Latest news with #Bishan
CNA
3 days ago
- Health
- CNA
Over 2,500 vaping reports in first half of 2025; HSA to launch online reporting form
SINGAPORE: More than 2,500 reports of vaping have been made in the first half of 2025, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Sunday (Jul 20). Compared with over 3,000 reports for the whole of 2024, HSA said it has seen a "significant increase" in public feedback on vaping-related offences. In one such case, HSA on Jul 11 caught a 21-year-old man who was allegedly distributing vapes and components in Bishan and Ubi. Officers conducted raids and seized almost three tonnes of vapes. He was charged in court on Jul 14, with the case adjourned to Aug 11. In May, HSA raided the homes of two 16-year-old boys who were allegedly vaping in a private-hire car. The driver had reported the incident to the traffic police, who seized two vapes from one of the boys. Another 54 pods and three vapes were found in his residence. Some of the pods were tested by HSA and found to contain etomidate. Etomidate is a fast-acting anaesthetic used in medical procedures. Adverse effects of etomidate include nausea and vomiting, uncontrollable movement or spasm of muscles, changes to breathing and blood pressure, and seizures and psychosis that can endanger health. No vapes or components were found at the other boy's home, and both are assisting HSA in investigations. In the same month, a video was posted online showing a 58-year-old man sitting on a road and holding a vape. He was unable to walk on his own and was shaking uncontrollably, with passers-by helping to get him off the road. HSA officers raided his residence but did not find any vapes, although the man admitted to vaping. He was issued a fine. In another case, a man was filmed vaping in a lift at Sim Lim Square and the video was posted on social media. HSA identified the 24-year-old, raided his residence and seized two vapes. He is assisting with investigations. HSA said there has been a "considerable increase" in the number of social media postings showing others vaping in public. "Through these public feedback and social media postings, HSA was able to use them as an additional source of surveillance data to intensify our enforcement activities," it added. ONLINE REPORTING HSA will launch a new online reporting form on Monday for people to report illegal vaping activities. They can also call the Tobacco Regulation Branch at 6684 2036 or 6684 2037. The operational hours will be extended to seven days a week, including public holidays, from 9am to 9pm. HSA said those with information on vaping activities can provide details of the suspected users, sellers or distributors, as well as photographs or videos showing the offender's face, if available. They should also include the location, date and time of the incident, as well as any other relevant information. "HSA looks into all vaping-related reports. Seized e-vaporisers and related components suspected to contain illegal substances, including etomidate and controlled drugs will be tested. "Offenders found to be dealing with or in possession of e-vaporisers with etomidate will face higher penalties under the Poisons Act. Those found with controlled drugs will be referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau." The purchase, possession and use of vapes are prohibited in Singapore. This includes purchases made online and from overseas. Offenders can be fined up to S$2,000 (S$1,560). Anyone convicted of importing, distributing, selling or offering for sale vapes or components can be fined up to S$10,000, jailed for up to six months or both. For subsequent offences, the maximum penalties are doubled.
