Saturday's Two Losses

As usual, after waking up in the morning, even if it was still dark, I would open the main door , to let the morning sun enter the hall, as the hall is facing the east.

The door grill would still be padlocked.

I realised yesterday morning, while opening the door, the laptop wasn't at its usual place.

It was usually at the armrest of the opposite settee where I used to sit when surfing the computer.

I did not think much of it.

I assumed My Son was using it in His room, after I retreated to the room at 1am.

My Husband was still lying down on the opposite settee where the laptop was placed on its armrest at 1am.

In the morning, before We cross the Causeway to cast My vote, I did tell Him of the laptop not at its usual place, in the hall.

He assured Me My Son had brought it to His working place to have his work done with it.

He used to use Mine for His work related purposes at home, so I thought nothing extraordinary to bring it to His working place.

His is tabletop placed in His room, and Mine is more for everybody's use.

When My Son reached home slightly after midnight, informing Us, He did not bring the laptop to His working place, My Husband checked thoroughly of its disappearance.

The laptop was found fished out through the 4" x 9.5" window grill next to the two settees, probably after 2am, when He retreated into the room.

This tabletop computer I'm using now, placed at the verendah near the window where the thief fished out the laptop, was left untouched (he's most probably not noticing it).

The thief managed to step into the verendah via the mango tree branches that grew across the fencing.

When My Husband informed Nora*, My Mother's minder of the loss, she was shaken.

When I told her it is a normal incident in JB, her eyes were the most widest I had ever seen.

The laptop used to connect her to Surabaya, her hometown, the outside world, and answered her questions and doubts. 

Usually she would sit with Me in the late afternoon or evening, with many questions in her head.

She was not used to the rough world outside.

After her four-years in Saudi, she returned home.

When she was told that she was one of the fortunate maid, treated as part of her employer's family, she thanked GOD by sacrificing a goat, and treated the village folks to 'kesyukuran', or 'thankful feast'.

This time, she 'nazar', promising herself to sacrifice 'kibash' or mountain goat if she is able to finish the 2-year contract in Singapore.

Or, she will slaughter buffalo if My Mother's children are to visit her mountainous village not far from Mount Kelud.

But for now, surfing the net with Me will be temporarily stopped, as this computer is more for My Husband's work-related usage. 

******

A friend looked upon highly on her ex-boss, who occasionally served morning drinks to his staff, regardless of their status.

My friend, after many years leaving this company to find a more soul searching job, never had such a boss, with his signatured personal touch, went around serving coffee, and having brief chat, to even lowly paid workers.

Being an ordinary receptionist then, she felt her presence in the company was equally important and needed as the manager and the boss himself.

She was deeply touched by his personality, until this day...

I had blogged 'here',  

My ex-neighbour never fails to tell Me to send her regards to one MP she used to see on tv.  

She saw him growing up, washed and ironed his school uniform.
She worked in his charitable grandfather's household in T.K., whose house was never without guests, who came from as far away as India, and further.  

I saw and heard nothing except praises and reminiscence of his good past, and his ground touching nature.

Three days ago, Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr George Yeo, said PAP has to undergo a transformation if it wants to engage the new generation of Singaporeans.

Many are angry with the Government.

There is a lot of resentment towards the ruling party because of its arrogance.

There are pent-up emotions among the people.

They wanted the government to patiently listen to their worries and concerns.

A real transformation of PAP is needed to make a real difference for Singaporeans.

Even Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong apologised, saying, "I am sorry..."

He said,

"No government is perfect...

from time to time,

mistakes will happen.

We made mistake when we let Mas Selamat run away...

when Orchard Road got flooded..."

Despite these PAP people's background, their sincerity in serving the nation, the important emotional connection between the government and the people is said to be too little too late.

The winds of change has probably blown on to Aljunied GRC, where My vote was cast.

I waited till after 2.am, over Channel 5, for the announcement to be made. 

Workers’ Party team in Aljunied GRC was officially declared the winner.

The party's 'A-Team' credible candidates – Sylvia Lim, corporate lawyer Chen Show Mao, postgraduate law student Pritam Singh, freelance counsellor Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap and Low Thia Khiang,  won the contest against incumbent Mr George Yeo, Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ms Lim Hwee Hwa, Minister in Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed, touted as the future Speaker of Parliament, Ms Cynthia Phua, a two-term MP and newcomer Ong Ye Kung, a trade unionist who was tipped to be an office-holder.

