Friday, July 13, 2007

Order Paper for Parliament

OrderPaper27.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Wonder if the various MPs are allowed to check if other MPs have asked similar questions...there seems to be a glut of questions on the closure of UNSW in Singapore. Anyway, the order paper provides good info on what's on the minds of the MPs, and one can also see what new laws are being considered...very important to monitor the human rights situation...

Monday, July 02, 2007

Crackdown on International Marriage Ads (The Korea Times)

Crackdown on International Marriage Ads (The Korea Times)
Looks like Singapore is not the only country which is facing the issue of objectionable ads relating to foreign brides...

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Amnesty International Report 2007

Singapore
Still reading through the section on Singapore...hope to do a comprehensive monitoring report based on international statistics...still in draft stage at the moment.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

SAF Act amendment

TODAY reported on the amendment of the Singapore Armed Forces Act, which "seeks to amend the Singapore Armed Forces Act (Cap. 295) to enable the Singapore Armed Forces to be deployed in aid of civilian authorities for specified purposes or in specified events." as stated in the explanatory statement in the Bill (PDF).

sgwatchDOG hopes that this is not the start of the slide down the slippery slope towards the use of the military to arrest citizens.

The proceedings are recorded in the Hansard.

The Straits Times also has an article on this issue.

last updated: 10th August 2007

Monday, May 21, 2007

Global net censorship 'growing'

BBC NEWS | Technology |
News on censorship, which threatens the egalitarian nature of the internet. The Singapore country profile can be found here.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

human rights awards

http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGIOR800012007

Besides the good news regarding the awards, another plus point is the
number of human rights organisations involved in this.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

The Cost of...

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Documentary Archive
Many consumers are realising that the once simple method of choosing the cheapest product on offer is no longer so simple. Low prices may be an indication of abuse of labour rights of workers in the country of manufacture.

越来越多消费者在购买产品时,已了解到用最低廉的价格来选择产品已经不在那么简单。低廉的价格可能是因为制造产品的员工的薪金与福利不符合国际的劳工标准。

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices

Ministry of Manpower | Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP)
sgwatchDOG hopes that the new guidelines will make it easier to "shame" companies that place discriminatory job ads.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

US: Wal-Mart Denies Workers Basic Rights (Human Rights Watch, 1-5-2007)

Human Rights Watch, 1st May 2007
In line with Labour Day, which happens today, a report by HRW on attempts by Wal-Mart to prevent workers from joining unions.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Zahari's 17 Years

Google Video
Martyn See's documentary is now online...

Europe MPs 'gagged' by Singapore

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Europe MPs 'gagged' by Singapore
Another sign of PAP's reluctance to allow discussions about politics in Singapore.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Scuffle for organs sparks donor debate in Singapore

Such a sad story, sgwatchDOG feels sick just imagining the scenes where "police officers entered the ward and restrained the distraught family while Sim's body was quickly whisked away"...
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Reuters.com

Scuffle for organs sparks donor debate in Singapore
Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:55 AM ET

By Koh Gui Qing

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - As members of Sim Tee Hua's family sat at his bedside to pray for his recovery, they were horrified to learn that the hospital staff were about to turn off his life-support machine and use his organs for transplants.

The scenes that followed have shocked and upset not just Sim's family but many other Singaporeans, sparking a debate over the country's organ donor policy, which assumes that all citizens are willing donors, unless they have registered with the government that they wish to opt out.

Doctors at Singapore General Hospital had declared Sim brain-dead and said they could not delay switching off life support any longer because of the risk of damage to Sim's organs.

Sim's family had no objection to his organs being used for transplants but wanted doctors to wait one more day before turning off the life support machine.

But as Sim's 68-year-old mother and about 20 other relatives knelt weeping before the doctors, begging them to wait, nine police officers entered the ward and restrained the distraught family while Sim's body was quickly whisked away.

"The hospital staff were running as they wheeled him out of the back door of the room. They were behaving like robbers," said Sim Chew Hiah, one of Sim's elder sisters.

The Sim family's experience has prompted a wave of letters to the local media, with some people saying they would opt out in protest, and added fire to a debate about organ trading.

Lee Wei Ling -- a prominent doctor who is the daughter of Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of modern Singapore -- last month urged the government to legalize organ trading, or the buying or selling of human organs for cash.

"Organ trading is frowned upon and usually not allowed in countries where political correctness reigns," said Lee in a letter to the Straits Times.

"If monetary incentive makes a potential living donor more willing to save another life, what is wrong in allowing that?"

Her views have some support from the public.

"If I can sell my organs, give my children a better life, and save someone else's life too, why not? Not everyone drives a Mercedes," said Khalid, 32, who gave only his first name.

Currently, anyone caught buying or selling human organs in Singapore may be jailed up to a year or fined up to US$6,500.

POOR DONORS

Those who oppose the trading of human organs say it promotes greater social injustice.

"To trade it and sell it for a 100 pounds, 200 pounds, or to the highest bidder, that is to prostitute your organ," said Dr Choi Kin, president of the Hong Kong Medical Association.

Such donors are likely to be the poor and uneducated people from countries such as Brazil and India, who can sell a kidney for as little as $1,000, the World Health Organization said.

And they are usually exploited by organ traffickers, who can charge wealthy clients up to $100,000 to $200,000 for a new organ, according to the WHO.

The chronic shortage of organs available for transplant is a global problem. In the U.S. alone, more than 6,200 patients die each year while waiting for an organ, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, a U.S.-based non-profit medical group.

The shortage has forced doctors and governments to look for alternatives, such as the use of pigs' kidneys, hearts and lungs, or the purchase of human organs.

Many patients have also traveled abroad for transplants, notably to China, which has been accused by rights groups of harvesting organs from executed prisoners.

Since 1995, more than 270 Singaporeans have gone abroad, mostly to China, for organ transplants, the Health Ministry said.

DEFINITION OF DEATH

To ease the organ shortage, Singapore amended its Human Organ Transplant Act in 2004 to expand the pool of organ donors and the type of organs that could be donated.

Hospitals can remove the kidneys, liver, heart and corneas of all non-Muslim Singapore citizens or permanent residents when they die, unless they have objected.

Muslims can choose to donate their organs, as in Iran and Malaysia, although many believe that the dead should be buried with all their organs intact.

Doctors say a system which assumes all citizens are organ donors is necessary because even though many people are in favor of donating their organs, few actually come forward.

While many European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, and Spain, have laws similar to Singapore's Transplant Act, it can still be a sensitive issue.

When Brazil passed a similar law in 1998, it triggered a public outcry. The Federal Attorney later conceded that families could prevent the removal of organs for transplant.

Critics say laws which assume all citizens are organ donors are inadequate because the definition of death is debatable. Others are concerned that life-support may be turned off prematurely or that people may be unaware of the opt-out option.

"It should be up to the citizens to decide. These are their bodies, their organs, and therefore their decisions," said Dr Choi Kin. "If an accident should occur, it would be too late for them to opt out, even if they do not agree to donate."

In Singapore, some doctors had urged amending the Transplant Act, giving families the right to block such donations.

After the outcry over the Sim family's forced donation, the hospital and health ministry said in a statement that they would "continue to find practical solutions to minimize the emotional distress of families and staff in such situations."

Sim's kidneys went to patients who had waited six to eight years for donor organs, the ministry said.

His parents were offered five years of subsidized hospital fees -- and his family received a thank-you letter from the ministry for their "generous organ donation."

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Have child in a year, get $1,000

The Electric New Paper, Singapore
This scheme really demeans women's rights...

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# Matchmaking agency's gimmicks raise eyebrows
# $1 downpayment
# Interest-free instalments
JUST $1 as downpayment for a traditional China bride.
With a baby bonus carrot to boot.
That's the latest marketing gimmick by a matchmaking agency, Mr Cupid International Matchmakers.
By Dawn Chia
20 February 2007

JUST $1 as downpayment for a traditional China bride.
With a baby bonus carrot to boot.
That's the latest marketing gimmick by a matchmaking agency, Mr Cupid International Matchmakers.

But there's a catch to its eyebrow-raising offer.

Grooms will still have to pay the remaining matchmaking package eventually - in interest-free monthly instalments.

Mr Martin Wong, Mr Cupid's managing director, explained his agency's 'new initiatives'.

He told The New Paper: 'Our initiatives are introduced in accordance with the directives of the Government - which are to encourage people to marry and procreate.

'We want to encourage more people to marry by easing their financial burden when they get married, especially for those who may have to pay for a car, flat and other household expenses.'

The cost of a matchmaking package is $8,000 - a special price for the Chinese New Year period.

It is only applicable to brides from Fujian, China.

