Indians again are proven again to be incompetent !

[DerekLeung]

Indians again are proven again to be incompetent !
Singaporean Indians in Singapore are a troublesome lot !

Ship firm calls jail term for tanker crew a 'disgrace'

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 11-Dec-2008 13:38 hrs

An aerial photo of the waters polluted by crude oil along the coast near Taean in South Korea in December 2007. Managers of the Hong Kong supertanker Hebei Spirit whose crew chiefs were jailed over South Korea's worst oil spill have blasted the decision as a "disgrace and insult" to the world shipping community.


Managers of a Hong Kong supertanker whose crew chiefs were jailed over South Korea's worst oil spill have blasted the decision as a "disgrace and insult" to the world shipping community.

A South Korean appeal court, reversing a lower court decision, on Wednesday jailed the Indian captain Jasprit Chawla and chief officer Syam Chetan after ruling they were negligent in minimising the spillage.

The accident happened in December 2007 when a barge carrying a construction crane broke free after a cable to one of two tugs snapped in rough seas.

The barge rammed the anchored 147,000-ton tanker Hebei Spirit, holing it in three places and spilling 10,900 tons of crude oil.

V.Ships, which says it is the world's largest ship manager, said in a statement Thursday the court's decision "will surely go down as one of the most disgraceful examples of a miscarriage of justice in a 'supposedly' advanced nation state.

"For Captain Chawla and Chief Officer Chetan to be sentenced to prison terms and led from the court in handcuffs is a disgrace and insult to the whole shipping industry," it added.

The case has sparked anger among shipping operators and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), who insist the tanker crew were blameless.

The lower court in June had found them not guilty but prosecutors appealed the decision.

The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners has expressed "extreme dismay and disappointment" at Wednesday's ruling.

V.Ships said the ITF and its international membership are now "questioning whether it is safe for its members to travel on ships to Korea."

The lower court blamed barge operator Samsung Heavy Industries, part of the country's biggest business group, and the Korean tugboat skippers for the spill which fouled scores of marine farms and miles of beaches southwest of Seoul.

The appeal court in the central city of Daejeon agreed the Korean operators were mainly at fault and confirmed jail sentences on the tugboat skippers. But it said the tanker crew failed to take prompt action to abate the spillage.

Chawla was sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined 20 million won (14,000 dollars) while chief officer Syam Chetan was sentenced to eight months and fined 10 million won.

Their lawyers said they would appeal to the supreme court.

The ship's owner, Hong Kong-registered Hebei Ocean Shipping, was fined 30 million won.

V.Ships said the appeal court had relied on findings by the Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal (KMST ) which meant that "technically flawed, unreliable and unjust evidence" had been submitted to judges.

"In submitting their report, the KMST has demonstrated both its incompetence and an obvious desire to find fault with the officers of the Hebei Spirit," the management firm said.

"This blatant and totally unjustifiable case of criminalisation of a profession that we all rely upon for our international trade must not go unanswered by the international community and all those in the shipping industry. — AFP
Managers of a Hong Kong supertanker whose crew chiefs were jailed over South Korea's worst oil spill have blasted the decision as a "disgrace and insult" to the world shipping community.

A South Korean appeal court, reversing a lower court decision, on Wednesday jailed the Indian captain Jasprit Chawla and chief officer Syam Chetan after ruling they were negligent in minimising the spillage.

The accident happened in December 2007 when a barge carrying a construction crane broke free after a cable to one of two tugs snapped in rough seas.

The barge rammed the anchored 147,000-ton tanker Hebei Spirit, holing it in three places and spilling 10,900 tons of crude oil.

V.Ships, which says it is the world's largest ship manager, said in a statement Thursday the court's decision "will surely go down as one of the most disgraceful examples of a miscarriage of justice in a 'supposedly' advanced nation state.

"For Captain Chawla and Chief Officer Chetan to be sentenced to prison terms and led from the court in handcuffs is a disgrace and insult to the whole shipping industry," it added.

