Singapore morning news for March 20, 2019

Plans for ‘proper debate’ on issues like hate speech, race and religion in Parliament next month: Shanmugam
There are plans to have a “proper debate” in Parliament on issues such as race, religion and hate speech early next month, according to Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Tuesday (Mar 19).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Singapore Wealth Fund GIC ‘Hopeful’ on Ambitious Brazil Pension Plan
Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte has grown more optimistic about Brazil.
— Bloomberg

From hardship to hope, Singapore’s migrant poets find their voices
In dorms on Singapore’s fringes or employers’ backrooms, a growing number of migrant workers are using poetry to shed light on their hidden struggles and reconnect with their roots.
— Khmer Times

SIA’s S$500m 5-year bonds will pay 3.03% interest
SINGAPORE Airlines’ (SIA) proposed offer of S$500 million five-year, fixed- rate bonds may be just what yield-hungry small investors have been waiting for. This bond offering the second in nine years targeted at retail investors.
— The Business Times

Over 2,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes hidden among mineral water products seized: ICA
More than 2,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes were seized by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Monday (March 18).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

depa Joins Hands with 6 Top Leaders in IoT Innovation from Singapore
In recent weeks, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) officially signed MoUs with regional giants Willowmore, UnaBiz, Gobi Partners, and Ascent Solutions during February 18-20, 2019 in Singapore.
— AEC News Today/PR Newswire (media release)

Singapore is holding on to its title as the most expensive city in the world — but this time, it’s sharing the No. 1 spot with 2 other cities
This year’s most expensive city title is split three ways, divided between Paris, Hong Kong, and the five-year winner Singapore.
— Business Insider

Botox treatments under spotlight amid MOH, police probe
Doctors who prescribe Botox say it is common practice to spell out the possible side effects and risks before administering it. They also say they assess patients to see if it is suitable for them.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Singaporeans prefer to shop online using desktop rather than mobile device, according to Picodi survey
Based on a survey released by Picodi, Singaporeans prefer to shop online using their desktops (62%) compared to their smartphones (35%).
— The Online Citizen

Singapore economy 3rd most vulnerable to sustained China trade slowdown
SINGAPORE is the third most vulnerable economy to a sustained trade slowdown in China after Hong Kong and Mongolia, according to a Moody’s Investors Service report released on Tuesday.
— The Business Times (paywall)

Yahoo Poll: Are Singapore government policies too complex for the layman to grasp?
A recent commentary complained that Singapore government policies are becoming so arcane and cheem that you’d have to be a genius to comprehend them.
— Yahoo News Singapoare

More job vacancies last year, with more PMET positions
There were more jobs up for grabs last year after good economic growth in the first half of the year.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Public member complains about discriminatory treatments but TAFEP asks her to “engage her employer”
Last Thu (14 Mar), a member of the public, Ms Tan Wei Ling wrote to Strait Times Forum complaining about discriminatory treatments received by those workers on flexi-work scheme in her company.
— The Online Citizen

Water in MCE tunnel not from a burst pipe or seawater leakage: LTA
Water flowing from the tunnel ceiling in the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) was not from a burst pipe or seawater leakage, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in response to videos circulating on social media.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Hyflux rescue at risk as Singapore threatens to seize water plant
The Indonesian conglomerate set to bail out Singaporean water treatment company Hyflux has hinted it may withdraw its support after Singapore’s government threatened to take control of a key desalination facility.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Boeing 737 MAX grounding likely to have minimal impact on SIA – for now: CGS-CIMB
SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines (SIA), has grounded six of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight last week – the second fatal accident involving the best-selling Boeing aircraft in less than five months.
— The Edge Singapore

UOB employee forged ‘godsister’s’ signature to make $2.2m in unauthorised transactions
A bank relationship manager repeatedly forged the signature of his “godsister” to make more than $2.2 million in unauthorised transactions from her accounts in an effort to meet sales targets.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Singapore is again named the world’s most expensive cities for expats, along with Hong Kong and Paris: EIU Survey
According to a survey by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released on Tuesday (19 March), Singapore, Hong Kong and Paris took home the title as the world’s most expensive cities for expats to live in.
— The Online Citizen

Singapore continues to monitor situation in Pasir Gudang as more illegal dumping found
Authorities in Singapore are monitoring the situation in Pasir Gudang, as more illegal waste dumping sites have been found in the area.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng says training safety is ‘front and foremost in the entire design’ of new BMT curriculum
Even national servicemen (NSF) who aren’t normally assigned to combat roles will have an opportunity to train with rifles using a shooting simulator.
— The Independent

Northbound stretch of Lornie Highway to open on April 19
The Lornie Highway will open fully on April 19, after repeated delays, when the northbound stretch from Adam and Farrer roads towards Thomson is accessible to motorists.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Singapore: Stop imminent hanging of Malaysian national
The Singaporean authorities must halt the imminent execution of Micheal Anak Garing, a Malaysian national, Amnesty International said today.
— Amnesty

