pothepanda: IID Officer Makes Shocking Statement

Wednesday, 27 May 2009
IID Officer Makes Shocking Statement!Judge Fixes Trial And Denies Witnesses!

Here's a short recap...

02/03/09 --- Arrested and threatened by CID/ISD.
06/03/09 --- SPF claimed they have a case of shoptheft against me from more than a year ago.
10/03/09 --- 2nd meeting with CID/ISD.
13/03/09 --- 1st ever meeting with Mr Chia Ti Lik,Advocater & Solicitor.Released a short
statement on my blog.
17/03/09 --- Received email from Hardwarezone Administrator/Moderator that
SPF had requested my thread to be removed and banned as i was lying.
18/03/09 - 15/04/09 --- Waited for SPF to approach me.
01/04/09 --- Appeared in Court 3 for PTC.Judge adjourned case for me to get a lawyer.No verdict was handed down,but the minute i stepped out of Chambers,there were 2 persons waiting outside Judge's chambers to take me away.Signs of a Kangaroo Court?
16/04/09 --- Made police report at Paya Lebar NPP.Report number F/20090416/2131.
17/04/09 --- Emailed CID with statements of 02/03/09,10/03/09 and 01/04/09 and demanded a formal response.
17/04/09 --- Received auto-reply stating SPF will reply shortly.
26/04/09 --- www.wayangparty.com released article about lack of response
29/04/09 --- Released blogpost and thread in various forums about SPF total lack of reaction.
29/04/09 --- Received a letter from Internal Investigation Department.Letter by a Mr Frankie Yeo (Senior Station Inspector) requesting my assistance in police investigation on the 05/05/09 at 9.30am.
30/04/09 --- Received another letter from a Mr Paul Tan,writing on behalf of the Quality Service Manager(SPF),stating that the investigation will take estimated 2 months.
01/05/09 - 03/05/09 --- Public Holiday + Weekend
04/05/09 --- Called IID and left voicemail that i had a court attendance on the exact same day and
time that they arranged for the interview.
05/05/09 --- Was contacted by IID Mr Frankie Yeo to attend interview the next day.
06/05/09 --- Interview with Mr Frankie Yeo at IID.Was told investigation needs 2 months.Was informed,"We cannot produce the policemen in public because we cannot control what they say."
25/05/09 --- Attended PTC at Court 3.Was denied my right to call upon witnesses even after showing all documents that proved that SPF had been less than honest in handling this matter.And that the evidence produced may be suspected to have been fabricated.Trial is fixed for 3rd June at Court 6 at 0930am.

I don't know what to say.I am in possesion of all necessary documents and may post them up after consultation with my lawyer Mr Chia Ti Lik tomorrow.I will be sending the information out to all media agencies and i hope those online bloggers/news sites are brave enough to send 1 or 2 persons down to cover the trial.

What do you do in a trial where you are denied your witnesses? :(

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Leaders without sympathy and empathy.

Leaders without sympathy and empathy.

Sometimes I really wonder how the PAP govt do it....how they pick so many MPs that don't seem to have any empathy for the ordinary people. One called us lesser mortals, another said we are mollycoddled, and one likes to ask pointed questions of people coming to her for help. What has happened to the leadership? They say you will know the true colors of people during the time of crisis. We had a taste of that during the minibonds saga - first they deny responsibility, then they ignore the people in need and after than they try to push the blame to the victims.
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This is the worst economic crisis faced by the world and our nation since independence and the PAP leaders are asking what the people can do for them rather than what they can do for the people. The ordinary people are the ones to take the pain and the bitter medicine. This says a lot about the leaders and how they take care of their own interests first ahead of those of the people. The PAP runs an economy that will now perform the worst in Asia yet the blame for this mess falls on the shoulders of ordinary people. It is the people who spend too much, the people who did not save enough and refuse to change their lifestyle that are responsible for all their own pain. Nevermind that many people cannot adjust their lifestyle anyway because they are already at rock bottom find it hard to pay for basic necessities and the relentless cost of living increases that the PAP levied on the people made it hard for many to save money. It is the fault of the people that they are in pain. The people should adjust but the govt need not - no GST cut, no transport fare cuts. The people need to be toughened up, take the bitter medicine and blame for the economy. The PAP has created a world in which the elites can go and lose billions without repercussions and the ordinary old folks can lose their livelihoods because they took too many days of sick leave because there is no protection for those employed and old.
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Sometimes I wonder what kind of selection criteria they applied to get leaders who are show so much elitism, arrogance, despise for the ordinary people and willingness to serve the interests of the establishment over the ordinary citizens? We are in a dark hour - the ordinary people are already suffering the pain of rising unemployment, pay cuts and fear that they will not be able to support their family....yet we have to hear these unhelpful and hurtful remarks from our leaders. What is said and done in this difficult period truly reflects the characters of our leaders.

