Let's talk about Indians

[mudhatter]

good job @chink

i haven't laughed so loudly in a long time. here's a khek joke.


there's a joke very popular in thai malaysia semenenjunge and sg . we all know stinkypura is a fake country belonging to malaysia.

"If you see an Indian and a cobra, strangle the CECA first," the saying goes in Indo-China. Javanese peasants say, "When you meet a snake and a slit-eye [Chinese], first kill the slit-eye, then the snake.
....
....
back in 1996, when then Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa was asked to comment on the scandal involving the Indian-born banker Rakesh Saxena. “Like the old saying: If one sees a snake and a ‘Khek’ (Indian), one must kill the Khek first,” Banharn said, enjoying his clever joke.

 

[mudhatter]

White CECA is jin Chio and Handsome De.. Atas superior gene

CECA were ruled by their muslim masters for 1000 years, another 200 years by the brits. they even lost loooooooong before industrial revolution, the greeks conquered them, and the portuguese conquered them some 500 years ago.

this is far different from countries with history heritage intellect brains civilization and legacy.

e.g. bangla - which is bigger than just current bangla desh - was never - NEVER - N.e.V.e.R - conquered, ruled, subjugated for even one nanosecond by the inferior kafir slanty wuhan virus carrying subhuman mongols (e.g. genghis khan hulagu khan etc unlike a lot of other inferior races), never conquered by any gayropean countries either for even one nanosecond prior to industrial revolution which was kickstarted in britain and thanks to looting and colonization of bangla, with which the brits started their colonial empire, did the brits go on to establish the largest empire ever in history.

yeah we must acknowledge these facts. not every country has got history or talent or legends or scholars or brains or civilizations or such.

these CECA you talk of are (partially) caucasoid, thanks to central asian iranian etc invasions first, who introduced polytheist false religion now called hinduism and foisted it upon black smelly darkie ceca by forevre tying their fate to their lowly castes. 1000 years of Muslim rule + 200 years of british rule also played their part

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Layoff at Circles.Life? Ex-employees spill the beans, while company refutes allegations​

Zafirah Salim

July 7, 2023

In this article​

• Second layoff for the company this year
• “Toxic management and a terrible work culture”

Singapore’s thriving tech industry, once hailed as a beacon of growth and innovation, has been hit hard by the tech winter.
This downturn in the tech sector has forced several prominent companies, including e-commerce giant Shopee and super app Grab, to implement significant layoffs. The latest company to join this wave is digital telco Circles.Life.
A few employees who were affected by the downsizing at the company spoke about the layoff process and shared concerning details about the company’s work culture.

Second layoff for the company this year​

According to the affected employees, the layoffs took place in late June and were handled in a similar manner to a previous round of layoffs in 2020.
A Circles.Life employee voiced concerns about another round of layoff in an anonymous poll
Employees were informed through individual meetings dubbed “quick sync” with their line managers, while some received physical letters or emails on the day itself. The announcement itself was brief, mentioning that specific individuals had “graduated” and wishing them the best.
However, the layoffs were not communicated to the wider company.
While the exact number of employees affected by the recent layoffs remains unverified, it is estimated to be around 20 to 30 employees. This comes after an earlier round of layoffs in May, which reportedly impacted at least 50 employees.
Circles.Life, which currently has nearly 1,000 employees according to LinkedIn, saw various departments affected, including Marketing, P&C, Engineering, Product, and the entire B2B Circles X team.
Affected employees were apparently provided with the standard severance package – a two-month notice period and gardening leave – depending on their duration of employment.
According to the sources, the layoffs were not limited to just the Singapore office, but also extended across the region, affecting the entire Australia marketing team, including its Head of Marketing.

They also attributed the downsizing decision to various factors, such as cost efficiency, underperformance of the Circles X business, a decline in subscribers due to market forces and competition, as well as poor service.
“Circles X is failing as a product. A lot of their partnership deals were supposed to close but didn’t, and Circles.Life as a telco is losing market share alarmingly,” said one ex-employee.
Abhishek Gupta, co-founder of Circles.Life / Image Credit: Circles.Life
Co-founder Abhishek Gupta, who previously headed the division, faced challenges as the business did not meet expectations. Out of the numerous partnership deals that were slated to close by the first quarter of 2023, only one was successfully closed.
During a townhall, the company allegedly mentioned that due to “investor pressure”, Gupta was “elevated to non-executive director”.
“His office was fully vacated at the end of the day, and converted into a meeting room,” said another ex-employee.
Following Gupta’s departure, the entire Circles X team has been reduced from a team of about 30 people to just five individuals.

“Toxic management and a terrible work culture” ​

The ex-employees also expressed concerns about Circles.Life as a company, describing it as having a “toxic management core” and a “terrible work and team culture”.
A number of employees acknowledged Circles.Life’s “toxic working environment”
The employees cited examples of “open gaslighting”, intimidation and threats – “banging tables and shouting/berating in public is very rampant” – as well as “power playing”.
The work culture was said to prioritise sacrificing personal lives and rest time, with junior employees often working late while their managers were unavailable, only to have their work presented by the manager to the founder.
The employees also mentioned discriminatory hiring practices, lack of processes, and poor communication across all levels.
An anonymous poll conducted office-wide showed unhappiness among employees
“The eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) have been tanking for a while now. P&C have tried all sorts of initiatives such as free food, anonymous surveys, townhalls, and announcement of a new office, but there’s no use,” said an ex-employee.
In response to Vulcan Post’s inquiries about the layoff, a spokesperson from Circles.Life refuted the claims. “There have been no layoffs at Circles,” she said, and dismissed the remarks as “untrue”.
However, the ex-employees showed their “agreement of separation and release” from the company to Vulcan Post, contradicting the spokesperson’s statement.
Other affected employees that Vulcan Post reached out to so far said that they are unable to comment on the matter as they are “under NDA (non-disclosure agreement)”.
Featured Image Credit: Circles.Life

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

She tolerated abuse, but threat of being sent home triggered maid to stab boss’ mum-in-law​

Zin Mar Nwe was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 4 after being found guilty of murder for intentionally inflicting multiple fatal stab wounds on the elderly victim. PHOTO: ST FILE

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

Jul 16, 2023

SINGAPORE – Her Myanmar passport said she was 23 years old – the minimum age to work as a domestic worker in Singapore.
Zin Mar Nwe was actually 17 when she arrived here on Jan 5, 2018.
Four months later, on May 10, she started working for her third household – a couple and their two teenage daughters.
Her latest employer, a financial controller identified by the court as Mr S, had hired her because his family’s maid for the past four years was returning home to the Philippines.
By her own accounts, Zin Mar Nwe had no complaints about her working conditions and had no issues interacting with Mr S’ family and her agents.
She woke up at about 5.30am and went to bed at about 11pm. She also made multiple phone calls to her relatives in Myanmar. Part of her $450 monthly salary went towards repaying her loan to the maid agency.
She said she tried to be a good helper, although Mr S and his wife found her “not to be very driven” in doing her chores.

About two weeks after she started work, her employer’s mother-in-law arrived from India on May 26, 2018, to stay with the family for a month.
The 70-year-old woman and the maid had difficulty getting along.
The elderly woman began hitting the maid to get her attention or to reprimand her. Zin Mar Nwe said she was hit when she did not understand what the woman wanted her to do.