The case has sparked anger among shipping operators and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), who insist the tanker crew were blameless.

The lower court in June had found them not guilty but prosecutors appealed the decision.

The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners has expressed "extreme dismay and disappointment" at Wednesday's ruling.

V.Ships said the ITF and its international membership are now "questioning whether it is safe for its members to travel on ships to Korea."

The lower court blamed barge operator Samsung Heavy Industries, part of the country's biggest business group, and the Korean tugboat skippers for the spill which fouled scores of marine farms and miles of beaches southwest of Seoul.

The appeal court in the central city of Daejeon agreed the Korean operators were mainly at fault and confirmed jail sentences on the tugboat skippers. But it said the tanker crew failed to take prompt action to abate the spillage.

Chawla was sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined 20 million won (14,000 dollars) while chief officer Syam Chetan was sentenced to eight months and fined 10 million won.

Their lawyers said they would appeal to the supreme court.

The ship's owner, Hong Kong-registered Hebei Ocean Shipping, was fined 30 million won.

 

[DerekLeung]

Idiots on Singapore roads !

 

[DerekLeung]

Bad genes or pure stupidity ?

AFTER the death of his close friend in a crash when the car he was driving went out of control, all he has now are 'what if' questions.

Mohamed Basheer K N K Naina Mohamed, 20, told The New Paper: 'Since the accident, I have been asking questions like 'what if we had not gone to Tekka that day?', 'what if we had not had a few drinks along the way?', 'what if I had not been speeding that day?'

The full-time NSF storeman thinks that if he had just not done those things, his friend, Muhammad Habibullah Mohd Hanifa, 22, might still be alive today.

Mohamed Basheer ended up driving while drunk and lost control of the car when his friend, who was also drunk, tried to grab the steering wheel while they were on the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE).

The car hit the central divider and Muhammad Habibullah, who was sitting in front, was flung out and died of multiple injuries on the spot.

On Friday, Mohamed Basheer was jailed for 10months for causing the death of Muhammad Habibullah by a rash act not amounting to culpable homicide.

He was also jailed for a week for driving a car while under a blood alcohol limit in excess of the prescribed limit of 35 ug/100ml.

Both men had known each other since 2002, when they were students in the same secondary school.

In an interview before he was sentenced, Mohamed Basheer said he and Muhammad Habibullah, a full-time NSF at Clementi Fire Station, did many things together, like going to the movies, hanging out and playing snooker.

He was due to end his NSF stint next June while Muhammad Habibullah's would have ended this year.

At 3am on 31 Dec last year, Mohamed Basheer, who was then 19, was driving his mother's month-old white Honda Civic along the centre lane of the AYE towards Tuas.

At the time, Mohamed Basheer was a probationary driver and also under probation for two charges of theft and using criminal force.

He also failed to display the probationary plate on the car.

The evening before the accident, the friends had met and decided to go for a meal and drinks at Serangoon Road, near the Tekka market area.

He said: 'Muhammad Habibullah had bought a new motorcycle two days earlier and he wanted to try it out. He rode the motorcycle to meet me at the void deck of my home at Clementi and we then went to Clementi Fire Station.'

They then went to a 7-Eleven store near the fire station, where Muhammad Habibullah bought some vodka.

Mohamed Basheer said: 'I drink alcohol sometimes, but am not a habitual drinker. Usually, Muhammad Habibullah would drink with some friends and I would just sit with them.

Couldn't say no

'But that evening, he asked me to drink with him, saying that he had already bought the drink and prepared two cups for us. How could I say no?'

After several drinks, they drove to Serangoon Road in the Civic.

He said: 'I do not know how long we spent there, but time flew. We had a meal and a few more drinks and soon it was time for me to drive Muhammad Habibullah back to the fire station.

'His uniform was in my car. As we walked to the car, he kept asking me to let him drive the car but I told him that he was too tipsy.'

Mohamed Basheer said that while he was driving, his friend rolled down the window on his side and occasionally waved his hand outside.