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‘A recipe for disharmony’

‘A recipe for disharmony’

NMP Thio Li-ann speaks out against ‘militant secularism’

Wednesday • May 27, 2009

Loh Chee Kong

cheekong@mediacorp.com.sg

WHILE Singapore’s secularism dictates that religion should not be mixed with politics, religion is “not separated from public life and culture”, law academic Thio Li-ann (picture) asserted in Parliament yesterday.

And those who engage in public debate cannot be expected to do so independent of their religious views, the Nominated Member of Parliament stressed.

In his speech last week when he reconvened Parliament, PresidentS R Nathan remarked that the recent Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) saga demonstrated a new style of politics that does not involve political parties.

Describing such politics involving lobby groups as an “ideological” contest, Prof Thio criticised the “militant secularism” and the biased media coverage — “particularly in one paper” — of the Aware saga which involved her mother, former law dean Thio Su Mien, who had drawn flak for her viewpoints as “feminist mentor” to the group.

With the senior Thio looking on in the public gallery, Prof Thio argued: “Secular fundamentalists are oppressive where they seek to mute religiously-informed convictions in public debate.” They do so “by demonising a view as religious in attempting to make religious faith a cause for embarrassment, or to distract citizens from the merits of an argument by discounting a speaker whose values are shaped by a religious” faith.

Such militant secularism is “a recipe for social disharmony”, she added.

In the aftermath of the saga, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng had reiterated the Government’s position that religious individuals “have the same rights as any citizen to express their views on issues in the public space, as guided by their teachings and personal conscience”. But they should also be mindful of sensitivities, he had added.

Yesterday, noting the power of the press “when it comes to moral disagreements and public policy”, Prof Thio said that journalists “are entitled, like all citizens, to have their own opinions; however, they do a disservice if they report contentious issues in a one-sided fashion”.

While the “proper limits of religious activism” was a valid issue that arose, she felt that other issues were “strangely subdued” in the media, including “whether it was really a debate about values, rather than religious overstepping”.

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NHG's employee envies strong support given by STTA to Lee Bee Wah

STTA Exco standing by Lee Bee Wah: Who is going to foot their legal fees if Liu Guodong decides to sue?

According to the Straits TImes, the Singapore Table Tennis Association’s (STTA) executive committee have reached an agreement on how to handle the ongoing dispute with former national coach Liu Guodong.

The committee members, of whom 3 are grassroots leaders from Lee Bee Wah’s ward, Nee Soon South, are unanimous in their decision to support Lee Bee Wah.

We can’t stop other’s actions, but we will support our president,’ STTA vice-president Han Hgge Juan told Shin Min Daily yesterday. The paper also reported that the association was prepared to face legal action from Liu.

The dispute started three weeks ago, following comments Ms Lee made regarding Liu’s omission from this year’s Singapore Sports Awards.

Liu, who led the women’s team to a historic Olympic silver medal last year, felt that his character had been called into question by her remarks.

He had flown in from China and spent a fruitless five days here trying to resolve the dispute with the STTA over a week ago. Before he left, Liu told reporters that he had not ruled out taking legal action against the association.

Though STTA did not nominate Liu for the award, it did not give its reasons for doing so. It was Lee Bee Wah who made the baseless allegations against Liu which she is still unable to substantiate now.

STTA should have distanced itself from Lee’s remarks in the first place instead of embroiling itself in an unnecessary controversy not to their doing.

As a leader, it is a shame that Lee Bee Wah lacked the decency to take personal responsibility for her words and instead chose to drag a national sports association funded by taxpayers’ monies into the mudslinging.

The case does not need to go to the courts at all.

If Lee Bee Wah felt she has strong evidence to justify her claims that Liu Guodong lacks professionalism and integrity in his work, state so openly in public and let Singaporeans judge for themselves. Singaporeans will surely rally to her side if there are compelling reasons for her to deny Liu the “Coach of the year” award and Liu will have little choice but to back off.

However, if Lee Bee Wah is unable to substantiate her allegations, she should retract her statement and issue an open apology to him in the papers thereby closing the unfortunate episode.

Liu Guodong has already indicated that he only wants to seek redress to clear his name in public and the legal route is only a last resort for him to resolve the impasse if all else fails.

Any reasonable person would not have lent support to Lee Bee Wah’s desperate attempt to hide behind STTA to save her own skin. The entire fiasco was sparked off solely by her and she herself should handle it instead of keeping mum on the matter and pretending nothing has happened.

