGAPORE - Pham Anh Tu, 23, admitted ownership of the 21.5kg of the endangered species horns without valid permits issued by Mozambique and the competent authority of Vietnam, the intended destination, while in transit at Changi Airport Terminal 2 last Friday. The value of the seized rhinoceros horns can potentially fetch up to almost US$1.4 million (S$1.77 million), based on an estimated US$65,000 per kilogram.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

Here is the full statement from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore: Vietnamese man sentenced to 15 months in jail for smuggling rhinoceros horns

SINGAPORE - A Vietnamese man was sentenced to 15 months in jail for smuggling rhinoceros horns through Singapore on January 16, 2014.

On January 10, 2014, aviation screening officers at the Singapore Changi Airport detected a luggage bag with suspected rhinoceros horns. The bag had arrived in a flight from Dubai and in transit to Laos via Singapore.

Upon further investigation, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) found a total of 8 pieces of rhinoceros horns weighing about 21.5kg, and estimated to be worth almost SGD1.7 million dollars, in the checked-in luggage bag.

The owner of the bag, a 22-year-old Vietnamese national, was immediately arrested. Investigations revealed that the accused had travelled to Mozambique to purchase the rhinoceros horns to be brought back to Vietnam for sale. To evade checks, he also travelled to other African countries before taking a flight from Uganda to Vietnam via Dubai, Singapore and Laos, with Vietnam as his final destination.

The 8 pieces of rhinoceros horns were examined and identified by zoological experts from the Wildlife Reserves Singapore to be from the African black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), which is a critically endangered species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act (ESA), CITES permits are required for any import, export and re-export of CITES species, including their parts and products. It is also an offence under the ESA if the CITES species or their parts and products are not accompanied by proper CITES permits when they are in transit or being transhipped through Singapore.

Penalties for infringing the Act include fines of up to $50,000 per scheduled species (not exceeding a maximum aggregate of $500,000) and/or up to 2 years imprisonment.

The Singapore Government does not condone the use of Singapore as a conduit to smuggle endangered species and their parts and products. We will not hesitate to take harsh enforcement actions against any person or company that smuggles wildlife through Singapore.

AVA will continue to cooperate and collaborate with partner enforcement agencies nationally and internationally to curb wildlife trafficking. Anyone with information on illegal wildlife trade may contact AVA at 6325 7625 or via AVA's online feedback form. All information shared with AVA would be kept strictly confidential.

 

[Vultan]

Updated: 01/28/2014 13:44 | By Channel NewsAsia

Woman jailed for burying newborn to conceal birth

Musliyati, 37, an Indonesian maid who buried the body of her new-born in the backyard of her employer's house in Serangoon Gardens was jailed for three months on Tuesday. -- PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE

SINGAPORE: A domestic worker was on Tuesday jailed 12 weeks by a district court after she was found to have buried her newborn baby in the backyard of her employer's home.

Musliyati, 37, an Indonesian who is divorced with two children back home, committed the crime in November last year at Brighton Avenue in Serangoon Garden.

The court heard that Musliyati had a relationship with a Malaysian man while she was working in Singapore.

Between April and October 2013, she would meet the man at a hotel in Geylang on her days off and have unprotected sex with him.

Musliyati would also consume pills, believed to be contraceptives, once a month.

She did not suspect she was pregnant until August that year when she realised she had gained weight.

She wore corsets and loose clothing to conceal her increasingly protruding stomach from her employer.

On November 3, believing she could be pregnant, Musliyati again bought and consumed pills, believed to be contraceptives from a man in Geylang.

On November 8, in the early hours, Musliyati gave birth to a baby boy while she was squatting over a toilet bowl.

It is not clear if the baby was alive at the time of the birth.

Musliyati then scooped the baby out of the toilet bowl, tore off the umbilical cord, wrapped the baby in a blanket, and placed him in a black plastic bag.

To conceal the birth, she dug a hole in the backyard of her employer's home and buried the baby there.

Her crime was discovered during a hospital check-up after she complained of pain and dizziness later in the day.

Police found the baby's body later.

In pressing for a custodial sentence, Deputy Public Prosecutor Michelle Lu said that it was possible that the baby's life could have been saved if there was early medical intervention.