Finally, a breakthrough for the opposition parties in Singapore.

'Your votes tell us that the Government that you want is a home, not just a house.
Your votes tell the world that Singapore is just not an economic success to you.
Singapore is our home.'

The Worker’s Party (WP) had captured the first GRC in Singapore’s history – the Aljunied GRC.

With a bigger team of elected MP in parliament, and being the only opposition party elected into parliament, Singaporeans will now be hoping that there will be truly a first world parliament soon.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr George Yeo had become election casualty 2011.

He acknowledged the defeat while Ms Lim Hwee Hua was slightly teary.

A core member of the People’s Action Party (PAP) Cabinet, 

he said, 

‘It was a great campaign, we fought hard. We had no regrets,’

‘And we respect the decision of the people of Aljunied.’

He thanked Aljunied residents for their support, affection and bonds of friendship.

'A new chapter has opened in Singapore history. It was a tide we were not able to overcome,’ he added.

As he parted, he urged Mr Low’s team to look after the people of Aljunied.

A new chapter has opened in Singapore’s politics after Saturday’s polls. 

The People Action Party losing its GRC seat is a political landmark in Singapore.

Towards Lesser Crime In JB (3)

Number Plates And Stolen Cars

An Unusual Kind Of Theft In Johor Jaya
by Goh Siew Mei



 
Losing a car registration number plates is puzzling and at the same time causes the victim to worry.
This was expressed by Huan Wai Fong, 42, who found her Proton Waja car registration number plates missing after her day long work in her office in Taman Johor Jaya on April 10.
She said she parked her car bearing car registration number JGV 2859 in front of her office and was working all day long without realizing what has happened to her car.
She added that the whole incident was recorded by her office CCTV system which showed two men in a taxi parked beside her car and stole the front and rear registration number plates.
“I am puzzled with this rather unusual theft but at the same I am also concerned that the culprits will misuse it for criminal intent”, Huan commented.
She then lodged a report with the Taman Johor Jaya police station and urged the police to investigate the incident.

Source: KomunitiKini - Wednesday, April 20, 2011

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Someone's Using My Number Plate, Says Manager

JOHOR BARU: A 53-year-old sales manager here is crying foul that his car registration number has been used by someone else to commit traffic offences, resulting in seven summonses against him within two months.
"Someone is using the same car plate number as my Naza Citra," an angry Tan Kwee Huat (pic) claimed, saying he first got wind of the matter when he received a traffic summons on June 3.
"I checked my work schedule and realised that I was not in the area where the offence took place," he told a press conference at the office of Senator Khoo Soo Seang here.
After a second summons, this time from the Johor Baru city council, he went to a car park company in Permas Jaya to report the matter and verify pictures that accompanied the summons.
To his shock, he found that the car in the pictures was of the same colour and make as his own, with an identical number plate.
The difference, he said, was that his car had five stickers on the windshield.
Tan has lodged a police report at the Taman Perling police station.
State internal security, public order and traffic chief Supt T. Raveendran advised those who encounted such problems to report the matter as soon as possible.
"If they see the culprits having the same car plate numbers then they should call the police hotline at 07-221 2999.

Source: The Star - Friday, November 12, 2010

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IN THE first case of its kind, a businessman was jailed 10 months for conspiring with a croupier to cheat a casino of $31,500.

A district court heard yesterday that Tan Tiong Loon (right), 32, met Keith Yong Kee-Hwei, 24, of Marina Bay Sands, and promised the younger man a share of his winnings if the croupier would work with him.

At about 4.30am on Oct 7 last year, Yong used his hand to stop the Money Wheel from spinning to help Tan win $18,000 from his bet of $400. A casino patron saw it and blew the whistle on them.

Minutes earlier, Yong had done the same thing so that Tan, the only player at the Money Wheel table then, made $13,500 from a $300 bet. The pair were arrested days later, after Yong was handed $11,500 as his cut.

The duo were said to have also cheated the casino of unspecified amounts on two other occasions. Those charges were among 20 others for unrelated offences, which were taken into consideration by the judge for sentencing.

Yong’s case will come up later this month.

Tan committed the casino offences while on bail for exporting stolen cars to Brunei. For his dealings with 15 stolen cars between January and March last year, he was jailed a further three years and eight months, and barred from driving for three years.

