I applaud the tough action taken by the National University of Singapore (NUS) to crack down on inappropriate risque games on its campus ("NUS: Risque games completely inappropriate"; last Wednesday).

Such games tacitly condone sexism and misogyny at an impressionable age.

During orientation, young women are, at times, subjected to games where they play victims, and young men generally play the aggressors.

Sexist words used during this time may, at best, be careless or thoughtless, but are inappropriate in a university setting and can even cause mental stress to our vulnerable young women.

These misogynistic words and actions may, in time and without due attention, subtly enter our everyday parlance, become acceptable in general discourse and potentially lead to violence - whether verbal, mental or physical - against women.

It is not only the women who are victims. Less enthusiastic young men are also at times pushed into aggressive conduct with taunting words and abusive language.

Most of these young undergraduate men are just mimicking generations of seniors before them - never giving thought to their actions as anything beyond having some fun.

That is why it is important for tertiary institutions to fully reflect, honestly review and concretely revamp orientation activities.

There must be a stop to what has evolved over all these years - a form of overt, institutionalised bullying, acceptable over the course of a week or two before the start of the academic year.

I hope that future generations of women undergraduates are treated with the respect and civility that should be accorded to them after fighting so hard for a place at a venerable institution of higher learning.

Trina Liang-Lin (Ms)

President

Singapore Committee for UN Women

This article was first published on August 1, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

When The Straits Times asked cancer patient Madam Chai to be photographed, she was hesitant initially. However, when she was told she would be joined by the nurses who care for her at Tan Tock Seng Hospital's (TTSH's) oncology ward, she began laughing and smiling.

"I am so grateful to them that I can't express it," said Madam Chai, who paid tribute to the 60-strong oncology team ahead of Nurses' Day, which is celebrated today. "They've taken care of me since the very first day and they never grumble. As patients, we are dependent on the nurses' help every day. Sometimes, even family can't help you, but the nurses always do."

Madam Chai, who is in her 60s, was admitted to the hospital three months ago. She had gone to a polyclinic for a check-up after discovering bruises on her body.

Later that day, she was on her way to an electronics factory where she has worked the night shift for the past 25 years when she received a call to go to the hospital immediately. She did not reveal the details of her diagnosis but has been in hospital since.

"I was so upset... I couldn't believe what was happening because I was still well and working," she said tearfully. "All I could think of was that I had to survive for my mother and my son. He hasn't graduated from university yet."

Madam Chai has kept her illness a secret from her mother, who is in her 80s, for fear of worrying her. Her father died when she was seven.

Born in China, she worked as a teacher before moving, in her 30s, to Singapore, where she met and married her husband.

Though her illness has weakened her, Madam Chai persists in doing things independently, despite the nurses' instructions to ask them for help, as she knows they are very busy.

"One night I had a fever and I went to the toilet on my own. I fainted and they all rushed over to help me," she recalled.

The medical staff in the ward even surprised her with a birthday celebration last Thursday.

Madam Chai's family has been a constant source of love and support.

Her husband, a 71-year-old retiree, sleeps next to her in the hospital every night, while her son, who is studying business at the National University of Singapore, visits often. Her sister and brother, and his wife, have been taking turns to visit her for a month at a time before flying back to their homes in Hong Kong and China respectively.

The nurses say that while patients appreciate their help, not all express it readily like Madam Chai.

"Even when she is suffering and in pain, she still thanks us every time we check on her," said Ms Pwint Phyu Phyu Myint, 32, a nurse clinician who has worked at TTSH for 12 years. "We feel very happy... (and) no matter how tired we are, we manage to go on."

Ms Jeyanthi Raju, 39, a senior staff nurse with 17 years' experience, said: "We don't need thank- you cards or food items to make us feel appreciated. Just a word of thanks or a smile - (that way) we know we have made someone else better. Isn't that what nursing is all about?"

