Latest news with #PeopleAssociation
CNA
01-08-2025
- CNA
Ex-PA employee fails to overturn conviction for sexual assault of teen boy in 2007
SINGAPORE: A man who used to oversee a youth network as part of his role in the People's Association (PA) failed in his appeal to overturn his conviction for sexual offences involving a teen boy. Ranjeet Prasad was the manager of community projects for the PA in the South East or North West Community Development Council. He oversaw a youth network that organised events for those under 21. He has since been dismissed from the PA. He was accused of manipulating the victim, then 16, into the sexual acts in 2007 after getting to know the teen that year. The victim cannot be named to protect his identity. At a lower court, Prasad claimed trial and was found guilty on three counts of having carnal intercourse against the order of nature. He first met the teen in 2007 when the latter participated in a singing competition. The victim had been excited about being a part of the youth network as it involved modelling, something he was interested to pursue as he hoped to become a singer or actor. He had also been excited to meet Prasad on several occasions under the belief that he had secured a photoshoot or could have been recruited as talent. Prasad had asked the boy "how far he was willing to go" and about oral sex. He committed three instances of carnal intercourse with the victim between Jun 7, 2007 and Dec 31, 2007. One instance occurred in a cubicle of a male toilet in the vicinity of Paya Lebar, where Prasad's office had been. The other two instances were in a hotel in the Lavender area. A District Judge sentenced him to 10 years and six months' jail, and Prasad filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence. Justice See Kee Oon, who presided over the appeal on Friday, dismissed both appeals. ACCUSED'S APPEAL ARGUMENTS Prasad, represented by lawyer Martin Francis De Cruz from Shenton Law Practice, urged Justice See to set aside his client's conviction on the grounds that the victim's testimony in court was not "unusually convincing" due to several inconsistencies. Mr De Cruz pointed out what he described as discrepancies between the evidence given during the trial and previous statements. One "elephant in the room" was the victim's testimony that his mother had taken him to see a psychiatrist at National University Hospital (NUH). His mother had given evidence that she could not recall doing so, pointed out Mr De Cruz. The victim said that he informed an NUH psychiatrist about his sexual assault. "Your honour, in such circumstances, if the complainant's testimony were true and correct, the psychiatrist would have been called to give evidence in court," said Mr De Cruz, adding that a "memorandum" setting out the victim's account would have been produced. "The simple fact that there was no evidence of this adduced in court has to be taken as ... a contradiction against his testimony," the lawyer added. "The irresistible inference must be that he did not see a psychiatrist, and he did not make any complaints of (sexual assault) to the psychiatrist." The lawyer applied the same argument to the victim's alleged reports of the offences to professionals at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE). "(Prasad's) strongest argument would be this: These were three institutions which he reported the (sexual assault) incidents to. No persons from these institutions were called to give evidence in corroboration of his narrative ... no documents were adduced of his complaints," Mr De Cruz said. Mr De Cruz also pointed out the discrepancies between the victim's testimony in court and his police statement on the location of the toilet where one of the offences had occurred. The victim testified that the toilet was within a building, but stated this toilet was outside the building in his statement to the police. The defence also argued that the victim told his brother and sister about the offences in 2017, but that both of his siblings were not called as witnesses to corroborate his evidence. Mr De Cruz briefly raised a point related to the victim's motive by suggesting that he had faced financial difficulties, but discontinued this argument later on. This point was disregarded by Justice See after Mr De Cruz clarified that he would not pursue this argument. "The question is whether the complainant's testimony is unusually convincing and (my client's) position is (that) in the light of these contradictions one cannot say ... the complainant's testimony was unusually convincing," said Mr De Cruz. PROSECUTION'S REPLY The prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Selene Yap, disagreed that the lack of evidence from professionals from IMH, NUH and AWARE were contradictions. "Yes, their disclosure could have been corroborative, but the lack of such evidence, especially disclosures made (much later than the commission of the offences), does not warrant negative inferences being drawn in relation to (the) victim's evidence," Ms Yap said. On the inconsistency of the location, Ms Yap said this had been considered by the District Judge. The fact remained that the victim was consistent about the offence occurring in a toilet near the building where he first met Prasad, Ms Yap said. The District Judge found that the discrepancy was not a material inconsistency, and would not affect the victim's credibility, the prosecution said, adding that "some leeway" had been given due to the passage of time. HIGH COURT'S DECISION Justice See said he agreed with the District Judge that the prosecution had no duty to call particular witnesses as long as the available evidence sufficed. He maintained that evidence from the medical professionals and counsellors of the institutions mentioned would not have constituted corroborative evidence, as the reports would have been made more than a decade after the offences. He agreed with the lower court judge that the location of the toilet was an immaterial point, as the key aspects of the victim's account remained consistent. In his remarks, Justice See noted the "rather long delay" between the time the offence was committed and when it was reported. However, he said there was no general rule which required the immediate reporting of sexual offences, and the victim had provided "adequate and compelling" reasons for the delay. He found that the District Judge had not erred in finding the evidence "unusually convincing" and the charges proven beyond a reasonable doubt. On Prasad's sentence, Justice See found that it was not "manifestly excessive" or "out of step" with past cases.