Investigations revealed that he paid Ho Wei Siang, 29, $1,000 a month to set up and run Reliance Car Export firm in 2008. In December 2009, the pair started dealing in Toyota and Honda cars stolen in Malaysia.

They bought these cars and got them fitted with fake Singapore licence plates at a workshop in Johor Baru. The cars were driven here and exported to Brunei.

The scam came to light when a Malaysian saw his stolen Honda Accord, complete with fake plates, in a carpark here.
He then went to the police. When a tow truck was seen taking the car to the export processing zone in Tuas, the police closed in and arrested the duo.

Ho has been jailed a year for his role. For dealing in stolen property, Tan could have been jailed up to five years and fined. He could also have been jailed up to seven years and fined up to $10,000 for cheating.

Source: The CourtRoom.Stomp - March 8, 2011

The Crime - Cars Broken Into, In JB

It happened few days ago, when 45-year old Richard Toh returned to his car after taking his lunch at about 11.30am.
He realised the interior was unusually bright when his car was fully tinted.
He turned back to check, and saw the left window glass was broken.

Immediately he went to examine the damaged window glass, and discovered the disappearance of his two  laptops,GPS, important documents and his international passport hidden underneath the passenger seat.
The car alarm system failed to set off, led him to believe the thieves are no novice, but experts in their job.
They were able to shatter his Toyota Alphard MPV rear window right under his nose.

They escaped with his belongings without him even noticing it.
He was having his twenty-minutes lunch at a restaurant along Jalan Chengai, Taman Melodies, in Johor Bahru, seated less than twenty metres metres away from his parked car.

He urged anyone who finds his passport to return it to him as soon as possible, as he needs it for business dealings in Singapore.
Police report had been made at the Kampung Majidee police station.

******

Singaporeans Beware: 
Car Broken Into And Parts Stolen In Johor Bahru

 

STOMPer David's car was broken into last night (Jan 8) in Johor Bahru, Jusco Bukit Indah. A GPS system and an air fuel control unit were stolen.

The STOMPer warns fellow Singaporeans to park at a crowded spot when they visit JB.

David says:

"My car was broken into last night in Johor Bahru, Jusco Bukit Indah.

"Just a Garmin GPS and a air fuel control unit were stolen, which is not so bad.

"I'm just 'sian' of the hassle that my family and I had to go through.

"I just want to warn fellow Singaporeans to try to park at a location where there's high human traffic, even if it is not a proper parking lot (as long as you are not obstructing traffic).

"Please also take all your valuables with you or keep it out of sight.

"A check with the station's police officer revealed that car theft happens 2-3 times a week around the Bukit Indah area.

"Apparently, two days ago, a Singaporean car was broken into and the driver's laptop which was inside a bag was stolen.

"I believe people will say why go JB? So dangerous and etc.

"Well it happens everywhere and this is happening after the 5th year of driving in and out and also, my relatives are living in JB."

Souce: Stomp - January 9, 2011

****** 

Johor Bahru - Notorious Cowboy Town

Posted by: vinns7

If you have not been robbed; or you have not witness a robbery; or your family members or relatives have not robbed; or you do not know anyone being robbed, you are NOT living in JOHOR BAHRU.
How we envied and appreciate the lives people of Penang lived. But JB is just hell to heaven as Penang.
Enjoy a few care-free days in Penang and back in this notorious cowboy town called JOHOR BAHRU on Sunday.
And a few hours ago, my wife was robbed in this place called PERMAS JAYA. Does this place sound familiar to you? Yes, it's famous for all the wrong reasons.
She was approaching her student's house and came two Malay guys with a hammer, smashed her window screen, punched her, dived into the car to the other side of  the seat and grabbed her handbag which was on the floor.
Penangites told us to relax and go anywhere we like but we always remind our outstation/foreign friends to be careful when in JOHOR BAHRU.
Welcome to JOHOR BAHRU.....

Source: The Star - Wednesday, June 23, 2010

When Pacific Mall Becomes A 'Landmark'

32 Lifts Stolen From Mall

JOHOR BARU: The abandoned RM300mil Pacific Mall near Bukit Cagar is not only an eyesore, but also the scene of a bizarre theft where 32 of its escalators were stolen.
Owners who purchased individual lots at the shopping centre are crying foul over the loss as they are still servicing bank loans for the failed project.

Eyesore: The RM300mil Pacific Mall comprising of a five-level retail podium and a 24- storey office tower in Johor Baru.
 

