SINGAPORE: Seven male foreign nationals were arrested for suspected drug-related offences after raids over four days at several migrant worker dormitories, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said on Saturday (Dec 13).

The seven suspects - all Bangladeshi men aged between 20 and 40 - were nabbed in three separate enforcement operations conducted between Monday and Thursday.

The drug raids also involved the Singapore Police Force, Singapore Customs, Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Ministry of Manpower and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority as part of efforts to clamp down on illegal activities, including drug offences and other crimes.

A 25-year-old man was arrested on Monday at a migrant worker dormitory located in the vicinity of Jurong West for alleged drug consumption offences.

Two men were arrested the following day at another dormitory in the Seletar area - a 23-year-old for suspected drug consumption and a 29-year-old for suspected drug trafficking. A small amount of Ice and various drug paraphernalia were seized from the older suspect.

Four other men - aged between 20 and 40 - were nabbed on Thursday over alleged drug-related offences after a raid at a dormitory in the Choa Chu Kang area, where a small amount of Ice and various drug paraphernalia were seized from one of the suspects.

In late November, 12 male foreign nationals - 1 Bangladeshis and one Myanmar national - were arrested for suspected drug-related offences in an overnight raid lasting more than four hours at a migrant worker dormitory in Woodlands.

Superintendent Lim Wee Beng, deputy director of Enforcement Division, said: "CNB will take decisive action against drug activities, no matter where it occurs - in our communities, workplaces, or residential premises.

"Drugs have no place in Singapore, and those involved in drug activities will face the full force of the law. We remain committed to protect the safety and well-being of all, including our migrant workers, and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to detect, disrupt, and prevent drug-related threats."

Investigations into the drug activities of those arrested are ongoing, CNB added.

BANGKOK: Singapore’s Gan Ching Hwee, the source of inspiration for many a young swimmer, took motivation from two teenagers on Friday (Dec 12) prior to winning gold for Singapore.

Gan, and the men's relay team, clinched Singapore's two golds on day three of swimming competition at the 33rd SEA Games, bringing the swimmers' total gold medal tally to seven.

And there was more cause for celebration as 14-year-old Julia Yeo and 15-year-old Russel Pang, both SEA Games debutants, clocked new national records.

Julia's finished fourth in the 200m backstroke, with a time of 2:16.51. This eclipsed the 2009 national record set by Tao Li. 

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"I'm shocked (that I broke the national record)," said the Singapore Sports School student. "I'm glad that my hard work paid off."

In the men's 1500m, Russel broke Glen Lim's 2019 record with a time of 15:28.46, taking bronze.

"It means a lot to me honestly as it opens many doors to what can happen in the future. And hopefully there's more of this come," said Russel.

"Watching them from the training pool ... really gave me a lot of motivation coming into today's race," said Gan who won the women's 400m freestyle event ahead of Kamonchanok Kwanmuang (Thailand) and Thi My Tien Vo (Vietnam). This is her third consecutive title in the event at the Games.

"I want(ed) to continue this momentum for Team Singapore."

This comes a day after Gan successfully defended her women's 200m freestyle crown, setting a new personal best along the way.

"The morning swim wasn't as smooth as I hoped it would be. I came into tonight's finals with a little bit of self-doubt," said Gan. "I remember my coach telling me to trust myself, swim like I've always been training and it would be fine. I'm glad I did that."

The quartet of Quah Zheng Wen, Chan Jun Hao, Jonathan Tan and Mikkel Lee also took gold in the men's 4x100m medley relay, ahead of Thailand and Vietnam. The victory means Singapore has won the event seven consecutive times since 2013.

This is Lee's third gold of the meet. 

"(It's) thanks to these guys, they make my life easy," said Lee, who swam the freestyle leg. "I just needed to jump in and bring us home, that's it."

"How you move on from the previous days really makes or breaks the athlete," said Quah, whose relay gold is his first of the meet. "I'm glad that I was able to leave it all out there for these guys and set them up well to finish the rest of the relay."

