Latest news with #RSAF
The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
Two men charged in Singapore over fatal accident between two ships near Pedra Branca island
An injured crewman being attended to at Singapore General Hospital after being airlifted there on RSAF's Rescue 10 H225M medium-lift helicopter on July 19, 2024. - Photo: The Republic of Singapore Air Force/Facebook SINGAPORE: Two men are facing charges over a fatal accident between two ships, the Hafnia Nile and the Ceres I, near Pedra Branca on July 19, 2024. The Straits Times had earlier reported that the ships caught fire and 36 crew members from both vessels were rescued. Indian national Soosai Antony Vainer, 35, and Sri Lankan Wickramage Viraj Amila Shavinda Perera, 40, were crew members on board the Singapore-registered Hafnia Nile when the accident took place 55km north-east of Pedra Branca – an island located at the eastern entrance of the Singapore Strait, about 24 nautical miles east of Singapore. Each man faces a charge under the Merchant Shipping Act, and their cases were mentioned in court on Wednesday (July 2). They are accused of failing to properly discharge their duties, causing serious damage to both vessels and the death of Sellakkannu Shanmugasundaram, who was on board the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe-registered Ceres I at the time. Another man, Ge Junfu, who was also on board the Ceres I, suffered serious injuries. Details about the injuries sustained by both men were not disclosed in court documents. Wickramage was the officer in charge of the navigational watch when the accident took place while Soosai was then the duty lookout of the watch. Soosai, who had allegedly observed that the Hafnia Nile was approaching Ceres I, is accused of failing to report the occurrence to the officer in charge of the navigational watch. Instead, Soosai purportedly steered the Hafnia Nile when not directed to do so and did not keep a proper lookout, resulting in an allision with Ceres I, which was said to be stationary at the time. An allision takes place when a moving object strikes a stationary one. Wickramage is accused of failing to make a full appraisal of the situation and failing to maintain situational awareness of the area around the Hafnia Nile. He is also said to have failed to ensure that a proper lookout was maintained before the allision took place. Soosai's case will be mentioned again in court on July 23 while Wickramage's case has been adjourned to July 30. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Straits Times
2 men face charges over fatal maritime accident near Pedra Branca island
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox An injured crewman being attended to at Singapore General Hospital after being airlifted there on RSAF's Rescue 10 H225M medium-lift helicopter. SINGAPORE – Two men are facing charges over a fatal accident between two ships - the Hafnia Nile and the Ceres I - near Pedra Branca on July 19, 2024. The Straits Times had earlier reported that the ships caught fire and 36 crew members from both vessels were later rescued. Indian national Soosai Antony Vainer, 35, and Sri Lankan Wickramage Viraj Amila Shavinda Perera, 40, were crew members on board the Singapore-registered Hafnia Nile when the accident took place 55km north-east of Pedra Branca – an island located at the eastern entrance of the Singapore Strait, about 24 nautical miles east of Singapore. Each man faces a charge under the Merchant Shipping Act and their cases were mentioned in court on July 2. They are accused of failing to properly discharge their duties, causing serious damage to both vessels and the death of Mr Sellakkannu Shanmugasundaram, who was on board the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe-registered Ceres I at the time. Another man, Mr Ge Junfu, who was also on board the Ceres I, suffered serious injuries. Details about the injuries sustained by both men were not disclosed in court documents. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 3 out of 4 in Singapore cannot identify deepfake content: Cyber Security Agency survey Singapore Ong Beng Seng's court hearing rescheduled one day before he was expected to plead guilty Singapore Three hair salons raided in clampdown on touting, vice, drugs in Geylang and Joo Chiat Singapore New $7.5m fund to encourage social service agencies to track impact of their programmes Singapore GrabCab, Singapore's newest taxi operator, hits the roads with over 40 cabs to be rolled out in July Singapore Police looking into claim by driver who caused teen's death that he was an NUS student Asia Dalai Lama says he will have successor after his death Business Cathay Cineplexes gets demand for $3.4 million in arrears from Jem landlord Wickramage was the officer in charge of the navigational watch when the accident took place, while Soosai was then the duty lookout of the watch. Soosai, who had allegedly observed that the Hafnia Nile was approaching Ceres I, is accused of failing to report the occurrence to the officer in charge of the navigational watch. Instead, Soosai purportedly steered the Hafnia Nile when not directed to do so and did not keep a proper lookout, resulting in an allision with Ceres I, which was said to be stationary at the time. An allision takes place when a moving object strikes a stationary one. Wickramage is accused of failing to make a full appraisal of the situation and failing to maintain situational awareness of the area around the Hafnia Nile. He is also said to have failed to ensure that a proper lookout was maintained before the allision took place. Soosai's case will be mentioned again in court on July 23 while Wickramage's case has been adjourned to July 30.
