THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT !!!

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VENDETTA time !!!

Two SAF servicemen assaulted in Perth

By Kai Fong | SingaporeScene Tue, Mar 29, 2011 1:56 PM SGT

Two full-time Singaporean national servicemen were injured in an assault by a gang of seven men in a residential suburb of Perth on Saturday.

Western Australian police said that the off-duty Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) servicemen, as confirmed by the Defence Ministry (Mindef), were fishing at about 4am when the group of men approached them to ask for cigarettes. Both Singaporeans, aged 19 and 20, replied by asking how old they were, reported The Straits Times (ST).

The seven men then left, only to return to demand their wallets instead. When the duo refused a second time, the group attacked them with their makeshift weapons a metal wrench, an empty beer bottle in hand and the victims' fishing rods. The attackers fled the scene after getting hold of some of the victims' cash and credit cards.

The servicemen were taken to Royal Perth Hospital. The 19-year-old suffered a 2cm to 3cm cut on his forehead that required stitches and his companion bore severe bruising and cuts to his back and torso. Both of the latter's eyes were swollen and he may need plastic surgery on his eye.

The victims were discharged from the hospital on the same day, and their next of kin had been informed.

Arrests have yet to be made, however. The police are currently looking for the group of attackers, described by the victims as "dark-skinned males" in their late teens and early 20s, and with an average height of about 1.8m.

The attack happened less than 10km from the city centre at a residential suburb called Ascot Waters. Right by the Swan River, it is extremely popular with fishing enthusiasts.

In a statement yesterday, Mindef confirmed that both victims were based at the RSAF's Flying Training Institute at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Pearce in Perth, about 35km from Ascot Waters. The institute is home to servicemen from the RSAF's 130 Squadron.

The RSAF detachment in the RAAF Base Pearce in Perth is assisting the Australian authorities with their investigations.

This is not the first time that Singaporean soldiers training in Australia have been involved in such incidents.

On 19 Oct 1996, two servicemen were attacked and robbed in front of a motel in Rockhampton, where the SAF's largest annual overseas exercise is held every year.

Earlier that month, another serviceman in Rockhampton was elbowed in the face by a passer-by.

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Gambler busts 5 credit cards to pay S$200k Debt

By Kai Fong | SingaporeScene – Tue, Mar 29, 2011 5:54 PM SGT

Just what have casinos done to Singaporeans?

In yet another case of a gambler out of control, a 29-year-old engineer not only busted five credit cards to pay off his gambling debts, but he also borrowed from nine credit companies to fulfill his payments, reported AsiaOne.

And that wasn't all — his aunts had to chip in to help him pay off debts that amounted up to S$100,000, according to Shin Min Daily. He also lost a girlfriend of 10 years as a result of his gambling addiction.

Still, the man did not learn his lesson. His father, Foo, soon found his son back at his costly routine again. When his aunts refused to help a second time, the man threatened to commit suicide.

The distressed father is now forking out money to clear his son's debts in hopes of the son applying for a self-exclusion order from the casino authorities. Foo is also questioning why the banks did not cancel his son's credit card after they realised he was unable to fulfill his payments.

His son still owes credit card companies S$20,000.

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Often Overlooked Job-Search Opportunities

Tim Tyrell-Smith, On Wednesday 23 March 2011, 2:25 SGT

A job search can be viewed many different ways, depending on your situation and experience. In this economy, it's clearly difficult, frustrating, and slow.

But no matter how you look at it, you're likely missing some key aspects. Especially if you feel stressed, are struggling to sleep at night, or simply losing patience for what feels like a broken process.

Looking for a job makes you part of a community. It may be one you never intended to join, but now you can use it your long-term advantage. Your fellow unemployed peers are potential friends, perhaps even future co-workers. They're people you can lean on, both today and tomorrow. You've joined a job-search fraternity of sorts, a group of people with shared experiences. And only you know what it feels like to be a part of that crew.

So what opportunities might you be missing while looking for a job?

The chance to compete. If you played sports in high school, led the college debate team, or entered the science fair, you'll have to admit that it's fun to compete. Many of us enjoy putting ourselves out there against others in life. Win or lose, it's a chance to measure your skills and experience against a slew of others. So as difficult as it might be, try to enjoy that aspect of your job search.

New long-term relationships. Probably the single biggest opportunity for job seekers is to establish a long-term network, one you can help, nurture, and lean on throughout the rest of your career. Admittedly, you have a LinkedIn profile and network most of your friends drool over, even if they don't see the immediate value. And your local community gets more interesting as you bump into more pals than everyone else when out at the car wash, grocery store, or nightclub. But this is an opportunity to grow your network even more.

Rethink your career options. While it's important to have clear job-search objectives for an effective social networking effort, you can still take time to think. Evaluate your career to date and figure out if you're doing what leaves you happy or just doing what you've always done.

Be with family and friends. There's a significant opportunity during job search to tackle some important tasks. But first on the list should be making up for lost time with family and friends. Since you can't look for a job 16 hours a day, what else could you be doing? There are 101 (other) things you can do while looking for a job. Pick a few and get started today.

Pursue a passion. One of the (other) ideas you should consider during job search is to take action on a passion in life. Whether it's fly fishing, starting your own company, writing a novel or a country song, take the time now--because this may be the only major break in your career. If it is, you'll be glad you got started on the project. Reward your ideas with the chance to be born.

Help others. We all have charitable thoughts. Some of us act on them, while others ignore or delay them. But consider this: what if you took a productive day off during your job search to help others? What if you stopped focusing on yourself for just one day each month. How do you think it would feel?

What opportunities are you overlooking as you look for a job?

Tim Tyrell-Smith is founder of Tim's Strategy, a site that helps professionals succeed in job search, career and life strategy.

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Opposition: An Emerging BREED

By Elena Torrijos | SingaporeScene – Tue, Mar 29, 2011 6:06 PM SGT

By Seah Chiang Nee

For the first time in years, Singapore's opposition is seeing a little light in a dark tunnel, at least in recruiting the highly-educated.

An impressive number of top scholars and professionals, including a dozen with Masters and Doctorates (PhD), will likely emerge to challenge the People's Action Party (PAP) in the elections expected in May.

It is something Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had long predicted would happen after his political retirement.

He is, of course, still around, but not in the best of health. His prediction of better-quality opposition representatives is slowly coming true.

The PAP has begun to introduce its 24 new candidates who as usual would likely come with high academic or professional records.

This has stood the party in good stead so far, but the opposition may be narrowing the gap.

Not all agree. One opposition politician admitted the going would be tough, "like fighting a tank with bows and arrows".

In the previous election as quoted in the Straits Times, the opposition said 70 percent of its candidates were professionals and graduates.

This time the percentage would almost certainly increase, it said.

A sprinkling of these opposition academic high-fliers comparative to the ruling party's, will be fielded in the coming election.

They are leaders of two parties: Dr Chee Soon Juan (Singapore Democratic Party) who has a PhD in neuro-psychology and Kenneth Jeyaretnam (Reform Party) with a double first in Economics from Cambridge University.

Among other candidates who will stand in the elections are:

* Dr Vincent Wijeysingha (Reform Party), the son of the respected long-standing principal of Raffles Institution, who has a PhD in Sociological Studies from University of Sheffield, England.

* Dr John Yam (Workers Party) who holds a PhD (Australia) and Masters in Business Administration (Scotland) and Electrical Engineering degree (Singapore).

* Husband-and-wife team of government scholars and civil service high-flyers Tony Tan (engineering) and Hazel Poa (maths), who obtained first-class honours from Cambridge University.

* Wong Wee Nam, 63 with a PhD from Imperial College who last stood as a Workers Party candidate in 2006.

Singaporeans are now waiting anxiously to see whether another prominent scholar, Chen Show Mao, will stand as a Workers Party candidate.

Chen, an ex-Rhodes Scholar, has a doctorate in law from America's Stanford University.

Likewise, the ruling party still has tons of achievers joining its ranks, which will take a book to fill.

Is a candidate's degree still important to the 21st Century voter?

The answer is yes probably more so than in most countries. This sacred cow may be around for quite awhile even after MM Lee's departure.

Forty years ago, when I first started reporting elections, the profile of candidates often ranged from bicycle shop owners to factory supervisors — not very highly educated -- like the electorate.

As time passed by, academic levels of both steadily rose to a level when voters would shun candidates without a degree.

For many elderly citizens, the higher the degree the better!

Less enamoured are younger citizens who are blaming their country's ills in the past five years on scholars who planned and carried out policies.