CNA
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
NDP 2025: Heartland sites announced for Singapore's 60th birthday celebration
SINGAPORE: Heartland celebrations for this year's National Day, which marks the 60th anniversary of Singapore's independence, will take place at Bishan, Punggol, Yishun, Geylang and Bukit Gombak. On Aug 10, a day after National Day, members of the public can enjoy festivities in the heartlands, with a signature display jump from the Red Lions and a mobile column – last seen in the heartlands in 2020 – displaying vehicles from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force being part of the celebrations. There will also be a fighter jet flypast, as well as exhibits, community experiences, live performances, fireworks and a drone show, said the People's Association (PA) in a news release on Tuesday (Jul 8). The celebrations – organised by the PA and the National Day Parade (NDP) 2025 executive committee – will be held at the following locations, with each having a unique theme: Central district: "Nurturing Communities, Shaping Tomorrow" at the open field beside Junction 8 in Bishan North East district: "One HOPE" at the open field next to One Punggol North West district: "Heartbeat of our North West" at the open field next to FutsalArena @ Yishun South East district: "Bridging Generations, Stronger Together" at the open field beside Wisma Geylang Serai South West district: "Together We Shine and Spark" at Bukit Gombak Stadium The sites will be open from 4pm to 9pm on Aug 10. Singaporeans can now collect the tickets for the celebrations in their districts at their nearest community clubs on a first-come, first-served basis. Each person can collect up to two tickets. Ticket-holders will be able to access the respective heartland celebration sites and receive complimentary NDP packs. "In addition to expanding this year's NDP from the Padang to the Marina Bay area as a seamless canvas, it is our hope that we can bring the spirit of National Day to as many Singaporeans as possible, into their homes and neighbourhoods," said the co-chairman of the NDP 2025 heartland celebrations committee, Colonel David Kwek. Fellow co-chairman of the NDP 2025 heartland celebrations committee and PA group director of grassroots Pow Choon Ghee said that the PA has worked with grassroots organisations, volunteers and community partners to plan a "rich line-up" of heartland programmes to "bring people together in meaningful ways". "From immersive installations and community art projects to family-friendly activities and electrifying performances, there's something for everyone – young and old," he added. More details, such as the list of community clubs where tickets can be collected, can be found on the NDP website. "MAJULAH SINGAPURA" The theme for this year's NDP is "Majulah Singapura", which calls on Singaporeans to reflect on six decades of nationhood while looking forward with optimism and resilience, said the NDP executive committee in May. Speaking about the return of the mobile column to the heartlands, Lieutenant-Colonel Chek Wei Lun, the chairman of the committee overseeing the column, said that 60 vehicles from the SAF and Home Team will travel to the heartland sites via five routes so Singaporeans can "experience the mobile column up close". "To expand the reach of NDP celebrations this year, the mobile column will stop at designated pit stops along each route, which would be open to the public for the first time for them to view the vehicles," he said. "Singaporeans can also track the live location of the mobile column via the NDP website, allowing them to anticipate when their favourite vehicles would pass through their estates." After reaching the five heartland sites, the mobile column will form up for static displays at each site. In addition, the fighter jet flypast – named the Fighter Island Flypast – will see four F-16s flying in a diamond formation over Singapore's heartlands from 6pm to 6.30pm. It will also fly each loop twice to provide the public "more opportunities to catch a glimpse of them", said the PA. The Red Lions will be conducting their signature display jump at the Bishan heartland celebration site.