Musliyati could have faced a maximum punishment of two years' jail and a fine. - CNA/nd

 

[Vultan]

Malaysian man arrested for making bomb threat call to ICA's operations room

Published on Jan 29, 2014

Woodlands Checkpoint Departure Hall, taken on Jun 28, 2013. A 41-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday, Jan 29, 2014, for making a bomb threat call to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's (ICA's) operations room located at Woodlands Checkpoint, said the police in a statement on Wednesday evening. -- ST FILE PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

By Hoe Pei Shan

A 41-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for making a bomb threat call to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's (ICA's) operations room located at Woodlands Checkpoint, said the police in a statement on Wednesday evening.

The statement said that ICA had received a call early on Monday morning from someone who claimed that he was a Singaporean staying in Malaysia. The caller also said that he has to travel frequently into Singapore and expressed his frustration over the traffic congestion at the Causeway over the previous few days. Before he hung up, he threatened to send a bomb to the Woodlands Checkpoint, added the statement.

ICA then alerted the police and stepped up security measures as police investigators began tracing the anonymous caller.

The suspect, who is said to be a Malaysian and a Singapore permanent resident, was arrested at about 7.40pm at the Tuas Checkpoint. Investigations revealed that the threat was not substantiated and the call was a hoax.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Vultan]

Updated: 02/03/2014 17:53 | By Channel NewsAsia

Domestic worker jailed for making false report of abduction

SINGAPORE: A domestic worker was on Monday sentenced to two weeks' jail by a district court for lodging a false police report that she had been abducted and confined in a room by three men.

37-year-old Yati, an Indonesian, committed the offence in the early hours of 9 January.

The court heard that Yati had called Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre from a mobile phone, saying she felt giddy and had been dragged into a car by three men.

She also said she had been taken into a lift, and up to the 6th or 12th floor, and kept in a room that was dark with a small window.

Officers were then dispatched to investigate, and the mobile phone number was traced to two HDB blocks in Ang Mo Kio.

After an 18-hour manhunt to locate Yati, the police found her at another block in the estate.

She was then questioned, and later admitted to making a false police report.

She said she had done so as she was a runaway domestic worker, who hoped that the police would help her to return to the agency she came from.

The court also heard that Yati had been diagnosed with a disorder that made her unable to adjust and cope with work conditions, as well as with depression.

She could have been jailed up to three years and fined up to S$10,000. - CNA/xq

 

[Vultan]

Jailed 8 months for $25,000 jewellery theft

Elena Chong
The Straits Times
Thursday, Feb 06, 2014

SINGAPORE - A maid was jailed for eight months on Monday for stealing more than $25,000 worth of jewellery from her employer.

Leonora Lagaban Sarmiento, 38, who faced 11 charges, pleaded guilty to three counts of jewellery theft totalling $12,500 from Madam Goh Lee Lee, 65, at her home near Sixth Avenue between Nov 26 last year and Jan 3 this year.

The Filipina entered the victim's daughter's bedroom between Dec 28 and 29 and stole 15 items from a jewellery box.

She pawned them for $5,300 at Moneymax Pawnshop in Commonwealth Avenue West and kept the proceeds.

Between Jan 2 and 3, she again stole from Madam Goh's daughter and pawned a stolen bangle for $3,500 at a shop in Lucky Plaza, Orchard Road.

Earlier between Nov 26 and 27, Sarmiento removed two bracelets from the daughter's jewellery box and pawned them for $3,700 at a shop in Holland Drive.

After redeeming the items, Madam Goh took the maid to Kampong Java Neighbourhood Police Centre and lodged a report on Jan 4.

Eight similar charges were taken into consideration.

Sarmiento could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined on each charge of theft as a servant.

 

[Vultan]

Ex-accountant jailed four months for forging cheque to pay father's medical bills

Published on Feb 06, 2014
By Khushwant Singh

After her company turned down her request for a loan to pay for the hospitalisation for her father who suffered a stroke in Malaysia, Chong Lee Choo, 47, an accountant, forged a cheque for $21,054. She then withdrew the money, resigned from the company and helped settle her father's bills.

This all happened in December 2011. Her father died last year and on Thursday, Chong, a Malaysian national and a permanent resident here, was jailed for four months for committing forgery.

She was an accountant for TechKinetics, which distributes technology solutions to sectors such as telecommunications and industrial automation, when she resigned on Dec 15, 2011. Two months later, the company's management discovered that she had forged the cheque.

