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Former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin resigns as SNOC President amid scandal

Tan Chuan-Jin, who recently stepped down as Speaker of Parliament, also relinquished his role as Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) president.

SNOC confirmed his resignation and acknowledged his valuable service.

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SINGAPORE — Tan Chuan-Jin, who resigned as the Speaker of Parliament yesterday (17 Jul), also stepped down from his position as the president of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC).

In a statement released on Tuesday, SNOC confirmed the acceptance of Mr Tan’s resignation and expressed gratitude for his years of service and contributions.

Having served as the president of SNOC since 2014 and re-elected for a third term in September last year with unanimous support.

According to the SNOC constitution, in the event of the president’s resignation, the most senior vice president currently in office, Mrs Jessie Phua, will assume the role of acting president.

The acting president will fulfill the remaining term of the resigned president, as outlined in the SNOC constitution.

On Monday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong confirmed the resignation of Mr Tan and fellow People’s Action Party (PAP) MP Cheng Li Hui, in the wake of the revelations of their affair.

PM Lee also revealed that the two had persisted with the affair, which occurred before the General Election 2020, despite continued advice against it.

The announcement shocked the public and prompted significant questions about the Speaker’s impartiality.

Mr Tan, aged 54, is a married individual with two children. He commenced his political career in 2011 as a member of a five-member People’s Action Party (PAP) team contesting Marine Parade GRC.

Before assuming the role of Speaker of Parliament in 2017, he served as the Minister for Manpower from 2014 to 2014 and as the Minister for Social and Family Development from 2015 to 2017.

On the other hand, Ms Cheng, aged 47, is an unmarried individual who has been the MP for Tampines GRC since 2015, when she first entered the political arena.

Soh Rui Yong extends olive branch amidst controversy with former SNOC president

Local long-distance runner, Soh Rui Yong, shared two photos on his Facebook page, reflecting on the time he won his first SEA Games gold medal in June 2015, and Mr Tan, then SNOC president, presented the medal to him.

Mr. Soh credited Mr Tan’s camera skills for capturing the iconic finish line photo.

“The iconic photo of me crossing the finish line was taken thanks to his camera competence. ”

Expressing a lasting connection to his first SEA Games experience through those memories and pictures, Mr Soh expressed his desire for reconciliation before either of them leaves the sports or office.

In a compassionate gesture, Mr Soh extended his best wishes to Mr. Tan and his family during what must be a challenging time, encouraging everyone to exercise grace and understanding.

Soh excluded from Asian Games due to social media comments regarding past controversies with Tan Chuan-Jin

Previously, a controversial decision was reported, with the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) under then-president Mr Tan excluding Mr Soh from the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, scheduled for 23 September to 8 October.

Soh Rui Yong, a two-time SEA Games marathon champion, returned to international competition at the Cambodia SEA Games in May this year, where he won a silver medal in the 10,000m race.

Despite meeting the Asian Games qualifying mark for the same distance, his name was conspicuously absent from SNOC’s latest list of successful appeals.

According to a spokesman, Mr Soh was accused of not honoring his commitments to the SNOC, including those made following his participation in the Cambodia 2023 SEA Games.

SNOC provided a 30-page document detailing the problematic posts from March to May 2023, and a six-page document on Mr Soh’s comments made on a podcast by Shasi Kumar, a former professional footballer, as the Straits Times has reported.

He has also previously accused Mr Tan, also a former Army General, of blocking him on various social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, hindering communication and exacerbating their disagreements.

In a Facebook post on his non-selection in 2019, Mr Soh criticized the SNOC and its president, saying, “I’m disappointed that SNOC president Tan Chuan-Jin and his team have chosen to behave in such a petty manner. This is akin to primary school playground politics where kids go, ‘I don’t friend you already!’ just because you say something they don’t like.”

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Singapore

Bangladeshi worker dies at HDB construction site on McNair Road

A 38-year-old Bangladeshi worker died at a construction site in Singapore’s Balestier area on 11 October. He was struck by a precast concrete drain being lifted by an excavator. The Ministry of Manpower has launched an investigation, and lifting activities at the site have been suspended.

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A 38-year-old Bangladeshi worker died on the morning of 11 October 2024 at a Housing and Development Board (HDB) construction site along McNair Road in the Balestier area.

The accident occurred around 9:20 a.m. at the McNair Heights Build-to-Order (BTO) project, where the worker was struck by a precast concrete drain channel being lifted by an excavator.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) confirmed the worker’s death, stating, “He was pronounced dead at the scene by an attending paramedic.”

Following the incident, MOM ordered Kay Lim Construction and Trading, the construction company responsible for the project, to halt all lifting activities involving precast concrete drain channels at the site.

HDB provided additional details, noting that “the precast component was being hoisted for installation at ground level when the accident occurred.”

HDB further commented, “Safety at our worksites is of utmost priority, and we are working with the building contractor to assist the authorities with their investigations on this matter.”

The police confirmed that investigations are ongoing, though no further details have been provided at this time.

The Ministry of Manpower also announced that it will increase enforcement actions in high-risk sectors, starting 14 October, to ensure strict adherence to workplace safety regulations.

“MOM’s enforcement efforts will include both larger construction projects and smaller-scale works involving Addition & Alteration and renovation works,” the ministry said.

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Civil Society

Meta and X served targeted POFMA order after activist’s non-compliance

Meta and X received targeted correction directions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act on 11 Oct after activist Kokila Annamalai failed to comply with a correction order. The Ministry of Home Affairs stated her misleading posts claimed the government executes arbitrarily without due legal process and will refer her to the POFMA Office for investigation.

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SINGAPORE: Two social media platforms have been served with targeted correction directions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) on Friday (11 October), after activist Kokila Annamalai failed to comply with a correction order issued to her last week.

Ms Annamalai received the order on 5 October for misleading posts made on Facebook and X.

In a statement, The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the posts falsely claimed that “the government schedules and stays executions arbitrarily and without regard for due legal process, and that the State does not bear the legal burden of proving a drug trafficking charge against the accused person.”

MHA noted that an article on the government fact-checking website Factually elaborated on why Ms Annamalai’s assertions were false.

The order mandated that she post a correction notice on the two posts; however, she has not complied.

In light of this non-compliance, the Minister for Home Affairs has directed the POFMA Office to issue a targeted correction direction to Meta Platforms and X.

This order requires the platforms to notify users who have seen the posts that they contain false statements and to provide a link to the Factually article explaining the inaccuracies.

MHA also announced that it would refer Ms Annamalai to the POFMA Office for investigations regarding her failure to comply with the correction direction issued on 5 October.

Earlier, the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN), an organisation advocating for the abolition of the death penalty in the Asia-Pacific region, was also served with a correction order by the Singapore government under POFMA.

This order, initiated by Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam, was in response to alleged false claims made by ADPAN in social media posts on 3 October 2024.

The posts, which were circulated on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, related to Singapore’s legal processes for death row prisoners and the treatment of activists opposing the death penalty.

They were released just before the scheduled execution of Mohammad Azwan Bohari, a drug trafficking convict sentenced to death for possessing over 26.5 grammes of pure heroin.

While ADPAN has since complied with the correction order by adding a notice to the original posts across its social media accounts, the group has expressed its intention to engage further with the order.

ADPAN reiterated its commitment to its statements and opinions, which it asserts are protected by international human rights law and standards, and expressed solidarity with human rights defenders and groups on the ground.

The organisation also reserved the right to issue additional statements on the matter.

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