The whole thing was introduced by Lee in the early days. His views on this have not changed.

His government created a scholarship system to not only feed talent to run the political and civil service leaderships but also as recruitment feeder for the PAP.

Its success lies in its ability to reward scholars who join it by offering top jobs with the best pay, with the result that few found it attractive to join the opposition.

Lee had shaped the scholarship system along China's imperial exams for the Emperor to select the best scholars who would be sent far and wide to serve as magistrates and administrators to represent him in governing the large country.

In his latest book, Lee said he believed that, in future, China's leaders would have PhDs and MBAs from American universities.

Several years ago, Lee explained that one reason he had chosen Suzhou to site a joint industrial park was because of its talents.

"Look at China. The bright ones came from everywhere. You can be the son of a farmer or worker.

"If you pass the Imperial Examinations ... you're a xiu cai (county scholar) or a jun shi (military strategist), or a zhuang yuan (top imperial scholar).

"If you are the highest scorer in the examination, chances are the Emperor will want you to marry his daughter.

"When these scholars retire, they go to a place with a milder climate along the Yangtze river." said Lee.

"That was Suzhou, which became a popular place for ex-Imperials to live with their multiple wives and children.

"That's why we chose Suzhou. It succeeded. We were dealing with extremely smart and bright people, brighter than the people we sent.

"Our people have the knowledge; they didn't but they had a fine IQ." Lee added.

That was a tacit admission that Singapore's breed of scholars may not fare well in a changing world against natural intelligence.

Two months ago in a moment of candour, Lee predicted that the PAP's rule in Singapore would one day come to an end.

"There will come a time when the public would eventually say: 'Look, let's try the other side either because the PAP has declined in quality or the opposition has put up a team which is equal to the PAP's and they'll say, let's try the other side'," Lee wrote.

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Refund$$$ on TV Licences start TODAY

By Jeanette Tan | SingaporeScene – Tue, Mar 22, 2011 12:31 PM SGT

Starting today, Singapore residents can look forward to receiving refunds for their television licence fees from the Media Development Authority (MDA).

Cheques will be mailed in batches to households, businesses (including hotels, offices and retail outlets), vehicle owners and broadcast equipment dealers that have paid for their TV licences for this year. The refunds are expected to be fully issued by 30 April.

Licencees who have any outstanding balance with the MDA will have that amount deducted from the refund that is issued to them, while those who have settled the licence fee for this year will receive the refund in full.

Further outstanding amounts that are not cleared by the refund will be accompanied with payment reminders, and licencees are advised to settle the outstanding fees by 31 May 2011. TV licence fees can be paid for at any AXS station or SingPost branch.

You can check the status of your licence account with the MDA using your SingPass at http://mdaonline.mda.gov.sg.

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Beware of the DOG !!!

Healthy dog, healthy human

Fri 1 Apr, 2011 03:00 pm BST

It may astound many people that man’s best friend can be a source of anything other than unconditional love and the occasional flea, but sometimes the humble hound can also cause and transmit infections to humans.

In the UK, the most common causes of infections spread to people by their dog include:

•Campylobacter

•Toxocariasis

•Worms

•Ringworm

Here is a guide to these conditions, and how you can protect your pet and your family.

Campylobacter

Campylobacter is a type of bacteria which lives in the intestines of dogs, cats, hamsters, birds and many farm animals. Puppies are particularly prone to carrying it.

In the UK, campylobacter is one of the most common causes of food poisoning, caused by eating undercooked meat. Feeding your dog raw meat is one way of increasing both its and your risk of infection.

The organism can be transmitted to people if they come into contact with an animal’s faeces, or water which has been contaminated with the bacteria. Once one person in a household becomes infected, the infection can rapidly spread to other family members.

Campylobacter can cause mild to severe diarrhoea, with or without blood, nausea, stomach pain fever and sometimes vomiting lasting for up to one week.

Young children are particularly at risk from dehydration. Good hygiene is the best way of avoiding this.

Toxocariasis

Toxocariasis is a rare but potentially serious disease caused by a type of roundworm. Although some roundworms can also infect cats and foxes, the main source of disease in humans is thought to come from dogs.

Dogs can be infected with worms for several years without any apparent symptoms, and worm larvae can cross the placenta to the developing pups so they are born with the disease.

Worm eggs are passed to people through contact with infected faeces or soil. Pups produce the highest number of eggs, which can survive in the environment for up to a year in favourable conditions.

Children between the ages of 2 and 4 and pregnant women are most at risk from the disease. Symptoms include flu-like illness, fever, cough, rash, and enlarged lymph nodes.

In pregnant woman, the parasite can cross the placenta and infect the developing baby. On rare occasions this can cause defects in the unborn baby.

Worms

Dogs with fleas may also have tapeworms. Fleas can carry tapeworm eggs which develop into adult tapeworms inside a dog or animal’s body. The fleas may be swallowed by the dog as it licks its coat during grooming. Tapeworm segments can be passed on to people by coming into contact with infected dog faeces.

Young children are at a higher risk of picking them up.

Ringworm

Ringworm is not actually caused by worms. It is a fungal infection of the skin. People can catch ringworm by touching the infected skin of dogs as well as cats and rodents.

Ringworm symptoms include itchy red circular rings, which can appear anywhere on the skin – including the scalp. These become progressively worse if not treated.

Prevention

Good hygiene is the single best way to reduce your risk of infection:

•As soon as you buy a pup, take it to the vet to be checked out

•Always wash your hands after playing with your dog

•In addition, use an antibacterial gel containing at least 70% alcohol

•Keep children away from dog faeces, and don’t allow dogs to lick their face

•Clean the dog's bedding regularly

•Keep dogs away from garden sand pits

•Don’t feed your dog raw meat. It increases its chances (and yours) of being infected

•Keep your dog's fur clean as they often pick up faecal material in their fur

•Check regularly for fleas, and treat as soon as they are found

•Worm your dog regularly

The more healthy your dog is, the less likely it is to pass on an infection!

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King Of Pop Immortalised Outside Fulham FC

10 hours 15 mins ago

© Sky News 2011

Fulham FC owner Mohammed al Fayed has said fans can "go to hell" if they do not appreciate the new Michael Jackson statue at Craven Cottage.

Mr Al Fayed unveiled the tribute to his late friend ahead of Fulham's Premier League match against Blackpool on Sunday.

He had wanted to put the statue outside London's Harrods store, which he previously owned, but could not get permission.

So Mr Al Fayed decided to erect the memorial near the football club's ground in the city's southwest - to much consternation from Fulham fans.

But the chairman dismissed criticism of the statue as "stupid".

"Football fans love it. If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift they can go to hell," he said.

"I don't want them to be fans. If they don't understand and don't believe in things I believe in they can go to Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else.

"People will queue to come and visit it from all over the UK and it is something that I and everybody else should be proud of."

Mr Al Fayed invited Jackson to watch a Fulham match in 1999.

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Taiwanese Woman pays Husband RM10K for SEX

By ANI | ANI – Mon, Apr 4, 2011 2:16 PM

Kuala Lumpur, Apr 4 (ANI): A woman in Taiwan has revealed that she had to pay her husband about RM 10,000 to have sex with her.

According to the Nanyang Siang Pau, the woman, who is demanding a divorce from her husband, revealed to the municipal council in Taiwan that he had sex with her only three times in the last 10 years.

The woman, who brought along her 10-year-old daughter to the council, claimed that she paid to have sex with her husband on the third time, as she wanted to have a son.

"Not only does he not play his role as a husband, he also does not give us a monthly allowance. I have to support the family," the Star Online quoted the woman, who sells bean curd to support her family, as saying.

She said she wanted a divorce as she could not live with her husband anymore but he insisted she wait until their daughter turned 18.

"So I had to resort to this method to force him to divorce me," she added. (ANI)

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Scientists get step closer to HIV Vaccine

By Cheng Yingqi in Beijing/China Daily | ANN – Mon, Apr 4, 2011 12:10 PM SGT

Beijing (China Daily/ANN) - Chinese scientists have succeeded in the first phase of a clinical trial of an HIV vaccine and will launch the second stage in a few months, according to the country's leading disease control expert.

Shao Yiming, chief expert of the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, told China Daily that the second phase of experiments on the vaccine, which has been approved by the national drug administration, "is likely to start in three or four months".

Work on the HIV vaccine was one of the 16 major science and technology projects that made significant progress during the nation's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010).

