A widow and a widower, both from Singapore, chose to get married in Batam, Indonesia, to save their respective HDB flats. The marriage, considered a secret as the couple did not register their marriage in Singapore, took all of 15 minutes to be solemnised. Married couples in Singapore are not allowed to own more than one HDB flat between them. "I had been single for more than 10 years and my wife-to-be had inherited her flat after the death of her husband," the man told Berita Harian. "We are both almost 60 years old and have our own children and grandchildren who live in our flats."   In order to have their union "accepted by the religion" and retain ownership of their respective flats at the same time, the couple opted to get married in Batam in early-2023.    Their solemnisation was witnessed by their family members. The man has five children and three grandchildren while his wife has four children and four grandchildren. "The solemnisation in Sekupang, Batam, was done and dusted within 15 minutes," said the man. "We did it in the morning and took the last ferry back to Singapore. We even had time for a short 'honeymoon'. "We were given a marriage certificate for us to register our marriage in Singapore."   A marriage solemniser in Singapore told Berita Harian that he had been approached by couples who wanted to get married without declaring to the Registry of Muslim Marriages in order to retain their flat ownerships. "I turned them away as this is against the law," he explained. "I don't know where they went to get married. "These secret marriages are not recognised in the eyes of the law and the couples can run into legal issues in the long run."

SINGAPORE - The owner of a bar in Little India who harboured a 17-year-old runaway and raped her three days later was on July 8 sentenced to 13 years and four weeks’ jail and nine strokes of the cane. Raj Kumar Bala, 42, was convicted in March on two charges – one each for raping the teenager and for molesting her at his rented condominium unit while she was drunk. On July 8, he pleaded guilty to a third charge – harbouring the teen by permitting her to stay and work for him, despite knowing she had run away from the Singapore Girls’ Home.   In sentencing, High Court Judge Mavis Chionh said there was a “high degree of sexual exploitation” involved in the rape. The judge noted that Raj Kumar was not just aware of the victim’s vulnerability owing to her intoxicated state, but he had also taken steps to pressure her to consume alcohol. Justice Chionh added that he was aware the teenager was on the run, and was dependent on him for money and shelter.   After the sentence was handed down, Raj Kumar’s lawyer, Mr Ramesh Tiwary, said he intends to file an appeal against the conviction.     Mr Tiwary also told the court that his client wished to be released on bail so he can sell his property and business to leave money for his wife and children, help his wife apply for permanent residency, and settle his son into school. Justice Chionh rejected the bail request, saying that no reason had been shown as to why Raj Kumar must be physically present for these matters. The bar owner also faces 22 more charges relating to five other victims, mainly for sex offences. These charges are pending in court.   He is accused of raping and molesting a victim identified in court documents as B1; raping and sexually assaulting a victim who was identified as B5; and raping, molesting and threatening another victim, identified as B6. He is also accused of sexually penetrating a minor under the age of 16, identified as B7; and molesting and causing alarm to another victim, identified as B8. Raj Kumar had gone on trial in August 2023 for molesting and raping the victim in the current case between the night of Feb 21 and the early morning of Feb 22 in 2020. He denied the charges and claimed the girl had consented to having sex with him. But Justice Chionh found him guilty of the two charges on March 28, saying sufficient evidence had been presented by the prosecution to prove that the girl did not consent to the sex acts.   The victim had gone to the Dunlop Street bar for a job interview on Feb 18, 2020, about two weeks after she absconded from the home. Raj Kumar hired her and told her that she could stay at the bar with two other runaways. On the night of Feb 21, 2020, the bar was raided by the police after an acquaintance of the runaways made a report that they were working there. Raj Kumar drove the three runaways to his condo and told them they could stay there. He drank with the girls, and the victim became heavily intoxicated. He ended up having sex with the victim and also engaged in sex acts with another girl – the alleged victim identified as B1 – on the second floor of the unit. The third girl remained on the first floor. The victim left the condo later that day. She stayed with a friend and told him about the rape two to three weeks later.

