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By 938 LIVE | Posted: 08 June 2009 1740 hrs

Cartons of contraband cigarettes

SINGAPORE: Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers have arrested a Malaysian man for trying to smuggle contraband cigarettes into Singapore at midnight last Wednesday.

Close to 1,000 cartons of cigarettes were found under the floorboard of a broken down Malaysia-registered bus. It was being towed by a Singapore-registered tow truck via the Woodlands Checkpoint.

ICA said potential customs duty and GST payable for the cigarettes amounted to more than S$76,000.

When questioned, the 31-year-old Malaysian claimed that he was a relief driver. He said another Malaysian by the name of "Louis" had instructed him to take some passengers from Jalan Skudai to Singapore.

After clearance at Woodlands Checkpoint, he was supposed to leave the bus at the mosque near the checkpoint and await further instructions.

The case was referred to Singapore Customs for further investigations.

Upon conviction by the court, first-time offenders can be fined up to 20 times the amount of duty evaded and are liable to a jail term of up to three years.

- CNA/so

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

Crime, crime, crime… will it ever end? Or is it just waiting for the next form to take its shape – yet again?

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KUALA LUMPUR — Human trafficking and drug smuggling have replaced pirate attacks as the leading crime threat off Malaysia's long coastline, a top maritime official said yesterday.

"Piracy has been gradually reduced. But the main challenges (now) are smuggling of humans and there is also the smuggling of drugs," said Admiral Mohamad Amdan Kurish of the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency.

"That needs to be checked. Last year we scored a major drug bust, there was an attempt to bring in 200kg of ganja (marijuana) from the Golden Triangle," he said.

The Golden Triangle, second to Afghanistan as Asia's top drug-producing region, straddles the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.

Adm Mohamad Amdan attributed the problems to Malaysia's long coastline and extensive mangrove swamps which hamper security patrols and provide smugglers with hideouts to launch their operations.

More than 30 per cent of world trade and half the world's oil shipments pass through the Malacca Strait. AFP

From TODAYOnline.com; see the source article here.

MEDICAL MATTERS

JAKARTA — Diabetes is spiralling in Asia but — unlike the West — those affected are relatively young and less likely to be struggling with obesity, a new study shows.

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association yesterday said the disease has turned into a global problem, with the number of victims expected to grow from 240 million in 2007 to 380 million in 2025.

More than 60 per cent of those will be in Asia, the world's fastest growing region, with low- and middle-income countries hardest hit.

India will see its numbers grow from 40 million to nearly 70 million; China 39 million to 59 million; and Bangladesh 3.8 million to 7.4 million. Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and others will also see their figures skyrocket.

Mr Frank Hu, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, noted that Asia's escalating epidemic could "erase economic gains made in recent decades".

But the most startling findings related to body mass and age.

Obesity has long been seen as a major factor leading to Type 2 diabetes in Europe and North America.

But while Asians still weigh less than their Western counterparts, they have become fatter around the waist — seen as particularly detrimental with respect to diabetes.

The study also showed that while the disease most often affects people between the ages of 60 and 79 in North America and Europe, the age in Asia tends to be disproportionately lower, ranging between 20 years to 59.

This appears to be the result of both low birth weights, which are common in developing countries, and over-nutrition in later life.

Asian women are also two- to three-times as likely to have gestational diabetes as their Western counterparts. AP

From TODAYOnline.com, World News – Thursday, 28-May-2009; see the source article here.

Zul Othman, zul@mediacorp.com.sg

THE daily coverage by selected media of the month-long leadership tussle at Aware was, in the words of Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, “extensive” and “breathless”. However, he also found some of the coverage “excessive” and “not sufficiently balanced”.

In response to questions from Today regarding the coverage by selected media during the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) saga, Mr Wong said that although there were important issues to be addressed - such as the proper limits for religious activism - it was “surely not the most important challenge facing Singapore”.

“Whatever happened in Aware was not going to change Singapore or the Government’s social policy,” said Mr Wong, who is also the Home Affairs Minister.

Mr Wong said the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts had analysed the objectivity of the coverage of the Aware episode and “found it wanting in some respects”. Mica has given its feedback to the relevant editors.

Singapore Management University Assistant Professor Eugene Tan said that “it was possible” that some reporters “were caught up” in the month-long Aware drama that began on March 28 after a team of newcomers seized nine out 12 positions on its exco.

“Perhaps, it a natural reaction because of their (reporters’) own personal views. Still, this is when professionalism comes in - to separate personal views so one can report on the events objectively,” he said. These views, Asst Prof Tan said, led to reports that polarised public opinion.

Some felt that selected media had adopted a very liberal attitude and denounced the Old Guard exco’s strong views on homosexuality.

But gays and their supporters might have felt that “the papers did not come down hard enough on what was perceived as a religion coming into a secular space”, Asst Prof Tan added.

In his email interview with Today, Mr Wong warned against the importing of “culture wars between the extreme liberals and conservatives” common in countries, such as the United States.

To ensure that Singapore remains a “communally peaceful society”, there is a need to observe “the rules of engagement”, Mr Wong said. This also applies to the media - when reporting on the issues, journalists should do it “dispassionately and impartially”.

As for those who participate in the Internet, Mr Wong said: “Ultimately, he remains no less accountable for the consequences of his actions in cyberspace as he does in the physical world”.

From TODAY, News; Friday, 15-May-2009

04:02 PM May 08, 2009

KUALA LUMPUR - More than 300 stray dogs dumped on Malaysia’s isolated islands turned to cannibalism after weeks of starvation, animal welfare activists said yesterday.

The plight of the dogs cast away by villagers on two small, uninhabited islands off Selangor ignited outrage after activists this week released photographs showing dogs eating the carcasses of ones that had died.

Residents of a fishing village on Pulau Ketam, another island off Selangor, caught the dogs last month and took them to the islands covered in mangroves. The villagers said they never intended to be cruel - they believed the dogs could feed on the deserted islands’ wildlife - but wanted to rid their island of dogs that defecate on the streets and sometimes bite children.

A team from the Selangor Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals visited one of the islands, Pulau Selat Kering, on Monday. It said in a statement that emaciated dogs “were hungrily feasting on the remains of another dog”.

The organisation’s volunteers have so far rescued two dogs and left food for the others. They estimate 200 might have survived. Activists will also try to rescue any dogs left on the other island, Pulau Tengah. AP

From TODAY, World – Friday, 08-May-2009