Generally, a vaccine to cure an infectious disease needs to pass three phases of clinical trials, to evaluate its effect on healthy people, to test its effectiveness on people exposed to a risk of infection, and to evaluate its impact on high-risk groups.

Although a number of countries have completed second-phase tests, none has yet reached stage three.

China started research on an HIV vaccine in 1993 by conducting clinical trials with a vaccine produced outside the country.

In 2005, Chinese scientists developed a new vaccine using the smallpox vaccine as a carrier.

Smallpox was a deadly infectious disease that had been globally eradicated by the late 1970s.

"The smallpox vaccine has a long history and wide application, so we chose it for its reliability and its higher immunogenic potential," Shao was quoted as saying by the website of the central government, www.gov.cn.

Clinical trials of the new vaccine started in 2007 and, late last year, it was proved to be able to induce an immune reaction in the cells of healthy people.

"The smallpox vaccine has been used on hundreds of millions of people. All Chinese people under 25 have been vaccinated," said Shao, pointing out that this is a unique characteristic among the "more than 100 ongoing experiments in the world".

If the vaccine proves successful, it will have a huge impact on the nation's HIV prevention policy, Shao said in an earlier interview with China Central Television.

China has around 740,000 people with HIV or AIDS. The number is estimated to reach 1.2 million by the end of 2015, Hao Yao, deputy director of the Ministry of Health's disease prevention and control bureau, said in February.

Earlier this year, the State Council called for greater efforts to control the spread of HIV and improve medical services for HIV carriers and AIDS patients, including intensified research efforts and international cooperation to develop new medicines and technologies.

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Thai Private Eye lifts curtain on cheating Spouses

By Janesara Fugal | AFP News – Mon, Apr 4, 2011 11:45 AM SGT

Amnuaiporn Maneewan imparts the wisdom of her more than 15 years working as a private detective in Thailand: "The only man you can trust is a dead one.

"If they're still alive, still breathing, then you can't trust them," she says.

With her James Bond-inspired gadgets including spy cameras and tapping devices, Amnuaiporn specialises in digging up evidence to expose cheating spouses for a law firm in Bangkok.

The 42-year-old has become a master at tailing the unfaithful, catching them in compromising situations with the use of tiny cameras and recording equipment hidden in pens, car keys, buttonholes and even calculators.

Her work has made her a minor celebrity in Thailand, where having a "mia noi" or "little wife" on the side of a marriage is seen almost as a right by some.

This "mistress detective" said there are more and more extra-curricular affairs in the country.

"It's just increasing the whole time; it's not slowing down at all. Now, they don't just have one mistress, they have two or three mistresses," Amnuaiporn said.

"It's like a fashion. It's normal. No man leaves the house without a mistress."

Unsurprisingly then, business has never been better.

Three or four new clients, mostly women between the ages of 20 and 60, contact her every day.

Government officials are apparently particularly likely to have mistresses, traditionally exploiting their positions to net minor wives.

"They have their status, they have power, they have money. It's quite easy for them to pay for another woman," said Ronnachai Kongsakol, psychiatry professor at Ramathibodi hospital in Bangkok.

His research on extramarital affairs by officials suggests that opportunity, intimacy and sympathy are the main motives for men to seek mistresses.

But it's not just Thai men who are tempted to stray.

Amnuaiporn estimates that three out of 10 calls are now from suspicious husbands.

Tales of infidelity abound in Thai society.

Panaa had been living with her partner for seven years when she found out he was secretly seeing another woman.

She tracked down the suspected mistress and confronted her, only to be faced with a surprising revelation.

Her rival produced a marriage certificate that proved she was actually married to Panaa's partner -- meaning Panaa was the mistress.

"I was shocked as I never thought that I would be the mistress. I never had any idea. I thought I was morally superior but it turned out I wasn't at all," said Panaa, whose asked that her real name be withheld.

While she did not need a detective to reveal the scandal, many people do seek help to find the truth.

"If there was no one like me, these people would have to suffer for a long time. Me, my job, helps people to open their eyes. I let them see the truth," said Amnuaiporn.

Her job has got her noticed in Thailand where her good looks, chatty demeanor and anecdotes of sordid transgressions have been lapped up on television and in print.

She has even produced her own book -- "The Private Eye: They ask me to investigate adultery" -- which is billed as the first in-depth account of the work of a female private detective.

Featuring images of her in various disguises she uses for work -- including a native American Indian outfit complete with feathered headdress -- the book includes true stories from her years tracking the unfaithful.

In one instance she was hired by a wealthy man who suspected his wife was straying.

When he pretended to go on a business trip, his wife lost no time in meeting a man and going with him to a "short stay hotel", with Amnuaiporn and the husband in hot pursuit.

He banged on the door of the illicit couple's room and confronted the wife's lover, who claimed to be alone.

After a search of several nearby rooms, Amnuaiporn and the husband found the wife stuck to the wall of an adjoining balcony "like a gecko".

The book also reveals basic tips on how to tell whether your partner is about to stray, such as a sudden upturn in their grooming and unexpected business trips to other parts of the country.

While Amnuaiporn's career has brought her renown and excitement, her constant exposure to infidelity has given her little desire to settle down.

"I am afraid that I will face the same problems I've seen. I think it's good to stay single," she said.

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CORRECTED - More ART than GOLD in Singapore's Fort Knox

On Tuesday 5 April 2011, 8:49 SGT

By Kevin Lim

(Corrects name of Swiss high-security facility to Geneva Free Port and clarifies Natural Le Coultre's relationship with Geneva Free Port)

SINGAPORE, April 4 (Reuters) - Just outside Singapore's Changi airport is an innocuous low-rise building ringed by high walls that holds more gold, art, antique cars and fine wines than almost any other location in the world.

Singapore FreePort is a high-security facility for storing precious metals and other collectibles of the wealthy. It opened a year ago and already plans to double its size within the next two years as Asia's numbers of the seriously rich increase.

"In Singapore you touch not only Chinese clients but also Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, everybody," Chairman Yves Bouvier told Reuters in an interview.

"Changi Airport is a good airplane destination. It's not the same in Hong Kong where you touch only China."

For Singapore, the facility complements the city-state's huge private banking industry by providing wealthy clients with a place to store their valuable collections. Boston Consulting Group estimates private banks in Singapore manage about $500 billion in assets.

Singapore FreePort describes itself as a Fort Knox, and it boasts of security features that are comparable to the world's most impregnable building that is the depository of the United States' bullion reserves.

The facility has armed guards and is ringed by security cameras. Visitors must pass through two checkpoints and undergo a full body scan before they can go inside the building, and staff need to key in passwords and pass a biometric check to access different parts of the complex.

Photography is not allowed and the vaults are locked except when goods are being transferred. Visitors are always escorted by armed security guards and usually catch only glimpses of wealth.

A giant metal sculpture dominates the lobby, with long corridors leading to the vaults protected by gates and motion sensors.

Most of the vaults are temperature and humidity controlled -- Singapore FreePort is one of only two facilities in the world designed to store valuable collectibles. The other, called Geneva Free Port, is in Switzerland.

Art collections take up most of space at the facility, but it also houses rare wines, antique and limited edition sports cars, bullion and jewellery, cigars and carpets.

Singapore FreePort, which is fully tenanted, has already obtained land next to its existing facility and plans to build another 25,000 square metres of storage space to double the size of its operations, Bouvier said.

"The land is already there," he said. Construction of the new space will take 18 to 24 months because of the technical complexity of the facility.

Singapore and Hong Kong are vying to become the hub for Asia's fast-growing art market, which has taken off in recent years as rapid economic growth creates an increasing number of millionaires in China, India and most recently Indonesia.

Bouvier, who is also chairman of Natural Le Coultre, one of the larger tenants in Geneva Freeport, said Singapore FreePort is already fully leased. Existing tenants will have first bite at the new space when it becomes available.

The firm has no plans to expand its operations in Europe nor is it looking to build similar facilities in other parts of Asia, he added.

"There is less crime here than anywhere else," Bouvier said, adding that Singapore government support, and its minority stake in the facility, were also important factors in his firm's decision to set up in the city-state.

He declined to reveal how much his firm and partners had invested in Singapore or say how much the expansion will cost.

ART COLLECTORS

Singapore FreePort's tenants include British auction house Christie's, which is using the space to store antiques and other high-value collectibles for clients. Christie's also uses the facility to exhibit and sell artwork.

Investment bank JPMorgan , through another Singapore FreePort tenant, operates a vault where clients can store gold and other precious metals.

