Was Lee Kuan Yew rushed into signing his last will?; Lee Suet Fern found guilty of improper conduct in handling LKY’s will

• PM Lee Hsien Loong releases summary of statutory declarations to ministerial committee looking into options for Oxley Road house

• PM Lee questions the role of brother Lee Hsien Yang and his wife Lee Suet Fern in making of final will

• Clause to demolish 38 Oxley Road house re-appeared in Lee Kuan Yew's final and seventh will having previously been removed from his fifth and sixth wills

• Lee Wei Ling's extra share of father's estate removed in final will

• Lee Wei Ling, Lee Hsien Yang threatened to air dispute during 2015 General Election

• PM Lee agreed to sell Oxley house to resolve dispute

• 'Nothing secret' about ministerial committee on Oxley Road home: Committee chair DPM Teo Chee Hean

• Lee Hsien Yang unhappy over delay and uncertainty in demolishing Oxley Road House: Goh Chok Tong

• Singaporeans 'sick and tired of endless' Oxley Road allegations: Shanmugam

• Lee Hsien Yang says wife's firm did not draft Lee Kuan Yew's final will

• Lawyer Kwa Kim Li says she did not prepare Lee Kuan Yew's last will, so who did?

• PM Lee Hsien Loong apologises for dispute with siblings, will deliver ministerial statement in Parliament on 3 July 2017

• Lee Kuan Yew's final will 'accepts' Oxley house demolition may not take place, says Indranee Rajah

• Identify lawyer who drafted Mr Lee's final will: Indranee

PM Lee Hsien Loong details 'deeply troubling' way Lee Kuan Yew's will was made
He says last will prepared in haste with help of Hsien Yang's wife, conflict of interest an issue
By Royston Sim, Assistant Political Editor, The Straits Times, 16 Jun 2017

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday raised serious questions about the way his father Lee Kuan Yew's last will was made, and whether there was a conflict of interest when his sister-in-law Lee Suet Fern helped prepare the will.

In a statement issued by his lawyers at Drew and Napier last night, PM Lee set out in detail the "deeply troubling circumstances" surrounding the seventh and final version of the will, and said he has "grave concerns" about whether the late Mr Lee was "properly and independently advised" on its contents before he signed it.

PM Lee's five-page statement, which he later uploaded on Facebook, raised a notch the long-running dispute with his younger siblings, Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang, over whether to demolish their father's house at 38, Oxley Road. In it, PM Lee also questioned if Mr Lee knew that a clause to demolish the house was reintroduced in the last will. He noted that this demolition clause first appeared in his father's first will dated Aug 20, 2011.

It was removed in the fifth and sixth versions of the will, but "somehow found its way back into the last will", he noted.

The dispute spilt into the public sphere on Wednesday, when PM Lee's siblings released a statement saying they had lost confidence in him and feared the use of state organs against them.

The two siblings alleged that PM Lee and his wife Ho Ching wanted the house preserved for their own political gain, and said their brother had abused his power by making extensive representations to a ministerial committee, raising questions over the last will.



Last night, PM Lee refuted his siblings' claims that he had motives for raising questions about the will in a statutory declaration to the ministerial committee. Noting that his siblings continued to make allegations, he said: "This makes it untenable for me not to respond publicly to the allegations and to explain why I have serious questions about how my father's last will was prepared."

Lee Kuan Yew's legacy is about to be destroyed by daughter and other son; Lee Wei Ling and Hsien Yang use Facebook to demand demolition of LKY's house

• In young nation where numerous useless buildings receive petitions for conservation, fate of iconic house where modern Singapore was founded fuels public show of sibling rivalry

• Lee Wei Ling, Lee Hsien Yang issue statement to say they have 'lost confidence' in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

• PM Lee refuted allegations by his siblings that he had misused his power in relation to their late father's house, saying he was disappointed and sad they had chosen to air a private family matter in public

• PM Lee officially rebutts with an explosive account of events regarding changes in LKY's 7 wills

• Was Lee Kuan Yew rushed into signing his last will?