Mint
5 days ago
- Mint
Civilisation is always in the eye of the beholder
At lunch they forgot the cutlery. To be fair, my partner Bishan and I had arrived after normal lunch hours. But the gracious hotel, housed in a beautifully restored 17th century colonial building in Tharangambadi, a former Danish colony on the coast of Tamil Nadu, assured us that was not a problem. We sat on the veranda, next to trees laden with pink and white magnolias, while dragonflies swooped around us, waiting for our fish kozhambu (curry) and banana leaf biryani. The food arrived but without plates. When we pointed that out, a flustered waiter ran off to get plates. Later Bishan realised we had no cutlery either. By then the wait staff had vanished as well. 'It's okay," I said. 'We'll just eat with our hands anyway." I don't know what the ghosts of dead Danes surrounding us in Tharangambadi, or Tranquebar as the Danes called it, would have made of our table manners. But eating with your fingers in the age of Zohran Mamdani felt like an assertion of post-colonial cultural pride. After a video surfaced of Mamdani, the man who wants to be New York's next mayor, eating biryani with his fingers, Texan Congressman Brandon Gill said 'civilised people in America don't eat like this. If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World." His Indian-origin wife Danielle D'Souza Gill insisted that even she never grew up eating rice with her hands. Civilisation was very much on my mind as we wandered around Tranquebar. This was where the Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plütschau landed in July 1706, the first Protestant missionaries in India. Their patron was Frederick IV, king of Denmark. Ziegenbalg brought not just Lutheranism but also a printing press. He printed the Bible in Tamil but at the house where he lived, it says the first book printed in Tamil was Abominable Heathenism in 1713. Missionary zeal was about the word of God but it also was always about civilising the abominable heathens. Ziegenbalg with his long curly golden hair, is all over the Danish quarter, his name as ubiquitous as Nehru's. Ziegenbalg Printing Press. The Ziegenbalg Museum of Intercultural Dialogue. The Ziegenbalg Home for Boys. A big street sign proclaims him as a man of many firsts. The first Protestant missionary to India. The first to bring the printing press to India. The first to print the New Testament in Tamil. The first to introduce the free noon meal scheme and a school for girls. The list goes on for some 24 painstakingly compiled items. What it does not mention is why he made the arduous eight-month sea voyage to India despite ill health. It was because his mentor August Hermann Francke, professor of divinity at the University of Halle in Saxony, proposed he kindle the holy spark in 'the heathen at Tranquebar". At the Zion Church in Tranquebar, a sign on the wall commemorates his first five converts, baptised in 1707. In India, history books always open with the Indus Valley Civilisation. That's roughly 3300-1300 BCE. Since then many other civilisations rose and fell up and down the Indian subcontinent. Yet missionaries still felt they needed to show Indians the light. Tranquebar feels haunted by the ghosts of that exercise in civilisation. It's a picture-postcard village—golden beach, blue waters of the Bay of Bengal and the houses of the long- departed Danes blindingly white in the hot sun. Many of the houses are being carefully restored. They bear plaques from INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and the foundations in Denmark. But they are mostly shuttered as if unsure of their purpose in the afterlife. The Commander's House has become a Maritime museum but it's half-hearted. One shelf in the display cabinet has a heap of old cameras. Another has 'coat buttons from old period". Yet another has a junk store's worth of old-school typewriters. Someone put up a display shelf of empty bottles of alcohol—not Danish spirits but more mundane entries like Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum and Johnnie Walker sitting next to little murtis of gods like Krishna. One room has more evidence of the 'civilising" mission of colonialism—black and white photographs of the short-lived Danish attempt to colonise the Nicobar islands. The exercise went nowhere. Most of the colonists died from 'Nicobar fever", most likely malaria, and eventually the whole project was abandoned. The only vestige of civilisation left? In one photograph of the Shompen tribe, the men all discreetly hide their genitals with their hands, so as not to offend the sensibilities of more civilised viewers. The museum sells tiny bottles filled with blue-and-white pieces of Danish pottery to tourists. For ₹300 you can take home the broken shards of civilisation. In his book Gods, Guns and Missionaries: The Making of Modern Hindu Identity, Lounge columnist Manu Pillai recounts many fascinating stories of this clash of civilisations as devout missionaries came upon this teeming country of heathens. Missionaries only had one way to access god, which was through the Bible, says Pillai. So anything that was not god had to be Satan. Pillai writes that