However, another winning streak came to a halt earlier in the evening as Quah Ting Wen was beaten to the wall by Philippines' Kayla Sanchez and Heather White in the 100m freestyle. Quah had not lost in the event since 2015, but had to take bronze.

BANGKOK: Singapore's long wait for a men’s singles SEA Games gold will go on after top seed Loh Kean Yew was upset by Indonesia’s world number 48 Zaki Ubaidillah in the quarter-finals.

At the Thammasat University Gymnasium 4 in Pathum Thani, the world number 10’s quest to become the first man to win singles gold since Wong Shoon Keat in 1983 ended as he lost 21-19, 21-10.

The unseeded Indonesian next faces Malaysia’s fourth seed Leong Jun Hao on Saturday (Dec 13).

In the opening round, Loh was made to work for his win by the Philippines' Jewel Angelo Albo. He beat the 214th-ranked player 21-17, 21-19.

Zaki is no stranger to an upset against a Singaporean.

In the team event, the Indonesian demolished world number 21 Jason Teh 21-2, 21-13, en route to Indonesia’s 3-1 win over Singapore. The loss meant that the men’s team clinched bronze, as did the women’s team.

Earlier in the day, the mixed doubles pair of Terry Hee and Jin Yujia lost in straight games to Malaysia’s top seeds Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei. The men’s doubles duo of Junsuke Kubo and Wesley Koh fell to Indonesia’s fourth seeds Leo Carnando and Bagas Maulana 17-21, 19-21.

Loh's loss means Singapore's badminton players end their campaign with two bronzes, one less than at the last edition of the Games in Cambodia, where they also clinched bronze in the men's doubles.

Prior to the Games, the Singapore Badminton Association set a target of four medals for its contingent of 18.

SINGAPORE: Class 3 and 3A driving licence holders will soon be allowed to drive heavier electric light goods vehicles (LGVs) and electric small buses, the traffic police announced on Friday (Dec 12).

The move is aimed at supporting Singapore's commitment to fully transit to clean energy vehicles by 2040, they said in a news release.

Under current regulations, Class 3 and 3A licence holders may only operate LGVs and small buses with an unladen weight not exceeding 2,500kg, with vehicles above this weight requiring a Class 4 or Class 4P driving licence.

The traffic police said it assessed that Class 3 and 3A licence holders can safely operate electric LGVs and electric small buses with an unladen weight not exceeding 3,000kg, given that they have "similar handling characteristics and dimensions as their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts with an unladen weight not exceeding 2,500kg".

Electric LGVs and electric small buses are typically 400kg to 500kg heavier than their ICE counterparts due to the weight of their batteries. These batteries are usually positioned beneath the vehicle floor, which creates a lower centre of gravity and enhances vehicle stability.

"The fundamental road-handling characteristics and dimensions of such electric vehicles (EVs) are similar to their ICE counterparts that Class 3 and 3A licence holders are currently permitted to drive," said the traffic police.

From Dec 15, Class 3 and Class 3A licence holders will be allowed to operate four models of electric LGVs and electric small buses with an unladen weight between 2,501kg and 3,000kg.

The models, which were identified based on industry requests, are Higer's H5C High Roof, Mercedes-Benz's eSprinter 320, Ford's F-150 Lightning and Joylong's EA5. The eSprinter 320 and F-150 Lightning are electric LGVs, the EA5 is an electric bus and the H5C High Roof can serve as both types of vehicles.

The traffic police said the change will take effect via an exemption order for these two groups of licence holders.

They added that the exemption order is intended to be an interim measure while it works on legislative amendments and system enhancements in 2026 to raise the unladen weight threshold across the board. 

Following that, all electric LGVs and electric small buses with an unladen weight not exceeding 3,000kg can be driven by a Class 3 or Class 3A licence holder.

The unladen weight threshold will remain at 2,500kg for ICE LGVs and small buses. Operators of such vehicles with an unladen weight exceeding 2,500kg will continue to require a Class 4 or Class 4P driving licence.

SINGAPORE: The site at 38 Oxley Road was on Friday (Dec 12) gazetted as Singapore’s 77th national monument, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and National Heritage Board (NHB) said. 