• PM Lee Hsien Loong apologises for dispute with siblings, will deliver ministerial statement in Parliament on 3 July 2017

• Lee Hsien Yang’s goal is to bring Lee Hsien Loong down as Prime Minister: ESM Goh Chok Tong

• 38 Oxley Road dispute debate in Parliament: Day 1 & Day 2

• Lee Hsien Yang and Wei Ling say they accept offer to settle dispute in private or go to court

PM Lee Hsien Loong saddened by siblings' Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang allegations
He denies charges and will consider matter further after he returns from overseas leave
By Royston Sim, Assistant Political Editor and Tham Yuen-C, Assistant Political Editor, The Straits Times, 15 Jun 2017

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has refuted allegations by his siblings that he had misused his power in relation to their late father's house, saying he was disappointed and sad they had chosen to air a private family matter in public.

"I am deeply saddened by the unfortunate allegations that they have made. Ho Ching and I deny these allegations, especially the absurd claim that I have political ambitions for my son," PM Lee said in response to a six-page statement his two siblings issued yesterday.

Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang had said they had lost confidence in their brother, PM Lee, adding that they feared the use of state organs against them.

Mr Lee Hsien Yang said he and his wife Suet Fern felt compelled to leave Singapore "for the foreseeable future" because of this.

Titled "What has happened to Lee Kuan Yew's values?", their statement is the latest development in a long-running dispute over the demolition of their father's house at 38, Oxley Road.

The two siblings are joint executors and trustees of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew's estate, and have pushed for the Government to honour his wish, as stated in his will, for the house to be pulled down.

They alleged that PM Lee and his wife wanted the house preserved for their own political gain, adding that the PM had abused his position to drive his personal agenda. They further alleged Mrs Lee had outsized influence and power that went beyond her role as the PM's wife.



PM Lee said: "While siblings may have differences, I believe that any such differences should stay in the family. Since my father's passing in March 2015, as the eldest son, I have tried my best to resolve the issues among us within the family, out of respect for our parents."

He added: "My siblings' statement has hurt our father's legacy."

After the statement was publicised on the duo's Facebook pages around 2am, it was widely shared online and picked up by media.

The news also sparked talk in the legal fraternity about possible changes at law firm Morgan Lewis Stamford, at which Mrs Lee Suet Fern is managing partner.

Last year, Dr Lee had also called PM Lee a "dishonourable son" in a Facebook post, because of their disagreement over the house.

This time, she and Mr Lee Hsien Yang said PM Lee and his wife had opposed their father's wish for the house to be pulled down, as "the preservation of the house would enhance his political capital".

In December 2015, PM Lee had said in a joint statement with his siblings that he hoped their father's wish would be honoured, adding that he would recuse himself from all government decisions on the house. The Government also said it would not make any decision on the house as long as Dr Lee resided there.

Mr Lee Hsien Yang told The Straits Times that PM Lee had not kept his promise, citing the formation of a ministerial committee on the house. To him, this was a sign of PM Lee's interference.

But Cabinet Secretary Tan Kee Yong said in a statement the committee was formed to consider options for the house and their implications.

He also said PM Lee "has not been involved in Cabinet's discussions concerning this committee. As he had previously stated, he has recused himself from all government decisions (on) the house."

The committee was also looking into how the late Mr Lee's will was prepared, and the role Mrs Lee Suet Fern and lawyers in her legal firm played in preparing it, Mr Tan said.

The two siblings also alleged PM Lee and his wife harbour political ambitions for their son Hongyi. PM Lee called it an "absurd claim".

He said: "I will do my utmost to continue to do right by my parents. At the same time, I will continue serving Singaporeans honestly and to the best of my ability. In particular, that means upholding meritocracy, which is a fundamental value of our society."

He ended his statement saying: "As my siblings know, I am presently overseas on leave with my family. I will consider this matter further after I return this weekend."

