Thailand’s Girly Berry to dress conservatively for Songkran

Thailand’s Culture Ministry said on Tuesday it has enlisted a popular girl band to front its annual campaign for women to dress modestly during the upcoming traditional New Year holiday. The four women in the band Girly Berry typically wear miniskirts and midriff-bearing tops but issued a statement saying they are committed to covering up during the traditional Thai New Year - known as Songkran - next week.

One of Girly Berry’s singers, Mananya Limsatien, urged young women ‘not to wear tank tops, strapless tops or very short pants’ during the April 13-15 holiday.

‘Don’t dress in anything too revealing or too sexy because it can be dangerous,’ she said in a statement Monday.

Songkran is celebrated by raucous water fights in the streets, which have led to complaints of sexual harassment of women.

Authorities typically urge women not to wear skimpy outfits and white tops that become more revealing when doused with water. (story)

Serial killer hunting prostitutes in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police are investigating the killings of four sex workers in the past few days, suggesting a serial killer may be on the loose in the densely packed city.

Three victims, all in their 30s, were found in their ransacked apartments in two districts in the northern New Territories. A fourth was found on Hong Kong island on Monday.

The first two women had been robbed and strangled, one with a hose, while the third was certified dead with no apparent injuries early on Monday.

“We are adopting a very open-minded approach, we will rigorously pursue all lines of inquiries,” said Steve Li, a police superintendent, when asked if a serial killer may have been responsible.

“We can’t rule out the possibility that either one or more persons carried out these crimes.” (story)

Travellers jam the border for the holidays

Traffic at Singapore’s land checkpoints came to a standstill by 4pm on Wednesday, as thousands of travellers jostled to cross the border for the Chinese New Year celebrations and the long weekend. Vehicles were backed up several kilometres. Horns blared and tempers flared as motorists saw their chances of making it on time for their reunion dinner.

About 1.35 million travellers passed through the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints on five days of the festivities last year, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

But this year’s number could well exceed that because, besides those marking the new year, other travellers have tagged the weekend to the public holidays on Thursday and Friday for a four-day break in Malaysia. (story)

Child drowns marring new swimming program at school

New Town Secondary, the drowning of Danial Syawal Jailani, 12, was a terrible start to its swimming program. It was the first year the school decided that its Secondary One students should have swimming lessons during physical education classes.

And it was Danial’s third lesson in Clementi Swimming Complex.

It is unclear how he drowned.

His parents said he was a strong swimmer, whom they often took to public pools and to the beach.

Classmates agree that he was no novice. (story)

FairPrice extends holiday saving through Chinese New Year

Singapore’s largest supermarket chain, NTUC FairPrice, starting Thursday, with its new five per cent discount off over 500 house brand items - but only till the end of February. This latest move announced on Wednesday will cost FairPrice $3 million.

The 500-plus discounted products range from rice, bread and cooking oil to household cleaners.

‘As a social enterprise, NTUC FairPrice is mindful of its role in helping to moderate the cost of living in Singapore,’ said the cooperative’s chairman Ng Ser Miang.

For example, Mr Chong Kiang Leong, a taxi driver and the breadwinner of a family of six, has managed to reduce his family’s $160 weekly grocery bill by $25. (story)

Defunct university agrees to repay millions in loans

University of New South Wales (UNSW), which shut its Asia campus here early this year, has agreed to repay Singapore over $32 million in backed loans and grants, The Straits Times has learned. The settlement, announced on Tuesday, ends a tumultuous experiment for the Sydney-based university.

The school dropped a bombshell in May when it announced it was making a quick exit after just three months of classes - and after receiving $17.3 million in grants and $15 million in loans from the Government.

In September, the school said it might be forced into insolvency. Politicians raised concerns that that the Government might never see the $17.3 million in grant money again. (story)

Singapore to build first zero energy building

It might not look too inspiring at the moment but a three-storey building in Braddell Road is about to blaze a new trail in the campaign for greener energy. The Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Academy opposite ComfortDelgro will harness the sun in an ambitious bid to be Singapore’s first zero-energy building, or ZEB.

A massive array of solar panels covering about 1,300 sq metres - almost half a football field and the biggest such installation in Southeast Asia - will be erected on the roof.

The $10 million retro-fitting project, unveiled by the BCA on Wednesday, will create a highly efficient building that produces as much energy as it consumes from renewable sources.

Over a typical year, its net energy consumption is expected to be zero. The building, which will also be a testbed for eco-technology, will be linked to a normal power grid and draw electricity if needed.

(story)

Sentosa Resorts to offer 2 new attractions

Universal Studios Singapore will feature two new rides - a ‘heart-stopping’ roller coaster ride plus the park’s all-time favourite ride, ET: The flight home. On the entertainment front, RWS is bringing four new shows that feature multimedia, light and sound effects to add to the three public performances proposed in its original bid.

With the new additions, RWS has revised its budget from $5.2 billion to $5.75 billion. There is also a further contingency of $250 million, raising the budget to $6 billion. (story)

HDB: 4,500 new flats to meet demand

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will offer about 4,500 new flats over the next six months, under its Build-To-Order Scheme, to meet rising demand for public housing.

It also reported good sales for its stock of surplus flats and is aiming to bring the number down to 2,200 units by year’s end, as revealed in the latest HDB annual report on Wednesday.

In the last financial year, HDB received 8,455 bookings for new flats – 7 percent more than the previous year.

Between January and September this year, HDB has offered 2,700 new flats under its Build-To-Order exercises.

Demand looks so good that HDB said it would roll out 4,500 flats, including a small number of five-room flats, in the next six months.

Tay Kim Poh, CEO of HDB, said: “The main focus would still be largely in Punggol and Sengkang. For Punggol, this is part of our plans to build up the catchment so that we can provide more facilities.

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