Now since STTA has stuck its neck out and ratified Lee Bee Wah’s initial statements made about Liu which are deemed potentially defamatory in nature by many lawyers interviewed by the press, the entire executive committee of STTA will be held liable in a defamation suit against Lee Bee Wah (thanks to Zheng Xi for the lead)

In 1995, the entire Workers’ Party CEC was sued for defamation for an article published in the Tamil language “Hammer” allegedly impuging on the integrity of Indian PAP MPs.

More recently in 2006, SDP’s CEC was sued collectively by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew for an article in its newsletter Singapore Democrat which compares the modus operandi of the Singapore government unfavorably to the National Kidney Foundation.

The legal repercussions and complicities involved should the matter be hauled up to courts may be a possible reason for the recent departure of STTA’s CEO Chew Soon Sheng and another unverified committee member.

Now should Liu really initiate legal proceedings against STTA either in Singapore or China, who will foot the legal fees of STTA? Will STTA be dipping into its coffers to fight the case? Since every single cent used to fund STTA’s operations come from Singaporeans, STTA should inform us if it is going to use public funds for this purpose.

I sincerely implore the committee members of STTA to review their decisions to support Lee Bee Wah. You are only serving the organization on a voluntary basis. It is not you who made the accusations against Liu Guodong. Why should you take the rap for your president? For the sake of yourself and your family, you should dissociate from Lee’s words and actions.

If you persist in your decision to defend her to the point of going to the courts, then you should be prepared to fork out the legal fees on your own. It will be treason to make misuse public funds for such a frivolous fracas which is entirely preventable in the first place.

I hereby call on the Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports, Singapore Sports Council and other relevant authorities to conduct an inquiry into possible mismanagement of STTA by its President Lee Bee Wah which has brought disrepute and shame to the sports fraternity and Singaporeans as a whole.

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NHG's employee can only garner 400 signatures for support

Liu Guodong thanked netizens for support; 400 netizens want Lee Bee Wah to step down

Translated from 联合晚报:

Liu Guodong said he will accept the award if Singapore National Olympic Council gave him a special award. Liu Guodong thanked netizens for starting a petition to SNOC on this matter.

He said he is very happy regardless of whether he gets any honor in the end because he did not waste his 3 years stay in Singapore.

He claimed many Singaporeans have expressed their support for him and which means that they recognized his contributions in the Beijing Olympics: “This matter to me more than the recognition I received in China.”

Due to his hectic schedule, he will be unable to attend the petition drive next Saturday.

400 netizens will be attending the event held next Saturday at Hong Lim Park. The petition to SNOC to give a special award to Liu Guodong was started by socio-political blog Wayang Party.

According to an online poll done by the blog, over 70% of 600 netizens who voted indicated that they will turn up at next Saturday’s petition drive to ask Lee Bee Wah to step down as STTA President.

In reality, Wayang Party has already collected more than 4,000 signatures in an online petition calling for the resignation of Lee Bee Wah. The petition has been submitted to her in person.

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Secularism practised in S'pore 'does not exclude religion': Thio Li-Ann

Secularism practised in S'pore 'does not exclude religion': Thio Li-Ann
[2009] 27 May_ST

RELIGION and politics should not mix, but that does not mean religion has no place in public life.

Nominated MP Thio Li-ann argued at length in Parliament yesterday that secularism, as practised in Singapore, did not exclude religion.

Referring to Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng's recent reiteration that religion and politics must not be mixed, she said that while this was sound, 'there are difficulties of definition as no bright line demarcates 'religion' from 'politics'.

She added: ' 'Secularism' is a protean, chameleon-like term. What it means depends on the context and who is using it; it can be a virtue or a vice. It is timely to eschew glibness and examine the Singapore model of secularism with precision.'

By way of elaboration, she pointed out that during the parliamentary debate a few years ago on whether or not to have casinos in Singapore, many MPs prefaced their speeches by stating their faiths.

'Everyone has values, whether shaped by religious or secular ideologies; all may participate in public discourse to forge an ethical social consensus. This is democratic and cherishes viewpoint diversity,' she said. 'While religion is personal, it is not exclusively private and has a social dimension which is not to be trivialised.'

A debate on the role of religion in the public sphere erupted recently after a group of women seized power at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware).

Some saw the coup as religiously motivated as several members of the new executive committee attended the same church. This new guard said their motive was to return Aware to its 'original' purpose, as they saw it as having veered towards promoting a gay and lesbian agenda.

On May 2, the 'new' executive committee was ousted in a rowdy extraordinary general meeting attended by thousands.