AsiaOne
6 days ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Chan Chun Sing on defence: 'We are not at war, but neither are we at peace', Singapore News
While Singapore may not be fighting a war now, that doesn't mean we should be complacent, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said in an interview with the media at the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) headquarters at Bukit Gombak on Wednesday (June 25). Chan, 55, highlighted some new developments in the global security order ahead of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Day on July 1, stating that there are more conflicts today — not just conventional, but also in cyberspace. "Today we are not at war, but neither are we at peace," he said. "Today — and every day — the SAF is operating somewhere in-between. "On the cyberspace, the number of threat incidents that we have to deal with every day with other government agencies is not a small number." Chan, previously Education Minister, was appointed Defence Minister following Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's cabinet reshuffle on May 21. The defence minister added that these "information operations" that are conducted on Singapore or when Singapore becomes a collateral are not something that Mindef will take lightly. Hundreds of threats every year: RSAF But threats in cyberspace aren't the only dangers that the SAF face. The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) deals with hundreds of threats every year to ensure the safety of our airspace, while the Republic of Singapore Navy keeps our seas clear amid the thousands of ships that the Maritime Security Task Force must deal with. Meanwhile, the SAF works behind the scenes with numerous operations to make sure "nothing appears in your news cycle", Chan said, explaining that this may mean many Singaporeans may not appreciate what the SAF is doing to keep the country safe. "There are many day-to-day activities that the SAF has to be on alert for in order to keep Singapore safe, and that our way of life, at least, won't be disrupted." Although some of the threats that we face in the present may be new, the concepts behind them are not, the minister said. "Frankly, even when I was in the SAF, we were talking about these kinds of threats 20, 30 years ago… I was dealing with these kinds of issues even when I was a major in the force in the 1990s. "But the volume and the intensity — these have changed." Chan served with the SAF between 1987 and 2011 where he became Chief of Army before leaving to run in the 2011 General Election. He was the Chief of Army from 2010 to 2011. Conflicts elsewhere can affect Singapore Chan also explained that conflicts across the globe may not directly involve our country, but can impact us. "A more uncertain global security environment will certainly lead to or reinforce the uncertainties in the economic environment," he said, explaining that job opportunities, wages and commodity prices here would all be impacted. "What is happening on the security front is closely intertwined with what is happening on the economic front," he added. He was referring to multiple conflicts around the world such as the Israel-Iran war which went on for 12 days before a ceasefire came into effect on Wednesday (June 25). Aside from the heightened security concerns, Chan also looked at the economic impact of the Iran conflict — among other conflicts — has had on the world. He explained risks of uncertainty in the global economic system and the global supply chain. "Once you start to break up the global supply chain, everybody is working on what we call the local optimum, rather than the global optimum. "Prices are likely to go up rather than down, so the impact is not to be underestimated," he said. "If prices go up, jobs go down, wages don't grow — it's a very tricky situation." Tokenism an 'injustice' to both individual and system Chan also dealt with questions raised by reporters about tokenism within the SAF and how individuals are promoted. Tokenism in this context refers to the hiring or promotion of an SAF employee who is also part of a minority in order to make the SAF appear more inclusive. He emphasised that selection in the SAF is based on merit, explaining that there are two fundamental considerations when selecting people. The organisation looks at a person's capacity to carry out his duty, which is based on merit, as well as how this person's abilities can be best applied when deployed, Chan stated. "We will never apply tokenism to any deployment," he said. "It does injustice to the individual, it does injustice to the system. "The SAF will continue to broaden our recruitment of people from diverse pools and walks of life." NS for women? On the topic of women serving National Service (NS), Chan said that even though the constitution says that "all able-bodied Singaporeans can be conscripted", women may not be needed to enlist, yet. "Whether it is men or women, if we want to do conscription, there must be a real operational need for it — that must always drive it," he explained. But even without full conscription, there are calls for more women to be given the chance to experience NS. "I think many of them want to experience, see and also contribute, that's why I think we have such strong support for the SAF Volunteer Corps." The SAF Volunteer Corps is a uniformed volunteer scheme to give Singaporeans and Permanent Residents a chance to contribute to national defence. "It's very heartening to see the support for the SAF Volunteer Corps," Chan added. "More and more women are coming forward not just to serve in the Volunteer Corps, but also in the regular corps." Mindef has also continued to expand deployment of female officers across the four services of the SAF, which has given them more opportunities to make contributions, he said. [[nid:718746]] khooyihang@
