On June 24, a farewell event was held at Taman Jurong Community Club to bid farewell to Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who announced his decision to run for president and consequently had to step down from his political appointments.

About 5,000 residents showed up to bid their farewell to the departing MP.

Tharman has been serving as the Member of Parliament for Taman Jurong since 2001 and has also held the position of anchor minister for Jurong GRC. During the farewell event, Tharman was accompanied by his wife, Jane Yumiko Ittogi.

There were two sessions available, with one morning session at 9am and another in the evening at 4pm, and residents who wanted to join had to register their attendance.

Attendees got the chance to speak with Tharman and his wife at the event, as well as having a photo taken as memorabilia, and there was also a designated corner for residents to write down and convey their well wishes to the departing MP.

Running for president

In the upcoming presidential election, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has announced his candidacy for the presidency, marking his departure from politics after a lengthy 22-year tenure.

Informed PM Lee of his decision

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday, Mr. Tharman conveyed his decision to participate in the forthcoming presidential election, along with his intention to retire from politics and relinquish all government positions. Prime Minister Lee, who also serves as the secretary-general of the People’s Action Party, received the letter.

Mr. Tharman outlined his plan to resign from the People’s Action Party and step down from his roles as Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies on July 7, which is approximately one month from the date of his letter. He expressed the need to fulfill his immediate commitments within Singapore and on the international stage while ensuring proper arrangements are in place to serve his constituents in Jurong GRC for the remainder of the electoral term.

PM Lee thanks Tharman for his service

Responding to the letter, Prime Minister Lee accepted Mr. Tharman’s resignation and expressed gratitude for his distinguished service to Singapore.

This announcement follows the decision of the incumbent President Halimah Yacob, who declared on May 29 that she would not seek a second term. As Madam Halimah’s six-year term concludes on September 13, the election must be scheduled before then.

At the age of 66, Mr. Tharman is the first potential candidate to publicly express interest in the presidency. His eligibility is supported by his fulfillment of the public service requirement, as dictated by the law, due to his ministerial positions.

According to the Constitution’s public sector service requirements, presidential candidates must have held office in various capacities, such as minister, chief justice, Speaker, attorney-general, Public Service Commission chairman, auditor-general, accountant-general, or permanent secretary, for a minimum of three years.

Political career

Mr. Tharman was initially elected into Parliament in November 2001 as a representative of Jurong GRC and has since been re-elected four times.

Currently serving as Senior Minister since 2019, Coordinating Minister for Social Policies since 2015, and chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) since 2011, Mr. Tharman also assumes the role of deputy chairman of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) since 2019 and chairs its Investment Strategies Committee.

His past portfolios include Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and Education Minister. Prior to his political career, he spent a significant portion of his professional life at the MAS.

On an international level, Mr. Tharman has served as chairman of the Group of Thirty, an independent global council comprised of influential economic and financial policymakers, since January 2017. Additionally, since April 2017, he has chaired the G20 Eminent Persons Group on Global Financial Governance, overseeing the review of multilateral financial institutions.

Images source: Taman Jurong CC WEC Facebook

MRT services on the Circle Line faced two disruptions on 23 June, with SMRT citing a signalling system fault between the Paya Lebar and Dhoby Gaut/Marina Bay stations.

Services went back to normal at about 9.10am before breaking down again at 10pm.

SMRT’s statement on Facebook

[UPDATE on the signalling system fault on the Circle Line]: Kindly refer to our post on 25 June, 12.20pm

[UPDATE on the signalling system fault on the Circle Line, 24 June, at 11.10am]:

On the evening of Friday, 23 June, train services on the Circle Line were affected due to a signalling system fault. The fault was traced to a faulty Automatic Train Control (ATC) Channel card. After replacement of the particular card, the system was able to start up successfully, and train services progressively resumed.

About an hour later, the fault recurred. Three sets of ATC Channel cards from ALSTOM were then used to recover the ATC, but the fault persisted. SMRT, LTA and ALSTOM engineers were on site, and worked through the night to diagnose the failure of the ATC. They were subsequently able to successfully isolate the faulty cards and recover the ATC before the start of this morning’s passenger service.

All downloaded ATC logs and faulty components will be sent to ALSTOM France for further investigations.

SMRT will continue to work closely with LTA, and ALSTOM to monitor the performance of the newly replaced ATC cards for smooth passenger journeys.

We apologise to all affected commuters and thank them for their patience and understanding.

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[UPDATE Circle Line, 24 June, at 1.18am]:

Train services on Circle Line have ended for the day.

SMRT, LTA and Alstom engineers are still on site and will be working through the night to examine the failure of signalling cards and rectify them.

We will update again in the morning on train services along the mentioned stretches.

