NTUC Income launches new logo, tagline

Firm aims to re-affirm commitment not to maximise profits, to engage using a more energetic and modern approach
By UMA SHANKARI

NTUC Income yesterday launched a rebranding campaign in a bid to make itself more relevant to younger Singaporeans.

NEW LOOK, SAME PURPOSE

NTUC Income will remain focused on its social purpose and provide affordable, accessible, sustainable insurance.

There are two aims, said Income chief executive Tan Suee Chieh. First, to re-affirm the co-operative's commitment to be different from insurance companies that maximise profits for shareholders. And second, to engage the new generation through a more energetic and modern approach to business.

The brand change marks the latest milestone in a process of transformation and modernisation that began in 2007 when Mr Tan was appointed Income's CEO.

He said that even as it modernises, it will remained focused on its social purpose - the basis of its founding about 40 years ago - and provide affordable, accessible and sustainable insurance for Singaporeans.

Income's rebranding will be launched through a new logo and an advertising campaign. The company changed its logo in 2002 in a rebranding exercise, but Mr Tan said the latest exercise is more significant.

The new logo and tagline will be unveiled at the finale of Income's new flagship sponsorship programme, the NTUC Income Kite Festival 2009, today and tomorrow.

A giant four-metre wide kite will take to the sky to dramatically launch the new logo. Income says that it chose the kite festival to showcase its rebranding because the evolution of kite-flying reflects the insurer's own transformation: 'Both are rooted in rich tradition but continue to embrace fresh and new ideas to stay relevant to the times.'

Income also gave an update yesterday on its business for the first half of this year. Weighted premium income fell 14 per cent year-on-year to $99.5 million - from $115.6 million a year back - as the entire industry took a beating amid the economic downturn. Figures provided by Income show weighted premium income for the industry fell 44 per cent to $588 million, from $1.05 billion in H1 2008.

But Income had one good news item to share - because its business contracted less than the overall industry, it increased its market share to 16.9 per cent in H1 2009, from 11 per cent in H1 2008. And Mr Tan said that he is optimistic about the rest of the year.

Motorcycle accidents top deaths

I think can use this as opener for ADD or PAC plans. Especially for clients riding bikes.



Motorcycle accidents top deaths
By Wendy Hui

The Traffic Police have noted that, in the first half of the year, 42 per cent of deaths in traffic accidents were those of motorcyclists. The figure last year was 44 per cent. -- PHOTO: BH

TWO traffic accidents involving motorcycles happening within an hour of each another left three men - aged 21 or younger - dead on Tuesday.

In the first accident in Jurong at around 12.45 am, the motorcyclist died; in the second one in Sengkang, both the motorcyclist and his pillion died.

The trio will become part of the grim statistics for this year.

Already, the Traffic Police have noted that, in the first half of the year, 42 per cent of deaths in traffic accidents were those of motorcyclists. The figure last year was 44 per cent.

In the Jurong accident, motorcyclist Ganesan s/o K. Revi Chandran, 19, and his pillion Kok Chun Kai, 18, had stopped in the left-most lane at the signalised cross junction between Jalan Bahar and Jurong West Ave 5 when they were rammed from behind by a car.

Mr Chandran was then giving Mr Kok a ride home from Safra Jurong and the pair were headed for Lim Chu Kang Road.

Mr Kok, who is due to start his National Service stint next month, woke up with head injuries in hospital, remembering little.

Mr Chandran was pronounced dead at 2.10am in hospital.

The driver of the car, aged 29, is helping police with their investigations.

Read the full report in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.




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D-day looms for GE investors

Aug 22, 2009

D-day looms for GE investors

By Lorna Tan, Senior Correspondent

DECISION-DAY looms for the 18,000 investors in the Great Eastern (GE) Life product GreatLink Choice, (GLC) with the firm's take-themoney-and-run offer expiring on Friday.

