When I Was Young

Michael Jackson via last.fm

Posted: 24 June 2009 0844 hrs

Patricia Mok - Photo courtesy of Mediacorptv.sg.

SINGAPORE: MediaCorp artiste Patricia Mok was reportedly molested early Monday morning at a nightspot at Clarke Quay. She has made a police report against the 31-year-old man who allegedly groped her.

According to a newspaper report, Mok, who is known for being quite the 'party queen', was approached by a group of men and one of them pinched her buttocks.

Mok, 37, was then heard shouting angrily, "Don't play!"

However, the man who appeared to be drunk, took no heed of her warnings and reportedly went on to grope Mok's private parts. The feisty actress then informed the bouncers and asked that the man be thrown out of the club.

Mok later confronted the man when she realised that he was still in the club. The two took their argument outside and a heated war of words ensued. She then called the police and the man was arrested at around 3am.

When contacted by Channelnewsasia.com, Mok declined to comment on the case as it is now a police case.

The man is now out on bail.

- CNA/os

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

LONDON - A woman who worked at a nursery in Britain was charged on Wednesday with several counts of sexual assault and of making and distributing indecent images of children, police said.

Vanessa George, a 39-year-old mother of two, worked at Little Ted’s Nursery in Plymouth, south-west England. The nursery, attended by about 60 children, has been closed since her arrest on Monday.

Police said some of the indecent images could have been taken in the nursery and some had been taken on a camera phone. All the children featured - none of whom had yet been identified - were under four years old. AFP

From TODAY, World – Friday, 12-Jun-2009

Veronica Zaragovia, TIME.com

Posted: 12 June 2009 1124 hrs

Police officers stand guard near a box covering a bottle of acid where two bottles of acid were thrown at Hong Kong's shopping district Mongkok

Something is amiss on the streets of Mongkok. Ordinarily, the bustling 4.4 square mile patch of shops and food stalls is packed with some of the highest rates of pedestrian traffic in the world. In Hong Kong, Mongkok has become synonymous with the city's best bargains and slowest-moving sidewalks, but its over-saturation has always been part of its charm. Until this week. "The atmosphere has changed — I'll tell you that," says Daniel Clermont, a tourist from Toronto who visits Hong Kong frequently. "Usually it's filled wall-to-wall with people here."

There's a good reason for the thin crowds. On the rainy night of June 8, an unidentified person hurled an acid-filled bottle from a Mongkok building onto pedestrians below. It was the third acid attack in the neighborhood in six months, and it left 24 passers-by — including a four-year-old girl — with skin burns to their faces, shoulders, limbs and feet. Sammy Chan, a salesman at a shoe store across the street from the crime scene, said one family from the Philippines ran into his shop to throw water on their wounds. Five of them went to the hospital.

It's a bizarre serial crime by any city's standards, but especially for one with a relatively low crime rate on paper. While drug offenses have been up this year, Hong Kong police say the majority of all other reported crimes dropped several percentage points. In last year's Global Peace Index, a yearly listing of nations' peacefulness by Vision of Humanity, Hong Kong ranked a serene 23 out of 140. Yet when violent crimes occur, they can be exceedingly gruesome. This month, for instance, a mentally ill man was convicted of randomly butchering a three-year-old boy to death. In March, a man beheaded his former girlfriend for ending their relationship. "Any person with a sane mind would not do things like that," says Regional Crime Prevention Officer Peggy Yip.

In a city where a lot of people share a very little space, violent crimes leave a lasting impression on the population — and the police. After Mongkok's last acid attack, which occurred May 16, police installed eight CCTV surveillance cameras on two buildings in the area to try to catch the culprit the next time he or she struck. But after spending about $220,000 on the equipment, none of the cameras' footage caught this week's attack. Senior Superintendent Edward Leung Ka-ming of the Kowloon West regional crime unit said the collected footage needed to be "enhanced" because of its poor resolution to prove useful. While the district council decides what step to take next with the cameras, the police hope pedestrians might have some tips of their own. A large police van parked near the latest crime scene has posters in Cantonese and English offering a reward of over $37,000 for information.

In the meantime, dozens of policemen now roam Mongkok's normally chaotic streets — ubiquitous reminders that the neighborhood remains on alert. Circle Lo, an employee at a clothing store next to the attack spot, says she has noticed the drop in foot traffic and hopes business will return to normal within a week. But not everybody seems concerned. A LensCrafters employee, identifying himself as "Jacky Chan," works a only a few feet from where the bottle fell. "Some of the people who got hurt sat down," he said, "but it was like nothing happened." Perhaps, but judging by the pedestrians still looking up for a lurking villain two days after the attack, the mood in Mongkok is definitely down.

This article originally appeared on TIME.com

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

Third attack in six months, Hong Kong believes culprit could be the same person

05:55 AM Jun 10, 2009

Victims of the acid attack receiving treatment by the roadside. AP

HONG KONG - Residents ventured out unafraid yesterday as police searched for suspects behind a third acid attack that injured 24 people in one of the city's most densely-populated shopping districts.

The latest attack on Monday night dominated headlines in Hong Kong, with several newspapers showing photos of victims washing off the acid on the roadside.

Police said a bottle filled with a corrosive liquid was hurled into a crowd in the busy Mongkok district, injuring 24 people. None of the victims, aged four to 49, were seriously burned.

It is the third such attack in six months in the neighbourhood, and 100 people have since been hurt.

