As the economic slowdown weighs on sentiment and sales, companies are taking a very close look at costs in a bid to keep afloat.
"Nobody has been spared, especially in my industry," said energy services provider Mencast Holdings chief executive Glenndle Sim.
"We thought the downturn (in the oil and gas sector) would be cyclical, but it hasn't been," he added. "We need to recognise the fact that we're in this for the long haul, and have to look at what we can do to redeploy resources."
The company has had to let go of about 30 per cent of its workforce - which has helped with lowering costs - but Mr Sim noted this approach has its limits.
"Manpower makes up the bulk of our costs since we're a service company. But we also don't want to lose people with essential skills and intellectual property," he said.
Mr Lau Tai San, the chairman and managing director of speciality metals supplier Kim Ann Engineering, said the company has cut back on overtime pay.
The resulting dip in salaries has resulted in some foreign workers leaving the company - the firm's foreign workforce has fallen by 30 per cent.
"Overtime pay can come up to double workers' basic pay in good times. But when the economy is bad, we want to cut down as much as possible," said Mr Lau.
The company has been hit hard by the slowdown in the oil and gas industry, which makes up about 40 per cent of its business.
The general manager of a company in the semiconductor industry, who declined to be named, said that his firm has "taken a prudent step" of not hiring replacements for staff who leave. Its staff count has fallen by 10 per cent to 15 per cent this year.
"We're also consolidating senior management roles so the company is less top-heavy, and freezing wage increments for management. We're tightening belts and preparing for worse times to come."
Mr Sim said the company is also trying to divest assets, restructure loans, and negotiate to defer payments like rent.
Companies are also cutting back on discretionary expenses such as corporate gifts and dining out.
Kim Ann Engineering's annual company dinner is usually held at a hotel but Mr Lau opted to have it at the National University of Singapore Society's clubhouse last year - a cheaper option, he noted.
Pacific International Lines managing director Teo Siong Seng said the company is "being more discreet in our spending" - for instance, by "entertaining clients only when necessary".
The shipping industry has been hit by the slowdown in global trade and Mr Teo said his company has outsourced labour-intensive manual work - such as checking certain documents - to centres in India and China.
He added that he expects the company's cost-management efforts to be temporary.
Meanwhile, Mencast's Mr Sim is grimly holding on. "This industry has never been for quitters - people have ridden through many cycles. It's raining now, so we just have to learn how to dance in the rain."
Chia Yan Min
This article was first published on Oct 14, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
A police officer who obtained a total of $35,000 in bribes - in what is believed to be the highest amount taken by a policeman - was sentenced to jail for 31 months and four weeks yesterday for corruption and other offences.
Woo Poh Liang, 29, who has been suspended from duty since January last year, was also fined $20,000 and ordered to pay a penalty of $35,000. As he cannot pay the two sums, he will serve a default sentence of two months for each fine.
He also admitted to six of 18 charges under the Common Gaming Houses Act and Betting Act, including acting as a bookmaker.
Woo had earlier admitted to receiving the bribes from Filipino Angelo Salvador Beltran, 45, on Sept 17, 2014.
On May 22 that year, Beltran was caught taking an upskirt video at an MRT station. Woo was recording Beltran's statement on Sept 10, when he suggested stating that Beltran had taken fewer than five upskirt videos although a large number of them was found. Beltran understood that Woo was trying to do something favourable for him.
Later, Woo told Beltran that his case was very serious, and asked if they could trust each other. Woo then sought $100,000 from Beltran, saying his father was sick with cancer. Beltran said he had only $35,000. Woo asked for $25,000 to be given the next day.
Beltran first withdrew $25,000, and then a further $10,000 orginally intended for his wife to take their children out of Singapore, as he was afraid of what Woo might do. The monies were in exchange for Woo's help and recommendation that Beltran be given only a warning.
But when Beltran learnt that he would be charged, he complained to the anti-graft agency on Sept 18.
District Judge Kamala Ponnampalam said the case was "particularly egregious" and that Woo had brought irreparable damage to public confidence in the law enforcement system.Woo's lawyer, Mr Nakoorsha A.K., said the father of two is supporting his aged parents; his father suffers from serious illnesses like kidney failure and nasal cancer.
He said Woo served his country as a police officer with merit and received commendations and awards.
Beltran was recently given a warning for corruption. It is not known if he will be charged with insulting the modesty of a woman.
This article was first published on Oct 14, 2016.
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The World Health Organisation warned on Monday that the Zika virus is set to spread throughout Asia. So far, the virus has been detected in 70 countries worldwide, including at least 19 in the Asia-Pacific region. In Singapore alone, there have been more than 400 reported cases of Zika this year. Is there cause for alarm? The Straits Times speaks to microbiologist Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who co-discovered the Ebola virus in 1976.
Q How worrying is the Zika situation in Singapore, and what are the chances of it becoming endemic in the country?
A We think Zika is endemic in South-east Asia, and has been in the region for decades. In Thailand and Malaysia, it certainly is, and so it's likely already endemic in Singapore as well.
Even though this outbreak is probably part of the endemic circulation of Zika, people have not been looking for it or diagnosing it until recently. For example, in the past it may have been mistaken for dengue. With the publicity around the epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, there has been increased surveillance and diagnosis of Zika.
However, scientists in Singapore confirmed that they have been looking for Zika for several years now.
Q Mosquitoes are responsible for more than half a million deaths every year worldwide. Why are they so hard to stamp out even in a place like Singapore - known for its extensive mosquito- eradication efforts?
A Mosquitoes have a wide range of breeding sites, which can be very small, temporary bodies of water that are easily overlooked. This makes it very hard to stamp out all mosquitoes.
Singapore has been undertaking vector-control programmes for years to reduce the risk of dengue, which is spread by the same vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, but it is extremely difficult to completely eradicate it.
Q Singapore announced that the strain which has been found in two Singapore patients here was not imported from Brazil. While it is of the so-called Asian lineage, the virus likely evolved from a strain that was already circulating in South-east Asia. What is the implication of this finding?
A There are two main lineages of Zika - the original lineage in Africa and the Asian lineage which probably arrived in Malaysia in the 1940s. This latter lineage has been responsible for the recent outbreaks in Micronesia, French Polynesia and Latin America, and is endemic in South-east Asia.
The outbreak in Singapore is being caused by viruses that are closely related to those previously found in Thailand and Micronesia.
Q In your opinion, which is worse - Zika, chikungunya or dengue?
A It depends on who you are. If you're pregnant, or looking to conceive, then Zika could be considered the worst due to the risk of congenital Zika syndrome.