The Government subsequently issued a statement responding to questions from The Straits Times, urging restraint from all sides and stressing that religion and politics must be separate in political engagement.

Professor Thio's mother, lawyer Thio Su Mien, mentored the group of women who took over Aware. Calling herself the 'feminist mentor', she said that she had been concerned about what she saw as Aware's pro-gay stance and had urged women she knew to challenge its attempts to redefine family and marriage.

In her 30-minute speech, Prof Thio did not mention that Dr Thio Su Mien was her mother.
While quoting Shakespeare, Dante and Voltaire, she set out her own philosophical take on the terms of engagement for religion and politics, and made a distinction between secularism and secularity.

She also spelt out distinctions between 'thick' and 'thin' secularism, as well as between 'agnostic secularism' and 'militant secularism'.

The speech came with a sting in its tail, as she reserved some choice words for the press and the way it covered the Aware saga. She accused the press of being biased and irresponsible.

Said Prof Thio: 'The feedback I received from friends and strangers on the reporting of the Aware controversy, which was disquieting enough for the President to reference, was that much of the reporting, particularly in one paper, was biased; it largely lacked a diversity of views in singing the same chorus that religious groups should not get involved in secular organisations.'

She did not name the paper.

She added: 'The proper limits of religious activism is certainly a valid issue that arose, but there were other issues, such as whether a religious group was involved, as opposed to individuals with a religious faith.'

She went on to suggest that journalists had let their personal opinions affect the way they reported the issue.

She said: 'It was hard to shake the impression that certain journalists were playing the 'I don't like your views so I will play the religionists are imposing their values card'. This was very disappointing. When is a reporter reporting, and when playing an advocate?'

No 'bright line' between religion and politics,

http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=28024.488

RECAPTURE OF MAS SELAMAT: Explain how he fled S'pore

May 27, 2009

RECAPTURE OF MAS SELAMAT

Explain how he fled S'pore

By Derrick Ho
		Mr Christopher de Souza (left) commended the Home Team and the Internal Security Department for playing an active role in recapturing Mas Selamat after he had been on the run for over a year. --ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI

A MEMBER of Parliament has requested Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng to explain how terrorist kingpin Mas Selamat Kastari escaped to Malaysia and if he was helped by sympathisers.

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher de Souza, speaking in Parliament on Wednesday during the debate on President S R Nathan's address, said: 'The question on the top of many Singaporean minds is how he managed to cross out border with Malaysia?

RELATED LINKS Christopher de Souza's Speech

''Consequently, Singaporeans are concerned about the fact that he may have had sympathisers in Singapore who helped him travel to Malaysia. When the time is appropriate, I hope the Minister for Home Affairs will answer the questions on the minds of many Singaporeans.'

Added Mr de Souza: 'Now that he has been re-captured, how should we deal with him going forward? What measures do we have in place to prevent a repeat of such an incident?"

The leader of the Singapore Jemaah Islamiaah terror network escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre on Feb 27 last year,sparking off one of the largest manhunts in the region, involving Interpol.

He is believed to have swum across the Johor Strait under the cover of darkness, using an improvised flotation device.

The 48-year-old militant was recaptured by Malaysian intelligence officers on April 1 in Skudai, a small town in Johor Baru.

Mr de Souza commended the Home Team and the Internal Security Department for playing an active role in recapturing Mas Selamat after he had been on the run for over a year.

'Its resilience has paid of - to me. ISD's perseverance in tracking down Mas Selamat displayed true tenacity. They overcame adversity,' added the MP.

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N.KOREA NUCLEAR & MISSILE TESTS: Military strike warning

May 27, 2009

N.KOREA NUCLEAR & MISSILE TESTS

Military strike warning

North Korea warned of a possible military response after South Korea joined an anti-proliferation exercise. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL - NORTH Korea said on Wednesday it was abandoning the truce that ended the Korean war and warned it could launch a military attack, deepening tensions two days after testing an atomic bomb for the second time.

Show of Strength Analysts say Kim Jong Il, 67, is likely carrying out the shows of strength to reassert his control in the impoverished hermit state. He reportedly had a stroke in August, which has renewed questions about who might succeed him. 'Kim is trying (with the nuclear test) to impress the cadres and the elite in general... to convince powerholders that his family is the one that should be ruling the country,' Peter Beck of American University in Washington told AFP on Tuesday. ... more N.Korea fires 5 missiles since nuke test SEOUL - NORHT Korea has test-fired five short-range missiles since conducting a nuclear test two days ago, South Korea's defence ministry said on Wednesday. The ministry said the North fired two missiles on Monday - one fewer than earlier reported - and three on Tuesday. It had previously refused to confirm media reports of the launches. ... more

The strongly worded announcement came amid reports the secretive North, which outraged the international community with its bomb test on Monday, was also restarting nuclear fuel work that could make plutonium for an atomic weapon.

