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afternoon edit

Loh Chee Kongnews editor

[email protected]

SINGAPORE There was no end-of-year

cheer for workers yesterday, as Singapores

economy was forecast to grow next year

at a relatively lacklustre pace of between

1 and 3 per cent.

The news would mean a more mod-

est wage growth and bonus package next

year for workers, economists told Today.

Companies will also be more cautious with

hiring, they noted.

The news also saw the Straits Times

Index dropping 1.2 per cent yesterday to

2,697.98, its lowest close since Oct 20.

Still, UOB senior economist Alvin Liew

said: Given that (the labour) market re-

mains fairly tight, there will be some kind

of wage growth involved if the current

situation continues.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Trade and

Industry (MTI) said it expects the economy

to grow by around 5 per cent this year, as it

provided its forecast for next year.

Global economic conditions are ex-

pected to remain subdued in 2012, with the

outlook clouded by increased uncertainty

and financial volatility, the MTI said in a

statement.

It added that its economic growth fore-

cast for next year does not factor in down-

side risks to growth, such as a worsening

debt situation or a full-blown financial

crisis in the advanced economies.

Should these risks come to pass,

growth could come in lower than expected,

the MTI said.

The Singapore economy grew by 6.1 per

cent between July and September, com-

pared to the same period last year, added

MTI.

The ministry expects softer growth in

the fourth quarter, given the deteriorating

external conditions, in particular in the

electronics and biomedical manufacturing

sector and financial services sector.

Singapores open economy has felt the

brunt of a global slowdown.

In a separate statement, IE Singapore

said that Singapores non-oil domestic ex-

ports (NODX) contracted by 1.1 per cent in

the third quarter, compared to the same

period last year. Electronic domestic ex-

ports fell by 17 per cent.

For next year, Singapores NODX may

expand 3 per cent to 5 per cent, IE Singa-

pore added.

At a press briefing yesterday, Monetary

Authority of Singapore deputy managing

director Ong Chong Tee said inflation will

be 2.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent next year

and the monetary policy stance remains

appropriate.

Mr Liew noted that the tightening of

imported labour would mitigate any po-

tential job losses.

He noted that the slowdown might not

have a uniform impact.

Said Mr Liew: In the depths of the last

recession, some sectors such as phar-

maceuticals were still performing well.

While growth is expected to be rather weak

next year, pharmaceutical is expected to be

still providing some support.

However, should the slowdown trans-

late into a spillover effect into the financial

sector, the banking sector may not be

getting that kind of remuneration pack-

age than they did when there was a sharp

recovery, Mr Liew noted.

Credit Suisse economist W

said that wage growth will def

to less than 5 per cent in gene

is a financial crisis, wage will

or turn negative, he said.

He added: Bonus will al

by how much is hard to say.

make bonus decisions depen

years performance as well as

outlook.

Still, Mr Liew reiterated th

certain growth sectors which

mune or at least buffered

slowdown.

For example, private wea

ment is still looking fairly stro

structural development pers

do see that income levels are

within Asia one of the key

private wealth activities itse

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ts nm 22, 2011 .l.cm s MiCa (p) 031/10/2011 a pubLiCation of newS hotLine 6822 2268

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Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Realeconomic

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+14.5%

Post dotcom globl electonics slump

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beCKhaM KeepS MuMon future pLanS

SportS page 37

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2

Parliamenttoday tuesday November 22, 2011

Bdok rsvo dhs fccopyc bhvou: Bksh

sumita [email protected]

SINGAPORE The recent spate of deaths

at Bedok Reservoir illustrates the phe-

nomenon of copycat suicides, Dr Vivian

Balakrishnan told Parliament yesterday, as

he sought to put into perspective the inci-

dents that occurred in the last few months.

People who are depressed, that is the

root to the problem ... We do not have the

highest suicide rate, in fact, given our ethnic

composition and our location as a nation, we

are doing quite well, said Dr Balakrishnan,

who did not provide figures.

Dr Balakrishnan was previously Min-

ister for Community Development, Youth

and Sports.

Dr Balakrishnan, who is the Minister

for the Environment and Water Resources,

was responding to a question from Non-

Constituency Member of Parliament Lina

Chiam on what additional measures

apart from beefing up security and putting

up warning signs were being taken by na-

tional water agency PUB in the light of the

recent spate of deaths in Bedok Reservoir.

According to Dr Balakrishnan, the PUB

will put up signs in the area providing informa-

tion on helplines for those who are depressed.

We certainly intensified all our meas-

ures to prevent these sort of untoward

accidents we reviewed the safety param-

eters, we increased patrols, we increased

lights, we put up more signs, he said.

Noting that investigations into

some of the deaths are still in progress,

Dr Balakrishnan reiterated that a multi-

pronged approach is needed to tackle the

issue and it would involve socie

family members and the comm

He said: This is a proble

beyond our reservoirs. In fact,

that there is this phenomenon

cat suicides and, since I came

in the past, we know that the

preferred modes of suicide

been influenced by media cove

way it is portrayed to the pub

Dr Balakrishnan added tha

media has been responsible in

ing of the recent deaths and the

been toned down after the fir

Responding to Mrs Chiams

the water quality, Dr Balakrish

standard operating procedure t

did not need to be changed after

Before the water from th

reaches public taps, it is filtered

cally disinfected to a standard

the World Health Organization

for Drinking Water Quality, Dr B

said. He added that the treatm

rids the water of bacteria, such a

decaying organic matter found

the reservoirs ecosystems. The t

is also tested daily and is safe to d

not eough trais to ru at2-miute itervals durig peak hoursSINGAPORE There are simply not enough

MRT trains to run at two-minute inter-

vals throughout the morning and evening

peak periods.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Min-

ister of State (Transport) Josephine Teo

said that, given the existing fleet, trains

are only able to operate at a two-minute

interval for 45 minutes during morning

peak hours between 7am and 9.30am

along the Yishun to Marina Bay stretch

of the North South Line. Intervals at other

parts of the network are still slightly

longer than two minutes during the

morning peak hours.

Mrs Teo was responding to a question

from Non-Constituency Member of Parlia-

ment Gerald Giam on whether there are

any constraints that prevent MRT trains

from running at two-minute intervals

throughout the periods of 7am to 9.30am

and 5pm to 8pm on weekdays.

Mrs Teo noted that the interval is af-

fected by the number of trains and the size

of the depots.

Pointing out that the passenger load is

uneven during the peak periods, Mrs Teo

added that, during the morning peak peri-

od, there are between 1,350 and 1,420 pas-

sengers per train along the North South and

East West lines and the stretches with the

heaviest passenger loads were between

Bishan and Novena stations, as well as be-

tween Jurong East and Dover stations.

These stretches are most busy be-

tween 7.45am and 8.45am. In contrast, the

average passenger load at these stretches

is about 1,000 to 1,200 passengers per

train for the half hour before and after

this period.

A total of 35 trains will be added to

the fleet in the next four years. This will

increase capacity along the North South

and East West lines by 25 per cent. New

trains are also being bought for the North

East Line (NEL) and the Circle Line (CCL)

and will be delivered in about four to five

years, Mrs Teo added.

This is expected to increase the NELs

capacity by up to 50 per cent and the CCLs

capacity by about 40 per cent.

Depot building work is ongoing.

Mrs Teo said that, despite the challenge

of land scarcity, we are fully committed

to expanding the train fleet in order to

improve frequencies of train arrivals.

Responding to Mr Giams question on

whether the authorities plan ahead of time,

Mrs Teo said that there is advance plan-

ning but projecting demand and ridership

is tricky business and hard to get 100-per-

cent right. sumita sreedharaN

a&e subsds fo fogs h o sy: G K YoSINGAPORE Subsidies for foreigners

needing emergency care are here to stay,

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told Parlia-

ment yesterday. He also provided statistics

to show that this contributed minimally

to the Governments healthcare spending.

He was responding to Member of Par-

liament Baey Yam Keng (Tampines Group

Representation Constituency), who had

asked if the Government would remove

subsidies for foreigners receiving Acci-

dent and Emergency (A&E) care or impose

means testing where the patients ability

to pay determines the size of the bill.

This is because foreigners here would

probably be covered by workplace insur-

ance or travel insurance, he said.