First Singaporean woman detained under Internal Security Act for radicalism planned to join Islamic State

• Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari, 22-year-old PCF Sparkletots infant care assistant planned to join Islamic State terrorist group in Syria with daughter in tow to defend its self-declared "caliphate" and become 'martyr's widow'

• Her sister and parents - who are both freelance Quranic teachers knew of her ideological leanings but they did not alert the authorities

• One family member even destroyed important evidence relating to her plans to join ISIS, in order to try to minimise her acts, after she was placed under investigation

• Started becoming radicalised in 2013, at the age of 18, by online propaganda related to ISIS, developed wide network of foreign online contacts which included ISIS militants and supporters

• Actively posted and shared pro-ISIS materials online since 2014, social media platforms were taken down by administrators but she created new ones

• She boasted to a contact that the Singapore authorities had not detected her

• No threat to children under radicalised woman’s care

• Anyone who knows or suspects that a person is radicalised to call the ISD Counter-Terrorism Centre hotline 1800-2626-473 (1800-2626-ISD)

Radicalised female infant care assistant from PCF Sparkletots detained under ISA for pro-ISIS activities
First woman held under ISA for pro-ISIS activities
22-year-old Singaporean was infant care assistant and wanted to be 'martyr's widow'
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 13 Jun 2017

A 22-year-old Singaporean who planned to travel to Syria with her child has become the first female here to be detained for radicalism.

Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari was not planning any attack here, but she had visions of becoming a "martyr's widow" for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). She was detained earlier this month under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Izzah was a contract infant care assistant with a PCF Sparkletots Preschool, which is run by the PAP Community Foundation, and worked with infants aged between two months and 18 months old.

But she was also becoming deeply radicalised - a process that started in 2013. From 2014, she started to actively post and share pro-ISIS material online.

"Several of her social media platforms were taken down by administrators because of the pro-ISIS content," said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Her parents, both freelance Quranic teachers, and her sister got to know of her radical views in 2015. They tried to dissuade her but did not alert the authorities.

Instead, when Izzah was being investigated, "important evidence was destroyed by a family member relating to her plans to join ISIS", said the MHA.

This was done to minimise the seriousness of her acts. The authorities are looking into taking action against this family member.



The MHA has pointed out in recent weeks that sharing information about an individual who is becoming radicalised could prevent a terrorist act - and help the person too.

"In Izzah's case, her family members did not bring her to the attention of the authorities when she was younger and could have potentially been turned back from the path of radicalisation," the MHA said.

As matters turned out, her radicalisation grew over time. She developed a wide network of foreign online contacts, including ISIS militants and their supporters, some of whom have since died fighting in Syria. Izzah also supported ISIS' use of violence.

Since 2015, she had been looking for an ISIS supporter to marry and settle down with in Syria with her young child. She believed that, if her husband died fighting, her status as a "martyr's widow" would help her marry another ISIS fighter easily.

"She also said that she was prepared to undergo military training and engage in armed combat to defend ISIS if called upon by the terrorist group to do so," said the MHA.

She boasted to a contact in April that the authorities here had not detected her. She was detained barely two months after that.

Never tired of sea: Singaporean captain shares tales of life at sea and his most memorable voyages

By Toh Yong Chuan, Manpower Correspondent In the Sea of Japan, The Sunday Times, 11 Jun 2017

It is May 29, a calm and sunny Monday morning at sea.

North Korea fires a ballistic missile over the sea between the country and Japan. The Japanese Coast Guard issues a warning to ships in the vicinity of the Sea of Japan.

One of the ships is Singapore-registered Parsifal. One of four ships that are the largest vehicle carriers in the world, it is helmed by Captain Nordin Rais, a Singaporean.

The ship's bridge receives a warning message on its computer printer at 6.04am: "There is information that flying object launched from North Korea. Vessels requested to pay attention to further information and to keep clear when recognising falling object. Vessels requested to report related information to Japan Coast Guard."

