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Last time no one wants to buy flats in jurong area. Too ulu.

Unprofessional HR... Allowed him opportunity to sabo

Old gen already preaching dun interfere... Poh Mata most important

As much as we paint the SDA to be the bad guys, they also have their KPIs. They can't penalize you if you don't flout the rules. I believe ample warnings have been given before they will issue you a fine.

let me repackage

good to have kor kor giving kgk xdd encouragement.

good job... i believe they also reciprocate your faithfullness.

nb, loong loong really wants to make bukit timah into water wonderland.

there a reason why ppl watch and not be kapo. if you kapo you get hit and knock to the ground and medical bill who pay, the person kapo ownself pay ownself lo. then CNA pay meh?

CNA for your pea brain https://stomp.straitstimes.com/singapore-seen/man-slaps-woman-and-knocks-man-to-the-ground-at-east-coast-park-carpark-police A 41-year-old man is assisting police with investigations after he was caught on video slapping a woman and knocking a man to the ground at East Coast Park in the early hours of Sunday morning (Dec 5). A Stomper alerted Stomp to the incident and shared footage of the man slapping the woman repeatedly at a carpark. When another man intervenes, he hits him, knocking him to the ground. The Stomper also shared photos of bloodstains at the scene. He added that he saw the other man being attended to by paramedics afterwards. In response to a Stomp query, the police said: "On Dec 5 at 2.49am, the police received a call for assistance at carpark F3 at East Coast Park, where a 41-year-old man had allegedly hit a 31-year-old woman. "The 41-year-old man is currently assisting with police investigations into the case."

if i am the stall over, if they buy my food, i ask them to leave as i dont want their business

Geylang Bahru Duck Rice Hawker Fined After Pulling Down Mask To Taste Sauce On 14 Nov While it’s mandatory to wear masks when we’re out and about, there are exceptions to the rule, such as when we’re eating or drinking. On 14 Nov, a Geylang Bahru duck rice hawker apparently pulled down his mask to taste some sauce in his stall. Source Soon after, safe distancing ambassadors (SDA) appeared at the stall, requesting to take down his personal details. The hawker later contacted the authorities to clarify things but to no avail. He was fined $300. Approached by SDAs after pulling down mask to taste sauce On 14 Nov afternoon, there was reportedly a long line of customers at the famous Cheok Kee Boneless Braised Duck stall at Geylang Bahru Market and Food Centre. Source At around 1.30pm, the hawker, Mr Wang, was busying himself in the stall while his wife tended to customers. Mr Wang soon realised that the braised sauce was running low and started preparing a new batch. To taste test the new batch of sauce, Mr Wang reportedly pulled down his mask, reported Shin Min Daily News. Coincidentally, 2 SDAs walked up to the stall and asked Mr Wang for his personal details. 3 other SDAs arrived soon after. The SDAs apparently claimed that Mr Wang had violated safety measures by taking off his mask and threatened to call the police if he did not cooperate. Taking into account the 20 customers in line, and wondering how an escalation might affect his business, Mr Wang obliged with the intention to clarify matters afterwards. Hawker fined for not wearing mask The day after, Mr Wang contacted the authorities, hoping to share his side of the story. But things did not go as planned — the authorities reportedly told him that they have to act accordingly as the SDAs had caught him without a mask. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Mr Wang shared that he only pulled down his mask for about 10 seconds and initially thought he would get a warning letter. He was shocked to later receive a fine of $300, which he would have to pay by 16 Dec or face legal repercussions. Source Mr Wang elaborated that he has been running the duck rice stall for 30 years and has always placed a strong emphasis on hygiene, going as far as to wear a hairnet. He continued that while he and his wife understand the pandemic situation and have taken precautionary measures, he found the harsh penalty unreasonable. Mr Wang said it wasn’t so much about the fine, which to him was a small matter. According to him, he has to cook 5 batches of sauce and rice on days when their business is brisk. If he were to be caught each time he tastes the food, he worried that the penalties would get harsher and they’d be forced to close. Wanting to avoid such a scenario, he hopes the authorities can clarify such incidents. Felt that SDAs were going overboard It is understood that a week prior to the incident, the SDAs instructed Mr Wang and his wife to put on their mask properly when preparing food. On the day of the incident, the SDAs claimed his wife’s mask slipped below her nose and took down their details. However, Mr Wang insists that her mask had been covering both her nose and mouth. They were not warned on the day itself before the fine was issued. Mr Wang added that several customers also found it strange and asked why they were fined. He also shared with Shin Min Daily News that the batch of SDAs have only been patrolling the area over the past month and questioned if they were going overboard. Within the Geylang Bahru Market and Food Centre, several other vendors’ have reportedly also had their personal details taken down by the SDAs. MS News has reached out to NEA and will update this article accordingly when they get back. Hope authorities can iron out such issues SDAs‘ jobs are crucial to ensuring the health and safety of the public. However, especially for those in the F&B industries, it is simply impractical to never be able to take off their mask. Hopefully, authorities can iron out these issues and clarify the instructions for both SDAs as well as hawkers such as Mr Wang.