Currently, a 50-per-cent subsidy is

given to all A&E patients regardless of their

nationality. Mr Gan said that, over the last

five years, foreigners made up 18 per cent

of the yearly patient load at A&E depart-

ments amounting to government subsi-

dies of S$14 million every year.

This is less than 1 per cent of the Health

Ministrys total spending on subsidised

patient services at public hosp

amounted to S$2.2 billion.

For A&E services, becau

fect life and death, we want t

administrative processes in t

partments are kept as simple

he said.

He pointed out that not a

here have workplace insuranc

on long-term visit passes.

And as A&E departments p

cal attention for a short per

getting hospital staff to verify

nationality or doing means test

add to their administrative bur

We still like to keep our

ments streamlined (and) foc

ing the patients, ensuring th

who comes to A&E receives th

treatment that they need, ad

As for Singaporeans who

help even after the 50-per-c

Mr Gan cited the existing Medi

and said the Government wou

to look at ways to help the ne

Ng JiNg yNg

We do not have the hig

suicide rate, in fact, giv

our ethnic compositio

and our location as a n

we are doing quite we

mn f ennnW rc vn bl

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3


Free

Admi

ssion

a o fxb CPF

LiN [email protected]

SINGAPORE A raft of changes to the Cen-

tral Provident Fund (CPF) Act was passed

in Parliament yesterday which seek to en-

courage voluntary top-ups to CPF accounts

and allow for greater flexibility to reverse

inter-account transfers where deserving.

Under the changes, a new Special

Needs Savings Scheme (SNSS) which

will allow parents to better provide for

their special needs children after they die

will also be created by next year.

Minister of State (Manpower) Tan

Chuan-Jin said yesterday the changes rep-

resent yet another step forward in ensuring

that our CPF system remains relevant and

effective for our people.

During the debate on the Bill yesterday,

the SNSS drew the most comments and

suggestions from Members of Parliament.

The scheme will allow parents to nomi-

nate their special needs child to receive their

CPF monies as a stream of income, rather

than just a lump sum payment upon their

deaths, without having to set up a trust.

There will be no minimum balance to

sign up and no administrative charge. Also,

the savings can continue to enjoy CPF inter-

est rates even after the parents death. Said

Mr Tan: (The scheme) will be particularly

useful for parents who do not have sub-

stantial savings outside of the CPF, and for

whom avoiding administrative costs is an

important consideration.

The SNSS originated from a parents

workgroup led by MP Denise Phua in 2006.

Ms Phua, however, took issue with the

eligibility criteria of the scheme yesterday.

Under the scheme, the nominee must have

attended or is attending a special education

(SPED) school, or require assistance in at

least one activity of daily living (ADL), such

as dressing and feeding.

Ms Phua said the restrictive criteria

should be expanded, as many special needs

children do not attend SPED schools.

There are also those who are able to

perform the ADLs and are able academi-

cally, but require help with money man-

agement and long-term planning such as

housing, Ms Phua noted.

Jurong GRC MP Ang Wei Neng pointed

out that while about 2,500 children are

diagnosed with special needs each year,

only 300 enter SPED schools.

Mr Tan stressed the need to be mind-

ful of whom the scheme was designed

for: Persons with disabilities who cannot

support themselves.

There will also be an appeals channel

to allow a more flexible application of the

scheme for those who not meet the criteria,

he added.

Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Zainudin

Nordin asked if better interest rates could

be extended for the nominees, while Sem-

bawang GRC MP Ellen Lee queried as to how

nominees can grow their money to meet

their high monthly costs.

Non-Constituency MP Lina Chiam felt

that the SNSS would not benefit those

whose parents did not have much CPF

savings, while fellow Opposition MP Yaw

Shin Leong also expressed concerns that

the Ministry of Community Development,

Youth and Sports and the CPF Board would

have too much discretionary power over

the approval of nominees.

Mr Tan reiterated that the S

the transferred funds to continu

interest rates, and other fami

can make use of top-up schem

sufficient funds for the nomin

He also assured Mr Yaw

determine the amount of mon

for the nominees at the point of

When Ms Phua pressed

of the scheme in 18 months t

replied: Let us allow the

unfold first.

a w Spc nds SvSch ud whch pspc ds chd c ochd o cv h CPF s of co upo hsd of up su py

Vouy cobuos fobs c b d bypso o py, o jus b

bs d poys tsfs bw CPF c

c b vsd spc scs, such s f bo fc hdshp dh sfd svgs ohousg ss

Good hh qu h Ho Poco SchCPF bs c b wvhy buy w ho, ow covg

ChaNges to the CPF a

Nw n c fpcl n clnn cn

(The scheme) will be

particularly useful for parents

who do not have substantial

savings outside of the CPF,

and for whom avoidingadministrative costs is an

important consideration.

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4


Shoud copy poducvy gs hpdcd oco of fog woks?

teo [email protected]

SINGAPORE Given the national

drive to raise productivity, should

the success of employers pro-

ductivity initiatives become part

of the criteria for allocation of

foreign labour in future, labour

MP Ang Hin Kee (Ang Mo Kio GRC)

asked yesterday.

Tightened access to foreign

workers amid a tight labour mar-

ket has been a long-standing co-

nundrum employers, especially in

labour-intensive sectors such as

manufacturing and construction,

have faced.

Deputy Prime Minister Thar-

man Shanmugaratnam, who is

also Manpower Minister, said

the problem with this approach

is in deciding the baseline for

productivity gains, thereby in-

evitably resulting in some form

of discrimination.

Would you discriminate in

favour of a company which was

previously inefficient and then

did something to become efficient

against a company which had al-

ready did something to become

efficient? said Mr Tharman. Its

extremely difficult to get into

an act of discriminating compa-

nies that have done a good job

of investing all along and raising

productivity and reducing their

manpower requirements.

Updating the House on the

take-up rate of the Productivity and

Innovation Credit (PIC) scheme

tax benefits for employers who im-

plemented productivity initiatives

such as acquisition of equipment or

worker training Mr Tharman said

9,800, or one-fifth of companies

that have filed their tax returns so

far, have claimed reliefs.

He said it is too early to say

how many would tap on the

scheme because corporate tax fil-

ing is ongoing but stressed that

outreach efforts are ongoing.

The PIC was introduced last

year and significantly enhanced in

this years Budget allowing total tax

deductions of up to S$3.2 million for

Years of Assessment 2011 and 2012.

Companies may alternatively

opt for cash payout options for

these initiatives.

Mr Tharman also said road-

maps for the initial 12 sectors

identified for initiatives to boost

productivity under the S$600 mil-

lion committed under the Nation-

al Productivity Fund have largely

been endorsed by the National

Productivity and Continuing Edu-

cation Council.

In construction, for instance,

about 900 companies have re-

ceived help to adopt new tech-

nologies raising their capabilities

or train their employees. Produc-

tivity is expected to improve by

at least 20 per cent when the

projects are completed, he said.

As for the Inclusive Growth

Programme, targeted at improv-

ing the skills and wages of some

25,000 low-wage workers, S$26

million has been pumped into 450

projects involving some 21,000

workers, said Mr Tharman.

Two-thirds of these workers

are expected to receive at least 10

per cent more pay, over and above

their normal raises, he added.

mPs cocd by cho copso cSINGAPORE A one-year time

limit on compensation claims and

restrictions on claims involving

workplace fights under the amend-

ed Work Injury Compensation Act

(WICA) which was passed yes-

terday drew concern from some

Members of Parliament.

Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Yeo Guat

Kwang and Nee Soon GRC MP

Patrick Tay questioned the fair-

ness of the new law requiring

an injured worker to choose be-

tween a civil claim in court and

a claim under the amended leg-

islation, arguing it may not be a

sufficient period for him to know

whether he stands a good chance

of winning in court.

Claimants are now not lim-

ited in when they re-file their

claims with the Ministry of Man-

power (MOM) should they de-

cide to drop their civil suit against

their employers.

Minister of State for Man-

power Tan Chuan-Jin replied

that one year is a reasonable

period of time for workers to

make a considered decision on

how they wish to seek work in-

jury compensation. WICA cannot

afford unlimited flexibility to

allow injured workers to switch

between WICA and common law

at any time, he said.