The Parsifal had left Masan, South Korea, about seven hours before the message. It is bound for Kobe, Japan.

Capt Nordin, 66, purses his lips, turns to this correspondent and says: "It's all right. We are not in danger."

The 1.69m-tall captain, who always wears a cap atop his grey hair, says: "We are near mainland Japan. The (North Korean) missile will be shot down by the Japanese and American missile defence systems if it comes this near."

The missile flew for six minutes before landing in Japanese waters, some 300km away from the nearest Japanese islands.

Just two days earlier, Capt Nordin had invited The Sunday Times to sail with him for a first-hand view of the life of a seafaring officer. The sector is finding it hard to attract Singaporeans who are put off by the long periods at sea.

The missile incident was the latest adventure for the captain, who has been sailing for more than 40 years.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore says it has tested and qualified 140 Singaporeans to helm commercial ships.

But Capt Nordin says the pool of experienced captains is dwindling. "I am in the 1968 batch of Singapore Polytechnic graduates with a marine studies certificate. I am the only one in the batch who is still sailing," he says. "Nothing can substitute experience when handling unexpected situations at sea."

Get rid of poor service staff, let only the fittest survive

Does Singapore have an inbred poor service culture? To shake things up, make staff compete for limited positions, sack the poor performers and raise the remainder's pay.
By Tan Ooi Boon, Published The Straits Times, 10 Jun 2017

Imagine you are hosting an important business lunch at a fine-dining restaurant but end up having to raise your hand repeatedly to ask the waiters for service.

The chief executive of a well-known company here told me recently: "It's not that the restaurant did not have enough people. It's whether we have what it takes to wow first-class tourists (when they come) to Singapore. In fine-dining restaurants overseas, they will even ensure the water in your glass will never be half-filled."

His story is not unfamiliar. Many Singaporeans have encountered shoddy treatment at restaurants here, such as being ushered to a table that is next to the toilet or kitchen in a near-empty restaurant. Recently, I was given a table next to the entrance even though I had made a booking at the six-star hotel restaurant almost a week earlier. The waitress just pointed at the table nearest to her, even though the restaurant was half-empty. Of course, we also have a similar experience at many retail stores here where the common answer to a query on a different size or colour is the common, curt refrain: "If it is not there, we do not have it."



Service quality is not a trivial issue to be ignored if Singapore aspires to be a world-class destination.

In our quest to remake Orchard Road and promote Singapore overseas, we must realise that while the quality of places of attraction matter, the software - the people providing the services - is just as important, if not more.

When was the last time you heard someone raving about good service in Singapore, in the same manner that we often gush about the service we received in Japan? If poor service continues to be common occurrences here, the hard truth is that a customer-unfriendly culture has sunk its roots. Yes, it's true that there are more service staff who give decent service than those who do not. But like a splash of ink on paper, the black sheep will ruin it all for us.

Before employers start blaming the Government again for not allowing them to hire more foreign help, note that having more workers does not guarantee good service if all of them just gather in a corner to chat and ignore the customers. What they should do is motivate their existing workers and turn them into great service champions. The workers should know that every customer who is turned off will translate almost certainly into a loss of future income. Surely having a bad service reputation is not an accolade employers want to collect, even if their business is thriving.

National Library withdraws Malay language books on religion; Not possible to vet all reading materials but Govt will learn from incident: Yaacob Ibrahim

Ministry of Communications and Information asks NLB to review vetting process for divisive material following withdrawal of books
Series that seems to legitimise use of violence taken off shelves after member of public shares photos of books
By Kok Xing Hui and Zhaki Abdullah, The Straits Times, 9 Jun 2017

The National Library Board (NLB) has been asked by the Government to review the way it checks for divisive and sensitive materials, a day after it removed a controversial series available for loan to young people.

Copies of the Malay-language series - Agama, Tamadun Dan Arkeologi (Religion, Civilisation And Archaeology) - had been available in libraries since 2013, and placed in the junior non-fiction section.

