Indonesia busts baby trafficking ring; 5 bound for buyers in Singapore
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Straits Times
40 minutes ago
- Straits Times
SMRT reports unauthorised post on its X account, says investigation under way
Find out what's new on ST website and app. At 11.08pm on July 27, a photo of a woman in traditional attire was posted on SMRT's official X account, accompanied by the caption 'R'. SINGAPORE – SMRT has reported an unauthorised post to X that appeared on the train operator's official social media account late on July 27. At 1 1.08pm on July 27, a photo of a South Asian woman in traditional attire was posted on the account, accompanied by the caption 'R'. Checks by The Straits Times showed that the post remained online for about 10 minutes before it was removed. During that brief window, it garnered over 2,000 views and was reposted more than 20 times , a figure that is higher than the account's usual engagement rate. SMRT's official X account SMRT Corporation has over 471,000 followers. The page typically posts announcements and update s on disruptions to train services . In response to queries from ST, SMRT on July 28 sa id it was looking into the matter. 'We are aware of an unauthorised post that appeared on our official X account late Sunday night. We have reported the incident to X and are currently investigating this matter,' said Ms Margaret Teo , its group chief communications officer. The post sparked confusion online, with users of online platforms Reddit and HardwareZone sharing screenshots and speculating that SMRT's X account might have been hacked, or that a page administrator had accidentally posted a personal photo. Others questioned if the account had been spoofed. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole backfilled; road to be repaved after LTA tests Singapore MRT platform screen doors at 15 underground stations to undergo renewal Singapore 'Medium risk' of severe haze as higher agricultural prices drive deforestation: S'pore researchers Singapore Jail for former pre-school teacher who tripped toddler repeatedly, causing child to bleed from nose Singapore Police statements by doctor in fake vaccine case involving Iris Koh allowed in court: Judge Singapore Authorities say access to Changi intertidal areas unaffected by reclamation, in response to petition Singapore No change to SIA flights between S'pore and Cambodia, S'pore and Thailand, amid border dispute Singapore Not feasible for S'pore to avoid net‑zero; all options to cut energy emissions on table: Tan See Leng ST has sent further queries to SMRT.
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CNA
40 minutes ago
- CNA
Jail for preschool teacher who deliberately tripped toddler four times
SINGAPORE: A former preschool teacher who repeatedly tripped a toddler at a childcare centre was sentenced to nine months and two weeks' jail on Monday (Jul 28). Saiidah Kamarudin, 34, earlier pleaded guilty to one of two counts of ill-treating the girl, who suffered bruises to her face and bled from her nose. The other charge was taken into consideration for her sentencing. The victim and the childcare centre cannot be named to protect the girl's identity. Saiidah began working for the childcare centre in end-September 2023, but she submitted her resignation the following month. Her employment lasted until mid-November. On the day of the incident in November, Saiidah had taken the 20-month-old girl to the toilet slightly after noon to clean her up. As the girl stood before her, Saiidah, who was seated, swept her leg outwards to catch the toddler's foot, causing the girl to stumble. After this, Saiidah swept her leg inwards, causing the toddler to fall backwards onto the floor. The teacher then lifted the girl to her feet and cleaned her face with a tissue. As the two were headed out of the toilet area, Saiidah repeated the sweeping motion twice. The latter incident caught the toddler on both legs and caused her to fall on her face. Saiidah's actions were captured by a closed-circuit television camera (CCTV). The footage was played in court. SENTENCING ARGUMENTS The prosecution urged the court to sentence Saiidah to a jail term of between 15 and 16 months. Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie said the case represented a "disturbing breach of trust by a childcare professional who deliberately and repeatedly tripped a 20-month-old toddler in her care". "Such calculated violence against a defenceless toddler who was entrusted to the care of the accused strikes at the heart of public confidence in Singapore's early childhood sector," said Mr Cheah. The prosecution pointed out that the victim had bled from her nose and suffered bruises and swelling on her face. He also described the offence as "deliberate and calculated" in nature. "The accused had committed the offences in the private toilet area of the school premises, which was separated by a wall from the rest of the school, making detection particularly difficult. The victim, being unable to speak, could not inform anyone of the offences," Mr Cheah told the court. Saiidah's lawyer, Deepak Natverlal from Crown Juris Law, argued that a jail term was not warranted. He sought the maximum fine of S$8,000 (US$6,250), and for the court to order that she execute a bond of good behaviour for a period. Alternatively, Mr Natverlal argued for a jail term of no more than three months, and a fine of S$5,000. He said that Saiidah, a mother of two, started working at the childcare centre with a view to enrolling her children there. However, she found the curriculum unsuitable and tendered her resignation. Mr Natverlal laid out the circumstances behind Saiidah's resignation, saying these "showed that the accused felt that there were matters in the school that were not child-centric". He said Saiidah had attempted to highlight these matters to the management to ensure that the children's interests and welfare were not compromised. Instead, she felt "quietly aggrieved" when her words went unheeded. "The accused felt unwelcome at this place. The present staff had their own cliques. The accused felt like an outcast from the beginning ... she felt the staff did not take her seriously and made her feel that she was not good enough to do the lesson plans for the children, which, on the contrary, she was capable of doing as she had worked ... before as a pre-school teacher," said Mr Natverlal. The lawyer also cited a defective water heater, poor quality meals for the children, poor hygiene practices and extensive TV exposure as a few other problems she experienced while working at the childcare centre. His client also felt that there was a lack of welfare for teachers like her, who had two young children. Despite these challenges, Saiidah still "endeavoured to do her best" as a teacher, the defence lawyer said. "As a mother of two very young children, the accused feels aggrieved that her actions had led to the child being injured in the manner that she suffered. "The accused acknowledges that she could have behaved better and that it was a solitary incident wherein she had lost her sense of judgment," Mr Natverlal said, adding that Saiidah was remorseful.
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Contested police statements by doctor in fake COVID-19 jab case can be used by prosecution, court rules
SINGAPORE: A court ruled on Monday (Jul 28) that contested police statements by a doctor in a case of fake COVID-19 vaccines are admissible and can be used by the prosecution. The six statements, made in January 2022 by Dr Jipson Quah, implicate his co-accused Iris Koh Hsiao Pei and identify patients who allegedly used saline instead of COVID-19 vaccines. Dr Quah, 37, is on trial along with his clinic assistant, Thomas Chua Cheng Soon, 43, and Koh, 49, who founded Healing the Divide, a group that is known to be against COVID-19 vaccination. Quah is contesting 17 charges of dishonestly making false representations to the Health Promotion Board that his patients had received the COVID-19 vaccines, when they had not. He is accused of conspiring with his patients, Koh and Chua, in various permutations. However, soon after the trial began, Dr Quah's lawyer Adrian Wee objected to the six contested police statements being used. In the six contested statements, Dr Quah identified 15 to 17 patients who had taken saline shots instead of COVID-19 vaccines, in order to be reflected as vaccinated in the National Immunisation Registry. He also claimed that Koh was the "complete mastermind" and that most of the patients were directed to him by Koh. Dr Quah alleged that the statements were given under two inducements while he was remanded for investigations. First, that he could be granted bail if he helped the police identify the names of patients who received fake vaccinations. Second, that he could be given bail if he helped the police to implicate his co-accused Koh in his statements. This issue was looked at in an ancillary hearing – a separate hearing to decide on this specific issue – over several days. On Monday, District Judge Paul Quan agreed with the prosecution that the statements were admissible and that no threat, inducement or promise was made by the police officers to Dr Quah. Judge Quan said the statements were given voluntarily, and that Dr Quah had continued to implicate Koh even after being bailed out, "indeed doubling down". The main trial will resume in the afternoon, with one of the investigation officers recalled to the stand. Dr Quah is represented by Mr Adrian Wee, while Mr Wee Pan Lee defends Koh. Chua is currently unrepresented but said he is in talks to get a lawyer on board.