In Singapore, Nurses' Day is celebrated each year on Aug 1, the day that nursing began here. Most countries celebrate it on July 12, the birth date of Florence Nightingale.

"Some people may think that nursing is not a glamorous job, but I have come to realise that it is so admirable," said Madam Chai. "Thanking them is something I should do."

This article was first published on August 1, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

With tighter maintenance rules kicking in last week, lift technicians and engineers are more crucial than ever - yet they remain scarce.

"The whole industry has been short of manpower for the last 10 years or more," said Mr Sugumaran Pillai, president of the Singapore Lift & Escalator Contractors & Manufacturers Association.

The new rules give more clarity on maintenance standards but the required frequency of life maintenance each month is unchanged.

Elderly man dies after toppling over lift gap in Pasir Ris

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Lianhe Wanbao, Shin Min

Of the labour shortage, Mr Quah Eng Hing, secretary of the Singapore Lift & Escalator Contractors & Manufacturers Association, said: "We've always been short of people. The pace of new people joining is slow but the number of lifts is still increasing."

The Building and Construction Authority has said it will look at building up manpower capabilities in the next phase of its review on lift safety regulations.

There are currently about 2,000 lift technicians. But a few big firms account for more than 70 per cent of all lift maintenance work. Among them is Hitachi Elevator Asia, which has lifts in commercial buildings, condominiums and hotels, but not in Housing Board blocks.

Lift in Ang Mo Kio shot up 17 floors

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Lianhe Wanbao, The New Paper

"Recruitment of locals has always been a challenge in any labour-intensive industry. But Hitachi has been able to recruit and retain manpower so far," said a Hitachi spokesman.

Seven of Hitachi's 10 maintenance engineers and 89 of its 118 maintenance servicemen are Singaporeans. The rest are Malaysians.

Hitachi noted that few young Singaporeans are keen to join the industry, "maybe due to a perceived tougher environment", compared with similar-paying jobs in manufacturing, sales or administration.

The basic monthly wage - excluding overtime - is $1,160 to $2,080 for a technician with Institute of Technical Education (ITE) qualifications and $2,060 to $3,690 for a supervisor. For support engineers, the monthly basic salary starts at $2,150.

One of Hitachi's strategies is its tie-up with ITE College East. Since 2012, three to four students from the vertical transportation course have served an internship with Hitachi yearly. There, they learn the basic skills of lift and escalator maintenance, and are attached to full-time technicians to get a taste of the job.

Another initiative is Hitachi's "recommend a friend" scheme, with incentives for employees who do so.

Technician Omar Shamsudin, 28, is one of those recruited by a friend. Previously a dispatch rider, he joined Hitachi two years ago. "I wanted to apply (the knowledge gleaned from) my Higher Nitec in Mechatronics Engineering in my working life," said the ITE graduate.

"Since (I was) young, I've been using lifts. Now that I've entered the lift industry, I have the chance to learn how the lift works, its safety functions, and the importance of maintenance work in order to keep the lift in a working and safe operating condition."

This article was first published on August 1, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

The tip of shipyard worker V. Anbazhaga's right index finger is missing. It was crushed by some falling metal last September, when the 57-year-old from India was at work.

The mangled fingertip had to be amputated. But an orthopaedic practice at a well-known private hospital gave Mr Anbazhaga only one day of medical leave and three months of light duties.

His boss never reported the injury, he said. Nor were there any light duties available, and he soon found himself on a Special Pass, unable to work. He has now engaged a lawyer to pursue injury compensation.

The issue of errant doctors not giving injured workers enough medical leave has come under the spotlight again, after the top court said it would come down hard on such offenders in judgment grounds released last Wednesday.

In May, the court suspended Raffles Hospital orthopaedic surgeon Wong Him Choon, 51, for six months, following an appeal by the Singapore Medical Council.

In 2011, Dr Wong had operated on construction worker Fan Mao Bing's broken hand, but gave the Chinese national just two days' medical leave and certified him fit for light duties for a month after that.

Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang wrote in the grounds: "It should not be the case that a patient has to 'kneel and beg' (as the patient in fact did, according to Dr Wong) for medical leave that he was in any case entitled to on proper clinical grounds."

Migrant worker groups applauded the stern stance, saying it was a long-overdue step taken to address a widespread problem.

The Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) is planning to file complaints against at least four more orthopaedic surgeons. It first filed the complaint against Dr Wong in 2011 on Mr Fan's behalf.

Social worker and former Home executive director Jolovan Wham said the group sees a few dozen such cases every year, and the doctors involved are usually from private clinics and hospitals.

Mr Wham said if the worker receives a medical certificate (MC) of three days or less, or was hospitalised for less than 24 hours, the employer need not report the accident to the Manpower Ministry (MOM).

He can keep his safety record clean and also avoid higher insurance premiums in the future.

Said Mr Eric Lee, outreach coordinator at migrant worker community clinic Healthserve: "These doctors take instruction from the employers because they are the paymasters."

Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) treasurer Alex Au estimated that one in four of the injured workers they helped has received insufficient MCs.

TWC2 committee member Debbie Fordyce said she has seen cases where workers recovering from serious injuries were kept on site and given light tasks.

One had had a craniectomy - surgery to remove part of his skull - but was told to dispense equipment to his colleagues. Another, whose leg had been crushed by a forklift, was left in an office but was "too sick to even sit".

Dr Andrew Chin, head of the Singapore General Hospital hand surgery department, said doctors should check if light duties are available at the patient's worksite and of what variety. "Under any circumstances if they are not available, or if the doctor is in doubt, then medical leave should be given."

Hand surgeon Andrew Yam, who has treated injured foreign workers for over a decade, suggested that MOM require all injuries be reported, and not just those with more than three days' MC.

Companies' safety records should be affected instead by the level of permanent incapacity rather than the number of days' MC.

Employers, however, may have their own problems with managing injured workers.

Singapore Contractors Association (SCAL) executive director Lam Kong Hong said: "For every story like (Dr Wong's), there's another story of workers who take advantage of employers by hopping from one clinic to another, getting MCs extended, or undertaking operations for $10,000, $20,000 that the employer only finds out about later."

While the court's judgment may spell more adequate rest for injured workers in the future, it is too late for Mr Fan, who has since returned to China. Mr Wham said they had lost touch with him. "He may never know that he won."

1. Last September, worker V. Anbazhaga's finger was crushed. The fingertip had to be amputated (left). An orthopaedic practice at a private hospital gave him only one day of medical leave and three months of light duties.

2. In 2011, orthopaedic surgeon Wong Him Choon operated on construction worker Fan Mao Bing's broken hand, but gave the Chinese national just two days' medical leave and certified him fit for light duties for a month after.

3. If a worker receives a medical certificate of three days or less, the employer need not report the accident to the Manpower Ministry. He can keep his safety record clean and also avoid higher insurance premiums in the future.

This article was first published on August 2, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

A Canadian judge has turned down a Singaporean's bid for refugee protection in Vancouver, finding his claims of alleged potential persecution in Singapore to be unfounded.

Jedidiah Ian Tan, 23, who was exempted from national service on medical grounds after serving two months, had claimed the exemption was revocable and that he had no redress in Singapore except military justice.

"A refugee claimant must adduce clear and convincing evidence that is both relevant and reliable, and sufficient to convince the tribunal that state protection is inadequate," said Justice Cecily Y. Strickland in decision grounds last week.

The Canadian Federal Court judge noted that the Singapore authorities had "acted reasonably and expeditiously" in exempting Mr Tan from national service.

" The documentary evidence indicated that the safety of conscripts is taken seriously and failures to do so often receive considerable public scrutiny," she said.

