Carol Elizabeth-Ann 's posts with tag: news
By Gary Adit KUCHING: The quick response of security guards prevented a group of youths from seriously injuring a mentally unsound man after he allegedly flashed his unmentionables at the group. The incident happened just after midnight yesterday at the Masja area when the man, clad only in a pair of shorts, was said to have approached the youths and pulled down his pants in front of them before running away.  | | UNSOUND MIND: The man staring at a crowd of onlookers who had gathered at the scene. | | As the girls in the group screamed in disgust, more than 10 boys went after the mentally unsound flasher and eventually caught him at the Baitul Makmur complex. As the group rained blows and kicked the defenseless man, a security guard at the building saw the commotion and rushed to the victim’s aid. The group, however, threatened to beat up the guard as well when he prevented them from further injuring the man, and they only dispersed from the area when other security guards began showing up. The guards then informed the police of the incident and called for an ambulance as the unsound man squatted on the ground singing loudly in Hokkien. The presence of the police and a gathering crowd seemed to ‘encourage’ the man, whose entire back was covered in tattoos, as he sang and exposed himself to those around him. The man was eventually led away in a mobile patrol vehicle although it was not known to where. Source: http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=26832
| "I just can't believe the murderer/rapist would do such horrible thing to an 8-yr old little girl!!" 
Nurin Jazlin Jazimin was last seen getting into a van on Aug 20.
| KUALA LUMPUR: Police have new leads in the murder of 8-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin and are expected to make arrests soon.  | | The three sisters, Nurin Jazshira (left), Nurin and baby Nurin Jazlisa. |
 | | One-year-old Nurin (left) with her older sister Nurin Jazshira. | Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said this yesterday after DNA tests confirmed the body in the gym bag was Nurin.
Images taken from the closed-circuit television cameras near where Nurin’s body was dumped, have been digitally enhanced and police are now looking for a couple in a silver Perodua Kenari.
Sources disclosed that the woman captured on tape is a Malay in her 20s. The driver is also in his 20s. Footage showed a woman walking out of the entrance next to the book distribution company, where the bag was later found.
She was then seen getting into the car. Witnesses had also told police that they had seen awoman, matching the description of the person in the footage, sitting near the staircase with a “Diadora” sports bag beside her. She was seen on Sunday afternoon.
By evening, the woman was gone but not the bag. Its contents were discovered the next morning.
Police are also looking into the possibility that the suspects are linked to two other sexual attacks of children in Kampung Baru recently.
“We believe the attacks were by the same person, meaning that a serial sexual predator is on the loose,”a source said.
The three cases share similarities:
- The victims had either brinjals or cucumbers forced into their private parts.
- The proximity of the incidents. Nurin went missing on Aug 20 in Section 1, Wangsa Maju which is close to the earlier two cases in Kampung Baru.
Selangor and the city police have exchanged information on known paedophiles and serial sex offenders in the Klang Valley.
Meanwhile, Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said although the DNA tests carried out on the body proved it was Nurin, a second test would be conducted as Nurin’s parents were adamant the child was not their daughter.
“We are conducting a second DNA test. We will also take samples from Nurin’s elder sister, Nurin Jazshira.”
Khalid emphasised that the DNA testing had a 99.99 per cent accuracy. Police will interview the parents again.
Yesterday afternoon, after returning from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital mortuary, Nurin’s father Jazimin Abdul Jalil was called to the Wangsa Maju police station where his statement was recorded again.
Post-mortem results revealed that Nurin died after a brinjal and a cucumber were forced into her private parts, rupturing the intestines.