For young children, the worst would probably be dengue, because subsequent attacks of dengue once you've contracted it are more likely to be severe, possibly leading to a fatal dengue toxic shock syndrome.
For most adults, it would be chikungunya, due to the risk of permanent joint damage.
The key point is that all three diseases are spread by the same species of mosquito. They breed around houses in small amounts of clean water.
This means everyone can play a part, by disposing of waste, discarded tyres, water butts, vases and flower pots and any other vessels that can accumulate water.
kcarolyn@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Oct 14, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Vendors at the annual Deepavali Festival Village in Little India are responding to the tougher economic climate and tighter purse strings with more creative and attractive products, instead of just slashing prices.
Ms Madhuri Lata, co-owner of accessories stall Jayaram's Creation, tells The Straits Times that sales "have been slower" than in previous years since the Festival Village opened on Sept 24. She says that crowds are also smaller.
On top of that, "customers are asking for more discounts", she adds.
Ms Lata, 48, is one of 30 stallholdersat the iconic Festival Village, a one-stop shop for festive decorations, accessories and goodies.
She also owns a business in shopping mall Little India Arcade, selling jewellery such as bangles and earrings.
She makes an effort to bring in other items, including decorative lights, door hangings and the latest style of evening bags from India, to her stall at the bazaar.
"A few months before the bazaar every year, my business partner and I travel to India to suss out the latest trends and look for new items that weren't sold the year before," she adds.
The Festival Village, in Campbell Lane and Hastings Road, will run till Oct 28, the eve of Deepavali.
The majority of the vendors at the Village have participated in the fair since it began in 2001. Most of them own brick-and-mortar businesses along Campbell Lane or in Little India Arcade.
Like Ms Lata, many of the vendors travel to Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai and other parts of India as early as the start of the year to source for new items to sell at the Village.
Ms Siva Selvarasi, co-director of and designer at Celebration Of Arts, an Indian handicraft and home furnishing store, believes this is necessary.
"We want to offer something different that customers cannot find elsewhere," she says.
Her store has a huge variety of items, ranging from round embroidered cushions to colourful lanterns to an imposing life-sized brass lion statue.
She does not think the weaker economy this year is the only reason her business has experienced poorer sales - the 51-year-old says that her sales at the Village have dropped "20 to 30 per cent over the past three years".
Another reason may be that there are other players on the Deepavali bazaar scene.
Besides the Village, there is also the annual month-long Deepavali Fair, just opposite Mustafa Centre, selling ethnic Indian wear, accessories and jewellery.
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Deepavali bazaar vendors dig deep to come up with unique wares
There is also Zak Salaam India Expo, a bazaar at the Singapore Expo, with more than 100 vendors from India selling festive items. Its 18th edition took place last week.
To remain competitive, the owners of handicraft and gift stall J&G Exclusive at the Village are designing more of their own items.
This year, Mr Ganes Kannasamy, 42, and his wife Pushpa Jothi, 43, conceptualised 20 per cent of their 30 types of products, up from 5 per cent last year. These include embellished incense-holders and unique evening bags.
"Our regular customers tell us that many of the shops at the bazaar sell the same stuff and they are looking for exclusive items," he says.
The couple took heed and, so far, sales have been good for the uniquely designed items. Ten out of the 15 evening bags they brought in, for example, have been sold. The bags cost $145 each.
A third issue vendors face is rising rent at the Village.
Mr Rajakumar Chandra, chairman of the Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association, which manages the bazaar, attributes this to the costs incurred in applying for a temporary occupation licence to use two pieces of state land. The licence has been required only in recent times.
For now, Village vendors are hopeful as there are still two weeks to go before the Festival of Lights.
"A lot of shoppers come only during the final week leading up to Deepavali, so I expect business to pick up," says Mr Kannasamy.
As housewife Reina Ghoel, 30, who was at the bazaar, says: "I need to buy decorations and other Deepavali items and it comes only once a year."
NEW FINDS AT DEEPAVALI FESTIVAL VILLAGE
Step into the Deepavali Festival Village in Hastings Road and Campbell Lane and one might not know where to look.
Brightly coloured door hangings graze one's head while a hodgepodge of items that range from tea lights to rangolis (floor decorations) to festive cookies greet visitors. One stall even has two golden Laughing Buddha statues on display.
The Straits Times susses out five new items being sold at the bazaar this year.
SILK-THREAD JHUMKAS
Photo:ST
Jhumkas - distinctive bell-shaped earrings with tiny pearls or gold or silver pieces hanging from their rims - are classic Indian-style earrings and a trendy accessory.
These earrings have been given an update and now come in a silk-thread version in different sizes and colours.
Want to make a total splash this Deepavali? Go for the earrings that come in more unusual designs such as the miniature jhumkas dangling within a hoop.
Where: Jayaram's Creation, the first stall on Hastings Road at the bazaar's entrance
Cost: From $5 for a small pair of earrings to $10 for a large pair
Info: Call 6392-1921
HALF-MOON EVENING BAGS
Photo:ST
With half-moon bags trending in the fashion world, the Indians have adapted the crescent style into evening accessories perfect for a wedding dinner or glitzy gala.
Jayaram's Creation offers these bags as well as accessories, lights and decorations.
Brought in from Mumbai, India, the lightweight handbags come in a range of shapes and are studded with artificial diamonds.
Where: Jayaram's Creation, the first stall on Hastings Road at the bazaar's entrance
Cost: $15
Info: Call 6392-1921
EMBELLISHED INCENSE-HOLDER
Photo:ST
Customers of handicraft and gift stall J&G Exclusive told the stall owners that they want more "pimped up" offerings for Deepavali, and the owners rose to the challenge by designing their own unique offerings.
One of these is a striking red standing incense-holder which is studded with artificial gemstones.
Only a limited number are available. The stall-owners had it produced in India.
This gussied-up version can double as a decorative piece too.
Where: J&G Exclusive, third stall on the right along Campbell Lane from the bazaar's entrance
Price: $20
Info: Call 9775-7363 or e-mail jgexclusive@yahoo.com
DECORATED ROUND CUSHION
Photo:ST
Do not be square, at least when it comes to cushions.
A new offering at a stall opened by Indian handicraft and home furnishing shop Celebration Of Arts is a vividly coloured round cushion with pom-poms running along the circumference. It is hand-crafted in Mumbai, India, and embroidered with designs that run from tribal to floral.