SINGAPORE — Failing to stop when the traffic light she was approaching turned amber, a 34-year-old cyclist crashed into a pedestrian at a traffic junction in central Singapore. Jessica Mollie Edgill, a British national, was on Tuesday (Dec 7) fined S$1,500 and ordered to pay the same amount in compensation to the pedestrian. Edgill pleaded guilty in court to causing hurt to Madam Lynette Tan, 56, by a negligent act. The court heard that at about 1pm on Oct 20 last year, Edgill was riding on the left lane along Upper Pickering Street in Chinatown, after she exited the junction by New Bridge Road. The weather was fine, the road surface dry and visibility clear at the time. Edgill then entered the signalised junction of Havelock Road by Eu Tong Sen Street and New Bridge Road, just as the traffic light changed from green to amber. As she cycled through the junction, Mdm Tan began crossing the road when the "green man" traffic signal was on. Edgill failed to exercise care and collided with her, the court heard. Mdm Tan was taken to the Singapore General Hospital in an ambulance, having suffered injuries including a deep cut on her knee and superficial abrasions over her elbow. She underwent surgery and was hospitalised for three days, before being discharged and given 33 days of hospitalisation leave. Deputy Public Prosecutor Senthilkumaran Sabapathy sought a fine of at least S$2,000 in light of the victim’s injuries and Edgill’s level of culpability. The prosecutor also asked for compensation of S$1,500 for Mdm Tan. This comprises S$900 for her medical fees that were deducted from her MediSave health savings account, and S$600 for her pain and suffering during the hospitalisation leave. Edgill’s lawyer Sarbrinder Singh sought a lower fine of S$1,500, telling the court that she was a “person of good character” who rendered help to the victim. She also had no past conviction and the victim’s injuries were “not very serious”, added Mr Singh. Edgill could have been jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$2,500, or punished with both. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/cyclist-fined-s1500-crashing-pedestrian-after-failing-stop-amber-light-1764696

SINGAPORE — Failing to stop when the traffic light she was approaching turned amber, a 34-year-old cyclist crashed into a pedestrian at a traffic junction in central Singapore. Jessica Mollie Edgill, a British national, was on Tuesday (Dec 7) fined S$1,500 and ordered to pay the same amount in compensation to the pedestrian. Edgill pleaded guilty in court to causing hurt to Madam Lynette Tan, 56, by a negligent act. The court heard that at about 1pm on Oct 20 last year, Edgill was riding on the left lane along Upper Pickering Street in Chinatown, after she exited the junction by New Bridge Road. The weather was fine, the road surface dry and visibility clear at the time. Edgill then entered the signalised junction of Havelock Road by Eu Tong Sen Street and New Bridge Road, just as the traffic light changed from green to amber. As she cycled through the junction, Mdm Tan began crossing the road when the "green man" traffic signal was on. Edgill failed to exercise care and collided with her, the court heard. Mdm Tan was taken to the Singapore General Hospital in an ambulance, having suffered injuries including a deep cut on her knee and superficial abrasions over her elbow. She underwent surgery and was hospitalised for three days, before being discharged and given 33 days of hospitalisation leave. Deputy Public Prosecutor Senthilkumaran Sabapathy sought a fine of at least S$2,000 in light of the victim’s injuries and Edgill’s level of culpability. The prosecutor also asked for compensation of S$1,500 for Mdm Tan. This comprises S$900 for her medical fees that were deducted from her MediSave health savings account, and S$600 for her pain and suffering during the hospitalisation leave. Edgill’s lawyer Sarbrinder Singh sought a lower fine of S$1,500, telling the court that she was a “person of good character” who rendered help to the victim. She also had no past conviction and the victim’s injuries were “not very serious”, added Mr Singh. Edgill could have been jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$2,500, or punished with both. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/cyclist-fined-s1500-crashing-pedestrian-after-failing-stop-amber-light-1764696