Nurin, a Standard Two pupil of SK Desa Setapak, suffered bruises to the head and cuts on the lips, signs that she had been beaten. Read original news and more news link here: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/Frontpage/20070921073921/Article/index_html
Dear all aspiring models or parents and brother and sisters of those who might get cheated on the street by fake 'talent scouts'. For all I know, the top 11 reliable and renowed prestige modelling agencies in Singapore are as below (not by ranking):- 1) Mannequin Studio
2) Elite Models
3) Quest Models
4) Upfront Models
5) Phantom Models
6) Looque Models
7) Diva Models
8) AVE Management
9) Impact Models
10) Electra Models
11) Linsan Models To see a list of accredited modelling agencies under Association of Modelling Industry Professionals (AMIP) in Singapore, click here. The Association of Modelling Industry Professionals (Singapore) or AMIP was established in February 2005 by the top and reputable model agencies in Singapore to promote and protect the interests of the modelling industry. Its objectives are: a) To promote professional and ethical conduct amongst modelling industry professionals b) To improve the quality and standard of services provided by modelling industry professionals c) To protect the rights of model agencies, models and modelling industry professionals d) To lead the drive for providing the right infrastructure, quality of service, talent and resources for making Singapore a Fashion Hub e) To equip model agencies, models and modelling professionals with the necessary knowledge and capabilities for conducting business overseas; in doing so, to enable Singapore to become an exporter of modelling talent Media news on MODEL INC - (The Straits Times Life! Section) Followed here are some modelling agencies or talent scouts in Singapore which are claimed to be out cheating gullible and naive people. Do NOT succumb to their sweet talk and marketing tactics! 1) BHI Industries (office at 391B Orchard Rd, #13-09 Ngee Ann City, Tower B)
2) IMI Pte Ltd (office at Park Mall)
3) Create Talents (previously i-Models)
4) New Experience (Happy Model) - Lorong Limau From the above 4 agencies, I have been approached by BHI and i-Models respectively in 2004 and 2006. Basically they will tell you that you do not have to pay anything but will then charge you for 'building up your portfolios' and after that you just "wait long long for assignment lah". They will charge you between S$250 to S$600 for various reasons such as, you need a good photoshoot, you need to go for grooming, you need to buy a good cosmetic set,...bla...bla...and then you think "This is just the beginning and it's a good investment" so you forked out whatever amount they asked and regret it later. You can read some modelling and talents scouting scams which are reported by readers here. Last but not least, please check the background and credentials of the agency before you make your own judgement. Do NOT be so stupid to pay "DEPOSIT' to any agency even if they tell you it is part of the procedure to 'guarantee' for your assignment. Normally, a reputable modelling agency will just let you sign a contract (no money from your side) and arrange everything for you to be a star. If they need a deposit, I think the agency is either out for your hard earned money or plain too broke to even sponsor you to be their next top 'Supermodel'!!!. Oh yeah...and please..please...please BEWARE of a guy with email address as liquiddawn@hotmail.com or http://liquiddawn.multiply.com/profile. He will claim himself as a talent scouter for a fashion/sport magazine and will write to you saying that you have the potentials to be the model. Then he will demand for your pictures and then topless pics (he will next ask you to send pictures of your 'nipples' because he wants to know how big your areolas are!!) including a close up of your cellulited buttock because it is 'necessary'. So... please be SMART!
 SINGAPORE: The former Changi General Hospital site is getting a new lease of life.
Its next incarnation is going to be a spa-cum-resort, after a S$20 million makeover.
In recent times, the 70-year-old state building has been used for on-location shoots of local drama series and theatrical productions.
It has even been the haunt of paranormal investigators and school children out for a thrill or two.
But the developers hope to change all that.
While the place may look a little rundown right now, by this time next year, developers hope to have turned it into a chic spa-cum-resort.
But in the process, they will have to adhere to strict conservation guidelines.
This means they cannot really do much with the external structure and facades but they can revamp the inside. They hope to do this while retaining the rustic charm of the Changi area.
Two of the three blocks will be restored and the tranquillity of the area will be preserved.
Premium Pacific, a subsidiary of Bestway Properties, which came in at the higher of two bids of S$33,388 per month, has an initial 3-year tenancy agreement with the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). This is renewable up to 2016.
Developers hope to attract both locals and foreigners to the laid-back area.
Anthony Tan, Director, Bestway Properties, said: "Now everyone is hot for Sentosa. We are not following the crowd; we are going the other way. Singaporeans like to go to Bali, Bintan or Chiang Mai. When they have limited time, they may consider staying here for 2 or 3 nights. Foreigners on late flights can also make their way here since it is so near to the airport."
The company is now looking for partners to operate the spa and a restaurant.
The SLA says there have been recent improvements to the Changi area and this conversion will help create more buzz.
They plan to release more of such buildings to be adapted for other uses. - CNA/so
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/256065/1/.html
 A Singapore teen has became the first in the city-state to be sentenced for piggybacking on someone else's wireless Internet connection.
Garyl Tan Jia Luo, 17, could have been sentenced to jail but District Judge Bala Reddy said the youth would instead serve 18 months' probation -- including a stint in a boys' home -- unless he was called up for compulsory military national service.
"This is the first case of this nature," Tan's lawyer, Sam Koh, told reporters after the sentence was passed.
