Latest news with #Chua
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Man charged with having 320 vape pods and over 70 vapes meant for sale in car at Singapore's Bugis mall
SINGAPORE: A man was hauled to court after he was caught with 320 e-vaporiser pods and more than 70 e-vaporisers in a car at a Bugis shopping mall. Most of the vapes and their related components were meant for sale, according to details revealed in court documents. On Wednesday (July 30), Byron Chua Longming, 36, was handed five charges under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act. The Singaporean was purportedly found with the illicit products in a car on Aug 6, 2024, at about 12.30pm at Bugis Plus. Charge sheets did not state if it was his vehicle. Of the products, 72 vapes and 320 pods were allegedly for the purposes of sale, while one other vape found in his possession was not meant for sale. At about 4.40pm the same day, Chua was found to have more vapes and related components at an HDB flat at Block 217 Tampines Street 23. He allegedly had 30 pods for the purposes of sale, and two vapes which were not meant to be sold. A Health Sciences Authority (HSA) prosecutor said on July 30 that the prosecution would be handing Chua one more charge at his next court mention on Aug 21. If convicted of possessing vapes and their related components for sale, Chua could be fined up to S$10,000 and jailed for up to six months for each charge. Having such products, even if they are not meant to be sold, carries a maximum fine of $2,000 per charge. HSA seized $41 million worth of vapes from January 2024 to March 2025 – nearly fivefold the reported value of vapes seized from 2019 to end-2023, according to numbers compiled by The Straits Times. The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Home Affairs said in a joint statement on July 12 that they are looking at enhancing laws around vaping. The authorities said enforcement agencies will be taking stern action against those who import, sell, distribute, possess, use or purchase e-vaporisers. Since July 21, HSA has extended the operating hours for its Tobacco Regulation Branch hotline on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 to report vaping-related offences. The hotline operates from 9am to 9pm daily, including on public holidays. HSA has also launched a new online portal to report vaping-related offences at If you have a story to share about vapes, e-mail us at stnewsdesk@ - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
Man charged with having 320 vape pods and over 70 vapes meant for sale in car at Bugis mall
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox On July 30, Byron Chua Longming, 36, was handed five charges under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act. SINGAPORE – A man was hauled to court after he was caught with 320 vaporiser pods and over 70 vaporisers in a car at a Bugis shopping mall. Most of the vapes and its related components were meant for sale, according to details revealed in court documents. On July 30, Byron Chua Longming, 36, was handed five charges under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act. The Singaporean was purportedly found with the illicit products in a car on Aug 6, 2024 at about 12.30pm at Bugis Plus. Charge sheets did not state if it was his vehicle. Of the products, 72 e-cigarette vaporisers and 320 pods were allegedly for the purposes of sale, while one other vape found in his possession was not meant for sale. At 4.39pm the same day, Chua was found with more vapes and related components at an HDB flat at Block 217 Tampines Street 23. He allegedly had 30 pods for the purposes of sale, and two vapes which were not meant to be sold. A Health Sciences Authority (HSA) prosecutor said on July 30 that the prosecution would be handing Chua one more charge at his next court mention on Aug 21. If convicted of possessing vapes and its related components for sale, Chua could be fined up to $10,000 and jailed for up to six months for each charge. Having such products, even if they are not meant to be sold, carries a maximum fine of $2,000 per charge. HSA seized $41 million worth of vapes from January 2024 to March 2025 – nearly fivefold the reported value seized from 2019 to end-2023, according to numbers compiled by The Straits Times. The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Home Affairs said in a joint statement on July 12 that they are looking at enhancing laws around vaping. The authorities noted that enforcement agencies will be taking stern action against those who import, sell, distribute, possess, use or purchase e-vaporisers. Since July 21, HSA has extended the operating hours for its Tobacco Regulation Branch hotline on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 to report vaping-related offences. The hotline operates from 9am to 9pm daily, including on public holidays. HSA has also launched a new online portal to report vaping-related offences at
