Amos Yee’s mother wants apology from Melissa Chen, tells her to “refrain from posting on the internet whilst menstruating”

Obbana Rajah

-

December 13, 2018

Amos Yee’s mother wants apology from Melissa Chen, tells her to “refrain from posting on the internet whilst menstruating”

Amos Yee’s mother, Mary Toh, has once again stepped in to defend her son. Following the video posted by Melissa Chen, one of Amos Yee’s former supporters and the activist who campaigned for Yee to secure asylum in the United States, Mary wrote a post on Facebook championing her son’s right to free speech, and asking for an apology from Chen.

https://theindependent.sg.sg/melissa-chen-the-activist-who-helped-amos-yee-seek-asylum-in-the-us-now-wants-him-deported-says-he-is-a-stain-on-the-human-race/

The main takeaway of Chen’s Facebook video was that, because of Yee’s blatant pro-pedophilia stance, Melissa said, “I am compelled to say Amos needs to be deported from the United States, and if he, in the process, gets sent back to jail in Singapore for going AWOL on National Service, I would find it extremely difficult to actually sympathise with that.”

Chen also added that Yee was no longer a child and had to be held accountable for his actions as an adult.

Her concluding remarks were that, “Amos is a stain on Singapore, and a stain on the human race.”

In a Facebook post yesterday, Mary Toh wrote, “There is a way to disagree with Amos’ positions on pedophilia (Which obviously I’m against), whilst not creating the negative PR against the free speech cause that was sparked by Amos’ case, that human rights activists in Singapore have fought for greatly, saying Amos should be ‘deported from the US’ because of his opinions on pedophilia is unintentionally doing just that.”

https://www.facebook.com/marytohab/posts/1082500165260563?__xts__[0]=68.ARBfurijK2W9GHzf1J51rtkGw18Q0arCmSfoW7z2f47Rlnw8zHzuIfbgQEN5d5ADYiiPjK3omYFVxoRO7nFGb6PsF3qhpStXc3wyuOY1840J0ZHGNISY3NZ9XFlvGedicecAZVmNR6dLW2FsfIBu_d6v8uy1pHUZAa53woaziTNdkFeEnA_yK2viAZaBbEYyVMfe0TrzX3Ym3yiJ-FoJXUognuyAL3SbyD9AZLAApNuD6Tgr2Ffv61pHXdYhaNnLjOCUa736rUPWkLoI5A8ZwmhsNIUBcNbJ92dqmBIAtPtyA3XzQUxfTecRlxU78x97ouC_5HC9inrtwhNcm_-OYA&__tn__=-R

She added that Yee’s stance on pedophilia should not be used as a point against free speech.

Toh then went on to compare Melissa Chen’s activism and her son’s pro-pedophilia movement. She said, “Melissa is a person who champions and surrounds herself with people who support platforming: the KKK, White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis and Alex Jones, people and groups that from my knowledge, advocate (and sometimes even directly cause) actual violence to people. Amos unlike those groups, has never advocated for direct harm to any child”.

She also calls out Chen for her “inconsistent” views on free speech.

Toh then wrote, “I feel like she made that video against Amos based on completely biased misinformation spread about him by haters, and I think she should really refrain from posting on the internet whilst menstruating”.

Following this, she added that Yee has reached out privately to Chen, and that she hoped Chen accepts Yee’s invitation to talk.

Yee’s mother concludes her post rather backhandedly, saying, “After Melissa speaks with Amos, I sincerely hope that she takes down her video, and then issue a public apology, because anyone who’s actually reasonable would know that this public statement she made is just embarrassing for her, and this is embarrassing in contrast to Amos, my son who now defends pedophiles, so you know it’s bad”.

However, in light of free speech, should Chen not be entitled to her own views as well?

________________________________________________________________________

[email protected]

An embargo on Huawei will severely disrupt global supply chains – analysts

Miren Gonzalez

-

December 13, 2018

0

An embargo on Huawei will severely disrupt global supply chains – analysts

In the wake of Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s arrest on December 1, as requested by the United States (along with her extradition), relationships with China are looking to be strained. The arrest, along with intentions to ban the the technology giant from some markets, could severely disrupt global supply chains and push the US out from the booming digital economy.

The arrest of Meng Wanzhou, daughter of 74-year-old Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, had the unfortunate timing of sharing the same day with the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Markets all over the world went down, after fears that the meeting’s intentions, which were to discuss eliminating trade tariffs between the two leading nations, would be for nought, thanks to Wanzhou’s arrest.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempt at quelling such fears was to deliver this tweet on December 7 – “China talks are going very well!”