CNA
08-06-2025
- Politics
- CNA
2 new bus services in Tengah and Brickland by year-end, 6 more in 2026: Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow
SINGAPORE: Eight new bus services will be introduced in Tengah and Brickland by the end of next year to help ease residents' connectivity woes, said Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow on Sunday (Jun 8). Complaints on the lack of amenities and transport options have arisen among early residents of Tengah, a new HDB town located in the west of Singapore. The first two bus services will be rolled out by the end of this year. Service 872, which will start from Tengah Bus Interchange and serve areas like Tengah Boulevard, Plantation Crescent, Bukit Batok, Jurong Town Hall and Chinese Garden MRT, is slated to start on Aug 10. The other service will start from Brickland and pass through Bukit Panjang and Jurong East MRT stations. More details will be announced at the start of the fourth quarter. By the end of next year, there will be two express services, one a city direct service from Brickland, and the other is a privately operated bus route from Brickland to the One-North area. There will also be four express feeder services by the end of 2026, which will take residents from their homes to nearby MRT stations, such as Beauty World, Bukit Gombak, Bukit Batok and Jurong East MRT stations. Mr Siow was at a People's Association family event at Tengah Community Club, where he was speaking to the media for the first time since assuming the transport minister role on May 23. He took over the position from Mr Chee Hong Tat, who is now the Minister for National Development. Mr Siow, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Brickland ward that is part of Tengah, touched on some issues faced by Tengah residents at Sunday's event. Mr Siow said in a speech to residents at the community club that there are four "C"s that the government hopes to address: not enough coffee shops, not enough childcare centres, not enough transport connectivity and concerns with the centralised cooling system in their HDB units. He said that the government is 'very focused' on tackling these issues, noting that a multi-agency committee has been set up to support those moving into new Build-to-Order (BTO) flats. He said that the chairman of the committee is Senior Minister of State Sun Xue Ling, who has appointments in both Ministry for National Development and the Ministry of Transport (MOT). 'So just be a little bit patient, because I know we are doing these things as residents are moving in, and it will become better, very, very soon,' he said. The Tengah Bus Interchange opened on Jul 21 last year. With it, a new service 871 was introduced to connect Tengah to Bukit Batok West, Bukit Gombak and Beauty World. Two existing bus services, 992 and 870, were also extended to better serve Tengah residents. WHY PRIVATE BUS SERVICE TO ONE-NORTH? On why a private bus service instead of a public one is being planned to take residents of Tengah to the One-North area, Mr Siow said that it is among the options that the government considers when looking to augment the bus framework. 'We try not to do it extensively and only really for niche routes, because when we run too many private routes, we run the risk of cannibalising demand for the public bus network,' he said. He said that there are certain routes with enough demand that a private operator is prepared to take up but public transport operators are 'not quite ready to do yet'. 'We can, in the short term, introduce some of these routes (and) if they work well, in the longer term, we can always consider incorporating them into the public bus network,' he said. As to why One-North, Mr Siow said that there is a demand from Brickland residents, as many of them work there. 'And so that's how we decided to trial and see,' he said. CUTTING DOWN PUBLIC TRANSPORT TRAVEL TIME There are also longer-term aims for the travel time to be narrowed between taking private and public transport, particularly for HDB estates 'a little bit further away from the city', said Mr Siow. He said that while trains can get people to the city quickly, getting to the train stations can be time-consuming for many of these residents. 'If we can try to do that a little bit better, improving the walkability of the town, improving the density of the bus network, we should be able to bring the journey times down and make public transport more competitive with private transport,' he said. He said that currently, the travel time from Tengah to the city is two to three times longer by public transport than it is for private transport, and he aims to cut it down to one to two times longer. 'And we will be doing that all across Singapore at the estates that are further away from the city, that is my priority,' he said. FIRST THOUGHTS ON NEW JOB Asked about how he is settling into his new role as acting transport minister, Mr Siow said that he is no stranger to the transport portfolio. 'I'm very excited, I've hit the ground running and we are working on how to get LTA's (the Land Transport Authority's) plans on track (and) continue to do the things we have been doing,' he said. Mr Siow held key appointments at the MOT, among others. 'Going back to the ministry has been very positive for me,' he said. 'I've been very happy to be able to reconnect with old colleagues, but also with the issues that I used to work on.' He said he had worked on the Jurong Region Line with the ministry, which is planned to operate through Tengah by 2028. 'When I was an officer at MOT 10 years back, it was a piece of paper, and now it's coming close to reality,' he said. 'These are the things that a lot of us at MOT and LTA are very inspired by, because we do things that matter to Singaporeans, and these are the tangible products of our work.'