At first glance, it looks like a no-brainer. Accept the offer and walk away with your initial stake as if you have not invested in the product.

But D-Day might be a bit more complicated than that for those who invested in the first couple of GLC tranches.

The single premium product was sold in five tranches between 2005 and 2007, netting the insurer $594 million in premiums.

It was marketed as a safe investment with a minimum sum of $5,000 and with the principal sum targeted to be returned at maturity. The plans have a five- or seven-year maturity, and the first two tranches would have matured in September and October next year.

It yields annual payouts of between 3.5 and 4.9 per cent of the capital invested, depending on the tranche. Both the principal repayment on maturity and annual payouts are not guaranteed. The investor also gets some life cover.

But the product was belted by the economic downturn. As at the end of last month, the values of the GLC plans, which are linked to a class of complex financial instruments, had plunged by between 27 and 77 per cent.

It prompted GE to offer a painless exit to customers, who have until Friday to accept the goodwill offer and redeem their plans.

Those who do will get a sum equal to their original investment, less total payouts received.

Customers stuck with the worst-hit tranches - GLC 3, 4 and 5 - will likely jump at the offer but those who bought into the first two tranches have not had losses anywhere near as bad so their decision is far from clear.

CONTRIBUTIONS AND IMPACT BY CPF

The 80s: Meeting New Needs

In 1984, Medisave was introduced. CPF members could use their Medisave savings for hospitalisation expenses for themselves and their immediate family members.

CPF schemes were also extended to family members. For example, members could use their CPF to insure themselves and provide their dependants with financial protection should death or permanent disability occur.

As life expectancy increased with better living standards, Singaporeans needed more savings to meet their old age needs. From 1987, members were required to set aside a minimum sum in their CPF at age 55 to provide them with a basic monthly income when they retire.


The 90s: Healthcare for Everyone

MediShield, a medical insurance scheme to help members pay for expenses incurred by long-term and serious illnesses, was introduced in 1990. To ensure that all Singaporeans have adequate savings for healthcare, Medisave was extended to self-employed persons in 1992.

More medical coverage

More medical coverage

By April Chong
		Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan (left) said the ministry will review how to support community hospitals, study the withdrawal limit out of Medisave and insurance coverage and see if $150-a-day is adequate. --ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA

WITH 'step-down care' being the Ministry of Health's next big area of focus, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Wednesday outlined some of the areas he will zoom in on in the coming months.

These include the funding of long-term care and the adequacy of insurance coverage for treatment at community hospitals, he told Parliament on Wednesday.

To cope with the demands of a rapidly ageing population, the Health Ministry will move beyond acute hospitals - which are now well covered by basic health-care insurance scheme MediShield - and focus instead on care outside such hospitals.

Appropriate funding for long-term care, including at-home nursing, is an area the ministry is studying and will be placing more emphasis on, he said.

'I'm quite sure it will be an area of focus in next year's Budget debate for the Ministry of Health,' he said without elaborating.

He was replying to Nominated MP Paulin Tay Straughan's question on whether MediShield is sufficient to cover those with chronic diseases and what plans there were to alleviate their health-care bills.

Another MP, Dr Lam Pin Min (Ang Mo Kio GRC), raised a separate concern: With the maximum daily withdrawal limit for inpatient care at acute hospitals set at $450 - much more than the $150 at community hospitals - the disparity might encourage patients to stay put in acute hospitals rather than transfer out.

Mr Khaw said the ministry will review how to support community hospitals, study the withdrawal limit out of Medisave and insurance coverage and see if $150-a-day is adequate.

He explained that distinct claim limits had been set because of the differing cost of care. The cost of care is lower in community hospitals, hence the claim limit is also lower.

'Sometimes if you set it too high, it may encourage providers to overprice knowing that somebody is paying the bill,' he said.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.

More under MediShield

[Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Tuesday that
he was confident of attaining this goal because of the effectiveness
of new measures introduced in December 2007.]