Bail of USD 7.5 million has since been set for Wanzhou on December 11, but her arrest came at a time when carriers around the world are looking to spend billions of dollars on equipment for fifth-generation wireless technology. Huawei has spent years preparing for this massive opportunity, and the incident with Wanzhou is the equivalent of throwing a spanner in the works.

Analysts are concerned that going against Huawei is a big, bad move that could push the U.S. out of the future digital economy and stop the flow of supply chains around the world.

According to another news source, a recent study from Global System for Mobile Communication Association and Global TD-LTE Initiative predicts that by 2025, almost 1.2 billion people around world will operate on 5G networks, 30 percent of them in China.

A new era for the digital economy is on the horizon, with China set to become the world’s largest 5G market. Alienating China in any way would cause a severe disruption in the global supply network.

As Huawei’s part in the global 5G value chain is integral, Wanzhou’s arrest has therefore not only instilled fear in many suppliers but has also been linked with measures to prevent companies from China from taking part in the building of 5G networks in local markets.

Cracking down on Huawei will cause unwanted, negative effects on technology giants Microsoft, Intel and Qualcomm and upset the world’s 5G system.

The worry now is that the Chinese will not welcome companies from the U.S. and Canada to share in China’s digital economy, thanks to how Wanzhou’s case has been handled.

Analysts have weighed in on the matter:

“Huawei is the largest company in China.”

“Attacking Huawei is like attacking the root of China.”

“It is worth monitoring if top components suppliers from other countries beyond the U.S., such as Taiwan’s TSMC, Japan’s Murata Manufacturing and South Korea’s LG Display, will also be under pressure to stop supplying key parts to the Chinese company if Washington imposes a ban on acquiring American parts.”

– Jonah Cheng, chief investment officer at J&J Investment and a UBS veteran tech analyst to the Nikkei Asian Review

“Huawei is one of the biggest buyers for technology components and semiconductors as it controls more than 27% market share in making telecom equipment and 14% in the global smartphone market.”

“An embargo on Huawei, should it happen, could halt operations and result in significant supply chain disruptions in the near term.”

– Bernstein analyst Mark Li

“Meng’s detention shows that the U.S. still has plenty of other nontariff weapons to deploy in its economic and technological campaign against China.”

– Gavekal Research analyst Tom Holland

If the U.S. puts a ban on Huawei from using American technology, just like it did with Chinese telecommunications equipment company ZTE, global supply chains are going to be disrupted in earth-shattering ways.

5 Things You Must Know Before You Invest in Art

Personal Finance

The Independent

-

December 13, 2018

0

5 Things You Must Know Before You Invest in Art

From “Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)” to “Salvator Mundi”, expensive works of art have been in the news for fetching sale prices of hundreds of millions of dollars. This may intrigue wealthy individuals and lead them to consider adding artwork to their own portfolio of assets. Some may even consider art to be an exciting investment vehicle. In fact, a survey by Deloitte suggests that 76% of art collectors consider their collections as investments, up from 53% in 2012. However, there are several essential considerations for amateur art investors to consider before making their first acquisition.

Being an Art Investor Takes Expertise

The first hurdle for investors seeking to get involved with investing in artwork is to develop an understanding of artistic theories and valuation techniques. Unlike investing in public companies or real estate, artwork does not lend itself to traditional investing valuation methods.

Therefore, prudent investors will need to put in a significant amount of effort to learn about artistic methods, art history, specific markets and pricing trends before getting into the action themselves. Fortunately for those that have some type of analytical experience, there are a few helpful data sources available. For example, investors can use the Blouin Art Sales Index to analyse trends in the art market. The platform has an extensive database which allows investors to analyse various artists’ sales records, estimate price bands and locate auctions. Additionally, for those that have a particularly keen interest in learning more about these topics, there are many online and in-person courses offered by Universities and organisations such as Sotheby’s Institute of Art that provide training to understand the fundamentals of art theory, collecting and investing.

Be Aware of the Hidden Costs

In addition the high sticker prices of artwork, investors must be aware of the costs associated with buying and selling these assets. First, in order to ensure that your purchase is valuable, it is crucial to determine that you are purchasing an original work. Therefore, you may want to hire an art inspector if you are relatively new to art investing or purchasing a very expensive piece. Once you have purchased a piece of artwork, you will also have to consider the costs of storing, cleaning and maintaining the piece. This varies greatly based on the age and type artwork (e.g. painting, sculpture, etc.).

Next, unlike stocks or bonds, paintings, sculptures and other types of art are more difficult to sell. In fact, some experts estimate that a mere 0.5% of paintings purchased are ever resold. For this reason, and to ensure that they receive the highest possible price, many individuals elect to sell their pieces through galleries or art dealers. The fee structure of these agents varies, but is typically charged based on a rather high percentage of the sale price. Those confident in their own ability to sell their artwork may be able to dodge fees by selling through online auctions.