In a joint press release, the authorities said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo has issued a preservation order to gazette the site under the Preservation of Monuments Act 2009. The order comes into effect on Saturday.

His decision took into consideration a written objection submitted by Mr Lee Hsien Yang to the Prime Minister’s Office and NHB on Nov 17.

"In his objection letter, Mr Lee Hsien Yang objected to the preservation of the site, stating, among other things, that Mr Lee Kuan Yew was 'clear and unambiguous' throughout his life that he wanted his home at 38 Oxley Road to be demolished," said MCCY and NHB.

"In line with established processes under the Preservation of Monuments Act, NHB has reviewed the objection letter and maintained its recommendation that the site is worthy of preservation as a National Monument for its historic significance and national importance."

In deciding to proceed with the preservation of the site, MCCY and NHB noted that Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s objection letter did not challenge the site’s historic significance or national importance, nor the evaluation process for identifying potential national monuments.

He also did not dispute the Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board’s assessment of the site’s preservation worthiness. 

"It was clearly documented in the 2018 Report of the Ministerial Committee on 38 Oxley Road that while Mr Lee Kuan Yew's personal preference was for the building at 38 Oxley Road to be demolished, he was prepared to accept options other than demolition, provided that suitable arrangements were made to refurbish the building and keep it in a habitable state; and protect his family’s privacy."

STRUCTURES TO BE FURTHER STUDIED

MCCY and NHB said preserving the site does not mean that the building and structures on the site must be kept in their original state.

Mr Neo previously said in parliament that the appropriate treatment of the building and structures will be subject to further study, once the government has access to the site. 

"Nevertheless, to respect Mr Lee Kuan Yew's wishes, the government has committed to removing the private living spaces from the interior of the building to protect the privacy of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his family under all eventual options," the authorities said.

MCCY and NHB said Mr Neo concurred with the Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board’s assessment that the site has strong national significance worthy of preservation as a national monument.

The site witnessed pivotal events in the 1950s that marked the country’s journey to independence, the board said previously, noting that it was "more than just the home" of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. 

"It was also the venue for conversations, activities and decisions by our founding leaders and other key individuals, which profoundly shaped the trajectory of Singapore's independence movement and our subsequent national history," said MCCY and NHB. 

"The site witnessed discussions where these key individuals formulated their vision and plans for Singapore, leading to Singapore’s first fully independent government following the 1959 Legislative Assembly elections. This makes the site a unique and foundational part of the story of Singapore’s independence."

Against this backdrop, the authorities said the decision to preserve the site was made in the public interest and goes beyond the personal preferences of any individual. 

They added that preserving the site will allow current and future generations of Singaporeans to reflect upon significant events in the nation’s history that took place there, and the ideals and values that have shaped Singapore.

ACQUIRING THE SITE

With the issuance of the preservation order, MCCY and NHB said the government intends to acquire the site to safeguard and preserve it in keeping with its historic significance and national importance. 

Preserving and acquiring the site means that it cannot be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses. 

MCCY and NHB said the relevant authorities will assess the condition of the buildings and structures within the site after acquisition, and undertake a detailed study to consider the next steps.

"While the government intends to convert the site into a public space, with one possible outcome being a heritage park, all options, including those outlined by the 2018 Ministerial Committee, will be considered before a decision is made.

"Regardless of the option taken, the government has committed to respecting Mr Lee Kuan Yew's wishes to protect his family’s privacy by removing all traces of their private living spaces from the interior of the house," they said. 

MCCY and NHB added that under no circumstances will the interior of the house, as Mr Lee Kuan Yew knew, be displayed, recorded, remodelled or duplicated elsewhere.

SINGAPORE: Heavy rain across Singapore on Friday (Dec 12) prompted the national water agency to issue warnings for several areas, with flash floods occurring at Upper East Coast Road and Sims Avenue East.

PUB alerted the public to a flash flood at Upper East Coast Road near Parbury Avenue at about 4.20pm. It subsequently flagged a flash flood at Sims Avenue East from Lorong Sarina to Lorong Mydin at 4.25pm, urging people to avoid the area.

