Singapore - Floods & Droughts 01 (Jun 11 - Dec 11)

[winston]

No policy against taking flood photos: Minister
By yahoosingapore – July 18th, 2010

Minister for Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim says there is no policy against taking photos of floods.

The issue came to light after Singaporeans reacted with a mixture of surprise and outrage over a newspaper photographer being handcuffed for taking photos of Saturday morning’s flash floods.

Responding to a question from Member of Parliament Penny Low during a parliament session on Monday, Dr Yaacob said, “From what we understand, the photographer was warned because of safety issues, not because of privacy issues.”

“There’s nothing private about a flood, and I think based upon the report, that’s what we understood to have happened that morning,” he added.

The Singapore National Union of Journalists has since described the detention, although brief, as a “very unpleasant and humiliating experience” for the photographer.

The issue has also attracted over 2,400 comments from Yahoo! Fit-to-Post users who have questioned why the police arrested the photographer in question when he was simply doing his job.

Yahoo! FTP user, Night Hawk said, ”Was it illegal to take flood photos? Why was he handcuffed? Looking at both sides of the story, the possibility is that the said photographer may have argued and offended the police?”

Another user Roger called for an explanation into the incident.

“Is there any Standard Operating Procedure for this? I believe the MHA and SPF owe the public an explanation.”

Others like zizu also gave the police the benefit of the doubt.

“I guess we only jump to conclusion here. We don’t know the real conversation between the two. I think surely there is something going on leading to the man being detained. Sometimes reporters do go overboard without realising they did anything wrong.”

The strong reactions by Singaporeans arose after Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao’s Saturday evening edition ran a photo of its photographer, with visible handcuff marks still on his wrist, and that of a policeman side by side on its front page, under a headline that said, “Photographer arrested because of taking photos”.

In a Page 5 report, the newspaper detailed how its 57-year-old photojournalist, Shafie Goh, was detained by police for one hour before being allowed to leave.

His detention at about 7am on Saturday took place after a policeman saw the veteran photographer taking pictures of snarling traffic and stranded vehicles along Upper Bukit Timah Road, one of the areas badly hit by Saturday morning’s floods.

After being spotted by an unidentified on-duty policeman who was mobilised to deal with the traffic situation, Mr Goh was asked to leave the scene.

However, he pleaded with the policeman to be allowed to take one more photograph.

Before he could finish talking, the policeman took out his handcuffs and placed them on his right hand. He was also told he would be brought down to a police station.

Mr Goh then asked, “I am not a criminal. Why are you handcuffing me?”

The policeman then brought him to the roadside and told him to wait for an investigator.

He was only released after an hour.

A police statement released on Sunday said that officers had repeatedly asked Mr Goh to move to a safe place as he was taking photos in a dangerous position.

A spokesman said, “As he was causing obstruction to the police officer in the discharge of his duties and causing danger to himself and others, the officers decided to restrain him and move him to safe grounds, but the man resisted and put up a struggle. The officers then had to handcuff him.”

http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/07/18 ... od-photos/

[tonylim]

Chief Engineer says....Juciy Anne Kwan Lor!
So Lee Beth Anna Kwan??


Title : MM Lee says no amount of engineering can prevent flooding
By :
Date : 21 July 2010 2012 hrs (SST)
URL : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/ ... 18/1/.html

SINGAPORE : Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has said no amount of engineering can prevent flooding.

Speaking to the media after touring the waterfront development at the Kallang and Kolam Ayer areas, Mr Lee emphasised there is a limited amount of space in Singapore that developers can take underground. There is also a limited amount of space for canals.

So if Singapore has extraordinary rainfall, the country has to prepare for it.

Mr Lee noted that Singapore and Singaporeans expect everything to be perfect, which he said the nation's leaders try to do.

But he added that there are some things which are beyond human control as they are acts of God - unless Singaporeans want to have half the country developed with roads, and the rest with canals.

Mr Lee was accompanied by the Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim and grassroots leaders.

Earlier in the evening, they visited the Kolam Ayer Active, Beautiful and Clean or ABC Waterfront and The River Vista at Kallang where he was given an update on the developments in the area.

The Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) programme is a long-term initiative which transforms Singapore's reservoirs and waterways into vibrant, aesthetically-pleasing rivers and lakes.

Opened to the public in April 2008, the Kolam Ayer ABC Waterfront is the pilot project for this programme.

The demonstration project featured a makeover of a 250-metre stretch of the Kallang River, bringing waterfront living to the doorstep of HDB heartlanders.

- CNA/al

So we will have to live with it. Liat tower, lucky plaza , etc etc will have to face it now and then.

[cif5000]

What? You call that flood?

It reminds me of a time when I was trying to catch a plane after several days of heavy rain. The water level was "only" knee-deep and my winter jacket soaked. The road traffic was frozen but I managed to get to the airport on a 4-wheel drive. I was late. Fortunately the plane was also delayed. So fun.

Again, what? Singapore flood?

[kennynah]

last night, i jokingly yahoo messaged an old friend returning from a stint in beijing...telling him to better check if changi airport runways are flooded on the day of his return flight...and that after having sold his condo...he can now look forward to swimming along orchard road, free of charge...


anyways... when your MM says "it's too bad...live with it".... that is not going to differ a bit from ancient imperial decree... it shall be as decreed... no need to ask why, when, how, what, who...becos, that's a decree....

so, singaporeans, live with it....the floods and everything else imperially decreed...

[iam802]

Let's make it easier.

No finger pointing around. We are all here to solve the problem.

After looking at the problem, I have identified the party responsible.

Hidden Content:

There is only one.

[kennynah]

solid joke... i vote for this to be the #1 joke of the year !!! serious... very witty ...wahahahaha....

[-dol-]

Hearing it from the foreigners who are putting up at Bkt Timah, I am quite surprised they are so traumatised by these floods. In many other countries, it is par for the course. The Singapore floods are relatively minor in comparison.

Perhaps these foreigners have fitted so well into Singapore society that they have taken for granted that this is the safest place on earth where everything works like clockwork. Not to mention the highest-paid world-class govt that one can possibly have to look after the smallest red dot.

Is it time to revise downwards the "Singapore premium"?

[winston]

STRAITS TIMES - Underwriters are reviewing their risk exposure for properties in flood-prone areas in Singapore, and people living in or owning these properties could pay more for general insurance in the future.

[-dol-]

Is it time to revise downwards the "Singapore premium"?

So it is time to revise upwards the insurance premium.

And if according to MM Lee that there is nothing much that they can do, then the insurance premium should probably rise.

Yesterday's ST show 52 flood-prone areas listed by PUB, not including the latest victims of the recent flood such as Orchard Road, Opera Estate and Jalan Boon Lay. Going by the map, most of the residential areas in the island are flood-prone - with concentration in some of the most desired addresses in town.

[Aspellian]

I heard from a friend who has been staying in Bukit Timah since young that flooding over there is relatively common. Its just the severity of it. So I wonder why is it still the most desired address in Town. Anyone can enlighten me????