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Asia Pulp & Paper stands with Singapore at Temasek Foundation’s #BYOBclean initiative to distribute hand sanitizers to all households

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Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world, will be participating in Temasek Foundation’s #BYOBclean initiative to distribute hand sanitizers to all households in Singapore. The company will stand united with more than 70 other corporates, unions, universities, and community organisations in supporting Singapore communities during this COVID-19 outbreak.

As part of its contribution to the #BYOBclean initiative, APP volunteers will be present at Telok Blangah Community Centre from 23 to 29 March, to facilitate the distribution of 500ml of zero-alcohol hand sanitizer to every household.

To collect the hand sanitizer, residents will need to bring along and present the #BYOBclean pamphlet that has been delivered to all households in Singapore.

What’s more, in the spirit of sustainability – a cause supported by APP – the initiative also requires each household to bring their own clean and reusable bottle for collection. Hence, the term “BYOB” which equates to “bring your own bottle”.

“We are grateful to Temasek Foundation for the opportunity to do our part for Singapore, especially in an initiative like #BYOBclean that will see people from various walks of life step forward to contribute,” said Mr Bernard Tan, Singapore Country President at Sinar Mas.

“The unity on show is heartwarming, and a good reminder that we – corporates, unions, and communities – are standing united for a common cause, alongside the people and government of Singapore. And that together, we can help make a difference,” he added.

In addition to the Telok Blangah CC distribution center where APP volunteers are supporting distribution efforts, the hand sanitizers will be available for collection at any of the 109 CCs around Singapore from 23 to 29 March 2020. The hand sanitizers are also available for collection from 23 March to 5 April 2020, at 16 participating CapitaLand malls.

“Doing Good for the community is at the heart of Temasek’s DNA. We are very encouraged by the enthusiastic support and ideas from so many organizations and volunteers. Together, we share a common goal – to try our best to help Singapore stay prepared and resilient during this tough and uncertain time. “We hope this sanitizer will come in handy for all Singapore residents, for everyone to pick up the habit of washing or sanitizing our hands regularly,” noted Lim Boon Heng, Chairman at Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd.

“It is heartening to the community of Singapore step forward to help one another during these challenging times. APP is inspired, and we look forward to contributing more in the future,” he added.

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Pro-Palestine residents call for sanctions against Israel during meet-the-people session in Punggol-West

Pro-Palestinian supporters from Punggol West engaged MP Sun Xueling at a Meet-the-People Session, urging Singapore to consider sanctions against Israel amid the ongoing crisis that has claimed at least 42,000 Palestinian lives. While Sun highlighted Singapore’s S$17 million in humanitarian aid, residents questioned the effectiveness of aid given the country’s arms trade with Israel.

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SINGAPORE: Marking one year since the Israeli assault on Palestine that claimed over 42,000 lives, on 7 October 2024, pro-Palestinian supporters from Punggol West gathered at a Meet-the-People Session to discuss sanctions against Israel with MP Sun Xueling.

Ms Sun highlighted Singapore’s humanitarian efforts, noting that over S$17 million (approximately US$13 million) had been directed to the region. She called the crisis a “huge human catastrophe” and advocated for an immediate ceasefire.

However, residents questioned the feasibility of a ceasefire given Singapore’s ongoing arms trade with Israel, citing the purchase of Blue Spear missiles for the Navy and the display of Israeli weapons at the Singapore Air Show.  They also pointed out that Israeli defense company Elbit Systems operates in Singapore.

Although Ms Sun was not involved in arms discussions, she promised to raise these concerns with the relevant ministries.

On 2 July 2024, Mr Leong Mun Wai, Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) from the Progress Singapore Party, asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether Singapore had sold any defence materials to Israel since the conflict began on 7 October 2023.

Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan responded that Singapore strictly adheres to international arms sales obligations and submits regular reports to the UN, but does not disclose specifics due to national security reasons. It should be noted that there is no embargo on arms sales to Israel.

On 18 September 2024, Singapore voted in favour of UN General Assembly Resolution A/ES-10/L.31, which called for a halt to imports from Israeli settlements and arms provisions to Israel in situations where they might be used in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Following this, NCMP Leong filed a question regarding whether Singapore would implement the resolution’s steps.

The session shifted to concerns about a broader conflict, with residents referencing Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon and Syria and questioning whether sanctions were being considered.

Ms Sun acknowledged their fears and affirmed that the crisis in Gaza was unacceptable.

When asked about sanctions, she explained that the Israel-Palestine conflict is more complex than other international issues, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, but assured residents she would relay their concerns to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

Residents pressed further, questioning whether Israel’s invasion of Lebanon justified sanctions and expressing frustration about a perceived double standard in how invasions in the Middle East are treated compared to those involving predominantly white countries.