Where: Celebration Of Arts, opposite the entrance of the Indian Heritage Centre on Campbell Lane
Price: $28 for a cushion and cover or $20 for a cover
Info: Call 6392-0769
QUIRKY EVENING BAG
Photo:ST
Do not mistake this handbag for a lantern or a decorative piece to hang from your door.
Sold at handicraft and gift stall J&G Exclusive, this quirky raindrop-shaped bag bears intricate detailing using artificial gemstones and gold tassels.
This bag was designed by Ms Pushpa Jothi, wife of the stall's co-owner Ganes Kannasamy, who also designed 14 other unique pieces, which all come in different shapes such as a diamond and a globe. She took two months to conceptualise the bags and had them produced in India.
Ten bags have already been sold.
Where: J&G Exclusive, third stall on the right along Campbell Lane from the bazaar's entrance
Cost: $145
Info: Call 9775-7363, or e-mail jgexclusive@yahoo.com
NEIGHBOURING FAIR FOR CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES
The annual Deepavali Festival Village along Campbell Lane and Hastings Road is not the only bazaar in Little India during the festive period.
There is also the Deepavali Fair, a 10-minute stroll from the Festival Village towards the open field opposite department store Mustafa Centre.
The Festival Village's main draws are decorations and festive goodies. The Fair entices with mostly Indian ethnic wear and accessories, although it can seem no different from any other neighbourhood pasar malam as more than half the stalls are peddling non-festive items such as mobile phone cases and household goods.
The Festival Village, which has been organised annually by the Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association since 2001, is the most iconic Deepavali event despite featuring just 30 vendors. It is open daily till Oct 28.
The Deepavali Fair, on the other hand, is helmed by different operators from year to year. It has more than 200 stalls and is open daily till Oct 29. It is not known how long the Deepavali Fair has been in operation as its organisers change frequently, but some vendors say they have been there for 20 years.
More than 20 stalls display colourful anarkali (a woman's long frock-style outfit), gowns and kurtas (long loose shirts). A full outfit for women can go for as low as $25, instead of the usual $45.
Some of these clothing stalls also offer costume jewellery, shoes and festive treats.
Many of the vendors selling clothing do not see the Deepavali Festival Village as competition.
Mr Mohamed Rashid, 40, co-owner of Reena Fashion, which has an outlet in Little India, took three units at this year's Deepavali Fair.
He says: "Our regular customers know that we will always be here and it's a different market at the other bazaar. People go there more for Deepavali decorations."
Another vendor, Mr Amjad Khan, 37, adds that there is more space at the Deepavali Fair to display his items, compared with the Village.
He co-owns Faiqah's Collection, which has two outlets in Joo Chiat Complex and Geylang Serai Market selling Malay garments such as baju kurung. However, each year, he heads to India to source for outfits for the annual Deepavali Fair.
Higher rentals and a weaker economy this year mean vendors are working extra hard to turn a profit.
However, Mr Mohamed is confident his business will not suffer too much as he counts on his regular customers, many of whom hail from across the Causeway.
"Seventy per cent of them are Malaysians. They like the latest designs we bring in and are willing to travel here," he says.
This article was first published on Oct 14, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Some stores opened late, while others shut their doors early as Thai shopkeepers and customers alike congregated at the Thai Embassy in Orchard Road to pay their respects.
"Today is very quiet. A lot of people are sad and are at home," said shopkeeper Isaree Harnmontree, 41.
The Thai national had opened her coffee shop an hour later than usual as a mark of respect for the monarch. Over the weekend, she hopes to visit the embassy to pray for the King. "I think he had a strong and good heart. He would do anything for the Thai people," she said, fighting back tears.
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Thais in Singapore and Thailand mourn passing of King Bhumibol
The world's longest-reigning monarch died on Thursday at the age of 88, following a long period of ill health. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has declared a year-long period of mourning.
At the Thai Embassy, the Thai flag was at half-mast.
According to the embassy, a condolence book will be open for signing at its premises at 370 Orchard Road, from Monday to Friday, from 10am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 4.30pm. Visitors can access the embassy via its Claymore Road entrance.
Yesterday, at least one school, St Francis Methodist School in Upper Bukit Timah Road, gave its Thai students the day off to pay their respects to the late King, and around 30 of them turned up at the embassy. Principal Lenie Cho said the decision was made out of compassion for the students.
"We came here to pray for the King," said student Stamp Promphan, 15.
"Almost all of us were crying when we woke up to the news this morning. He was a very important person, like our second dad. I've never met him, but he's like one of our family members. I grew up knowing only him as King."
But the students could not enter the embassy as the condolence book had not been set up. So they took a train to Wat Ananda Metyarama - a Thai Buddhist temple in Jalan Bukit Merah - to pray for the King.
Venerable Chao Khun Tepsiddhivides, the temple's head monk, said it will hold five days of chanting for the King, and everyone is welcome to join in. A tent has been set up, with a photo of King.
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Large crowds gather as convoy transports Thai king's body to Grand Palace
A woman in her late 50s went to a bank last Tuesday with a heavy heart and a fervent wish to save a young American doctor she had befriended on Facebook.
He told her he was stranded in a Malaysian airport for carrying more than US$2 million (S$2.8 million), and asked if she could remit another S$53,000, as the S$23,000 she had transferred to pay his fine was not enough. Little did she know that he was not who he claimed to be.
She was saved from parting with more money only when staff at OCBC Bank put a stop to the Internet love scam.
OCBC customer service manager Cindy Lim told the woman she needed further approval. She got her to read articles about similar scams, and then persuaded her to make a police report.
With Internet love scams on the rise and a spike in parcel scams recently, banks and remittance companies are trying to stay one step ahead of conmen by updating their staff on new ruses or keeping databases of scam accounts, for instance.
At OCBC, daily meetings are held. This is when managers share case studies.
Maybank does so at monthly meetings and POSB, whenever a staff member detects a scam. OCBC said its staff are trained to observe for signs that customers may be victims, too.
They may seem worried and the remittance amount may be unlike their usual transaction patterns.
These efforts come as Internet love scams rose to 442 from January to September, up from 244 in the same period last year.
Maybank said it stopped seven suspected cases last month alone, although there was no overall surge in numbers.
Other kinds of scams have also gone up. OCBC received 1,081 calls from July 1 to July 17 about phone scams involving callers pretending to be from the bank, compared to just 16 in April.
In recent months, parcel scams have spiked as well, said remittance companies. Zhongguo Remittance said it saw six to seven scam cases involving parcels a month from July to August, though numbers have since dropped.
Remittance firm Hanshan Money Express said it has seen more scams in the past three months. There can be as many as 15 cases a month.