SINGAPORE: A man who was fired from his job with one day's notice after he had already resigned deleted 20 files from the company's Google Drive account. Tan Wei Chiang, 30, was fined S$5,000 on Tuesday (Dec 7) for his crime. He pleaded guilty to one charge under the Computer Misuse Act of unauthorised modification of computer contents. The court heard that Tan worked as a production manager at meat production firm 786 SG in the company's office at Aljunied Industrial Estate. His job scope included planning the production schedule and checking on the quality of goods. On Jan 4 this year, he tendered a resignation letter and began serving a 30-day notice period, as required under his employment agreement. On Jan 12, his direct supervisor handed a letter of termination to Tan, informing him that his employment was terminated with one day's notice on account of his overall performance and work not meeting the company's expectations. According to the letter, Tan was to receive his final pro-rated salary at the end of January 2021. He signed and accepted the letter, and his supervisor instructed him to hand over all the projects he had on hand, company login details and all related documents and information. Later that day, while still in the office, Tan used his company account to access the firm's Google Drive, a cloud-based data storage facility. He deleted in a few batches 20 documents belonging to the company by moving them to the bin. He then deleted 16 of these documents from the bin. Tan's supervisor later accessed the company's Google Drive and realised that several files were no longer there. She sent Tan a message asking if the file containing the company's production records was still there, as she could not find them. She asked if Tan had deleted the file, but Tan said it was still there and told her where to search. His supervisor then asked if he had deleted them by accident, and he did not reply. She then asked an IT employee to check on Tan's user logs connected to his company account, and was told that Tan had deleted the company's documents from Google Drive. The company later managed to recover 16 of the 20 deleted files, but were unable to retrieve the remaining four. These files contained three production workers' overtime records, which the firm relied on to pay overtime salaries; a consolidated record of the company's compliance with Singapore Food Agency requirements, which is needed for audits; a list of products and guidelines for factory workers to refer to; and an acknowledgement form for customers upon receipt of goods. The company had to expend time and effort for its employees to recover the documents, and had to contact the SFA to retrieve some records from them and recreate some documents from scratch. The firm deducted S$1,500 from Tan's outstanding salary as compensation. In investigations, Tan initially told the police that the documents he deleted belonged to him. On Tuesday, the prosecutor asked for a S$5,000 fine, saying that Tan had offended in a deliberate manner, deleting documents in batches and going further to delete them permanently from the bin. The statement of facts also reflects his lack of remorse, as he continued to deny his acts when confronted, said the prosecutor. She asked for "a higher fine" as four of the files were not recovered. DELETED DOCUMENTS WERE COLLATED FROM AVAILABLE INFO: DEFENCE Defence lawyer Kalidass Murugaiyan asked for a fine of S$2,500 instead. He said the deleted documents had been prepared from available information, so "it's not as if the information is invariably lost". "It's collated information, the work was done by the accused person. He's of course wrong to have deleted those items," said the lawyer. "The loss of these documents, is not, as if - say, the loss of a precious ring. So all that needs to be done - not to make light of it - is manpower required to reorganise the documents." He said Tan has since left his job. The defence lawyer said his client told him that "it would not have been difficult" to put the files together again. The lawyer added that S$1,500 was deducted from Tan, which would be "more than sufficient" for the company to get the files collated or to pay someone to do it. "Suffice to say, he was treated very roughly by the employer," said the defence lawyer. The judge noted that Tan's act was motivated by feelings of anger and is not to be tolerated. However, she took into account that he pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. For unauthorised modification of computer contents, he could have been jailed up to three years, fined up to S$10,000, or both. Source: CNA/ll(mi)