Adding that some injured

workers re-file their claims as

late as six years after their acci-

dents, Mr Tan also noted injured

workers who are unsuccessful at

common law are n

recourse. They can

the court assesses the

pensation due to hi

costs and direct th

to pay compensation

Mr Tay and Wo

MP Yaw Shin Leong

also questioned the

tions to compensat

involving fights at th

The MOM receives ab

cases a year, of which

ters are work-related

Under the new l

from June next year

are not liable to com

injuries sustained in

the injured worker w

and did not partici

fight; or when the

injured while defend

others, or property; o

to break up a fight.

But Mr Tay felt

very difficult to tell

fault and culpable.

Mr Yaw added t

should be on the au

prove that an inju

should not be compe

In response, Mr T

WICA, being a no-faul

to ensure that the bu

pensation is fair and

Other amendm

legislation include h

pensation limits fo

permanent incapaci

higher coverage for

penses. teo XuaNw

s 900 cncn cpn c p n p.today File Photo

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5today tuesday November 22, 2011

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hot nEWS6today tuesday November 22, 2011

taNya [email protected]

SINGAPORE The daughter of a Sarawak

tycoon, who said she had supported her

former husband financially when they were

married, is now suing her stepdaughter for

part of a S$28.8 million trust, claiming that

it is part of matrimonial assets.

In her High Court suit, businesswoman

Anna Wee, who is also the niece of United

Overseas Bank founder Wee Cho Yaw, is

claiming that her Singaporean ex-husband,

Mr Ng Hock Seng, had fraudulently mis-

represented to her that he did not have

money to support their family during their

10-year marriage.

In fact, Madam Wee alleged, he had

earned US$20 million (S$26.1 million) in

1998 from a wafer fabrication contract.

Mr Ng, who died in 2004 from tongue

cancer, had willed the money in the trust

to his daughter from his first marriage,

Ms Genevieve Ng Li-Ann, and his son and

daughter with Mdm Wee. Ms Ng is the sole

executrix of her fathers estate.

The couple had married in 1988, each

with one child from their previous marriag-

es. They lived in an apartment in Cairnhill

belonging to Mdm Wees father, Sarawak

tycoon Anuar Wee Hood Teck, for nearly

two years before moving to Kuching after

Mr Ngs business ventures failed here.

Mdm Wee, who is in her 50s, claimed

that she became the familys sole bread-

winner after they moved to Kuching.

Yesterday, the court heard that short-

ly after the birth of their first daughter,

Mdm Wee started a company with her

friend. She also issued Mr Ng with a sup-

plementary credit card and paid for his

travel and holiday expenses.

According to Mdm Wee, she intro-

duced many of her own business contacts

to Mr Ng, including the managing director

of a wafer fabrication company. In 1998,

the company gave Mr Ng a US$20 million

contract to supply services to its plant.

Mdm Wee, who is represented by Sen-

ior Counsel Indranee Rajah, said she did not

claim maintenance from Mr Ng because

she believed his claim that he was broke.

He had claimed in an affidavit in Janu-

ary 2000 that he was being financially sup-

ported by his family and friends.

However, court documents revealed

that Mr Ng bought an apartment in Ocean

Park in Singapore and another

sons in Jakarta in 1999.

The trust at the centre o

managed by BNP Paribas Tru

tion, which is incorporated in

Channel Islands.

Mdm Wee is also claimi

against the trust which she

unreasonably incurred unne

by failing to take a neutral s

claim against Mr Ngs estate.

Ms Ng, who is represente

Counsel Deborah Barker, and

Trust Corporation, represented

Tong, disagree with Mdm Wee

Mr Ngs estate is part of matrim

Lawyers for the trust wil

among other things, that Mdm

entitled to the money as she h

to them through her two ch

Mr Ng.

According to court docu

by the defence, Ms Ng said t

between her father and stepm

down because of Mdm Wees

tramarital affair.

The hearing before Justice

continues today.

Mdm Anna Wee (picture)

claims that the S$28.8 million

trust is part of matrimonial

assets, and that her late

ex-husband had fraudulently

misrepresented to her that

he did not have money tosupport their family during

their 10-year marriage.

Photo by erNest Chua

MediSield payus rise admre premiums are cllecedSINGAPORE The total amount of Me-

diShield claims paid out to the public has

risen by 4.4 times over the past decade,

along with an increase in the total sum of

premiums collected over the same period.

In a written parliamentary reply to

Non-Constituency Member of Parliament

Gerald Giam, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong

said that in tandem with enhancements to

MediShield, a Government-initiated health

insurance scheme, premiums received by the

Government had risen by four times.

The enhancements include an exten-

sion of maximum age coverage and daily

claimable limits.

The number of claims increased from

91,000 in 2001 to 236,000 last year, while

the amount of claims paid rose from S$58.8

million to S$248.6 million, Mr Gan said.

Premiums collected also increased by more

than four-fold to S$385.6 million.

MediShield operates on a n

basis and premiums are actua

lated to cover all liabilities for

future years, he said.

Mr Gan gave the assuran

miums will be kept affordable

provements are made to MediS

Singaporeans healthcare need

Responding to a separate

the disbursement of Medifund

help needy Singaporeans pay fo

cal expenses, Mr Gan said S$

was given out in 2009, compar

million in 2000.

Over the same period, th

Medifund applications incre

times to 393,980.

The approval rate of appli

ing this period had also remai

ently high, at over 98 per cent,

NG JiNG yNG

SINGAPORE A total of 2,460 arrests were

made under internal security laws from

1959 to 1990, said Deputy Prime Minister

and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean

yesterday.

Of these arrests, 1,045 people were

detained under the Preservation of Public

Security Ordinance (1959-1963) and the

Internal Security Act (1963-1990), Mr Teo

said in a written answer to No

ency Member of Parliament

who had asked for a breakdow

and detentions made under th

those years.

Mr Teo said those arreste

tained were for a variety of reaso

involvement in communist-rela

to overthrow the Governmen

religious extremism; Indonesia

tion; foreign subversion and es

terrorism. Many of these ind

their families have put the past

and carried on with their lives o

several decades, he added.

Sarawak ycs dauger sues sepdauger ver s$28.8m rus

2,460 internalsecurity arrestsuntil 1990

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Comment&analy

Cr bkr, pdhrg, d hg

Both the American economy andthe global economy are facinga familiar foe: Policy defeatism.

Throughout modern economic his-

tory, whether in Western Europe in

the 1920s, in the United States in the

1930s or in Japan in the 1990s, every

major financial crisis has been fol-

lowed by premature abandonment

if not reversal of the stimulus

policies that are necessary for sus-

tained recovery. Sadly, the world ap-

pears to be repeating this mistake.

The right thing to do right now

is for the Federal Reserve and the Eu-

ropean Central Bank (ECB) to engage

in further monetary stimulus. Having

lowered short-term interest rates,

they should buy (or in the case of

the Fed, resume buying) significant

quantities of government securities

to help push down long-term inter-

est rates and encourage investment.

It is past time for the Fed and

its European counterpart to act. The

economic outlook has turned out to

be as grim as forecasts based on his-

torical evidence predicted it would

be. Sustained high inflation is not a

threat in this environment.

We need to rebalance the econ-

omy from imports to exports, from

private consumption to savings, from

tax breaks to infrastructure rebuilding

and from the financial sector to eve-

rything else. The process of rebalanc-

ing will require movement of capital

from older industries and activities

to newer ones that is, investment.

But investment has been held

back because of uncertainty over the

economys future prospects. And the

ability to attract investors is being

limited by the giant burden of pri-

vate-sector debt. In other words, a

financing problem is inhibiting the

restructuring of our economy. Allevi-

ating generalised financing problems

and low investor confidence is pre-

cisely what monetary stimulus does.

Some claim that monetary eas-

ing will impede restructuring. But

this makes no sense. For all the talk

that monetary austerity promotes

the creative destruction necessary

for the economy to recover, it does

not work that way.

In Japan in the 1990s, a period

of insufficiently aggressive monetary

stimulus fed lending to zombie com-

panies unproductive borrowers

on whose loans the banks could not

afford to take losses. It was only when

macroeconomic policy led a recovery

in Japan in the first decade of this

century that capital flowed out of the

places it had been trapped and into

new and growing businesses.

Another source of policy defeat-

ism is the widespread but false belief

that our previous unconventional

efforts to stimulate the economy ei-

ther were not terribly effective or are

unlikely to be effective if extended

today. The fact that the American

economy has not fully recovered after

previous rounds of stimulus is not evi-

dence that those failed to work at all.

