Latest news with #MRT
Mint
18 hours ago
- Mint
‘Not charming, just creepy': Woman slams behaviour of fellow Indian men in Singapore
A Reddit post titled 'Creeped out on our first international girls' trip — by fellow Indians. Please, do better' has gone viral, sparking widespread conversations about safety, consent, and the conduct of Indian men abroad. Shared on the platform's travel subreddit, the post, which has received over 900 upvotes, recounts the unsettling experiences of four Indian women during their much-anticipated trip to Singapore, a destination chosen for its reputation as one of the safest for female travellers. What started as a dream getaway quickly took a disturbing turn. On the third day of the trip, while visiting a Buddhist temple, the group encountered an Indian man in his mid-20s who began following them across every floor of the temple. He struck up a conversation with one of the women, claiming he frequently visited Singapore, felt lonely, and wanted to hang out or be their 'guide.' Though the women politely declined, the man persisted, recommending a vegan restaurant inside the temple frequented by monks. Out of curiosity, the group visited the eatery, only to realise he was still following them. Things got more uncomfortable when he tried to pay for their food and asked them to reimburse him in cash, claiming he needed change. Despite repeated attempts to distance themselves, they spotted him again at a nearby store, more than an hour later. The incident was not isolated. The next evening at popular Singapore nightclub Zouk, the group was again approached, this time by two Indian men, who hovered near them at the bar, ordered the same drinks, and forced themselves into a group toast. Later, the men followed the group onto the dance floor until the women moved closer to a group of female tourists — only then did the men finally back off. What troubled the women most, as the post puts it, was that it wasn't strangers or locals making them feel unsafe; it was fellow Indians. 'In a country known for order and respect, they felt entitled to intrude, follow, and force interactions. To the men reading this: this isn't charming, it's creepy. Learn to read the room. Respect boundaries. No means no — even if it's not shouted.' The post struck a nerve with many Reddit users, especially women, who shared similar experiences while travelling abroad. Several users expressed anger and embarrassment over the behaviour of Indian men in international spaces. A user commented, 'I sometimes wonder how they are not embarrassed by their desperate attitude and sheer lack of self-respect. It's like someone is swatting a housefly away, and yet they won't stop buzzing around you. Go away… shoooo.' 'You really should have complained to the club authorities or the MRT security at Chinatown. A taste of Singapore's law enforcement would have taken care of these obnoxious men,' another wrote on Reddit. "Indian men should be held accountable for their actions. We've been ignoring and pushing them away for a long time, which only fuels them to pull such shit. Next time, don't hesitate to involve the police,' the third suggested.
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
Cancer Diaries: Where I almost tumble off an escalator and get reminded I'm a fall risk
JULY 16 — I almost fell off an escalator the other day and it made me so angry. Yes, I know someone reading this assumed perhaps I was careless, inattentive, staring at my phone or somehow distracted. My phone was in my bag. I was staring straight ahead. One arm gripping the handrail, both feet planted firmly on the step. Yet for a brief moment I felt disoriented all of a sudden and I swayed backward. If I hadn't been holding on tightly the back of my head would have met the floor; it was terrifying as I held on trying to right myself. This, despite when I'm walking on level ground always having to fight my body trying to hunch over like Gollum. I hate being reminded about how much more fragile I am but at the same time I now get why people will avoid the stairs/escalators and choose the lift. The only reason I was out and about was because I needed cat food and my picky tabby only likes a specific type — no mousse, no jelly, no chicken, only soupy or with gravy and I'd forgotten to order some online. Not that I'm not getting better. It doesn't hurt sitting down getting into a car now though getting out is another story. Some days I still get disoriented at odd times — I found myself doing a 360 degree turn in the bathroom, like my head couldn't quite grasp where I was until I spun around. Still I'm very conscious that besides my near-bald head I don't look sick so I'm sure people get judgy about the way I walk or my hasty shuffle into an MRT lift. Being hyper-vigilant is exhausting, though. If I hadn't been holding on tightly the back of my head would have met the floor; it was terrifying as I held on trying to right myself. — Freepik pic I continue to lightly tread on my mini-trampoline, no energetic jumps just stepping in place or to the side, occasionally incorporating arm boxing movements and pacing myself. When I first got it I couldn't even stand being on it for more than a couple of minutes. I got too winded. Now I regularly do the bounce for at least 10 minutes after meals and my resting heart rate has improved. Still, my near-fall is a reminder that all I can do is try and cross my fingers. On social media Malaysians grumble a lot seeing our politicians happily post photos of themselves doing walkabouts in foreign countries that would not be possible here. Sure, someone wrote, Malaysia is very walkable if you have no fear for your life! I would just like everywhere to be walkable because even our hospitals are not exactly wheelchair-friendly, despite their nature. Having taken the walking paths around KL General Hospital