Published in Malaysia by Penerbit Sinar Cemerlang, the series purported to give "factual" insights into several civilisations and religions, including Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Yet, it presented Jews in a negative light and seemed to legitimise the use of violence in the name of Islam.

One book in the series said a third world war would start in the Middle East between Israel and neighbouring Arab states. Another book had a picture of a Muslim boy, wearing what seemed to be a suicide vest, surrounded by masked adults.

The books came to light after a Twitter user here shared photos of them at the weekend.



The NLB had told The New Paper it would withdraw the books immediately, and "call upon the Library Consultative Panel to review the series". The independent panel is made up of 18 members and chaired by Mrs Mildred Tan, managing director at Ernst & Young Advisory.

At the same time, the NLB said it could not vet all titles thoroughly given its large collection, and "hence, we take seriously readers' feedback on titles added to our collections".

Yesterday, the Ministry of Communications and Information told The Straits Times that it has asked the NLB "to review its vetting process for potentially divisive and sensitive materials". "We thank the member of the public and The New Paper for raising this particular series to our attention," it said.

The ministry spokesman added: "As a multi-cultural and multiracial society, we do not condone materials that denigrate any racial or religious groups, or which promote intolerance or violence. The cultural and racial harmony that our people enjoy today has taken us generations to build. This must not be taken for granted."

The Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) said it was worrying that such material was easily accessible to the public, especially children. AMP chairman Abdul Hamid Abdullah said: "Such books could potentially sow seeds of discord and prejudice among readers."

Ustaz Yusri Yusoff, executive director of the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association, urged the public to come forward if they find "materials that can affect our social fabric and inter-faith relations".

Singapore Chief Rabbi Mordechai Abergel said the books' presence in libraries was of "much concern" to the Jewish community, and was glad they had been taken off shelves.

Parent of ACS (Barker Road) student sues school for confiscating phone

By K.C. Vijayan, Senior Law Correspondent, The Straits Times, 7 Jun 2017

Should a school hang on to a confiscated phone for three months?

This issue has reached the courts after a parent felt that the penalty was too harsh. The parent is suing a secondary school principal for damages, but has not succeeded in getting the school to return the phone.

The parent's request to have the phone returned immediately was turned down by District Judge Clement Julien Tan. The judge ruled that the principal was justified in holding on to the phone, as the school rules had made it clear that any student caught using a phone during school hours will have it confiscated for at least three months.

The boy met the principal on March 21 and admitted that he had used an iPhone 7 during school hours on March 8. It was confiscated and the SIM card returned along with a receipt stating that it could be retrieved in three months' time.

Later in the evening of March 21, the parent wrote to the principal to say that the phone was his and he wanted it back.

He added that "a three-month confiscation is disproportionate to the offence", and his son had assured him that he would not break the rule on phone use again.

Failing to get a reply, he took the principal of the well-known secondary school to court.

The father, represented by lawyer Andrew Hanam, is claiming that retaining the phone amounts to the tort of conversion - which involves denying a person's rights to his property. He asked the court to get the school to return the phone while the case is being decided.

The principal's lawyer Alfonso Ang said that the claim is "frivolous and vexatious", and pointed out that the principal is responsible for overseeing student discipline based on regulations.

He also highlighted that the parent and son had both been told that the use of phones was banned.

District Judge Tan, who heard the application on April 28, said the principal was simply following the rules. He also rejected the parent's contention that he, personally, is not bound by the school rules as there is no contract between him and the principal.

"Such a position is , in my view, untenable," said the judge, in dismissing the application. The parent, he pointed out in judgment grounds obtained by The Straits Times yesterday, knew about the rules on phone use and if he had an issue with it, "could have enrolled his son in another school".