"Additionally, evidence concerning similarly situated persons demonstrated that Singapore has measures in place to deal with physical and mental incapacity of national service members and their mistreatment by others in the military."

Mr Tan had applied to the court in British Columbia for a judicial review of the decision last year by the Refugee Appeals Division (RAD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, which had rejected his case for protection as a refugee.

Entering Canada in January last year, he had first successfully applied in May last year to the country's Refugee Protection Division (RPD) to qualify as a refugee in need of protection. He claimed that he faced persecution in Singapore as a male who was granted medical exemption from military service.

But that decision was quashed on appeal by the RAD, which led to the present court application.

The RAD was not convinced that "Singapore would not be reasonably forthcoming with adequate state protection should (Mr Tan) seek it".

He was medically diagnosed as suffering from spinal curve problems. He suffered back pains, had difficulty walking and could not sit down for long periods of time.

But he was found fit for service and reported for training in December 2013.

He claimed the training was difficult and caused him to suffer psychologically and physically. After a series of medical consultations, he was notified on May 23, 2014, that he had been exempted from service.

He claimed he was exempted on psychological grounds. But subsequent to his exemption, Mr Tan claimed that he and his father received phone calls and text messages from several SAF officers of his former platoon threatening to have him returned to continue military training.

Mr Tan also claimed he feared his exemption would be revoked and he would face job discrimination as he is required to disclose his military history when applying for jobs here.

The RAD, in rejecting Mr Tan's claim, found that as he is no longer a serviceman because of the exemption, he was entitled to redress from the civilian authorities should the military authorities consider revoking his exemption.

Documentary evidence also showed that Singapore "had effective mechanisms in place to address abuse and corruption in the police and armed forces," noted Justice Strickland.

She ruled that there was no procedural unfairness on the part of the RAD just because it viewed some of the same evidence differently from the RPD. The RAD had pointed to potential avenues of protection in Singapore against job discrimination and had not been unreasonable, she added.

This article was first published on August 2, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

The National Arts Council (NAC) has defended the high fees paid to consultants of a centralised refuse collection project in the Civic District, saying it was "not a simple bin centre to build".

There were many technical challenges to consider, as well as the need to ensure traffic nearby was smooth and the buildings were conserved, it said on Government website Factually, which aims to correct misinformation posted online.

The $410,000 it paid for a study on the project alone is nearly 90 per cent of the cost of actually building the bin centre, which was another $470,000.

The bin centre stands above the basement of the Asian Civilisations Museum's (ACM) outhouse and is for the rubbish from Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall as well as the nearby ACM and Old Parliament House. Previously, each had its own bin centre.

The issue drew sharp criticism, particularly online, after the Auditor-General's Office singled out the high consultancy fees in its annual report released last week.

Responding, the NAC acknowledged and accepted that the cost assessment for building the centre should have been more robust.

The council, which comes under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, said that in future, it would decide whether consultancy fees were reasonable by looking at the quoted fee as a proportion of the project's construction cost.

It had not used this method for the bin centre when seeking approval for funds to pay the consultancy fee. Instead, it compared the quoted fee against fees for other complex projects. This was the reason it was not clear that the consultancy fee was exceptionally high, said the AGO report.

The report also said NAC had directly engaged the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall consultants to provide these additional consultancy services. It did not call for a separate tender.

NAC said this was because the consultants - who were not named - were selected based on an open tender for the project as a whole.

The NAC, in its reply, also said there could be some misunderstanding about the reasons for building the bin centre. It was not a standalone project, but part of the redevelopment for the Civic District, which the NAC said was "an important cultural and heritage area for Singapore".

Building the bin centre would improve operations and enhance the area's aesthetics, it said.

It also said the construction cost was less than 1 per cent of the development cost of the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall.

The project, it said, was complex for several reasons.It involved structural and reinforcement works as it was above the ACM basement.

Mechanical and electrical services had to be accounted for, and existing underground services had to be diverted. The project also had to include ventilation so that foul smells would not escape from it as the bin centre stands next to the ACM offices.