SINGAPORE - The next two phases of the Cross Island Line (CRL) could include 11 new stations serving Bukit Timah, Clementi and West Coast before terminating in Tuas. Tentative plans for the western leg also indicate that four of the proposed stations are slated to be interchanges that will link to existing or upcoming rail lines. The four interchanges are expected to be in King Albert Park, Clementi, Jurong Pier and Gul Circle, according to an MRT system map that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) recently put up online as part of a virtual exhibition. As at Monday (Dec 6), the virtual exhibition is no longer accessible and the system map has been taken down. The map, which showed a proposed alignment for phases two and three of the CRL, did not name the remaining seven stations on the western leg of the rail line. In response to The Straits Times’ queries, LTA said the station alignments for the remaining two phases of the CRL as shown in MRT system map are “conceptual alignments” that have not been finalised. The interchange stations shown are also indicative in nature and subject to detailed engineering studies that take into account localised factors such as land availability and ground conditions, LTA added. Based on the map seen by The Straits Times, the western leg of the 50km CRL starts from Bright Hill station in Sin Ming and appears to connect with King Albert Park station on the Downtown Line, Clementi station on the East-West line and Jurong Pier station on the upcoming Jurong Region Line. The line eventually terminates at Gul Circle, reconnecting with the East-West Line. According to the map, there will also be a new terminus station on the eastern leg of the CRL. Likely to be located at the future Changi Airport Terminal 5, it appears to be an interchange that will link to a future extension of the Thomson-East Coast Line. Construction has already begun on the CRL's first phase, which comprises 12 stations from Aviation Park to Bright Hill. The 29km stretch will serve residential and industrial areas, including in Loyang, Tampines, Pasir Ris, Defu and Serangoon North. It is expected to be completed in 2030. A segment of the CRL will also extend from Pasir Ris to Punggol. Announced last year, the four-station extension will benefit more than 40,000 households when operational in 2032. The North East Line extension project site in Sentul Crescent. It will connect the future Punggol Coast station to Punggol station, which itself will be linked to Pasir Ris by an extension to the Cross Island Line. PHOTO: ST FILE National University of Singapore transport infrastructure expert Raymond Ong said the western leg of the CRL will make the rail system more resilient as the proposed alignment will provide an alternative for commuters who use the western section of the East-West Line and the Circle Line. There are currently no rail lines that run parallel to those sections, Associate Professor Ong noted. The CRL will also help to slash travel time between western Singapore and places such as Ang Mo Kio, Hougang and Sengkang by providing more direct connections, he said. No dates have been given for when phases two and three will be built or opened. Before finalising the alignment and the locations of the future stations, the authorities would need to check if there is space to accommodate the necessary infrastructure, Prof Ong said. They will also need to consider if there will be sufficient demand and this has to coincide with the longer-term plan for the area around the station, he said. From an engineering standpoint, there is also a need to study how the soil around the proposed MRT line and stations will behave in order to ascertain what kind of engineering measures will be needed and how much it will cost. Prof Ong said: "It is not so simple... We have to think about the development that will happen around the station, especially when we are talking about built-up areas." First announced eight years ago in the 2013 Land Transport Master Plan, the CRL will be Singapore's eighth MRT line and it is expected to reduce crowding on the existing East-West and North-East lines. Linking major hubs such as the future Jurong Lake District and Punggol Digital District, the whole CRL is expected to have a daily ridership of more than 600,000 in the initial years, and over one million in the longer term, LTA had said. Spanning the length of Singapore, from Changi to Tuas, it will be the longest fully underground rail line here and have the highest number of interchange stations, with almost half of its stations expected to serve as interchanges with other lines. One major issue that came up in the early planning stages of the CRL was whether a stretch between Bright Hill station and the line's western leg would run directly under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Nature groups concerned about the potential environmental impact had suggested that the stretch be built along Lornie Road, skirting the nature reserve. But after a two-phase environmental impact assessment for both alignment options, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) decided in late 2019 that 2km of MRT tunnel will run directly underneath Singapore's largest nature reserve at a depth of 70m - the deepest any MRT tunnel will go here. With the direct route, the construction cost is expected to be about $2 billion lower. MOT had said then that this direct alignment would also lead to lower fares and six minutes less commuting time compared with the skirting option.