This led it to adopt measures such as having a database to prompt staff when money is to be transferred to accounts blacklisted in previous scam cases.
Younger and better-educated people are falling victim to scams, too. Mr Jed Huang, chief executive of Zhongguo Remittance, said those aged below 40 make up around half of the scam victims it sees.
Ms Lim Jing Xian, manager of Hanshan Money Express, said: "It's quite hard for the staff to be able to detect every single scam, especially if victims are young people. Young people are very fluent and very confident. It's hard to tell if they are nervous."
Her front-line staff have been trained to ask more questions if they see suspicious cases. This includes pressing for details on how customers are related to the party they are remitting money to.
Perhaps the trickiest thing is telling customers that they have become victims. Said Ms Lim : "Even if you tell them it is fake, they will not believe you. So, we call the police."
Only when they have "woken up" do staff return them the money they intended to remit, she said.
It took a bank employee about seven hours to dissuade a woman in her 60s from remitting money to a "friend" who claimed to have been detained at Kuala Lumpur airport for smuggling gold last month.
Top 7 scams in Singapore and more
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
www.scamalert.sg
Staff took 7 hours to dissuade victim
The man, supposedly a pilot in his 30s, had been in contact with the older woman for five years and called her "honey", said Ms Kristie Chiang, a customer service manager at OCBC Bank's Marine Parade branch.
"At the counter, she was impatient and wanted us to hurry up. The teller sensed something was wrong and alerted one of our officers, who asked the customer more questions," said Ms Chiang, who was then informed of the incident.
The woman believed her friend had been held up at Customs, and she had to remit RM5,000 (about S$1,650) to help him.
But the friend's name did not match that of the account number she was remitting money to, and the location did not correspond either.
"All she wanted was to save (him) from trouble. She was very afraid," recalled Ms Chiang, who then spoke to the scammer over the telephone. He had been calling the older woman even while she was at the bank.
He refused to reveal his identity. "He just kept crying and saying he was going to die," said Ms Chiang.
When she spoke to the "Customs officer" in Malaysia to ask for proof, the other party became agitated.
After hours of persuasion, she accompanied the woman to make a police report.
The woman returned an hour later to insist again on remitting the money, only to be stopped by Ms Chiang.
"Such things are common recently, so (our office) gives us a lot of information on these scams," said Ms Chiang.
Nine social media scams you should take note of
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This article was first published on Oct 15, 2016.
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It may be one of the largest animal "migrations" across the island.
By the end of next year, more than 1,000 stray or abandoned dogs and about 800 cats housed in shelters in Pasir Ris Farmway will have to leave. The authorities want the land for industrial development.
The dogs, which make up the bulk of rescued ones here, will likely move to Sungei Tengah in Kranji, where the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is located.
Tenants of Pasir Ris Farmway were told by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) in a letter last week, which The Straits Times has seen, that the land must be returned to SLA by Dec 31 next year.
The Straits Times understands that SLA has been sending letters monthly to tenants about the Dec 2017 deadline since July.
But it did not provide details on when the Sungei Tengah sites will be available for tender or how big the plots are, causing uncertainty for the animal welfare groups.
"The process of bidding for the land and waiting to be successfully awarded will take time," said Mr Derrick Tan, president of Voices For Animals, which has more than 100 dogs.
"Preparations and building a new shelter will take months. If all these are not done in time, the animals have no place to go."
In a joint statement to The Straits Times, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and SLA said details of the tender will be provided when ready.
There are 14 farms in Pasir Ris - eight are ornamental fish farms, five are pet farms and one is a food fish farm. There are seven animal welfare groups - including Voices For Animals, Animal Lovers League and SOSD - located in some of these farms, said the authorities.
Individual volunteers, who are not affiliated with any groups, also house rescued animals in commercial boarding facilities there.
Housewife Lee Lee Sim, 54, who rescued three dogs from the streets, said: "For me, I can find another commercial boarder to house them, but what about the animal welfare groups with more dogs?"
Cost is another issue.
Dr Siew Tuck Wah, president of animal welfare group SOSD, which cares for about 100 dogs, said AVA officers had suggested to him during preliminary discussions that the new shelters should be at least two-storey high.
But multi-storey shelters are more expensive to build, said Animal Lovers League founder Cathy Strong. With at least 300 dogs and 200 cats, Animal Lovers League is the largest shelter in Pasir Ris.
To give a rough idea of cost, SPCA's single-storey facility in Sungei Tengah cost $7 million, Ms Strong pointed out.
She added: "Our operating cost is already at least $60,000, which we have to pay every month on top of the construction fees. Where will we get the money from?"
Voices For Animals' Mr Tan said that while it would be more ideal for dogs to be given more space to run about in the sun, a multi-storey shelter in land-scarce Singapore could work. He added that there were such shelters in London.
The affected animal welfare groups in Pasir Ris also worry whether they can afford to compete with commercial entities, such as pet farms, in a tender, which could push up prices.
They have twice submitted proposals to the Ministry of National Development (MND) for animal welfare groups to bid for land under a separate category from commercial entities. An MND spokesman told The Straits Times that it is considering their request.
Dr Siew said: "They have not gotten back to us. The situation is urgent. All we ask for is an answer. If we do not get more information soon, moving out by next year is not a viable option."
This article was first published on Oct 15, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Some tenants at Raffles Hotel are up in arms over having to vacate their premises at short notice for a revamp of the building.
But it is not just the short three months' notice that has upset them.
They have to leave by Jan 16, two weeks shy of Chinese New Year, when sales tend to be higher.
Raffles Hotel Singapore announced the restoration works on Tuesday, the same day that the tenants were told they would need to leave.
The luxury hotel said in response to queries yesterday that tenants' concerns, such as that over falling footfall and the condition of the Arcade, will be kept in mind when the revamp is being done.
"We have been actively speaking to our tenants individually, listening to their concerns, to discuss their needs and plans," said the hotel's general manager, Mr Simon Hirst.
The revamp will be done in three phases, starting in January with the Arcade, a public area that houses 40 shops, function areas, restaurants and bars.
While the three-month period follows terms in a tenancy agreement, the short time given to move out, find a new space and renovate it is "unfair", tenants told The Straits Times .
They said a six-month notice period would have made the "shocking" news more palatable.
"I agree that the hotel is due for a restoration as it is getting tired. But I am just so disappointed with the way this issue has been handled," said Mrs Fong Loo Fern, managing director of tailoring business CYC The Custom Shop.
Like other tenants, she was unhappy with the timing of the move. Mrs Fong, who is in her 60s and whose shop has been at the hotel for 20 years, said she sees as much as a 50 per cent increase in sales in the lead-up to Chinese New Year, compared with other months.