New Paper
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Paper
Who's that man acting as President Tharman at NDP rehearsals? TikTok wants to know
There was a very audible buzz across the Padang and Marina Bay when he emerged from the Presidential limousine. But the crowd was not reacting to the arrival of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam - the oohs and ahs, or, more specifically, the very Singaporean "wahs", were for the President's stand-in. The moment during last Saturday's National Day Parade rehearsal was captured and shared on TikTok by user Elvinstinct, who describes himself as a "casual photographer with a broken sense of humour". The President will traditionally only make an appearance on the actual National Day Parade, and spectators would see a stand-in during rehearsals. The reactions to this year's stand-in have continued long after the rehearsal - that viral 19-second clip that has since garnered more than 660,000 views, with many commenters curious as to who he is. "THIS BELONGS TO MY HEAR ME OUT CAKE," declared one commenter in all caps, referencing the TikTok trend where users confess crushes through cake images. "He's damnnn handsome in a good way," said another, without explaining what a bad way might be. Several also offered - jokingly, of course - to be the President's stand-in for future NDP rehearsals. While some cheekily dubbed him "Taobao Tharman" or questioned the casting ("Why wasn't he Indian?"), the tone was mostly light-hearted and positive. Many praised his poise and presence. "Bro took his assignment seriously. It's not every day you get to be a president even if it's a stand-in," was the comment that received the most reactions. Even Elvinstinct chimed in: "He understood the assignment perfectly." It's not the first time a presidential stand-in has turned heads. Last year, RSAF Captain Lam Hong Xiang went viral for playing President Tharman during rehearsals - prompting a short reveal video from the Air Force itself. So far, no official word yet on the identity of this year's lookalike-in-chief. The New Paper has reached out to the NDP 2025 organising committee for more information. It's uncertain whether he will be reprising his role for upcoming rehearsals, but if TikTok has anything to say about it, he's already won hearts - presidential or not.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
'Damn handsome' stand-in for President Tharman at NDP rehearsals wins netizens' hearts
Ivan Lim TNP June 27, 2025 There was a very audible buzz across the Padang and Marina Bay when he emerged from the Presidential limousine. But the crowd was not reacting to the arrival of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam - the oohs and ahs, or, more specifically, the very Singaporean "wahs", were for the President's stand-in. The moment during last Saturday's National Day Parade rehearsal was captured and shared on TikTok by user Elvinstinct, who describes himself as a "casual photographer with a broken sense of humour". The President will traditionally only make an appearance on the actual National Day Parade, and spectators would see a stand-in during rehearsals. The reactions to this year's stand-in have continued long after the rehearsal - that viral 19-second clip that has since garnered more than 660,000 views, with many commenters curious as to who he is. "THIS BELONGS TO MY HEAR ME OUT CAKE," declared one commenter in all caps, referencing the TikTok trend where users confess crushes through cake images. "He's damnnn handsome in a good way," said another, without explaining what a bad way might be. Several also offered - jokingly, of course - to be the President's stand-in for future NDP rehearsals. While some cheekily dubbed him "Taobao Tharman" or questioned the casting ("Why wasn't he Indian?"), the tone was mostly light-hearted and positive. Many praised his poise and presence. "Bro took his assignment seriously. It's not every day you get to be a president even if it's a stand-in," was the comment that received the most reactions. Even Elvinstinct chimed in: "He understood the assignment perfectly." It's not the first time a presidential stand-in has turned heads. Last year, RSAF Captain Lam Hong Xiang went viral for playing President Tharman during rehearsals - prompting a short reveal video from the Air Force itself. So far, no official word yet on the identity of this year's lookalike-in-chief. The New Paper has reached out to the NDP 2025 organising committee for more information. It's uncertain whether he will be reprising his role for upcoming rehearsals, but if TikTok has anything to say about it, he's already won hearts - presidential or not. Click here to contribute a story or submit it to our WhatsApp Get more of Stomp's latest updates by following us on:
