Current Affairs
焦虑的主人寻猫记 “无论生死只盼回到身边”
最近闹得沸沸扬扬的寻猫报导,无论在社交媒体或是报章上都可以看到,有人或许觉得大惊小怪,但是身为猫咪的主人,焦虑的心情又是几人能体会。明知家中的毛孩子没有做错却要被冤枉带走,寻找多时,只传来了一只失踪一只死亡的消息,让人心力交瘁,而猫咪主人现在只求“Leng Leng回家”。
星期五深夜,这里大多数餐厅和商店几乎关闭的时段,在港湾中心(Harbourfront Centre)外面,新加坡文化遗产节的大荧幕还在放映着,但很多摊位已经准备收摊了。双层巴士正在通往巴士车站的路上,带着疲惫的通勤者回家。在这些喧哗中,一阵装着饼干的塑料容器摇晃声音响起,一名女人沿着这条路走,摇着塑料容器,低头在人行道上绿树成荫的灌木丛中喊道,“Leng Leng!Ah Leng!”
58岁的格蕾丝·陈(译音Grace Tan),过去两周都没放弃寻找Leng Leng,她从位于马林台的住家,一路南下到港湾中心,在行人道徘徊,一遍一遍地检查灌木丛和树丛中,一声一声的呼唤爱猫。
市镇会初时否认抓猫
2019年3月8日,格蕾丝自兼职工作中回到她位于马林台的租屋时,发现她的两只猫Ben Ben和Leng Leng ,还有一只她用于进行救猫工作的笼子失踪了。她之前将猫笼放在屋子外面。她指出,马林百列市镇会初期只告诉她,他们拿了她的猫笼,但是没有抓猫,尽管她每天到办公室去寻求答案,仍然没有接到任何回应。
一直到3月14日,在格蕾丝参加了人民集会,并在前一天晚上和议员暨新加坡荣誉国务资政吴作栋会面后,市镇会才承认他们带走了Ben Ben 和Leng Leng。
格蕾丝告诉《网络公民》说道,“他们表示,不知道市镇会聘请了哪家公司负责抓猫” 。但是市镇会官员承诺会帮他们查询资料。
抓猫者坚持自己没错
格蕾丝表示,当她在3月18日(星期一)和一名朋友来到市镇会时,有一男人与他们会面了,并表示是他救了她的猫,并把猫咪送到安全的地方。
格蕾丝用中文说道,“我说,‘如果有需要,你可以将猫咪送到AVA(农粮局),你没有权利抓我的猫。’他说他是救我的猫咪,如果他将猫咪交给农粮局,猫咪数天后就死了。”
“我说道,‘不要告诉我死不死的……你放猫咪们的地方可能非常危险。’他说不会。他一直坚持说不会。”但是男子并没有告诉格蕾丝,他将Ben Ben 和 Leng Leng带到哪里去了。
为猫咪无法寻到回家路落泪
在爱猫协会(Cat Welfare Society)的协助下,格蕾丝终于寻获了市镇会最后将猫咪丢弃的地点:两只4岁的猫咪被遗留在靠近港湾地铁附近的声音小贩中心(Seah Im Food Centre)。
二话不说,她就召了德士赶赴该处。当她看到猫咪被丢弃在森林地区时,顿时崩溃了。视线所见有密集的树叶、玛朗路附近的停车场以及小贩中心后面的巴士站,这里一切和两只猫在组屋的居住世界完全不同了。
“当我看到山丘、树林,我崩溃了。我真的哭出来了。我看到这个地方,感到心碎了……我觉得这真的让我的两个孩子很难回家。”当时,两只猫咪已经失踪了10天了。
“我的Ah Ben真的想回家”
在朋友的帮助下,她在当地搜寻到第二天的凌晨,张贴了两张猫咪的照片。她说,在大约早上三、四点时,她遇见一名孟加拉客工,说曾经在两天前看到Ben Ben,站在小贩中心对面的垃圾箱附近,就是市镇会说抛下猫咪的地点。
格蕾丝表示,客工形容Ben Ben 当时看似迷路了,站在下山丘的行人楼梯旁边。他再次回头看时,猫咪已经不见了。
格蕾丝的心沉了下去。在马林台,Ben Ben和11只猫咪(包括Leng Leng)住在她的租屋内,但也喜欢不时在组屋内游荡,还会上楼找常和它一起玩的邻居。格蕾丝都是站在楼梯间呼唤它;它就会跑下楼回家。看到小贩中心的楼梯,她可以猜出心爱的猫咪想要什么。
她开始哭着说道,“我知道这很糟糕,因为Ben Ben尝试走回家。它要走回家。我的Ah Ben真的想回家。但是它无法回到家,它真的无法回到家”。