With no guarantee that they can return after the renovations, tenants want at least a two-week extension so they can cash in on Chinese New Year sales, and make arrangements to move out during the lull after that.
Most tenants are scrambling to find new spaces, but at least one has already found a new place.
Mr Kantaro Suzuki, 41, owner of hair salon Kizuki+Lim, said he decided to move out as early as possible as there was little else he could do.
He expects to start the new year at the new location, but he lamented spending $10,000 to renovate his two units at Raffles Hotel just last month.
Others, who renewed their lease recently, or opened their shops a few months ago, asked why they were not told earlier even though plans for the restoration were in the works for some time.
In reply, Mr Hirst told ST the management could not share details with stakeholders, including tenants, before the restoration plans and construction schedules were confirmed "very recently".
Knowing that the owners have the right to boot them out in three months, some tenants are resigned to the situation.
"I am not going to fight this. I am just saddened by their lack of heart," said Mrs Joni Ong, 56, managing director of Japanese restaurant Shinji by Kanesaka, who opened her eatery at the hotel 61/2 years ago.
Those hoping to return after the 16-month revamp are appealing for a "priority list".
They include Mr Goh Kim Tuan, 51, general manager of Kim.T Fine Jewellers and Artsseni by Kim T, who said his brands are intertwined with the prestigious location.
"It takes a long time to develop a brand, and people identify mine with Raffles Hotel. I don't want to lose that," he said.
This article was first published on Oct 15, 2016.
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Goodwood Park Hotel, once one of the best-known listed companies here, is offering to buy out its remaining minority shareholders.
The Khoo family used Hotel Holdings, a private vehicle, to mount a voluntary unconditional cash offer yesterday for all the remaining shares it does not own at $43 per share.
The offer values the company at $1.85 billion. The Straits Times understands that there are 183 minority shareholders. These investors would have chosen to hold their stock despite the firm delisting after a buyout offer in 2004.
Hotel Holdings owns 24.24 per cent of Goodwood Park Hotel. It said in a statement that it has received irrevocable undertakings from parties holding a further 75.43 per cent. That brings the total held to about 42.8 million shares or 99.67 per cent of the company.
This means that the 183 minority shareholders collectively own a mere 0.33 per cent stake in Goodwood Park Hotel.
The offer will become unconditional when it opens two to three weeks from now.
Hotel Holdings said the move is aimed at consolidating the holdings of Goodwood Park Hotel - comprising the Goodwood Park Hotel, York Hotel and Royal Garden Hotel - under a single holding company. The three hotels have a total gross market valuation of $1.03 billion, according to an independent valuation by CBRE.
It noted that the offer will also help minority shareholders realise their investments in cash "at a compelling price", given that a small proportion of its shares continued to be publicly held since its exit offer and the firm's delisting in December 2004.
"Since then, it has become difficult for shareholders to realise their investment in the company's shares, given the lack of a public market," it said.
Hotel Holdings said it plans to exercise its right to compulsorily acquire all the shares of shareholders who have not accepted the offer when it closes, on the same terms.
The offer price exceeds the company's revalued net asset value of $42.81 per share, and is also much higher - at a 262.1 per cent premium - than the net exit offer price of $11.88 per share in 2004, excluding a special dividend, at its delisting.
The special dividend followed the sale of the company's entire stake in Standard Chartered Bank to Temasek Holdings in 2006, said to be at US$4 billion.
Hotel Holdings added that it has no plans to divest any of the hotels, convert them to alternative uses or expand their capacity materially in the foreseeable future.
Goodwood Park Hotel was owned by tycoon Khoo Teck Puat until his death in 2004.
DBS Bank is financial adviser to Hotel Holdings.
This article was first published on Oct 15, 2016.
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The curtain has come down on a court dispute between Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) and a concert promotion company owned by theatre director and actress Beatrice Chia-Richmond.
The integrated resort had sued her company Running Into The Sun (Rits) for almost $200,000 owed from performances of Ah Boys To Men: The Musical, held at RWS from April 18 to May 4 in 2014.
However, the two parties have now reached a confidential settlement and Mrs Chia-Richmond told The Straits Times in an e-mail: "I am happy that this matter has been amicably resolved."
The contract between RWS and Rits for the musical stipulated that the resort was to get a 15 per cent share of the gross ticket revenue and cash sponsorship. Under the agreement, Rits was also to bear the costs of additional or overtime manpower needed for the shows.
After the show's run, RWS issued Rits two invoices totalling $215,870 for its entitlement of the revenue and for reimbursement of its manpower costs.
Rits, which is best known for organising K-pop concerts by major acts like Girls' Generation, made a partial payment of $16,622.
RWS sued Rits in September last year following its failure to pay the outstanding sum of $199,248, despite numerous reminders.
In a default judgment, Rits was ordered by the State Courts to pay the debt as well as interest of $407.34 and $1,800 in legal costs.
When no payment was made, RWS applied for Mrs Chia-Richmond and Ms Wendy Ng, who were directors of Rits at the time, to be summoned to court for questioning over the possible assets available to pay the sum.
Mrs Chia-Richmond is no longer a director of Rits.
The award-winning theatre director and actress was the creative director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the South-east Asian Games last year, and the National Day Parade in 2011 and this year.
This article was first published on Oct 15, 2016.
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A secretary who practised writing her boss' signature forged more than 200 cheques and misappropriated $1.3 million from the company.
Lim Hoon Choo, 62, was jailed for 12 years yesterday after admitting to two charges of criminal breach of trust - involving $387,423 in 2012 and $548,309 in 2013. She also pleaded guilty to five counts of forgery.
Seven other charges were considered during her sentencing.
Lim worked for New Asian Capital (NAC), an investment management firm. Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Jun Hong told the court that her duties at its Jalan Sultan office included issuing cheques on behalf of the firm and her boss, Mr Ng Eng Ghee, to pay for various expenses.
Some time in February 2010, she began forging cheques by signing Mr Ng's signature. They were made payable to "Lim Hoon Choo", which Mr Ng and NAC directors did not know was her real name as she was known to them as Eve.
To cover her tracks, she would doctor bank statements and cheque-book stubs to state that the payments made to her were "credit card payments". She would also indicate that the disbursed amounts were smaller than they actually were, so as not to arouse suspicion.
Mr Ng lodged a report on Oct 1, 2013, alleging that an employee had fraudulently issued cheques in her favour.