You Don’t Need to Travel to London or New York to Buy Art

While about 60% of global art sales take place in the United States and United Kingdom, art markets elsewhere are growing. For instance, in 2008 China accounted for just 9% of global art sales, but now represents about 20%. Furthermore, major auction houses such as Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Bonhams have locations in Singapore. Additionally, the online art market has grown rapidly, with total online sales up 76% since 2013. These factors indicate that investing in art is increasingly accessible for Singaporeans, who no longer have to travel far to participate in art auctions.

Global Online Art & Antiques Sales by Year

Art Versus Other Investments

While a study Stanford found that artwork investments averaged annual returns of about 6.5% from 1972 to 2010, individuals may find even better returns from more traditional investments such as mutual funds or index funds. For example, the S&P 500 has historically averaged annual returns of about 7% to 10%. For this reason, individuals that view their artwork as simply an investment vehicle may be better off choosing to invest in property or securities. In order to ensure that you maximise your returns, be sure to compare fee structures across brokerage platforms as these fees can eat into your total return. On the other hand, if you enjoy physical ownership of artworks you may be willing to accept the potential of smaller returns from an art investment in comparison to stocks or property. Additionally, some analysts believe that art can be a safer investment as it is less tied to financial markets than stocks or properties. However, it is important to keep in mind that the art market is subject to its own volatility as tastes in artwork can also change over time.

You Don’t Have to Buy a Famous Painting to Invest in Art

If reading more about the reality of art investing has discouraged you from purchasing artwork yourself, there is good news. Through investment funds, it is possible to invest in funds managed by professional art investment managers who have trained expertise in the field. For their services, these funds tend to charge fees of 1% to 5%. While these fees can be more expensive that other types of investment funds, art funds provide access to an exciting area of investing for individuals that are unable to dedicate large amounts of funds to purchasing individual pieces of art. Additionally, seasoned art investors tend to seek out up-and-coming artists in order to purchase potentially valuable art before it garners a reputation and high price tag. You can try finding some of these new artists through websites such as Artsy or Instagram. Furthermore, with enough expertise, you might be able to spot valuable but unrecognised pieces of artwork at the oddest places while travelling.

The article 5 Things You Must Know Before You Invest in Art originally appeared on ValueChampion.

ValueChampion helps you find the most relevant information to optimise your personal finances. Like us on our Facebook page to keep up to date with our latest news and articles.

“I have the best counsel – the people of Singapore” – Leong Sze Hian set to defend himself in defamation suit by PM Lee

Jewel Stolarchuk

-

December 12, 2018

0

“I have the best counsel – the people of Singapore” – Leong Sze Hian set to defend himself in defamation suit by PM Lee

Prominent blogger and ex-President of human rights NGO Maruah, Mr Leong Sze Hian, is set to defend himself in the legal proceedings for defamation that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has commenced against him.

Mr Leong, who earlier rejected the notion that he deliberately set out to malign the PM with malicious intent, told TOC today that he has entered an appearance to the defamation suit. Revealing that he will be representing himself, he added: “I have the best counsel – the people of Singapore.”

Declining to comment further on the ongoing case due to “legal reasons,” Mr Leong said “Singaporeans will get their answers now” to questions like “why is Singapore the only Government in the world that – from a cashflow perspective – does not spend any money on pensions, public housing and healthcare,” since the “the inflows exceed the outflows annually in these areas?”

He reportedly added that the authorities have not given him “any substantive response” over the past two decades where he has tried to seek “transparency and accountability” by writing “a few thousand articles, newspaper forum letters, speeches and protests”.

PM Lee commenced legal proceedings against Mr Leong for defamation, after Mr Leong shared an article on his Facebook page that alleged that the head of government helped launder 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds.

The article, entitled “Breaking News: Singapore Lee Hsien Loong becomes 1MDB’s key investigation target – Najib signed several unfair…”, originated from Malaysian website The Coverage, which has since been geo-blocked in Singapore by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

The article was originally published on the now-defunct States Times Review website on 5 Nov. The article stated that PM Lee had entered into “secret deals” with ex-Malaysian PM Najib Razak to launder 1MDB funds. Singapore’s High Commission in Malaysia has deemed the article “fake news and clearly libellous”.

The IMDA reportedly served a letter of demand to Mr Leong asking him to take down the Facebook post from his wall. Mr Leong reportedly complied and removed the post that had received about 18 shares, on 10 Nov.