Other considerations included preserving the aesthetics of the historic area, and studying the impact of the bin centre on the ACM loading and unloading bay.

"Consultancy services were necessary because of the complexity of the project," said the NAC.

The consultancy services included a feasibility study taking into account the various requirements of the three buildings, which house three separate institutions.

This article was first published on August 2, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Get-well wishes for former president S R Nathan continued to stream in from visitors yesterday, a day after he was hospitalised for a stroke.

Among the many leaders, senior civil servants and long-time friends who went to see him at Singapore General Hospital were the chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers J. Y. Pillay, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam.

Others who were there included historian Wang Gungwu, Foreign Affairs Ministry's Second Permanent Secretary Albert Chua, Singapore's Permanent Representative-designate to the United Nations Burhan Gafoor and Ms Claire Chiang of Banyan Tree Holdings.

Ms Chiang, a former Nominated MP, said she last met Mr Nathan, 92, about 10 days ago at his home.

"He was standing at the door, greeting us without any support, not even a walker," said Ms Chiang, adding that Mr Nathan told her to visit him more often.

She had promised to give him some extra spicy tom yam at their next meeting, as his taste buds have dulled. "So I told him just now, 'Abang (Malay for brother), wake up. There's mee siam, samosa and spicy tom yam waiting for you.'

"He's a foodie."

Professor Wang, chairman of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, told reporters: "Of course, we are hoping for the best.

"Nathan is someone with a lot of fight in him. I was told he was just here at the hospital on Friday for his regular dialysis."

Carpet shop owner N. J. Doshi, 85, who has known Mr Nathan for more than a decade, said after his visit: "He's a decent man and you seldom meet someone like that in your life. We wish him well and we are praying for him, but we know that he is in critical condition."

Other Singaporeans continued to express their hopes for his recovery on social media.

Facebook user Elias Sandy said: "He's a very down-to-earth person, even when he was the President... Let's all keep him in our prayers."

Separately, Professor Cham Tao Soon, President Emeritus of Nanyang Technological University, wrote to The Straits Times yesterday to join Singaporeans in wishing Mr Nathan a speedy recovery.

"As one who was twice his Proposer for the election of the President, I am glad to be associated with him as he was a great President loved by many Singaporeans," he said.

This article was first published on Aug 02, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is fully committed to comprehensively address the problem of sexualised activities at its orientation camps, but needs the time and space to do so over the next few weeks and months.

In his first public comments on the furore over such activities, NUS president Tan Chorh Chuan said there are a wide range of issues to consider and it has called "a time-out" on student-organised orientation activities for now.

Read also: Sexualised orientation games: NUS suspends all student-organised activities

NUS had announced the suspension of orientation activities last Friday, after it was reported that some students had complained about being pressured into taking part in risque orientation activities.

These included the alleged re- enactment of an incestuous rape scene and a dunking incident involving Sheares Hall students.

Yesterday, Prof Tan stressed that NUS does not approve of these.

Read also: 'Sexualised' uni camps spark fierce debate

Addressing freshmen at the 2016 Freshmen Inauguration Ceremony yesterday, he said: "We make our stand very clear: We do not condone behaviour, games and activities that denigrate the dignity of individuals and that are sexualised.

"It is very disappointing that a few in our student community have clearly not internalised this."

While noting that NUS does not intend to do away with orientation, he said that it does expect "orientation activities to be fully respectful of the dignity of all those participating" and has put in measures to help ensure this in recent years.

NUS suspends student-led orientation activities

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Video screengrabs, Stomp

Prof Tan also told the freshmen that he was "very sorry that your first days at NUS have been clouded by the controversies".

Meanwhile, the NUSWhispers Facebook page is still abuzz with comments about the controversy.