From February 2010 to September 2013, at least 218 cheques were forged, and $1.3 million misappropriated from the employer. Partial restitution of $141,920 was made. Lim said she gambled away the remaining money at casinos in Malaysia.
DPP Tan highlighted several aggravating factors when he sought a total sentence of 11 to 13 years.
He said this was Lim's fourth spate of offending. She was jailed eight months for CBT in 1983; two years in 1988 for CBT and cheating; and nine years for a series of forgery offences in 1999.
He said Lim had ample opportunity to stop committing further offences but showed neither contrition nor remorse.
DPP Tan said Lim was largely unsupervised and worked alone in the office. "This evinces the huge degree of trust reposed in the accused which she exploited to conduct her massive scam," he said.
Lawyer Benjamin Frois said his client committed the offences to get back at her employer who had ill-treated her. She claimed that she was sent on a "risky business" mission to Johor to interview a potential driver and was looked down on for not being a graduate.
But District Judge Low Wee Ping, who found no mitigating factor whatsoever in her case, said: "How absurd to cite that as mitigation."
Lim could have been jailed for up to 15 years and fined on each charge.
This article was first published on Oct 15, 2016.
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Smoking batteries are the hot topic of the month following an unprecedented decision by Samsung, the world's largest handset maker, to pull the plug on its flagship Galaxy Note7 barely two months after its launch.
The move follows several reports that some phones emitted smoke or caught fire even after users had exchanged their original units for supposedly safe replacements during a global recall programme last month.
Samsung initially put the blame on faulty batteries, but now, it seems there could be other complications.
Reader Farah Seth asked: "How do I prevent my phone battery from overheating? Is it dangerous to leave my phone to charge overnight?"
Tech Editor Irene Tham finds out why batteries now seem more prone to overheating:
Professor Rachid Yazami at the Energy Research Institute of Nanyang Technological University said the chances of mobile devices exploding or catching fire are five in a million, based on the about 20 billion lithium-based batteries in use today.
But the risk is increasing as device makers push boundaries to make batteries charge faster and last longer.
"Intense rivalry between firms might have encouraged engineers to push materials to their limits, thereby increasing risks," said Prof Yazami.
He is one of three researchers credited with laying the groundwork for today's lithium-ion battery, used in almost every consumer electronic device, including laptops, mobile phones and power banks.
He said lithium-based batteries can overheat under extreme conditions, including extreme temperatures (below 0 deg C or above 65 deg C) and mechanical stress, and when being designed to charge fast.
An important component in a battery - to prevent what is commonly known as a short circuit - is the separator between the positive (cathode) and negative (anode) electrodes. This separator is often made of a microporous polymer material.
As long as there is no rupture in the separator, there is no risk of a short circuit that could trigger overheating and a thermal runaway.
Here lies the problem: To make batteries charge faster and last longer, battery makers tend to reduce the thickness of the separator film.
During charging, the separator often comes under mechanical stress as the electrodes swell.
A thinner separator has a greater chance of rupturing, which then puts the electrodes in direct physical contact, creating a short circuit.
Intense heat will be generated, melting the separator, which could lead to further short circuiting. This is how smoking, fires and explosions come about.
Battery makers dislike thick separators as they create greater internal resistance, slowing down the charging. A thick separator also means less space for electrode materials, which store energy.
"The cost of fast charging is - unfortunately - safety," said Prof Yazami.
Since there is no way of telling if a battery is good or faulty, consumers should take the extra precaution of not leaving devices to charge overnight.
Consumers should also remove any clutter when devices are plugged into power extension sockets for prolonged charging.
Samsung's move to halt production for an entire model because of overheating and fire hazard is unprecedented. But lithium-based batteries are notorious for overheating.
Although there have been no reported cases of the Note7 catching fire or exploding here, there was a report earlier this year of a deadly fire caused by drone batteries left to charge overnight.
The fire on June 9 last year engulfed a home in Parry Avenue and claimed two lives.
Overheating issues prompted electronics retailer Challenger to recall 12,000 units of its Valore portable power banks in April 2014. Nokia, Dell, Apple, Lenovo, Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba, Hitachi and Fujitsu have also recalled products because of overheating batteries.
This article was first published on October 15, 2016.
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The Osim Sundown Marathon, Singapore's first endurance running event at night, will make its way overseas for the first time, with one race in Penang in December and another in Taipei next January.
The inaugural overseas races were announced yesterday at a press conference at the Singapore Sports Institute.
This is the 10th edition of the night race, with sponsor Osim returning for the third straight year.
In addition, next year's Sundown Marathon, to be held on March 25, will also have a green message as it coincides with the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) Earth Hour as it will take into account total carbon footprint, use of plastic and waste management.
Said Adrian Mok, the managing director of HiVelocity Events, which organises the Sundown Marathon: "We have been planning to go regional for quite some time, and with Sundown celebrating its 10th year, it is timely for us to go abroad to reach out to more people in different countries.
"It's the first time a night marathon from Singapore is venturing abroad, and we will mark this milestone with our first overseas launches in Penang and Taipei."
The Penang edition of the event on Dec 17 will feature three categories - 5km, 10km and 21.1km. The race will be flagged off at Queensbay Mall in Bayan Lepas.
The Taipei race will be held on Jan 14 at the Dajia Riverside Park, and participants can choose to run the 5km, 10km, 23km or 42.195km categories.
National marathoner Neo Jie Shi, who was present at yesterday's press conference, said the Sundown Marathon's overseas expansion was an "exciting" initiative that would appeal to many Singaporeans.
Neo, who was the Republic's female athletics representative at the Rio Olympic Games, added: "My running friends and I like travelling overseas for races.
"Apart from just running a race, it's a chance for you to mingle with your friends as you run together and also have a good holiday - that's the fun part."
With an estimated 130 running events held locally this year, a statistic obtained from running interest group Run Society, Deloitte South-east Asia's head of sports business service line James Walton is analysing the Sundown Marathon's expansion with interest.
"It's interesting how this will translate in other countries where the market is not as saturated (as in Singapore)," he added.
Walton believes the Sundown Marathon has two factors in its favour - it offers the full marathon category, and the overnight element of the race.
Currently, it is one of two full marathons in Singapore alongside the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore.
Said Walton: "The Singapore market is definitely saturated with runs - one of the common complaints is that there are only so many places you can run in Singapore, and it's always the same.
"Sundown still has a niche status because of the fact that it has a full marathon, which is not common in Singapore.
"Secondly, the idea of wanting to beat the sunrise has also helped in its popularity."
But the success of the Sundown Marathon's overseas races, especially in Penang, would ultimately depend on the city as a tourist destination, said Walton.