At the beginning, the elderly woman used her knuckles to knock the maid on her head and back two to three times a day on average. She later started using objects such as ladles.
The mother-in-law also started returning tit for tat on the many occasions the maid accidentally hurt her.
Once, while the maid was massaging her, the older woman slapped her because she found the massage painful.
On another occasion, the maid had turned on the stove wrongly, resulting in a sudden burst of flames that burned the older woman slightly. The mother-in-law retaliated by pulling the maid’s hand close to the flames.
Yet another time, the maid dropped a spice box cover on the elderly woman’s foot. In response, the woman picked up a hot pan and hit the maid with it.
Zin Mar Nwe felt unappreciated, but tolerated the abuse and did not tell anyone that she was being ill-treated.

On the morning of June 25, 2018, the two women were alone at home when the older woman became upset with the maid for causing an object to drop on her foot and for missing her instructions.
As the older woman lay down on the sofa to watch television, she declared that the maid would be going back to the agent tomorrow.
Zin Mar Nwe understood that because Mr S was already her third employer, this would result in her being sent back to her home country in debt.
Shaking with anger, she grabbed a knife and stabbed the elderly woman 26 times. After the woman stopped moving, the maid ransacked one of the bedrooms in the flat, broke the lock of a cupboard and retrieved her belongings.
She washed the knife and left it in the kitchen, then changed into a dress and took a bag belonging to her. She left the flat after taking some cash and an ez-link card that had been placed on top of the microwave oven.
She went to her maid agency in Choa Chu Kang to get her passport, but left when she heard that the staff were about to call her employer.
Over the next five hours, she wandered around Singapore by bus, by MRT and on foot.
She bought bottles of mineral water and ate at a hawker centre before she finally took a taxi back to the agency. She was arrested there after the staff alerted the police of her return.
After dropping her off, the cabby found a bag containing $114 in the back seat and tried to return it to her, but she denied that the bag was hers. Forensic tests later showed that some of the notes were stained with her blood.
After her arrest, Zin Mar Nwe initially denied killing the elderly woman. She pinned the blame on two men and even described the fictitious assailants in some detail.
On June 29, 2018, she admitted that she had stabbed the victim in anger after the woman threatened to send her back to the agent.
In May 18, 2023, following a trial that began in November 2021, Zin Mar Nwe was found guilty of murder for intentionally inflicting multiple fatal stab wounds on the victim. She was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 4.

 

[SBFNews]

She tolerated abuse, but threat of being sent home triggered maid to stab boss’ mum-in-law​

Zin Mar Nwe was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 4 after being found guilty of murder for intentionally inflicting multiple fatal stab wounds on the elderly victim. PHOTO: ST FILE

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

Jul 16, 2023

SINGAPORE – Her Myanmar passport said she was 23 years old – the minimum age to work as a domestic worker in Singapore.
Zin Mar Nwe was actually 17 when she arrived here on Jan 5, 2018.
Four months later, on May 10, she started working for her third household – a couple and their two teenage daughters.
Her latest employer, a financial controller identified by the court as Mr S, had hired her because his family’s maid for the past four years was returning home to the Philippines.
By her own accounts, Zin Mar Nwe had no complaints about her working conditions and had no issues interacting with Mr S’ family and her agents.
She woke up at about 5.30am and went to bed at about 11pm. She also made multiple phone calls to her relatives in Myanmar. Part of her $450 monthly salary went towards repaying her loan to the maid agency.
She said she tried to be a good helper, although Mr S and his wife found her “not to be very driven” in doing her chores.

About two weeks after she started work, her employer’s mother-in-law arrived from India on May 26, 2018, to stay with the family for a month.
The 70-year-old woman and the maid had difficulty getting along.
The elderly woman began hitting the maid to get her attention or to reprimand her. Zin Mar Nwe said she was hit when she did not understand what the woman wanted her to do.

At the beginning, the elderly woman used her knuckles to knock the maid on her head and back two to three times a day on average. She later started using objects such as ladles.
The mother-in-law also started returning tit for tat on the many occasions the maid accidentally hurt her.
Once, while the maid was massaging her, the older woman slapped her because she found the massage painful.
On another occasion, the maid had turned on the stove wrongly, resulting in a sudden burst of flames that burned the older woman slightly. The mother-in-law retaliated by pulling the maid’s hand close to the flames.
Yet another time, the maid dropped a spice box cover on the elderly woman’s foot. In response, the woman picked up a hot pan and hit the maid with it.
Zin Mar Nwe felt unappreciated, but tolerated the abuse and did not tell anyone that she was being ill-treated.

On the morning of June 25, 2018, the two women were alone at home when the older woman became upset with the maid for causing an object to drop on her foot and for missing her instructions.
As the older woman lay down on the sofa to watch television, she declared that the maid would be going back to the agent tomorrow.
Zin Mar Nwe understood that because Mr S was already her third employer, this would result in her being sent back to her home country in debt.
Shaking with anger, she grabbed a knife and stabbed the elderly woman 26 times. After the woman stopped moving, the maid ransacked one of the bedrooms in the flat, broke the lock of a cupboard and retrieved her belongings.
She washed the knife and left it in the kitchen, then changed into a dress and took a bag belonging to her. She left the flat after taking some cash and an ez-link card that had been placed on top of the microwave oven.
She went to her maid agency in Choa Chu Kang to get her passport, but left when she heard that the staff were about to call her employer.
Over the next five hours, she wandered around Singapore by bus, by MRT and on foot.
She bought bottles of mineral water and ate at a hawker centre before she finally took a taxi back to the agency. She was arrested there after the staff alerted the police of her return.
After dropping her off, the cabby found a bag containing $114 in the back seat and tried to return it to her, but she denied that the bag was hers. Forensic tests later showed that some of the notes were stained with her blood.
After her arrest, Zin Mar Nwe initially denied killing the elderly woman. She pinned the blame on two men and even described the fictitious assailants in some detail.
On June 29, 2018, she admitted that she had stabbed the victim in anger after the woman threatened to send her back to the agent.
In May 18, 2023, following a trial that began in November 2021, Zin Mar Nwe was found guilty of murder for intentionally inflicting multiple fatal stab wounds on the victim. She was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 4.

I would fucking kill the shitskin motherfuckers if I am Zin Mar New. Fucking India Indian deserved to be killed.

 

[Loofydralb]

She tolerated abuse, but threat of being sent home triggered maid to stab boss’ mum-in-law​

Zin Mar Nwe was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 4 after being found guilty of murder for intentionally inflicting multiple fatal stab wounds on the elderly victim. PHOTO: ST FILE

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

Jul 16, 2023

SINGAPORE – Her Myanmar passport said she was 23 years old – the minimum age to work as a domestic worker in Singapore.
Zin Mar Nwe was actually 17 when she arrived here on Jan 5, 2018.
Four months later, on May 10, she started working for her third household – a couple and their two teenage daughters.
Her latest employer, a financial controller identified by the court as Mr S, had hired her because his family’s maid for the past four years was returning home to the Philippines.
By her own accounts, Zin Mar Nwe had no complaints about her working conditions and had no issues interacting with Mr S’ family and her agents.
She woke up at about 5.30am and went to bed at about 11pm. She also made multiple phone calls to her relatives in Myanmar. Part of her $450 monthly salary went towards repaying her loan to the maid agency.
She said she tried to be a good helper, although Mr S and his wife found her “not to be very driven” in doing her chores.

About two weeks after she started work, her employer’s mother-in-law arrived from India on May 26, 2018, to stay with the family for a month.
The 70-year-old woman and the maid had difficulty getting along.
The elderly woman began hitting the maid to get her attention or to reprimand her. Zin Mar Nwe said she was hit when she did not understand what the woman wanted her to do.