it's likely they turned a temple to the Devi in Calicut into the 'Devil of Calicut" because as he says, 'people come with their own cultural filters and apply that to an unfamiliar culture to make sense of that culture." Even those who went native, like Robert de Nobili who called himself an Italian Brahmin and dressed like a sanyasi or Ziegenbalg who translated German hymns into Tamil, were convinced of their superior civilising power. They just felt dressing it up in Hindu clothes would help them sell it better to the Indian masses they wanted to convert. Over time that civilising mission entered deep into the Indian DNA as well. It's easy to bristle at Brandon Gill. How dare the country that exported the KFC slogan 'finger lickin' good" now call eating with fingers uncivilised? Commentators rightly called out racism with some remembering how French filmmaker Francois Truffaut sneered he didn't want to see 'a movie of peasants eating with their hands" after watching Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali, which opens with just such a scene. Former parliamentarian Jawahar Sircar pointed out in the Indian Express recently that forks were actually unknown to the West till a Byzantine princess brought them to Venice in the medieval period. The Church at that time saw it as decadent, not in accordance with Christian values because it wasn't essential to life, rather something brought by 'a seductress of the East." Yet many of the members of Kolkata's plummy gentlemen's clubs, civilised by a couple of centuries of exposure to colonial manners, would not be unsympathetic to Brandon Gill. The rules of many of the clubs remain starchily archaic. Civilisation becomes not so much about refinement as it is about aping the manners of the colonial masters. And there are plenty of brown sahibs around to ensure old rules live on. But in Tranquebar, the long-departed Danes seem to have left nothing behind other than empty buildings. The Danish fort, once the second largest in the world, is now just a place where Indians take selfies next to the cannons without much regard to its history. A vendor sells fried fish outside, to be eaten with fingers. Whatever civilisation the Danes intended feels like a whitewashed facade of an empty building. But then civilisation is always in the eye of the beholder. No one has a monopoly on it. On that same trip, as we had a beer at a small dark bar in Trichy, the waiter kept bringing us little plates of munchies—chickpeas, chilli chicken, slices of boiled eggs, Fryums, idli chunks with podi, wedges of watermelon. 'So much food!" we cried in alarm. 'But it's complimentary," the waiter protested. 'You must have some chakna with your drink." Used as we were too one measly bowl of salted peanuts with our drinks, whether in Kolkata or in New York, we stared at the veritable picnic spread before us in amazement. Even more surprisingly, I found out later, in Tamil slang chakna is called 'touchings", literally food to be eaten with your fingers. It all felt, dare I say it, so very civilised. Cult Friction is a fortnightly column on issues we keep rubbing up against. Sandip Roy is a writer, journalist and radio host. He posts @sandipr.
CNA
5 days ago
- CNA
Man nabbed in HSA Bishan operation charged with having over 800 K-pods for sale
SINGAPORE: A man said to be a deliveryman for illegal electronic vapouriser K-pods was charged in court on Friday (Jul 18) with possessing more than 800 of the pods containing vape juice for sale. Chin Wei Liang, Jodan, 27, was handed six charges - three for possessing K-pods or components for sale, and three of possessing such items. K-pods refer to pods that contain vape juice mixed with etomidate. They have been touted by online sellers to be undetectable in urine tests. Etomidate is classified as a poison under the Poisons Act and import and sale of the substance requires a licence. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) previously warned that inhaling the sedative directly into the lungs can cause side effects like spasms, breathing issues and seizures. Chin was arrested by HSA in an operation last week. According to his charges tendered on Friday, Chin is accused of possessing the following pods at about 3.50pm on Jul 10 near Block 189, Bishan Street 13: Two USDT assorted K-pods, grape flavoured, worth S$140 (US$109); 81 K-pods in different flavours; 114 pieces of USDT K-pods in assorted flavours; 53 pieces of Lucifer K-pods in assorted flavours; 65 pieces of Beta XL K-pods in different flavours; 63 pieces of "$" K-pods; 73 "Marbo" K-pods; 13 pieces of "VIP" K-pods and 341 pieces of "Zombie" K-pods. Chin also allegedly had 24 vapes without pods for sale. He is also accused of having the following in his own possession: Three vapes - one without pods; cartridges and related vape products, and a box containing 19 "Heetsticks" stated to be "harmful tobacco products". The prosecutor sought six weeks' adjournment for investigations to be completed. "In this case, there was quite a large number of what suspected to be K-pods seized from the accused. There's also likely to be further charges involved," he said. Asked if he was able to get a bailor, the unrepresented Chin said his cousin was in court with him. He will return to court in August. If convicted of possessing imitation tobacco products or components for sale under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, Chin could be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- Malay Mail