寻获Ben Ben尸体
看出她的焦虑和恐惧,格蕾丝的朋友给予帮助,自愿花时间和精力帮她扫荡街头,张贴海报,并且在社交媒体贴文呼吁帮助。在3月27日,猫咪失踪了将近三周后,一名叫Tan’s partner的女子带来了坏消息:她看到一只看起来很像Ben Ben的猫尸。
格蕾丝回忆,当天到医院检查的男友,听到这消息也崩溃了。“他握着电话的手颤抖着。他很沮丧。他真的很怕那是Ben Ben。当我看到他时,我哭了”。
那个女子当时在上班途中,当她和格蕾丝谈话时,就已经过了半个小时。格蕾丝立即冲上德士飞奔到港湾中心。“我是一名佛教徒,我向观音祈求,‘你要将Ah Ben留给我。你必须将我的孩子留在那里和保护它,让它等我。不可以让其他人带走它’。”
当她抵达现场时,在看到躺在人行道草地上的猫尸,即刻认出来了。Ben Ben,这个只有数月大时被她从排水沟中救起的猫咪,已经死了。
向Ben Ben求助找Leng Leng
Ben Ben的死已无法改变,但搜寻Leng Leng的工作还在继续。格蕾丝努力坚持着希望。
她用着破音说道,“你知道吗,当我在27日将Ben Ben带回家时,我请它陪我一天后才送它走。我对着它说话到凌晨一、两点”。
“我告诉它,‘Ben Ben,妈咪的心好痛。但是你回来了,妈咪看到你真的很高兴。你能够告诉妈咪Leng Leng现在在哪里吗?你可以告诉我要去哪里带Leng Leng回家吗?你可以让我梦到它吗?’然后我真的梦到了Leng Leng……我当时打瞌睡,梦到Leng Leng。它坐在高处。但是那太快了;我尝试叫它,但是它不见了。我睁开眼睛说道,‘Ben Ben,我看到Leng Leng了,但是我真的不知道它在哪里’。”
星期五晚上,另外六人协助格蕾丝找猫。有人拨电通知他们,在该地区看到一只白猫,但是他们当时一无所获。他们之前在该区张贴了200张海报,但全被拆除了。
格蕾丝强调,“无论是生是死,我都要带它回家”。“想想都很心痛。我把Ben Ben的骨灰带回家,感觉它就在我身边一样。”
驳斥市镇会指10余只猫随处大小便
格蕾丝不谙英语,所以不知道刊登在其他媒体如Mothership.sg或《海峡时报》上的相关报导,也没有向更多记者讲述寻猫的详细经过。但是她对马林百列市镇会所发布的文告,指有大约15只猫“在建筑内自由走动,在走廊、楼梯间和电梯处,引发猫咪大小便、脱毛、大叫等卫生和骚扰问题”表示抗议。
她说道,“有时两、三只猫咪会出去。当我坐在外面走廊时,或者我在外面接听电话时,猫咪回到外面陪我”。“不可能超过10只猫咪在外面。有些猫咪,就算门开着,它们都不愿意出门。它们害怕。”
格蕾丝在喂养和拯救猫咪方面有十余年的经验。她养在家里的猫咪都是再被寻获时,受了伤或生病的,并且无法适应自由走动的猫咪。除了它们之外,格蕾丝还会在每天两次准时喂养住宅区内的流浪狗。
这举止有时也会引起邻居们的不满,尤其是不爱猫人士。格蕾丝表示,她常常被住宅区的人大声辱骂或侮辱,而且如果住宅区内有猫咪表现很糟糕,如大声叫、随处大小便或打架,都归咎于她。
据格蕾丝指出,农粮局的官员去年曾到访她家两次,他们检查了她的住家并查看了她的猫咪后,没有说什么评语就离开了。
她说,“他们说,‘好的,你的猫都获得良好照顾。没有臭味,没有腥味。’然后他们离开了”。“他们要求别让猫咪出去,但是我说猫咪们只是偶尔出去一次,然后他们说好的,就离开了。”
自从Ben Ben的事件曝光后,农粮局再次到访并作了更全面的询查。她告诉官员们,她的猫咪们都有经过消毒和微芯片处理,并且接受了全部所需要的疫苗注射。
多方询问未获回应
《网络公民》曾电邮农粮局有关相关事件,惟至截稿为止尚未获得任何回应。
爱猫协会则敦促所有宠物主人,将猫咪严禁在屋内,以免遭到虐待、暴打或者为邻居带来不便。
格蕾丝说道,“我已尽我所能(照顾动物),他们却来带走我的猫咪”。“到目前为止,我已经非常保护我的猫咪了,而(市镇会)才来就做了这些。我做这么多有什么意义?我做这么多到底是为了什么?”