Two days later, on 12 Nov, PM Lee’s lawyers at Drew & Napier sent Mr Leong another letter of demand and asked him to make a public apology and compensate the Prime Minister for damages.

In an earlier statement, Mr Leong said that he was “bewildered” by the legal proceedings that have been initiated against him. Speaking to This Week in Asia, he said:

“For legal reasons, I am unable to comment on my case. In my defence, I can say that this is a fight not between me and the prime minister, but between the people and him for freedom of expression, transparency and democracy. I am bewildered as to why he is suing me for defamation.”

https://theindependent.sg.sg/leong-sze-hian-rejects-notion-that-he-set-out-to-defame-pm-lee-with-malicious-intent/

MOM says FDWs should be given 3 meals a day, but many employers are not complying

Singapore News

Miren Gonzalez

-

December 12, 2018

0

MOM says FDWs should be given 3 meals a day, but many employers are not complying

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requires employers to provide Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) with three meals a day, enough for “a female engaged in moderate activity”, but more and more FDWs are coming forward with disturbing reports that they are not receiving adequate food from their employers.

Another media source first reported on the growing food plight of FDWs in Singapore. The concern about food and proper nutrition is one of the top five issues that FDWs have recently raised.

Local government organisations Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) and Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) reported that there is a growing number of complaints from FDWs about receiving inadequate food, or food of bad quality.

While the number of FDW cases have gone down after seeing a rise in cases involving male construction workers instead, the organisations said that they continue to receive food and nutrition complaints from FDWs.

“Our case numbers have come down over the last few years, but our social workers around four years ago reported that they were hearing more complaints from workers about inadequate food in general, such as having rice and some cheap green vegetables for meal after meal,” the TWC2 spokesperson said to another media source.

Take a look at these additional numbers:

HOME, which provides food and shelter for FDWs who need assistance, said that of the 800 women housed at their shelter, around 40 percent have raised issues about not receiving enough food, or that the food that do get is of poor quality.

The Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE), which serves as NTUC’s advocacy group for FDWs, reported that around 4 percent of over 2,400 cases it has worked on since 2016 were about inadequate food complaints.

Stephanie Chok, HOME’s advocacy and communications manager, cited some of the most common food-related complaints that FDWs have brought up –

1) being given stale food

2) not being given enough food

3) being given food goes against the FDWs’ religious dietary restrictions

Chok also said that the same FDWs raising these concerns are mostly afraid to speak to their employers about the issue as they don’t want to get sacked from their jobs or reprimanded.

In some cases, employers even make noise about how quickly the food is being consumed, resulting in the FDW not feeling comfortable enough to get or ask for more food and therefore not receiving proper nutrition.

Another media source cited a few specific cases of FDWs not being given enough to eat.

Case 1: Raquel Mondarte, a 47-year-old FDW from the Philippines

Raquel’s former employer was “great” in other ways but was apparently also “very stingy with food”. Most of the time, she was not given meat or even vegetables for her meals.

Her fellow FDWs, neighbours and friends came to her rescue, donating cooked food or canned food to Raquel so she could get by. She also bought most of her own food but did not want to spend too much as she was saving her salary.

Case 2: Suri, an FDW from Indonesia

Suri works for employers who have surveillance cameras installed in their kitchen, so that they can keep track of the food that Suri is eating.

Suri said that he employers allow her to only eat certain foods. As an example, she is permitted to eat eggs, but maybe only one per day. She was also told that she is not allowed to eat fish because it is expensive.

Suri also gets questioned by her employers if she cooks but the children she cares for are not eating and if she takes food from their refrigerator. Like Raquel, she buys a lot of her own food.

MOM is very specific and strict about making sure that employers follow the guidelines on adequate food and rest that FDWs are lawfully entitled to. MOM said that employers are required to provide adequate food and fulfil all obligations relating to the well-being of the FDW, regardless of whether the employer is in Singapore or overseas.

Here is an excerpt from the MOM page on Rest days and well-being for foreign domestic worker:

“You must provide your FDW with 3 meals a day.

An example of a day’s food intake for a female engaged in moderate activity is as follows:

Breakfast: 4 slices of bread with spread
Lunch: 1 bowl of rice + three-quarter cup of cooked vegetables + palm-sized amount of meat (fish/poultry/beef/lamb) + fruit
Dinner: 1 bowl of rice + three-quarter cup of cooked vegetables + palm-sized amount of meat (fish/poultry/beef/lamb) + fruit

Be sensitive to your FDW’s needs when it comes to food. Do not force your FDW to eat food that she is not supposed to or is not comfortable with. For example, your FDW may not be able to eat certain food due to her religious beliefs, or she may not be accustomed to your family’s dietary requirements (e.g. vegetarian food or porridge).”