She weighed just 24kg when she died: Ex-traffic cop jailed 10 years in maid abuse case that shocked Singapore
SINGAPORE, July 17 — Suspended police officer Kevin Chelvam was sentenced to 10 years' jail today for his role in the fatal abuse of Myanmar domestic worker Piang Ngaih Don, in one of Singapore's worst maid abuse cases. According to The Straits Times, the 46-year-old former traffic police officer was convicted of four charges, including abetting his then-wife, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, to voluntarily cause grievous hurt by starvation. He was also found guilty of voluntarily causing hurt, giving false information to police, and tampering with crucial evidence. Chelvam, who was Piang's legal employer, failed to stop the prolonged abuse, even though he lived in the same Bishan flat and witnessed the brutality. In one instance captured on CCTV, Chelvam was seen grabbing the maid by her hair and lifting her off the ground. District Judge Teoh Ai Lin, in sentencing him, said: 'His actions in joining the assault were dehumanising.' She also highlighted his duty to protect the victim, stating, 'He should have stopped the abuse… instead, he too assaulted her.' Chelvam's final charge of using criminal force was withdrawn, resulting in a discharge amounting to an acquittal. This means he cannot be charged again for that offence. The judge noted that Chelvam, as a police officer, understood the importance of evidence but dismantled the CCTV recorder in a failed attempt to cover up the abuse. 'If the CCTV footage had not been recovered, Piang Ngaih Don could have taken to her grave what happened during her last days,' she reportedly said. Piang, 24, weighed only 24kg and had a body mass index of 11.3 when she died on July 26, 2016, after 14 months of repeated abuse. Prosecutors said she was often fed only water-soaked bread and stole seasoning to survive. She died from brain injury and severe trauma. Gaiyathiri was sentenced to 30 years' jail in 2021, while her mother Prema S. Naraynasamy received 17 years in 2023. Both pleaded guilty. Chelvam, who has been suspended from the police since 2016, will begin serving his sentence on July 31. His bail remains set at S$25,000 (RM82,557).
Independent Singapore
6 days ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Diner upset his lontong meal cost S$5 after adding begedil, but netizens say it's still ‘cheap'
Photo: Complaint Singapore/Facebook user Latt Latt SINGAPORE: A diner took to social media to vent his frustration after being charged $5 for a simple bowl of lontong at Bishan Interchange Food Centre. In a post on the 'Complaint Singapore' Facebook page on Tuesday (July 16), the man shared that his breakfast, which was listed at S$3, ended up costing S$5 after a piece of begedil was added to the dish. 'I was in shock,' he wrote. 'I ordered lontong for S$3; they added begedil, and the total cost became S$5? I couldn't say I didn't want it because it was already in the lontong bowl. He then asked other locals in the group, 'Are potato begedils really so expensive??' Photo: Screenshot from Complaint Singapore 'Begedil looks simple, but it's a lot of work.' The post quickly gained traction on the platform, though many netizens did not take the diner's side. Some felt he should have clarified his order or asked about the additional cost upfront. 'Just learn from your mistake,' one netizen told him. 'Next time ask for the price before ordering side dishes.' 'Can't afford! Move on and find something else cheaper to eat,' another said. 'You don't go into a Mercedes-Benz showroom with only enough money to buy a vehicle made in China.' Others pointed out that S$2 for begedil wasn't unreasonable, given the time and effort it takes to prepare the dish. 'Begedil looks simple, but it's a lot of work,' one commented. Another wrote, 'Try cooking every meal from scratch yourself, and you will understand the time and cost involved.' A few also noted that S$5 for lontong with an add-on is still considered affordable compared to rising prices at many other hawker stalls. One said, 'Ehhh dol, S$5 is already cheap sia… Other places can go up to S$7.' Another commented, 'Nowadays, S$5 for food is the norm everywhere. And since you added food, it's considered cheap already. I think you haven't eaten out in a long time.' In related news, a customer shared his disappointment on social media after receiving a surprisingly thin slice of salmon at a hawker stall in Suntec City's Food Republic. The set, which included spicy chicken galbi, came with a piece of grilled salmon that Mr Khoo noted was much thinner than he expected. '1st [time] saw such a thin salmon,' he mentioned in the caption. Read more: 'I thought it was egg' — Diner disappointed by $8 thin slice of salmon that looked like a piece of fried egg () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