Streaming had its place to ensure children got an education: Teo Chee Hean
Streaming had its place at a time when half of the children in Singapore were dropping out of school, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Former SPRING Singapore senior executive sentenced to four years of jail for forgery
A former senior executive of a Ministry of Trade and Industry statutory board, SPRING Singapore, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in the State Courts on Mon (18 Mar) after he was found guilty of committing forgery using the agency’s name since 2015.
— The Online Citizen

AMKTC trial: Company director to plead guilty to corruption charges after former town council GM throws in towel
A company director accused of giving a former Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC) general manager bribes in return for jobs with the town council is set to plead guilty to corruption, following in the footsteps of his co-accused.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

How will SAF look like after its next incarnation?
Michael Raska 9 hours 48 min ago According to Singapore’s Ministry of Defence, Singapore’s force modernisation priorit
— Today Online

MFA assisting Singaporeans impacted by the Christchurch attacks
The Turkish husband of a Singaporean woman is reportedly in intensive care after he was shot at one of the two mosques targeted in an attack that killed 50 people in Christchurch, New Zealand, last Friday (March 15).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Talks with LTA to make Marine Parade roundabout safer after fatal crash: Lim Biow Chuan
Residents of Marine Parade have called for more measures to make the pavements around a roundabout safer, after an elderly woman died from injuries sustained in a crash on Monday (Mar 18).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Job vacancies for PMETs rose to 53% in 2018: MOM survey
The total share of job vacancies for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) rose from 48.5 per cent in 2017 to 53 per cent in 2018, latest data from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) showed on Tuesday (Mar 19).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Video footage of MCE tunnel leaking, motorists suspect burst pipe
On March 19 (Tuesday), video footage showing a leak in the tunnel on the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) was uploaded to Singapore Taxi Driver’s Facebook group.
— The Independent

Virtual reality app illustrates plight of dementia patients
Ominous shadows, amplified sounds and moving patterns on the walls and floor – these are things that people with dementia can experience.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

ST Marine was never debarred from bidding on government contracts despite massive graft scandal
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has clarified that the reason why ST Marine is still allowed to procure government contracts even after it was involved in one of Singapore’s largest corporate graft scandal that broke in 2014 is because the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) did not find any offences related to government contracts or agencies.
— The Online Citizen

Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin delivers governance speech on his first official visit to Malaysia
Tan Chuan-Jin flew in from Singapore to Malaysia yesterday (18 March 2019) for his inaugural Official Visit since his election as Speaker of Parliament in September 2017.
— The Online Citizen

Former HUDC Braddell View to be put up for en bloc sale at S$2.08b
Singapore’s largest private residential estate, Braddell View, will be put up for collective sale for S$2.08 billion next week, marketing agent Colliers International announced on Tuesday (Mar 19).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Grassroots leader who constructed illegal floor also sponsored production costs of PAP MP’s book
Earlier this month, an illegal extra floor was found at The Alexcier building in Alexandra Road that was only supposed to have eight floors.
— The Independent

Intensifying competition, economic slowdown may drag on Sheng Siong’s growth: Maybank KE
Maybank Kim Eng is starting coverage on Sheng Siong Group (SSG) at “sell” with a target price of 95 cents, which implies 19.5 times FY19F P/E – 1 S.D. below the stocks’ five-year mean.
— The Edge Singapore

Grab seeks to be largest financial service provider in Southeast Asia; launches several initiatives
Southeast Asian ride-hailing giant Grab said on Tuesday (Mar 19) that it aims to become one of the region’s largest financial services provider this year, catering to micro-entrepreneurs as well as small and medium enterprises.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Tough laws needed to tackle hate speech as online platforms are not doing enough: Shanmugam
The Christchurch terror attacks are a reminder that tough laws are needed to curb the spread of hate speech, which is not being tackled adequately by online tech companies and platforms, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam on Tuesday (March 19).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

IMDA: Earthworks contractors to have greater clarity on the work requirements in vicinity of underground telecommunication cables
Earthworks contractors will have greater clarity on the requirements they have to comply with for projects carried out in the vicinity of underground telecommunication cables by 1 June 2019 to prevent cable cut incidents, which have been the main cause of telecom service disruptions in recent years.
— The Online Citizen

Feature photo Changi Airport

This week’s Singapore morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day of Forests, March 21.

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Singapore morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Singapore news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Singapore morning news for March 20 added by Piseth Pov on March 20, 2019
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Piseth Pov

Piseth Pov graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics Science from the Royal University of Law and Economics, Phnom Penh in 2017, and a Bachelor’s degree in English Communications from Western University, Phnom Penh, the same year.