Straits Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Chloe Chua and SSO's latest album hits No. 1 on Apple Music's classical music charts
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox This is the second time an album by Chloe Chua and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra has topped Apple Music's classical music chart. SINGAPORE – Singaporean violinist Chloe Chua's new album Mozart: Violin Concertos has reached the No. 1 spot on Apple Music's global Classical Top 100 charts. The album, recorded with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) under the baton of Hans Graf, also reached No. 5 on the United Kingdom's Official Specialist Classical Chart. The album was released on July 18. This is the second time Chua and the SSO have snagged the top spot. The first was in August 2024, with their recording of Butterfly Lovers Concerto & Paganini, which was released on July 26, 2024. The SSO has been steadily clocking new achievements with recordings and tours post-pandemic. In 2023, its recording of film composer Bernard Herrmann's Suite From Wuthering Heights: Echoes For Strings debuted at No. 5 on the UK's classical music chart , the first time it cracked the Official Specialist Classical Chart's coveted top five spots. Chua and the SSO bettered that achievement when Butterfly Lovers reached No. 4. The orchestra also went on a sold-out three-city tour in Australia in February. Singapore Symphony Group chief executive officer Kenneth Kwok says: 'This achievement is further proof that our national orchestra and Singapore classical music talents are gaining global attention, and able to compete on the international stage. 'We are especially proud of this recognition in a field that is dominated by orchestras with a much longer tradition and history. When we made the BBC Music Magazine's world's top orchestras list in 2022, we were one of the two youngest and only two Asian orchestras.' Mozart: Violin Concertos teams Chua with Chinese violinist Ziyu He, a fellow alumnus of the Yehudi Menuhin Competition. The recording includes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Rondos, K. 269 and K. 373, as well as the Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364. In a four-starred review of the recording, British newspaper The Guardian noted that Chua holds attention with her 'notably mature' interpretations, which are 'balanced, considered and never trying too hard'. The review added: 'Everything Chua plays has a clean, focused tone, an unfailingly elegant turn of phrase and a quiet wit.' Chua will be performing Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with the SSO at the Esplanade Concert Hall on Aug 21 and 22. Tickets are sold out, but additional seats in the choir gallery have been released.
New Paper
2 days ago
- New Paper
Conman who cheated 13 victims of over $1.2m jailed
A former insurance agent was jailed for cheating 13 victims of over $1.2 million in total, some of whom were people he ferried in his private-hire vehicle and convinced that he was purportedly a successful forex trader. Benjamin Chua Sian Yang, 37, who committed several of the offences after the police started investigating him, was sentenced to six years and three months' jail on July 28. The Singaporean had pleaded guilty to three counts of cheating involving eight victims and over $1.1 million. Each person was cheated of between $35,000 and $260,000. Five other charges including those linked to the remaining victims and amount were considered during his sentencing. In their victim impact statements, six of Chua's victims "indicated that they suffered great financial losses and were very hurt by the accused's actions, especially where they had a longstanding relationship", said Deputy Public Prosecutor Susanna Yim. "Some reported that due to the stress, their health suffered, and their personal relationships were also affected," she added. Chua's offences took place between February 2019 and August 2023. DPP Yim said Chua used to work as a relationship manager at a bank, and a personal banker at another financial institution. To earn extra cash, he also worked as a private-hire driver from around 2017. The following year, he started working as an insurance agent before his employment was terminated around July 2021 over reasons not disclosed in court documents. DPP Yim said Chua got to know some of his victims through his work at one of the banks or the insurance firm as they were his clients. He also got to know some other victims as they were passengers in his private-hire vehicle, and he had engaged them in conversations about finances and investments. The prosecutor said: "He would talk to his passengers and give them the impression that he was a successful forex trader so that they would be interested to invest with him." Court documents stated that he cheated a 47-year-old stylist of the largest amount - $260,000. Chua and the stylist first met in May 2017 when she engaged his services as a private-hire driver, and he told her that he was a financial adviser at an insurance firm. Between that year