CNA
08-06-2025
- Politics
- CNA
8 new bus services in Tengah by end-2026: Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow
SINGAPORE: Eight new bus services will be introduced in Tengah by the end of next year to help ease residents' connectivity woes, said Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow on Sunday (Jun 8). Complaints on the lack of amenities and transport options have arisen among early residents of Tengah, a new HDB town located in the west of Singapore. The first two bus services will be rolled out by the end of this year. Service 872, which will start from Tengah Bus Interchange and serve areas like Tengah Boulevard, Plantation Crescent, Bukit Batok, Jurong Town Hall and Chinese Garden MRT, is slated to start on Aug 10. The other service will start from Brickland and pass through Bukit Panjang and Jurong East MRT stations. More details will be announced at the start of the fourth quarter. By the end of next year, there will be two express feeder services, one a city direct service from Brickland, and the other is a privately operated bus route from Brickland to the One-North area. There will also be four express services by the end of 2026, which will take residents from their homes to nearby MRT stations, such as Beauty World, Bukit Gombak, Bukit Batok and Jurong East MRT stations. Mr Siow was at a People's Association family event at Tengah Community Club, where he was speaking to the media for the first time since assuming the transport minister role on May 23. He took over the position from Mr Chee Hong Tat, who is now the Minister for National Development. Mr Siow, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Brickland ward that is part of Tengah, touched on some issues faced by Tengah residents at Sunday's event. Mr Siow said in a speech to residents at the community club that there are four "C"s that the government hopes to address: not enough coffee shops, not enough childcare centres, not enough transport connectivity and concerns with the centralised cooling system in their HDB units. He said that the government is 'very focused' on tackling these issues, noting that a multi-agency committee has been set up to support those moving into new Build-to-Order (BTO) flats. He said that the chairman of the committee is Senior Minister of State Sun Xue Ling, who has appointments in both Ministry for National Development and the Ministry of Transport (MOT). 'So just be a little bit patient, because I know we are doing these things as residents are moving in, and it will become better, very, very soon,' he said. The Tengah Bus Interchange opened on Jul 21 last year. With it, a new service 871 was introduced to connect Tengah to Bukit Batok West, Bukit Gombak and Beauty World. Two existing bus services, 992 and 870, were also extended to better serve Tengah residents. WHY PRIVATE BUS SERVICE TO ONE-NORTH? On why a private bus service instead of a public one is being planned to take residents of Tengah to the One-North area, Mr Siow said that it is among the options that the government considers when looking to augment the bus framework. 'We try not to do it extensively and only really for niche routes, because when we run too many private routes, we run the risk of cannibalising demand for the public bus network,' he said. He said that there are certain routes with enough demand that a private operator is prepared to take up but public transport operators are 'not quite ready to do yet'. 'We can, in the short term, introduce some of these routes (and) if they work well, in the longer term, we can always consider incorporating them into the public bus network,' he said. As to why One-North, Mr Siow said that there is a demand from Brickland residents, as many of them work there. 'And so that's how we decided to trial and see,' he said. CUTTING DOWN PUBLIC TRANSPORT TRAVEL TIME There are also longer-term aims for the travel time to be narrowed between taking private and public transport, particularly for HDB estates 'a little bit further away from the city', said Mr Siow. He said that while trains can get people to the city quickly, getting to the train stations can be time-consuming for many of these residents. 'If we can try to do that a little bit better, improving the walkability of the town, improving the density of the bus network, we should be able to bring the journey times down and make public transport more competitive with private transport,' he said. He said that currently, the travel time from Tengah to the city is two to three times longer by public transport than it is for private transport, and he aims to cut it down to one to two times longer. 'And we will be doing that all across Singapore at the estates that are further away from the city, that is my priority,' he said. FIRST THOUGHTS ON NEW JOB Asked about how he is settling into his new role as acting transport minister, Mr Siow said that he is no stranger to the transport portfolio. 'I'm very excited, I've hit the ground running and we are working on how to get LTA's (the Land Transport Authority's) plans on track (and) continue to do the things we have been doing,' he said. Mr Siow held key appointments at the MOT, among others. 'Going back to the ministry has been very positive for me,' he said. 'I've been very happy to be able to reconnect with old colleagues, but also with the issues that I used to work on.' He said he had worked on the Jurong Region Line with the ministry, which is planned to operate through Tengah by 2028. 'When I was an officer at MOT 10 years back, it was a piece of paper, and now it's coming close to reality,' he said. 'These are the things that a lot of us at MOT and LTA are very inspired by, because we do things that matter to Singaporeans, and these are the tangible products of our work.'