Defying international condemnation, the regime of Kim Jong-Il said it could no longer guarantee the safety of US and South Korean ships off its west coast and that the Korean peninsula was veering back to a state of war.

'Those who have provoked us will face unimaginable merciless punishment,' the statement on the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, blaming Washington and Seoul for the latest turn of events.

The North's anger was provoked by the South's decision to join a US-led international security initiative, established after the September 11 attacks, to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

South Korea joined the so-called PSI after the North Monday carried out a second nuclear bomb test which was far more powerful than the first test in October 2006.

The PSI, which includes more than 90 nations, provides for the stopping of vessels to ensure they are not carrying weapons of mass destruction or the components to make them.

'Any tiny hostile acts against our republic, including the stopping and searching of our peaceful vessels... will face an immediate and strong military strike in response,' the North Korean statement said.

It said its military would 'no longer be bound' by the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean war - in which the United States fought on the side of the South - because Washington had drawn Seoul into the PSI.

With no binding ceasefire, it said, 'the Korean peninsula will go back to a state of war.' The North has taken an increasingly harder line with the international community in recent months, testing a long-range rocket in April, several missiles over the past few days and its second-ever nuclear test on Monday. -- AFP

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Consensus at the STTA

May 27, 2009

Consensus at the STTA

Exco agree on how to handle Liu and are even prepared to go to court

By Jeanette Wang
		The dispute started three weeks ago, following comments Ms Lee made regarding Liu's (left) omission from this year's Singapore Sports Awards. -- ST FILE PHOTO

THE Singapore Table Tennis Association's (STTA) executive committee have reached an agreement on how to handle the ongoing dispute with former national coach Liu Guodong, sources told The Straits Times on Tuesday.

And while they declined to reveal what those steps may be, they are reportedly prepared to go to court - should the China national decide to take legal action against the association.

The agreement follows two STTA monthly meetings on Monday night - one for the exco, another for the management committee - chaired by STTA president Lee Bee Wah at their Toa Payoh headquarters.

When contacted on Tuesday, outgoing STTA chief executive officer Chew Soo Sheng, who had taken the minutes of the meetings' proceedings, declined comment.

Likewise, Lau Pub Taai, one of four STTA vice-presidents, who was absent from the meeting.

Ms Lee and STTA honorary secretary Soon Min Sin could not be reached for comment.

Chew would only say: 'We have made progress, and now the status remains to be seen.

'We are keen to look for an amicable solution, so we will continue to explore different avenues to reach that.'

When asked what these avenues were, he replied: 'There are always avenues if the attitude is sincere.'

The dispute started three weeks ago, following comments Ms Lee made regarding Liu's omission from this year's Singapore Sports Awards.

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Abolish GRC system: Chiam

May 27, 2009

Abolish GRC system: Chiam

Opposition MP Chiam See Tong (left) on Wednesday called for the current Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system to be abolished. --ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

OPPOSITION MP Chiam See Tong on Wednesday called for the current Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system to be abolished.

If this cannot be done away with, then it should be modified from the present five to six members to two, comprising an ethnic and a Chinese members, he said.

He also suggested that the the two-member GRC be limited to 20.

Speaking in Parliament during the debate on the President's address, Mr Chiam, MP for Potong Pasir, said: 'Bigger GRCs are not needed because two-member GRCs can produce the optimum number of minority race MPs, while maximising meritocracy in the Singapore electoral system.'

He also called for a freer media 'where more news of the opposition is allowed', including the activities of the two incumbent opposition MPs.

'The views of the opposition must be heard by the public. This is in line with the changed world,' he said, pointing to America which has elected the first black African-American as its President.

Mr Chiam also said Singapore must 'take concerted efforts to embrace Malaysia.'

Explaining, he said: 'We must aim to have an economic union with Malaysia. With a total population of about 27 million between the two countries, we can build an internal market of our own. This, to a certain extent, would enable us to fight protectionism.'

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Scene reconstruction: David Widjaja’s last moments

Wednesday, 27 May 2009

Khairulanwar Zaini and Jonathan Koh

The coroner’s inquiry into the death of NTU student, David Widjaja, resumed on Tuesday with Dr. Christopher Syn, a senior forensic scientist with the Health Sciences Authority, and Ms Lim Chin Chin, HSA’s forensic science consultant taking the stand.

Miss Lim testified based on the scene reconstruction report from 120 photographs, statements from SI Soh Chee Eng and her “observations and measurements” during her two field visits to NTU.