We know that infusions of cen-

tral bank money to the economy

have been closely associated with

falling long-term interest rates.

We know that the relative price of

riskier assets has gone up, indicat-

ing greater demand for them, when

stimulus has been undertaken. And

we know that banks have received

increased deposits and that inves-

tors and households have expressed

increased confidence, after prior

rounds of quantitative easing. That

combination has had a stimulative

impact, just as a cut in the interest

rate would have in ordinary times.

Scientific research tells us that

high blood pressure and choles-

terol are associated with a higher

risk of heart disease and stroke, and

that certain prescription medica-

tion reduces cholesterol and blood

pressure. Yes, it is difficult to prove

directly that taking the medicine

prevents heart disease and stroke,

and taking them is no guarantee of

health. But still we should take them.

This is the same situation we are in

now, with our economys financial

circulation at risk and quantitative

easing the indicated medicine.

In my opinion, we can go further.

Central banks and governments can

engage in forms of coordinated action

that will target the burden of past

debts that is hanging over the glo-

bal economy. In the US, that means

resolving the distressed mortgage

debt that is weakening our financial

system and reducing labour mobility,

thereby constraining our ability to

grow. It is time for the Federal Reserve

and elected officials to explore ways

to jointly tackle that housing debt.

Independent central bankers

tend to become very squeamish

about expressing sup

particular government

pecially when it involve

buy government bonds

Tragedies have occu

er, when independent c

let worries about the pe

they were too close to

ment prevent them from

thing constructive in ti

Such passivity led

longed recession in J

1990s. It was only whe

Japan and the Ministr

abandoned their mutua

worked together publi

that Japan had a sustain

The same distrust betw

tary and fiscal officials,

about being perceived a

each other, is bringing

to the brink of disaster

Central bank inde

not primarily a matter

but of reality. What ma

central banks do, not w

maintain an appearan

towards the messy rea

nomic and political life

The inflation-fighti

of central banks is not v

voluntary purchases of

or private, made with

clear and long-held eco

Therefore, if the Fed

and the ECB respond

with available tools, inc

scale bond purchases (a

England has already b

they will enhance the

and independence for t

Almost certainly, ev

to do everything right

policy, some economic

continue. But it is the r

and duty of central ban

things better if we can.

Central bank officia

ed too much time over

worrying about how t

tions would appear to

politicians and to the

they to undertake mo

Sometimes you have to

thing even if the benef

to become evident. If w

dertake the monetary s

the grim outlook calls

economies and our peo

fer avoidable and poten

damage.THE NEW YO

Adam Posen, an America

is a member of the Mon

Committee of the Bank

AdAM POSEN

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comment&analysis

14

comment&analysis

15today tuesday November 22,2011

ABOUT 11 years ago, Filipino Chinese Aubrey

Young relocated here for work, and she hasnt

ooked back since.

With an open heart and mind, Aubrey

adjustedtohernewlivingenvironmenteffortlessly.

Singaporeis amulti-culturalsocietythatrespects

all races and religions, she said.

FORMING FRIENDSHIPS

With English as the lingua franca, she found it

easy to communicate and build relationshipswith her co-workers and friends. She would often

have lunch with her colleagues and spend Friday

evenings relaxing with her friends.

Some of her favourite local foods include

chicken rice, minced meat noodles and prawn

noodes. Aubrey said: There is a certain

uniqueness to these dishes that I somehow

associate with Singapore.

Inaddition,whenAubreyfirstcame here,her

Singaporean colleagues showed her around and

helped her adjust to Singapore li fe.

It also helped that her Filipino Chinese

husband, who is a permanent resident, is workingin the same company too. The couple met at work

in the Philippines and relocated here about the

same time.

We got married two years after we came to

Singapore. We had a celebration with our friends

inSingaporeandanotheronewithour familiesand

friends in the Philippines, said Aubrey.

In fact, their colleague Kenneth, who had

formed a close friendship with the couple, was

one of the groomsmen on their wedding day.

Its been a decade, but we still keep in touch,

added Aubrey.

FEELING AT HOMEAfter working here for some time, Aubrey started

to feel a sense of belonging and wanted to call

Singapore home. So the permanent resident

finally became a full-fledged citizen eight years

ago. Thinking long term, I saw myself staying

in Singapore with my family, so I applied for

citizenship, she said.

Today, Aubrey has settled nicely here with

her husband and three children, Kylle Anderrsen,

aged 8, Keith Eldriech, aged 5, and two-year-old

Kiefer Owen. Over the years, the family rented a

few apartments before finally purchasing their

home five years ago. And on every occasion, they

developed meaningful relationships with their

Singaporean neighbours.

They looked beyond race or nationality and

would try to get to know us. That really helped us

tointegrateintothe socialcommunitiesthatwere

part of, she said. The couple even became good

friends with some of their neighbours, who would

visit their children to play with them.

Whats more, the children have adapted wellhere. Kylle is in Primary 2 and attending a local

school.Whiletheystill knowtheirroots,theyhave

lived here most of their lives and already consider

Singapore their home, she said.

Duringtheirfreetime, thefamilyvisitsplaces

such as the beach and theme parks. We often

have lunch and dinner gatherings as it is a great

way for everyone to get together, said Aubrey.

NICOLETTEONG

While they still knowtheir roots, they havelived here most of

their lives and already considerSingapore their home.

With support fromNIC

Charmed by the safeenvironment and modernifestyle, Filipino Chinese

Aubrey Young is happyto call Singapore home

Building meaningful relationshipsSINGAPORE, MY HOME

AubreyYoung(farleft) andherfamily enjoyingalunch together

today tuesday November 22,2011

Hw ch df ar

With Chinas growing influence overthe global economy and its increasingty to project military power, competi-

between the United States and China is

itable. Leaders of both countries assert

mistically that the competition can be

aged without clashes that threaten the

al order.

Most academic analysts are not so san-

e. If history is any guide, Chinas rise

indeed pose a challenge to America.

ng powers seek to gain more authority

he global system, and declining pow-

rarely go down without a fight. And

n the differences between the Chinese

American political systems, pessimists

ht believe that there is an even higher

ihood of war.

am a political realist. Western analysts

labelled my political views hawkish,

the truth is that I have never overvalued

mportance of morality in international

ons. But realism does not mean that pol-

ans should be concerned only with mili-

and economic might. In fact, morality

can play a key role in shaping international

competition between political powers and

separating the winners from the losers.

I came to this conclusion from study-

ing ancient Chinese political theorists like

Guanzi, Confucius, Xunzi and Mencius. They

were writing in the pre-Qin period, before

China was unified as an empire more than

2,000 years ago a world in which small

countries were competing ruthlessly for

territorial advantage.

It was perhaps the greatest period for

Chinese thought, and several schools com-

peted for ideological supremacy and political

influence. They converged on one crucial

insight: The key to international influence

was political power and the central attribute

of political power was morally informed

leadership. Rulers who acted in accord-

ance with moral norms whenever possible

tended to win the race for leadership over

the long term.

China was unified by the ruthless king

of Qin in 221 BC, but his short-lived rule was

not nearly as successful as that of Emperor

Wu of the Han dynasty, who drew on a mix-

ture of legalistic realism and Confucian soft

power to rule the country for over 50 years,

from 140 BC until 86 BC.

According to the ancient Chinese

philosopher Xunzi, there were three types

of leadership: Humane authority, hegemony

and tyranny.

Humane authority won the hearts and

minds of the people at home and abroad.

Tyranny based on military force in-

evitably created enemies. Hegemonic pow-

ers lay in between: They did not cheat

the people at home or allies abroad. But

they were frequently indifferent to moral

concerns and often used violence against

non-allies. The philosophers generally

agreed that humane authority would

win in any competition with hegemony

or tyranny.

Such theories may seem far removed

from our own day, but there are striking par-

allels. Indeed, Mr Henry Kissinger once told

me that he believed that ancient Chinese

thought was more likely than any foreign

ideology to become the dominant intel-

lectual force behind Chinese foreign policy.

The fragmentation of the pre-Qin era

resembles the global divisions of our times,

and the prescriptions provided by political

theorists from that era are directly relevant

today namely that states relying on mili-

tary or economic power without concern

for morally informed leadership are bound

to fail.