THE Health Ministry is working to reduce the number of Singaporeans not covered by a basic health-care insurance scheme.
It wants to slash the percentage of those not covered by MediShield - designed for those choosing subsidised wards B2 and C - from the current 16 per cent to a single digit number.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Tuesday that he was confident of attaining this goal because of the effectiveness of new measures introduced in December 2007.
The Government implemented automatic coverage for newborns, which starts when the birth of the child is registered.
Parents opposed to it can opt out when registering the birth. Currently, 98 per cent of newborn babies are covered.
Similarly, this medical insurance is bought for uninsured Primary 1 pupils.
Again, parents will pay for it and can opt out. So far, less than four per cent of parents have opted out of this scheme, said Mr Khaw.
His ministry is also currently working with schools to extend coverage to students in mainstream schools.
For adults, it is working with NTUC to get their members to sign up for their spouses.
As a result of these measures, MediShield coverage increased by 200,000 members last year, said Mr Khaw.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Time.

THE SUGAR KING

Interesting insight into how success comes about.

Robert Kuok Hock Nien's notes on the past sixty years

(On the occasion of Kuok Group's 60th Anniversary 10 April 2009)


[Robert Kuok is the boss of the Shangri-la Hotel Group and many other industries as stated at the end of the article. He had been named as "The Sugar King" of the world in the early days. He always stayed at a very low profile. It is a good article to read and understand the philosophy of a successful person, even though he has abundance of wealth!]


(1) My brothers and I owe our upbringing completely to Mother. She
was steeped in Ru-Jiao ? the teachings of Confucius, Mencius, Laozi and
other Chinese sages. Ru-Jiao teaches the correct behaviour for a human
being on his life on earth. Mother gently, and sometimes strongly, drummed
into the minds of her three boys the values of honesty, of never cheating,
lying, stealing or envying other people their material wealth or physical
attributes.


(2) Father died on 25 December 1948 night without leaving a will.
Following the Japanese surrender, he had re-registered the firm as a sole
proprietorship. We went to court to get an appointment as managers,
permitting us to continue to manage Tong Seng & Co. The judge said that,
as there were two widows, the firm and the estate should be wound up.


(3) We decided to establish Kuok Brothers Limited. In mid-January
1949, five of us met at a small roundtable in our home in Johore Bahru.
Present were my MOTHER, cousin number five HOCK CHIN, cousin number twelve
HOCK SENG, my brother HOCK KHEE nicknamed Philip (a.k.a. cousin number
seventeen), and myself (a.k.a. cousin number twenty). We sat down and
Mother said, "Nien, would you like to start?" I said, "Fine, yes I will
start." To cut the long story short, we got started, and commenced
business from a little shop house in Johore Bharu on 1 April 1949.


(4) As a young man, I thought there was no substitute for hard work
and thinking up good, honest business plans and, without respite, pushing
them along. There will always be business on earth. Be humble; be
straight; don't be crooked; don't take advantage of people. To be a successful
businessman, I think you really need to brush all your senses every
morning, just as you brush your teeth. I coined the phrase "honing your
senses" in business: your vision, hearing, sense of smell, touch and
taste. All these senses come in very useful.


(5) Mother was the captain of our ship. She saw and sensed
everything, but being a wise person she didn't interfere. Yet she was the
background influence, the glue that bound the Group together. She taught
my cousins and my brothers and me never to be greedy, and that in making
money one could practise high morality. She stressed that whenever the firm does
well it should make donations to the charities operating in our societies.
She always kept us focused on the big picture in business. For example:
avoid businesses that bring harm, destruction or grief to people. This
includes trades like gambling, drugs, arms sales, loan-sharking and
prostitution.


(6) We started as little fish swimming in a bathtub. From there we
went to a lake and now we are in the open seas. Today our businesses cover
many industries and our operations are worldwide but this would not have
been possible without the vision of the founding members, the dedicated
contributions and loyalty of our colleagues and employees, and very
importantly the strong moral principles espoused by my mother.