According to Miss Lim, there was an “occurrence of altercation and blood-shedding event”, with items in the office being disturbed. A partial bloodied palm imprint was found on a doormat on the floor and was “likely to have been made by David’s bloodied palm on the doormat”.

There was also a “blood pool which contained Assoc Prof Chan’s DNA profile” beside the computer table, indicating that Assoc Prof Chan was lying on the floor, with blood dripping “quite significantly” from his back. Dr Syn affirmed that blood on the broken blade turned up “DNA profiles of two different individuals” – both Assoc Prof Chan and David.

Outside the office

There were two blood trails leading to opposite directions along the corridor outside Chan’s office. One belonged to Assoc Prof Chan, and the other which was more intense, David Widjaja’s. That such ‘bloodstains were quite closely spaced together” showed that Widjaja “was bleeding very heavily”.

This blood trail continues down 2 flights of stairs, and continued onto the parapet wall that overlooks the roof of the NTU link bridge.

The parapet and the bridge

There were two groups of bloodstains around 91 cm apart on the parapet. Further out, blood stains were also found on the glass roof and on the glass latch that protrudes from underneath.

Where David Widjaja was found

David was found lying on a grassy ground underneath the link bridge in a prone position. His feet were facing the link bridge. The ground was around four stories under the glass latch.

Summary

Ms Lim gave a summarised re-enactment of the possibilities into Widjaja’s final moments. Widjaja had stood near the edge of the glass roof, dripping blood onto the glass latch. Stepping on blood puddles, Widjaja’s soles were stained. He sat down, and the back of his shorts came in direct contact with the surface of the glass latch, and was thus soaked in blood. His injured right wrist was placed near his right thigh, staining his shorts. Blood was also dripping down from his wound to the concrete ground below.

Widjaja finally fell. This motion created the wiping action which cleaned off a part of the bloodstains on the glass latch, creating a white, “relatively clean” space between the other stains.

The inquiry will be extended and is scheduled to continue on the 17 to 19 June and the 24^th and 25^th of June.

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NTU STUDENT'S DEATH FALL: Blood mostly Widjaja's

May 27, 2009

NTU STUDENT'S DEATH FALL

Blood mostly Widjaja's

By Sujin Thomas
		Ms Lim based her findings on photos, two visits to the NTU campus, and information from police. -- ST FILE PHOTO

PHOTOGRAPHS - 120 in all - were used to paint a likely scenario of events that transpired between Nanyang Technological University (NTU) student David Hartanto Widjaja and Associate Professor Chan Kap Luk on March 2.

On that day, Mr Widjaja was found dead after falling four storeys from a link bridge on campus. Minutes before, he was seen running from the office of Prof Chan, his final-year project supervisor, after allegedly being in a knife struggle with him.

On the fifth day of the coroner's inquiry into Mr Widjaja's death, forensic scientist Lim Chin Chin told the court that her findings were based on the photographs, two visits to the campus in April, and information given by the police.

Ms Lim, from the Forensic Chemistry and Physics Laboratory of the Health Sciences Authority, took the witness stand yesterday, along with Dr Christopher Syn, a senior forensic scientist who conducted a DNA examination of blood taken at the scene.

She said almost all the bloodstains left behind in Prof Chan's office - including some found on the wall above a computer monitor - belonged to Mr Widjaja. Prof Chan had been seated near the computer when the alleged attack began.

These stains indicate the swing of an arm downwards from somewhere above the monitor where blood was either cast off from a wound or from a bloodstained object, she said.

Dr Syn told the court on Monday that only Mr Widjaja's blood was found on the knife handle. He added that the blade, which broke off during the struggle, had a mixture of Mr Widjaja and Prof Chan's blood.

Ms Lim said Prof Chan's blood was detected only on the floor near a computer table. Blood from a partial palm print on some documents near the office door was also found to be Mr Widjaja's.

Outside the room, blood trailed in two different directions. One was caused by Prof Chan while the other, more severe, was from Mr Widjaja. The soles of Mr Widjaja's feet were soaked in blood although he did not leave any footprints along the trail.

Ms Lim said he was likely to have 'inked his feet in blood' that dripped from a deep cut on his right wrist, before sitting on the ledge of the glass roof. The hearing continues on June 17.

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Religion still has its place

Religion still has its place

By Jeremy Au Yong, Political Correspondent
		Nominated MP Thio Li-ann. -- ST FILE PHOTO

RELIGION and politics should not mix, but that does not mean religion has no place in public life.

Nominated MP Thio Li-ann argued at length in Parliament on Tuesday that secularism, as practised in Singapore, did not exclude religion.