He said: 'I was driving at 120kmh. Near Shenton Way, Muhammad Habibullah suddenly unbuckled his seat belt and tried to take over the steering wheel.

'I pushed him away but the steering wheel moved to the right and I lost control of the car.'

The next thing Mohamed Basheer knew was the car hitting the centre guard rail of the AYE and Muhammad Habibullah's body flying out onto the road.

The impact caused the car to spin a few times at the centre lane, then veer and hit the left wall of the expressway before stopping near the centre lane.

He said: 'I still have nightmares of the accident. I still see my friend's mangled and bleeding body on the road.

'I had to attend counselling sessions at the SAF Counselling Centre after the accident.'

Forgiven by victim's family

Mohamed Basheer said his friend's family had forgiven him for what happened but the mother is still distraught.

His friend's father, Mr Mohd Haniffa, told The New Paper a few days after the accident: 'Everyone makes mistakes in life. Though this was a big mistake, I bear no grudges against him.'

Mohamed Bashir said he had also stopped drinking alcohol.

He said: 'His father said it was not my fault, that what happened was fated. But his wife cries when she sees me as I remind her of her dead son.

'Muhammad Habibullah's birthday (3 Jul) and Hari Raya Puasa have since passed, and it has been very hard for them to celebrate without him around.

'Since the accident, I have tried to avoid the site where it happened but I had to pass the site twice this year. When I passed it, I closed my eyes and moved on.'

Mohamed Basheer said he visits a mosque near Keppel Road every Friday to offer prayers for his dead friend. He said: 'Since the accident, I have grown closer to my family and we have shared a lot about the accident. My parents have also been supportive.

'Thanks to their support and prayers, I am prepared for whatever sentence the court gives me. After I serve my sentence, I plan to further my studies and move on with my life.

'But I will always remember how my close friend lost his life.'

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,182299,00.html?

 

[annexa]

Stop being racist. It is ok to bash nations. It is not ok to bash races.

 

[DerekLeung]

He is pinned under car after bench he is sitting on with fiancee is struck

ALMOST every night, Ms Nurliah Sulaiman would sit on a bench outside her Yishun HDB block chit-chatting with fiance Muhammad Anis Kamsani.

But their get-together proved fatal on Saturday night when a driver lost control of her car while reversing and rammed into the couple, according to witnesses.

The vehicle uprooted the metal bench and drove it back 10m before finally coming to a stop.

While Miss Nurliah, 23, was flung to the side, her fiancee was pinned under the Toyota Corolla.

Paramedics arrived at Block 221 in Yishun Street21 before midnight, but there was little they could do. Mr Muhammad Anis, 26, was dead minutes later.

Yesterday afternoon, just a few hours after being discharged from hospital, Miss Nurliah bade a final farewell to her fiance at the Muslim cemetery in Lim Chu Kang.

With her swollen face bandaged and her eyes covered by dark glasses, she sobbed quietly as she poured water over his grave.

Miss Nurliah choked back tears when she met The Straits Times later at the accident site.

'We chose this place because it was quiet and we had our privacy,' she said. 'I still cannot believe that this is where Anis was taken away from me.'

His younger brother Muhammad Faizal Kamsani, 24, said the family was at a loss over the accident.

'They were just sitting there on the bench, talking. We have no idea how the car could suddenly ram into them. Everything is a big question mark.'

The driver, a woman in her 40s, is assisting police with their investigations.

The accident shocked residents of the quiet Yishun block.

Mr Ahmad Redwan, 44, who lives just above the accident site, said he rushed downstairs after hearing a loud crash sometime before midnight on Saturday. He said Mr Muhammad Anis was pinned under the car and screaming in pain.

'He could focus for a few minutes but after that he starting slipping away,' he said.

Eyewitnesses said the driver was in a daze when she exited the car. She is believed to live in the neighbourhood.

Miss Nurliah was bloodied but conscious.

'Even though she was in pain, she was pointing to her boyfriend to tell us to help him,' said Madam Faridah Kamisah, 50.

