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Dee Hsu rumoured to be victim of domestic violence

Lydia Koh
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Dee Hsu rumoured to be victim of domestic violence

Taiwanese star Dee Hsu is rumoured to be a victim of domestic violence for the umpteenth time. A netizen even claimed that Dee’s declarations of love for her husband are “classic symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome”.

The rumours started 10 years ago in 2010 when reports claimed that Dee often quarreled with her husband Mike Hsu because of her frequent outings to clubs.

On one occasion, it was said that things had gotten so out of hand that the police were called in, which led the media to speculate on the details of the fight. Dee managed to sue the media for the untrue reports but that did not stop them from talking about Mike’s “violent streak” at any given chance.

Likewise, it is the same for some netizens who insist on believing the rumours. Recently Dee uploaded a photo of herself with Mike on Instagram where she declared her love for him.

She wrote: “I’m not going to explain my life to people who don’t understand what I’ve been through. My husband is the person who loves me and dotes on me the most. I’m the only person in his heart. I’ve loved him for 20 years and I will love him more and more. I’m thankful for everything.”

Although most netizens gushed over their loving relationship, there were some mean comments saying that Mike is a “wife beater”, an “abusive husband” and a “sad excuse for a man”.

Some netizens also hated on Dee, calling her a “spineless woman who can’t leave the person who is hurting her”. One such netizen even claimed that these “false declarations of love are classic symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome”, adding that the host has “developed such a strong bond with him that she can’t tell right from wrong.”

Dee Hsu, Mike Hsu and their children. Picture: Instagram

Fortunately, there were some level-headed netizens who reminded everyone that they shouldn’t believe claims that have been proven false. “If you know that it’s not true but still talk about it anyway, you could end up being sued,” one pointed out. “Please spend the time you wasted writing such nonsense on improving yourself instead.”

There was also one netizen who wrote: “Do you really think Barbie Hsu would let Mike get away with abusing her younger sister? She’d either call the police on him or beat him up herself.”

“No apologies for holding to our own values,” — SG Ambassador to the US

Anna Maria Romero
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“No apologies for holding to our own values,” — SG Ambassador to the US

Singapore — Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, the country’s ambassador to the United States, wrote a letter to the New York Times (NYT) in response to an article about recent charges against activist Jolovan Wham.

Mr Mirpuri asserted that Singapore balances the rights of individuals to protest “against the rights of others not to be inconvenienced by such protests.”

“And we make no apologies for holding to our own values,” the ambassador added.

Mr Mirpuri had written to the NYT in relation to an article about Mr Wham entitled “Protest of One Leads to Arrest of an Activist in Singapore,” which was penned by the publication’s Southeast Asia Bureau Chief, Hannah Beech, and published on Nov 23.

Ms Beech had written about charges of illegal public assembly against Mr Wham, who had held up a cardboard sign with a smiley face last March near a police station. “It was a protest of one person. He had, he admitted, drawn the smiley face himself.”

The article went on to mention Singapore’s strict rules on civil liberties, such as freedom of speech and assembly, and that protests without a permit are only allowed in one area, as well as the law against fake news, the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, to safeguard spaces online.

Mr Wham had held up his sign “in response to someone in sg who got investigated by the police for participating in a climate strike.”

Fb screengrab: Jolovan Wham

Some weeks later he received word that he had violated the Public Order Act and was asked to go to the Tanglin police division.

He appeared in court on Nov 23, where he also faced a charge for contravening the Public Order Act for in 2018 when he held up a message on a piece of paper outside the former State Courts building.

While he had only held up the sign in both instances for a short moment, he could be charged S$5,000 for each offence if he is found guilty.

Mr Wham is quoted in the NYT article, along with Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

In his letter to the editor, Mr Mirpuri wrote that Mr Wham had “allegedly staged a protest in a prohibited area, and another without a permit.

The Ambassador also explained Singapore’s provisions for the kind of protests Mr Wham wanted to make.

“Mr Wham could have exercised his right to political expression at the Speakers’ Corner (which was still open at that time when he broke the law, now closed because of Covid-19) or by publishing his views. He could have also applied for a permit. He did not. If he chooses to break the law, then we must enforce the law,” he wrote.