At the beginning, the elderly woman used her knuckles to knock the maid on her head and back two to three times a day on average. She later started using objects such as ladles.
The mother-in-law also started returning tit for tat on the many occasions the maid accidentally hurt her.
Once, while the maid was massaging her, the older woman slapped her because she found the massage painful.
On another occasion, the maid had turned on the stove wrongly, resulting in a sudden burst of flames that burned the older woman slightly. The mother-in-law retaliated by pulling the maid’s hand close to the flames.
Yet another time, the maid dropped a spice box cover on the elderly woman’s foot. In response, the woman picked up a hot pan and hit the maid with it.
Zin Mar Nwe felt unappreciated, but tolerated the abuse and did not tell anyone that she was being ill-treated.

On the morning of June 25, 2018, the two women were alone at home when the older woman became upset with the maid for causing an object to drop on her foot and for missing her instructions.
As the older woman lay down on the sofa to watch television, she declared that the maid would be going back to the agent tomorrow.
Zin Mar Nwe understood that because Mr S was already her third employer, this would result in her being sent back to her home country in debt.
Shaking with anger, she grabbed a knife and stabbed the elderly woman 26 times. After the woman stopped moving, the maid ransacked one of the bedrooms in the flat, broke the lock of a cupboard and retrieved her belongings.
She washed the knife and left it in the kitchen, then changed into a dress and took a bag belonging to her. She left the flat after taking some cash and an ez-link card that had been placed on top of the microwave oven.
She went to her maid agency in Choa Chu Kang to get her passport, but left when she heard that the staff were about to call her employer.
Over the next five hours, she wandered around Singapore by bus, by MRT and on foot.
She bought bottles of mineral water and ate at a hawker centre before she finally took a taxi back to the agency. She was arrested there after the staff alerted the police of her return.
After dropping her off, the cabby found a bag containing $114 in the back seat and tried to return it to her, but she denied that the bag was hers. Forensic tests later showed that some of the notes were stained with her blood.
After her arrest, Zin Mar Nwe initially denied killing the elderly woman. She pinned the blame on two men and even described the fictitious assailants in some detail.
On June 29, 2018, she admitted that she had stabbed the victim in anger after the woman threatened to send her back to the agent.
In May 18, 2023, following a trial that began in November 2021, Zin Mar Nwe was found guilty of murder for intentionally inflicting multiple fatal stab wounds on the victim. She was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 4.

She should be set free and given an award at the next NDP.

Killing cockroaches and pests is an honourable job.

To Mr S whose mother was repeatedly stabbed and killed, I say she deserved every time and every inch of that blade that went into her for her abuse. Congratulations!

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Police officer in fatal maid abuse case knew of atrocities against her: DPP​

Kevin Chelvam (left) was the registered employer of Myanmar national Piang Ngaih Don (right), who died aged 24 following prolonged and heinous abuse while under his employment. PHOTOS: GAVIN FOO, HELPING HANDS FOR MIGRANT WORKERS

Nadine Chua

JUL 20, 2023

SINGAPORE – Irritated that his emaciated maid was falling asleep while eating, the husband of a convicted maid abuser allegedly grabbed her by her hair and lifted her off the ground.
When this was read out in court on Thursday on the first day of his trial, police officer Kevin Chelvam, 44, stared blankly into space.
Chelvam was the registered employer of Myanmar national Piang Ngaih Don, 24, who died following prolonged and heinous abuse while under his employment, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Koh in her opening address.
Chelvam, a staff sergeant, was suspended from the police force in August 2016, days after Ms Piang Ngaih Don’s death.
Chelvam claimed trial to four charges, including one charge of voluntarily causing hurt and another charge of abetment of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Ms Piang Ngaih Don by starvation.
The maid weighed 39kg when she started working for Chelvam’s family in May 2015 and was a mere 24kg when she died on July 26, 2016.
Chelvam is also contesting one charge of giving false information to a police officer and another of removing from his home closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras which recorded the abuse.

His former wife, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 43, was sentenced in June 2021 to 30 years in prison – the longest jail term meted out in a maid abuse case in Singapore. They have two children, aged one and four at the time, and divorced in 2020.
Prema S. Naraynasamy, 64, who joined her daughter Gaiyathiri in torturing the maid, was sentenced to 14 years’ jail in January. Prema was given three more years’ jail in June after admitting to one charge of instigating Chelvam to cause evidence of the offences in their Bishan flat to disappear, bringing her total jail term to 17 years.
On Thursday, DPP Koh said that as Ms Piang Ngaih Don’s employer, Chelvam was fully aware of the atrocities that occurred under his roof.

She said: “Evidence will be led to show that Chelvam had knowledge of the daily abuse of the deceased and had even participated in it himself.
“He was complicit in Gaiyathiri’s and Prema’s offences by his conscious indifference to the deceased’s plight, which he allowed to continue unabated until her death.”

DPP Koh said Ms Piang Ngaih Don suffered significant physical deterioration and life-threatening malnutrition as she was not provided sufficient food by Gaiyathiri.
Said DPP Koh: “This would have been obvious to Chelvam – as he admitted in his statement that he noticed the drastic drop in the deceased’s weight.”
In fact, WhatsApp messages between the couple showed Chelvam endorsed the use of food deprivation as punishment for the maid.
A text message he sent to Gaiyathiri in March 2016 showed: “(She) never put the children’s photo at the hall properly again... I told her that if one more time she do the same, no food for her the whole day.”
On the charge of voluntarily causing hurt, the prosecution noted that Ms Piang Ngaih Don was so thin and light that Chelvam was able to lift her off the ground just by her hair alone.
On the night of July 25, 2016, the maid was assaulted by Gaiyathiri and Prema for being too slow in doing laundry.
The next morning, Gaiyathiri and Chelvam checked on her and found her motionless on the floor. Chelvam then left the flat for work.
He rushed home when his wife called and told him Ms Piang Ngaih Don was dead.
DPP Koh said that having reason to believe an offence of murder had been committed, Chelvam dismantled the CCTV recorder in the flat. It was originally installed to monitor the maid.
The DPP said Chelvam admitted in statements that he had done so as he knew the recorder contained evidence the police were looking for.
Said DPP Koh: “While Chelvam did not participate in the fatal assault, he was aware that the deceased was physically abused by Gaiyathiri and Prema on a regular basis, and that the deceased’s physical condition had deteriorated as a result.”
She added: “His guilty knowledge of the deceased’s starvation will allow this court to infer that he made a conscious choice not to intervene and hence abetted Gaiyathiri by illegal omission.”
Gaiyathiri and Prema are expected to take the stand as prosecution witnesses during the trial. The prosecution’s list of witnesses also includes investigation officers involved in the case and a forensic pathologist.
The trial continues.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Fatal maid abuse case: Doctor who declared victim dead said her limbs were ‘like skin wrapping bone’​

Kevin Chelvam (left) was the registered employer of Myanmar national Piang Ngaih Don (right). PHOTOS: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS, HELPING HANDS FOR MIGRANT WORKERS

David Sun
Crime Correspondent

July 21, 2023

SINGAPORE - After suffering prolonged abuse while working for a police officer’s family, Myanmar national Piang Ngaih Don appeared to be severely emaciated when she died.
She was declared dead by Dr Grace Kwan in her employer’s home on July 26, 2016.
By then, Ms Piang Ngaih Don, 24, weighed only 24kg, compared with just over a year before in May 2015 when she was 39kg.
Dr Kwan was testifying on Friday at the trial of staff sergeant Kevin Chelvam, 44, who was the maid’s registered employer.
Chelvam had claimed trial to four charges, including one charge of voluntarily causing hurt and another charge of abetment of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Ms Piang Ngaih Don by starvation.
He is also contesting one charge of giving false information to a police officer and another of removing closed-circuit television cameras – which recorded the abuse – from his home.
Dr Kwan had made a house call at Chelvam’s Bishan flat on July 26, 2016, after Chelvam’s former wife Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 43, called her.

