TR EMERITUS

Written by Our Correspondent Despite the sluggish economy, the prices of resale HDB flats continue to rise, hitting a record high in the fourth quarter of last year. Figures released by HDB show prices rose by 3.8 per cent in the fourth quarter and 8 per cent in all for the entire 2009. HDB flat prices have risen almost 40 per cent over the past three years. The Resale Price Index (RPI) hit 150.7 in the fourth quarter, up from the third quarter's 145.2 and far beyond the previous peak of 136.9 achieved in the fourth quarter of 1996. According to property analysts, the sky-rocketing prices is due to demand outpacing supply, fueled particularly by PRs over-paying for resale flats in prime areas. One Indonesian PR paid $653,000 for a 4-room resale flat in Queenstown when he could easily afford to buy a condominium. Singapore PRs are allowed to purchase HDB flats in the open market and sell them for a hefty profit years later. There is no minimum period of residency in Singapore before a foreigner can apply for PR or to buy a HDB flat. The ruling party's pro-foreigner policy, especially towards the PRs enable them to exploit loopholes in the system to their own benefits. There are stories of PRs, especially Malaysians, who retire comfortably back to their homelands with a lump sum from the sale of their HDB flats in Singapore. An earlier report by ERA Real Estate Agency reveals that 40 per cent of its buyers of resale HDB flats are PRs. PropNex chief executive Mohamed Ismail said that permanent residents estimated that PRs made up 20 per cent of his agency's total HDB sales. The managing director of C&H Realty Albert Lu claimed that PRs account for as high as 50 per cent of all HDB resale transactions. National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan told parliament lately that PRs are "under-represented" in the HDB resale market without substantiating his statements. He subsequently admitted that he has been "caught off guard" by the relentless rise in the prices of HDB flats. However, he was quick to reassure that HDB flats remain "affordable" to ordinary Singaporeans and it is a "good thing" that prices continue to rise as it "generates wealth" for Singaporeans. As the prices of new HDB flats are pegged to that of resale flats, the prices of BTO flats have hit a record high as well. A recently launched project at Queenstown fetched prices of over $500,000 and $600,000 for four and five room flats respectively. One financial consultant warns that only couples who has a combined monthly income of more than $7,500 can consider buying these flats and even then, they will have to deplete their CPFs on top of forking out a few hundred dollars in cash just to finance the housing loan. While public housing is being increasingly priced out of reach of Singaporeans especially the young, the Ministry is busy building low-cost public housing for the mainland Chinese in the Tianjin Eco-city, a joint project between the Singapore and Chinese governments.  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent For the first time three weeks after the fatal accident involving a vehicle from the Romanian embassy, one government minister finally bothered to comment on the case. The double hit and run accident which took place on the morning of 15 December 2009 at Bukit Panjang attracted much public attention due to the callous manner in which the driver hit the three pedestrians and then fled from the scene without stopping to assist them. One of them, 30 year old Mr Tong Kok Wai had since died from his injuries on Christmas Day. The other victim Mr Bong is still warded in hospital. Speaking to reporters at the Indonesian Embassy after signing the condolence book for former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, who died last week, Mr Yeo said: "What happened was very bad. A man was killed. People were injured. The police are pursuing the matter very thoroughly but investigations are still ongoing and I shall not be commenting on them." The accident is a PR disaster for the Singapore authorities who appeared to be dragging their feet over it. Despite all evidence pointing towards Romanian diplomat Dr Silviu Ionescu as the prime suspect, he was still allowed to leave Singapore three days after the accident. Mr Yeo did not reveal if an application to waive Dr Silviu's diplomatic immunity has been submitted to the Romanian government. Police said in a statement issued yesterday that a team of investigators, acting on leads and analysis of forensic findings, has established the identities of relevant parties, including witnesses who stepped forward. The team is ascertaining the veracity of all information given and will be releasing information only at the "appropriate" time. Currently in Romania, Dr Silviu told the Romanian press that he has "nothing" to do with the accident and he will be returning to Singapore at the end of January to assist the police in its investigations. Mr Yeo seemed to have faith in the Singapore police when asked when the case would be closed, he said: "The Police are not sitting on their hands." There is no extradition treaty between Singapore and Romania. There is little the Singapore police can do if Dr Silviu choose not to return to Singapore. An online petition set up to call on the Romanian government to make ex-gratias payment to the victims of the families has drawn more than 2,000 signatories so far. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier said it would be conducting an "internal" investigation into the case which has made the headlines in Romania as well. Related articles: 1. Online petition calls on Romanian govt to make ex gratias payment 2. Dr Silviu Ionescu: I have no connection with the case 3. Dr Silviu Ionescu flagged taxi at Sungei Kadut 4. From Romania with love: The Great Singapore escape of Dr Silviu Ionescu 5. Singapore police has not ruled out Dr Silviu Ionescu as a suspect in its investigations 6. Romanian diplomat suspected to be driver of Audi in hit and run accident at Bukit Panjang  Read More →