Asked whether he was concerned about rivals setting up competing facilities in Singapore or elsewhere in Asia, Bouvier said the operations were not easily replicated as new entrants had to understand security as well as the transporting, handling and storing of valuables.

"Our products are very expensive and it is very difficult for people who are not professionals to handle them."

Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan

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NSF in photo has been counselled: Mindef

By Angela Lim | SingaporeScene – Mon, Mar 28, 2011 7:45 PM SGT

UPDATE

The full-time national serviceman (NSF) who was photographed with his maid carrying his backpack identified himself to his commander and has been counselled, said Singapore's Ministry of Defence on Monday.

A series of photographs of the NSF recently made its rounds on the Internet and generated much debate about whether Gen Y soldiers in Singapore were too "soft" and "spoilt".

The Straits Times' online portal Stomp said that Colonel Desmond Tan, Director of Mindef Public Affairs, said:

"The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has completed its investigation into the recent case of a serviceman who was photographed with his domestic helper carrying his field pack ("Deafening silence in army backpack saga'' by Mr Patrick Tan; Saturday).

"The serviceman concerned has identified himself to his Commander.

"He was a recruit undergoing the Physical Training Preparatory phase prior to the Basic Military Training phase.

"The recruit is remorseful for his actions and realises that it was wrong for him to have allowed this.

"He has been counselled and continues his training. The SAF has reminded all servicemen to be mindful of their conduct in public."

When news of the photograph broke on 28 March, the NSF's parents were livid, my paper reported. The NSF, who has at least one older sibling, did not know what to do and was afraid of the consequences if he was identified.

Tan said that the Singapore Armed Forces has issued a reminder to all servicemen to be mindful of their conduct in public.

The photos of the NSman, which had been taken off Facebook and posted on Stomp, featured a young man, fully decked out in army fatigues, with his maid trailing behind him carrying his large backpack.

The full pack the maid was carrying looks to be the newer type, which is bigger and has more compartments compared to older variations.

The contributor claimed that the photos had been taken in the area around Tanah Merah MRT.

Disgusted netizens began sharing the photos on social networking site Facebook and on online forums like hardwarezone.com.sg, triggering debate on whether the youth these days are too pampered.

Most were critical of the soldier, calling him "lazy" and "spoilt". Some even said he "tarnished the image of Singapore".

Others we more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, saying he could have been injured and needed help with his heavy backpack.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman earlier said, "The SAF takes a serious view of the conduct of its servicemen in public."

She added that the SAF is looking into the matter and will take appropriate action.

Ex-NS men and NSFs who spoke to Yahoo! Singapore held differing views on the matter.

25-year-old Kelvin Wong, who completed his army stint in 2006, said, "This photo is just ridiculous. It's hard to believe that a grown man who is supposed to be serving the nation is making his female domestic help carry his backpack."

"He's a disgrace to the army and makes Singaporean men look bad," he added.

23-year-old Karl Mak, who finished his stint in 2008, said, "He's probably a spoilt kid who had his bag carried by his maid since he was a child. I guess stuff like that is cultivated from a young age."

A former army officer who only wanted to be known as Jonathan, was more amused than disgusted.

The 28-year-old said, "When I first saw the photo, I thought it was funny. I've never come across such a scenario before and I don't think it's at all representative of our generation. In the army, we trained recruits to take responsibility for themselves."

"Anyway, it's possible he had a shoulder injury and needed help with his bag. It's not a big deal and we shouldn't generalise this to the mentality of youths these days."

:slap: :slap: :slap: Aiyoh !...MALU lah

NSman with MAID carrying his BACKPACK sparks debate

By Angela Lim | SingaporeScene – Mon, Mar 28, 2011 7:45 PM SGT

He's in the army, but she's the one carrying the backpack.

A series of photographs making its rounds on the Internet has generated much debate about whether Gen Y soldiers in Singapore are too "soft" and "spoilt". :whip:

The photos — which were taken off Facebook and posted on The Straits Times' online portal Stomp — features a young man, fully decked out in army fatigues, with his maid trailing behind him carrying his large backpack.

The full pack the maid was carrying looks to be the newer type, which is bigger and has more compartments compared to older variations.

The contributor claimed that the photos had been taken in the area around Tanah Merah MRT.

Disgusted netizens began sharing the photos on social networking site Facebook and on online forums like hardwarezone.com.sg, triggering debate on whether the youth these days are too pampered.

Most were critical of the soldier, calling him "lazy" and "spoilt". Some even said he "tarnished the image of Singapore".

Others we more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, saying he could have been injured and needed help with his heavy backpack.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman told the paper, :FIREdevil: "The SAF takes a serious view of the conduct of its servicemen in public."

She added that the :devil: SAF is looking into the matter and will take appropriate action.

Ex-NS men and NSFs who spoke to Yahoo! Singapore held differing views on the matter.

25-year-old Kelvin Wong, who completed his army stint in 2006, said, "This photo is just ridiculous. It's hard to believe that a grown man who is supposed to be serving the nation is making his female domestic help carry his backpack."

"He's a disgrace to the army and makes Singaporean men look bad," he added.

23-year-old Karl Mak, who finished his stint in 2008, said, "He's probably a spoilt kid who had his bag carried by his maid since he was a child. I guess stuff like that is cultivated from a young age."

A former army officer who only wanted to be known as Jonathan, was more amused than disgusted.

The 28-year-old said, "When I first saw the photo, I thought it was funny. I've never come across such a scenario before and I don't think it's at all representative of our generation. In the army, we trained recruits to take responsibility for themselves."

"Anyway, it's possible he had a shoulder injury and needed help with his bag. It's not a big deal and we shouldn't generalise this to the mentality of youths these days."

Aiyoh !...MALU lah

NSman with MAID carrying his BACKPACK sparks debate

By Angela Lim | SingaporeScene – Mon, Mar 28, 2011 7:45 PM SGT

He's in the army, but she's the one carrying the backpack.

A series of photographs making its rounds on the Internet has generated much debate about whether Gen Y soldiers in Singapore are too "soft" and "spoilt".

The photos — which were taken off Facebook and posted on The Straits Times' online portal Stomp — features a young man, fully decked out in army fatigues, with his maid trailing behind him carrying his large backpack.

The full pack the maid was carrying looks to be the newer type, which is bigger and has more compartments compared to older variations.

The contributor claimed that the photos had been taken in the area around Tanah Merah MRT.

Disgusted netizens began sharing the photos on social networking site Facebook and on online forums like hardwarezone.com.sg, triggering debate on whether the youth these days are too pampered.

Most were critical of the soldier, calling him "lazy" and "spoilt". Some even said he "tarnished the image of Singapore".

Others we more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, saying he could have been injured and needed help with his heavy backpack.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman told the paper, "The SAF takes a serious view of the conduct of its servicemen in public."

She added that the SAF is looking into the matter and will take appropriate action.

Ex-NS men and NSFs who spoke to Yahoo! Singapore held differing views on the matter.

25-year-old Kelvin Wong, who completed his army stint in 2006, said, "This photo is just ridiculous. It's hard to believe that a grown man who is supposed to be serving the nation is making his female domestic help carry his backpack."

"He's a disgrace to the army and makes Singaporean men look bad," he added.

23-year-old Karl Mak, who finished his stint in 2008, said, "He's probably a spoilt kid who had his bag carried by his maid since he was a child. I guess stuff like that is cultivated from a young age."

A former army officer who only wanted to be known as Jonathan, was more amused than disgusted.

The 28-year-old said, "When I first saw the photo, I thought it was funny. I've never come across such a scenario before and I don't think it's at all representative of our generation. In the army, we trained recruits to take responsibility for themselves."

"Anyway, it's possible he had a shoulder injury and needed help with his bag. It's not a big deal and we shouldn't generalise this to the mentality of youths these days."

[kueytoc]

The Taiwanese MEN forgotten by History

By News Desk in Taipei/The China Post | ANN – Wed, Mar 23, 2011 2:50 PM SGT

Taipei (The China Post/ANN) - Whether researching the pot-making history of her family to revealing the heartbreaking stories of war veterans, director Kuo Liang-yin takes the audience back to the 1950s. In her latest documentary "Suspended Duty -- Taiwan Military Training Regiment", she tells the tale of a group of men forgotten by history.

Kuo, a graduate from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, originally set out to depict the history of her family's aluminum cookware manufacturing business. "My grandpa told me he used to buy warplanes left behind by the Japanese army after World War II to make pots. I always asked myself the credibility of these stories," Kuo said.