Chelvam and Gaiyathiri divorced in 2020 and have two children, aged one and four at the time.
Gaiyathiri was sentenced in June 2021 to 30 years’ jail for abusing Ms Piang Ngaih Don till she died. It was the longest jail term meted out in a maid abuse case in Singapore.
Prema S. Naraynasamy, 64, who joined her daughter Gaiyathiri in torturing the maid, was sentenced to 14 years’ jail in January.
Prema was given an additional three years in prison in June, after admitting to one charge of instigating Chelvam to cause evidence of the offences in their Bishan flat to disappear, bringing her total jail term to 17 years.
Dr Kwan said that when she arrived at the flat just before 11am, she saw the maid lying in the living room with her mouth gaping, and found that she had no pulse and her skin was cold to the touch.
She described the maid’s limbs looking like they were just skin wrapping bone, and she had sunken eyes and cheeks.
The doctor said she had tried to do a pain reflex test on the maid but there was no response, and she pronounced her dead.
She said Gaiyathiri and Prema had then responded immediately, saying: “No doctor, cannot be. She was moving just before you arrived.”

Dr Kwan said both mother and daughter asked her if she could do something about it.
She told the court she did not know if the pair meant whether she could resuscitate the maid or issue a death certificate, and told them there was nothing she could do.
She also urged them to call the police, and noticed there were several bruises and abrasions on Ms Piang Ngaih Don’s body.
But the two women told her to call an ambulance instead.
Dr Kwan said Gaiyathiri had denied beating the maid, and that she told the woman she should not be hesitant about calling the police if that were indeed true.
Dr Kwan said she then called the authorities herself.
While waiting for paramedics and the police to arrive, Dr Kwan asked the women if the maid had been given any food and Prema claimed the maid ate a lot.
But an autopsy revealed there was no food in the maid’s stomach.
On Friday, Dr Kwan also said she had seen Ms Piang Ngaih Don twice before her death – once for a Ministry of Manpower check-up in January 2016, and the second time in May that year.

The doctor testified that the maid appeared to have a runny nose and dry cough when she saw her the first time. But in May, the maid appeared to have bruises around both eye sockets and on the cheeks, and her legs were swollen.
Dr Kwan said Ms Piang Ngaih Don had not spoken directly to her, and that Gaiyathiri had claimed then that the maid was clumsy and always falling down.
The doctor said she wanted to do more tests to determine the cause of the swelling, but Gaiyathiri said there was no need to.
Dr Kwan said that at the time of Ms Piang Ngaih Don’s death, she appeared to be significantly thinner and malnourished compared with their previous meeting about two months before.
The trial continues next Monday, with a forensic pathologist expected to testify.
Gaiyathiri and Prema are also expected to take the stand as prosecution witnesses during the trial.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Police officer who alleged workplace bullying before death was offered help for 'substantial' work challenges: SPF​

The police say they looked into Sergeant Uvaraja Gopal's allegations of racial discrimination in 2015 and found them to be unsubstantiated, but will investigate the claims again.

The hearse of police officer Uvaraja Gopal near Block 393 Yishun Avenue 6, where his wake was held on Jul 23, 2023. (Photo: CNA/Try Sutrisno Foo)
24 Jul 2023

SINGAPORE: A police officer who made allegations of racism and workplace bullying before he died had faced "substantial challenges at work", for which his superiors had offered help, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Monday (Jul 24).
Sergeant Uvaraja Gopal, 35, died in hospital on Friday evening after he was found lying motionless at the foot of a Housing Board block in Yishun. The police do not suspect foul play.
In a Facebook post that was later removed, SGT Uvaraja said he had been bullied by his superiors and subjected to ethnic slurs by his teammates – claims that Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said on Friday that the police would investigate thoroughly.
Addressing the claims of racial discrimination, SPF said on Monday that SGT Uvaraja had made allegations back in 2015, adding that these were looked into and found to be unsubstantiated.
On the complaints that he made against his superiors and peers over the years, SPF said they had been investigated and dealt with. But some of them are being investigated again in light of his latest allegations.
SGT Uvaraja had served with the police for more than 10 years and was last an officer with Ang Mo Kio Police Division.
"At this point, we can set out only the known facts, as not all the relevant facts have been established. It is also inappropriate for the police to make any comments, or come to any conclusions, pending detailed investigations," the police said on Monday.

CHALLENGES FACED AT WORK​

SPF said that SGT Uvaraja's superiors had assessed that he was facing "substantial challenges at work" and tried to help him in a number of ways.
These included coaching to address his performance issues. He was also granted transfers, at his request, to six different work units in nine years.
SPF said he was also granted additional leave since 2015 beyond his usual entitlements.
For example, he was at work for fewer than 30 days last year as he was on various types of leave, including extended sick leave, unrecorded leave and no pay leave. In 2023, he had been at work for fewer than 25 days, for similar reasons.
His supervisors had arranged for counselling and "psychological assistance" for him at various points in his service from 2016, said SPF.
In January this year, he was assigned a para-counsellor after he reported experiencing work stress.
On Feb 16, he reported to a new unit - following his request for a transfer - and "showed signs of being unstable", said SPF.
"He was counselled by a para-counsellor on the same day, and later attended to by a psychologist from the Police Psychological Services Department. Due to safety concerns, he was relieved from carrying firearms from Feb 16, 2023."

A view outside Block 393 Yishun Avenue 6 on Jul 23, 2023, as police officer Uvaraja Gopal's wake takes place. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)

COMPLAINTS AGAINST OTHER OFFICERS​

The police noted that SGT Uvaraja had made a number of complaints against his superiors and peers over the years, and that all of these have been investigated and dealt with.
Some of them are being investigated again, in the light of the allegations which he made just before his death, said SPF.
In August 2021, SGT Uvaraja alerted his supervisors that he had spotted other officers vaping within the police compound.
An independent supervisor was tasked to search for e-cigarettes and vaping devices within the station premises and interview the officers concerned. "The complaint was not made out, thus no disciplinary action was taken," said SPF.
In January this year, while in a different police unit, the officer alerted his supervisors that he spotted other officers smoking. Investigations found evidence of this and disciplinary action was taken against these officers.
"Following both incidents, his supervisors facilitated his request to transfer to another unit to start afresh, as he felt uncomfortable working with the colleagues he had reported on," said SPF.

The casket of Uvaraja Gopal being loaded into a hearse at Block 393 Yishun Avenue 6, where his wake was held on Jul 23, 2023. (Photo: CNA/Try Sutrisno Foo)

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS​

In his last Facebook post, SGT Uvaraja alleged racial discrimination at work.
The police said they were aware of allegations he made in 2015 but found the claims to be unsubstantiated.
"We had looked into these and interviewed the officers involved. The allegations were found to be unsubstantiated," said SPF, adding that it will nevertheless review and investigate the allegations again.
Findings will be referred to the Attorney-General's Chambers.
"The findings will also be submitted to the Minister for Home Affairs, for his decision on whether the findings should be further reviewed," said the police.
SPF said it takes a firm stance against racial discrimination.
It stressed that there are avenues for police officers to raise complaints on discriminatory workplace practices - to their unit commanders, police headquarters or the ministry headquarters - adding that such complaints are looked into seriously.