If employers do not comply with the guidelines set by MOM, serious charges can be filed and employers can be charged and even sentenced to jail.

Last year, a couple was sentenced to jail – three weeks for the husband (with a fine of S$10,000) and three months for the wife – for starving their Filipino FDW for 15 months, which caused her to lose around 20kgs.

Today’s top tech news, December 12, 2018: Vietnam-based travel company Triip now allows blockchain booking

Jobs

e27

-

December 12, 2018

0

Also, LightInTheBox acquires EzBuy despite struggling freefalling in the stock market, Uber’s sued right after announcing IPO

Vietnam-based travel impact startup Triip launches blockchain booking feature [press release]

Triip, a Ho Chi Minh City-based travel impact company announces its new payment network that has two new blockchain currencies option.

The company claimed that it’s the first time ever a travel booking platform features blockchain currencies. Targeting upcoming mid-December, Triip’s visitors will be able to book their travels with Ethereum, followed by a new currency of Tomochain called TOMO by the end of the month.

Triip has been around for four years now and has been open to innovations with their moves in adopting blockchain currencies. The reason the company has TOMO currency is also due to the company’s support towards Tomochain’s recent Mainnet launch for TOMO and its partnership with the cryptocurrency.

After the blockchain payment launch, Triip plans to expand its user base in Indonesia alongside as a part of its collaboration move with photo-editing app PicMix.

“Within Triip as well as in the blockchain world at large, big things are happening. We’re glad that we are on this ride,” closed Hai Ho, the CEO of Triip in addressing Triip Protocol’s partners.

China-based e-commerce firm LightInTheBox acquires Singapore’s Ezbuy for US$85M [Singapore Channel Asia]

The discount e-commerce service firm LightInTheBox announced that it has closed the acquisition of Ezbuy, Singapore’s cross-border selling service operating in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Pakistan.

The deal first emerged in November with LighInTheBox taking 100 percent ownership of the company as a way for the struggling e-commerce firm to survive.

The company has spent the last few months at a price less than US$1 with the initial price entering the stock market at US$9.50. Its stock’s today is worth US$0.64 and it is reflected in the company’s Q2’s net loss US$9.5 million.

Also Read: Vietnamese SaaS platform Base raises US$1.3M in pre-Series A funding round

The Ezbuy deal comes in as the last hail mary that is expected to will inject new blood beyond its markets. Ezbuy CEO Jian He has become CEO of LightInTheBox taking over from Alan Guo, LightInTheBox’s founder, while Meng Lian, a partner with IDG Ventures, Ezbuy’s backer, has joined as a director.

Taiwan’s big data company Accupass expands to Malaysia to boost event ecosystem [Press Release]

Taiwanese AI and big data company Acupass officially expands its footprint to Malaysia through a brand launch called “Shape Future Events – Take your events to the next level” today at the Selangor Digital Creative Centre (SDCC) in i-City, Shah Alam.

Accupass provides an O2O (online to offline) model and event planning consultancy that also boost the development of event industry. It works by applying AI and Big Data technologies into event planning, which then enables clients to increase their efficiency with event organization.

The reason Accupass enters Southeast Asia through Malaysia is that the company has seen Malaysia as having a mature digital economy environment with its internet infrastructure and a population that is fluent in both Chinese and English.

“Accupass recently has been devoted to applying AI (artificial intelligence) to event planning services, such as FACEPASS, Chatbot (automatic ticket selling), and Accupai (photo optimization service). We look forward to creating an ecosphere for the event industry in Chinese region,” said Freeza Huang, Asia Pacific General Manager of Accupass.

Uber is sued by the company that claims to have the first on-demand ride-hailing concept [Channel News Asia]

Uber Technologies Inc is reportedly being sued by Sidecar Technologies Inc, the company that claims to pioneer the on-demand ride-hailing concept. The bitter Sidecar has accused the unicorn startup to engage in what it describes as “predatory pricing and anticompetitive practices” that ultimately put Sidecar out of business.

The lawsuit is filed in U.S. district court in San Francisco on Tuesday, December 11, morning stating that “Uber became hell-bent on stifling competition from competing for ride-hailing apps,” and used subsidies and made fake ride requests to competitors in a bid to dominate the market.

According to Sidecar’s lawsuit, Uber gave bonuses and other subsidies to drivers, reduced passenger fares and lost money on every ride. Furthermore, in the lawsuit, Sidecar’s co-founder Sunil Paul also mentioned that “Uber’s senior officers and executives directed clandestine campaigns” to place fraudulent ride requests on the Sidecar app that were canceled before drivers arrived at the pick-up destinations.