Noting that the activist had been alone in his protest, Mr Mirpuri wrote that the consequences would have been different had thousands of others been with him.

“The approach in densely populated Singapore is thus to allow public protests only at the Speakers’ Corner — where protest rallies numbering in the thousands have been held — or with a permit, which will allow the authorities to assess the public-order risks.”

Moreover, the Ambassador added that Singapore does no endeavour to impose its laws on other nations, therefore other nations should also respect its sovereign right.

Mr Mirpuri ended his letter by saying, “In any case, we do not think ‘free speech’ as it is now playing out in the United States commends itself to us.” —/TISG

Read also: Netizens post smiley photos as a show of solidarity with activist Jolovan Wham

WP MP puzzled by Minister Masagos Zulkifli’s reason for why Govt portal is not open 24/7

Jewel Stolarchuk
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WP MP puzzled by Minister Masagos Zulkifli’s reason for why Govt portal is not open 24/7

Workers’ Party (WP) parliamentarian Gerald Giam has said that he was puzzled by the answers Minister for Social and Family Development (MSF) Masagos Zulkifli provided, as to why a government e-service is not open 24 hours a day.

The COVID-19 Support Grant (CSG), which was launched in May this year, provides financial assistance and job support to Singaporean & Permanent Resident (PR) workers who have lost their jobs, been involuntarily placed on No-Pay Leave (NPL), or experienced significant pay loss due to the economic impact of COVID-19.

In the past six months, MSF received 180,000 CSG applications. While 96 per cent of applications were submitted online, the online portal is only open from 9am to 6pm daily.

Mr Giam had asked Mr Masagos in Parliament why online applications for the Covid-19 Support Grant (CSG) only be submitted between this nine-hour period each day and whether MSF will consider allowing online applications 24 hours a day, save for periodic maintenance windows.

Mr Masagos replied that the ministry assessed that the current operating hours “has been adequate to meet the needs of most applicants” and that Singaporeans have “sufficient time and opportunity to apply for assistance.”

The ruling party politician added that MSF had initially considered the possibility of longer operating hours each day but decided against it so that there could be more time for maintenance works each day. He said:

“Prior to launch, we had considered the possibility of longer operating hours each day, but we eventually decided on daily operating hours of 9am to 6pm, taking into account the need to allow sufficient time each day to closely monitor system performance, perform system maintenance and updates, and troubleshoot problems in a timely fashion to minimise any unplanned downtime and to ensure that applicants would receive a sustainable and reliable level of service. We will continue to monitor the availability and level of service of the online portal, taking into account user feedback.”

Dissatisfied with the Minister’s response, Mr Giam pointed out that many other public facing IT systems operate 24 hours a day. He added that limiting the e-service’s operating hours curtails an MP’s ability to immediately help those who need help navigating the system during Meet-the-People sessions, which take place after the portal is closed.

Reiterating his concerns in a Facebook post published on Monday (7 Dec), Mr Giam said: “I find this rather puzzling, since most other public-facing IT systems operate for much longer hours, and many are 24/7.

“Limiting the CSG portal’s operating hours means that we cannot assist residents, many of whom are not IT-savvy, with their applications during meet-the-people sessions, as these take place after 7.30pm.”

Revealing that volunteers work around this issue by arranging to meet up with those who need assistance at a separate time, the Aljunied GRC MP added: “There could also be many other residents who have to work during the day and are only available to submit their applications after office hours.”

Mr Giam expressed hope that the Government will take the different needs of citizens into consideration when planning the availability of government e-services.

Six died in Pfizer late-stage COVID-19 vaccine trial

The Independent
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Six died in Pfizer late-stage COVID-19 vaccine trial

Six people died in Pfizer’s late-stage trial of the COVID-19 vaccine, but the deaths raises no new safety issues or questions about the vaccine.

Two people who received the experimental vaccine had died during the trial and four others who died were on a placebo.

The revelation was made by the US Food and Drug Administration just after Britain became the first country in the world to roll out the vaccine.

But the deaths are said to raise no new safety issues or questions about the vaccine’s effectiveness because all represented events that occurred in the general population at a similar rate, the FDA concluded.