Here's how the $1 package works:
# Clients pay a $2,000 downpayment for the matchmaking package
# Upon successful selection of a bride in Fujian, clients will receive a $1,999 hongbao from the matchmaking agency

# The remaining $6,000 is payable in interest-free instalments over 10 months (or $600 monthly). Civil servants may opt for a special 15-month extended plan (or $400 monthly)
# There is a baby bonus for those who give birth to their first child within two years of marriage.

Couples who give birth to their first child within 12 months of marriage will be given a baby bonus of $1,000. Those who do so within 24 months will get $500.

Without the promotion, a China bride package costs $9,000 and does not include the $1,999 red packet, the instalment scheme and baby bonus.

In launching this interest-free instalment and catchy $1 promotion, Mr Wong is well aware of the potential backlash.

While potential clients will no doubt welcome the offer, some people have raised a cautionary flag. (See report on facing page.)

But as competition looms and industry players get more aggressive, Mr Wong sees the need to up the ante and offer something different to potential grooms.

BOLD MOVE

The $1 offer is a bold move for a once-conservative matchmaking industry, which started out by matchmaking men with brides from China.

Over the years, market forces and demand have driven agency owners to look to Vietnam, Cambodia and Kalimantan for more brides.

But Mr Wong is confident that his 'good intentions' will not be missed.

He said: 'The $2,000 token sum we collect upfront is to prevent people from abusing the system.

'We will be conducting the same checks as we do for all our packages - extensive interviews, character checks, income stability and so on.'

His agency is the only matchmaking outfit with CaseTrust accreditation - an accreditation scheme for retail and service sectors promoting fair and ethical business practices so that consumers can buy with confidence.

While Vietnamese brides are still hot favourites among many Singapore bachelors, Mr Wong noted that there is a growing number who are enquiring about China brides again.

Since last June, four in 10 customers who approached him ended up choosing a China bride. The rest chose Vietnamese women.

These China brides work and live in small towns and have never travelled outside of China.

Most work as retail assistants, factory production operators and restaurant waitresses, and earn between 800 yuan ($160) and 1,000 yuan a month.

Mr Tan, a civil servant in his late 40s, has already snapped up the $1 offer. He is earning about $3,000 a month.

He said: 'I've been putting off marriage for many years, and my mother has been nagging at me to settle down.

'It hit me that I'm not getting any younger, so when I approached the agency and learnt about this offer, I took it up.'

Mr Tan, who claimed he has never been in a relationship, doesn't see the $1 offer as a dollar value placed on his potential bride-to-be.

Yet he admitted that if he successfully found a bride, he would 'hide the truth' about how they met from his friends and colleagues.

He said: 'Other people might think that I'm paying for a wife and gossip about it, but I'm really paying for the agency's service.

'I can afford to pay for the package upfront, but since there's this interest-free instalment, I might as well take advantage of it.'

------------------------------------------------------------------

Counsellor: Don't put monetary value on marriage

CLEVER marketing gimmick, or a slap to the institution of marriage?

This is the question which ran through the minds of some people we asked.

And while some, like MP Halimah Yacob, didn't think a gimmick would push people into marriage, others had their reservations.

Family counsellor and therapist Charles Lee warned about having monetary values attached to a marriage and children.

Said Mr Lee: 'People should marry and have kids because they are emotionally and psychologically prepared, not because there is a monetary incentive dangled before them.'

Even Madam Halimah cautioned that going too far with promotions could be hurtful.

'We should not treat a marriage or the woman we want to marry as a product,' she said. 'It will cheapen the institution of marriage and demean the woman.'

Still, she acknowledged that most people are mature enough to think for themselves.

'People will get married and have kids when they are ready to, not because of a promotion like that,' she said.

'The $1 scheme is a creative and innovative way of attracting customers, but I don't think it will be the most important factor for rational people looking at marriage.'

Added Mr Lee: 'It is ultimately up to the consumer to be aware of the pitfalls, and be discerning enough to know if a particular scheme is suitable for him or her.'

As for whether the scheme could hurt the marriage, counsellor and psychologist Harry Low didn't think it would have much impact.

He said: 'If you want to hurt someone, you don't have to say you married her for only $1 or any other amount.

'Monetary value or worth is not the only thing you can use to hurt someone.'

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Poverty Analysis

Measuring Inequality
The Department of Statistics (SingStat) has just released a report which confirms that the income gap is increasing. In the report, the Gini coefficient is mentioned. Above is a World Bank webpage on poverty analysis which explains how the Gini coefficient works. Some of you may remember that Human Rights Day 2006 had a slogan of "Fighting Poverty: a matter of obligation, not charity". The SingStat report can be seen here.