On 1 Jan 2024, the GST rate rose from 8% to 9%, and the cost of ingredients has significantly increased. As a result, hawkers have likely hiked prices or reduced portions, to the dismay of some unhappy Singaporeans. But have we ever put ourselves in the hawkers’ shoes? Do we empathise with the problems they face?   I came across an article titled “The Problem with Hawkers” written by none other than the renowned Mr KF Seetoh, the founder of Makansutra. And trust me, I was shell-shocked when I read it. Cramped spaces, long hours on their feet, demanding customers, no time to visit the washroom— you thought you knew all their woes. But not after what Mr Seetoh shared— he is indeed a hero to all hawkers.   After leaving my 14-year career as a chef life in the F&B industry and joining Sethlui.com as a content writer for 2 years now, my love and respect for hawkers has skyrocketed. I’ve seen their struggles, listened to their stories and challenges, and developed friendships with many of them (I love my job!). And with that, let me share a list of 8 unspoken problems that some Singapore hawkers face at Social Enterprise Hawker Centres (SEHC), as depicted by Mr KF Seetoh. Do note that these problems do not apply to EVERY food centre, just in case some keyboard warriors do decide to attack me in the comments section (rolls eyes). 1. Unsubsidised stalls Yup! If you think hawkers have it easy and get the stalls at subsidised rates, you are wrong. Instead, they have to bid for their stalls under NEA regulations. According to an article posted on Mothership in Nov 2023, a Golden Mile Food Centre hawker stall’s bid reached almost S$6,000. Well, if it was back in 2013, new hawker stall owners could’ve taken over from existing stall owners without a fee, but NEA has since discontinued it. It looks like my friend who has a stall at Amoy Street Food Centre is sighing with relief. 2. Monthly rentals   problems hawkers face - hawker centre Have you visited a hawker centre and thought to yourself, “Why isn’t there an old-fashioned wafer ice cream stall instead of the same-old duck rice or ban mian establishment that we spot everywhere?” That’s because the SEHCs charge an average rental cost of S$2,000 (GST included) for any kind of food sold. As a result, hawkers have no choice but to sell food that can earn profits and is popular with Singaporeans. 3. Pay for cleaning & washing of utensils & crockery Besides an average monthly dishwashing fee of about S$650, hawkers at some of these SEHCs have to top-up S$6 for every rack of about 30 plates and bowls— sometimes, a few racks are needed per day! Additionally, Services and Conservancy Charges of about S$380 also need to be paid (Amoy Street Food Centre charges S$175). Luckily, my hawker friend at a food centre in Hougang doesn’t need to pay for the aforementioned extra fees since it’s included in the rent. However, he still needs to fork out S$4,000. 4. Must offer S$3 meals & 30 monthly “pay-it-forward” meals The S$3 budget meal initiative is catered for the financially challenged or for senior citizens who are not working. But you meet well-to-do customers who take advantage of this. Can you imagine if every customer orders the S$3 meal? How on earth does the hawker earn enough to pay for his monthly rent then? For newer hawker establishments, some hawkers are being forced to do “charity” by offering 30 free meals at their own expense (not for older food centres). I really agree with Mr Seetoh that charity should come from your own sincerity and not based on a contract.   5. Banned from using their own crockery Some hawkers aren’t allowed to use their own plates and bowls. They have to purchase it from the SEHC ‘approved’ supplier which marks the SEHC company logo, with a minimum of 300 pieces for each type of ware. Fortunately, my friend at Amoy Street Food Centre is able to use his own crockery and fully express his desired presentation. 6. Forced to use gas supplier chosen by the SEHC   Suggestions by the hawkers to utilise a more budget-friendly and equally reliable gas supplier were rejected by the SEHC. That’s it— all efforts to save money are gone. 7. Hawkers must have valid leave of absence, otherwise pay S$100  If hawkers at some of these SEHCs need to take annual leave, MC, or leave for emergency purposes, it must be approved in advance. Otherwise, a S$100 fine will be imposed. So does that mean if a hawker is suddenly down with a bad fever and needs to take a last minute 3-day MC, he has to be fined S$300? That’s ridiculous! 8. Profit percentage & additional space charge   If the hawkers have good business and hit their sales target; hooray! It means that they can finally earn profits. But no! Some of these SEHCs have to ruin it and charge a profit percentage, known in the industry as Gross Turnover (GTO), of up to 15%. And WHAT? Hawkers are even charged for the tiny, inadequate space where suppliers leave their goods if they arrive early? That’s a little too much, isn’t it? These 8 problems are just the tip of the iceberg. Mr KF Seetoh’s article addresses more issues, and we really need to help our hawkers.

This kinda Patricia Mok pics are more suitable for this thread     

My laobu use old shampoo to wash hers