Unfortunately, such views are not so in-

fluential in this age of economic determinism,

even if governments often pay lip service to

them. The Chinese government claims that

the political leadership of the Communist

Party is the basis of Chinas economic mira-

cle, but it often acts as though competition

with the US will be played out on the eco-

nomic field alone.

In America, politicians regularly at-

tribute progress, but never failure, to

their own leadership. Both governments

must understand that political leadership,

rather than throwing money at problems,

will determine who wins the race for

global supremacy.

Many people wrongly believe that China

can improve its foreign relations only by

significantly increasing economic aid. But

it is hard to buy affection; such friendship

does not stand the test of difficult times.

CreatING a desIrabLe modeL

How, then, can China win peoples hearts

across the world? According to ancient Chi-

nese philosophers, it must start at home.

Humane authority begins by creating

a desirable model at home that inspires

people abroad.

This means China must shift its pri-

orities away from economic development

to establishing a harmonious society free

of todays huge gaps between rich and poor.

yaN XuetoNG

It needs to replace money wor-

ship with traditional morality and

weed out political corruption in fa-

vour of social justice and fairness.

In other countries, China

must display humane author-

ity in order to compete with the

US, which remains the worlds

pre-eminent hegemonic power.

Military strength underpins he-

gemony and helps to explain why

the US has so many allies. Presi-

dent Obama has made strategic

mistakes in Afghanistan, Iraq and

Libya, but his actions also demon-

strate that Washington is capable

of leading three foreign wars si-

multaneously.

By contrast, Chinas army

has not been involved in any war

since 1984, with Vietnam, and

very few of its high-ranking of-

ficers, let alone its soldiers, have

any battlefield experience.

America enjoys much bet-

ter relations with the rest of the

world than China in terms of both

quantity and quality. America has

more than 50 formal military al-

lies, while China has none.

North Korea and Pakistan

are only quasi-allies of China.

The former established a formal

alliance with China in 1961, but

there have been no joint mili-

tary manoeuvres and no arms

sales for decades. China and Pa-

kistan have substantial military

cooperation, but they have no

formal military alliance binding

them together.

To shape a friendly inter-

national environment for its

rise, Beijing needs to develop

more high-quality diplomatic

and military relationships than

Washington.

No leading power is able to

have friendly relations with every

country in the world, thus the core

of competition between China

and the US will be to see who

has more high-quality friends. In

order to achieve that goal, China

has to provide higher-quality

moral leadership than the US.

China must also recognise

that it is a rising power and as-

sume the responsibilities that

come with that status.

For example, when it comes

to providing protection for weak-

er powers, as the US has done

in Europe and the Persian Gulf,

China needs to create additional

regional security arrangements

with surrounding countries ac-

cording to the model of the

Shanghai Cooperation Organi-

zation a regional forum that

includes China, Russia and several

central Asian countries.

Politically, China should draw

on its tradition of meritocracy.

Top government officials should

be chosen according to their vir-

tue and wisdom, and not simply

technical and administrative abil-

ity. China should also open up and

choose officials from across the

world who meet its standards,

so as to improve its governance.

The Tang dynasty which

lasted from the 7th century to

the 10th and was perhaps Chinas

most glorious period employed

a great number of foreigners as

high-ranking officials. China

should do the same today and

compete with America to attract

talented immigrants.

Over the next decade, Chinas

new leaders will be drawn from

a generation that experienced the

hardships of the Cultural Revolu-

tion. They are resolute and will

most likely value political prin-

ciples more than material ben-

efits. These leaders must play a

larger role on the world stage

and offer more security protec-

tion and economic support to less

powerful countries.

This will mean competing

with the US politically, economi-

cally and technologically. Such

competition may cause diplo-

matic tensions, but there is little

danger of military clashes.

That is because future Chi-

nese-American competition will

differ from that between the

US and the Soviet Union during

the cold war. Neither China nor

America needs proxy wars to pro-

tect its strategic interests or to

gain access to natural resources

and technology.

Chinas quest to enhance

its world leadership status and

Americas effort to maintain its

present position is a zero-sum

game. It is the battle for peoples

hearts and minds that will de-

termine who eventually prevails.

And, as Chinas ancient phi-

losophers predicted, the country

that displays more humane au-

thority will win.

the New york tImes

Yan Xuetong, the author of

Ancient Chinese Thought,

Modern Chinese Power, is a

professor of political science and

dean of the Institute of Modern

International Relations at Tsin-

ghua University. This essay was

translated by Zhaowen Wu and

David Liu from Chinese.

KINLES RUINE B AIRPORT X-RA SCANNERS?

PAGE 31

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TODAY TuESDAY NOVE MBER

Fu n hlp fr

faml that nd tLetter from Leong Sze HianI REFER to the Ministry of Community De-

velopment, Youth and Sports (MCYS) study

that only 20,300 families, or about one in

10 of the 200,000 families in the bottom

fifth of the income ladder, were getting

help under the various ComCare schemes.

Even if the bulk of those getting as-

sistance were in the poorest 10 per cent

of households about 100,000 which

earned a household income of only S$1,400

a month, it still means that only about

two of these 10 poorest households were

helped.

It was found that more than six in 10

lower-income families were able to manage

without outside help, that most such fami-

lies seem to prefer to rely on themselves

rather than seek help from family, friends,

charities or the Government.

I find these findings to be somewhat

odd, as I understand that, in the developed

countries, those in poverty are typically

given benefits and help automatically.

Instead of explaining why most poor

families do not want help, or that about

one in 10 did not know where to get aid,

perhaps we should focus on getting the

help to them.

After all, the Goods and Services

Tax (GST) was last raised from 5 to 7 per

cent, with the main reason of helping the

poor. So, since the funds are already there,

we should focus on getting it to those

in need.

Whatever the reasons for not want-

ing or not knowing about aid, the poor,

particularly the children and the elderly,

should be helped regardless.

I would also like to suggest that an

independent study be done to examine as

to whether the current system, process or

procedures, may be too onerous, such that

it may be deterring needy families from

seeking help.

Dntal prbnd t b f

Letter from Dave Ya

I WANT to thank the Health

Board, for its response (Nov 2

ter regarding dental subsidy f

It mentioned that orthod

ment that is medically relate

subsidised. So how does one

between what is medically

what is aesthetic?

I believe these are all den

that need to be fixed urgently

Moreover, the list of sub

tal treatment provided to

under the expanded Primary C

ship Scheme (PCPS) is extend

crowns, bridges, dentures an

treatment. Are not some of

ments aesthetic?

So why are we not helping

children enough? If denta

are treated from young, you n

the pain the child has to go

also the huge cost in the lon

you arrive at 40 years old bef

qualify for PCPS.

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Voices18today tuesday November 22, 2011

Pet dogs must be leashed in publicL Wng Hn mn (d)Director, Agri Establishment Regulation

For the Chief Executive OfficerAgri-food and Veterinary Authority

n Kn o-HGeneral manager, Parks

National Parks Board

W Mr Brian J ing for his feedback

in the letter Why are dogs on the loose in

a public place? (ov 10).

We agree with Mr ing that dogs on

the loose in public places, particularly

large dogs, can be intimidating. Dog own-

ers should have proper control of their dogs

in public and not allow them to stray. hus,

dog owners are required to leash their dogs

when in a public area.

In addition, Scheduled dog breeds such

as the Doberman Pinscher, German Shep-

herd and Rottweiler must also be muzzled

in public. Dog owners found to be flouting

these rules may be fined up to S$5,000

upon conviction.

Dog owners should also clear up their

dogs defecation in public places, to keep the

environment clean. hose who fail to do so

may be fined for littering.

o remind owners to leash their dogs

and pick up their dogs poo, Parks have put

up signs in our parks and park connectors.

We believe that education is the long-

term solution to the problem of irresponsi-

ble pet owners.

he V thus promotes responsible pet

ownership to equip existing and potential

pet owners with knowledge on the care and

responsibility that comes with owning a pet.

We urge all dog owners to be consid-

erate and exercise proper control of their

dogs at all times so as not to pose a problem

to others.

HoW iN tuNe are our youtHs WitH curreNt affairs?

it urfad rntly that a sngapr bar

tk t nam frm n f th mt nt-

ru Naz nntratn amp f Wrld

War ii. Whl i huddr at th nntvty,

i am al addnd by th ad tat f gn-

ral knwldg f ur ppulatn.