(7) When I hire staff I look for honest, hardworking, intelligent
people. When I look candidates in the eye, they must appear very honest to
me. I do not look for MBAs or exceptional students. You may hire a
brilliant man, summa cum laude, first-class honours, but if his mind is
not a fair one or if he has a warped attitude in life, does brilliance really
matter?


(8) Among the first employees were Lau Teo Chin (Ee Wor), Kwok Chin
Luang (Ee Luang), Othman Samad (Kadir) and an Indian accountant called
Joachim who was a devout Roman Catholic and who travelled in every day
from Singapore where he lived.


(9) I would like on this special occasion to pay tribute to them and
in particular to those who were with us in the early days; many of whom
are no longer here. I have already mentioned Lau Teo Chin (Ee Wor) and Kwok
Chin Luang (Ee Luang) and Othman Samad (Kadir), there are others like Lean
Chye Huat, who is not here today due to failing eyesight, and Yusuf Sharif
who passed away in his home country India about one and a half years ago
and the late Lee Siew Wah, and others who all gave solid and unstinting
support and devotion to the Company. It saddens me that in those early
difficult years these pioneers did not enjoy significant and substantial
rewards but such is the order of things and a most unfortunate aspect of
capitalism. However through our Group and employee Foundations, today we
are able to help their descendants whenever there is a need to.


(10) I have learnt that the success of a company must depend on the
unity of all its employees. We are all in the same boat rowing against the
current and tide and every able person must pull the oars to move the boat
forward. Also, we must relentlessly endeavour to maintain and practise the
values of integrity and honesty, and eschew and reject greed and
arrogance.


(11) A few words of caution to all businessmen and women. I recall the
Chinese saying: shibai nai chenggong zhi mu (failure is the mother of
success). But in the last thirty years of my business life, I have come to
the conclusion that the reverse phrase is even truer of today's world:
chenggong nai shibai zhi mu. Success often breeds failure, because it
makes you arrogant, complacent and, therefore, lower your guard.


(12) The way forward for this world is through capitalism. Even China
has come to realise it. But it's equally true that capitalism, if allowed
to snowball along unchecked, can in many ways become destructive.
Capitalism needs to be inspected under a magnifying glass once a day, a
super-magnifying glass once a week, and put through the cleaning machine
once a month.

In capitalism, man needs elements of ambition and greed to
drive him. But where does ambition end and greed take over? That's why I
say that capitalism, if left to its own devices, will snowball along, roll
down the hill and cause a lot of damage. So a sound capitalist system
requires very strongly led, enlightened, wise governments. That means
politician-statesmen willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of
their people. I don't mean politicians who are there for fame, glory and to line
their pockets.


(13) To my mind the two great challenges facing China are the
restoration of education in morals and the establishment of a rule of law.
You must begin from the root up, imbuing and infusing moral lessons and
morality into youth, both at home and from kindergarten and primary school
upward through university. Every Chinese needs to accept the principle of
rule of law; then you have to train upright judges and lawyers to uphold
the legal system.


(14) Wealth should be used for two main purposes. One: for the
generation of greater wealth; in other words, you continue to invest,
creating prosperity and jobs in the country. Two: part of your wealth
should be applied to the betterment of mankind, either by acts of pure
philanthropy or by investment in research and development along the
frontiers of science, space, health care and so forth.


Tan Sri Robert Kuok Hock Nien (born 6 October 1923, in Johor Bahru, Johor), is an influential Malaysian Chinese businessman. According to Forbes his net worth is estimated to be around $10 billion on May 2008, making him the richest person in Southeast Asia. He is media shy and discreet; most of his businesses are privately held by him or his family. Apart from a multitude of enterprises in Malaysia, his companies have investments in many countries throughout Asia. His business interests range from sugarcane plantations (Perlis Plantations Bhd), sugar refinery, flour milling, animal feed, Palm oil and mining to finance, hotels, properties, trading and freight and publishing.