Sidecar went out of business in December three years ago and was forced to sell its assets to General Motors Co in 2016.

Indonesia’s e-commerce unicorn Tokopedia raises US$1.1B, in development to become an “infrastructure-as-a-service” platform [e27]

Indonesian e-commerce unicorn Tokopedia today announced that it has raised a US$1.1 billion funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund and Alibaba Group, with participation by Softbank Ventures Korea and other existing investors.

Tokopedia stated that it will continue its focus on the Indonesian market, specifically in driving economic development and financial inclusion. To support its mission, Tokopedia commits to building the technology and infrastructure to empower small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as improve customer experience.

“Leading into our tenth year, Tokopedia is evolving our ecosystem to infrastructure-as-a-service where our logistics, fulfillment, payments and financial services technologies will empower commerce, both online and offline,” said Tokopedia CEO and Co-Founder William Tanuwijaya.

Also Read: Singapore VC fund TNB Aura makes final close of first fund at US$22.64M

Tanuwijaya noted that this approach will broaden Tokopedia’s scale and reach while improving operational efficiencies for businesses and partners in the company’s ecosystem.
–

Image Credit: Accupass

The post Today’s top tech news, December 12, 2018: Vietnam-based travel company Triip now allows blockchain booking appeared first on e27.

Source: E27

TOC editor and writer to be charged in court for criminal defamation tomorrow

Jewel Stolarchuk

-

December 12, 2018

0

TOC editor and writer to be charged in court for criminal defamation tomorrow

The Singapore Police Force has revealed that the editor of local socio-political website, The Online Citizen (TOC), Terry Xu, will be charged in court tomorrow with criminal defamation. The police will also charge a writer, Daniel Augustin De Costa, with criminal defamation and unauthorised access to computer material under the Computer Misuse Act.

Earlier in October, the Info-communications and Media Development Authority (IMDA) made a police report against TOC and a writer named Willy Sum after the website published an article titled “The Take Away from Seah Kian Ping’s Facebook Post”, purportedly written by Sum.

The article drew the Government’s attention for making allegations of corruption against certain individuals. The Attorney-General’s Chambers subsequently allowed the police to investigate the matter. The police obtained a court warrant to search the homes of Xu and Sum.

When the police searched the homes of Xu and Sum on 20 Nov, they found out that the contentious article was written by Daniel Augustin De Costa under the name of Willy Sum. The police conducted a search of De Costa’s home thereafter.

The police say that investigations suggest that De Costa wrote the article and emailed it to TOC using Willy Sum’s email account. Xu reportedly published the article on TOC without verifying the identity of the author.

Both Xu and De Costa are now set be charged for criminal defamation for the publication and authorship respectively of the article. De Costa will be charged with unauthorised access to computer material as well, because he accessed Willy Sum’s email account and sent the email without permission from Sum.

In the statement, the police also addressed the allegations against their actions in this case:

“There were allegations made against police’s actions with regard to this case, including how Police had supposedly over-reached by seizing the electronic equipment of those involved.

“As part of its investigations, the police had seized electronic equipment including laptops, mobile phones and hard drives from Xu and De Costa. This was necessary to secure and preserve evidence.

“The seizure of the electronic equipment from Xu and De Costa uncovered evidence pointing towards the identity of the true author of the article, in this case, De Costa. It was also alleged in a posting written ostensibly by De Costa’s mother that the police had unreasonably prevented De Costa from leaving Singapore for an overseas trip.

“The police had to act quickly as we had obtained information which suggested that De Costa was the true author of the offending article.”

Xu and De Costa may face up to two years in jail and/or a fine, if convicted of criminal defamation. De Costa may face up to two years in jail and/or a $5000 fine if he is found guilty of unauthorised access to computer material.

Former City Harvest Church leader found guilty of attempting to leave the country via motorized sampan

Anna Maria Romero

-

December 12, 2018

0

Former City Harvest Church leader found guilty of attempting to leave the country via motorized sampan

On Wednesday, December 12, former City Harvest Church leader and fund manager Chew Eng Han has been convicted of trying to defeat the course of justice and attempting to leave Singapore via motorized sampan on February 21 of this year, one day before serving his jail sentence.

Along with five other individual others, Chew was convicted for participating in the biggest case of misuse of charitable funds that the country has ever seen, including criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts involving more than S$50 million in church funds.

After having received permission to spend Chinese New Year with his family early in February, Chew was captured at sea on February 21 and then charged with trying to avoid serving his sentence and attempting to leave Singapore for Malaysia unlawfully at an unauthorized point of departure, the Pulau Ubin Jetty.