should have based in india then us CECA to enter here

SINGAPORE - Local company Camtech Diagnostics has been making and selling antigen rapid test (ART) kits for Covid-19 since late last year - but not in Singapore. While Camtech Diagnostics and another local manufacturer SG Diagnostics produce such kits here, they have not been able to get approval from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for the kits to be sold on the retail market. Both have test kits approved for professional use here, but this approval will be terminated by the end of the year. The companies' attempts to get their kits approved for use in the retail market here under the Pandemic Special Access Route have been stymied by requirements such as an invitation from the Ministry of Health (MOH), without which their application will not be accepted by the HSA. An MOH spokesman told The Straits Times: "There is no free-for-all system for application and use of self-test kits. The types of kits used are instead limited." The spokesman did not say why such an invitation is required or how it may be obtained, just that it is in line with international practice - although it is not something the regulators here had previously required. Apart from the ministry's invitation, companies wanting to sell the kits here also need to have "stringent quality standards and clear analytical and clinical validations carried out by a credible independent organisation such as the World Health Organisation or in the form of a published peer-review journal article". Dr Kuok Meng Han, chief executive of Camtech Diagnostics, said he had approached several hospitals here to carry out clinical trials of his kits, but all said they were too busy to help. So he has turned to the Emory University School of Medicine in the United States instead for the trials, and has applied to the Food and Drug Administration for approval of the kits. The trials should be completed by early next year. Professor John Lim, executive director of the Centre of Regulatory Excellence at Duke-NUS Medical School, said: "From an overall health security perspective, it's obviously good to have Singapore-based companies producing accurate, reliable and cost-effective diagnostic kits. These should not just be to meet our local needs but also those of other countries in the region and internationally." Prof Lim, who was previously chief executive of the HSA, said he was not familiar with the requirements for the current pandemic, but that under the normal process, "HSA does have processes for early engagement with any company or developer so that they understand the regulatory requirements before product development or product submission". He added: "This is similar to other major regulatory agencies and helps to ensure that the kind of data eventually submitted for assessment is not off the mark." Mr Roy Quek, a former deputy secretary at MOH, said Singapore should look to make its own ART kits, the way it now produces ventilators, masks and swab sticks. SG Diagnostics has applied to the HSA in August for its kits to be sold on the retail market under the normal route instead. PHOTO: SG DIAGNOSTICS He noted how equipment needed for the pandemic was in short supply last year. He said: "We saw this first-hand at the start of the pandemic when global supplies of medical-grade surgical masks dried up. Along the way, supply disruptions to swabs and vaccines affected the roll-out of our national testing and vaccination programmes." There was a rush then to bump up capability here to provide the much-needed equipment, and today, Singapore produces ventilators, masks and swab sticks. Looking ahead, Mr Quek, a former CEO of Thomson Medical Group, said ART kits will likely be needed globally for a long time to come, but none is produced here for local use. He said: "This must surely be an area where local production capability and capacity are supported and facilitated. The level of technology and scale of production are clearly within our capability and of strategic value to the country. "Local production will reduce our reliance on imports, and, more critically, provide sustainable quality and price assurance." Camtech Diagnostics says it can produce 2.8 million test kits a month, while SG Diagnostics says its maximum capacity is 100,000 a day now, but the number can be easily scaled up. Dr Kate Qi, chief executive of SG Diagnostics, said her company applied to the HSA in August for its kits to be sold on the retail market under the normal route instead, which usually takes 10 months. There are currently 11 ART kits from American, South Korean and Chinese companies approved for retail sale here. One of the suppliers, South Korea's SD Biosensor, announced in October two contracts for ART kits with Singapore worth 68 billion won (S$79 million) and 67 billion won.