Ms Sun noted that Singapore had previously imposed sanctions in other contexts, such as during the US invasion of Grenada and Vietnam’s incursion into Cambodia, emphasizing that sanctions are not determined by ethnicity.

They also pointed out the inconsistency in Singapore’s approach, highlighting that the country only established diplomatic ties with South Africa after the end of apartheid.

Ms Sun admitted her limited knowledge of this history but promised to raise these examples with the MFA.

The session concluded with residents submitting a petition urging the government to impose sanctions on Israel.

Netizens criticize Singapore’s stance on Israel

Under a post by Monday of Palestine Solidarity on Instagram, netizens voiced their opinions on the recent dialogue between Punggol West residents and MP Sun Xueling regarding Singapore’s stance on Israel.

One user questioned Ms Sun’s knowledge of the situation in Palestine, asking, “Is she even aware of what’s happening at all?”

They argued that while Ms Sun claimed the scale of the conflict was different from the Russia-Ukraine war, the situation in Palestine is actually far worse.

The user criticized her for not using accurate terms to describe the crisis, suggesting she was avoiding terms like “mass murder,” “apartheid,” “genocide,” and “ethnic extermination.”

The commenter also pointed out historical context, referencing a New York Times article from June 20, 1899, titled “Conference of Zionists in Baltimore: Will Colonize Palestine,” to emphasize the long-standing nature of the issue.

They concluded by stating, “Humanitarian aid does NOT stop the killing,” highlighting the need for stronger action.

Another user expressed frustration, calling the government’s response “absolutely unacceptable.”

They criticized Singapore for being one of the top exporters of weapons, which are “being used and tested on Palestinians,” while only offering humanitarian aid and failing to take meaningful action against Israel.

One commenter highlighted the disparity in Singapore’s response, noting that the government had immediately sanctioned Russia when the war in Ukraine began, yet after a year of violence in Palestine, no similar action had been taken against Israel.

Another user challenged the common narrative that the Israel-Palestine conflict is an ancient issue that spans thousands of years, calling it a “lazy excuse for inaction.”

They stressed that Israel has been in violation of international law since its illegal occupation of Palestine and the establishment of apartheid in 1967.

Some users expressed skepticism about Singapore’s ability to take a stronger stance. One commenter argued that Singapore depends on its Zionist allies for security, stating that any action against Israel could jeopardize the country’s safety.

They pointed to the historical ties between Singapore and Israel, particularly in building Singapore’s military, and concluded that speaking out against Israel would endanger Singapore’s security and stability.

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IMDA to probe Singtel’s island-wide landline outage of 8 October

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is investigating Singtel’s island-wide landline outage on 8 October, emphasising its commitment to thoroughly examining any public telecommunications service interruption. A Singtel spokesperson described the outage as an “isolated incident,” adding that there is “no evidence to suggest it is a cyber-related event.”

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On 8 October 2024, a significant landline outage affected Singtel customers across the island.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) stated that it takes any public telecommunications service interruption seriously and will investigate the incident thoroughly.

In a Facebook update at 8:25 PM on the same day, Singtel announced that its fixed voice services had been fully restored.

The telecommunications provider expressed its apologies for the disruption and the inconvenience caused to customers.

Earlier, the disruption also impacted emergency call services, affecting both the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

Members of the public experiencing difficulties reaching emergency numbers 995 or 999 were advised to send an SMS to SCDF at 70995 or SPF at 70999.

Both SPF and SCDF later reported on 7PM that the earlier disruption affecting the 995 and 999 emergency hotlines has been resolved.

The authorities assured the public that they could resume using these hotlines for emergencies and expressed gratitude for the public’s understanding during the outage.

Earlier that day, around noon, multiple users reported difficulties making calls through landlines on Singtel’s official Facebook page and X (formerly Twitter), including problems with office lines.

A check on Downdetector revealed a surge in outage reports for Singtel beginning around 2 PM, peaking at 2,781 complaints. By 5 PM, the number of reports had decreased to over 500.

According to the feedback on Downdetector, most of the problems faced by users pertain to landlines, which matches the responses from netizens on social media platforms.

Major institutions were also affected by the outage. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), the National Cancer Centre, and Changi General Hospital (CGH), all under SingHealth, alerted the public to the disruption.

By approximately 6:30 PM, all three institutions confirmed that their telephone services had been restored.

Additionally, Singapore’s three local banks—DBS, UOB, and OCBC—reported similar issues with their customer service hotlines during the outage.

According to CNA, a spokesperson from Singtel described the outage as an “isolated incident” and stated that there is “no evidence to suggest it is a cyber-related event.”

 

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