Adrian Wee of Characterist LLC, Chew’s lawyer, will attempt to obtain a lighter sentence for Chew. Although Wee admitted that what his client did was “misguided and ethically wrong,” “starting at the end and working backwards” would not determine whether Chew’s conduct was criminal.

Wee explained that the Police Coast Guard who received a tip and arrested Chew believed that Chew was going to go into Malaysian territory. But the truth of the matter, the lawyer said, was that Chew was going toward some fishing villages near Pulau Ubin, which is still part of Singapore’s territory.

While Chew had planned to leave the country since the idea of serving his prison term was a painful one, he recognized that this was a “terrible mistake.”

Yee said, “The accused’s acts up to the point of his arrest (culminating in him being on board the first boat en route to a point B) do not amount to embarking on the crime proper.”

Therefore, the lawyer alleged, it cannot be said that Chew attempted to leave the country.

But Eugene Sng, the Deputy Public Prosecutor assigned to the case, said that even though Chew was not on board a boat that would ultimately take him to Malaysia, he was already carrying out his plan to leave the country.

According to Sng, determining that a person is guilty of attempting to leave a country only if he or she is already on the vessel that would take him or her abroad is “misconceived.”

Chew’s three-year and four-month jail term, which he was supposed to have served starting February 22 of this year, may more than doubled, given that a jail term of three and a half years could be imposed on him for his attempt to intentionally defeat the course of justice. As for attempting to leave the country, Chew faces a possible S$2000 fine, a six-month jail term, or both penalties.

There are three other people involved in Chew’s escape attempt. Tan Poh Teck, a fish farm owner and boatman, who received a 27-week jail sentence for trying to help Chew leave the country.

Malaysians Khoo Kea Leng, a freelance diver, and Tan Kim Ho, a private tour guide, were sentenced to six months in jail, for their roles in Chew’s escape attempt.

While Chew Eng Soon, the former CHC leader’s older brother, also had a hand in the attempt, he has yet to be charged in court.

Chew Eng Han will be sentenced on January 29.

https://theindependent.sg.sg/city-harvest-leader-arrested-at-sea-trying-to-flee-singapore-in-sampan-one-day-before-jail-term-starts/

Facebook and Twitter ban Amos Yee for promoting pedophilia

Jewel Stolarchuk

-

December 12, 2018

0

Facebook and Twitter ban Amos Yee for promoting pedophilia

Social media giants Facebook and Twitter have followed in the footsteps of YouTube, WordPress and Patreon in banning controversial vlogger Amos Yee from their platforms for promoting pedophilia.

Yee, a young Singaporean who is presently living in the US after being granted asylum, openly said in his Twitter bio that “I defend Pedophiles publicly on the internet.” Last Saturday, Twitter banned Yee after users flagged his account over this sick post:

Yee’s Facebook account is reportedly no longer available online, as well. His last post on social media, published on Sunday, reportedly revealed that he has been running a pedophile-friendly server that it meant for discussion and education on “positions of paedophiles… debate tactics and how to sound more convincing when putting forth an argument”.

In the post, Yee wrote: “I’ve been running a paedo-friendly Discord server for the past few weeks and I’m looking for new members. This Discord server is not open to the public so if you’d like to join, private message me here on Facebook with a small intro of yourself (your views on paedophilia, your political views, how big of an Amos Yee fan you are).”

Earlier this year, in May, YouTube barred Yee’s account on their platform after he posted three videos defending pedophilia last November. The videos drew widespread criticism online and led to the cancellation of several speaking engagements that Yee was scheduled to participate in.

Last Sunday, US-based human rights lawyer Melissa Chen who helped Yee obtain asylum status in the US said on her Facebook page that Yee should be deported from the US. Referring to Yee’s defense of pedophilia and pedophiles, she said:

“Some repulsive ideas generate too much negative externalities, and especially when these externalities involve the welfare of children, I think society cannot allow them to have free reign.”

Can’t ignore the elephant in the room that is Amos Yee. Apologies for hastily-made video in the airport lounge.My statement:

Posted by Melissa Chen on Sunday, 9 December 2018

M’sian Transport Minister Anthony Loke, ‘Seletar Airport is yours, but Pasir Gudang is ours’

Anna Maria Romero

-

December 12, 2018

0

M’sian Transport Minister Anthony Loke, ‘Seletar Airport is yours, but Pasir Gudang is ours’

The Transport Minister of Malaysia, Anthony Loke Siew Fook, staked his country’s claim to the airspace over Pasir Gudang, Johor, with an informative video on Facebook on December 12, which has been viewed almost 250,000 times and gotten almost 8,000 shares.