Somebody's watching you

Beware. You can run but you can't hide - from surveillance cameras in the street, spyware that can easily be installed in your phone and car, computer programs that steal your personal information, and social networks that expose intimate details of your life.

Privacy is becoming a thing of the past. One can pin the blame on technology, which has made it easier for stalkers to spy on others using myriad gadgets and computer programs.

But on the other hand, people are also willingly giving up their privacy by spilling details of their lives on online forums and social networks like Facebook and Twitter. They publish everything about themselves - favourite haunts, birth dates and even family photos

Couple found dead in hotel

Couple found dead in hotel
By Nur Dianah Suhaimi

The bodies were removed from the hotel by 3pm. By 5pm, everything was as per normal and guests - mostly local couples - were seen entering and leaving the hotel. -- PHOTO: HANDOUT

A COUPLE were found dead at Fragrance Hotel Kovan in Upper Serangoon on Saturday, around noon.

The man was in his early 40s while the woman was in her late 30s. Both were Chinese, said the police. It was not known when they had checked into the hotel or how they were related to each other.

The police said they received a call at 12.10pm Friday and found the motionless bodies in one of the rooms. Paramedics pronounced them dead 20 minutes later.

The police have classified the case as an unnatural death and are investigating.

When The Sunday Times visited the hotel, its receptionist refused to comment on the incident. She gave a number to contact the management but the latter could not be reached.

The Sunday Times understands that the couple were in a room on the fourth floor in the 43-room hotel.

The bodies were removed from the hotel by 3pm. By 5pm, everything was as per normal and guests - mostly local couples - were seen entering and leaving the hotel.

None of them knew what had happened, in response to queries by the Sunday Times. Shopkeepers in the nearby shops were equally clueless.

Said a fruit-stall owner who declined to be named: 'I saw the two bodies being carried out by the police. But the hotel refused to say what happened and nobody else knew what was happening.'

The hotel, part of the Fragrance chain of budget hotels, is located near Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre.

Policyholders in the dark on how bonuses, dividends are calculated

Policyholders in the dark on how bonuses, dividends are calculated

I AGREE with Ms Lorna Tan ('Insurance funds need more transparency', July 31) and Mr Larry Haverkamp ('Policyholders underpaid?', Aug 6) on the urgent need for more transparency in insurance. At the moment, there is no way for policyholders, on their own, to verify the quantum gain or loss from investments made by insurance companies, much less the formula they use to derive bonuses and dividends (both annual reversionary and terminal).

I received a letter from AIA on July 18 last year informing me of the projected maturity proceeds of my policy, maturing this month. The accumulated reversionary bonus and bonus for 2008 were also listed separately.

Just one year later on July 19, I received another letter advising me that AIA would credit my maturity proceeds to my account on my maturity date of Aug 1. This indicated a shortfall in my terminal bonus of up to 24 per cent, while reporting a slight increase in reversionary bonus for 2009.

Since both reversionary and terminal bonuses depend on the investment outcome, why should they move in opposite directions? I wrote to AIA a letter dated July 22 seeking clarification on the discrepancy, but it has yet to be answered despite several calls to the customer service hotline.

On Aug 5, I received a letter from AIA dated July 29 confirming payment of my maturity proceeds and indemnifying itself against further claims on the policy. Since I paid the premiums for this policy with my CPF money, the proceeds were paid directly to my CPF bank account, giving me no chance to reject the payment. I have since made a written report to AIA, reserving my right to further claims.

In short, if I had not noticed the discrepancy in the movements between the reversionary and terminal bonuses, I, like other policyholders, would have no choice but to accept the company's claim that the shortfall in terminal bonus was due to poor investment earnings.