Havng bn an duatr wh wrkd

wth th n thr lat tn, i wa appalld

by hw muh mr thy knw abut mu,

mv and mputr gam than wrld h-

try and urrnt affar.

i uggt that ur xamnatn-rntd

duatn ytm partly t bl

Hwvr, i mut al p

ur anytm, anywhr n

th intrnt vrladng

tr wth nfrmatn. in th

vr, thy h t a nf

ppular ultur vr that f

ant mattr.

Whl sngapr tudnt r

wll glbally n xamnatn, i

thy wll far n a gam f Tr

Letter from daNNy

L H Kng Ln

I RFR to the recent report of cyber-baiting

of teachers by their students (Cyber-baiting

happens to 3 in 10 teachers here, ov 18).

Many years ago, the video of a teacher

lambasting a student was posted on the

Internet. ( classmate had surreptitiously

filmed the episode).

he teacher was furious with the student

because he had done his assignments per-

functorily and his work attitude was abysmal.

She tore the assignments and ordered him

to redo them assiduously and responsibly.

I watched the video three t

the parent of that student, I wo

ful to that teacher. She was res

caring: She went the extra mile

proper work attitude in that stu

hat teacher was, however

by the unwelcome attention the

ated subsequently.

Would she still be as dilig

thusiastic in going after other

like manner? Unlikely. fter a

even mention of follow-up co

the teacher.

Parents and schools should

cert to ensure cyber-baiting is

blow in its infancy. Would it be

tively practical to have pupils su

(labelled) mobiles to the class t

beginning of each day, and re

from him/her when class dism

cybr-batnglutn: Nmbl n la

Dog owners should have proper

control of their dogs in public

and not allow them to stray.

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SingaporeCl wt b sdIn ap HDBntal lat v btt20% huhld: Kha

LIN [email protected]

SINGAPORE While the median household

income for Singaporeans has gone up, that of

the bottom 20th percentile has not which

is why the existing household income ceiling

for HDB rental flats will not be raised.

National Development Minister Khaw

Boon Wan made this point yesterday in

Parliament in response to a question from

Sengkang West MP Lam Pin Min, who pointed

out that the median household income of Sin-

gaporeans rose to S$5,000 last year. Perhaps

it was time to review the S$1,500 income

ceiling for the HDB rental flats, Dr Lam said.

Adding that the current cap ade-

quately covers the bottom 20 per cent of

households, Mr Khaw said: In practice, HDB

exercises flexibility, so that those earning

above S$1,500 can still get a public rental flat,

if they are unable to purchase a flat, have no

family support or other housing options.

He added: Indeed, the median income of

those who applied for two-room flats in recent

BTO launches was S$1,400. This is below the

income ceiling for public rental housing.

Over the last two years, 5,100 tenants

living in the Housing and Development Board

(HDB) rental flats had their rents raised, as

their household incomes rose. Over the same

period, 1,100 tenants had their rents reduced.

Mr Khaw said: It is fair that if you are

earning more, your subsidy will be less than

those earning less.

Still, he reiterated that the HDB was al-

ways sympathetic where there are indi-

vidual cases of financial hardship as a result of

the rental adjustment, they will be reviewed

and re-adjusted if necessary.

Non-constituency MP Gerald Giam noted

the great disparity between open-market

rentals and HDB rentals. He asked if a tiered

approach could be introduced under which

rates for HDB rental flats could be raised

further for some.

Mr Khaw said it was feasible to make ex-

ceptions, but the main goal was still to achieve

permanent ownership for Singaporeans,

rather than a permanent state of tenancy.

Mr Giams suggestion is something the Gov-

ernment could take a look at, Mr Khaw said.

LAws oN LIceNseD moNeYLeNDers eNforceD

i th tw wks sc uls dv-

ts by lcsd mylds kckd

nv 1, 32 ts flutd -

hbts mkt th bussss

thuh mstm md, th itt

d SMS, Lw Mst K Shmum

tld th Hus ystdy.

rstcts wh lcsd m-

ylds c dvts w fcd

ft ccs tht xcssv dvts

culd cu xcssv d ucs-

sy bw.

M Shmum sd th rsty f

Mylds ssud w

th 32 t ts

sc cmld.

advtsmts by l

b fd t th plc f

ts, sd M Shmum, b

sy hw my css th w

T Mp alxYms (Chu C

qust f whth wuld-

shuld ud cmulsy

th cmmtmts vlvd

M Shmum sd t s s

msty wll csd. Teo XU

Lee KUAN Yew, GoH cHoK ToNG HoNoUreD

Wh M gh Chk T tk v

s pm Mst 1990, h ws

w tht my l fd tht

S wuld t suvv wthut

L Ku Yw.

Wh i succdd M L, my

v-d l ws t k S

... i ws qutly dtmd t

mk su tht S wuld ctu

t w d s, emtus S

Mst gh sd ystdy.

it ws mssbl tsk t st t

M Ls shs d wlk hs ftsts.

i dcdd t b myslf, wlk my w

f shs, d d my bst, M gh

ddd, s h ffd lms f hs lf

ltcs du tbut d

osd by th

Fdt f Chs Cl

d S Chs C

Cmmc d idusty, t

cs th ctbut

M L d M gh.

M gh, 70, clld th

th scd-t l

lblld tchcts.

Sm l flt th

f u blls ... But w

t u th xt l ft th

td. W ld uslv

th s f ltcs. W

tth, h sd.

8/3/2019 Today - 20111122

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today tuesday Nove mber

Suppong dnd cgs

NG JING [email protected]

SINGAPORE Public housing

estates already allow for natu-

rally occurring retirement com-

munities, said Health Minister

Gan Kim Yong yesterday, as he

stopped short of saying no to

having retirement villages here.

And to provide more sup-

port for caregivers, the Govern-

ment is also considering giving

more annual parental leave, he

told Parliament yesterday.

Responding to a proposal by

Member of Parliament Christo-

pher de Souza (Holland-Bukit

Timah GRC) on having home-

based health care services or

retirement villages, Mr Gan ac-

knowledged that other countries

have such facilities.

But given that the major-

ity of Singaporeans stay in HDB

estates and many grow old in

their own homes, public hous-

ing estates provide for such an

environment too, Mr Gan added.

He said that the Ministerial

Committee on Ageing would be

releasing a master plan for Sin-

gapores growing silver popula-

tion next year.

The committee, chaired by

Mr Gan, is looking at areas such

as healthcare and manpower

needs on geriatric services

in hospitals.

Providing more support for

caregivers will also be consid-

ered, said Mr Gan, when asked

by MP Tin Pei Ling (Marine Pa-

rade GRC) if caregiver leave for

those looking after the elderly

could be mandated.

Part of our overall mas-

ter plan ... will also include

how we can help and support

these caregivers, some res-

pite in terms of services pro-

vided to them (and) looking at

whether we can provide them

more leave so that they have

more time to look after the

elderly and the frail at home,

Mr Gan said.

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taxable Goods From overseas must be deClared at ImmIGratIoN CHeCKPoINts

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fo oc consumpon

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Mo ds on Sn

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customs.gov.sg. CHaNNe

Psle results to be released oN tHursday

t sus of 2011 Pm

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(PSle) w b sd

on tusd.

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su sps fom spc-

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CHaNNel NeWsasIa

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22

singapore

today tuesday November 22, 2011

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singapore


nw tlc lw t b ud lt estHer NG

[email protected]

SINGAPORE They will be used as a last

resort when other means to ensure a fair

playing field have been exhausted, assured

Minister for Information, Communications

and the Arts Yaacob Ibrahim, as laws were

passed yesterday empowering the Govern-

ment to further regulate the telecommu-

nications sector.

These powers include issuing a Separa-

tion Order for the transfer of assets from

a licensee to another entity, in order to

safeguard competition in the market.

For instance, it could be applied in a

scenario where a telco operator has control

over critical infrastructure such as cable

spectrum and could leverage this mar-

ket power against its competitors in its

downstream activities such as the retail of

Internet and mobile services.

The enhanced regulatory powers drew

concern from Non-Constituency MP Lina

Chiam in Parliament yesterday. Can the

minister also reassure the House that the

powers granted to him in this amendment

will not be used other than to promote

market competition and to tackle clear and

present threats to our national security?

she asked.