The vaccine trial by Pfizer and BioNTech was 95 per cent effective in preventing coronavirus infections.

“All deaths represent events that occur in the general population of the age groups where they occurred, at a similar rate,” a report says.

The report says data shows the vaccine is just 52 percent effective after the first dose but the rate of success is higher after a second dose.

Nevetheless, The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca’s long-awaited analysis results for their coronavirus vaccine confirms it to be safe and highly effective in preventing Covid-19.

The Independent UK says trial data published in The Lancet has reaffirmed that the jab is 90 per cent efficacious if administered at a half dose and then at a full dose, or 62 per cent effective if administered in two full doses.

The newspaper says this is the first time large-scale trial results for any coronavirus vaccine is reported.

Elderly passenger on cruise tests positive for Covid-19, ship returns to Singapore

Obbana Rajah
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0
Elderly passenger on cruise tests positive for Covid-19, ship returns to Singapore

Singapore — An 83-year-old passenger on board a Royal Caribbean cruise to nowhere tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday (Dec 9), causing the ship to return to Singapore.

The vessel, Quantum Of The Seas, had set off from Singapore on Monday and was to have returned on Thursday morning. All 1,680 passengers and 1,148 crew had cleared a mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test prior to boarding the ship.

In a statement, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said the elderly man underwent the  PCR test as part of onboard protocols. Before boarding the cruise, he had undergone testing and the result was negative.

The STB and Royal Caribbean had earlier said that the passenger was immediately isolated and that all his close contacts had tested negative. All onboard leisure activities also stopped immediately and passengers were asked to stay in their cabins.

Crew members who had close contact with the passenger were also identified, isolated and subsequently tested negative for Covid-19. The STB added that remaining passengers and crew were to remain on board, in their rooms, until contact tracing is completed.

According to a todayonline.com report, a circular from the Ministry of Health (MOH) to the  passengers said that those identified as contacts of the patient would be placed on quarantine or health surveillance.

It advised all other individuals, as a precaution, to monitor their health for two weeks from disembarkation and to undergo a swab test at the end of that period. The cost of the tests at a government swab site will be borne by MOH.

“During this period, you may continue with your usual activities, including going to work or school,” MOH said in the circular. It added that passengers should isolate themselves and inform the authorities only if they develop symptoms such as a cough, fever or shortness of breath.

Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing told reporters on Wednesday that the Government was prepared for this and had protocols in place to deal with Covid-19 cases on cruise ships.

“That’s why it’s important for us to have a protocol to make sure that if something like that happens, we are able to contact trace quickly, isolate the cases necessary, and for the rest of the activities to continue,” he said. /TISG

Jade Rasif says being turned away from cruise because she is now a frontliner, was a “blessing in disguise”

Obbana Rajah
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Jade Rasif says being turned away from cruise because she is now a frontliner, was a “blessing in disguise”

Though disappointed that she was turned away from Royal Caribbean’s cruise to nowhere, former DJ Jade Rasif called it a “blessing in disguise” after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday (Dec 9).

In an Instagram story on Wednesday, Jade posted news of the Covid-19 incident and wrote: “Yes guys this was the one I was supposed to be on. I got denied boarding bc of my job”.

Photo: Instagram / Jade Rasif

Jade was supposed to go on the cruise with her family, but she explained that she wasn’t allowed to board the ship allegedly because of her job in the healthcare sector.

Since April, she has been volunteering as a front-liner in the healthcare sector and was converted into full-time staff several months later.

She added: “I was so chill about being turned away because I believe things happen for a reason, and the most we do is try to see the good in everything. Praying for everyone’s safety tho”.

She wrote on Instagram: “Tq for the love guys but I’m a big girl… I can handle not being able to cruise”.

Photo: Instagram / Jade Rasif
Photo: Instagram / Jade Rasif

She also shared a letter she received from Royal Caribbean International where the cruise line extended their sincerest apologies after they weren’t able to welcome her on board the ship as a result of not meeting one or more of the cruise’s health protocols or policies.

They also offered Jade a refund on any taxes and fees as well as prepaid items purchased via Royal Caribbean International.