TENSIONS WITH HIS FAMILY​

In their statement on Monday, the police said interviews showed that SGT Uvaraja had "tensions with his family".
On Jul 13, the police received multiple calls for help at his parents' home. When officers arrived, the sergeant was in a dispute with his family over financial matters.
He had also allegedly assaulted his brother.
"As a result, the police commenced investigations against him for a case of voluntarily causing hurt and intentional harassment. This was a pending case," said SPF.
A day later, the sergeant's mother lodged a police report against him, saying she feared for her safety. This was followed by a call for police assistance later in the day by SGT Uvaraja's sister-in-law that he was outside her house. He left the area after the police arrived.
SPF said it had informed SGT Uvaraja's parents and brothers that the information above will be disclosed.
"They have expressed their understanding on the release of the information," it added.

Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam speaks with the family of police officer Uvaraja Gopal at Block 393 Yishun Avenue 6 on Jul 23, 2023. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
On Sunday, Mr Shanmugam and Member of Parliament Derrick Goh paid their respects at SGT Uvaraja's wake held in Yishun. Both are MPs for Nee Soon GRC.
"In the GRC ... our practice is that the MPs, when they know of a wake, and they are able to, they go for the wake," Mr Shanmugam told reporters, adding that the focus should be on the family and their grieving process.
"I told them, as I've said in my post, there will be a thorough investigation."

 

[laksaboy]

Does Rajoo Casket accept Chinese customers?

 

[Chocolate]

You know your allegation is untrue, bordering on blasphemy. Without the chinks, SG would still be a fishing village today. m&ds are lazy, shitskins are drunk and untrustworthy.

Correction its the ang moh Raffles who got Singapore started. Early Chinese migrants were coolies. Today PRC migrants are much less educated than those from India. Like it or not Indian immigrants have a reputation for being among the more professional and successful as migrants anywhere. Look at UK, the PM is Indian.
You might dislike some of their ways. But you cant look down on them. Even our local Indians mostly arent doing as well as the immigrants.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

‘Worse than a dog’: Family members insult maid in chat group after she left flat to eat in coffee shop​

Kevin Chelvam (left) is claiming trial to four charges related to the abuse of Myanmar maid Piang Ngaih Don. PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG, HELPING HANDS FOR MIGRANT WORKERS

Samuel Devaraj

JUL 26, 2023

SINGAPORE - After a maid climbed out of a corridor window of an HDB flat to go to a coffee shop, members of her employer’s family sent messages in a group chat wishing that she should have jumped down and died instead, and insulted her with vulgarities.
The 24-year-old maid, who died nine months later from abuse, had left the flat belonging to nurse Isabella Celestine Cyril James, and was later found by her ex-husband’s friend having a meal with another maid at a coffee shop.
Ms Isabella was testifying at the trial of her former brother-in-law Kevin Chelvam on Tuesday when she recounted the incident at her Hougang flat and said it happened around the time the messages were sent by her and Chelvam’s then-wife Gaiyathiri Murugayan.
The maid Piang Ngaih Don, who was from Myanmar, started working for Chelvam’s family in May 2015 and died on July 26 a year later after prolonged abuse while under his employment.
Chelvam, a 40-year-old suspended police staff sergeant, is claiming trial to four charges. These include voluntarily causing hurt and abetment of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Ms Piang Ngaih Don by starvation. Another charge involves removing evidence in the form of a closed-circuit television (CCTV) recorder.
On Tuesday, Ms Isabella and her ex-husband Kishore K. Shanmugavel, who is Gaiyathiri’s brother, told the court that Ms Piang Ngaih Don would go over to their flat with Gaiyathiri’s mother Prema S. Naraynasamy from time to time.
On one such occasion, Ms Isabella said Prema called her to say that the maid had left by climbing out of the corridor window. She then told Mr Kishore, who was on reservist, what happened. He and his friend later went to the flat.

When Ms Isabella returned, she found Ms Piang Ngaih Don, Mr Kishore and his friend, who had located the maid at a coffee shop.
On Tuesday, the court heard messages that were sent on Sept 23, 2015, to a chat group named “family members only” of which Chelvam, Prema, Gaiyathiri, Mr Kishore and Ms Isabella were a part.
Gaiyathiri sent a message which read: “She’s worse than a hungry ghost, eat eat eat eat.” She also said: “Instead of going out of your room, she should have jumped down the kitchen window. Once and for all case closed.”

Ms Isabella responded: “Exactly, should have just jumped down and died.” She also said that “she is just worse than a dog”.
When asked in court who some of the messages were referring to, Ms Isabella said she could not remember. However, Mr Kishore said they referred to Ms Piang Ngaih Don.
Mr Kishore also told the court that when the maid went to his home two weeks before she died, he noticed that she had lost weight. He said he asked his mother about it, and she replied that the maid may have had some medical condition.
Ms Piang Ngaih Don weighed 39kg when she started working for Chelvam’s family and was 24kg when she died.
When Ms Isabella was asked by Chelvam’s lawyer if she had noticed that Ms Piang Ngaih Don was malnourished, Ms Isabella said she was not able to see as she wore oversized clothes and a mask.

On the day Ms Piang Ngaih Don died, Ms Isabella said that she was informed of the death by Prema. She went to the flat in Bishan carrying a handbag. She saw several police officers and Ms Piang Ngaih Don’s body on the sofa.
At first, she said she was confused about where she left the handbag. She later said she was sure she had put it down in the master bedroom. She also said that she did not speak with Chelvam other than talking in the kitchen about food for his two children.
As she left the flat with Chelvam’s son, Prema told her that she had kept something in her handbag and told her to do something with it.
Mr Kishore, who later found out that the item was a CCTV recorder, called a friend to collect it and keep it safe. He told the court that he did that as he wanted to get “the trouble” away from him at that point of time.
Police officers were eventually able to retrieve the recorder, which contained footage of Ms Piang Ngaih Don’s abuse.
Gaiyathiri and Prema are expected to testify as prosecution witnesses during Chelvam’s trial.
Gaiyathiri is currently serving a 30-year jail sentence – the longest for a maid abuse case in Singapore. Prema, who took part in the abuse, was handed 17 years in prison.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Prosecution seeks to impeach convicted maid abuser for inconsistencies in statements​

Prema S. Naraynasamy (left) had previously admitted to multiple counts for abusing Ms Piang Ngaih Don (right). PHOTOS: ST FILE, HELPING HANDS FOR MIGRANT WORKERS

Samuel Devaraj

July 27, 2023

SINGAPORE - The prosecution is looking to impeach a convicted maid abuser for inconsistencies between a statement she gave in court as a witness and one she gave the police on the day the domestic helper died.
Prema S. Naraynasamy, 64, was in court to testify in the trial of her daughter’s former husband Kevin Chelvam, who is being tried on four charges, including removing evidence of the abuse in the form of a closed-circuit television (CCTV) recorder.
In court on Wednesday, Prema had said that after she had asked Chelvam to remove the device on July 26, 2016, the day the maid died, he refused, prompting her to scold him for his lack of concern for his wife Gaiyathiri Murugayan.
She said she then tried to pull out the wires and, afraid that she would get electrocuted, Chelvam ripped it out and threw it aside.
On Thursday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sean Teh highlighted that these facts were not in her police statement that was taken the day the maid Ms Piang Ngaih Don died and that Prema was blatantly attempting to change her evidence using her court testimony.
A witness is impeached by proving that his or her former statements are inconsistent to evidence given in court. An impeached witness is considered less credible, and what he or she says in court will be given less weight by the judge.
Prema said her initial statement was given when she was brought in for a murder charge and her thoughts were not coherent.