The agency said in an update at 5pm that the flash floods have subsided. 

PUB had earlier also advised the public to avoid several areas due to the risk of flash floods. 

The areas assessed to be at risk included Riverside Road in Woodlands, the service road off Upper Paya Lebar Road near Lim Teck Boo Road and Lorong Gambir in the Bartley Area.

Footage from a CNA reader on Friday showed strong winds sending debris flying at a Woodlands North construction site.

The video taken by Ms Fabella Marie Joseph at about 3pm showed debris swirling in the air in the area near Woodlands Avenue 9.
 

Siglap Canal along the Siglap park connector was observed to be very full at about 4.45pm. 

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Dec 1 that Northeast Monsoon conditions are expected to prevail in the first fortnight of the month.

This means moderate to heavy thundery showers can be expected over parts of the island in the afternoon on most days.

“The showers may extend into the evening on a few of these days. The total rainfall for the first fortnight of December 2025 is forecast to be near average over most parts of the island,” said the agency. 

SINGAPORE: A man who was part of a Sarawak-based syndicate harvesting Singapore bank accounts for illegal use was sentenced to jail on Friday (Dec 12) for five years and 10 months.

Tan Kang Yung, a 35-year-old Malaysian, was also fined S$2,000 (US$1550).

Tan is the first of those arrested from the syndicate, which targeted and misused work permit issuing processes for foreign workers, to plead guilty.

He admitted to multiple charges last month, including cheating and offences under the Computer Misuse Act, with another 25 charges taken into consideration.

The court previously heard that Tan was heavily in debt to Malaysian unlicensed moneylenders while he was living in Sarawak in March last year.

He was referred to a member of the syndicate that was harvesting Singapore bank accounts and corresponding internet banking login credentials.

He agreed to open accounts with seven banks for the syndicate in exchange for a sum of RM3,000 (S$940) per month, which would be offset from his RM50,000 debt.

The syndicate applied for a Singapore work permit for Tan to open bank accounts and hand them over.

After obtaining an in-principle approval for his Singapore work permit application, Tan travelled to Johor Bahru with a handler, underwent a medical checkup in Singapore and went to various banks to open bank accounts.

Tan later took up an offer of a monthly salary of RM2,500 to work as a handler of money mules.

He accompanied 12 money mules from Malaysia to Singapore and in turn guided them to open 39 bank accounts using their in-principle approvals or work permit cards between May 2024 and August 2024.

Tan also helped obtain internet banking login credentials of bank accounts for the syndicate's use.

The bank accounts were handed over to online gambling operators who used them for their illegal businesses.

According to the prosecution, his participation in the syndicate for over six months led to 70 newly-opened bank accounts at seven Singapore banks falling into the hands of the syndicate, with over S$837,000 flowing through the accounts.

Of this, almost S$43,000 was traced to reported scam cases in Singapore.

Tan earned a total of RM6,500 for his activities with the syndicate.

In August 2024, Malaysian police alerted the Commercial Affairs Department of the Singapore Police Force that Tan had been arrested with several other suspects in Johor Bahru. He was extradited to Singapore and charged.

The prosecution sought six years' jail for Tan, along with a fine of about S$2,000.

The prosecutor said scams are a major and fast-growing concern, with the number of reported cases increasing by more than sevenfold from 2019 to 2024.

The offences were difficult to detect as the syndicate operates outside of Singapore's jurisdiction, and targeted and misused the Ministry of Manpower's processes on the issuance of work permits for foreign workers.

"Furthermore, the realisation and detection of such crimes generally comes much later when the bank account is used to launder benefits of criminal conduct," said the prosecutor.

"This is long after the money mules have left Singapore, along with members involved in the syndicate like Tan, having successfully completed their criminal activities in Singapore."

She added that one of the known co-accused suspects remains at large, and the conspiracy involves "unknown others at the higher echelons not within our jurisdiction, who continue to evade arrest to date".

Tan's role in the syndicate has also caused harm to the integrity and reputation of the seven Singapore banks as well as Singapore's overall standing as a global financial hub, she added.