Photo: Instagram / Jade Rasif

Klooksg also offered Jade a hotel stay, with tickets to the zoo, which she thanked them for on Instagram.

In a separate post, Jade shared a photo of herself on a boat and captioned it: “”Since working in healthcare got me kicked off the cruise to nowhere here’s a cute pic of me getting lit on a boat anyway #happy”. /TISG

Post goes viral: Luxury car reverses dangerously close to frail, elderly cardboard collector

Jewel Stolarchuk
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Post goes viral: Luxury car reverses dangerously close to frail, elderly cardboard collector

Singapore — There has been much concern about the plight of a frail, elderly cardboard collector after a photo was posted on social media on Monday (Dec 7) showing a luxury car reversing dangerously close to her.

Facebook user Vladimir Guevarra saw the woman stacking cardboard on a trolley as he was cycling along Eng Hoon Street in Tiong Bahru sometime last week. The pile of cardboard that had been collected was nearly as tall as the woman.

Just as he thought the woman was “too old and frail to be doing this”, he noticed that she was unaware that a Porsche SUV was reversing towards her.

Mr Guevarra shouted “Heeeeeyyy!! Watch it!” but the driver did not hear him. Fortunately,  a woman coming out of a nearby butcher’s shop heard his cry and signalled the driver to stop.

Sharing a photo of the car nearly backing into the woman, Mr Guevarra said: “What’s wrong with these people? What got me was this juxtaposition — an old, bent woman, and a rich man in a luxury car, oblivious of her presence. Like she’s invisible.”

He added: “I was stunned over how big her stack was, and I wondered how much — or how little — money she’d get for re-selling that, presumably, to a recycling shop.”

Using the hashtag “rich poor divide”, he wrote: “I approached her just to check she’s ok. Boy, she looked tired. I gave her the cash in my pocket and told her to have some dinner. SG friends, in case you see her, perhaps social services can help (?) She looked too old, and shouldn’t be doing this.”

Mr Guevarra’s post went viral on social media, drawing 1,500 likes and 1,000 shares on Facebook. Read his post in full here:

/TISG

Read related: “It’s a hard life” – 75-year-old cardboard collector earns a mere $3.10 after working the whole night

WP MP to Masagos: Why must online grant applications be between 9 am and 6 pm?

Obbana Rajah
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0
WP MP to Masagos: Why must online grant applications be between 9 am and 6 pm?

Singapore — Why is it that online applications for the Covid-19 Support Grant (CSG) can be submitted only between 9 am and 6 pm? This was the questioned posed by Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam to Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli.

In a Facebook post on Monday (Dec 7), Mr Giam (Aljunied GRC) said that he had asked if the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) would consider allowing online applications 24 hours a day, except for periodic maintenance windows.

Mr Giam noted that “most other public-facing IT systems operate for much longer hours, and many are 24/7”.

He added that limiting the CSG portal’s operating hours means that a group of residents will fall through the cracks, especially those who are not IT-savvy, “with their applications during Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS), as these take place after 7.30pm”.

Mr Giam added that, while the MPS volunteers are able to arrange separate times to assist those who are not IT savvy, “there could also be many other residents who have to work during the day and are only available to submit their applications after office hours”.

Mr Giam said that Mr Masagos replied that MSF had considered longer operating hours but decided against it so as to provide more maintenance hours each day.

The latter added that the timings were decided “taking into account the need to allow sufficient time each day to closely monitor system performance, perform system maintenance and updates, and troubleshoot problems in a timely fashion to minimise any unplanned downtime and to ensure that applicants would receive a sustainable and reliable level of service”.

Mr Masagos also noted that out of that 180,000 CSG applications, 96 per cent were submitted online.

The CSG provides assistance and job support to Singaporean and Permanent Resident employees who have lost their jobs, been involuntarily placed on no-pay leave, or experienced significant loss of salary due to the economic impact of Covid-19. /TISG

Siti Nurhaliza makes Forbes Asia list

Lydia Koh
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Siti Nurhaliza makes Forbes Asia list

Followers of Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza’s Instagram Stories will definitely not want to miss out on the delicious dishes from local businesses that the singer never ceases to promote during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 41-year-old songstress’ effort to urge her nearly eight million Instagram followers to order from a variety of local food vendors has caught the eye of Forbes Asia, earning her a spot on its inaugural 100 Digital Stars list.