At some point during the proceedings, she also said that she was not trying to cover for Chelvam and DPP Teh asked her why she would bring that up.
DPP Teh will continue to argue his case for impeachment on Friday.
Thursday was the sixth day of Chelvam’s trial and the second day that Prema took the stand.

On Wednesday, Prema, who had previously admitted to multiple counts for abusing Ms Piang Ngaih Don, had painted a picture of having been close to the maid and keeping her well fed
To correct the image that the family had treated helper well, DPP Teh played a video in court on Thursday that showed Prema dragging the maid from the toilet to the bedroom and watching Gaiyathiri tie her to a window grille.
When the video – footage taken mere hours before the domestic helper died – started playing, Prema did not want to see it.
She said: “I have already admitted to all of this, and this is making me traumatised. I’m going through hell.”
Crying, the 64-year-old woman begged District Judge Teoh Ai Lin for the video not to be played.

After the judge allowed the video to be played, Prema appeared to lower her head as the court watched the video of the abuse that took place on July 25, 2016.
On Wednesday, Prema had also told the court that she and Ms Piang Ngaih Don were close.
When asked by DPP Teh on Thursday to explain what she meant by this, she said she gave her medicine when she was sick, helped her with household chores and sneaked her chocolate without others in the house knowing.
Highlighting the video, the prosecutor said the assault only a tiny fraction of the abuse that Prema inflicted on Ms Piang Ngaih Don.
“You were not close to the deceased – you were her abuser,” he said.
Prema said she disagreed, but then added that she abused Ms Piang Ngaih Don out of anger and that she would need to be told instructions repeatedly.
She had said on Wednesday that based on her observation, Ms Piang Ngaih Don would eat well and she was a good eater.
DPP Teh showed Prema a photo of the woman from Myanmar before she worked for the family and one taken during autopsy one day before she died.
He highlighted aspects from the autopsy report which included the fact that Ms Piang Ngaih Don’s stomach walls had loss of structure and were thin, and her intestines were shrunken.

When DPP Teh put to Prema that the weight Ms Piang Ngaih Don lost would have been visible, she said it would depend on one’s perception.
The maid weighed 39kg when she started working for Chelvam’s family and was a mere 24kg when she died. A senior consultant forensic pathologist said on Monday that her body mass index when she died was similar to that of someone suffering from advanced cancer or from extensive and widespread tuberculosis.
When DPP Teh put it to Prema that she, Gaiyathiri and Chelvam physically and psychologically abused Ms Piang Ngaih Don until she died, Prema said that while her daughter and she did so, she disagreed that her son-in-law was involved.
“Kevin is not involved as far as I know. It has been seven years and this is as far as I remember.” she said.
Chelvam is facing one charge for voluntarily causing hurt to Ms Piang Ngaih Don, as he is accused of grabbing her hair and lifting her body off the ground on June 24, 2016, at about 4 pm.
On Wednesday, when she was asked about this incident, Prema said she was scolding Ms Piang Ngaih Don to finish her food as the family, including the maid, was supposed to bring the children for a swim.
But Prema said Ms Piang Ngaih Don continued to eat at her own pace and at the same time she was falling asleep.
She added that Chelvam tried to wake her up by lifting her head and immediately released the grip of her hair after she noticed her lift off the ground.
She said Chelvam would not scold or raise his voice against Ms Piang Ngaih Don. “I’m not sure how to put it into words, but he is a kind person.”
DPP Teh on Thursday questioned the “glowing character reference” Prema gave her ex-son-in law, and said she was presenting a false version of events that is not depicted in the video footage and that he did in fact intend to hurt the maid.
The trial continues on Friday.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Fatal maid abuse: Trial of policeman employer adjourned for more evidence to be prepared​

Kevin Chelvam (left) was the registered employer of Myanmar national Piang Ngaih Don, 24, who died following prolonged and heinous abuse while under his employment. PHOTOS: GAVIN FOO, HELPING HANDS FOR MIGRANT WORKERS

David Sun
Crime Correspondent

August 2, 2023

SINGAPORE - The trial of staff sergeant Kevin Chelvam over the death of a Myanmar maid has been adjourned for the prosecution to prepare more evidence for the court.
On Wednesday, with the trial into its ninth day, the prosecution said it needed more time to prepare closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and a log sheet of movements for the last two weeks leading up to the death of Ms Piang Ngaih Don.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Koh said she estimated that the log sheet and footage should be ready around the middle of October, or the prosecution would at least be able to update the court on the progress by then.
Chelvam’s lawyer Pratap Kishan asked that the prosecution send the defence the log once it is ready, so it can go through the additional evidence before the next pre-trial conference.
District Judge Teoh Ai Lin then adjourned the trial, fixing the next court date on Oct 18.
Chelvam, 44, was the registered employer of Ms Piang Ngaih Don, 24, who died on July 26, 2016, following prolonged abuse while under his employment.
She had weighed only 24kg when she died, compared with just over a year before in May 2015 when she was 39kg.

Chelvam, who was suspended from the police force in August 2016, had claimed trial to four charges, including one charge of voluntarily causing hurt and another charge of abetment of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Ms Piang Ngaih Don by starvation.
He is also contesting one charge of giving false information to a police officer and another of removing CCTV cameras – which recorded the abuse – from his home.
His former wife, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 43, was sentenced in June 2021 to 30 years in prison – the longest jail term meted out in a maid abuse case in Singapore.

Prema S. Naraynasamy, 64, who joined her daughter Gaiyathiri in torturing the maid, was sentenced to 14 years in jail in January.
Prema was given three more years in jail in June after admitting to one charge of instigating Chelvam to cause evidence of the offences in their Bishan flat to disappear, bringing her total jail term to 17 years.
Chelvam and Gaiyathiri have two children, aged one and four at the time, and the pair divorced in 2020.
About a dozen witnesses have taken the stand during Chelvam’s trial, including the doctor who declared Ms Piang Ngaih Don dead, a pathologist who performed the autopsy, Prema and Gaiyathiri.

Dr Grace Kwan, who had made a house call at Chelvam’s Bishan flat on the day Ms Piang Ngaih Don died, testified that the maid appeared to be severely emaciated, with limbs looking like they were just skin wrapping bone.
Dr George Paul, the doctor who had performed the autopsy on Ms Piang Ngaih Don, testified that the maid had a body mass index similar to someone suffering from advanced cancer or from extensive and widespread tuberculosis, and described one of the photos of her body as “pretty ghastly”.
Prema testified that Chelvam had been aware of the abuse.
When it came time for Gaiyathiri to testify, the prosecution played CCTV footage from the flat showing Chelvam picking Ms Piang Ngaih Don up by her hair and dropping her to the floor.
Gaiyathiri said that Chelvam had hurt the maid about a month before her death.
When Gaiyathiri was previously on trial, footage played in court showed her pouring cold water on Ms Piang Ngaih Don and slapping, pushing, punching, kicking and stomping on the maid while she was on the ground.
She also hit the domestic worker with objects such as a plastic bottle and metal ladle, and pressed a heated steam iron to the maid’s forearm.
The court was told then that Ms Piang Ngaih Don’s meals often consisted of sliced bread soaked in water, cold food straight from the refrigerator or some rice at night.
At the start of Chelvam’s trial, DPP Koh had said that while Chelvam did not participate in the fatal assault, he was aware that the maid was physically abused by Gaiyathiri and Prema on a regular basis, and that her physical condition had deteriorated as a result.
DPP Koh said: “His guilty knowledge of the deceased’s starvation will allow this court to infer that he made a conscious choice not to intervene and hence abetted Gaiyathiri by illegal omission.”
Chelvam is currently out on $15,000 bail. His attendance for the next court date on Oct 18 has been dispensed with.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Woman who fatally abused her maid said policeman ex-husband hurt the victim​