Mr Muhammad Anis worked as a furniture mover and also helped out at a food stall run by his parents. He would meet Miss Nurliah after she finished work as an assistant nurse at the National University Hospital.

Miss Nurliah said they would then cycle together to a multi-purpose court outside her block to chat on the bench.

The couple had known each other for two years and were planning to get married next year.

 

[DerekLeung]

Stop being racist. It is ok to bash nations. It is not ok to bash races.

I am not racist you are. I am reporting !

 

[DerekLeung]

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[whoami]

Stop being racist. It is ok to bash nations. It is not ok to bash races.

Yeah. How about ILOVERPORK? I didnt see u single him for being racist? So is ok to criticise nations and religion. But not ok to bash races? Double standard?

 

[DerekLeung]

Tickets dispute: SIA stands firm

>By Karamjit Kaur, Aviation Correspondent


A WEEK after travel agents in India stopped selling Singapore Airlines tickets because of a dispute over sales commissions, both sides are sticking to their guns.

SIA says the boycott has had no significant impact on its business.

For their part, the travel agents insist they will not back down, and have stopped selling SilkAir tickets as well - with effect from last Thursday.

The industry has been up in arms since November, when SIA and several other major carriers, including Lufthansa and British Airways, stopped paying travel agents a 5 per cent commission on the base fare.

Mr Rajinder Rai, president of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) - the travel agents' representative body - told The Straits Times last Friday that for now, there are no plans to boycott the other foreign carriers.

The association will deal with the airlines one at a time, he said.

So far, its move seems to have had little success with SIA.

'After five days of a so-called boycott in India, we are seeing no discernable drop in sales. People are still booking on our flights,' said airline spokesman Stephen Forshaw.

'The recently announced fare specials have also increased interest in travel to Singapore and beyond among Indians.'

As part of an ongoing promotion, SIA is offering tickets for flights out of India to several destinations in South-east Asia and Australia, at up to 50 per cent off the normal rates.

It is understood that despite the boycott, some local agents, as well as global travel management companies, continue to sell for SIA.

'We cannot do much about that but in the end, these companies are really just cheating themselves,' said Mr Rai.

'As far as the association is concerned, we will continue with our stance for as long as it takes.'

A similar tactic against Indian local carriers had paid off.

After travel agents boycotted Jet Airways last month, the airline, along with Air India and Kingfisher Airlines, gave in and agreed to pay a 3 per cent commission on the base fare, as well as the fuel surcharge.

While SIA remains committed to a dialogue with the industry, it stands firm in its view that instead of relying on commissions, travel agents should charge their customers a transaction fee for services provided, said Mr Forshaw.
Such has been the practice in Singapore, the United States and across Europe for many years.

SIA, which flies to the main cities of India including Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai, is the largest foreign carrier operating in the country, with more than 50 flights a week.

Its subsidiary, SilkAir, flies to the Indian cities of Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore.

[email protected]

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Jan 3, 2008.

 

[eeoror88]

Prataman see this thread, will start vomiting bile !!!

 

[3_M]

ah nehs are only good in bullshtting.

Their actions seldom match up tp their words

 

[tomoko]

ah nehs are only good in bullshtting.

Kekling shake head means yes, nod head means no

 

[angie II]

"Dei... how come got so many people against me dar?"
​

 

[angie II]

"Hey please show respect if u all still want to eat prata ok?"
​

 

[DerekLeung]

Former police officer from Secret Society Branch charged with corruption
By Shaffiq Alkhatib, 938LIVE | Posted: 06 January 2009 1946 hrs

SINGAPORE: A former Indian police officer was hauled to court on Tuesday for corruption charges.

39-year-old Ganesan Maniam, who was a staff sergeant attached to the Secret Society Branch, allegedly took S$6,000 in loans from pub owner Andrew Rajendran Govindasamy in 2003.

In exchange for the loans, the nightspot operator was told he would be let off the hook should the authorities raid the two pubs belonging to him.