她敏锐意识到,如果市镇会一开始就向她说明他们抓走和抛弃猫咪的情况,Ben Ben可能就不会死。“我们会(在之后)将它带回家。这就是我感到心痛的原因。”
面对来自社媒的舆论,马林百列市镇会为其工作人员在重新安置猫咪方面的“错误判断”表示道歉,并表示应该将猫咪送到新加坡农粮局。
被捕动物的残酷结局
猫咪被送到农粮局的动物,最后可能被安乐死。国家发展部长黄循财曾于2015年指出,有将近2500只动物,包括942只狗、888只猫和623只猴子被安乐死。虽然也有可能将被送入农粮局的动物救出,那就是采用许多猫咪援救者现在最熟悉的方法,尽快将动物申请带走,否则动物会在一周后安乐死 。
面对这些可能性,迁移他们会是较好的选项。但是被抛弃的动物,尤其是大部分被驯化的动物,它们在陌生的环境里会感到压力、害怕,并且可能无法寻获吃食,也可能面对死亡。
《网络公民》询问马林百列市镇会有关的后续问题,包括为何延迟告知格蕾丝猫咪被丢弃的地点、是否其他猫咪也丢弃在该处;市镇会是否会对私自带走猫咪的害虫公司或个人采取行动,再者,市镇会是否会改变其诱捕猫咪的政策。至截稿为止,市镇会仍没有回应。
格蕾丝说道,“我现在不要求太多”。“我只想Leng Leng回家,而且市镇会必须交出这个凶手。我不能让Ben Ben 和Leng Leng事件就这样过去,不问情由地就带走它们。”
Current Affairs
TJC issued 3rd POFMA order under Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods
The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC) was issued its third POFMA correction order on 5 October 2024 under the direction of Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods about death penalty processes. TJC has rejected the government’s claims, describing POFMA as a tool to suppress dissent.
The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), an advocacy group opposed to the death penalty, was issued its third Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) correction direction on 5 October 2024.
The correction was ordered by Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, following TJC’s publication of what the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) alleges to be false information regarding Singapore’s death row procedures and the prosecution of drug trafficking cases.
These statements were made on TJC’s website and across its social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter).
In addition to TJC, civil activist Kokila Annamalai was also issued a correction direction by the minister over posts she made on Facebook and X between 4 and 5 October 2024.
According to MHA, these posts echoed similar views on the death penalty and the legal procedures for drug-related offences, and contained statements that the ministry claims are false concerning the treatment of death row prisoners and the state’s legal responsibilities in drug trafficking cases.
MHA stated that the posts suggested the government schedules and stays executions arbitrarily, without due regard to legal processes, and that the state does not bear the burden of proving drug trafficking charges.
However, these alleged falsehoods are contested by MHA, which maintains that the government strictly follows legal procedures, scheduling executions only after all legal avenues have been exhausted, and that the state always carries the burden of proof in such cases.
In its official release, MHA emphasised, “The prosecution always bears the legal burden of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and this applies to all criminal offences, including drug trafficking.”
It also pointed to an article on the government fact-checking site Factually to provide further clarification on the issues raised.
As a result of these allegations, both TJC and Annamalai are now required to post correction notices. TJC must display these corrections on its website and social media platforms, while Annamalai is required to carry similar notices on her Facebook and X posts.
TikTok has also been issued a targeted correction direction, requiring the platform to communicate the correction to all Singapore-based users who viewed the related TJC post.
In a statement following the issuance of the correction direction, TJC strongly rejected the government’s claims. The group criticised the POFMA law, calling it a “political weapon used to crush dissent,” and argued that the order was more about the exercise of state power than the pursuit of truth. “We have put up the Correction Directions not because we accept any of what the government asserts, but because of the grossly unjust terms of the POFMA law,” TJC stated.