Gaiyathiri Murugayan and Kevin Chelvam, who were divorced in 2019, sat across each other in the courtroom on the eighth day of his trial. ST ILLUSTRATIONS: CHNG CHOON HIONG

Samuel Devaraj

August 3, 2023

SINGAPORE – A woman who starved and tortured her maid from Myanmar until she died said on Tuesday her former husband had hurt their helper about a month before her death.
Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 43, who had been sentenced to 30 years’ jail in June 2021, was back in court as a prosecution witness against her former husband, suspended police staff sergeant Kevin Chelvam.
Chelvam, 44, is being tried on four charges, including one for voluntarily causing hurt to Ms Piang Ngaih Don, 24. He had allegedly grabbed her hair and lifted her off the ground on June 24, 2016, at about 4pm.
Ms Piang Ngaih Don, a single mother of a three-year-old boy, arrived in Singapore to work for the family in May 2015. It was her first time working in a foreign country.
She died on July 26, 2016, in the couple’s Bishan flat.
Gaiyathiri and Chelvam, who were divorced in 2019 and have two children, sat across each other in the courtroom on the eighth day of his trial.
On Tuesday morning, Chelvam’s lawyer Pratap Kishan had asked Gaiyathiri if she would like to view a closed-circuit television recording of the June 24, 2016 incident, as he had questions about it.

She declined, saying it took a lot for her to recover from the trauma.
But as she said she could not recall what had happened when deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Stephanie Koh asked about it again later in the day, the prosecutor played the footage in court.
It showed Chelvam picking Ms Piang Ngaih Don up by her hair and dropping her to the floor in their flat. Gaiyathiri agreed this would have hurt the maid.

In response to a question from Mr Pratap, Gaiyathiri said it was she, and not Chelvam, who would monitor the eating habits and the daily work of the maid.
She said Chelvam’s responsibility as the sole breadwinner of the family was to pay for the family’s expenses.
Gaiyathiri added when she brought Ms Piang Ngaih Don for check-ups at Bishan Grace Clinic, she would do so without informing Chelvam and did not update him on the advice given by the doctor.
She said Chelvam would not notice if the maid had lost weight because of her loose-fitting clothes and the masks she wore due to her sinus issues. Gaiyathiri said she also did not notice the weight loss.

The maid weighed 39kg when she worked for the family and was a mere 24kg when she died.
DPP Koh told Gaiyathiri that Gaiyathiri’s mother Prema S. Naraynasamy, 65, and her brother Mr Kishore K. Shanmugavel had testified in court saying they saw the maid had lost weight.
The prosecutor said if they were able to notice it despite not always staying at the Bishan flat, then surely she would have been able to notice it too.
The prosecutor told Gaiyathiri the weight loss would have been obvious to anyone, including Chelvam.
Gaiyathiri said: “Our focus is on the children, and we didn’t focus on her.”
Prema had been jailed a total of 17 years for her role in the case.
Tuesday was the second day Gaiyathiri appeared in court during Chelvam’s trial.
During her trial, footage of the emaciated domestic worker being grabbed by the hair and shaken like a rag doll was played in court.
There was also footage of Gaiyathiri pouring cold water on Ms Piang Ngaih Don and slapping, pushing, punching, kicking and stomping on her while she was on the ground.
She also hit the domestic worker with objects like a plastic bottle and metal ladle, and pressed a heated steam iron to the maid’s forearm.
Ms Piang Ngaih Don’s meals often consisted of sliced bread soaked in water, cold food straight from the refrigerator or some rice at night.
Last Friday, Gaiyathiri had said she was unhappy with Chelvam for not arranging for her to meet their children while she was in prison.
She referred to a court order dated Nov 13, 2019, which said the children, whom she has joint custody of, were supposed to meet her once every two weeks.
She said she has appointed a lawyer from the Legal Aid Bureau to look into the matter.
The trial continues on Wednesday.

 

[bushtucker]

CECA jump ship and "feared to have died".

https://sg.yahoo.com/news/indian-woman-dies-jumping-off-090357454.html

 

[tanwahtiu]

6½-hour DBS service disruption in May due to human error, probe finds​

The outage on May 5 was DBS’ second disruption in two months. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Lee Li Ying
Correspondent

July 6, 2023

SINGAPORE - The 6½-hour disruption to DBS services on May 5 was caused by human error, and unrelated to an earlier 10-hour outage in March 2023.
Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam gave this update on Wednesday in a written answer to a parliamentary question by Dr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong GRC) on the cause of the disruption, and what is being done to strengthen the reliability and resilience of retail banks with significant market share in Singapore.
The outage on May 5 was DBS’ second disruption in two months, which the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said was unacceptable.
Mr Tharman, who is chairman of MAS, said that according to the bank’s preliminary investigations, the disruption was due to human error in coding the programme that was used for system maintenance.
“The error led to a significant reduction in system capacity, which in turn affected the system’s ability to process Internet and mobile banking, electronic payment and ATM transactions,” said Mr Tharman.
This intermittently affected customers’ access to these services.
Mr Tharman added that the earlier disruption in March 2023 was caused by inherent software bugs.

He also noted that following the March 2023 incident, DBS had convened a special board committee to oversee the investigation into the root cause and a comprehensive review of the bank’s IT resilience. MAS also required the special board committee to extend its review to cover the latest incident and to use qualified independent third parties for the review.
More details on the disruptions will be provided by the bank publicly when the review is completed, he said.
A day after the May 5 disruption, MAS ordered an additional capital requirement on the bank.
DBS Bank will now need to apply a multiplier of 1.8 times to its risk-weighted assets for operational risk, up from the 1.5 times multiplier previously applied in 2022, after it suffered its worst outage in more than a decade in November 2021.
This means that the additional regulatory capital it must set aside now stands at about $1.6 billion, to buffer for unexpected losses and keep itself solvent in times of crisis.
Mr Tharman said the imposition of capital requirements on DBS reflects the seriousness with which MAS views the recent disruptions and the impact that they have had on customers. MAS may vary the size of the additional capital requirement imposed on the bank and take other regulatory actions depending on the outcome of ongoing reviews.
“MAS requires all retail banks in Singapore to ensure that their mission-critical systems supporting digital banking are resilient. This includes having the ability to recover quickly from any system disruptions,” he said, adding that banks are subject to regular inspections and off-site reviews by MAS to ensure their adherence to regulatory requirements and expectations.

Man made faulty is hard to resolve... he has created more faults to the system... and trace back is hard... worst still the 2nd technician created new faults snowballs to total shut-down...