Ganesan looked calm when the three charges were read out to him. He said that he intends to engage a lawyer.

The case will be mentioned next on January 13.

Ganesan is now out on a S$10,000 bail. His passport has been impounded.

If convicted of corruption, Ganesan could be fined up to S$100,000, jailed a maximum of five years, or both.

For neglect of duty, he could be fined up to S$1,000, jailed for up to six months, or both. - CNA/vm

 

[Alu862]

Just like Nair what.

 

[The_Latest_H]

Surely one has better things to do than to post racially-tinged threads which basically laughs at them 1. because they are dark skinned 2. because you are against Indians as a race.

I mean, c'mon. There are bigger important issues outside of these to think about, such as the economy. Instead I see is this, and for a fine man like you, Derek, I feel pretty disappointed.

 

[DerekLeung]

Rash driver gets jail, ban


Tue, Jan 06, 2009
The Straits Times




By Elena Chong

A MOTORIST who hit a bus, two cars and permanently disabled a woman pedestrian was jailed for five months on Tuesday for rash driving and causing grievous hurt.

Rosli Salim, 44, who pleaded guilty to two charges, was also banned from driving for four years. A district court heard that he was driving along Queensway on Sept 18, 2007 when he encroached into the path of a bus while switching from the centre to the extreme left lane.

This resulted in the bus hitting the back of his car, causing him to lose control. He accelerated into the carpark of McDonald's Tea Garden, veered to the left and hit two stationary cars and Ms Mullin Eric Brooke, 35, who was near one of the vehicles.

 

[DerekLeung]

Cabby chats on phone throughout journey and continues even after I alight

This STOMPer was in for a ride when he boarded this cab. Apparently, this cabby was yakking on the phone from the moment he boarded up until he alighted.

Dave recounts his experience to STOMP:

“On January 3, I boarded a comfort taxi, SHD 3040 Z.

“The driver was on the phone all the way till I alighted at my destination.

“Furthermore, he still continued yakking on the phone after I paid my fare and got off the cab.

“He was on the phone for more than 10 minutes, all the while holding his mobile on his right hand, while steering the cab with his left.

“He did not check the blind spot or rear view mirror. Nor did he give any signal when turning left or right.

“I believe taxi drivers should exercise greater consideration for their passengers’ safety as well as other road users.”

 

[DerekLeung]

Bus driver scolds us for warning him of cyclists behind bus

According to STOMPer seriouscyclist, he was cycling with his friends when they were forced into a bus bay. He knocked on the bus door to warn the driver about another cyclist behind the bus and the driver came out and scolded him for doing so.

In his email to STOMP today (January 8), the STOMPer wrote:

“I'm writing in to highlight an encounter with a TIBS bus plate no TIB873E, service no 180 this morning at 7.10am, January 7.

“I was cycling with two friends along Boon Lay Way opposite Chinese garden MRT, going towards the direction of Clementi when the above mentioned TIBS bus forced me and another friend into the bus bay outside Parc Oasis condominium.

“The third rider happened to be behind the bus when that happened and managed to slow down in time.

“Although I was already in the bus bay, the bus was close enough for me to knock on the door to warn the driver that there were two cyclists inside the bus bay.

“The cyclist behind and the two of us rode out of the bus bay and subsequently stopped at the traffic lights.

“The bus driver stopped before the zebra crossing at the left filter lane to Jurong Town Hall road and started gesturing wildly.

“He then stopped the bus, got off the bus and in a very aggressive manner say these very words, ‘What do you want? Why did you knock on my door?’.

“When we explained that we were forced into the bay and it was for our safety that we knocked to let him know someone was there, he continued his verbal abuse on us.

“We decided to ask for his name, to which he responded in an even more rowdy manner, challenging us to produce our NRIC instead and to call the police if we wanted to.

“I then whipped out my camera and managed to take a picture of the number plate and the bus driver.

“Our roads can certainly do with more courteous drivers around.”