CNA
13-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
New tranche of S$500 CDC vouchers launched by PM Lawrence Wong
SINGAPORE: Singaporean households can now claim and use S$500 (US$380) in Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on Tuesday (May 13) at Nee Soon South Community Club. The CDC vouchers, meant to help households manage cost-of-living challenges, will be divided equally as per previous tranches – S$250 for spending at participating heartland merchants and hawkers, and S$250 for spending at participating supermarkets. The participating supermarkets are Ang Mo Supermarket, Cold Storage, Giant Singapore, HAO Mart, NTUC FairPrice, Prime Supermarket, Sheng Siong and U Stars Supermarket. Similar to the previous rounds, one member of each Singaporean household can visit and log in with their Singpass to claim the digital vouchers. Once claimed, an SMS from will be sent to the registered mobile number, containing a unique voucher link that can be shared among household members. Notification letters will not be issued for this tranche of vouchers, but information on the claiming process will be available online, through newspaper advertisements and community posters. This tranche of vouchers will be valid until Dec 31, 2025. Members of the public are urged to exercise caution when claiming CDC vouchers and not to disclose bank log-in details, transfer money or install mobile applications from unofficial app stores, the People's Association (PA) and CDC said. Households will receive another S$300 in CDC vouchers in January 2026 for a total of S$800 in vouchers this financial year. NOT A "ONE-OFF EXERCISE": PM WONG As announced in the Budget 2025 statement in February, besides the CDC vouchers, all adult Singaporeans will receive SG60 vouchers in July. Each Singaporean adult will get S$600, while seniors aged 60 and above will receive an additional S$200. Mr Wong also announced in February that parents with children aged 12 and below will receive LifeSG credits, and those aged 13 to 20 will receive a top-up to their Edusave account or Post-Secondary Education Account. Households will also receive U-Save rebates. This means that a typical family of four with two young children will receive around S$5,000 in support this financial year, Mr Wong said on Tuesday. He added that this is not a "one-off exercise" and the government will provide help for as long as it is needed. "We will continue to review and update and strengthen our social support system across different areas – be it housing, healthcare, education or retirement," he said. "We have started this process recently through Forward Singapore, and we will continue in the coming years. "All these updates, changes, improvements to policies, will help to provide Singaporeans with greater assurance through every life stage." On whether it is sustainable to keep providing vouchers, Mr Wong said this is "a good question to ask" and the government has to ensure its spending is sustainable over the medium to longer term. "That's why, earlier in this decade, when we saw that there was a funding gap in public finances, that our finance expenditure was going to go up, but revenues were not sufficient to cover our expenditures, we decided to make tax changes and increase taxes," said the prime minister. "It was a difficult decision to make. It was certainly not popular, but it was the right thing to do, and it was a responsible thing to do. "Because we did that, today, we are in a healthy and sound fiscal position, and today we have the resources we need to protect Singaporeans, to shield you from cost of living increases." Also in attendance at the launch of the latest tranche of CDC vouchers were the five mayors - Ms Low Yen Ling, Ms Denise Phua, Mr Desmond Choo, Mr Alex Yam and Mr Fahmi Aliman. As of Monday, about 97.3 per cent of Singaporean households, including new households formed, have claimed the previous tranche of CDC vouchers issued in January, said PA and CDC. Of the claimed vouchers, more than S$324 million – or 83.4 per cent – have been spent. Overall, more than S$1.92 billion has been spent since the launch of the CDC vouchers scheme in December 2021. A total of S$1.06 billion was spent at hawkers and heartland merchants while more than S$857 million was spent at supermarkets.
