A disabled Malaysian man, Danny Gnaniah, criticised Singapore Airlines for allegedly forgetting to put his wheelchair on his flight to Dubai.

Gnaniah spoke to Mothership saying that he had arrived in Dubai on 10 June at about 6.30pm for work, but he only received his wheelchair on 11 June at 7pm.

The delay in sending his wheelchair resulted in him missing work-related appointments, because he needed it to move around.

He was reportedly provided with a temporary wheelchair by the Dubai airport to help him get to his hotel, but it was different from his custom-made lightweight wheelchair, and made it difficult for him to get around as it was much heavier and he had to be pushed around.

Gnaniah said that after reaching Dubai, he called the baggage handling team at the airport for help, but they didn’t get any response from SIA.

He then called the Krisflyer hotline for Dubai but didn’t get a response from the 24/7 hotline, so he then called the SIA’s office at the airport but the number was invalid.

He then called the Krisflyer hotline for Singapore but the person who answered his call had “no clue” what was going on and couldn’t help.

“Are you looking for a job?”

He then messaged SIA’s social media profiles and told them about his missing wheelchair, and SIA then replied to him on Twitter: “Hi there, may we clarify if you are seeking to apply for our cabin crew position?”

The Facebook account also told him that they have responded to his earlier comment and “advised” him to “keep to a single thread for ease of communication”.

He then eventually decided to return to the airport to the SIA office and demanded an explanation, and the staff told him that his wheelchair was on the next flight but weren’t 100% sure.

He then waited at a cafe at the airport for his wheelchair to arrive, and it eventually came at 7pm, which is more than 24 hours since his arrival.

SIA’s response

A spokesperson for Singapore Airlines then spoke to Mothership and apologised for the inconvenience:

“Singapore Airlines (SIA) apologises for the inconvenience caused to Mr Danny Gnaniah when he transited through Singapore to Dubai on 10 June 2022. Our staff at Dubai International Airport had contacted Mr Gnaniah and assisted him with a wheelchair until his wheelchair was delivered to him on 11 June. We would also like to apologise for the tweet that was sent to him in error when he reached out to us on Twitter. It was meant to be in reply to a query by a different customer.

Lastly, we would also like to share that the contact information for our Dubai offices listed on our website is correct. Customers are advised to refer to the contact information listed on our website, instead of those provided by external parties.

We have reached out to Mr Danny Gnaniah directly to address the concerns raised. We thank Mr Gnaniah for his feedback, which we will review and see how to better improve on the services rendered to our customers.”

Lee Poh Kian, 56, was convicted of two counts of harassment and an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act on 14 June.

He had scolded a couple of foreign workers, Ratnasingam Jatheesan and Krishnan Karthikeyan, with xenophobic insults, saying things like “You enter my country is wrong… This government also illegal. We will get you out.”

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sean Teh said that Lee felt entitled to use those words against the foreign workers, citing the alleged “crime situation” and “overcrowding in Singapore caused by foreigners”.

Lee also failed to wear a mask over his nose and mouth when approaching the two men.

What happened?

The two foreign workers were working at a construction site taking measurements at Lorong 5 Toa Payoh on 12 July when it started raining.

They then took shelter in a corridor nearby, when Lee started scolding them. One of the workers, Ratnasingam, recorded Lee going on his tirade.

The workers had no interaction with Lee before the incident, which caused Krishnan to feel stressed and insulted.

Lee had apparently felt that it was his “constitutional right” to scold the workers because they were “in his residential area”.

DPP Teh added that the accused did not make any valid arguments about the constitution to support his case and that there is no such constitutional right.

Lee will begin his mitigation and face his sentencing on 21 June.

The durian season is upon us and prices are set to drop across the board, with the durian season expected to last until August or September.

This means that there is plenty of supply from both Johor and Pahang, increasing the supply of durians along with the lower demand for durians in Malaysia, according to 8World.

Durians such as the musang king have already dropped to as low as $20 per kg.

The delivery timings of the durians from Malaysia are also quick, with durians from Johor being delivered to Singapore stalls in the afternoon, while Pahang durians can reach Singapore in the evening.

A durian seller told 8World that this is the cheapest time to eat durians and that it could possibly get even cheaper if there is more supply.

If you want even cheaper durians, there are four stalls selling durians in Marine Parade that are undercutting each other and pushing prices down, according to Shin Min Daily News.

The musang king durians are being sold for around $5 to $8 with each patron limited to 2 to 3 durians, due to the competitive prices.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said in a statement on Facebook that a male and female Chinese nationals were arrested after ICA officers foiled two attempts to smuggle Chinese wine into Singapore at the Pasir Panjang Scanning Station.

Here is what they said

𝗡𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱

On 1 June and 8 June, ICA officers at Pasir Panjang Scanning Station foiled two attempts to smuggle Chinese wine into Singapore via inbound containers.

Our officers had noticed anomalies in the scanned images of the two containers and unstuffing operations were conducted at the importer’s premises respectively. During the unstuffing operations on 1 June and 8 June, 119 bottles and 14 bottles of Chinese wine were uncovered within consignment declared as ‘consolidated items’ respectively.

Both cases were referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation. For the detection on 1 June, one male and one female Chinese were arrested in relation to the case. Investigations are ongoing for the two cases.

Safeguarding Singapore’s borders is a top priority for ICA. We will continue to stay vigilant and thwart smuggling attempts through Singapore’s borders.

A Facebook user, shared how she was with her 2-year-old toddler at Century Square when a woman approached her daughter with a penguin balloon.

She then introduced herself as an insurance agent and asked the mother some questions and the latter was found to not fit their customer profile.

She then took the balloon back from the child.

Here is what the mother said

I am beyond appalled by the customer service I faced on Friday. I was walking around Century Square with my 2 year old toddler when a lady approached my daughter with a penguin ballon asking her if she wants one. Of course this would delight a 2 year old. The lady then asked me if she could ask me a few questions and I knew from the booth she came from she was from *insurance company name redacted.

While standing she asked me a few questions and I apparently do not fit the profile for a potential customer so she said sorry I need to take back the balloon and she took it from my daughter’s hand. Imagine my horror??!!

As we walked off another of her colleague with an elephant balloon approached us (of course not realising I had been approached previously) and again asked my daughter if she wanted the balloon. I immediately told her do not tempt her only to take it back cause I dont fit her profile. She said let me ask my manager and went to ask someone only to come back to say she’s unable to give the balloon.

Firstly, I can afford to get balloons for my child. Second, it is such a low and cheap move to entice children and lure their parents in for a marketing gimmick only to take back the balloons if the parents don’t fit your dumb profile.

Do you think it is right for a child who doesn’t understand why something was offered to her and given to her only to have it snatched away? ABSOLUTELY DIGUSTING!

If your customer service is so poor especially with regards to my child, do you think I will trust you to take care of my money to insure my life or family?? Think again!

I have nothing against insurance agents, mind you. In fact, I have many loved ones in that profession. However, this experience with the agent and her company has left a distasteful aftermath in my mind and I will NEVER recommend or take up a policy with you. I hope friends and family never face this with their kids.