According to a court document obtained by AFP, Tan secured access at about 2:00 am on May 13 last year to a wireless router belonging to a person identified as Amos Leong "for the purpose of obtaining computer service" and specifically for Internet access.
Tan earlier pleaded guilty to the charge under the Computer Misuse Act which says anyone convicted of securing access without authority to a computer for the purpose of obtaining computer services is liable to up to three years in jail, a 10,000 dollar (6,490 US) fine, or both.
Reddy told court that a social worker had reported Tan was addicted to online gaming. The judge recommended Tan receive assessment and treatment for the problem, and ordered his parents to ensure the youth has no Internet access during his probation.
Koh told reporters that Tan had gone outside his house to piggyback on any available wireless network because his mother had confiscated his computer modem. He was chatting online when a passerby asked what he was doing, became suspicious, and later called police, the lawyer said.
Wireless connectivity is currently available in Singapore homes, offices and schools but the government recently said Singapore would offer free wireless broadband service in public areas starting this year.
The program would increase the number of wireless hotspots from 900 currently to 5,000 over two years, the government said. — AFP
Why Singaporeans fall victim to crime, and what the M'sian police are doing
JAN 3, 4am: Singaporean Teo Guan Kah, 29, is returning from a nightclub when he is attacked by a gang of parang-wielding men in Johor Baru near his girlfriend's place. He dies.
Jan 6, 3am: IT consultant Fareed Hassan leaves a restaurant in Danga Bay, 10 minutes from the Causeway. He is attacked by men wielding a parang and a steering lock. When the robbers find just RM10 ($4.40) on him, they ask: "What kind of Singaporean are you?" They take his car, laptop and handphone.
Jan 9, 4.10am: Ms Wati, 27, a mother of two, is hurled from her friend's motorbike and set upon by a group of 12 armed men on motorcycles. She is robbed of her money and belongings worth $1,600.
Jan 10, time unknown: Singaporean hawker Mohamad Bolah is robbed, stabbed and left for dead in a mangrove swamp, just five minutes from where he lived in JB.
Just another action-packed week in Singapore's favourite destination. And more headaches for Johor police chief Hussin Ismail, who knows that he must keep attracting his city's big money-spinners — Singaporean visitors — without glossing over the crime that seems to target them.
The Republic's favourite playground, with many of its shopping centres and restaurants thriving on Singaporean patronage, has become somewhat unsafe partly because Singaporeans play too hard and too recklessly and are victims of 5 per cent of Johor's crime.
"If you go to sleazy places, dark alleys, late at night, you are asking for trouble — anywhere in the world," said Mr Freddy Long, chairman of the Johor Executive Committee for Tourism and Environment.
Cars with Singapore plates are a magnet to criminals, and some Singaporeans stand out with their flashy dressing.
"Very few Malaysians are targeted unless the ladies are dressed up like decorated Christmas trees," said retired Singapore police officer Lionel de Souza.
Johor police chief Hussin agrees that some victims from Singapore contribute to their own plight. But the problems he is trying to fight often run deeper.
Johor has just one policeman for every 1,100 residents. Mr Hussin wants this ratio to be around 1:250 — which would mean a four-fold increase in its 3,000-strong police force.
The force has 100 patrol cars now. Mr Hussin estimates that he needs 400.
And while he looks for reinforcements, this could be a race against time as Johor's population of three million is expanding by the day, with all the growing pains that come with development.
Drug users, who turn to wayside robberies to get cash for their fix, have become regulars on the crime charts.
Illegal immigrants are also on the lookout for a quick buck. Over the past six years, some 3,100 of them have been sentenced to whipping in Johor. They contribute to around 3 per cent of Johor's crime, according to criminologist P Sundramoorthy from Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Car-thefts are orchestrated by syndicates and 3.7 per cent of their victims are from Singapore.
Another peculiar group has also been keeping the police on their toes. Some Malaysians come down to Johor from the northern states to work in Singapore and end up getting retrenched. Ms J Chandrika, liaison officer between the Johor lawyers and the police, has seen several of them hauled up in court of late for break-ins.
"Many of them have dependents or payments to make on a house. So, what are they going to do?" she asked.
None of this is making the police's job any easier, so Mr Hus-sin has resorted to softer measures to get his men extra leads.
In September, he started a 24-hour hotline which the public can call or send an SMS to if they see anything suspicious. Since then, an average of 10 to 15 tip-offs have streamed in each day. "If you have any information about a crime, if you think there's something suspicious, if you let us know early, we can respond early," he told Today.