Read also: What NUS students say about orientation camp debacle

A female freshman, who is "thankful" orientation week is cancelled, said: "I doubt I'll be able to enjoy a camp where I have to be in perpetual fear of being forced to do immoral deeds or have them rendered upon me."

But another student said: "I was really looking forward to O (Orientation) week but now that it got cancelled, my freshman experience is really bad."

NUS undergraduate Charlie Woo, 24, suggested a more consultative planning process. "Perhaps, in future, the university can have closer co-operation with student leaders to review student-led activities before they are carried out," he said.

When asked, an NUS spokesman declined to say how long the ban on orientation activities would last, but said faculty-led activities such as welcome receptions would go on.

One activity that will proceed is the annual NUS Students' Union Rag and Flag today. Thousands of NUS students will take to the streets to raise funds for the needy.

This article was first published on Aug 02, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

They would exchange some counterfeit $1,000 casino chips for genuine ones of a smaller value, mix the real chips with additional fake ones and exchange the whole lot for cash at Marina Bay Sands (MBS).

To evade detection, the runners of the transnational syndicate were told not to cash in more than $5,000 worth of chips at a time.

MBS detected the scam only a week later and recalled all its $1,000 casino chips. It suffered losses of more than $1 million.

Yesterday, one of the runners, beautician Tang Shiwei, 26, who had conspired with her cousin and two men to pass the fake chips off as real, was jailed for seven months.

Tang, a Chinese national who is a Singapore permanent resident, exchanged a total of 30 pieces of fake $1,000 chips for $30,000 on Nov 22 last year. She got $600 in return.

The mother of two was one of the runners recruited by the syndicate to exchange more than a thousand $1,000 denominated casino chips at the casino in Bayfront Avenue that day.

She admitted to one of 12 charges of abetment in a conspiracy to use as genuine casino chips that she had reason to believe to be fake.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Zhongshan said runners were told to first exchange a few counterfeit chips at gaming tables for genuine ones of smaller denominations, mix the real chips with the remaining fake ones before exchanging them for cash at the cashiers' counters.

Each would then hand the cash to the recruiter, and receive a sum of money as a reward.

In early November last year, Toh Hock Thiam, 54, asked Chia Wai Tien, 47, to recruit people to exchange counterfeit casino chips at the MBS casino.

Chia's girlfriend and Tang's cousin, Fang Chao, 40, told Tang that Toh was unable to enter the casino and needed someone to help exchange the chips, in return for a commission.

Tang agreed to help.

On Nov 22, Chia took the two women and two others to MBS and handed a bag containing 20 fake $1,000 MBS chips to each of them.

Although Tang had reason to believe that the chips were not genuine, she exchanged some counterfeit chips for those of smaller denominations, mixed them together and cashed out the lot at different counters.

After exchanging all 20 fake chips in her bag, she handed over $19,600 to Fang after deducting $400 as her reward.

Subsequently, she received another 10 fake $1,000 chips and exchanged them for cash. She kept $200 and handed over $9,800 to Fang.

The case against Fang, Chia and Toh is pending.

Tang, represented by Mr Sunil Sudheesan, cried when her lawyer was mitigating on her behalf and seeking the court's mercy.

She could have been fined up to $150,000 and/or jailed for up to seven years for the offence.

This article was first published on August 2, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

A three-year-old girl fell from the balcony window of a fourth-floor flat in Serangoon North Avenue 4 earlier this year when she was left alone and unsupervised at home.

Nur Syahamah Syahrom died 24 days later of pneumonia following the traumatic injury to her head.

At an inquiry into her death, the court heard yesterday that her grandmother would usually take her along to pick up her older siblings from school.

But on Jan 20, Madam Manisah Subakin, 66, did not want to wake Nur up as she was sleeping.

She left the flat at about 12.20pm after locking the main gate and closing the door, but returned about 15 minutes later to see Nur at the bottom of the block.