and 2018, the woman spoke to him on financial matters, and later made investments in the firm through him. On Feb 20, 2019, he lied in text messages to her that he had started his own trading platform in stocks and shares. He convinced her into "investing" $30,000 for an eight-month term at 1 per cent interest per month in stock. She then transferred the amount to one of his bank accounts. Chua went on to tell her about other so-called investment opportunities, and she transferred another $230,000 to his other bank account later that year. Chua "used the money for gambling and collectibles", instead of investing it in stocks or shares, said DPP Yim. "He used income he generated through other means to pay $2,400 worth of investment interest and provided one free iPhone and one red packet of $500 which were offered as a means to entice (her) into agreeing to invest with him on a continual basis and to prevent detection of his crime," the prosecutor added. Chua cheated multiple other people by using a similar method. One of them was a female clerk, 54, whom he met in December 2020 while he was working as a private-hire driver. He later duped her into handing him $65,000, and she lodged a police report on April 4, 2021. Court documents did not disclose what spurred her to do so. The prosecutor said the clerk was the first person linked to the case to alert the authorities. Chua gave a statement to the police on April 18, 2021, but he was neither arrested nor remanded at the time. Other victims, including the stylist, later alerted the authorities, and he was finally arrested in August 2023.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Recognising Malaysia's tourism trailblazers
(From left) Rashidi, Emmy Suraya, Chua, Castaldi and Azimah at the press conference to launch Tourism Industry Awards 2025 in Petaling Jaya. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star Award categories include best products, services and sustainable initiatives, with added focus on Selangor's industry players THIS year's Tourism Industry Awards is set to celebrate the best in the industry across 90 categories. 'The awards encompass various aspects of tourism such as hotels, tour guides, tourism products, shopping centres and convention centres,' said its organising chairman Datuk Emmy Suraya Hussein. The second edition of the awards has drawn 150 entries, and some 1,100 local and international tourism players are expected to attend the Aug 9 ceremony at a hotel in Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya in Selangor. 'It is also the first time we are collaborating with Tourism Selangor, in conjunction with Visit Selangor Year 2025 (VSY 2025). 'This is a good chance to strengthen our relationship and provide more opportunities for local tourism players, especially those in Selangor,' she said during a press conference. Emmy Suraya said the award ceremony was also a celebration of resilience, creativity and excellence in tourism. 'As Malaysia continues to elevate its position as a top global travel destination, these awards honour trailblazers who have made significant contributions to the tourism industry,' she said. The awards are jointly organised by Malaysia International Tourism Development Association (Mitda), Tourism Selangor and a travel magazine. Also present at the press conference were Mitda president Captain (Rtd) Mahadzir Mansor, Tourism Selangor chief executive officer Chua Yee Ling, Tourism Industry Awards 2025 head juror Datuk Rashidi Hasbullah and Tourism Malaysia senior director (package development division) Azimah Aziz. Sunway Hospitality Group chief executive officer Alex Castaldi and Subang Jaya deputy mayor Mohd Zulkurnain Che Ali also attended the event which saw the launch of Tourism Industry Awards 2025. Mahadzir said each winner would have the chance to promote their products to both local and international audiences. 'Mitda will provide the winners with slots to promote their tourism packages and products via World Tourism Channel, Mitda's electronic platform.' He said the winners' products would also be promoted in the travel magazine as well as other print media. 'Winners will also be recognised as a 'Tourism Ambassador of Malaysia' to help promote the country's tourism industry,' he added. Meanwhile, Chua said Selangor government had introduced 20 special award categories to recognise the contributions of tourism players and media professionals across the state. 'Tourism Industry Awards 2025 is more than a celebration. 'It is also a strategic platform to promote VSY 2025 and our signature domestic tourism campaign 'Selangor Kan Ada'. 'It is also an appreciation for those who have played a role in boosting tourist arrivals and enriching the tourism landscape in Selangor. 'We believe that by acknowledging these efforts, we can inspire more innovation, sustainability and excellence across the industry,' she said. Chua added that the awards ceremony was also a good avenue for tourism players to gather and exchange opinions to elevate the industry.