A campaign last year to get residents to inform the police when they were leaving their homes during the festive period resulted in 1,000 requests, a lot of police patrolling — and not one break-in.
Mr Hussin also hopes to have closed-circuit security cameras installed this year at strategic public areas.
Despite such efforts, the state's crime rate increased by 4.9 per cent in 2005. But Mr Hussin is proud of the fact that Johor's crime-solving rate last year was 46 per cent, which he says is higher than the 20 per cent recommended by Interpol.
But even after an offender has been arrested, he doesn't always get convicted. Sometimes, the hitch is as minor as a shortage of Chinese-language interpreters, said Ms Chandrika.
On other occasions, the police can't get witnesses to come to court. Add the time lag before the court hears a case — easily up to four to five years according to Ms Chandrika — and the size of the task facing the Johor police becomes clearer.
This may not be of much consolation to the 13.2 million Singaporeans who crossed the Causeway between January and September last year. But it can serve as a warning.
Tomorrow: View from Ground Zero — a wounded Johor policeman speaks out
They're not particularly interested in politics, are divided right down the middle about premarital sex, and at least half feel that life is not complete without marriage and children.
About 800 young people, aged between 15 and 19, gave their views on various aspects of life in a study conducted over two months by students from Singapore Polytechnic (SP). And most of the results hardly came as a surprise to the students who carried out the survey.
Miss Tok Xiuzhi, for example, did not blink at the fact that only 29 per cent of the youths surveyed expressed interest in politics. "We're at an age where education is our priority," she said, adding that attitudes could change when more of those surveyed reached voting age. "Maybe it's not a matter for concern now because we live in a stable society."
Half of the young people surveyed found homosexuality acceptable.
On premarital sex, opinions were split firmly down the middle, with 45 per cent of the respondents disapproving of premarital sex and 46 per cent finding it acceptable. Those aged 20 to 29 were significantly more open to the idea, compared to younger ones aged 15 to 19.
Lecturer Kwa Lay Ping, who oversaw the survey, noted that the youths in Singapore appeared open-minded towards alternative lifestyles. "They're more liberal in their outlook and more accepting of alternative lifestyles, such as homosexuality, and sex before marriage," she said.
A comparison was made with a survey by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports in 2001, where 71 per cent of the young people surveyed found homosexuality unacceptable. In contrast, the SP survey revealed that 42 per cent found homosexuality unacceptable.
"As they go on the Internet, they're a lot more exposed to more liberal programmes about alternative lifestyles, than youths were in the days before the Internet," said Ms Kwa.
Still, some traditional social norms remain, with more than half the youths agreeing that marriage and children were essential to a complete life, and 32 per cent disagreeing — which caught the attention of the students. "It surprised me … because (I thought) the birth rate is decreasing and fewer people want to marry," said Ms Tok.
SP School of Business director Mr V Maheantharan felt that such surveys could be effective baselines for future projects, and useful information for marketers who are looking at consumer behaviour.
"We can return to it a few years later to see if any change (in attitudes) has taken place," he said.
For instance, youths' concern about the legality of downloads from the Internet have remained unchanged since the SP study on Internet use in 2004. "That's still an issue," said Mr V Maheantharan.
PARIS: The Internet has given birth to a quirky range of modern addictions and maladies, the British weekly New Scientist says in its Christmas issue published this Saturday.
They include these:
- EGO-SURFING: When you frequently check your name and reputation on the Internet.
- BLOG STREAKING: "Revealing secrets or personal information online which for everybody's sake would be best kept private."
- CRACKBERRY: "The curse of the modern executive: not being able to stop checking your BlackBerry, even at your grandmother's funeral." (A BlackBerry is a popular handheld device that can be used for phoning, emailing and web-browsing).
- GOOGLE-STALKING: Defined as "snooping online on old friends, colleagues or first dates."
- CYBERCHONDRIA: "A headache and a particular rash at the same time? Extensive online research tells you it must be cancer."
- PHOTOLURKING: Flicking through a photo album of someone you've never met.
- WIKIPEDIHOLISM: Excess devotion to contributing to the online collaborative encyclopaedia, Wikipedia. (Wikipedia even has a page where you can test whether you're an addict: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Are-You-a-Wikipediholic-Test).
- CHEESEPODDING: Downloading of a song "so cheesy that you could cover it in plastic wrap and sell it at the deli counter." Cheesepodders are especially vulnerable to soft-rock favourites from the 1970s.