Her wondering turned into the documentary "Searching for the Zero Fighters", and the film led her to another discovery. Over 8,000 Taiwanese youngsters were recruited by Japan to make warplanes during World War II. After returning to Taiwan, some of them ended up joining the "Taiwan Military Training Regiment" and embarked on a sad journey that would last for almost half a century.

The Men Forgotten by History

The time was 1949, the Nationalist Party (the Kuomintang) was losing China to the Communist Party. The Kuomintang had no choice but to relocate the government to Taiwan.

As increasing military power was a major priority then, the Kuomintang soon set up its first army base in Kaohsiung in 1950. It was known as the "Taiwan Military Training Regiment" and led by the then Commander of Taiwan Defense Command Sun Li-jen.

Sun, educated at the Virginia Military Institute in the United States, was best known for his leadership during the Chinese civil war and against the Japanese army in WWII.

The regiment recruited over 4,000 men in their late teens and early twenties, some volunteered while others were drafted. The men would later become officers of new army recruits when they completed the training. What they had hoped for turned out to be a mirage, as the whole regiment was put on "suspension of duty" when they ended their 21-month training.

It was all because their leader, Sun, was arrested for allegedly trying to overthrow Chiang Kai-shek's regime with the CIA in 1955.

The "suspension" was not a "discharge of duty," said Chang Fan-chou, head of the self-formed "Taiwan Military Training Regiment Discharged Members Association." "We were told that we were still on duty, but only to serve in our hometowns," Chang said, "We should be on call at all times to propagate government policies and execute orders." The recruited, all in their prime, could only stay at home and wait for the government to assign them new tasks.

Sun remained under house arrest until 1988. Prior to his release, no one dared talk about Sun or his army, and the name "Taiwan Military Training Regiment" along with its 4,500 men faded into oblivion.

Life After Suspension

In Kuo's documentary, the veterans spell out their painful stories after the suspension order. "No one knew who we were. We were completely given up on," an elderly man said in the film. Because the veterans were never officially discharged from the army, it was difficult for them to pursue further education or find decent jobs. Many of the veterans could only take on odd jobs, barely making a living. "Even our children don't believe our stories," these men said in the film.

In 1998, the government agreed to turn their suspension order into an official discharge order, finally granting them the official "veteran" status that they had sought for almost half a century. However, their newly found honors came without any of the benefits entitled to other veterans. Kuo said the government originally agreed to compensate the men with NT$2 million. The idea, however, never passed the Legislative Yuan as many government sectors said they had no idea that such a regiment existed, according to Kuo.

Sun's name was eventually cleared in 2001, with the Control Yuan's investigation concluding that Sun had "no intention of staging a coup," but the men of the 1950 regiment are still waiting for an answer from the government. The men, who were passionate youngsters hoping to defend their country, are now over 80 years old, with a third of them having already passed away. Kuo hopes her documentary will let more people know that in the nation's short history of 100 years, a group of men who loved their country were forgotten.

The documentary, a nominee in this year's Golden Harvest Awards, will be screened around the nation from April 5, with two special screenings on Thursday, March 24, at National Taiwan University and Sunday, March 27, at the Eslite Tunnan Bookstore.

[kueytoc]

Mavis PAN in "SEX" sequel

Cinema Online – Wed, Apr 6, 2011 12:25 PM SGT

6 Apr - "3D Sex And Zen: Extreme Ecstasy" executive producer Stephen Shiu Jr. wants Mavis Pan Shuang Shuang for the sequel, according to Chinese reports.

Although the film has yet to open (14 April in Hong Kong), Shiu was quoted as saying "These days, many people have praised the well-endowed and smoking hot Pan. People want to see her in a film."

Dubbed by Chinese media as "Little Shu Qi" after similar bee-stung lips to the established Taiwan star and also "Edison Chen #2", she shot to fame only in recent weeks due to a sex scandal with Hong Kong actor-singer Raymond Lam, in which photos were published with them in bed.

"Since the female lead is Pan, I won't object to make an open casting call to select a lead actor who resembles Raymond Lam in appearance," Shiu added, cheekily. The impossibly busty Taizhou, Zhejiang-born model is reported to have a waist of merely 46cm.

Meanwhile in other "3D Sex And Zen" news, lead actresses Leni Lan Yan has been reported missing and some tabloids have reported fears of suicide. Said to be loosely based on Li Yu's 17th century classical Chinese erotic literature "The Carnal Prayer Mat", this 3D re-update of the record-breaking 1991 Hong Kong box office cult classic erotica stars Japanese AV actresses Yukiko Suo and Saori Hara opposite Hong Kong-based Japanese male model Hiro Hayama.

Other cast include Vonnie Lui Hoi Yan, Tony Ho Wah Chiu, Irene Chen Chiu Ping, Jason Yiu and Tenky Tin.

Vonnie Lui: "NOTHING UNDERNEATH!"

Cinema Online – Fri, Mar 25, 2011 3:20 AM SGT

25 Mar: Busty Hong Kong P.O.R.N. star Vonnie Lui Hoi Yan replied that she "wasn't wearing anything underneath" when it was pointed out that she wasn't dressed sexily enough for a "3D Sex And Zen: Extreme Ecstasy" press conference at the Film and Television Market (FILMART) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai earlier this week.

She plays the Elder of Bliss in the upcoming Category III flick, also starring Japanese pornstars Yukiko Suo and Saori Hara.

Lui said: "In the movie I'm a SEX Expert but in real life I can barely meet my boyfriend's needs. I sure do learn from watching videos. I have seen Saori Hara and Yukiko Suo's work. I feel Saori Hara's eyes are very attractive. Although I'm a woman, I'm attracted to her! In comparison to them, I'm definitely just a rookie."

Earlier in the month, the 27-year-old "Slim Till Dead" and "Love Education" starlet was involved in an eye-popping promotion for the new 3D porno – she was at an event which sold peculiar mouse pads featuring her image and also tangible 2D pop-up breasts, fashioned in her likeness.

Recently, she also claimed she has lost her iPhone 4 and about 100 explicit photos that were in it, all of which are being forwarded around the world on the Internet, according to Sohu and Apple Daily.

[kueytoc]

Park Hyun-Jin in Prostitution Scandal

Cinema Online Wed, Apr 6, 2011 2:15 AM SGT

6 Apr - Korean 3D erotica "Natali" is on limited theatrical release in Singapore, Hong Kong and several other territories, while lead actress Park Hyun-Jin was exposed by KBS TV for allegedly accepting money to sleep with the son of a former Prime Minister, reported Shin Min Daily News several days ago.

According to KBS TV as reported by the daily, the boss (whose surname is Ok) of an entertainment production company accused a certain Mr A of fraud, who also happened to be the son of a former Prime Minister. He is currently a professor in a university in Seoul.

The source further elaborates that Mr Ok said that in 2009, Mr A had expressed his willingness to exploit his social status to obtain a government grant worth HKD 71.42 million (about S$11.71 million) so that Mr Ok can organise a film festival last year, on the condition that Mr Ok arranged for a female star to have drinks with him.

The report also mentioned Mr Ok's arrangement for a sultry female star to accompany Mr A at a bar, who was greatly satisfied with the arrangement and repeatedly requested for her company thereafter. Mr Ok claimed that Mr A had once paid the female star about HK$ 35,700 (about S$5852) for her companionship. He further provided evidence of the star's acceptance of the money and claimed that he paid Mr A about HKD 71,000 (about S$12,000) in "reward fees".

However, Mr A did not keep his promise and never applied for the government grant on Mr Ok's behalf, which resulted Mr Ok's accusations of fraud against Mr A.

After the news broke, netizens identified the "Natali" star, Park Hyun-Jin, as the prime suspect. Some news sources have pointed out that Park had vehemently denied her involvement when contacted by the Korean media, and even cried during the conversation.

The 29-year-old beauty plays a dance student named Oh Mi-Ran in the Korean erotica, which is currently on limited theatrical release in Singapore and a few other territories.

[kueytoc]

ELECTRICAL FAULT behind Train Delay: SMRT

By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene Thu, Apr 7, 2011 10:41 AM SGT

SMRT says an electrical fault caused the major train delay that left 17,500 passengers stranded along the East-West line during peak hour traffic on Thursday morning.

In a statement to Yahoo! Singapore, SMRT said the electrical fault caused an eastbound train to stall between Tiong Bahru and Outram Park MRT stations at 8.59 am.