TJC further argued that the government’s control over Singapore’s media landscape enables it to push pro-death penalty views without opposition. The group also stated that it would not engage in prolonged legal battles over the POFMA correction orders, opting to focus on its abolitionist work instead.
This marks the third time TJC has been subject to a POFMA correction direction in recent months.
The group was previously issued two orders in August 2024 for making similar statements concerning death row prisoners.
In its latest statement, MHA noted that despite being corrected previously, TJC had repeated what the ministry views as falsehoods.
MHA also criticised TJC for presenting the perspective of a convicted drug trafficker without acknowledging the harm caused to victims of drug abuse.
Annamalai, a prominent civil rights activist, is also known for her involvement in various social justice campaigns. She was charged in June 2024 for her participation in a pro-Palestinian procession near the Istana. Her posts, now subject to correction, contained information similar to those presented by TJC regarding death penalty procedures and drug-related cases.
POFMA, which was introduced in 2019, allows the government to issue correction directions when it deems falsehoods are being spread online.
Critics of the law argue that it can be used to suppress dissent, while the government asserts that it is a necessary tool for combating misinformation. The law has been frequently invoked against opposition politicians and activists.
As of October 2024, Minister K Shanmugam has issued 17 POFMA directions, more than any other minister. Shanmugam, who was instrumental in introducing POFMA, is followed by National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who has issued 10 POFMA directions.
Major media outlets, including The Straits Times, Channel News Asia, and Mothership, have covered the POFMA directions. However, as of the time of writing, none have included TJC’s response rejecting the government’s allegations.
Current Affairs
Hotel Properties Limited suspends trading ahead of Ong Beng Seng’s court hearing
Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has halted trading ahead of his court appearance today (4 October). The announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at about 7.45am, citing a pending release of an announcement. Mr Ong faces one charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and another charge of obstruction of justice. He is due in court at 2.30pm.
SINGAPORE: Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel developer co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has requested a trading halt ahead of the Singapore tycoon’s scheduled court appearance today (4 October) afternoon.
This announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at approximately 7.45am, stating that the halt was due to a pending release of an announcement.
Mr Ong, who serves as HPL’s managing director and controlling shareholder, faces one charge under Section 165, accused of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, as well as one charge of obstruction of justice.
He is set to appear in court at 2.30pm on 4 October.
Ong’s charges stem from his involvement in a high-profile corruption case linked to former Singaporean transport minister S Iswaran.
The 80-year-old businessman was named in Iswaran’s initial graft charges earlier this year.
These charges alleged that Iswaran had corruptly received valuable gifts from Ong, including tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, flights, and a hotel stay in Doha.
These gifts were allegedly provided to advance Ong’s business interests, particularly in securing contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore GP and the ABBA Voyage virtual concert.
Although Iswaran no longer faces the original corruption charges, the prosecution amended them to lesser charges under Section 165.
Iswaran pleaded guilty on 24 September, 2024, to four counts under this section, which covered over S$400,000 worth of gifts, including flight tickets, sports event access, and luxury items like whisky and wines.
Additionally, he faced one count of obstructing justice for repaying Ong for a Doha-Singapore flight shortly before the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) became involved.
On 3 October, Iswaran was sentenced to one year in jail by presiding judge Justice Vincent Hoong.
The prosecution had sought a sentence of six to seven months for all charges, while the defence had asked for a significantly reduced sentence of no more than eight weeks.
Ong, a Malaysian national based in Singapore, was arrested by CPIB in July 2023 and released on bail shortly thereafter. Although no charges were initially filed against him, Ong’s involvement in the case intensified following Iswaran’s guilty plea.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had earlier indicated that it would soon make a decision regarding Ong’s legal standing, which has now led to the current charges.
According to the statement of facts read during Iswaran’s conviction, Ong’s case came to light as part of a broader investigation into his associates, which revealed Iswaran’s use of Ong’s private jet for a flight from Singapore to Doha in December 2022.
CPIB investigators uncovered the flight manifest and seized the document.
Upon learning that the flight records had been obtained, Ong contacted Iswaran, advising him to arrange for Singapore GP to bill him for the flight.
Iswaran subsequently paid Singapore GP S$5,700 for the Doha-Singapore business class flight in May 2023, forming the basis of his obstruction of justice charge.
Mr Ong is recognised as the figure who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008, marking the first night race in the sport’s history.
He holds the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix. Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and acted as the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters concerning the race.
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