Singapore must stay corruption-free to succeed: PM Lee Hsien Loong at Official Opening of the Corruption Reporting & Heritage Centre

All Singaporeans play role in fight against corruption: PM
He urges everyone to do their best to protect legacy of clean system
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 7 Jun 2017

Singaporeans play an important part in ensuring that corruption does not become a social norm, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

While the courts, the Government and public servants need to maintain the highest levels of professionalism and integrity, the people must also actively reject corruption to prevent the scourge from taking root here, he added.

"Our founding leaders left us a clean system, built up over more than half a century. It is a legacy that we can be proud of, and we should do our utmost to protect it," he said at the official opening of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau's (CPIB) Corruption Reporting and Heritage Centre in Whitley Road.

The centre, which has been running since Jan 9, is another location where people can complain in person about corruption. Previously, they had to do it at the CPIB headquarters in Lengkok Bahru.



Reiterating Singapore's zero-tolerance approach towards corruption, Mr Lee said a clean system, which is necessary for the country's success, is not a natural state of affairs.

"We have a system that works, and we must keep it that way," he added.

This is unlike many countries, where corruption is accepted as the "natural state of affairs" and is impossible to eradicate, he said.

Singaporeans demand and expect a clean system, and do not condone giving or accepting bribes, said Mr Lee, noting that they also trust that the law will be applied transparently and fairly to all.

"People believe that they can make it because they work hard, not because they have special connections or are paying extra 'fees', and that is the way things should be."

He said that Singapore also has a professional public service that is paid "fair and realistic wages" benchmarked against the private sector. This, he added, reduces the temptation to accept bribes.

Ex-GIC chief economist Yeoh Lam Keong blames aliens not alcohol for Little India Riot; Police encourage Mr. We Can Do More to get off his fucking arse and do...more!!

Singapore police respond to academic's comments alleging inadequate community policing
Yeoh Lam Keong, a former chief economist at GIC, also wrote that "alienation from police" was a big reason for the 2013 Little India riot - comments which the police say show "a clear lack of understanding of what happened."
Channel NewsAsia, 6 Jun 2017

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has responded to comments by an adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy who said that "penny wise pound foolish policy decisions" have resulted in inadequate community policing in Singapore.

Mr Yeoh Lam Keong, a former chief economist at GIC, also alleged on his Facebook page on Monday (Jun 5) that "alienation from the police" was a big reason for the cause and poor handling of the 2013 Little India riot. "Alcohol is just a convenient scapegoat," he wrote.

"Mr Yeoh's sweeping statement is not only inaccurate, it shows a clear lack of understanding of what happened during the Little India riot, and an ignorance of our community policing efforts," said SPF on its Facebook page on Tuesday.

The police reiterated that what mainly led to the riot was a fatal road accident and that the violence was escalated by the consumption of alcohol and a "desire for street justice". These were findings released in 2014 by the Committee of Inquiry that was tasked to investigate the causes of the riot.



The police also criticised Mr Yeoh's "ignorance" of its community policing efforts, and highlighted its strategies in keeping Singapore safe, such as the Community Policing System - adopted by all Neighbourhood Police Centres since April 2015 - and terror response movement SGSecure.

"Singapore is one of the safest cities in the world. There is a high level of trust and confidence amongst Singaporeans in our police force," said SPF, citing a 2016 public perception survey.

"It is regrettable that Mr Yeoh did not check his facts before commenting on areas he has little knowledge of," SPF added. "His distorted points on the Little India riot and community policing will mislead others who don't know the facts."

SPF also said it would be helpful if "people like Mr Yeoh came forward and volunteered in community policing" to help them get a better understanding of what the police do.

The role of the arts in making a nation home

Art can root young Singaporeans to their land and, through the imagination, anchor them to their forebears
By Paul Tan, Published The Sunday Times, 4 Jun 2017

One of the most abiding memories in my leisure travels is visiting the small islands in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. This is a clutch of islands in a rural part of Japan in between the city of Okayama and the large island of Shikoku. Previously an under-the-radar destination among art aficionados, these isles have in recent years become popular with general tourists looking for a unique experience focused on art and culture, coupled with the assurance of quality Japanese hospitality and cuisine.