According to standard operating procedures, another train was then used to gently push the stalled train to the next station for passengers to alight. The stalled train was then directed back to the depot.

But as the stalled train was crowded due to peak hour traffic, the train officer took a longer time moving from cabin to cabin to release the cabin brakes. The train doors also remained closed when it arrived at Outram Park station and had to be manually opened.

This led to the process, which usually takes 20-30 minutes, taking over an hour to complete.

To maintain train service, SMRT said some westbound trains were turned around at Queenstown MRT station while eastbound trains were turned around at Outram Park MRT station.

Normal train service resumed at 9:50am.

During the delay, two passengers near Tiong Bahru station felt unwell and had to be sent to Singapore General Hospital.

According to a SCDF spokesperson, a man in his 50s felt giddy and a woman in her 30s experienced breathlessness and chest discomfort.

Analyst Kelvin Chow, 30, said he was stuck in the tunnel between Redhill and Tiong Bahru for 20 minutes when the driver announced that a passenger was having chest pains.

The driver could not move to the next station as the train in front was still stationary.The driver then asked for medical personnel onboard to help the passenger.

"Finally after another 20 minutes, we moved to Tiong Bahru (where an ambulance was waiting) and managed to get the passenger off," he said.

Public relations executive Felicia Goh, 24, told Yahoo Singapore she was stuck on the train for over an hour during rush hour traffic.

"I was initially stuck at Clementi before moving two stops and stalling again at Buona Vista," she said.

Undergraduate Jacqueline Wong, 22, was at Buona Vista station and after waiting for 15 minutes on the train and finding out about the long delay on micro-blogging platform Twitter, got off and took a bus instead.

Her mother was not so lucky. She took one hour and 20 minutes to get from Buona Vista station to Outram Park, reaching work two hours late, said Wong.

Jeremy Foo, 32, an engineer stuck at Outram Park station, added, "I heard trains have been delayed all morning. I've been waiting here for the last 25 minutes and still no train. This is bad."

Another commuter stuck at the Outram MRT station, sales manager Germaine Chia, said what made it worse was that mobile phone reception was poor.

"People have been complaining since I got here. The trains are not running and there' s no reception so we can't call in at work. Thankfully, this seldom happens," said the 27-year-old.

Frustrated commuters also took to Twitter to complain about the crawling train service and warned others to skip the train ride this morning.

@redha tweeted, "I think the delay affected a lot of places. Lots of grumpy people at Bugis MRT station when i got down just now."

The SMRT has apologised for the inconvenience caused.

It added that passengers who were unable to complete their journeys due to the disruption can file a claim for a refund at any of the MRT station counters within the next three working days.

On Sunday, a train was delayed at the Ang Mo Kio station after a Thai teenage girl fell onto the tracks and was hit by a train.

[kueytoc]

US tags Quiapo as one of world's 'Notorious Markets'

PhilStar – Thu, Apr 7, 2011 8:00 AM SGT

By Pia Lee-Brago (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

MANILA, Philippines - Quiapo district in Manila has been identified as among the “notorious markets” around the world in which pirated or counterfeit goods are reportedly available.

“Quiapo is just one example of several locations and neighborhoods, especially in Metropolitan Manila, known to deal in counterfeit and pirated goods such as clothing, shoes, watches and handbags,” according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative’s latest annual report “Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets.”

The Notorious Markets review identifies markets that are particularly prominent examples of markets in each category, and does not constitute an exhaustive list of all notorious markets around the world.

The report said inclusion in the Notorious Markets list does not reflect a finding of a violation of law nor does it reflect the United States government’s analysis of the general climate of protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the countries concerned.

But the broader analysis of IPR protection and enforcement is contained in the annual “Special 301” report, published at the end of April every year.

The Special 301 report is an annual review of the global state of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and enforcement, conducted by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). It identifies a wide range of serious concerns such as troubling “indigenous innovation” policies that may unfairly disadvantage US rights, the continuing challenges of Internet piracy in countries, and the ongoing systemic IPR enforcement challenges in many countries around the world.

The report pointed that “global piracy and counterfeiting continue to thrive due in part to marketplaces that deal in infringing goods.”

The Notorious Markets list identifies selected markets, including those on the Internet, which exemplify the problem of marketplaces dealing in infringing goods and helping to sustain global piracy and counterfeiting. These are marketplaces that have been the subject of enforcement action or that may merit further investigation for possible intellectual property rights infringements.

The Notorious Markets list reflects an effort to further expose these markets, and is in response to the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator’s 2010 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement. This document is the result of an Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets and follows a separate, dedicated request for comments from interested stakeholders, which was initiated on Oct. 1, 2010.

Also identified as Notorious Markets are Bahia Market (Guayaquil, Ecuador), China Small Commodities Market (Yiwu, China), Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), Harco Glodok (Jakarta, Indonesia), La Salada (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Ladies Market (Mongkok, Hong Kong), Luowu Market (Shenzhen, China), Nehru Place (New Delhi, India); PC Malls (China), Petrivka Market (Kyiv, Ukraine), Red Zones (Thailand), San Andresitos (Colombia), Savelovskiy Market (Moscow, Russia), Silk Market (Beijing, China), Tepito (Mexico City) and Urdu Bazaars (Pakistan).

The identified notorious markets sells large quantities of illicit goods, many of which are either counterfeit products, cited as a center for wholesaling of infringing goods, making them the origin of many counterfeit goods available internationally, selling counterfeit and pirated goods, particularly notorious for pirated optical discs or reportedly sources of pirated books.

[kueytoc]

By Ewen Boey | What’s buzzing? – 1 hour 44 minutes ago

Chinese actress and model Gan Lulu was attacked by her mother during a television talk show earlier this month.

The video, which was originally uploaded to Chinese online video hosting service Youku, shows Gan's mother hitting, pushing and swearing at her while studio crew tried to calm her down.

The two were featured on the "Lady Gua Gua" talk show after the mother uploaded a controversial video onto the Internet in February. She had filmed her daughter walking out of the shower naked, claiming that it was to help Gan find a suitor.

After the incident, the pair recorded videos individually, defending themselves. Gan also tearfully begged netizens not to attack her mother and that the latter only meant well.

The reason for the mother's attack on Gan was not known, but she can be heard on the video saying, "What's the meaning of this?" and "What do you think you're doing?".

At one instance, Gan was seen talking to the camera, saying, "my mother hits me because she loves me," after which her mother rushed forward shoving her and yelling vulgarities.

The video garnered over 3.1 million views in three days on Youku.

In another online video of the same show, the mother recounted that her daughter copied her parents' sexual movements when she was only one-year-old.

At that time, Gan was sleeping in the same room as her parents, and they would have sex while she was asleep.

However, one day, they noticed that Gan was humping the bed and copying their "push-up movements".

They initially thought it was funny, but Gan would not stop so they did not dare have sex in front of her again, the mother claimed.

"We thought she was stupid and wouldn't know what we were doing," said the mother.

[kueytoc]

Beijing Police halt HOUSE CHURCH Service

By ALEXA OLESEN - Associated Press | AP – Sun, Apr 10, 2011 2:03 PM SGT

Beijing police on Sunday detained dozens of worshippers from a Christian house church who were trying to hold services in a public space after they were evicted from their usual place of worship, a parishioner said.

Leaders of the unregistered Shouwang house church had told members to gather at an open-air venue in Beijing for Sunday morning services, but police, apparently alerted to their plans, taped off the area and took away people who showed up to take part.

Christians in China are required to worship in state-run churches, but house churches are becoming increasingly popular, despite being technically illegal and subject to police harassment.

A church member who went to the gathering spot for services but managed to evade police told The Associated Press that around 200 people were taken away and were being held at a local school. Their mobile phones were confiscated, said the man, who would give only his English name, Kane, for fear of police reprisals.

An AP videographer saw about a dozen people escorted by police onto an empty city bus and driven away.

Shouwang pastor Yuan Ling said by telephone that he was unable to go to the venue because police had put him under house arrest Saturday night. Yuan, who joined the church in 1998, said he knew of at least six other church members who were also under house arrest.

Yuan said fellow parishioners also told him that many worshippers were being held at a school in Beijing's Haidian district, though he wasn't sure of the exact number of people involved.

Shouwang had been holding services at a Beijing restaurant until last week, when they were evicted from that venue.

Chinese authorities have been on high alert for large public gatherings in the wake of anonymous online calls for anti-government protests modeled on demonstrations in the Middle East and North Africa.