STARTING next year, non-citizens will have to fork out at least 20 per cent more than they are now paying to study in Government schools, from primary to pre-university levels — in line with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's call to make "a clear difference" between the treatment of foreigners, Permanent Residents (PRs) and Singaporeans.
And as of 2008, independent secondary schools and junior colleges, as well as polytechnics and local universities, will raise their fees by between 10 per cent and 80 per cent for PRs and foreign students.
From next year, PRs — who currently pay the same as citizens at the secondary and pre-university levels — will have to pay between $6 and $12 more per year for Government and Government-aided schools from the primary to pre-university level.
Foreign students, who already pay up to 40 times more for school fees in Government schools, will have to pay 30 per cent more than their current fees — but only as of 2009. According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), the delay is to "give time for them to decide if they wish to apply to become PRs".
In response to this "citizenship carrot", Mrs Song Xiaoling, a Chinese national whose 12-year-old son is in Primary Four at Radin Mas Primary School, said that money was not her main consideration in letting her son apply to be a PR or citizen.
She said: "My son is already more than two years behind his peers because his English is weaker. I'm worried that if he has to do National Service (NS) for two years, he will be even further behind his peers.
"However, if he decides that he doesn't mind doing NS when the time comes, we won't stop him from becoming a PR. We are more concerned about his time than about our money."
As for foreigners studying in Singapore's 11 independent schools, the new fee framework that kicks in for them in 2008 will likely not have too great an impact.
While the MOE stipulates that independent schools must charge foreigners at least 50 per cent more than what citizens pay, most such schools already charge foreigners twice the locals' rate, and did not think the fee hike would hurt intake. Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) principal Dr Ong Teck Chin told Today: "We have a long waiting list of hundreds students wanting to enter our school."
Similarly confident, RGS (Secondary) principal Deborah Tan noted that this year, the school had 26 full-fee-paying foreign students — they pay $500 per month, double the local rate of $250 — and 48 foreign students on scholarships.
As of 2008, PRs admitted to tertiary level such as the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), polytechnics and universities will pay 10 per cent more than locals — an increase of between $16 and $610.
Foreigners will see the greatest hike at this level, with ITE tuition fees going up by 80 per cent, in a move to align such fees with foreign students' fees in secondary schools and junior colleges.
And while the three local universities will charge foreigners 50 per cent more than locals — up from the current 10-per-cent premium — rates are still competitive compared to the differential foreigners fork out in other universities. In the United Kingdom, for example, they pay eight to 10 times more school fees than locals do.
Mr Daniel Chu, who owns Consolidated Management Consultants education agency, said: "Despite the increase in fees, Singapore has a very good brand name overseas, especially in China, and people will still send their children here for the high standard of education and secure environment."
IT WAS 2am and his mother had told him not to use the Internet.
Determined to log on to chat with his friends, Garyl Tan Jia Luo, 17, left home with his laptop and wandered around the private estate in Nemesu Avenue where he lived in search of a wireless local area network (wLAN) he could tap on.
Shortly after, his laptop picked up the signal of an unprotected wLAN outside a house on a neighbouring street. Tan then sat on the curb and logged on to the network.
But a resident who was driving past spotted Tan and confronted him when the teenager tried to walk away. An argument ensued and the resident called the police.
Tan was arrested and became the first person here to be charged with encroaching upon someone else's wireless Internet connection under the Computer Misuse Act.
At the Community Court yesterday, the teenager — now waiting to serve his National Service (NS) after quitting his sports science diploma course at Republic Polytechnic two months ago — pleaded guilty to the charge.
According to court papers, the network Tan tapped on was unprotected and could be detected using wireless-enabled laptops and personal digital assistants, or PDAs, with wireless adapters.
While the offence warrants a jail term of up to three years and a maximum fine of $10,000, District Judge Bala Reddy called for a pre-sentencing report, which involves a probation officer assessing whether an accused person is suitable for probation and community service instead.
However, Tan's lawyer Sam Koh asked for a fine, saying that he was taking instructions from his client.
Mr Koh said what Tan did was "foolish and immature" but not "malicious".
Tan, a first offender, was remorseful and did not know at the time that his act was breaking the law, the lawyer said, adding that the teenager had trespassed his neighbour's network to surf the Net and chat, not to hack into another person's computer system.
But DJ Bala ordered for a pre-sentencing report to be prepared instead and asked if Tan was prepared to enlist into NS early so he wouldn't be "loitering". Tan, who is out on a $6,000 bail, will be sentenced on Jan 16.
Mr Patrik Runald, a senior security specialist at computer security firm F-Secure Security Labs, said such breaches were common and "a lot of people do it without knowing they are breaking the law".
Most laptops currently in the market can detect networks "up to 100m" away and alert the laptop user of any available unprotected networks, he added.
"If you are not paying attention, you could quite accidentally pick out a network that is not yours," he said, adding that leaving a network unprotected can slow down connection speed if others tap on it — or worse, bare the computer to hackers.
Source: http://www.todayonline.com/articles/161861.asp
 INTER-ETHNIC marriages are on the rise, with more Chinese men in Singapore tying the knot with brides from outside their own ethnic group. The number of divorces and marriage annulments is also inching up, with more than 6,900 couples calling it quits last year — an 8.2 per cent increase from 2004. These were just two key trends plucked out from the latest figures on marriages and divorced released by the Singapore Department of Statistics (DOS) yesterday. Of the 2,305 non-Muslim inter-ethnic marriages registered under the Women's Charter in 2005, 41.6 per cent — or 960 marriages — took place between Chinese grooms and brides of "other" ethnic groups. The rate was 33 per cent in 2004. This "other" category excludes women from the Chinese, Indian, Eurasian, Caucasian and Malay communities, said the DOS. Comparatively, 63 Chinese men chose to wed either Caucasian, Eurasian or Indian brides, while 148 wed Malay brides. There were another 337 marriages between Caucasian grooms and Chinese brides. Looking at the broader picture, number of mixed marriages in Singapore is gradually going up. Last year, these formed 12.1 per cent of the 19,043 marriages under the Women's Charter. This is an increase from 10.1 per cent in 2004. In all, 22,992 couples got hitched last year, with just over 8 in 10 registered under the Women's Charter, and the remainder under the Registry of Muslim Marriages. This total figure is about 3.6 per cent higher than the 22,189 in 2004. But while the number of marriages may be going up, so too is the national divorce rate across all age groups. Last year, 6,569 couples signed their divorce papers, an increase from the 6,053 that did so in 2004. Throw in the 340 annulments last year — and the divorce rate for 2005 stands at 1.94 cases per thousand residents, up from 1.83 in 2004. Among male divorcees, those in the 35-to-44-year age bracket formed the largest group. For females, the biggest group was those aged between 25 and 34. The DOS report said more than half of all non-Muslim divorcees said it was because they had lived apart or were separated for three years or more. "Unreasonable behaviour" was the next most common reason. For Muslims, 29 per cent cited "personality difference" as the top reason, with "infidelity" second at 18 per cent.
 ESCORT agencies here are going on a recruitment drive in a bid to cash in on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings that begin this week.
Advertisements offering short-term jobs have sprung up in various newspapers' classified ads sections, on the Internet and even on the streets over the past few weeks.
Almost all the agencies are looking for women, or 'young, outgoing girls' to be exact. They are generally after Singapore applicants who are in their 20s, tall, 'athletic' and 'confident', but most will accept applications from any Asian women, the ads claim.
The Straits Times called up several agencies listed in the Yellow Pages and asked about job openings. One agency, based in Orchard Towers, was looking for as many as 10 more escorts 'just for the next few weeks'. Most of the other companies are looking for around five more escorts.
A female receptionist at an escort agency located in Lucky Plaza said Singapore women are more in demand than foreigners at the moment, as she thinks locals will be more popular with IMF and World Bank delegates.
This is a reversal of the usual trend, said the owner of another escort agency in Orchard Plaza, who told The Straits Times that foreign women are usually preferred to locals.
'But with the IMF meet in Singapore, we want to recruit more local girls to jazz up the 'Uniquely Singapore' factor among potential clients,' he said.
The agencies said that although they can hire women 18 years old and above, they prefer women in their early 20s as younger women are less knowledgeable.
'New recruits know what the escort industry is all about so they are aware of their duties,' said Ms Venus Lim, who did not want her agency to be named.
New escorts are given some training before they start work. These include tips on how to dress well, lessons on good communication skills and, most importantly, how to smile.
Some agencies even hand out photocopies of media reports about the meetings for their escorts to read, so that they are not completely clueless when they talk to their clients.
The usual going rate for escorts is around $150 to $200 for an hour's work, although that is set to increase to about $200 to $250. Overnight rates usually hover around $1,000.