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

India seizes assets of late mining tycoon’s estate after probe prompted by Panama, Pandora Papers leaks​

Two series of millions of leaked confidential documents revealed massive hidden networks of tax havens involving corrupt or unethical dealings by the wealthy. REUTERS

Nirmala Ganapathy
India Bureau Chief

AUG 13, 2023

NEW DELHI – The Indian authorities have seized the entire shareholding of late mining tycoon Anil Vassudeva Salgaocar’s estate, after opening an investigation against him on the basis of information disclosed in the Panama and Pandora Papers.
The move comes months after his widow Lakshmi Anil Salgaocar, who is the estate’s administrator, won a protracted case in Singapore’s High Court that involved assets implicated in the Indian investigation.
The Panama and Pandora Papers refer to two series of millions of leaked confidential documents, published from April 2016, that revealed massive hidden networks of tax havens involving corrupt or unethical dealings by the wealthy and elite across the globe.
Mr Salgaocar, a well-known industrialist who died in Singapore in 2016, is suspected of violating foreign exchange laws and not declaring millions of dollars of profits to the authorities, according to India’s Enforcement Directorate which tracks economic crimes.
He was also a member of the 2007 legislative assembly of Goa state.
The directorate, in a statement dated Aug 9, said that as part of investigations, it seized all the shares owned by his estate.
The assets seized comprise shares in 33 companies, with the estate’s ownership ranging from 0.1 per cent to 99.9 per cent. The 33 firms own 441 properties in the states of Goa and Karnataka, as well as in Mumbai.

The directorate said investigations showed that iron ore from mines owned by the tycoon in the states of Goa and Karnataka was exported to China through subsidiary firms set up in the British Virgin Islands and Singapore. All firms were set up between 2003 and 2012.
Profits amounting to US$690 million (S$932 million) earned by five of those firms in the British Virgin Islands between 2004 and 2012 were not declared to the Indian authorities, according to the investigations.
The firms “were not declared before Indian authorities and they acted as trading companies indulging in sale of iron ore produced in India to China which resulted in profit shifting outside India”, the directorate added.

By acquiring foreign exchange and holding assets outside India, Mr Salgaocar violated the country’s Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema), it said.
Under India’s laws, Indian nationals cannot freely acquire foreign exchange nor hold assets outside the country, among other things. Penalties include recovering three times the sum of money involved in the violations.
The directorate added that its investigations against Mr Salgaocar and his estate were initiated on the basis of the Panama and Pandora Papers leaks. The Indian Express newspaper, whose journalists are part of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that investigated the Pandora Papers, alleged in a 2021 article that six of his companies had been incorporated with the help of Panamanian offshore law firm and corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca, and were managed by Panama-based corporate services provider OMC Group.
Sources from the directorate told The Straits Times that members of the Salgaocar family were cooperating with investigations.

Under Fema, the family would have recourse to challenge the asset seizure, the sources said.
The authorities’ move against the estate comes six months after the family won a long-running legal dispute in Singapore that involved assets implicated in the current investigation.
Mr Salgaocar in 2015 sued his business friend, Mr Jhaveri Darsan Jitendra, in Singapore, accusing the man of misappropriating assets from a trust that the tycoon set up in 2003.
The firms in the British Virgin Islands that were used to trade iron ore and subsequently implicated in the Indian authorities’ investigations were set up through this trust.
Mr Darsan argued that no such trust was ever set up and that he funded the firms himself.
The High Court in February 2023 ruled against Mr Darsan, ordering him to transfer the trust assets, including the companies’ shares, to Mr Salgaocar’s estate.
Asked about the authorities’ seizure of the Salgaocar estate’s assets, the family’s advocate and solicitor Niru Pillai referred ST to the Singapore High Court order.
Mr Pillai noted that the family won the case on all counts. He said he could not give more information on the matter, as Mr Darsan had indicated his intention to appeal against the ruling.
The lawyer declined to say whether Mr Salgaocar’s family – his widow, two daughters Chandana and Purnima, as well as two sons Sameer and Arjun – are currently based in Singapore.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

OCBC banking services fails again after new Head of Operations & Technology takes over​

Staff Writer

28 August 2023

OCBC banking services went down again on Monday (28 Aug) morning at about 8.30 am due to “network issues”.
The bank acknowledged that it was facing “technical problems with our systems impacting our banking channels”, which include mobile and online banking, PayNow, ATMs, Velocity and cards.
“We are experiencing network issues at the moment. All of our banking services are down,” said OCBC. “We are sorry for the inconvenience and are working to bring things back to normal.”
Some customers posted on social media saying that their credit card payments were declined and that they were unable to withdraw cash. One customer said that her payment for an online doctor consultation could not go through.
Another said, “Have breakfast with a client, used credit card and then atm card to pay bills, all declined.”
Several angry customers also said that it was embarrassing for them when their credit card transactions were declined.
At around noon time, OCBC announced again that their services have been restored.
“Our customers can perform banking transactions at our branches, ATMs, internet and mobile banking platforms, and Velocity. Cards services have also been restored,” OCBC said.

“We would like to assure our customers that no customer data has been compromised and that their monies remain safe,” it added.
In an update at about 12.20 pm, the bank said all banking services have been restored.
“Our customers can perform banking transactions at our branches, ATMs, internet and mobile banking platforms, and Velocity. Cards services have also been restored,” the spokesperson said, adding that the bank is investigating the cause of the “technical problem”.
“We would like to assure our customers that no customer data has been compromised and that their monies remain safe.”

OCBC banking services failed in 2022​

This is not the first time OCBC has been facing “technical issues”. On 9 Jun last year, OCBC also faced technical problems affecting its online payment services.
It also had to “apologise” for its “technical issues”. At the time, it issued a statement saying, “We apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”
Hundreds of online users then reacted to its online apology posting, angrily condemning OCBC. One said, “It was frustrating and disturbing to not be advised about the problem.”
Another said she was “frustrated” with OCBC “as a message could have been sent to alert users about the technical issue.”

New head of OCBC Group Operations & Technology​

Coincidentally, OCBC’s “technical issues” seem to surface more ever since it has a new leader, Praveen Raina, heading its Group Operations & Technology. According to its Linkedin, Praveen became OCBC”s Head of Group Operations & Technology in Jun 2021.
He is also featured prominently as part of the senior management team of OCBC. On OCBC’s page, it said:

Mr Praveen Raina was appointed Head of Group Operations and Technology in June 2021… Mr Raina joined OCBC in August 2008 and has held various senior management positions in Group Operations and Technology. He was appointed Executive Vice President in May 2019 and assumed the role of Global Head of Operations and Technology at OCBC’s private banking subsidiary, Bank of Singapore, in December the same year. Mr Raina has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Windsor and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Science from the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

His Linkedin page also mentioned that he attended short executive programs at INSEAD, Stanford and Harvard in 2011, 2013 and 2018 respectively.
According to QS Ranking, both Memorial University of Newfoundland and University of Windsor are ranked in the region of #641-650 in QS World University Rankings 2024.

 

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India embracing Shanti as one of them

Indian-origin Shanti Pereira wins Singapore's first athletics Asian Games gold in 49 years

Shanti Pereira, who won Singapore's first Asian Games athletics gold medal for almost 50 years in the women's 200m final in Hangzhou on Monday night, has an Indian connection.
Shanti's father Clarence Pereira is a descendant of a family based in Pala in Kottayam who migrated to Singapore. Her mother is from Singapore.

Speaking in the mixed zone after her historic win, Shanti said, "I have lived all my life in Singapore, my entire family lives here, so it's not that I have too many remaining ties with India. But I did go to Kerala for my sister's wedding, she was married to someone from there. I enjoyed my time in India."
Indians have been bringing a rich medal haul in athletics at the Asian Games, but there has not been success in the sprints - the 100m and 200m races. Shanti Pereira, therefore, was a name which stood out on the winners' list on the giant screen at the end of the 200m final. Earlier, Shanti had won a silver in the 100m final.