THIS is an edited excerpt from a speech by NMP Thio Li-ann in Parliament on Tuesday during the debate on the President's Address IN A recent interview, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng reiterated that religion and politics must not be mixed. This is sound, though there are difficulties of definition as no bright line demarcates 'religion' from 'politics'. We need to understand what 'secularism' entails in Singapore for more specific guidance. ... more

Referring to Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng's recent reiteration that religion and politics must not be mixed, she said that while this was sound, 'there are difficulties of definition as no bright line demarcates 'religion' from 'politics'.

She added: ' 'Secularism' is a protean, chameleon-like term. What it means depends on the context and who is using it; it can be a virtue or a vice. It is timely to eschew glibness and examine the Singapore model of secularism with precision.'

By way of elaboration, she pointed out that during the parliamentary debate a few years ago on whether or not to have casinos in Singapore, many MPs prefaced their speeches by stating their faiths.

'Everyone has values, whether shaped by religious or secular ideologies; all may participate in public discourse to forge an ethical social consensus. This is democratic and cherishes viewpoint diversity,' she said. 'While religion is personal, it is not exclusively private and has a social dimension which is not to be trivialised.'

A debate on the role of religion in the public sphere erupted recently after a group of women seized power at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware).

Some saw the coup as religiously motivated as several members of the new executive committee attended the same church. This new guard said their motive was to return Aware to its 'original' purpose, as they saw it as having veered towards promoting a gay and lesbian agenda.

On May 2, the 'new' executive committee was ousted in a rowdy extraordinary general meeting attended by thousands.

The Government subsequently issued a statement responding to questions from The Straits Times, urging restraint from all sides and stressing that religion and politics must be separate in political engagement.

Professor Thio's mother, lawyer Thio Su Mien, mentored the group of women who took over Aware. Calling herself the 'feminist mentor', she said that she had been concerned about what she saw as Aware's pro-gay stance and had urged women she knew to challenge its attempts to redefine family and marriage.

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MPs rebut Low's claim

May 27, 2009

MPs rebut Low's claim

By Zakir Hussain
		On Monday, Mr Low (Hougang) had noted that the ruling party controls the House and key levers of power, and that with a weak opposition presence, Singapore's democracy resembled a 'one-legged duck'. -- ST FILE PHOTO

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WORKERS' Party chief Low Thia Khiang's claim that only an elected opposition can provide effective checks and balances and ensure a clean government was rebutted by two People's Action Party (PAP) MPs on Tuesday.

Ms Indranee Rajah (Tanjong Pagar GRC) said this assumption was not only simplistic, but also plain incorrect.

For if this were true, why is it that many other countries with multi-party systems still see deep-seated and endemic corruption, she asked.

More often than not, an opposition wins against a corrupt incumbent, and then itself becomes corrupt when in government, said Mrs Josephine Teo (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC).

On Monday, Mr Low (Hougang) had noted that the ruling party controls the House and key levers of power, and that with a weak opposition presence, Singapore's democracy resembled a 'one-legged duck'.

Commenting on remarks by President SR Nathan on how Singapore politics had to evolve over time, Mr Low said more opposition MPs would help ensure a non-corrupt government.

Ms Rajah's counter: Going by this argument, the logical outcome is that 'every other country with an opposition should be squeaky clean and Singapore should be the most corrupt country in the world'.

This is not the case, she pointed out. In fact, Singapore today is widely regarded as having one of the least corrupt systems in the world.

This, she said, is because MPs hold their positions in trust for the people, PAP leaders expect the highest standards of integrity, and there are inherent checks and balances in the system.

She noted that after the last general election in 2006, the Prime Minister wrote to all PAP MPs to remind them of their responsibility and accountability to the people, and the need to maintain honesty and integrity. 'These are the things that keep us on the straight and narrow, not the fact that there is an opposition,' she stressed.

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'Nominated' ministers idea

May 27, 2009

CHANGING POLITICAL SYSTEM

'Nominated' ministers idea

Other suggestions: scale down GRCs and make NMP scheme permanent

By Clarissa Oon, Senior Political Correspondent

APPOINTING unelected 'nominated ministers', entrenching the Nominated MP scheme and scaling down group representation constituencies (GRCs) were among the suggestions made in Parliament on Tuesday on how the political system should evolve.

Members of the House were responding to President S R Nathan's Address at the opening of Parliament last Monday.

In his speech, the President had said that Singapore's political system 'is not set in stone' and must respond to the demands of a younger electorate while continuing to deliver good government.

Mr Hri Kumar Nair (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) floated a radical suggestion aimed at getting the best talent into the Cabinet - allow the Prime Minister to appoint outstanding individuals from outside the ranks of elected MPs.

