For the past two weeks, Mr Vincent Koh has spent his nights on an old, thin mattress laid on the floor inside a cubicle with barely any space left for walking. "It's like popiah skin," he quipped, drawing a parallel between his mattress and the paper-thin skin of the traditional spring roll snack. But Mr Koh, 60, is more than thankful to the shelter for providing him a roof over his head. Inside a room shared by half a dozen others - each in a separate cubicle - he told The Straits Times that prior to the shelter, he had been sleeping on benches at parks and playgrounds after he lost his job as a worker at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre in February and could no longer afford to stay at hostels. He said he entertained thoughts of ending his life when he was sleeping rough. "I was hungry and had no place to sleep. When you're hungry, you have strange thoughts," said Mr Koh, who was referred to a shelter by a social worker at the Family Service Centre he had ... » Learn More about Call for more help as shelters for the homeless hit full capacity during Covid-19 circuit breaker period
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Ismail Sabri: 208 detained for SOP violations on Saturday (April 10)
KUALA LUMPUR: More than 200 individuals were arrested for movement control order violations on Saturday (April 10). Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said 208 individuals were arrested, with 199 being issued compounds while nine others were remanded. "Among the violations committed were entertainment outlet activities (112), failure to provide entry log equipment (27), not wearing face masks (16) and 53 other offences. "The compliance task force comprising of 3,196 teams involving 14,654 personnel conducted 66,140 checks on Saturday. He said the checks were conducted on 5,839 restaurants, supermarkets (4,481), banks (3,936), hawkers (3,019), markets/farmers markets (2,184), factories (2,163) and government offices (731). "They also monitored places of worship (3,332), recreational areas (1,810), land transport terminals (1,759), water transport terminals (347) and air transport terminals (106)," he said. Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said ... » Learn More about Ismail Sabri: 208 detained for SOP violations on Saturday (April 10)
Thailand: Chiang Mai follows Bangkok – closes nightspots for 7 days, clamps down on travellers from red-zone provinces
After Covid-19 clusters emerged from several entertainment venues in Bangkok and its vicinity, Chiang Mai has also decided to close clubs, pubs, karaoke bars and other entertainment establishments for seven days from April 10. Venues that were open before the weekend were required to provide the committee with the names and phone numbers of all patrons. The province has also decided to prohibit the serving of alcohol at all kinds of restaurants for seven days until April 18. Thailand is said to be going through a third wave of attack in Covid-19 cases. Daily totals are regularly hitting three-digit numbers for the last one month and most cases are coming nightspots in the main cities. - The Nation Thailand/ANN ... » Learn More about Thailand: Chiang Mai follows Bangkok – closes nightspots for 7 days, clamps down on travellers from red-zone provinces
Vietnam: Da Nang’s Central city to develop an international finance centre
Director of the city’s Investment Promotion Agency (IPA), Huynh Thi Lien Phuong said the MoU, which was signed late last month, aimed to build a trading centre, casino, high-end entertainment and luxury apartments in the coastal area. She said the project would be built on an area of 84,000.sq.m on the beach-front at Vo Nguyen Giap and Vo Van Kiet streets in the Son Tra peninsula. Phương said Da Nang authorities would auction land-use rights for the finance-trade-casino complex in the future. She said the city was drawing up a detailed plan for the first international duty-free zone and smart urban area for investors. Last year, five key investors – the Import-Export Pan Pacific Group (IPPG), T&T Group, New Techco company from Vietnam, and Sakae Holding and another company from Singapore – registered for a land-use rights auction for a US$2 billion finance-trade-casino complex in the central city. Jonathan Hanh Nguyen, who is chairman of IPPG Group, urged the city to ... » Learn More about Vietnam: Da Nang’s Central city to develop an international finance centre