“Earlier this year, the singer posted food reviews of restaurants affected by Covid-19, hoping to boost their business among her eight million Instagram followers,” writes Forbes Asia.

Speaking to Berita Harian she said that all her promotional efforts for the local businesses are done free of charge. “I’m very grateful that after uploading my reviews, these food vendors experienced a surge in orders. We have to help each other in these difficult times,” she said. Neelofa, 31, a local TV host and entrepreneur is another Malaysian who made it to the list.

Neelofa also made it to the list. Picture: Instagram

Forbes Asia‘s 100 Digital Stars list comprises 100 singers, bands, and film and TV stars from across the Asia-Pacific region who have taken the digital world by storm.

“We’ve given special focus to celebrities who, despite cancelled physical events and activities, managed to remain active and relevant, largely by using social media to interact with their fans, raise awareness and inspire optimism,” the magazine describes its selection criteria.

“Many also used their influence to help worthy causes, especially those with a Covid-19 focus.”

Born on January 11 1979, Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza binti Tarudin is a Malaysian singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman with more than 300 local and international awards.

She made her debut after she won a local singing competition show Bintang HMI in 1995 when she was 16. Her debut single, “Jerat Percintaan”, won the 11th Anugerah Juara Lagu and another two awards for Best Performance and Best Ballad.

The album, as of 2005, has sold more than 800,000 units in Malaysia. She has recorded and sung in multiple languages, including Malay, Javanese, English, Mandarin, Arabic, Urdu, and Japanese.

Tommy Koh, Ivan Heng among those struck by photo of luxury car backing into elderly cardboard collector

Jewel Stolarchuk
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Tommy Koh, Ivan Heng among those struck by photo of luxury car backing into elderly cardboard collector

Distinguished diplomat Tommy Koh and noted actor-director Ivan Heng are among thousands of Singaporeans who were struck by a trending photo of a luxury car coming dangerously close to a frail elderly cardboard collector.

The photo was published on social media on Monday (7 Dec) by Facebook user Vladimir Guevarra who spotted the hunched senior citizen collecting cardboard when he was cycling along Eng Hoon Street in Tiong Bahru, sometime last week. Mr Guevarra saw a Porsche SUV reversing towards the elderly lady who was obliviously arranging her stack of cardboard.

The driver thankfully managed to stop before he collided into the woman but Mr Guevarra was disturbed by how the elderly lady was invisible to the Porsche driver:

The netizen wrote on Facebook: “What’s wrong with these people? What got me was this juxtaposition – an old, bent woman, and a rich man in a luxury car, oblivious of her presence. Like she’s invisible.”

Revealing that he approached the woman to check on her and found that she looked very tired, he added: “I was stunned over how big her stack was, and I wondered how much – or how little – money she’d get for re-selling that, presumably, to a recycling shop.”

Sharing that he gave the senior citizen the cash in his pocket, Mr Guevarra said that the lady looked “too old” and shouldn’t be doing what she was doing.

The photo Mr Guevarra posted went viral on social media, drawing 1,500 likes and 1,000 shares on Facebook.

One of those who shared the image was human rights NGO MARUAH founder, Braema Mathi. Ms Mathi’s repost caught the eye of Prof Koh and Mr Heng who felt that the photo reflected inequality in Singapore.

Prof Koh wrote in a comment, “This is what inequality in Singapore looks like”, while Mr Heng replied, “My thoughts exactly.”

Both Prof Koh and Mr Heng have a reputation for speaking their mind. Dr Koh who serves as Ambassador-At-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore while Mr Heng is the founder of theatre company W!LD RICE.

“It’s a hard life” – 75-year-old cardboard collector earns a mere $3.10 after working the whole night

Elderly cardboard collectors concerned as cardboard selling price drops to a mere 4 cents per kg

Elderly Singaporean works an entire day to collect 300kgs of cardboard, only to earn $30

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