SINGAPORE — While based in Malaysia, Awolola Gbolahan Ayobami, 40, and Awolola Oladayo Opeyemi, 37, recruited money mules in Singapore to assist in receiving almost $900,000 from love scam victims. Scammers would create false personas on social media, in order to cultivate a romantic relationship with victims and earn their trust before requesting money. The victims, usually middle aged women, would then make bank transfers or hand over cash to money mules. Between 2017 and 2019, Ayobami and Opeyemi’s roles were to get into relationships with Singaporean women before recruiting them as mules to receive these funds. In doing so, they even had children with two of the women. The duo were later arrested in Malaysia and extradited to Singapore, where they were charged. Criminal conspiracy involving almost $900,000 On Tuesday (7 December), the two Nigerians behind the translational love scam syndicate were jailed. Ayobami’s offences involved $220,724.50, while Opeyemi’s involved $661,352 in criminal proceeds laundered. Ayobami was jailed for 50 months after he pleaded guilty to two counts of abetting in a conspiracy with someone to receive another person’s benefits from criminal conduct, and one count of abetting in a conspiracy with someone to intentionally obstruct the course of justice. Another four counts of a similar nature were considered for his sentencing. Opeyemi was jailed for 60 months after he pleaded guilty to three out of seven counts of abetting in conspiracy with someone to receive another person’s benefits from criminal conduct. He also pleaded guilty to one count of abetting in conspiracy with someone to intentionally obstruct the course of justice. The remaining charges were considered for his sentencing. Leaders in an elaborate scam Both men had entered Malaysia purportedly to further their education but played “integral roles” in helping a syndicate to launder their ill-gotten gains, said the prosecution. They also dealt with a scammer, known as Fola, who cheated love scam victims. The three women recruited by Ayobami and Opeyemi would help the two men collect cash from the victims, and hand it over personally to Fola or the duo in Malaysia. They would also open bank accounts to receive monies for victims and withdraw the cash to pass on. For one of the offences, Ayobami instructed the woman he had a child with to collect money from a victim, but she had been under investigation and her passport was impounded. The woman then arranged for her son to pass the cash to Ayobami. The prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordon Li, submitted that the two were "no mere foot soldiers", but had been leaders in the scam. The degree of planning and premeditation they showed was significant. When three money mules were called up by the police for investigations, the two Nigerians instructed them to lie. "These steps were clearly taken with a view to masking their involvement and shows the degree of planning and premeditation that they had engaged in," said DPP Li. Furthermore, the division of labour made it hard for the authorities to investigate the offences, as money went through the hands of seemingly unrelated individuals.