Dr Yaacob responded: I would like to

assure that before we exercise the separa-

tion order in particular, we will ensure we

exhaust all other means possible within

our powers. The separation order is like the

last resort, in which we have to intervene

in order to secure the kind of competition

we want in the market.

The industry is evolving very, very fast

... with new services and entrants coming

into the market, I think its important to

ensure that the playing field is level.

He added: Ultimately we believe fair

competition will drive prices to affordable

levels for all Singaporeans.

Under the amended Telecommuni-

cations Act, the minister will also have

the power to direct a takeover of a telcos

business if the telco is unable to continue

holding its licence in the instance of insol-

vency, and has to exit the market. This is to

ensure continuity of key telecommunica-

tion networks or services for public and

national interest.

Such a Special Administrative Order

(SAO) is applicable to public telecommu-

nication licensees (PTLS) or telcos that

provide large-scale basic communication

services, and Critical Support Infrastructure

operators that control network facilities

that are essential and difficult to replicate.

For instance, it could be a telco that shares

a coaxial cable in an MRT station with other

content providers.

Also passed were the much-

anticipated revisions in penalties for

telcos that violate their licence codes or

codes of practice, previously capped at

S$1 million.

The new provision will allow operators

to be fined 10 per cent of its annual turno-

ver or S$1 million, whichever is higher,

giving regulator Infocomm Development

Authority (IDA) more flexibility when

deciding on penalties.

The IDA will also now be able to issue

written orders to building owners and

developers to ensure their com

code of practices to provide ac

and facilities for the installatio

tion of telecommunications sy

The last time the Act wa

was in 2005. addItIoNaL re

LIN yaNQIN

The industry is evolving

very, very fast ... with new

services and entrants

coming into the market,

I think its important toensure that the playing

field is level.

mini f Infin,Cnicin nh a yc Ihi

(pic) tod

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World today tuesday Nove mber

Tp Khme ruge eaes n tiaPHNOM PENH Three top Khmer Rouge

leaders accused of orchestrating Cambo-

dias Killing Fields went on trial yesterday

before a United Nations-backed tribunal

more than three decades after some of the

20th centurys worst atrocities.

The charges against the surviving inner

circle of the communist movement all

now in their 80s include crimes against

humanity, genocide, religious persecution,

homicide and torture stemming from their

1975-79 reign of terror.

But there are fears they will not live long

enough for justice to be done so the indict-

ments have been split into separate trials. The

current trial is considering charges involving

the forced removal of people from their cities.

Tribunal spokesman Huy Vannak called

the proceedings the most important trial

in the world because of the seniority of

those involved. It sends a message that

the trial, which survivors have been wait-

ing more then three decades for, finally

begins, he said.

The defendants, who sat side-by-side

with their lawyers, are 85-year-old Nuon

Chea, the Khmer Rouges chief ideologist

and the No 2 leader behind the late Pol Pot,

80-year-old Khieu Samphan, an ex-head of

state, and 86-year-old Ieng Sary, the former

Foreign Minister.

A fourth defendant, 79-year-old Ieng

Thirith, was ruled unfit to stand trial last

week because she has Alzheimers disease.

She is Ieng Sarys wife and served as the

regimes Minister for Social Affairs.aP

Mu bas tpuify Thaif wateBANGKOK Alarmed by the r

of fetid flood waters and the h

they pose, Thais are attemptin

the problem by using mud bal

effective microorganisms (EM

signed to eradicate the danger

The Thai government, pri

nies and relief groups have be

ing the balls to the public as w

ing the flood water with EM in

One charitable group, th

Sufficiency Project, has alread

100,000 mud balls and is o

make half a million.

Each tennis ball-sized sph

rify 4 sq m of polluted water. I

of a culture of microbes that i

tic acid bacteria, yeasts and p

bacteria, as well as molasses, d

organic material like rice.

The Japanese company th

the mud balls, EM Research O

says they have already been

tively in ponds and reservo

uncertain if they will work wit

scale flooding.

If its in a very well-con

ronment, it might be efficacio

But used in a real-life

whether its effective or not,

ger question, said Dr Path

panyalert, deputy director-ge

medical sciences department

Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, the governme

factories that were shut dow

past month because of flo

resume operations by the end

but some may take a few mo

ageNcies

arroyo to be detaiNed temPorarily iN hosPital suite

A Phiippine cut yesteay awe fme

Pesient Gia Ay t be etaine tem-

paiy in an upscae hspita suite n eec-

ta fau chages whie he awyes batte

t get he eease.

Me than a zen eft-wing activists

pteste against the uing an emane

that the 64-yea- be cke up ike a cm-

mn suspect in jai. A specia ai-cnitine

ce cmpete with a iving m an a sma

kitchen has been pepae f Ay at

pice heaquates.

Pesient Benign Aquins aminista-

tin has nt ppse a hspita etentin

an has ee f Ay t be teate

with espect.

Ay, wh is eceiving teatment f

a bne aiment, was aeste at the hspita

n Fiay. She has enie the aegatins

against he. ageNcies

BEIJING First it was money folded into

paper planes that were thrown over the

walls of dissident artist Ai Weiweis home.

Now, the latest show of solidarity with Ai

has taken the unlikeliest form of protest:

Mass nudity.

By yesterday afternoon, 70 Chinese

Internet users had posted naked photos

of themselves on a website called Ai Wei

Fans Nudity Listen, Chinese Govern-

ment: Nudity is not Pornography a rare

form of protest in a country where public

nudity is still taboo.

They uploaded the photos after Beijing

police questioned Ais videographer on

Thursday for allegedly spreading pornog-

raphy online by taking nude photographs

of Ai and four women.

Ai has defended the photos, saying

it is not pornography. If they see nudity

as pornography, then China is still in the

Qing Dynasty.

Supporters of Ai, whose 81-day secret

detention earlier this year had sparked an

international outcry, said that the question-

ing over the nude photographs is Chinas

latest effort to intimidate its most famous

social critic.

Last Tuesday, Ai had paid a bond of

8.45 million yuan (S$1.73 million), paving

the way for an appeal on a tax evasion

charge. The money was raised from con-

tributions from his supporters.

Mr Wen Yunchao, who

nude photographs of himself

site, said he believed the in

against Ais assistant was the

of persecution against Ai.

This is a matter that has

people very indignant, Hong

Wen said.

So we are using this extre

to express our protest.

Many of the photos posted

site were accompanied with

tinged commentaries.

Grandpa, is this pornogra

a user, who was photographe

tomed and writing on a wall wi

89 political turmoil, refer

June 4, 1989, armed crackdow

Tiananmen Square. reuters

F f: F K r Nn c, K spn n in s. reuters

Suppt in the fesh ...Fn f a Wwp n pn nn

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World26

World27today tuesday November 22,2011

RO Egypts military rulers struggled

erday to contain an explosion of pro-

demanding their ouster, as demon-

ors clashed for a third successive day

security forces around Tahrir Square.

The violence put the viability of up-

ing parliamentary elections, due to

on Nov 28, in serious doubt. But the

y insists it will go ahead as planned.

Several political parties and individual

candidates said they were suspending their

electoral campaigns after a weekend in

which at least 22 people were killed.

More clashes broke out across the

country yesterday, with protesters hurling

stones and firebombs and throwing back

tear gas canisters being fired by the police

into Tahrir Square.

In its first official response to the crisis,

the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces

repeated its commitment to its road map

of the transition, but did not clarify when

it will step down.

Presidential powers will remain with

the army until a presidential poll, which may

not happen until late next year or early 2013.

Protesters want a much swifter transition.

Analysts say a surge in violence during

the vote could undermine the new Parlia-

ments legitimacy if the result is questioned

and deepen frustration at the armys han-

dling of the transition.

Presidential hopefuls Mohamed ElBa-

radei and Abdallah Al Ashaal denounced

the violence against protesters and called

for a national salvation government, state

news agency MENA said.

ageNcies

Libya says saif gaddafi to be tried at home

libyas eaes sai they wi

ty Mamma Gaafis sn at

hme an nt han him ve t

the Intenatina Cimina Ct

whee he is chage with cimes

against hmanity.

Hweve, the fme ebe

factin that capte Saif

A Isam Gaafi is efsing

t eive him t the natina

athities in Tipi, aising cn-

cen ve whethe he wi get a

ppe tia an emnstating

the inteim eaes weak h

ve thei facte natin.