"If there was a brand new race in Singapore, you could easily fill a race because of the large local running scene," he said.
"If you hold an international race in somewhere like Penang, it starts from being a tourist experience - so that's about package deals and tying up with hotels to get people to come and take part in the event from around Malaysia and the region."
Mok is hoping to build a base of fans based on the popularity of the marathon in Singapore.
He said: "The experience that we have with the Singapore event is that we've drawn fans who are very loyal to our event - they want the finisher T-shirt that we design, the medals and our photo booth pictures.
"These are the experiences that I want the other countries to feel for themselves, so that we can attract people from those countries and build our fan base from there."
This article was first published on October 15, 2016.
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Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has said he declined an offer to be the next Malaysian king because "he wants to strictly adhere to the rotation system".
He disclosed this in a Facebook post late on Friday night, hours after the Conference of Rulers ended a three-day meeting by choosing the Sultan of Kelantan, Muhammad V, as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Under Malaysia's unique monarchy system, the hereditary rulers from the nine states on the peninsula take turns to be the country's head of state for a five-year term.
The Johor ruler said in his Facebook posting that, contrary to social media reports, he declined the offer to become the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong because he wanted to strictly adhere to the rotation system set by the Conference of Rulers.
He added: "Under this time-tested succession pattern, the Sultan of Kelantan is next in line, followed by the Sultan of Pahang. Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar respects and understands the rule of succession by rotation and wishes to abide by this."
The Johor Sultan's Facebook post raised some eyebrows.
"It is very rare for details of discussions in a Rulers' Council meeting to be disclosed to the public," said Mr Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of think-tank the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.
The British-educated Muhammad V, 47, who is the current deputy king, will be the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong since Malaysia's independence. He succeeds 88-year-old Kedah ruler Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, whose reign as king officially ends on Dec 12.
There was a surprising turn of events in the selection of the next deputy king, according to The Star newspaper.
Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, 59, was chosen as deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong although Pahang ruler Sultan Ahmad Shah was next in line for the post, the newspaper said. Sultan Ahmad, who will soon turn 86, was seen being driven in a yellow buggy inside the palace to attend the meeting on the first day of the rulers' conference.
Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor
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The Star/ANN, The Straits Times, China Press, NSTP, Facebook / Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar
For the first time, both the newly selected king and his deputy are a generation younger than most of the other rulers, The Star noted.
Under the federal Constitution, the role of Yang di-Pertuan Agong is mostly ceremonial. He acts as the head of Islam and appoints Cabinet ministers and senior judges on the advice of the prime minister.
The chairman of this year's Conference of Rulers was the Johor Sultan, but the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, chaired the final day's special meeting to select the king and his deputy, according to The Star.
Voting for the new king is usually done via a secret ballot handed out by the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal during the special election meeting. A majority of five votes is required before the chairman presiding over the meeting offers the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to the nominee.
This article was first published on October 16, 2016.
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Since his father Lee Kun Hee collapsed from a heart attack in 2014, Samsung heir Lee Jae Yong has been slowly but surely consolidating his power and preparing to take over South Korea's biggest family-owned conglomerate when the time comes.
The 48-year-old Harvard graduate is vice-chairman of the group's crown jewel Samsung Electronics. He also owns a 17.1 per cent stake in Samsung C&T, a construction and trading company.
To streamline the group's operations and increase his stake in key businesses, he reportedly pushed for a series of bold restructuring moves, such as a US$8 billion (S$11 billion) merger last year between two key affiliates - Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, Samsung's de facto holding company.
Analysts say he will need to secure more control of Samsung Electronics - one of the group's most profitable businesses - to ensure a smooth succession. But it will not be easy as 50.6 per cent of the listed company lies in the hands of foreign investors.
Meanwhile, his two younger sisters have also risen to key leadership roles in Samsung affiliates.
Ms Lee Boo Jin, 46, heads the luxury Hotel Shilla chain. She is known to resemble her father in personality and strong leadership style, and has often been described as "Little Lee Kun Hee". She expanded the hotel's operations and increased revenue from 430 billion won (S$526 million) when she took over in 2001 to a high of 2.9 trillion won in 2014.
Ms Lee Seo Hyun, 43, helms Samsung C&T's fashion division. She has been tasked with growing the business amid intense competition from fast-growing brands like Uniqlo and H&M.
A third sister, Ms Lee Yoon Hyung, committed suicide at the age of 26 while pursuing post-graduate studies in New York in 2005, reportedly over relationship problems.
Samsung launches its Galaxy Note7 phablet
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AFP, The Straits Times
This article was first published on October 16, 2016.
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Singapore schools are primarily for Singaporean children, and some costs have to be recovered from non-Singaporean students to be "fair" to taxpayers, said Acting Education Minister (Schools) Ng Chee Meng yesterday at a dialogue.
He was commenting on fee hikes, which were announced last week, for non-Singaporean students in local schools.
The increases, which take effect next year, range from $20 to $60 a month for permanent residents (PRs), and $20 to $150 a month for international students at primary and secondary schools and pre-universities. For instance, international students not from Asean countries will have to pay $1,300 a month next year to attend junior colleges and centralised institutes, up from $1,150 currently.
"Our schools are basically set up to run for Singaporean children," said Mr Ng. "For permanent residents and international students, we do differentiate our school fees.
"We do have to make sure that we are fair to the rest of Singaporeans who are taxpayers," he said, adding that some of the costs would have to be recovered from PR and international students.
Mr Ng, who was on his first ministerial community visit to Nanyang division yesterday, was speaking at a dialogue with about 250 residents and students at the Nanyang Community Club in Jurong West.
At the event, he called on students to study hard and play hard but, above all, to retain the joy of learning in all that they do.
The Education Ministry and the schools are taking "first steps" to reduce the overemphasis on academic results, said Mr Ng, in response to a question from a student about the importance of academics.
"Academics remain important... because they develop the mind," he said. "But studying hard does not mean you need to overemphasise on results. The learning journey, in my view, is equally important."
He added that other aspects of education, including values learning, are important too.
Mr Ng also touched on the revamped Primary School Leaving Examination scoring system, which will no longer be based on how pupils perform relative to their peers. He said one reason for the revamp is that pupils can have more time to explore other interests.
He hopes children can help one another and celebrate successes together. "We also want to promote a more collaborative learning where you and your friends can study together, hold hands together, play together and succeed together."
Housewife Serene Phua, 45, who has two daughters aged 16 and 18, said: "It was good to find out from the minister himself what he thinks of the education system. I am glad that the system is moving away from results to focus on other areas such as values."