No major protests have occurred in China following the calls, but the security crackdown they sparked has resulted in the arrest or detention of dozens of public interest lawyers, writers, intellectuals and activists.

Ai Weiwei, an internationally famed avant-garde artist who is also an outspoken government critic, became the highest-profile person targeted in the sweep so far when he was apparently detained at a Beijing airport a week ago. The Foreign Ministry says he is being investigated for alleged economic crimes, though Beijing police have yet to confirm he is in custody.

Ai was last seen being led away by police at a Beijing airport April 3 after he was barred from boarding a flight to Hong Kong.

The official Xinhua News Agency on Saturday published a critique of Ai that catalogued criticisms and accusations against the artist that were allegedly found online. Xinhua said Ai was accused of plagiarism and tax evasion but noted that the claims hadn't been independently investigated.

Xinhua also quoted unnamed "participants in Chinese artistic circles" as saying Ai's art was "amateur" and "third rate."

The article appeared to be part of official Chinese efforts to portray the case against Ai as being nonpolitical.

Ai has become increasingly critical of the government in recent years, but according to Xinhua, Chinese authorities haven't said that his "radical comments" violated the law.

However, the Chinese government has used economic crimes to silence dissidents in the past.

Meanwhile, about 50 pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday demanded Ai's release, peacefully chanting "no to political persecution" outside the central Chinese government's liaison office. Opposition legislator Lee Cheuk-yan tossed a piece of cardboard bearing Ai's portrait into the grounds of the compound.

Former British colony Hong Kong enjoys Western-style civil liberties as part of its special semiautonomous status under Chinese rule.

On Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called for Ai's release and criticized China for what she said was a deteriorating human rights situation in the first part of 2011.

Clinton's remarks were made while announcing the release of the U.S. State Department's annual assessment of human rights around the world. The report said China stepped up restrictions on its critics and tightened control of civil society in 2010 by limiting freedom of speech and Internet access.

China blasted back at Washington on Saturday with a statement on the Foreign Ministry website that said the U.S. was a "preacher of human rights" that should reflect more on its own domestic rights abuses.

"The U.S. should stop interfering in other country's internal affairs with this human rights report," ministry spokesman Hong Lei was quoted as saying.

Associated Press videographer David Wivell and AP writer Min Lee in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

[kueytoc]

Thousands of Thai 'RED SHIRTS' commemorate Bangkok

By Ambika Ahuja and Jason Szep | Reuters – Mon, Apr 11, 2011 12:12 AM SGT

BANGKOK (Reuters) - About 40,000 red-shirted, anti-government protesters gathered on Sunday in Bangkok's old quarter to mark the first anniversary of clashes with the military in which 26 people were killed and over 800 wounded.

"We are mourning the loss of innocent lives a year ago. We are remembering the violence against Thai people last year. We are asking for justice," said protest leader Nattawut Saikua.

No one has been declared responsible for the unrest on April 10, when soldiers fought thousands of protesters in the narrow streets around Democracy Monument in Thailand's worst political violence in 18 years.

The red-shirted supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a populist billionaire ousted in a 2006 coup and convicted of graft, said they would continue to hold protests until the government took responsibility for the violence.

"They won't give up until Thailand has justice," Thaksin said of the families of the dead and wounded, in an address by video link from abroad, where he is living to avoid jail.

Five soldiers and 21 civilians were killed, including Reuters television cameraman Hiro Muramoto, a 43-year-old Japanese national, on April 10 last year.

Witnesses reported seeing flashes of gunfire from troops but the government blamed civilian deaths on shadowy, unidentified black-clad gunmen who were filmed in the area.

"Today we pay tribute to Hiro's life but remain discouraged that the circumstances of his death are still unknown a year later. Hiro's family and Reuters colleagues deserve to know how this tragedy occurred and who was behind it," said Stephen Adler, Reuters editor-in-chief.

Police concluded on March 24 they had no evidence to indicate troops killed Muramoto, a reversal of preliminary findings by Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI) that a soldier may have fired the fatal bullet.

SEEKING JUSTICE

The turnout was among the largest by the red shirts since their 10-week occupation of parts of Bangkok last year sparked violent clashes in April and May that killed 91 people, wounded more than 1,800 and led to widespread arson.

"I was here last year. I never thought I would see this kind of cruelty in Thailand. I came back today because no one has been put in jail for it," said one protester, 38-year-old electrician Samart Ngamwongyai.

Streets were festooned with red-and-white banners bearing red-shirt slogans such as "fight for democracy" and "truth today". One read: "You can't kill us all." Another said: "If Democracy wins in Tunisia and Egypt, we can win here."

"We are here to pay tribute to our heroes in heaven. Rest in peace. You helped us move one step closer to democracy. We will carry on your fight. Please clap until heaven can hear us," Payap Panket, a red shirt leader, said on stage to loud cheers.

One person wore a t-shirt emblazoned with the red dot of the Japanese flag, his face painted white with the name "Hiroyuki" written across his forehead in black. He held a placard reading "Who killed Hiroyuki?", one of several references and tributes to the slain Reuters cameraman.

About 2,100 police were deployed to the area.

The mostly rural and urban poor United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, or the red shirts, took to the streets on March 12 last year demanding elections in festive rallies that descended into violence on April 10.

On that night, soldiers failed in repeated attempts to dislodge the protesters from the area, firing tear gas and rubber bullets before coming under attack with grenades and responding with live ammunition.

The government said they used live fire only in self-defence and denied soldiers were responsible for any deaths or injuries.

Relatives of some of the dead and wounded have filed civil lawsuits against three state agencies. The government has also faced intense diplomatic pressure from Japan to identify who fired the bullet that killed Muramoto.

The red shirts accuse Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of lacking a popular mandate and coming to power illegitimately, heading a coalition the military cobbled together after courts dissolved a pro-Thaksin party that led the previous government.

Abhisit, backed by the royalist establishment, says he was voted into office by the same parliament that picked his Thaksin-allied predecessors. His party plans to hold an election around the middle of this year.

The poll is expected to be a close contest between Abhisit's ruling Democrats and the red shirts' parliamentary allies, the Puea Thai Party, and the outcome may be rejected by supporters of either party, fuelling instability.

(Editing by Miral Fahmy and Tim Pearce)

[kueytoc]

Mavis Pan: NO ROUGH STUFF !!!

By Rheus Wai Soh See | Yahoo!Branded Cinema Online – Fri, Apr 8, 2011 11:39 AM SGT

8 Apr – Newly-minted Internet sensation and sex goddess Mavis Pan Shuang Shuang says scandal-mate Raymond Lam is a gentleman, as their first time in bed had none of the rough stuff, reported Apple Daily.

Dubbed by Chinese media as "Little Shu Qi" (after her similar bee-stung lips to the established Taiwan star) and also "Edison Chen #2", she shot to fame only in recent weeks due to a sex scandal with the Hong Kong actor-singer, in which photos were published with them in bed.

Instead of the rumpy-bumpy, they just laid next together and chatted all night, before falling asleep in each other's arms, she told the popular Hong Kong media.

The 24-year-old Zhejiang-born model said they did not make love every time they met.

"Sometimes when he was tired from working, I'd give him a massage. I don't like doing things deliberately. I prefer a process. With him, quite often we just cuddled and snuggled."

As well as telling all about her relationship with Raymond, Mavis addressed criticism that her breasts are implants.

The sweet Raymond was quoted as comforting her by saying, "As long as I know [they're real]."

She said she often bought Raymond sexy underwear and they got on well, but Raymond's father was against the relationship.

She also had to follow his rule that they could only talk for up to 15 minutes on the phone and meet once every three months, to keep their affair in the dark for the sake of Raymond's clean image.

After their bedroom photos were revealed, Raymond has not contacted her, but she insisted they had not broken up as "he never said those words to me."

"But he told the media we're finished. That really hurts."

Mavis recently arrived in Hong Kong for the first time to shoot a sexy photo album.

Recently, "3D Sex And Zen: Extreme Ecstasy" executive producer Stephen Shiu Jr. wants her for the sequel, according to Chinese reports.

Although the film has yet to open (14 April in Hong Kong), Shiu was quoted as saying "These days, many people have praised the well-endowed and smoking hot Pan. People want to see her in a film."

[kueytoc]

Mavis Pan claims she was cheated into taking RACY LINGERIE Photos

Posted: 08 April 2011 1959 hrs

HONG KONG: Chinese model Mavis Pan broke her silence on a series of racy lingerie photos that have surfaced recently, during a Hong Kong television interview on Wednesday, reported Hong Kong media.