Meanwhile, my case implies that AIA does not use 'orphaned funds' to smoothen the terminal bonus payouts, considering that many of its policyholders prematurely surrendered their policy last year, thus gorging the company with 'orphaned funds'.

Lim Khay Teg

Obama confident consensus on health care possible

WASHINGTON: Despite mounting criticism of his health care reform, US President Barack Obama expressed confidence Sunday that a national consensus on the measure was possible as he stepped up his campaign to win over public opinion. "I am confident that when all is said and done, we can forge the consensus we need to achieve this goal," the president wrote in an op-ed piece in The New York Times. "We are already closer to achieving health-insurance reform than we have ever been." He argued that the American Nurses Association and the American Medical Association were in favor of his reform, and that there was broad agreement in Congress on about 80 per cent of what was necessary to do.

Obama also pointed out that his administration had an agreement with drug companies to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors. The president wants Congress to approve his health care reform proposals by the end of the year in order to fulfill one of his key campaign promises - providing health care to the 46 million Americans, some 15 per cent of the population, who currently do not have any medical coverage. Obama's health care plan includes a government insurance option, which has been fiercely criticised by Republicans. The US president also hopes to cut in half runaway healthcare expenditures which, if unchecked, are forecast to gobble up one-fifth of US gross domestic product by 2013. But he has met increasing resistance from Republicans and even some among his own Democratic Party worried about the costs of such a reform.

Obama toured western states this weekend as he took his drive for health care reform on the road in an attempt to wrest back control of the debate on his flagship domestic policy. In his article, Obama warned that in the coming weeks, "cynics and the naysayers" will continue to try to undermine his reform proposals. "But for all the scare tactics out there, what's truly scary - truly risky - is the prospect of doing nothing," he warned. "If we maintain the status quo, we will continue to see 14,000 Americans lose their health insurance every day," noted the president. "Premiums will continue to skyrocket. Our deficit will continue to grow. And insurance companies will continue to profit by discriminating against sick people."

Chelsea vs Man utd

The FA Community Shield sponsored by McDonald's
Ancelotti's Blues on the spot
By Stuart Mawhinney at Wembley - Sunday, 09 August, 2009

Ancelotti lands his first English honour.

Carlo Ancelotti won his first trophy with Chelsea as they defeated Manchester United on penalties at Wembley.

The west London club lifted The FA Cup little more than two months ago, and took the silverware home with them again today as their players held their nerve from 12 yards.

Chelsea had looked like winning the game in normal time after Frank Lampard put them ahead with 20 minutes remaining, only for Wayne Rooney to level the scores two minutes into injury time.

The game ebbed and flowed in glorious sunshine at Wembley, but the usual pre-season pace was not in evidence as both teams sought the psychological advantage going into the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Chelsea went close after just six minutes when a looping corner from Lampard was flicked on to the far post. Ivanovic timed his run perfectly but his shot was headed onto the bar and away by the alert Patrice Evra.

It was United who struck the early blow as Nani fired the Champions into the lead four minutes later. While the Red Devil's summer will largely be remembered for the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, it was another Portuguese winger who took the opportunity here to stake a claim for Ronaldo's starting place.

Nani was fed by Dimitar Berbatov and, using the overlapping run by Evra as a decoy, he turned onto his right foot and unleashed a low shot Petr Cech could not keep out.

While Chelsea enjoyed early possession, United were the greater threat on the counter attack and the lead was fully deserved.

Sir Alex Ferguson could have seen his side go further ahead with chances for Ji-Sung Park and Dimitar Berbatov in the space of five minutes midway through the first half. Park saw his point blank shot saved after Rooney had headed the ball across goal, while Cech denied Berbatov superbly when the Bulgarian was through on goal.

Chelsea seemed to be struggling to handle the movement of United's front four, but in typical fashion they gradually edged they way into the game and were rewarded with a couple of opportunities to level the scores before half-time.