I note how uneven some pavements are and the crossings that would be difficult to navigate if I was solo in a wheelchair. Meanwhile the woman I'm quietly stalking on Threads had given up on trying to get zakat to fund her medication. She was told that she needed to redo her application, after she had followed up with not one but two offices to ask if they needed anything else from her. It's harrowing to see the hoops people need to jump just to survive. There is plenty of zakat money — why is it so hard to access for those who need it? What is this gatekeeping from what zakat was meant for? Having to go to a third zakat office after the first two gave her the runaround, I know she must be so tired. No one should struggle this hard to afford life saving medication and treatments. Fortunately by the time I finished drafting this column, her application had been re-assessed and approved. The road to the end of my treatment is within sight, coincidentally around my birthday next year. For other people like this woman the future is still uncertain and a long, expensive road full of trials such as bureaucratic red tape awaits them. Depressingly, instead of making treatment more accessible, we now have a new paid tier for public healthcare. One doctor said on X, now patients are going to grumble at us saying they paid extra, why aren't they getting seen faster? The problem: too few doctors, too many patients. The solution, apparently, is to give the people the option to pay more to get seen first. I am not sure what problem this solution solves but I hope people get angry enough to make their dissatisfaction over this, the government's problem.
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
Cancer Diaries: Where I almost fall off an escalator and get reminded I'm a fall risk
JULY 16 — I almost fell off an escalator the other day and it made me so angry. Yes, I know someone reading this assumed perhaps I was careless, inattentive, staring at my phone or somehow distracted. My phone was in my bag. I was staring straight ahead. One arm gripping the handrail, both feet planted firmly on the step. Yet for a brief moment I felt disoriented all of a sudden and I swayed backward. If I hadn't been holding on tightly the back of my head would have met the floor; it was terrifying as I held on trying to right myself. This, despite when I'm walking on level ground always having to fight my body trying to hunch over like Gollum. I hate being reminded about how much more fragile I am but at the same time I now get why people will avoid the stairs/escalators and choose the lift. The only reason I was out and about was because I needed cat food and my picky tabby only likes a specific type — no mousse, no jelly, no chicken, only soupy or with gravy and I'd forgotten to order some online. Not that I'm not getting better. It doesn't hurt sitting down getting into a car now though getting out is another story. Some days I still get disoriented at odd times — I found myself doing a 360 degree turn in the bathroom, like my head couldn't quite grasp where I was until I spun around. Still I'm very conscious that besides my near-bald head I don't look sick so I'm sure people get judgy about the way I walk or my hasty shuffle into an MRT lift. Being hyper-vigilant is exhausting, though. I continue to lightly tread on my mini-trampoline, no energetic jumps just stepping in place or to the side, occasionally incorporating arm boxing movements and pacing myself. When I first got it I couldn't even stand being on it for more than a couple of minutes. I got too winded. Now I regularly do the bounce for at least 10 minutes after meals and my resting heart rate has improved. Still, my near-fall is a reminder that all I can do is try and cross my fingers. On social media Malaysians grumble a lot seeing our politicians happily post photos of themselves doing walkabouts in foreign countries that would not be possible here. Sure, someone wrote, Malaysia is very walkable if you have no fear for your life! I would just like everywhere to be walkable because even our hospitals are not exactly wheelchair-friendly, despite their nature. Having taken the walking paths around KL General Hospital I note how uneven some pavements are and the crossings that would be difficult to navigate if I was solo in a wheelchair. Meanwhile the woman I'm quietly stalking on Threads had given up on trying to get zakat to fund her medication. She was told that she needed to redo her application, after she had followed up with not one but two offices to ask if they needed anything else from her. It's harrowing to see the hoops people need to jump just to survive. There is plenty of zakat money — why is it so hard to access for those who need it? What is this gatekeeping from what zakat was meant for? Having to go to a third zakat office after the first two gave her the runaround, I know she must be so tired. No one should struggle this hard to afford life saving medication and treatments. Fortunately by the time I finished drafting this column, her application had been re-assessed and approved. The road to the end of my treatment is within sight, coincidentally around my birthday next year. For other people like this woman the future is still uncertain and a long, expensive road full of trials such as bureaucratic red tape awaits them. Depressingly, instead of making treatment more accessible, we now have a new paid tier for public healthcare. One doctor said on X, now patients are going to grumble at us saying they paid extra, why aren't they getting seen faster? The problem: too few doctors, too many patients. The solution, apparently, is to give the people the option to pay more to get seen first. I am not sure what problem this solution solves but I hope people get angry enough to make their dissatisfaction over this, the government's problem.
The Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Sun
Time to connect the commute: Building a seamless transit system
THE recent move to allow the purchase of the My50 unlimited travel pass through the Touch 'n Go eWallet app is a welcome development. It offers added convenience, reduces queue times and reflects growing awareness of the need to modernise Malaysia's public transport system. However, this should not be mistaken as a major breakthrough. At best, it is a preliminary step – an overdue update that scratches only the surface of what true digitalisation could and should look like. If Malaysia is serious about transforming public transport into a world-class, efficient and sustainable system, we must go far beyond app-based ticketing. What we urgently need is a fully integrated, digitally powered public transport ecosystem. Malaysia still lacks a unified platform that allows commuters to seamlessly plan, pay and track their journeys across different modes of transport – be it MRT, LRT, buses, KTM trains or last-mile solutions like bicycles and e-scooters. A centralised mobility-as-a-service platform should be introduced, bringing together real-time route planning, mobile payments, fare discounts and service disruption notifications into one user-friendly interface. Such systems are already operational in places like Helsinki and Singapore, where multimodal commuting is treated as a single, smooth experience rather than a fragmented patchwork. Another area that demands urgent attention is route optimisation and service planning. Currently, many of our bus and train schedules are based on outdated assumptions. Artificial intelligence and data analytics should be deployed to analyse commuter behaviour, predict peak-hour congestion and dynamically adjust schedules and fleet deployment. Demand-responsive transit – where buses or vans are dispatched based on real-time passenger demand – can serve underserved suburbs and rural communities more effectively than rigid, fixed routes. The government and local councils must shift from static planning to smart, adaptive service design. We must also look at how people access public transport. If physical cards still need to be topped up at machines or tokens need to be bought at counters, then we have not truly digitalised the user journey. Malaysia should aim for a future where contactless, cardless and queueless travel is the norm. This could mean using smartphones, QR codes or even facial recognition for ticket validation – technologies already piloted in parts of China and Japan. Subscription-based travel models that operate like Netflix, where users pay a monthly fee for unlimited or tiered access, should also be explored. Digitalisation must also be inclusive. Public transport apps and platforms should be built with the needs of all users in mind – not just the tech-savvy or urban elite. Accessibility features such as text-to-speech, screen reader support, large icons and multilingual interfaces in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese and Tamil must be standard, not optional. Elderly users and those with disabilities should be able to use public transport apps with confidence, not confusion. Another often-overlooked area is feedback and responsiveness. Malaysians regularly endure broken escalators, overcrowded platforms or late arrivals without any clear way to report issues. Public transport apps should integrate crowdsourced feedback tools that allow commuters to report faults, rate service quality and suggest improvements. Transit agencies can then use this real-time data to maintain infrastructure, respond to service failures and increase accountability. Digitalisation should also empower users to shape the system, not just use it. Finally, digitalisation must be underpinned by transparent governance and open data. Currently, much of Malaysia's transport data is locked within government agencies or private operators. Opening up anonymised transit data through public APIs would allow startups, universities and civic groups to innovate on top of it – building better journey planners, accessibility tools and analytics dashboards. A culture of open, collaborative innovation will help Malaysia move faster and smarter. In short, while the My50 pass on TNG is a positive step, we must not stop here. If we are serious about digital transformation in public transport, then the government must think bigger, move faster and act bolder. It is time to reimagine public transport not just as a daily necessity but also as a digital public service that is efficient, inclusive and future-ready. Let us not settle for convenience when transformation is possible. Tan Wei Siang writes on economic policy, structural reform and Malaysia's development agenda. Comments: letters@
Straits Times
a day ago
- General
- Straits Times
Forum: Do away with steps at ground-level walkways for easier access
Find out what's new on ST website and app. There is a matter that affects many Singaporeans daily, especially the elderly, parents with strollers, people with mobility challenges, and even travellers with luggage. Across the city, public walkways still contain unnecessary steps, sometimes just one or two, which act as daily barriers to easy access. These steps appear at the edges of MRT stations, entrances to wet markets and hawker centres, linkways between HDB blocks, and paths leading into malls. I am referring to ground-level facilities where a step could easily be replaced by a ramp. These include short kerbs, platform steps and elevated entrances that could otherwise be reimagined with stepless, smooth transitions. Removing such steps would be a small but meaningful change that reflects empathy in urban planning. Let us consider a future where every walkway from home to the MRT, wet market or coffee shop is barrier-free. I urge the authorities to progressively eliminate unnecessary steps at all ground-level walkways. Foo Siang Yian