Tan Poh Lai, a pro-tem committee member representing the buyers said the escalator theft increased the building's restoration cost from RM10mil to RM50mil.
She said the mall's construction was stopped eight years ago due to management issues.
The bank that financed the project could not be reached despite much effort, she added.
“To make matters worse, those who purchased the lots are fighting a legal battle with the bank to prevent their lots from being auctioned,” said Tan.
Singaporean Irene Ling, 31, who took over one of the lots from her late father, said the matter caused much frustration to those committed to the project.
Tan said the majority of the buyers faced hardships as their life savings and retirement funds were used to finance their purchases.
Johor Baru MP Datuk Shahrir Samad, who took up the case, said the rights of Pacific Mall's owners should be protected and given priority.

»I will look into the matter and meet local authorities to straighten out the issue immediately« DATUK SHAHRIR SAMAD
 

“I will look into the matter and meet local authorities to straighten out the issue immediately. We should throw light on the situation quickly to prevent repetition of such events,” he said.
Pacific Mall, located between Jalan Storey and Bukit Cagar, comprises a five-level retail podium block and a 24-storey office tower.

Source: The Star - Tuesday, April 29, 2008

******

I used to shop there in late 80s or early 90s when the mall operated its business.
But, for just a brief period.

A couple of years ago, on the ground floor, a small corner was opened selling handphone accessories, VCDs and DVDs.

Huge Mess: Ceiling Boards Missing At The Mall.

Stolen: Policemen From The Johor Baru (South) Mobile Patrol Unit Inspecting The Remnants Of An Escalator, Which Was Stripped Of Metal Parts. Photos: The Star

The building, which was 90% complete, was abandoned in 1997.

Now, all kinds of remarks were heard about Pacific Mall in Lorong 1, Jalan Storey, Johor Bahru:

Awesome Mall

With Awesome Big Hall!  

Awesome Interior

With Awesome Escalators! 

The Best Shopping Centre In Town

Is The Most Dangerous Building Around!!

Reason Why There Are Many Abandoned Shopping Spaces Is Caused

By Johoreans Who Do Not Like To Shoppp!!!

Yes.
In Johor Baru, Larkin, Plentong, Permas Jaya and Skudai, there are around 10 abandoned big buildings.

Every time on my way across the Causeway, although an eyesore, I had never fail to look at the almost stripped down Pacific Mall.
Pacific Mall, currently in a dilapidated condition is stripped to almost bare.

The rundown building is barely 500 metres away from police station, yet the property was vandalised.
It pose safety and security concerns for the public
Public safety is compromised since more than ten years ago.
It is very dangerous as the peeled glass piece may fall down anytime.

The eerie feeling whenever I passed by the fenceless, the non-barricaded Pacific Mall can't be helped as it is near Bukit Cagar.



 
And, Bukit Cagar is best remembered with its burst rooftop water tank in 1993.

The problematic building of the shopping arcades and car park, which began in 1995 could not be completed.

It seems the building is left to rot.
The abandoned project is strategically in an extraordinarily quiet location, not nearest to any main road, needs overdue attention.
Its shop lots and office spaces had once attracted buyers from Singapore and Hong Kong.

But last September, the abandoned building had attracted evil hearted being.
Pacific Mall had become a disposal ground of a man whose body was burnt.

When All Pockets Went Dry

As I waited for a friend yesterday, I dashed across the road to 'Shop N Save Supermarket' in Bishan, to get myself a fruit drink, mango and grapes - I paid the S$10.32 purchase with my card.

Thank God, the purchase done and transaction accepted in less than 5 minutes.

But it will not be the case if was Monday, the day before.
For the first time in history, a big system had crashed that left customers and businesses in the dark for 7 hours.

In a country where almost all payments made by almost all walks of life with cards, it was definitely turned to total chaos.

A father I know, had to return his 2 trolleys of grocery shopping back to the shelving and freezers as his only POSBank card was not accepted.
He went home empty-handed as he could not withdrew money from the ATM.

Another father ran from one ATM to another for his son's pocket money and the wife's marketing.
Cold sweat appeared and he feared for the worst - His saving and  salary are all gone  - Save for the minimum required of S$2.00.

I heard a few end up borrowing from friends for breakfast to be paid.

******

An Indonesian friend used to laugh at us as Singaporeans, her remark, are slow at counting money (mind you, Indonesian currencies are in millions of rupiah), and she always insisted me to rely on cash rather than a card.