Anelka and Malouda were at the heart of most of Chelsea's attacking play and both saw shots go narrowly wide before the interval.

It took the west London outfit just seven minutes in the second period to regain parity, from the head of Ricardo Carvalho. Linked with a move to Italy for the majority of the summer, the Portuguese defender was in the right place to guide the ball into the net following a Ben Foster punch.

Drogba and Foster collided as they both looked to meet a cross from Malouda, and while Foster got there first his punch did not clear the area and Carvalho headed into the unguarded net.

Chelsea were undoubtedly buoyed by the equaliser and immediately looked more likely to score again, with Anelka and Drogba both denied by fine saves from Foster.

Chelsea took the lead with 20 minutes remaining and it was Frank Lampard, the man who scored the winner in The FA Cup Final back in May, who grabbed the goal.

United were left exposed at the back as Chelsea broke with speed, and with Lampard unmarked at the back post it was a fairly simple task for the England midfield to drive the ball into the bottom corner.

Two of United's summer signings were introduced in the final period of the match, Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen replacing Berbatov and Nani, but it was their longest serving player Ryan Giggs who led the charge to level the game.

Delivering two dangerous free-kicks that Cech had to be alive to, Giggs then provided the burst and perfectly weighted pass for Wayne Rooney to equalise two minutes into injury time.

Latching onto the deft pass from Giggs, Rooney showed tremendous nerve to lift the ball with his left foot over the onrushing Cech and save United from defeat at the death.

With the game level at the final whistle the match went to penalties and this time it was Chelsea who were clinical from the spot, and took the first silverware of the season 4-1 with Saloman Kalou notching the decisive kick.

Lost fingers: Worker wins suit

Lost fingers: worker wins suit

Sub-contractor liable but not his direct employer, whose costs it will pay

By K.C. Vijayan, Law Correspondent

A CHINA worker who lost three fingers at work was offered $88,200 in Workmen's Compensation, but he said no thanks, and jointly sued his employer and another company.

Mr Ma HongFei's decision was vindicated last week, when he won an unusual judgment in court - he won one part of the suit, but lost the other.

But though he lost part of his case, he will not have to pay legal costs. The judge ordered that these will be borne by the company he sued successfully.

Mr Ma was worked at a site in Gul Road, Tuas two years ago. He was using a grinder when a 4m-long metal pipe fell from above and hit the index, ring and little fingers on his left hand. The impact thrust his fingers into the grinder, and crushed them.

He was taken to the National University Hospital for treatment, but doctors could not save his fingers, and they were amputated.

After investigations by the Ministry of Manpower, Mr Ma was offered Workmen's Compensation. But he refused, as he felt the sum was too low for the permanent disability he had suffered.

Mr Ma decided to sue both his employer, U-Hin Manufacturing, and the company he was sub-contracted to, BT-Engineering, which fabricates offshore equipment.

Last week, Justice Lai Siu Chiu found BT-Engineering negligent. However, U-Hin was not to blame, she said, as it was merely a labour supplier and could not be blamed.

BT-Engineering, on the other hand, was held liable because a temporary shoring at its worksite that would have held the pipe in place had been removed.

She thus ordered the company to pay damages, which would be assessed by the Registrar, as well as costs.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.

vijayan@sph.com.sg

Haze is back!!

Haze is back in S'pore

By Ess Aubrey Gabrelyn
		Haze is seen over Tampines' skyline in Singapore on August 6, 2009 at about 10am. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

IT'S back. Smoke haze shrouded Singapore on Thursday morning, with an acrid burning smell hanging in the air. The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit its first moderate level since February on Wednesday.

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA's) website, Wednesday's PSI level hit 52, falling into the moderate range (from 51 - 100).

Overall air quality has been falling over the past few months, with more days seeing moderate PSI levels in July than June.

Still, as long as air quality remains below 100 - which is in the good or moderate levels - the NEA website says citizens 'have no cause for concern'.