Agency managers said that escorts are not obliged to offer sexual services, but added that what happens privately between the women and the clients is a private matter.
Prostitution is not illegal in Singapore but soliciting can be punished with a $1,000 fine, and a maximum $2,000 fine and six months' jail for subsequent offences.
Several local agencies are also getting linked up to international escort online directories. Mr Lee Jinkels, the American webmaster of one of these online directories, said in an e-mail message that he had received at least 10 requests in the past month from Singapore agencies asking for their links to be placed on his list of recommendations.
Each agency has to pay about US$200 (S$315) for a listing.
Mr Jinkels said: 'We even have requests from escort agencies in towns near Singapore, such as Johor Baru.'
The anticipated demand for social escorts during this period is also expected to draw a host of freelancers to Singapore.
These women, usually from nearby Asian countries, will most likely hang out at pubs and nightspots scouting for business.
Although some agencies are recruiting escorts, others complained that business had dipped recently as travellers are avoiding Singapore, fearing a shortage of hotel rooms during the IMF-World Bank meet.
While large international meetings such as this one are good for business, these agencies say that demand for their escorts peaks when foreign navies are in town.
'Then, their senior officers often hire our girls,' said Ms Lim. 
 Aku bukan nak cemburu, bukan membantah, bukan nak menilai keputusan Siti untuk menerima Datuk K (Khalid Jiwa) sebagai suami yang sah. Tapi, aku....aku.... aku rasa tak puas lah. Aku geram. Siti ni idol aku, of course aku happy kalau dia happy. Harap-harap Datuk K akan menggembirakan and menyayangi Siti sepenuh jiwa raga.
Untung betul Datuk K tau??? hahahah
Untuk peminat setia Siti Nurhaliza, baca berita sepenuhnya mengenai persediaan perkahwinan antara Siti dan 'Pak Besar'. Rujuk laman ini:
1) http://zuelyctnurhaliza.fotopages.com/
2) http://simplysiti.wordpress.com/tag/bernama/
 Aku tak meluat kat Siti, aku masih sayang.... ape pulak nak meluat kan?? Dia harus tahu apa yang terbaik untuk dirinya. Moga berbahagia!!!
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KUALA LUMPUR (Pos Kota) - Akad nikah penyanyi nomor satu Malaysia, Siti Nurhaliza Taruddin, 27 tahun, dengan konglomerat Datuk Khalid Mohamed Jiwa, 47 tahun, yang lebih dikenal sebagai “Datuk K” akan dilangsungkan di Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan Jalan Duta di Kuala Lumpur, 21 Agustus 2006.
Resepsi pernikahan paling heboh ini di Negeri Jiran ini diadakan 27 Agustus di Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) dan terbuka bagi segenap penggemarnya Siti.
Menurut keterangan, acara nikah dan resepsi di KLCC itu disiarkan secara langsung stasiun TV-3 – sekaligus merupakan selebriti pertama di Malaysia - melalui program Wanita Hari Ini mulai pukul 12:00 tengah hari. Acara pernikahan di Exhibition Hall itu ditata dalam konsep Pesta Kebun oleh Datuk Shah Rezza sebagai event organizer dan Nusantara Gems sebagai wedding planner. Make up artist ditangani Nurul Shukur and Mia, yang selama ini langganan menangani video klip penyanyi manis yang juga ngetop di Indonesia itu.
Siti Nurhaliza dan Datuk Khalid akan mengenakan busana Melayu dalam sentuhan songket dan tekat karya sejumlah perancang dari Malaysia dan Indonesia, yakni Radzuan Radziwill, Michael Ong, dan Anna Avanti. Perancang disebut terakhir didatangkan dari Jakarta, ia pernah membuat gaun untuk Nadine Chandrawinata dalam forum Miss Universe 2006 tempo hari.
Selain di Kuala Lumpur, resepsi bagi pernikahan pembawa lagu Cindai ini juga akan berlangsung di kampung halaman Siti Nurhaliza di Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Minggu, 3 September 2006, untuk keluarga, kerabat, serta penggemarnya yang ada di sana. Kabarnya, sekaligus merayakan ulang tahun pernikahan orangtua Siti, Taruddin Ismail dan Siti Salmah Backlik, yang ke-38. Total biaya untuk pernikahan pasangan Siti – Datuk dikabarkan menghabiskan Rp 12 milyar.