Girl, 3, falls from 4th floor in Serangoon North

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Shin Min Daily News

Inside the flat, a pillow which she had placed on the balcony ledge to catch the sun was on the balcony floor.

Under the window was a white stool that was usually in the dining area.

All the windows, except that of the balcony, had grilles on them.

Madam Manisah had told police that Nur had a habit of standing on her grandmother's bed to look out of the window.

Even though it had a grille, she had told the child before not to open the window.

Nur was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital with a severe traumatic brain injury and skull fracture.

She had an emergency operation but her prognosis was very poor because of the pressure on the brain caused by the injury.

She was transferred to intensive care at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital the same day.

She died on Feb 13.

In his findings, State Coroner Marvin Bay said Nur, the youngest of five children, had apparently wanted to leave the apartment to look for her grandmother.

"Finding herself locked in, she may have ventured to the ungrilled balcony window, which had been partially opened to facilitate the sunning of the pillow," he said.

It was most likely that Nur had moved the stool to the balcony window and got on the ledge, before inadvertently falling out of the window, he said.

"Her demise is therefore a truly tragic misadventure," he said.

Drawing sad parallels with another fatal fall of a four-year-old boy who was also left home alone, Coroner Bay said children are by nature inquisitive and keen to explore their environment.

"These young children may not have developed a sound appreciation of risks, and their propensity to do the unexpected and hazardous can never be reliably anticipated.

"The dangers of leaving young children home alone cannot be overstated," he said.

He said Nur's sad demise underscores the essential importance of installing grilles and securing windows to prevent accidental falls, and also adopting other sensible measures to render a home fully child-safe.

Nur's father attended the inquest in the morning but was absent when the findings were delivered in the afternoon.

This article was first published on August 3, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Singapore's flag was raised for the first time at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics yesterday as the Republic's athletes and officials were officially welcomed at the Games Village of the XXXI Olympiad.

Aided by a steady breeze, the red and white state flag flew high and proud. The ceremony was a symbolic gesture, one which did not involve champions being crowned.

But over the course of the next three weeks, Team Singapore's 25-athlete contingent will be hoping that the Singapore flag will also be flying at venues across this Brazilian city.

With Singapore's women's table tennis players hoping to mount the podium at a third consecutive Olympics and swimmer Joseph Schooling a contender for a a medal in the men's 100m butterfly, Singapore could even better its best showing of two medals at the Olympics.

Said Singapore chef de mission Low Teo Ping: "The expectations are definitely there. The athletes are very much in the zone... The chances are there and if they do their personal best, we will maybe manage a few medals."

Singapore has won four medals, two silvers and two bronzes, since its first appearance at the 1948 London edition.

At the last Games, also in the British capital, the Republic returned with two bronze medals courtesy of the women's table tennis team.

Besides the paddlers and Schooling, shooters Jasmine Ser and Teo Shun Xie, who have won medals at international events, are also keen to show that they can hold their own with the world's best.

But before the first day of action on Saturday, the athletes of the world have been busy settling into what will be their home for the next few weeks.

Reports of some thefts and fires, and other infrastructure problems in the Village, were largely overblown, said Singapore windsurfer Audrey Yong.

She said: "Some of the toilets had problems but these have been resolved.

"The accommodation is similar to that in the last Asian Games (Incheon in 2014). Plus, we have a big balcony, so that's nice."

With the opening ceremony at the city's iconic Maracana Stadium taking place on Friday, the majority of the 10,500 athletes from 206 countries have arrived, adding to the growing buzz within the Village.

Yet, the relaxed mood - Morocco's national cycling team made an impromptu pit stop to chat with their Italian counterparts - belies the competitive spirit inside each athlete.

As Venezuelan fencer Ruben Limardo, the men's epee champion in London 2012, said: "It is really not important to me if the rooms are comfortable or there is a nice view. I am here chasing my dream to win another gold medal. That is the mentality I think everyone here has.

"We are not here for a holiday."