Meanwhile, across the causeway, Malaysia experienced the worst haze levels recorded this year, as smoke from blazing forest fires in Indonesia brought air quality range to unhealthy levels in six areas.

GE agents return commission

Aug 3, 2009

The GreatLink Choice (GLC) policies are investments the insurer decided last Friday to buy back at full cost.
ABOUT 1,000 Great Eastern Life agents have been asked to return up to $12.6 million in commissions received from policies they sold up to four years ago.
The GreatLink Choice (GLC) policies are investments the insurer decided last Friday to buy back at full cost.
About 18,000 policyholders invested a total of $594 million in the policies, buying from the insurer's network of agents.

GE investors laud payment

Aug 2, 2009

Mr Sekaran C. is one of about 18,000 Great Eastern Life customers who will get all of their money back. The company's offer was announced on Friday.

Teacher Sekaran C.'s jaw dropped when he learnt that he would be fully compensated for the $75,000 investment he made in a Great Eastern Life product four years ago.

He is one of about 18,000 Great Eastern Life customers who had bought GreatLink Choice (GLC), a series of investment-linked insurance products which were sold in five tranches between 2005 and 2007.

He will be getting about $65,000 after having received about $10,000 in payouts since 2005. He has about $200,000 worth of policies with the insurer, including this investment. 'I am glad that they have taken this proactive stance to put customer needs as a priority,' said Mr Sekaran, 41, on Saturday.

'If you look at what's been happening in this (economic) climate, too many big institutions have let people down...Great Eastern might have lost some money in the short term but in the long term, they will gain from this move,' he said, adding that 'people's confidence and trust in them will be entrenched'.

In a surprise move last Friday, Great Eastern announced that about 18,000 of its customers who had bought the products will be able to get all of their money back.

The GLC plans, available for a minimum investment of $5,000, had aimed to provide investors with fixed annual payouts ranging from 3.5 per cent to 4.9 per cent. Values have since plummeted between 40 per cent and 80 per cent. This voluntary move will cost Great Eastern $250 million.

Policyholders can opt to redeem their investments and receive a sum equal to their original investment, less total payouts received to date.

About 85 per cent of GLC customers are between 30 and 60 years old, with females making up 65 per cent of all policyholders, said a spokesman.

Other investors also applauded the move. Ms Annie Tan, 49, said she was not expecting such generosity from a financial institution, but 'is thankful for this opportunity' to redeem her $30,000 investment made in 2005.

Ceiling fan blade hits diner

Aug 2, 2009

Mr Lum's ankle was bruised and his boots were damaged when the blade came off at Cafe Vic.

IT WAS a long-awaited dinner between two childhood friends over their favourite food - durians.

But the durian buffet dinner at Carlton Hotel's Cafe Vic two weeks ago went terribly wrong for interior designer Marshall Lum, 30, and human resource officer Chur Sze Ying, 29.

While they were eating at the restaurant's alfresco dining area, the blade of a rotating ceiling fan above them came off with a loud bang, spun wildly around the area and hit Mr Lum on the ankle before landing on the floor.

Shocked, the pair immediately ran to the side of the restaurant because they feared that the ceiling fan, which was still rotating, might come crashing down on them.
Mr Lum's ankle was bruised and his snakeskin boots were damaged by the fan's blade, which was about 75cm long.

Despite the commotion this caused among the 20 or so diners in the area, none of the service staff came to check on him, said Mr Lum.

'We were just left standing there like clowns. The service staff who were standing around before suddenly ran off somewhere. Nobody came to ask if we were okay or to switch off the fan which looked wobbly,' he said.

They had to wait for 10 minutes before a restaurant staff member came by to check on them.
Mr Lum said he had to speak to three restaurant staff before he was referred to the manager. He also had to remind them to switch off the ceiling fan.

'Nobody seemed to know what to do. They were just passing the buck,' he said of the incident on July 24.