We are sorry to all commuters who were affected this evening.

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[UPDATE Circle Line, 23 June, at 10.42pm]:

On 23 June at about 8.40pm, a signalling system fault occurred between Marina Bay/Dhoby Ghaut and Paya Lebar stations due to a signalling card failure. Service resumed at about 9.10pm but the fault reoccurred at 10pm. Our engineers are on site to investigate and rectify the fault.

In-train and station announcements are made, and commuters are also advised to cater additional travelling time of up to 30 minutes or take alternative modes of transport. Free regular bus and bridging bus services are available.

We are sorry to have affected your Friday evening commute.

A 30-year-old PRC male tenant living in a rented unit at Bendemeer got so frustrated with the slow WiFi network connection that he strangled and threatened to kill his 61-year-old landlady.

He was arrested on 17 May and had been in remand since 18 May, and he pleaded guilty on 21 June to four charges that includes use of criminal force, strangling, causing alarm and threatening to kill the landlady.

He was then sentenced to 5 months imprisonment for his offences.

The incident took place on 16 May 2023 in a Bendemeer HDB unit, where the tenant, a 30-year-old Chinese national named Li Xin, resided.

On that evening, Li Xin, engrossed in a mobile game after consuming six cans of beer, experienced the frustration of slow WiFi. This led him to confront his 61-year-old landlady, who happened to be present in the unit at the time.

Li Xin then retrieved a knife with a 14cm blade that he had concealed in the back of his shorts. With the knife in hand, he forcefully dragged his landlady into his room and slammed her onto the bed.

Amidst the escalating tension, Li Xin kept the knife within reach, tucking it back into his shorts. However, he soon managed to calm down and released his grip on his landlady.

Subsequently, he received a call from another tenant of the unit, who had been waiting below the building for two hours. The landlady overheard Li Xin telling the tenant that he had intentions to harm her and her family.

Upon the return of the male tenant, the landlady informed him about her dispute with Li Xin, subtly hinting at the knife hidden in his shorts.

Li Xin’s anger surged when he noticed her gesture, prompting him to charge at her. He proceeded to strangle her, relentlessly maintaining his hold on her neck.

It was only thanks to the intervention of the male tenant that Li Xin was eventually pulled away.

Following the violent incident, the landlady sought refuge in the room of a female tenant who had returned home during the commotion.

Locked safely behind the door, she escaped Li Xin’s pursuit. Sensing the urgency of the situation, the female tenant’s employer promptly alerted the police.

Li Xin was subsequently arrested on May 17, 2023.

During the court proceedings, which took place on June 21, Li Xin pleaded guilty to the charges of strangling and threatening to kill his landlady.

Notably, he was unrepresented and requested leniency, claiming ignorance of Singapore’s laws despite having worked in the country for over a decade.

The prosecutor emphasized the unprovoked and sustained nature of the attack. The judge acknowledged the significance of the male tenant’s intervention, highlighting that Li Xin might not have ceased his assault had the intervention not taken place.

Consequently, the judge agreed with the prosecutor’s recommendation and sentenced Li Xin to five months’ imprisonment.

A scammer on Facebook is reportedly selling “sure win” 4D numbers online while posing as an employee of Singapore Pools.

The scam has since caught the attention of Singapore Pools, who have lodged a police report against the Facebook ad.

A netizen who came across the advertisement on Facebook, 53-year-old Mr Hu, told Shin Min Daily News that he saw the ad and sent a message on 19 June to the Facebook profile responsible.

To Mr Hu’s surprise, the person who replied to his message claimed to be an employee of Singapore Pools, the authorized lottery operator in Singapore.

The scammer went further by providing Mr Hu with a price list for the “sure win” 4D numbers. The rates differed based on the prize category, with the first prize priced at S$1,350, the second prize at S$850, and the third prize at S$350.

As Mr Hu became increasingly suspicious, he requested proof of the scammer’s identity as a Singapore Pools employee.

However, the scammer tried to evade the issue by providing excuses for not speaking over the phone or meeting in person. These evasive tactics raised red flags for Mr Hu, leading him to doubt the legitimacy of the offer.

With suspicions mounting, Mr Hu refrained from sending any money to the scammer. Instead, he chose to share his experience with the media, hoping to raise awareness and prevent others from falling victim to this fraudulent scheme.

Upon learning of these deceptive practices, Singapore Pools took swift action. The company acknowledged receiving feedback regarding portals and social media accounts impersonating their employees and offering “sure win” tips.

As a result, Singapore Pools filed a police report against these websites and accounts, seeking to put an end to their illicit activities.

They have also reached out to the Facebook page behind the deceitful ads and requested that they take down the posts.