Blog Posts by Jeanette Tan

Imposing bans on shark’s fin consumption will not ultimately address the threat of extinction they face, but a focus on encouraging sustainable fishing could, a few marine experts said on Thursday.

Though the views of the four-man panel at a seminar on the issue differed at various points, all of them — a member of a United Nations body on endangered species, a veteran shark researcher, an industry consultant and an animal rights activist — agreed that the threat of extinction hanging over sharks is a global problem that stems from the way fishing is carried out all over the world.

At the forum, which was organised by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies after several grocery chains in Singapore said they would no longer offer shark’s fin products on their shelves, veterinarian Giam Choo-Hoo argued that it made more sense to eat shark’s fin soup than not.

A committee member of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Giam said, “The truth is, 80

Minister of State for Finance and Transport Josephine Teo and REACH chairman Amy Khor respond to questions posed to them at the REACH Budget 2012 dialogue on Wednesday. (Yahoo! photo)

Members of the public couldn't help but ask after the government announced it would spend $1.1 billion to add hundreds of buses to run along Singapore's streets.

Responding to several questions about this at a REACH dialogue on this year's budget on Wednesday evening, Minister of State for Finance and Transport Josephine Teo explained that the government's aim was to improve service in public transport, which suffered a big blow in December when a series of train disruptions affected hundreds of thousands of commuters.

In additional to the planned purchase of 800 more buses by the government and local transport firms, she said a rail extension or a new rail line would also be introduced each year leading up to 2016.

Teo noted concerns that operation costs will increase for public transport firms SBS Transit and SMRT given the need to pay for more fuel, more drivers and even more space at interchanges, but that government's purchase of 550 of the buses will help alleviate the burden of

[UPDATE at 6:08pm, adding analyst responses]

Former member of parliament for Hougang and Workers' Party member Yaw Shin Leong says he will not be appealing his expulsion from the party, therefore renouncing his seat in parliament.

Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer announced in a press statement issued Wednesday that Yaw had responded on Monday to a letter sent to him by the Clerk of Parliament last week, which sought confirmation that Yaw would be vacating his MP seat and would not be appealing his dismissal.

He had until Friday, 24 Februrary, to respond to the letter sent to him.

"In view of the above, and pursuant to Article 46(2)(b) of the Constitution, the seat for the Member of Hougang is vacant from the date of his expulsion from the political party for which he stood in the 2011 General Election, that is, 14 February 2012," said Palmer in the statement.

He added that he will be making a formal announcement to the House when Parliament next convenes on 28 February.

Responding to

Singapore’s Parliament has written a letter to dismissed Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Yaw Shin Leong to check whether or not he intends to appeal against or challenge his expulsion from the party.

Announcing this on Friday afternoon, Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer said they had received official word of Yaw’s dismissal from Workers’ Party secretary-general Low Thia Khiang on Thursday.

Yaw, who is believed to be overseas at the moment, has until next Friday, 24 February, to respond to the letter sent by the Clerk of Parliament to confirm his position.

According to Article 48(a) of Singapore’s constitution, a member’s seat in Parliament becomes vacant if he ceases to be or is expelled or resigns from the political party for which he stood in the election.

“It is presently unknown whether Mr Yaw is appealing against the Workers’ Party decision or is otherwise challenging his expulsion,” said Palmer. “The decision on the vacancy of Mr Yaw’s seat in this House will be taken when Read More »from Parliament asks Yaw whether he will challenge WP expulsion

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) on Monday voiced its support of the government’s initiatives for eldercare, but at the same time called for increased “genuine consultation” with citizens that may be affected by them.

In a statement sent to the media on Monday morning, party secretary-general Chee Soon Juan said that as working Singaporeans get busier, the provision of care centres and facilities for the older generation are all the more essential.

“More and more elderly people will be in need of care and that care will need to come from the communities where they reside,” said Chee in the statement, adding that close proximity of eldercare centres to families of elderly people is a crucial factor as well, as they help to give those cared for a sense of ease and comfort.

He qualified, however, that the concerns of residents living near and in the immediate vicinity of the suggested eldercare centres should also be heard, particularly on matters such as the exact location for the

Residents in the single member constituency of Hougang appear willing to overlook the latest reports that their married Member of Parliament (MP) Yaw Shin Leong has allegedly fooled around with more than one woman.

The New Paper reported on Thursday that, following news of Yaw’s alleged involvement with a fellow married Workers’ Party (WP) member, he has also been linked to another married woman, a Chinese national who reportedly gives tuition in Singapore.

After an email from the woman’s neighbour, who noticed that Yaw paid her visits when her husband left the house to go to work, the woman involved told the paper in separate instances that she had a “short affair” with Yaw, adding that she did not want pity for it as she “(did) not deserve it”.

Residents whom Yahoo! Singapore spoke to on Thursday said they were largely unconcerned by the rumours, which to date have yet to be addressed directly by either Yaw or representatives of the Workers’ Party.

“As long as he does what he’s supposed

Under our "Inspiring People" monthly column, we highlight the incredible journey of one Singaporean who has overcome tremendous odds to achieve personal success. This column celebrates the triumph of the human spirit and we hope it will inspire you to reach for your dreams too. This month, we bring to you a young man who overcame his difficulties to scale great heights — literally.

He is 25, but only has the equivalent of a primary six education.

With an intelligence quotient of less than 70 points — as compared to about 100 for the average adult — he also has trouble expressing himself at times.

Meet Special Olympian Salihin bin Sinai.

While he is able to talk animatedly about his day job (a dental technician), the many sports he plays and about his hobbies, ask him how he feels about something and he may not know how to respond.
 
All this, however, did not stop Salihin from successfully  scaling and planting the Singapore flag atop the 5,895-metre tall Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s

(UPDATED 2 Feb at 1pm, adding response from group of former SPP members)

The six former Singapore People’s Party (SPP) Central Executive Committee members who resigned from the party last week have acknowledged the response given by its former secretary-general Chiam See Tong on Wednesday night.

Following Chiam's clarification that the SPP had received legal advice to confirm the constitutional legitimacy of its Central Executive Committee (CEC) election at the party's Ordinary Party Conference (OPC) last Sunday, the group said on Thursday morning that his clarification and accountability "bodes well for the SPP's credibility".

The six, which consist of the party's former first and second assistant secretary-generals Wilfred Leung and Benjamin Pwee, organising secretary Ting Sze Jiang, Malay/Muslim affairs head Mohamad Hamim bin Aliyas, his wife and businessmen affairs head David Tan, made clear in their statement that their differences held with the party over leadership styles had never