She had put her name down in the cheque as the recipient, wrote Dec 14, 2011, as the date and the sum of $21,054. She then replicated the signature of company director Wong Keng Chong, the sole signatory for TechKinetics' cheques.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Vultan]

Bio-technologist jailed 4 months for molesting teenage girl on MRT train

Published on Feb 18, 2014
By Khushwant Singh

A 34-year-old bio-technologist from India who rubbed his crotch against the buttocks of a 19-year-old commuter on a crowded MRT train was jailed for four months on Tuesday.

Jayaraman Kannan, who is working here, pleaded guilty to using criminal force to outrage the victim's modesty at about 9am on Aug 18 last year. He could have been jailed for up to two years, or fined, or sentenced to both.

The teenager was travelling on the train between Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Batok MRT stations when Jayaraman exposed his penis and committed the offence. She turned around and he quickly zipped up. She slapped his face and informed SMRT staff when she reached the Bukit Gombak MRT station. Police were summoned and arrested Jayaraman.

Defence counsel Vasantha Kumar said that his client, who is married, had acted totally out of character.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Vultan]

Updated: 02/21/2014 12:21 | By Channel NewsAsia

25 foreign workers jailed for forged academic certificates

SINGAPORE: Twenty-five foreign employees have been sentenced to jail between four to 12 weeks for submitting forged academic certificates to obtain work passes to work in Singapore.

All 25 of them, comprising 21 men and four women, had pleaded guilty to the charges.

Sixteen were from Myanmar, seven from India and two from the Philippines.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said the forged academic certificates were submitted to the Controller of Work Passes, which is an offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

MOM said this is the largest number of foreign employees prosecuted for the offence this year.

It added that the penalties are the most severe the court has meted out so far for the offence.

The accused persons obtained forged academic certificates in their home countries.

They used the certificates to apply for work passes between November 2, 2012 and June 7, 2013.

MOM said based on the false information submitted, the accused persons were issued 20 S Passes and five Employment Passes.

They did not possess the requisite university degree qualifications, and had knowingly used the forged academic certificates to mislead MOM to believe that they met the required educational criteria to obtain work passes.

MOM discovered that the certificates were forged following checks with the relevant certificate issuing institutions and respective foreign government departments.

The employers were also unaware that the foreign employees had submitted forged academic certificates for their work pass applications.

MOM said as there was no complicity on the part of the employers, no further action was taken against them. - CNA/nd

 

[Vultan]

Quantity surveyor jailed six weeks for "upskirt" video offence

Published on Feb 21, 2014
By Elena Chong

A quantity surveyor who captured an "upskirt" video of a woman on his mobile phone was jailed for six weeks on Friday.

Lee Chung Kean, 26, a Malaysian, pleaded guilty to intruding into the privacy of the 24-year-old woman at the Singapore Pools branch in Jurong West Street 52 on Jan 9 this year.

The court heard that the victim was at the Singapore Pools outlet writing lottery tickets when one of her two male friends noticed Lee walking very close to her while he was holding onto his mobile phone and wallet.

A short while later, the victim's friend saw Lee still standing close to the victim while looking down at his mobile phone.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Vultan]

Updated: 02/27/2014 19:25 | By Channel NewsAsia

Man jailed for threatening to post nude photos of women online

SINGAPORE: An Indian national conned women into sending him nude photos of themselves, then threatened to upload them if they did not have sex with him.

For criminally intimidating 17 women between May and August last year, Mani Velmurugan was put behind bars for two years and eight months.

The 28-year-old construction worker's modus operandi was to get acquainted with women through online chat website "Badoo".

Using a Caucasian man's photo as his profile picture, Mani would claim that he was from England or Canada.

Mani would then exchange phone numbers with the women and communicate with them via WhatsApp.

He would try to exchange nude photos with them by first sending them a photo of a Caucasian man.

Some fell for the ploy, and there were those who would send him photos of their work permits or their NRICs when he claimed that he needed them to grant the women access to his condominium.

Mani would then threaten to upload the information online.

In mitigation, the defence said that Mani is a father of three young children and is the sole breadwinner.

His wife is in India and he has a debt of $30,000.

The defence also stressed that Mani never carried out the threats.

In sentencing, District Judge Eddy Tham said a harsh sentence has to be imposed so as to deter like-minded individuals.

He noted that Mani continued to threaten one of the victims after having sex with her.