Pan, who is currently embroiled in a 'bedroom photo' scandal with popular Hong Kong actor Raymond Lam, claimed that she was cheated into taking these revealing photos, some of which even exposed her private regions, when she was still a teenager.

"Those photos were taken when I first arrived in Beijing and at the time, I didn’t know anything but just felt I liked this line (modelling). I didn't have my parent's blessings so I went to Beijing alone.

"I went to audition for this advertisement and naively thought any opportunity is still an opportunity," said Pan.

"At first, they said I just had to model pyjamas and there weren't any problems with them when I tried them on."

"But after I signed the contract and went for the photo shoot, the clothes were completely different."

"I was very timid at the time, I was in my teens, I got scared and cried but they threatened me and asked me to pay damages. I came to Beijing against my family's wishes. I had no money so I took the photos," said Pan sombrely.

"I kept thinking that after the shoot, the photos will slowly disappear."

Pan declared that if the photos continue to be circulated, she will take legal action against the parties responsible.

The series of provocative photos have brought Pan, who had previously graced the pages of numerous men's magazines, to the attention of Hong Kong director Stephen Siu Ding Yat. who expressed interest in casting Pan in his upcoming adult film "The Carnal Prayer Mat".

However, the model, who is known for her voluptuous figure, said she would not take him up on his offer.

"If it purely involves just nudity and explicit scenes, then I don't think I am suitable for it.

"I may give people the impression (that she suits this kind of films) but those who truly know me understand that I am actually a very reserved person," said Pan.

-CNA/ha

[kueytoc]

Filipino TV show goes off air over crying Child

By TERESA CEROJANO - Associated Press | AP Mon, Apr 11, 2011 3:59 PM SGT

The Philippines' most popular TV game show was pulled off the air Monday amid a public uproar over the host letting a crying 6-year-old boy mimic a striptease dancer.

"Willing Willie" host Willie Revillame said he was taking two weeks of leave after which he will announce if he'll return to television.

Angry viewers and commentators have launched a campaign on social-networking sites to remove Revillame from the show, which offers cash prizes for singing, dancing, storytelling and playing games. They say Revillame showed poor taste and mocked his mostly impoverished viewers by allowing the crying boy to gyrate as a striptease dancer.

The boy was a contestant and earned 10,000 pesos ($230) for his dance.

The outcry led major sponsors to pull out, including Procter & Gamble Co., Del Monte Pacific Ltd., Unilever and Philippine fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. The March 12 episode also has prompted soul-searching discussions about the quality of TV entertainment in the Philippines.

TV5 network said it wants to improve the program and work with television and advertising industry stakeholders on guidelines for the participation of children in all game and reality TV shows.

Philippine-born theater actress Monique Wilson, in a widely circulated email carried by local media, argued that such TV shows "dumb down audiences (and) disempower them by creating a mendicant society with game shows that promise 'quick money.'"

Benjamin Pimentel, a U.S.-based columnist for Inquirer.net, the online edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, criticized Revillame for "shining a harsh, cruel spotlight" on poverty "for cheap laughs and for ratings."

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman last month condemned "the emotional abuse and humiliation" the boy suffered and said the program violated a law against child abuse.

It was not clear if Revillame and TV5 will face charges. The government's Commission on Human Rights and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board said they were investigating.

Revillame has apologized but said his detractors had mounted a campaign "until they bury me alive." He blamed his former network and competitor ABS-CBN television for trying to destroy his career and threatened to sue colleagues who criticized him.

The Philippines' highest paid TV host has ruffled feathers in the past for his often brash language and lewd jokes.

In 2006, a stampede in a waiting line at a Manila stadium where Revillame's show was to be broadcast killed 74 people. Criminal charges of negligence against Revillame and executives at ABS-CBN, where he worked at the time, were later dropped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-dgEkIxogE&feature=player_embedded

[kueytoc]

Philippine TV Host sorry for 6-yr-old's SEXY DANCE

By TERESA CEROJANO - Associated Press | AP – Tue, Mar 29, 2011 10:43 PM SGT

A popular Philippine television game show host and his network apologized Tuesday after an uproar over a segment showing a 6-year-old boy crying while gyrating and mimicking a striptease dancer.

The boy was a contestant on an episode of "Willing Willie," a variety and game show that features mostly poor Filipinos who earn cash prizes for singing, dancing, telling their stories or playing games.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman condemned "the emotional abuse and humiliation" suffered by the boy. She said in a statement Monday that host Willie Revillame and the audience showed no concern for him and that the March 12 program violated a law against child abuse.

It was not clear if Revillame and TV5 will face charges. The government's Commission on Human Rights and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board said they will investigate.

TV5 apologized Tuesday on behalf of Revillame and the station, saying there was no intention to humiliate the boy who was accompanied by his aunt and who approved his performance.

It said the boy appeared to be in tears not because he was forced to dance but because he was playing a role and got scared of a towering former basketball player who also was on the set.

The boy earned a prize of 10,000 pesos ($230) for his dance.

Women's group Gabriela said that the dance was punctuated by the live audience's loud cheers and guffaws and was an atrocious act of child abuse.

Meanwhile on social networking site Facebook, critics who earlier launched an anti-Willie Revillame movement posted several calls for his removal from TV and a boycott of his show's sponsors.

"Putting pressure on children to do acts such as mimicking adult sexy dances, in exchange for a certain amount of money, and at the expense of being laughed at and ridiculed by hundreds of people, clearly traumatizes the child," Soliman said in the statement.

"This is a clear form of child abuse and will not be tolerated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development," she said.

Revillame, the Philippines' highest paid TV host, has ruffled feathers in the past for his often brash language and lewd jokes.

In 2006, a stampede in a waiting line at a Manila stadium where Revillame's show was to be broadcast killed 74 people. Criminal charges of negligence against Revillame and executives at ABS-CBN TV station, where he worked at the time, were later dropped.

Last year, Revillame left ABS-CBN after he was suspended for threatening to resign on the air if the management did not fire another talent at the same station he was quarreling with.

In 2009, while the nation was mourning the death of former President Corazon Aquino, Revillame provoked angry comments from viewers and commentators by objecting to sharing on the TV screen live video of Aquino's funeral procession with his show, which was ongoing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRsg-458bUI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYMOcr3sd6w&feature=related

[kueytoc]

‘No casino? I’ll kill myself’

By ewenboey | SingaporeScene – Mon, Apr 11, 2011 4:13 PM SGT

Her children tried to stop her from gambling, but she threatened to kill herself.

After a two-hour stand-off on the third day of last Chinese New Year, the children's 51-year-old mother got her way and went back to the casino.

When she returned 24 hours later, she had lost S$7,000.

It was then the children gave up trying to get their mother to quit gambling. She had already racked up debts of more than S$300,000.

Speaking to The New Paper from their four-room HDB flat in Simei, accountant Jayden Liu, 24, said, "Now, we can only pray that a miracle happens before we lose her or the roof over our heads."

He recounted that his mother cried, pleaded and lashed out at her children during that confrontation. She put a stool to the kitchen window and threatened to jump after Jayden's younger sister, Jessie, 16, angrily said that they were considering applying for a family exclusion order to the casinos.

Jayden said, "We weren't sure if she'd really do it, but we couldn't take the risk. We had lost our father (to cancer) six years ago, we didn't want to lose our mother."

Taking up a job at a convenience store last December, Jessie now works Saturdays in order to pay for her math tuition and ease her brother's burden.

She also refuses to take money from him. "He should be dating and not taking on another job after office hours and over the weekends."

Jayden now works part time in a karaoke chain, and more than half his S$3,900 take-home pay goes towards paying relatives from whom he borrowed money to clear his mother's debts.

When asked by the same paper about her children's struggle, the hawker mum said, "I really don't think it's any of their business what I do, even if the creditors come hounding. If they are so unhappy, they can always move out."

On her suicide threat, she added that it was only a threat, and she never really intended to jump.

Charles Lee, a senior counsellor at Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre, was not surprised.

"Normally, when a gambler is in a desperate situation, he will resort to emotional blackmail," he said.

Lee, who is in charge of the problem gambling counselling programme at Tanjong Pagar FSC, said that only trained and experienced counsellors can tell if a threat is real.

"While no one should take it lightly, most times, the threat could be just a threat," he said.

Lee, who has handled such cases before, advised the Liu siblings to seek professional help.