On the same street last month, 30 people suffered burns when two plastic bottles filled with acid were thrown down into a crowd. Another 46 were injured in a similar attack in the same neighbourhood in December.

There were no signs the attacks had sparked widespread panic in the city of 7 million, as locals mostly went about their business.

But in Mongkok - a shopping hotspot that attracts thousands of people daily - some shoppers were staying away.

Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang condemned the attack, saying it was "cold blooded and evil" and that the assailant was "scum of the society".

Police superintendent Edward Leung was quoted as saying in the South China Morning Post yesterday that it was possible the same person had carried out all three attacks.

He added in a radio interview that officers were reviewing surveillance footage taken by cameras recently installed to monitor the area of the attacks.

Investigators have also posted a HK$900,000 ($170,000) reward for information leading to an arrest. - AP

From TODAY, World – Wednesday, 10-Jun-2009

Anything for drugs? And crooks operating on crooks. In the noise and confusion of the ongoing arrest, someone stole the pig?

----------

06/06/2009 | 10:18 PM

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – It was a simpler sort of drug trade.

Syracuse police say a 45-year-old man offered a slaughtered pig as partial payment for a bag of crack cocaine.

They say two men were spotted making the deal on a street corner just before 8 p.m. Thursday.

Angelo Colon of Fulton was arrested on a misdemeanor drug possession charge and 42-year-old Omar Veliz faces a felony drug sale charge.

Police say Colon paid half a pig and $10 for a $50 bag of crack. Veliz told police the pig was for a celebration for a relative being released from jail.

While officers were arresting the suspects, someone took the pig.

Police don't know if the men have lawyers. - AP

From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.

Again, something that involves the elderly… well, not only the elderly, but the majority of fatalities are from the elderly group. But it means that whatever age, road safety should be observed at all times (jaywalking or not). Accidents are accidents, and they happen by accident (?!)

----------

ROAD SAFETY – ON HIGH RATE OF DEATH OF JAYWALKERS

Letter from DSP Paul Tay

Assistant Director, Media Relations

Public Affairs Department

Singapore Police Force

THE police share Mr Chen Khin Wee's concerns ("Jaywalking Deaths: Road to a solution", May 14) and would like to take the opportunity to share some of our outreach efforts on road safety in this aspect.

To address the problem of jaywalking at its root, the Traffic Police has been reaching out and educating road users on the importance of abiding by road traffic rules and the dangers of jaywalking. Campaigns were tailored to the different age groups and the public engaged via the media, road safety campaigns and talks.

Out of the 62 pedestrian fatalities in 2008, 45 per cent (28) were people above 60 years of age. Among these elderly pedestrians who died, 22 were jaywalkers who crossed at pedestrian crossings while the red man was lit or failed to use pedestrian crossings altogether. Of the 10 pedestrians who lost their lives on the roads in the first quarter of this year, two were elderly jaywalkers.

Traffic Police has worked with organisations like Singapore Action Group of Elders and the various grassroots organisations to reach out to senior citizens. For instance, senior citizens are encouraged to learn about road safety through their participation in traffic games in a simulated traffic environment at the Road Safety Community Park. Understanding the elderly's love for song and entertainment, Traffic Police has also been releasing road safety videos with songs infused with safety tips to senior citizens.

In January, together with Elias Community Centre, Traffic Police launched another programme with talks and educational materials specially tailored for elderly pedestrians.

To complement these educational efforts, the Traffic Police has also been taking regular enforcement action against jaywalkers. About 14,400 summonses were issued to jaywalkers in the past two years. Pedestrians who jaywalk commit an offence that entails a composition amount of $20. If charged and convicted in court, the pedestrian is liable to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months. In the case of a second or subsequent offence, the offender faces a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months.

While Traffic Police will continue to enforce and educate, motorists and pedestrians should also do their part. Together, we can prevent unnecessary loss of lives on the roads.

From TODAYonline.com, Voices – Monday, 01-Jun-2009; see the source article here.

Letter from Martin C Conisbee

I WITNESSED yet another case of “red light jumping” along East Coast Road on Thursday morning. In this case it was a taxi and it was at the Siglap Park Connector junction.

This is the third case of “red light jumping” I have witnessed in a week and I cannot understand the mentality of drivers who would risk either killing a pedestrian or causing a vehicle collision just to save a few minutes at a traffic light. Surely these offenders can be identified from camera footage and charged by the police accordingly.

I have driven in some “colourful” countries around the world but have to say the red light jumping in Singapore is the worst I have ever seen.

Maybe the offenders need a refresher course on how to drive with safety and consideration for others in mind. It could be that a countdown system at traffic signals would discourage red light jumping. It has certainly been effective in Bangkok.

From TODAY, Voices – Monday, 18-May-2009

05:55 AM May 09, 2009

First, it was an envelope containing suspicious white powder - which turned out to be baby powder - sent to Aware’s office on April 14. Now, police are investigating another envelope containing yellowish granules sent to the Church of Our Saviour. Church staff alerted police on April 30 upon receiving the envelope, one of two received by senior pastor Derek Hong, and investigations are ongoing, said a police spokesman.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force found the granules to be non-hazardous.

Today understands the two envelopes, dated April 21 and 27, contained letters and drinking powder respectively.

The church was involved in the recent Aware saga when six of its members were voted into the organisation’s executive committee in a shock election result. NEO CHAI CHIN

From TODAY, Home – Weekend, 09/10-May-2009