simple

SINGAPORE: Singapore will face future challenges in drug control due to the "trend" of legalising drugs for recreational use and the exposure to social media where such abuse may be glamourised. "We will face challenges in future because first, the trend in many countries is to legalise drugs, in particular, cannabis, for recreational use", said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday (Dec 7). Speaking at Central Narcotics Bureau's (CNB) 50th anniversary event, Mr Lee said many of these countries have been unable to control their domestic drug situation. This has led to the legalisation of drugs to regain "some control" over the situation, with some countries also being "lured" by the economic benefits of regulating the recreational use of drugs. But things can go "awry" despite best intentions to advocate for a "harm-reduction approach" to drugs, added Mr Lee. He illustrated his point with Singapore's own case study from the early 2000s. "In 2002, Subutex was introduced as a legal prescription for treating opioid addiction. But some people started abusing Subutex as an alternative to heroin, injecting themselves to get a 'high'. Within a few years, the number of Subutex abusers and Subutex-associated deaths increased significantly," he said. "We decided to put a stop to this. In 2006, Singapore listed Subutex as a controlled drug, and CNB mounted swift operations to wipe out Subutex from our streets." "GLAMOURISED" DRUG USE Another concern stems from youths' frequent exposure to alternative lifestyles on social media, said Mr Lee. "Drug use may be glamourised, giving the impression that using drugs is harmless, or even cool." Based on annual surveys conducted by the National Council Against Drug Abuse, the attitudes of youths towards drugs are gradually becoming "more liberal", he added. "This is a very worrying trend. We must push hard against it, to prevent our children and grandchildren from becoming the next generations of drug abusers." TOUGH LAWS, ROBUST ENFORCEMENT To combat these future challenges, Mr Lee highlighted three of CNB's key strategies. First, the "tough anti-drug laws" which CNB enforces strictly against drug traffickers and abusers. In 1973, the Misuse of Drugs Act was introduced, setting harsher penalties for drug pushers and traffickers, and allowing the detention of drug addicts for treatment and rehabilitation. But the "pivotal change" came in 1975 when Singapore introduced the death penalty for "the most serious drug offences", in particular for trafficking more than 15g of diamorphine, or pure heroin, said Mr Lee. Soon after, the "deterrent effect" of this harsh penalty was felt. Drug traffickers became "much less willing" to bring drugs into Singapore. Drug abusers "desperate to obtain drugs" had to go to Johor to buy and smuggle drugs into the country in small quantities. At the same time, CNB stepped up its enforcement activities, added Mr Lee. Just last month, CNB conducted an island-wide operation, arresting 50 suspected drug abusers and seizing more than S$20,000 worth of drugs. "Nowadays, drug traffickers and abusers use e-commerce services and encrypted messaging apps, like Telegram. CNB will need to continue using technology to the full, to tackle new threats and drug supply methods," said Mr Lee. "Tough laws and robust enforcement provide a strong deterrent that helps keep the number of drug abusers in Singapore low." RIGOROUS REHABILITATION REGIME The second key strategy employed by CNB is a "rigorous rehabilitation regime" for drug abusers, added Mr Lee. To ensure former drug abusers stay off drugs, they are placed on a supervision scheme after being released from drug rehabilitation centres or prisons. Over the years, CNB reviewed its supervision regime to place greater emphasis on effective rehabilitation, said Mr Lee. This included increasing the maximum supervision period from two years to five, making counselling compulsory for young drug abusers and their parents, and allowing first-time low-risk drug abusers to continue with studies or work instead of being sent to a drug rehabilitation centre. "These initiatives help drug abusers break the cycle of addiction and better reintegrate into society," said Mr Lee. He also shared a story of a former drug abuser, who had abused cannabis since he was 15 years old. With the help of a CNB officer, the boy went on to complete his studies and is now a doctor. "COMPREHENSIVE" PUBLIC EDUCATION, COMMUNITY-LED ADVOCACY The third key strategy is "a comprehensive and sustained public education programme" alerting people to the dangers of drug abuse, said Mr Lee. "Public education is an equally important part in this war, if not the most crucial part. Through effective public education, we can stem drug abuse upstream before it causes more troublesome social problems." But CNB cannot win the war on drugs alone, added Mr Lee. Public education entails working closely with other agencies, including the Ministry of Education, schools and many non-government organisations. Together, they organise a wide range of activities, including school talks, exhibitions and even video-making competitions. They also produce well-designed collaterals and media products, including an Augmented Reality Mobile App for primary school children. CNB also employs "community-led advocacy" in their drug education programme, said Mr Lee. This includes establishing close partnerships with community partners to lead the annual Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign, co-organise seminars and meetings, and work with youth volunteers to positively influence their peers. SINGAPORE TODAY "RELATIVELY DRUG-FREE" "Our situation is under better control than most other countries. The number of drug abusers arrested annually in Singapore has fallen to about half that in the mid-1990s," said Mr Lee, who added that Singapore today is "relatively drug-free". "Our drug situation contrasts sharply against countries with more permissive approaches." He highlighted the US opioid crisis, which caused nearly 500,000 people to die from opioid overdose from 1999 to 2019. "Because of our strict anti-drug approach, Singapore has been able to keep our people safe from these problems," he said. "Today, there are no open drug markets and drug ghettos in Singapore. Nor is there a problem of drug overdose deaths." Source: CNA/gy(gr)

pls la so violent , want to interfere meh. whats the police for then