Addressing Singapore, he wrote, “Hi Singapore, Seletar Airport is yours, but Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia is ours.”

Here is the full text of his post:

NO to Singapore Seletar Airport ILS flight path over Pasir Gudang airspace

Hi Singapore, Seletar Airport is yours, but Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia is ours. So please hear us out.

To Malaysians, please watch and share this – there are reasons why Malaysia has to oppose the ILS (Instrument Landing System) of the Seletar Airport which Singapore wants to implement from 3 Jan 2019.

We urge Singapore to withdraw the ILS announcement and to amend the flight path as per our request.

——

Anthony Loke Siew Fook
Ministry of Transport Malaysia

#ILS #SeletarAirport #Singapore
#PasirGudang
Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia

As mentioned in his caption, Loke sought to explain why his country opposed the new ILS at Singapore’s Seletar Airport.

The text of the video reads, “Why did Firefly suspend all its flights into Singapore after the airline was told to relocate to Seletar Airport starting 1st Dec 2018? It’s because Malaysia opposed the new ILS (Instrument Landing System) that Singapore wants to use in the airport effective 3 Jan 2019.

What is ILS?

Instrument Landing System is a precision runway approach aid that helps airplanes to land even with poor visibility. It’s safer for the landing of aeroplanes.

Then why does Malaysia oppose it?

It’s because of the flight path that Singapore wants to use for that ILS.

Singapore’s Seletar Airport is merely 2km from Pasir Gudang, Malaysia.”

The video goes on to explain that the height buffer for the flight path is quite narrow at specific points, which a tall crane could easily reach.

Loke expressed concern over the tall buildings in the area. He speaks in the video, saying, “We can’t even build tall buildings over Pasir Gudang if we allow that flight path.”

Another concern is the port in the area, which the video claims would be subjected to “higher risks and multiple restrictions.”

There were no problems of this type in the past, but now, a “big” area is affected, “from Pasir Gudang,” “up north to Ayer Tawar (Johor)” and “almost to Kota Tinggi.”

The Transport Minister also clarifies that it is not Seletar airport itself he’s against but the flight path.

“Our position is very clear. We are not against Seletar, but as far as the descending flight path is concerned, it cannot be over Pasir Gudang.”

The video ends with these words, “Malaysia urges Singapore to withdraw the ILS and to amend the flight path for entry from the southern end.”

Many netizens showed their appreciation for Loke’s post.

https://theindependent.sg.sg/msian-transport-minister-anthony-loke-we-stand-by-our-position/

“Huawei is the largest company in China.”

“Attacking Huawei is like attacking the root of China.”

– Jonah Cheng, chief investment officer at J&J Investment and a UBS veteran tech analyst to the Nikkei Asian Review

“Huawei is one of the biggest buyers for technology components and semiconductors as it controls more than 27% market share in making telecom equipment and 14% in the global smartphone market.”

“An embargo on Huawei, should it happen, could halt operations and result in significant supply chain disruptions in the near term.”

– Bernstein analyst Mark Li

“Meng’s detention shows that the U.S. still has plenty of other nontariff weapons to deploy in its economic and technological campaign against China.”

– Gavekal Research analyst Tom Holland

Being an Art Investor Takes Expertise

Be Aware of the Hidden Costs

You Don’t Need to Travel to London or New York to Buy Art

Art Versus Other Investments

You Don’t Have to Buy a Famous Painting to Invest in Art

Case 1: Raquel Mondarte, a 47-year-old FDW from the Philippines

Case 2: Suri, an FDW from Indonesia

Also, LightInTheBox acquires EzBuy despite struggling freefalling in the stock market, Uber’s sued right after announcing IPO

Vietnam-based travel impact startup Triip launches blockchain booking feature [press release]

China-based e-commerce firm LightInTheBox acquires Singapore’s Ezbuy for US$85M [Singapore Channel Asia]

Taiwan’s big data company Accupass expands to Malaysia to boost event ecosystem [Press Release]

Uber is sued by the company that claims to have the first on-demand ride-hailing concept [Channel News Asia]

Indonesia’s e-commerce unicorn Tokopedia raises US$1.1B, in development to become an “infrastructure-as-a-service” platform [e27]

“There were allegations made against police’s actions with regard to this case, including how Police had supposedly over-reached by seizing the electronic equipment of those involved.

“As part of its investigations, the police had seized electronic equipment including laptops, mobile phones and hard drives from Xu and De Costa. This was necessary to secure and preserve evidence.

“The police had to act quickly as we had obtained information which suggested that De Costa was the true author of the offending article.”

Singapore News

Business

Singapore Politics