For more Olympics 2016 updates, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/tags/olympics-2016

This article was first published on August 3, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement would help the United States secure its economic interests and its place in the world, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told US officials and business leaders in Washington, DC, urging them to lend their voices to support the deal.

Speaking at a reception hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce and US-ASEAN Business Council on Monday, Mr Lee acknowledged that the politics is difficult in an election year but said that ratification of the 12-nation pact would be a "clear statement" of US "commitment and confidence in our region".

"Asian countries want America to be engaged. We need to know that this engagement will be sustained and we need to know that agreements will be upheld and that Asia can depend on America," he said.

He also dismissed the idea of re-negotiating the deal, saying that "every one of the TPP signatories has had to make sacrifices in order to accept the TPP agreement".

"Nobody wants to re-open the process, with no prospect of doing better and every chance of having it fall apart," he said.

The landmark trade deal, which includes countries such as Singapore, the US, Japan and Malaysia, was agreed to last year after a prolonged negotiation process. The deal now awaits ratification by the domestic legislatures of the participating nations.

Given that this is an election year in the US, ratification by the US Congress has long been considered among the most uncertain. Both Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton have said they oppose the deal.

President Barack Obama, however, told The Straits Times in an interview that he "remains committed" to the trade pact.

Reiterating the many strategic and economic advantages that the deal holds for the US, Mr Lee said: "Improved market access will mean cheaper products for consumers and more exports for manufacturers. Incorporated in the TPP are provisions on human rights, intellectual property protection and safeguards for labour and the environment. There will be strong standards that will support innovation and benefit many US technology giants."

Strategically, he said, the deal would add substance to the US rebalance to Asia, which he stressed cannot be just about the military and the Seventh Fleet of the US Navy. "There are no winners, only losers with protectionism. Economic development across the world will be blocked; less interdependence means the clear advantage of co-operation and interdependence over conflict and war will be weakened," he said.

He then added: "As Americans say, you have to be at the table, or be on the menu."

Responding to a question on China's position on its claims in the South China Sea after the international tribunal ruling last month, Mr Lee said he did not think the Chinese had changed their policy as a result of the decision.

Reactions to South China Sea ruling

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Reuters, AFP, Weibo

Once countries have taken positions, to have them "walk back from those and say 'well, it's not quite so absolute and it wasn't so clearly mine after all', I think we have to wait a long time to see that happening - very few countries do it", he said.

He added, though, that he did not think any of the claimant countries would want to "push it to the brink". "They have interests, they have claims, they would want to maintain them, but nobody wants to go to war," he added.

Earlier, Mr Lee met US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, Defence Secretary Ash Carter and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.

Reas also: President Obama welcomes PM Lee at White House for special talks

He also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

A 19-gun salute rang out and Singapore's national anthem was played by a military band as he arrived. To mark his visit, Mr Lee presented a memento - a figurine of a soldier against the Singapore flag - which he said in a Facebook post "symbolises the warm friendship and strong defence ties shared between Singapore and the US".

Following the wreath-laying, Mr Lee was received at the Pentagon with an enhanced honour cordon featuring all five branches of the US military. A US military band played Majulah Singapura before the Prime Minister and Mr Carter.

Both the Arlington cemetery and the Pentagon are in Virginia state and about 10 minutes' drive from the White House in Washington, DC.

The two military ceremonies set the tone for an official visit by Mr Lee that features ceremonies reserved for the US' closest partners.

Around the White House, streets were lined with Singapore and US flags, and two large flags also adorned the ornate Eisenhower building that houses the offices of the US administration staff.

PM Lee visits Washington

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AFP, The Straits Times, Reuters

On the sidelines of Mr Lee's visit, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Singapore and the US to establish a platform to help companies from both countries work together to pursue opportunities in third-party markets.

The climax of the visit is the state dinner on Tuesday night (this morning, Singapore time) in Washington.

This article was first published on Aug 03, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.