With this latest incidence, her saying does make sense. It holds some truth in it

******

 

Jul 7, 2010 - DBS Chief Says 'Sorry'

 

 

Chief executive, Mr Piyush Gupta said: 'We are sorry for what happened. We took numerous measures to minimise inconvenience caused by the temporary disruption in services. - Photo: Reuters

 

DBS Bank apologised to customers yesterday after Monday's big systems crash that left customers and businesses in the lurch and in the dark for about seven hours.

Chief executive, Mr Piyush Gupta said: 'We are sorry for what happened. We took numerous measures to minimise inconvenience caused by the temporary disruption in services.
'We have commenced a full scale investigation and I am treating this matter with utmost priority.'
Mr Gupta's comments come after Monday's massive network failure that knocked out more than 1,000 ATMs.
Irate customers could not access the bank's internet and mobile banking facilities, while payments made on DBS debit and credit cards could not be processed.
To cope with the situation, DBS made arrangements to deploy additional staff at branches and its call centre. Cheques were honoured and urgent cash withdrawals up to $500 were permitted.

******

Yes. An islandwide ATM disruptions to DBS-POSB machines.

DBS detected the problem at 3am and many residents discovered the failure in the early morning.
Internet and mobile banking were down too.

However, services were soon restored at 10 am while other systems including credit cards, NETS, AXS, Internet and mobile banking by lunchtime.

Additional manpower was deployed to branches and call centre to assist with customer queries as 'technical difficulties' caused the breakdown.

DBS assured customers that all funds were safe, and apologised again to customers for the inconvenience caused.

******

The above incident had rippled the country.

Just wondering how would Singaporeans react if really the incident below reported by The Star does happen in the island.

A tidal wave?

And, it's not the first time.

Sunday July 4, 2010 - Cops Suspect Inside Job At ATM Theft Bids, 4 Arrested

KUALA LUMPUR: When the alarm failed to trigger in two recent attempts to steal from two automated teller machines (ATM), the signs pointed to an inside job. Police zeroed in on a security firm and arrested four men well-versed in the security features of such machines yesterday.
The men had tried twice over Thursday and Friday to grab money from the ATMs in Kelana Jaya and Puchong but failed.
In both cases, the alarms were not triggered, causing police to be suspicious. Selangor police chief Deputy Commis­sioner Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said the suspects, aged between 20 and 30, were familiar with the security features of the ATMs.
“That is probably why the security alarms on the premises and within the ATMs were not triggered. The suspects have been remanded for four days pending investigations,” he told a press conference in Dataran Ampang Point yesterday.
Sources revealed that police were also looking into similar unsolved cases in the Klang Valley to see if they matched the modus operandi of the latest failed thefts.
On Thursday, thieves tried to steal money from an ATM kiosk at a petrol station in Taman Tenaga, Jalan Puchong.
However, they fled when they saw policemen patrolling the area.
On Friday, a supermarket emplo­yee discovered a break-in at about 7am at a supermarket in Kelana Jaya.
The suspects had ripped through a dry wall to gain access to the ATM at about 4am before using a blowtorch to try to get to the money but aborted their plan and fled before the supermarket opened for business.
They were able to by-pass two security systems without triggering the alarm.

Shop Lifting

The Straits Times report on 30th June that 8 Vietnamese nationals, aged between 23 and 40 years old, believed to be part of a shop theft syndicate, were caught on Tuesday afternoon, said police.

On Tuesday, officers had organised an operation against the suspects in the vicinity of Orchard Road, following extensive investigations and checks after a spate of shop theft cases in the area.

Police managed to recover stolen items with a total retail value of about S$41,000 from the suspects.

Investigations revealed that the 8 suspects are also believed to be involved in similar cases at shopping centres in other parts of Singapore, and they will be charged in Court on Thursday.

If convicted, the suspects could be jailed for up to 7 years, they could also receive a fine.

****** 

 1998 Causeway Point

It was on that Tuesday that I was in Causeway Point, while walking past John Little, I heard hurried steps, then a shout, "Stop!"

I froze, turning my head to know who the person was.
A security officer, brushed my side, walked up to 2 girls in front of me.

The 2 girls turned, had direct eye-contact with me, their faces as white as chalk.

I quickly looked away, pretending not to see that the security officer was showing them either his ID or photo snapped while the 2 girls were in action...