OPINION Three weeks after a fatal accident at Bukit Panjang which robbed the life of an innocent young man leaving his newly-wed wife in tears, the Singapore police is still "investigating" the case. Fresh evidence emerging from new eye witnesses who have stepped forward to identify the driver of the black Audi belonging to the Romanian embassy seemed to implicate Romanian diplomat Dr Silviu Ionescu as the prime suspect. Two eye witnesses at the accident scene claimed they saw the driver when he winded down the car window to hurl obscenities at them for attempting to stop his vehicle from fleeing after knocking three pedestrians down. One taxi driver Mr Neo said he picked up a Caucasian man resembling Dr Silviu Ionescu at Sungei Kadut after the accident who called the police to report a car theft in his cab. Another driver Mr Tay told Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao that he witnessed the driver of the vehicle quarreling with a young Chinese/Korean lady at a traffic junction minutes before the accident took place. There were also glaring inconsistencies in Dr Silviu's initial testimony to the police. Dr Silviu had said he discovered the car was missing at the embassy together with his driver after he had returned from a KTV lounge. However, the driver claimed he was sleeping at that time and was informed of the car theft by Dr Silviu himself. In a later statement made through the Romania media, Dr Silviu changed his account and admitted he took a cab at Sungei Kadut to fetch him to a police station to report the car theft. Can Dr Silviu be at the Romanian embassy at Orchard and Sungei Kadut at the same time? Did he call the police to make the report at the embassy or in the taxi driven by Mr Neo? After such a major accident involving an embassy vehicle, Dr Silviu should have remained in Singapore to aid in the investigations since he is the highest ranking Romanian diplomat in Singapore. He could have easily procured the necessary medical treatment for his diabetes in Singapore. There is really no need for him to fly all the way back to Romania to have his condition managed. With all the evidence pointing towards Dr Silviu Ionescu so far, it is strange that the Singapore police had allowed him to leave the country. Even if Dr Silviu enjoys diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the police can inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to apply for a waiver from the Romanian government immediately to impound Dr Silviu's passport till investigations are complete. The nonchalant attitude of the Singapore police appears to give the impression that it is dragging its foot over the case because it involves a foreign diplomat. Had the culprit been a Singapore driver, he would have been charged in court for drink-driving and committing a rash act a long time ago. We are talking about the tragic loss of a human life and it is unacceptable that after three weeks, all the police can say is  - "investigations are still ongoing". Besides the families of the victims, the public is also interested to know what the police has found out between the accident then and now: 1. Who is the prime suspect in this case? 2. If Dr Silviu Ionescu is the prime suspect, what is being done to bring him back to Singapore to face justice? 3. Did Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs bother to apply for a waiver of Dr Silviu's diplomatic immunity from the Romanian government? 4. If Dr Silviu decides not to return to Singapore, are there any ways to prosecute him in Romania? 5. Most importantly, who can the families claim for damages? The authorities should be more forthcoming with the latest updates on the case and to provide timely advice and assistance to the victims' families as well. Due to intense public interest in the case, it is of paramount importance that public concerns are adequately and promptly addressed. It is not sufficient to come up with the usual cock and bull official statements like "police are still investigating the case" which can be easily conjured by a primary school kid. Put yourselves in the position of Mr Tong's wife and parents who are still grieving over his demise. How can they accept the fact that the culprit has not yet been identified let alone brought to justice after three long weeks? While it is understandable that the case is a bit more complicated than others because it involves an embassy, the very least the police can do is to keep us constantly updated about their latest findings. At the present juncture, Dr Silviu is not even considered a suspect! The Singapore police would only say that they have not "ruled out any suspect in the course of their investigations". This is such a straightforward case which should have been cracked within 48 hours as there were a few eye-witnesses at the scene who saw the driver and had described his features to the police. Why is the police taking so long to identify the driver? In the latest statement released yesterday, the police said that a team of investigators, acting on leads and analysis of forensic findings, has established the identities of relevant parties, including witnesses who stepped forward. The team is ascertaining the veracity of all information given and will be releasing information only at the "appropriate" time. While Dr Silviu is innocent until proven otherwise, the onus is on him to return to Singapore to clear the matter up. Only two persons have access to the embassy car involved in the fatal accident: Dr Silviu and his driver. As of now, the "thief" who stole the car and crashed it had not surfaced yet. No charges were brought against the driver who remained in Singapore. Dr Silviu Ionescu is reported to be in Romania, but his exact whereabouts remains unknown. Surely the black Audi cannot be driven by a ghost driver and knocked down the three pedestrians on its own? Who is the driver behind the wheels? If investigations revealed Dr Silviu Ionescu to be the prime suspect, then immediate actions must be taken down locate and bring him into custody. An official application to waive Dr Silviu Ionescu's diplomatic immunity should be submitted and a request made to the Romanian police to help find Dr Silviu Ionescu. At the rate the Singapore police is procrastinating on the case, Dr Silviu Ionescu will well be in Moldova, Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia or elsewhere by then or does it seriously believe his words that he will return to Singapore soon? The lack of urgency shown by the Singapore police is to bring the culprit to justice is really appalling. By the time they "conclude" their investigations at an "appropriate" time, Dr Silviu Ionescu may have already left Romania or does it seriously believe he will return to Singapore to face the music? It must be a long tortuous wait for the families of the victims, especially the wife and parents of Mr Tong who are still mourning his loss. In the meantime, Dr Silviu Ionescu continues his merry-making in Romania. Whether he is responsible for the accident or not, the fact remains that his embassy car did cause the death of a young man. The very least Dr Silviu should do as a diplomat and a decent human being is to express his condolences to Mr Tong's family and to offer them some help instead of hiding back home in Romania.  Read More →