This article was first published on Oct 16, 2016.
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The United States is in the middle of a divisive election in which both candidates have campaigned on a platform that spells a shrinking global footprint for the superpower.
It is not the only major country in the process of losing its appetite for free trade and flirting with the idea of turning insular.
This rising tide of isolationism fuelled by domestic pressures manifested itself dramatically in June with Brexit - Britons voting to leave the European Union.
Closer to home, a rising China appears to be increasingly flexing its muscles. Most recently, it has taken to pressuring smaller countries behind the scenes to adopt its stance on its territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Worse, this may completely cripple Asean if China is able to sway one or more member countries to take its side, causing the grouping to fail to come to a consensus on issues.
None of these trends is favourable for Singapore which, as a small country, benefits from globalisation and banding together with neighbours and therefore champions both of those things.
Yet it is not inconceivable that Asean could splinter, or that the US withdraws from the region, or that China grows so strong that it becomes the dominant player in the region. In such a world order, how would Singapore respond, and what are some alternative paths open to a small island nation?
OLD PRINCIPLES, NEW STRATEGIES
Diplomats and observers The Sunday Times spoke to say that Singapore has anticipated some of these global developments.
Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, executive deputy chairman of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, says: "We take the world as it is and have no illusion about international politics."
But some constants remain.
As Ambassador Chan Heng Chee, chairman of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, notes: "We believe in the rule of law and abiding by international law and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Small countries need international law, otherwise might becomes right."
While Singapore might not change its principles, it is likely to adapt them to the changing world.
Amid the rebalance, for instance, it is all the more going to stick to its principles of championing international order and the rule of law.
And although the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact may be stalled, Singapore will continue to seek strong trading partners elsewhere - for instance, India - or sign bilateral trade treaties of its own.
In India earlier this month, when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was asked if he was hedging his bets against false dawns, he replied: "I am trying to bet on all the good horses."
India, he added, has had fits and starts, but has made a lot of progress since 1990.
Singapore and India upgraded their bilateral relationship to that of a strategic partnership last November, and Singapore is also in a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia.
Such ties would be useful should Asean experience a slowdown in growth. Singapore is also reaching out to establish and strengthen partnerships elsewhere, in continents where it has not had a strong presence till recently.
In fact, it is already making inroads in parts of the world previously less explored and seeking new opportunities for growth there.
As senior fellow William Choong of the International Institute for Strategic Studies puts it: "In finance, you don't only invest in stocks, you invest in bonds and mutual funds and other structured instruments. Likewise, Asean is not the only basket we've invested in.
"Singapore has very cleverly over the years - although you wouldn't hear it from a diplomat - cultivated not only its linkages to Asean but also to other parts of the world."
For instance, President Tony Tan Keng Yam made a state visit halfway across the world to Mexico in June, the first by a Singapore head of state to a Latin American country. While there, he called Mexico a good gateway for Singapore to grow its presence in Latin America, and pitched Singapore as a springboard for Mexico to enter Asia.
Taking presidential trips as a proxy of Singapore's foreign policy agenda, it shows that Singapore is keeping an eye on the Latin America region even though it is far away.
Mexico may also be a kindred spirit in that it is one of the 12 countries that are part of the ambitious TPP Singapore has been championing.
Singapore has also been maintaining its ties to the Nordic countries, finding common ground in preventing the melting of polar ice caps and understanding the implications that new trade routes opening up would have on Singapore's status as a sea port.
All this fits Singapore's strategy of diversification, which could well be extended in the future.
"We want to be friendly to everyone who is friendly to us," says Dr Choong. "We don't lash ourselves to the mast of any one power, but to all the ones that matter."
Singapore can also beef up its ties with partners such as Russia and the Middle East, building on PM Lee's trips to Russia for the Asean-Russia summit in May, and to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories in April.
ASEAN REMAINS A CORNERSTONE OF FOREIGN POLICY
That said, Singapore - a tiny island in a tough neighbourhood - will still prioritise Asean.
Even though the regional grouping has come under pressure and criticism from outsiders for internal disagreements when it comes to issues such as the South China Sea, the grouping has much to celebrate when it turns 50 next year.
For one thing, South-east Asia has remained relatively peaceful since the end of the Cold War. Asean members have also remained largely in control when it comes to major issues in the region, and established the Asean Community last year.
Mr Ong, who was Asean secretary-general from 2003 to 2008, notes that Singapore has worked with other Asean states to position the grouping as a neutral regional body engaging all major powers interested in South-east Asia.
"Asean also avoids taking sides in any disagreement among the major powers and upholds the principle of not being a proxy of any external power," he says.
Significantly, with hundreds of meetings yearly at various levels - from youth exchanges to ministerial conferences - Asean has engendered a deep layer of cooperation that cuts across multiple fields, from agricultural and environmental partnerships to cooperation in financial services and cyber security.
Adds Mr Ong: "Of course, there will be bumps on this journey of regional camaraderie, but staying together will provide the ballast."
He reckons a strong Asean is key to maintaining the growth trajectory of South-east Asia, which will motivate American enterprises, and by extension the US, to stay in the region despite growing domestic pressures.
"The challenge is to develop good reasons and strategic gains for the US to continue in South-east Asia and grow with Asean," he says.
But some observers wondered about the relevance of the grouping, after its members were unable to reach agreement on a united or strong position at some meetings on the South China Sea.
Dr Choong suggests that instead of clinging tightly to the criterion of consensus, for instance, Asean could evolve the "Asean minus X" principle, where a decision can still be made even where one or two members opt out. He points out that some scholars are already talking about such a move.
"The general principle of this proposal is that Asean shouldn't be held hostage by one or two members. A position can be that of not all 10 members, but of the majority.
"Asean is mature enough to acknowledge its differences, rather than having debacle after debacle of not releasing a statement at all because of internal divisions," he says.
Dr Choong thinks that if anything, Singapore is the only country that can suggest historic reform when it comes to decision-making within Asean.
Some might caution against such moves, as the principle of consensus remains the foundation for equality among the 10 member states. But Dr Choong feels they may be worth considering at a time when the external environment becomes more uncertain.
For now, though, with China and India continuing to grow, there is a growing incentive for member states to stay in Asean, which straddles both Asian powers, says Mr Ong.
Hopefully, Singapore's diplomats will be able to strengthen the grouping further in the face of a more challenging future when it takes over the rotating chairmanship in little over a year, in 2018.
As PM Lee put it in Japan last month: "We hope for the best but we prepare for all eventualities."
This article was first published on Oct 16, 2016.
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