The maximum punishment is a jail term of 10 years and a fine on each count. - CNA/de

 

[khunking]

No Country for Old Men

[h=1]DEAR TRS, FOREIGN WORKER GETS DRUNK IN MRT AND MASTURBATE IN FRONT OF ME[/h]

Post date:
3 Mar 2014 - 2:03pm








Dear The Real Singapore,
These two bangla workers were spotted sleeping in an amusing manner on the MRT at about 11pm on Sat (Mar 1).
The picture shows one man sprawled out across a priority seat, while another had his legs on top of the first man.
One of the bangla workers even had his hands in his pants and keeps rubbing his private part while chanting something in the train while there are other girls around in the train. I suspect he is masturbating.
They were obviously very drunk and high. I took the train was taken from Raffles Place and I saw them already inside in this condition, at around 11pm.
Despite reporting to SMRT, nothing seems to be done.

 

[borom]

Re: No Country for Old Men

[h=1]DEAR TRS, FOREIGN WORKER GETS DRUNK IN MRT AND MASTURBATE IN FRONT OF ME[/h].........two bangla workers were spotted.....Sat (Mar 1)......despite reporting to SMRT, nothing seems to be done.

Don't play play, SMRT can do what?- later these precious foreign talents not happy and start to riot how?

According to article of 2Mar, one day later(see below), locals like Khunking requires adjustment ,need to debunk prejudices and preconceived ideas ,find out more about other cultures and appreciate their differences and uniqueness and be more discerning .
Meaning-these foreigners are just different and unique-no different from ponding, once in 50 years, long term investments(losses of billions),meritocracy, (when appointing son and daughter in law) and HDB losing money.

SINGAPORE: Some S$9.4 million has been disbursed under the Community Integration Fund since it was set up five years ago.....in implementing activities to promote integration of newcomers in Singapore.........
.....170 organisations ....have benefited from the Community Integration Fund, which is administered by the National integration Council.......the National Integration Council said integration takes time, and requires adjustment from both newcomers and Singaporeans............
It added "everyone has a role to play in integration"................

.........president of Connexions International, said: "All of us have prejudices and all of us have our own preconceived ideas – and it is in the process of making friends or finding out more about other cultures that we begin to debunk some of these myths and stereotypes.

“When you begin to understand the person and the perspective that they come from, then you begin to appreciate differences and also the uniqueness of the differences and therefore I think we become more rich in understanding other cultures.".............

One of the more pressing issues of integration, it said, was the need to educate the public on becoming more discerning as they sieve through information.............

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/s-9-4m-disbursed-to/1017916.html

 

[Vultan]

Updated: 03/05/2014 09:40 | By Channel NewsAsia

Maid charged with murder of woman at condo

SINGAPORE: A Myanmar national was charged on Wednesday with murdering an 85-year-old woman.

Than Than Win, a 24-year-old maid, is accused of murdering her employer Yong Wan Lan, at a unit in Springdale Condominium on Hindhede Walk at Bukit Timah.

She is alleged to have committed the crime on March 4, between 4.05pm and 5.23pm.

Her case will be mentioned again on March 26.

If guilty, Than faces the death penalty.

Police said they received a call requesting for assistance at the condominium on Tuesday at about 5.23pm.

When they arrived, Madam Yong was found motionless in one of the condo units.

She had blood on her upper body and was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene at about 6.27pm. - CNA/nd

 

[Vultan]

Chinese airline engineer fined $700 for wrongful use of pass at Changi Airport

Published on Mar 06, 2014
By Elena Chong

A Chinese national who works for China Southern Airlines was fined $700 on Thursday for inappropriately using his airport pass to enter a restricted area.

Wang Nan, 45, an airline maintenance engineer, admitted to using an airport seasonal pass at the aerobridge of a gatehold room at Terminal 1, Changi Airport, for reasons outside official duties or business in February.

The court heard that at about 10.30pm on Feb 27, Wang showed his pass to a Certis Cisco auxiliary policeman to enter the aerobridge. Ten minutes later, he was seen pulling a trolley bag and walking alongside two female Chinese.

On seeing this, the auxiliary policeman felt something was amiss. He went immediately to the arrival belt where the passengers arriving from Guangzhou had to collect their check-in luggage.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[khunking]

Diplomacy should be quid pro quo?

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Singapore-Jobs-For-Pinoys/

 

[khunking]

No Money No Honey

Sex, lies and live streaming.