Meanwhie, fficias sai ex-

Inteigence Ministe Abah

A Senssi was as capte

aive n Snay by evtin-

ay fightes fm a sthen

egin cae Fazan.

Senssi was caght at

a hse benging t his sis-

te nea the twn f Biak,

abt 500km sth f Tipi

an in the same egin whee

Saif was seize n Satay

whie tying t fee t neigh-

bing Nige.

ageNcies

gyptian eectins in bt afte vient cashesMADRID Spains new leader vowed to

battle the debt crisis but warned that hard

times lie ahead and there would be no

miracles as his conservative party swept

to victory in Sundays general election.

The Popular Party, led by Mr Mari-

ano Rajoy, won 186 seats in the 350-seat

Lower House of Parliament, garnering a

strong mandate to push through further

austerity measures in an attempt to turn

around the economy. Hard times lie

ahead, said Mr Rajoy, who is expected to

be sworn in as Prime Minister on Dec 20.

We are going to govern in the most deli-

cate situation Spain has faced in 30 years.

Mr Rajoy inherits a stagnant economy

with a 23-per-cent unemployment rate and

borrowing costs back at the levels Spain

was paying before it joined the euro. He has

pledged to slash the budget deficit and regain

the nations AAA credit rating and is expected

to name a heavyweight Economy Minister to

deepen painful austerity measures at home.

However, the change in government

failed to immediately lift financial markets,

with Madrids key Ibex index down 1.2 per

cent in early trading yesterday.

Spa

bonds s

cent. A 7

tainable

Spa

country

felled by

In I

were fo

econom

interim

today tuesday November 22,2011

PhiLiP morris sues aussie govt over PackagiNg Law

Tbaccgiant Phiip Misyes-

teay anche ega actin

against Astaias gvenment

essthananh aftePaiament

passe egisatin banning a

gsfmcigaettepackages.

Fm decembe next yea,

tbacc pcts have t be

s in ive geen packs fee

fm baning, bt caying

gaphic heath wanings.

Phiip Mis Asia, which is

base in Hng Kng, seve a

ega ntice f abitatin ne

an investment teaty that Hng

Kng has with Astaia.

The cmpany as intens

t pse caims ne

Astaian aw, saying biins f

as f vaabe taemaks

an investments ae at stake.

ageNcies

Spains new PM wans f ha times ahea

Qantas, 3 nins heat fce settementSYDNEY Qantas Airways,

which grounded planes last

month to force an end to

strikes, said Australias labour

regulator will decide on new

contracts for three unions after

talks broke down.

Fair Work Australia will

impose a deal after negotia-

tions with long-haul pilots,

ground crew and engineers

failed to produce agreements

by yesterdays deadline.

The carrier had 21 days to

reach accords following a rul-

ing by the regulator last month.

The latest development

should not affect travellers, as

neither unions nor management

are legally able to take any in-

dustrial action while the regula-

tor undertakes the arbitration,

which includes hearing evidence

from both sides and drawing up

a binding plan.

The process may take

months, Qantas said.

Qantas and the workers are

waging a bitter fight over pay

and moving jobs to Asia.

It looks like Qantas be-

lieves they will get the better

outcome from deferring to a

decision by Fair Work Australia

rather than continue negotia-

tions, said Mr Scott Marshall,

an analyst at Shaw Stockbrok-

ing. ageNcies

SKIES ClEAr uPt ln Lnn l,llnp nl l.

tn pn pn nsn.h ap 24pn l n 40l nll nn.t nn nlmn n nn enln,a, bl,sl,cln n N.c apn Lnn l nll 10l,nln dln,r n P.h 132l nll n sn. ageNcies,Photo reuters

NEW YORK An American citi-

zen accused of plotting to bomb

police and post offices in New

York City as well as United States

troops returning home remained

in police custody after an ar-

raignment on Sunday on numer-

ous terrorism-related charges.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg

described Jose Pimentel (pic-

ture) as a 27-year-old Al Qaeda

sympathiser who was moti-

vated by terrorist propaganda

and resentment of US troops

in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A US citizen born in the Do-

minican Republic, Pimentel was

arrested on Saturday in a Man-

hattan apartment while assem-

bling a bomb, the police said.

We had to act quickly be-

cause he was in fact putting

this bomb together, said Police

Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Pimentel admitted he took

active steps to build the bomb,

including shaving the match

heads and drilling holes in the

pipes and was one hour away

from completing it, said the

criminal complaint filed by the

Manhattan District Attorney.

The authorities called him a

lone wolf who had converted

to Islam and became a radical.

As a reader of the online

magazine Inspire published by Al

Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,

Pimentel took instructions from

an article How to Build a Bomb in

the Kitchen of Your Mom.

Mr Kelly said Pimentel

was energised and motivated

to carry out his plan by the

Sept 30 killing of Al Qaedas US-

born cleric Anwar Al Awlaki.

He added that Pimentel

talked about changing his

name to Osama Hussein to cel-

ebrate his heroes Osama bin

Laden and Saddam Hussein.

Pimentel was under sur-

veillance since May 2009 and

considered New York police

cars, a New Jersey police station

and US post office among his

potential targets, officials said.

He also talked about killing US

military personnel returning

from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pimentel, who has not

been charged in federal court,

faces life in prison if convicted.

ageNcies

A Qaea sympathiseaccse f bmb pts

reuters

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30

Businesstoday tuesday November 22, 2011

Bfftt vtmopportt JapaFUKUSHIMA Billionaire inves-

tor Warren Buffett said yesterday

he is unfazed by the recent scan-

dal at Japanese camera maker

Olympus and is still looking for

investment opportunities.

Were looking for compa-

nies that have some kind of sus-

tainable competitive advantage,

he said in northern Japans Fuku-

shima prefecture. The fact that

Olympus happens here or Enron

happens in the United States

doesnt affect our attitudes at all,

he said, referring to an account-

ing scandal at Olympus that has

raised questions about Japanese

corporate governance standards.

Mr Buffett, chairman of

Berkshire Hathaway, is visiting

Japan for the first time to tour

a plant of tool maker Tungaloy,

after cancelling his trip in March

when the country was struck by

a record earthquake.

The factory is 40km from

the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear

power plant that wa

the disaster. Tungal

an Israeli firm in wh

holds an 80-per-ce

There are lots

nities in Japan, sai

He is interested in

that will be aroun

many decades.

Mr Buffett also

day that Europes d

shown up a major

17-member euro z

and it would take

words to fix it. He

no idea how Europ

debt crisis, which

Greece two years a

on, would end, tho

there were good

among companies

Not in the de

in the equity space

portunities. I can thi

euro stocks that are

There are stocks I li

derful businesses.

JapaNs exports fall for fIrst tIme IN 3 moNths

Japa xport fll for th frt tm thr

moth lat moth, rodd by a trog y

ad a pttrg global coomy.

export fll 3.7 pr ct o-yar to

5.51 trllo (s$93 bllo), th Fac

Mtry ad ytrday.

Th Octobr fall follow a 2.3-pr-ct

r sptmbr, wth hpmt of m-

codctor ad othr lctroc good fallg

d to trgth th y. Th mpact of Tha

floodg may frthr hrt Japa

export to Cha lmp

7.7 pr ct, potg thr bg

c May. shpmt to th u

fll 2.3 pr ct, whl tho to

uo droppd 2.9 pr ct, d

frt tm fv moth.

import wr p 17.9 pr c

th trad balac to a dfct of

aGeNCIes

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Digital today tuesday November 2

LONDON Airport security

measures could ruin your holi-

day reading plans, if you are

using Amazons Kindle e-reader.

Multiple complaints from

users that their Kindle was ru-

ined by a baggage check prompt-

ed claims that radiation per-

manently affected the devices

electronic ink display.

After my Kindle went

through the X-ray scanner at

Madrid airport, it no longer

worked. I had been reading an

e-book on the way to the airport

so I knew there could be no other

reason, said Mr Michael Hart

from London.

A phone call was made and

someone came along and took

photographs of the bad display.

Its my belief that the scanner

operator who subsequently

questioned me about a radio in

my bag had used a high dose

to look into the radio and the

Kindle too.

According to a leading ex-

pert on electronic ink, the truth

could be more complicated.

I dont think the radiation

used in an airport scanner would

ever be strong enough to dam

today - 20111122

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