What struck me on my brief visit to that region was how art has been integrated into these islands and how this process has been instrumental in revitalising local communities. These were islands which faced a raft of problems - depopulation, the loss of a farming economy and even environmental degradation.

Today, there are small museums, public art installations and art trails found everywhere - particularly on the islands of Naoshima, Teshima and Shodoshima - and old buildings and industrial sites have been repurposed to house fascinating and visually arresting artwork.

Anyone who has visited the islands would have interacted with elderly island residents acting as docents in arts spaces, or serving in cafes and bed-and-breakfast establishments.

When one reflects on the local history of these islands, it is nothing short of amazing how art has activated all typologies of spaces and brought back life to the region, generating economic activity and bringing a sense of purpose and optimism to the local communities.

Given the charge that contemporary art is an elite enterprise which alienates the average man on the street, there is something refreshing in hearing an elderly local - possibly a farmer in an earlier part of his life - explain how one could interact with an artwork.

The islands also play host to a well-regarded contemporary arts festival, the Setouchi Triennale, which sees temporary site-specific artwork installed across the islandscape. First organised in 2010 and running for about eight months each time, the Triennale was last held last year.

With the support of the National Arts Council (NAC), Singapore's independent arts centre The Substation and artist Grace Tan took part in the 2013 edition of this visual arts festival. Grace Tan's work, titled In The Stillness, transformed a classroom in a defunct school on Shodoshima with a huge cloud-like sculpture made of two million polypropylene loop pins. (These are the plastic bits you see in a department store which attach price tags to apparel.)

Grace, who spent about three weeks in Japan, described how the work was constructed with the help of volunteers from Fukuda town, involving residents ranging from kindergarten and high school students to nursing home residents. They would spend time creating the sculpture bit by bit in the community centre or at other local sites, drinking tea and sharing local snacks.

Grace spoke of the warm ties that resulted from time spent together and how the completed work attracted Triennale visitors, who also got to enjoy the food specially prepared in the makeshift cafe within the defunct school. (Parallel to the art-making were workshops which taught local residents how to cook South-east Asian dishes, such as chicken rice and prawn noodles.)

It is heartening that a Singapore artist like Grace can create work which resonates on so many levels, in both critical reception and social outcomes. It is a reminder of the power of good art. I suspect though, that in all likelihood, such broadly transformative arts projects are more the exceptions than the norm, across the globe.

Terrorism threat to Singapore remains at highest level in years; Raise alert if someone you know is being radicalised

Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2017

Republic was specifically targeted last year; events in Marawi a cause for concern: Ministry of Home Affairs
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 2 Jun 2017

The rising tide of extremism worldwide has not left Singapore untouched, and it faces its highest terror threat level in recent years, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said yesterday.

"Singapore was specifically targeted in the past year, and the regional threat has heightened," the MHA said in its first Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report.

In October last year, an Arabic online publication titled The Fall Of The Idol: External Action And Individual Jihad singled out two entities here as potential targets - part of a wider bid to bring down United States and Western interests.

The Straits Times understands that the targets were the Singapore Exchange and a port.

MHA said security measures have been ramped up in the areas.

Saying that security agencies remain on high vigilance, it added: "The public should continue to stay alert and be prepared."

The report said that the worsening threat in the region arose mainly from terror group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its affiliates.

In the Philippines, a group calling itself "IS East Asia" overran Marawi City in Mindanao late last month.

While Philippine forces have moved to retake the city, the MHA said the siege of Marawi attests to the group's potential to turn parts of Mindanao into an "ISIS wilayat", or province for militants in the region. "Should this entity proliferate into a regional network, like the Jemaah Islamiah had done previously, the terrorism threat will deepen further in South-east Asia," it said.

At home, the threat remains very serious, the ministry added.

"Singapore is a key target. We have taken part in international coalitions against terrorism, and we represent many things that are anathema to ISIS," said the report.