 

[khunking]

Fast & Furious

[h=1]Woodlands Checkpoint breach: Driver charged in Singapore with rash act and vandalism[/h]
Published on Mar 10, 2014
10:26 AM

Purchase this article for republication
Buy SPH photos


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Tan Chu Seng (centre), 64, is accused of committing a rash act by driving the Mercedes-Benz recklessly on March 8, causing injury to a police officer. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG



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By Elena Chong






SINGAPORE - A Mercedes-Benz driver, who allegedly breached a security barrier at Woodlands Checkpoint meant to stop unauthorised vehicles from entering Singapore, was charged in court on Monday.
Tan Chu Seng, 64, is accused of committing a rash act by driving the Mercedes-Benz recklessly on Saturday, causing injury to police officer Safie Mahrom. The Singapore permanent resident from Malaysia also faces a single charge of vandalism after he allegedly drove into the cat-claw security barrier, damaging it.
Both offences took place at Woodlands, one of the busiest land immigration checkpoints in the world. The court on Monday granted the prosecution's request for the accused to be remanded at Jurong Police Division for a week for further investigations.
Tan had asked for a shorter remand of four days, saying he suffers from hypertension, urine acid and diabetes, but his request was rejected by the court. Instead, the district judges instructed him to inform police investigators about his condition.

 

[Vultan]

Hotel singer jailed eight weeks for assaulting cabby

Published on Mar 12, 2014
By Elena Chong

A club singer who assaulted a taxi driver for refusing to take his drunken friend home was jailed for eight weeks on Wednesday.

Feng Jia Cheng, 23, a Chinese national holding a work pass, had admitted grievously hurting Mr Tay Chwee Kok by punching the 55-year-old and pushing him to the ground. The victim suffered a broken left wrist and a bruise on his head.

Mr Tay had been waiting in his cab at the driveway of the Holiday Inn Atrium on Outram Road. At 4.45am on Oct 6, 2012, Feng placed his intoxicated friend into the taxi and asked the driver to take him home.

But Mr Tay was worried that Feng's friend might mess up his vehicle and asked Feng to take him out, which sparked a row. Feng punched the cabby several times before they were separated by hotel staff and others.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

 

[Vultan]

Nepali accused of cheating at casinos

Zaihan Mohamed Yusof
The New Paper
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014

SINGAPORE - He was hoping to win big at the poker table.

And Limbu Aadarsh from Nepal allegedly employed a few underhand tactics while gambling at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa casinos.

He is alleged to have done this between November last year and this month.

Yesterday, Aadarsh, 30, was charged with 13 counts of cheating.

According to the charge sheets, Aadarsh used "a silver powder substance contained in a metal cap that facilitates cheating" at the poker tables.

At other times, the substance was a green powder.

It remains unclear how the substance had helped in his alleged cheating attempts.

On Feb 28, Aadarsh played Black Jack at the MBS casino.

He was accused of possessing a "modified" MBS chip with a $25 value on that occasion.

If found guilty, he can be fined up to $150,000 or jailed up to seven years, or both.

 

[Vultan]

Updated: 03/19/2014 17:29 | By Channel NewsAsia

Woman found dead in house at Victoria Park Road

SINGAPORE: Police have arrested a 23-year old Indonesian maid in connection with the murder of a 69-year old woman.

She will be charged in court on Thursday.

The body of the elderly woman was found at a bungalow along Victoria Park Road in the Bukit Timah area on Wednesday morning.

Channel NewsAsia understands the body was found near the swimming pool.

Investigations are ongoing.

This is the second case this month where a maid has been arrested in relation to the murder of her employer.

On March 4, a 24-year-old from Myanmar was arrested for the alleged murder of her elderly employer at the Springdale Condominium in Upper Bukit Timah.

The association looking at foreign domestic worker welfare has urged both workers and employers to work with help avenues available, such as its hotline (1800-339-4358) when facing any problems.

Seah Seng Choon, president of Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training, said: "Employers should recognise that the maid is here to do a job and they are new to our environment. They may come from a very different background than ours."

He added: "I think the employers should always look out for tell-tale signs that the maid is depressed and they need to address this and not sweep it under the carpet.

"They should actually sit down with the maid and talk over the matter as soon as possible, so as to address the concerns and fears of foreign domestic workers."

- CNA/fa