KETEMU DI LONDON
Kisah cinta Siti Nurhaliza dan “Datuk K” bermula dari konser solo pertama penyanyi itu di Royal Albert Hall di London pada April 2005 lalu. Siti Nurhaliza merupakan artis Malaysia pertama dan artis Asia ke-3 yang membuat konser solo di panggung bergengsi di Ibukota Inggris itu. Artis Asia lain yang tampil di sini adalah penyanyi lagendaris India, Lata Mangeshkar, dan pemain sitar (gitar khas India) terkenal Ravi Shanker.
Dalam 11 tahun kariernya, Siti nyaris tiada cela. Debutnya dimulai dengan menjadi Juara Bintang Hiburan Minggu Ini (HMI) produksi RTM (Radio Television Malaysia) pada 1995, dan seterusnya menjadi artis rakaman Suria Records Sdn Bhd pada tahun yang sama. Kecantikan dan dendang syahdunya menembus Brunei, Singapura, Indonesia, dan nyaris tiap tahun mendapat anugerah dan penghargaan. Terakhir terpilih sebagai "Artis Wanita Paling Popular" Anugerah Planet Muzik 2006.
Penggemar Siti di Indonesia dari berbagai lapisan masyarakat. Kehadiran Siti di layar televisi Indonesia menjadi pilihan terbaik bagi penggemar musik dangdut yang muak menyaksikan tayangan goyang dangdut menjurus porno aksi. Siti selalu tampil anggun dan lembut. Tutur kata Siti menyapa penonton atau pemirsa televisi terasa lembut, selembut wajahnya. |
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Court plea by woman would split society down the middle ~ Wednesday • August 16, 2006
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia is expecting a court ruling any day now that could shake society to its foundations.
A Muslim woman decided to become a Christian, marry and raise a family. But in Malaysia, where Islam is the official religion, this is an affair of state, not conscience. The 42-year-old Lina Joy has asked the Federal Court, the country's highest civil judicial authority, to acknowledge her conversion to Christianity. Whatever the outcome, the decision could pose a headache for the government.
"The question in Lina's case is whether Muslims can convert," said political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda.
It's a tricky legal question in multiracial, multi-religious Malaysia. Ethnic Malays, who make up just over half of Malaysia's 26 million people, are deemed Muslims from birth.
Ms Azlina Jailani was brought up as a Muslim but at the age of 26 she decided to become a Christian. In 1999, the National Registration Department allowed her to change the name in her identity card to Lina Joy but the entry for her religion remained as "Islam".
Until the entry is deleted, she cannot legally marry outside the Muslim faith. She took the department to court over the anomaly.
Constitutionally, freedom of religion is guaranteed. But in reality, conversion out of Islam comes under the Islamic courts. And under sharia law, renouncing Islam is punishable by fines or jail. It isn't an option.
Muslims who leave Islam end up in legal limbo, unable to register their new religious affiliations or to marry non-Muslims. Many keep quiet about their choice or emigrate.
A court victory for Ms Joy could be explosive. "It's political dynamite. It will create instability," Mr Abdul Razak said. "For decades, the position of Malays and Muslims have been guaranteed. It will open the floodgates ... Definitely there will be a huge backlash and PAS will go to town with it."
PAS (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia) is the biggest Islamic opposition party. "It will be a bad precedent," PAS deputy chief Nasharuddin Mat Isa said. "It will create uneasiness in the community."
A ruling against her could inflame opinion among non-Muslims, who are already aggrieved over what they see as the gradual encroachment of Islamic law into civil society.
"If they rule against Joy, the whole question of religious liberty — the freedom of conscience, choice, expression and thought of an individual — will be greatly affected," said Mr Wong Kim Kong, secretary-general of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia that represents about two-thirds of Malaysia's roughly 4,000 churches.
But a victory for Ms Joy could spark a Muslim backlash. "This group may sow discord or even create public disorder that will result in greater polarisation of the races and religion in the country," Mr Wong said.
For Islamic scholars, she just cannot win.
"If Islam were to grant permission for Muslims to change religion at will, it would imply it has no dignity, no self-esteem," said Mr Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad, senior fellow at Malaysia's Institute of Islamic Understanding.
"And people may question its truthfulness and perfection," Mr Wan Azhar added. — Reuters
[This is one news article sourced from Today Online dated 16th August 2006]
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I'm on the cover page finally. Haha.....my colleagues noticed about this and yet they kept mum until after a month. I was surprised someone actually took notice. Although inside the article it did mentioned my name and my work.... the studio shoot was fun...
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