Singapore is a secular democracy and host to economic and commercial interests from Western nations that ISIS considers "infidels", it added.

There have already been two ISIS plots to attack the country that the authorities have been aware of.

In the first half of last year, there was "reliable information" that foreign ISIS militants were considering carrying out an attack, and the authorities moved to mitigate the threat, said the MHA.

And last August, the Indonesian authorities foiled a plot by terrorists in Batam who planned to launch a rocket attack on Marina Bay.



Singapore also faces the risk of an attack by those influenced by ISIS propaganda.

Between 2007 and 2014, 11 radicalised Singaporeans were dealt with under the Internal Security Act. But the numbers have been growing, and since 2015, the Act has been used against 14 radicalised Singaporeans.

ISIS propaganda has also radicalised foreigners here - including some 40 Bangladeshi nationals since late 2015, and eight Indonesian domestic helpers since 2015.

The report called these radicalised individuals "a grave security concern". Any attacks they carry out can be hard to prevent and happen without warning - as everyday items like cars and knives are used.



A strong community response is critical in detecting and reporting radicalised individuals, MHA said.

It noted that in some cases that it detected, friends and family members had withheld information from the authorities because they refused to acknowledge the problem, or believed they were protecting their loved ones.

"The opposite is true," it added.

"The amorphous nature of the enemy we face today means that even though our security agencies will do what it takes to detect and prevent terrorist attacks, they cannot do so alone."

At stake are not just property and lives, but Singapore's identity as a multiracial, multi-religious society, MHA said, calling on people to play their part in keeping Singapore safe.

National Wages Council Guidelines 2017-2018

NWC calls for pay hikes for more low-wage workers
It proposes monthly wage hikes of $45-$60 for workers with a basic salary of up to $1,200
By Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 1 Jun 2017

Low-wage workers should be given a rise in monthly pay of between $45 and $60 this year, said the National Wages Council (NWC).

And to spread the gains wider, it recommended yesterday that these increments be given to those earning a basic salary of up to $1,200 a month, a higher threshold than the $1,100 used last year.

The higher pay ceiling will benefit an additional 40,700 local full-time employees, according to Ministry of Manpower figures. The ceiling was last raised from $1,000 to $1,100 in 2015, which covered some 92,400 of these workers based on last year's wages.

Employers that are doing well, with good business prospects, were also urged to reward their workers with built-in wage increases and variable payments in line with business performance.

These annual wage guidelines by the NWC, announced yesterday, were accepted by the Government and will take effect on July 1.

For the second year in a row, the NWC recommended a range of pay increments for low-wage workers instead of a fixed amount as in the previous four years.

The range, however, was pegged lower than the $50 to $65 recommended last year. This takes into account the patchy labour market and economic outlook, said NWC chairman Peter Seah. "The range is to provide flexibility for employers in the application of this particular recommendation," he added.

In a further fillip for low-wage workers, the NWC also called on employers to give those earning above $1,200 a pay rise and/or a one-off lump sum based on their skills and productivity.

For all workers, the NWC wants employers to give "fair and sustainable" wage increases. Those that did well but face uncertain prospects may moderate built-in wage increases but reward workers with variable payments.

Those that did poorly and face uncertain prospects may restrain wage rises, with management leading by example. They should strive harder to transform and grow, said the NWC. "The council's call has always been to share with workers your productivity increases, your performance improvements, and where you need to exercise restraint, you have to, because it is more important that workers keep their jobs," said Mr Seah.

The Government said yesterday that it would refer to the guidelines in its annual wage increment exercise even though all government employees earn above $1,200.

Pay hikes are getting harder to come by. Last year, three in four employees received them, slightly lower than the year before, as slowing economic growth hit firms.

Still, 21 per cent of employers rewarded low-paid staff according to the quantums given in last year's guidelines, up from 18 per cent in 2015 before the figures were given as a range, said the NWC. The guidelines are not legally binding.