The suggestion has been made several times over the last 20 years by MPs and political observers, but has never been accepted by the Government on the grounds that unelected ministers would not be accountable to the electorate.

Revisiting the issue, Mr Nair argued that 'it may sound sacrilegious in a democracy to say so, but a person who is popular on the ground may not necessarily be the best person to run a ministry, or vice versa'.

He felt the concept of a 'nominated minister' did not offend the principles of democracy, as some democracies in the West already have such a system of appointing unelected ministers.

For example the British parliamentary system - from which Singapore's was derived - has a House of Lords composed mainly of unelected members who may be appointed to the Cabinet. As for the United States, the entire Cabinet is appointed by the President and they cannot be elected members of Congress.

What Singapore has by way of appointed parliamentarians is the Nominated MP (NMP) scheme, started in 1990 to introduce more diverse and independent views into Parliament. Each new Parliament has to decide if it wishes to have NMPs.

Arguing that now is the right time to make the NMP scheme permanent, NMP Loo Choon Yong said the scheme has been fine-tuned over 19 years and contributed greatly to policymaking and the quality of debate in the House.

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Thio Li-Ann uses Parliament speech to criticise Straits Times' AWARE coverage

Thio Li-Ann uses Parliament speech to criticise Straits Times' AWARE coverage

Nominated MP Thio Li-Ann devoted a portion (about 15%) of her speech in Parliament to criticising The Straits Times – without naming the paper – for its coverage of the recent AWARE controversy. Ms Thio's mother, Thio Su-Mien, played a leading role in the unsuccessful takeover of AWARE.*

When it comes to moral disagreements and public policy, the press is powerfully positioned to promote informed debate. However the press may, by biased and selective reporting, misrepresent, distort or obscure an issue. We need to broaden our understanding of responsible journalism in Singapore, which, to borrow a canine metaphor, rejects the extremes of an adversarial American watchdog and a Pravda-like lapdog, or running-dog. The Singapore press is expected to promote nation-building, help forge consensus and facilitate consultative democracy.

Journalists are entitled, like all citizens, to have their own opinions; however, they do a disservice if they report contentious issues in a one-sided fashion. This misinforms rather than informs. The principle must always be to hear both sides, canvass all perspectives.

The feedback I received from friends and strangers on the reporting of the AWARE controversy, which was disquieting enough for the President to reference, was that much of the reporting, particularly in one paper, was biased; it largely lacked a diversity of views in singing the same chorus that religious groups should not get involved in secular organizations. Emails I received described how many perceived some reporting as being “slanted”, “personal and spiteful”, “too smug”, “self-righteous” and “irresponsible.” Some spoke of their new lists of “fair” and “unfair” journalists.

The proper limits of religious activism is certainly a valid issue that arose, but there were other issues, such as whether a religious group was involved, as opposed to individuals with a religious faith. Another interesting enquiry would be whether it was really a debate about values rather than religious overstepping. Any attention given to this issue was strangely subdued.

It was hard to shake the impression that certain journalists were playing the ‘I don’t like your views so I will play the religionists are imposing their values card.’ This was very disappointing. When is a reporter reporting, and when playing an advocate? We do not want to arrive at the place where, as Mark Twain put it: If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.

Today published an insightful online letter on May 5 which fairly commented that the biased reporting not only distorted the issue but may have lent fuel to fire in inciting hatred and ill-will against a religious minority. The author wondered whether the “highly inappropriate” linking of personalities to their “personal religious beliefs” exacerbated “the tension that led to death threats and call for boycott.” He called for the censure of “such lines of reporting that incite religious intolerance, by speculating one’s motive based on personal faith” Irresponsible reporting can threaten social harmony and undermine social cohesion. How is journalistic autonomy, integrity and accountability to be secured?

Responsible journalism should extend to covering a diversity of views, not a journalist’s preferred view. It should include the accurate and most effective representation of differing viewpoints, and not paint the fringe as mainstream or the pathological as normal. Readers may then see all sides of an issue and decide what is true, accurate and sound, in the spirit of participatory democracy.

This is important given the near monopolistic position of Singapore broadsheets. A lawyer recently returned from London wrote to me expressing horror in finding local papers apparently had nothing better to report than the AWARE saga, as opposed to the more interesting British papers which offered a lot more variety.

This made me somewhat nostalgic for my student days in Cambridge, where I could, with chocolate croissant and Nescafe coffee in hand, survey a range of perspectives from the Times, Guardian, Independent or Telegraph.

* In the prepared text of her speech, the NMP did not declare her interest. It is not known yet if she did so verbally in Parliament.

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