There is no enforcement in Singapore

[True Believer]

What kind of enforcement is there when it is "ownself check ownself"?

 

[k1976]

Singapore Law if for Poor Coolie genes ONLY

 

[True Believer]

Singapore Law if for Poor Coolie genes ONLY

 

[k1976]

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: Stronger measures needed against smoking and littering at public parks​

Jun 30, 2025

I have noticed more smokers lighting up in public parks, particularly near Jalan Rumah Tinggi and the ABC Market area.

Many of them do so even though smoking is prohibited in public parks, and go on to litter at the same spot.

Unfortunately, there is no signage at these locations indicating that smoking and littering are offences. Both carry composite fines, but since there are no clear signboards indicating that, many smokers claim ignorance when approached.

When I reminded some people that smoking is not allowed, they insisted that they were unaware of the prohibition since they did not see any signboards there.

This issue is especially concerning during the evenings, when families and children use the park for exercise and recreation. It is distressing to have to inhale second-hand smoke while trying to enjoy outdoor activities in what should be a smoke-free environment.

For the health and well-being of all park users, especially young children playing in the playground, I urge the authorities to consider stronger enforcement measures. These could include more prominent signage, regular patrols, stricter fines, and public education campaigns.

I look forward to seeing meaningful action taken towards achieving a healthier and cleaner Singapore.

Chay Yu Sam

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: MOM takes firm stance against misuse of Training Employment Pass​

Jul 01, 2025

We refer to the article “Attempted misuse of work pass for foreign students or trainees ongoing for years: Industry insiders” (June 24).

The Training Employment Pass (TEP) allows employers to provide opportunities for foreign students and intra-corporate trainees to undergo practical training in Singapore for up to three months and is not renewable.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has been monitoring TEP numbers. MOM has mounted several proactive operations to detect abuse of the TEP scheme. Arising from these operations, about 70 companies are now being investigated for offences such as making false declarations in work pass applications.

Making false declarations is a serious offence. If convicted, an offender can be fined up to $20,000, or jailed for up to two years, or both. Errant employers will also have their work pass privileges suspended.

MOM has established that some workers were misled by employers or agents who falsely promised that the TEP could be renewed or extended beyond the three-month validity period. In some cases, workers were told that the declared salary and work duration in their In-Principle Approval (IPA) letters were merely to comply with MOM regulations, and that private arrangements such as lower salaries or longer employment periods could be done. Such practices are a serious breach of MOM regulations and amount to circumventing work pass conditions.

Workers are reminded to review their IPA letters carefully, which clearly state their salary, occupation, and the period of employment which the TEP is granted for. Affected workers may reach out to MOM for assistance.

Adrian Quek
Divisional Director
Foreign Manpower Management Division
Ministry of Manpower

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: Stricter enforcement needed against safety violations by dump trucks​

Jul 02, 2025

I have often seen dumping trucks on the roads transporting construction waste and debris in clear violation of safety regulations, and with little regard for the safety of other road users.

Many of these trucks are overloaded, with waste piled well above the capacity of their dumping boxes or open-top containers. The lids and covers are often ineffective at preventing spillage or falling debris, posing serious hazards to other road users. This danger is made worse when some drivers speed.

A key reason behind this reckless behaviour appears to be profit-driven incentives. Drivers are often paid based on the number of trips they complete, while companies disposing of the waste seek to cut costs by maximising the load on every truck.

The relevant authorities must step up enforcement efforts and impose stiff penalties on both errant drivers and irresponsible trucking companies. Stronger action is needed to deter such dangerous practices and make roads safer for everyone.

Lum Hon Chew

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

NTUC says some foreigners taking on platform work illegally, calls for work group to address issue

NTUC said it had received feedback of such illegal practices through its regular engagement with platform workers.

Jul 04, 2025

SINGAPORE – A work group has been formed by the Government, following a call by the labour movement to tackle the issue of foreigners illegally doing delivery work here and impacting the earnings of platform workers.

The trilateral work group consists of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Grab Singapore, as well as the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) along with its affiliated associations.

In a joint statement on July 4, MOM and MOT said that the group will be overseen by Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Transport Sun Xueling, NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng, and Grab’s group managing director of operations Yee Wee Tang.

This comes after Mr Ng had earlier on July 4 called on the Government to form such a work group to address the issue, as well as other challenges facing platform workers, who contract with platform operators to provide services, primarily in ride hailing and delivery.

Their ranks here include private-hire drivers working for companies like Grab and Gojek, and delivery riders for services like GrabFood, foodpanda and Deliveroo.

Mr Ng said in a statement: “Our platform workers are vulnerable, as they face a variety of challenges in making a living. It is not right that they suffer from reduced earnings due to competition from illegal workers.”

NTUC said it had received feedback about such illegal practices through its regular engagement with platform workers.

“Some of these foreigners illegally take on delivery jobs directly on platforms by misusing accounts,” said NTUC. “This is not allowed, as platform work can be undertaken only by Singaporeans.”

NTUC also noted that platform operators here are allowed to outsource delivery jobs to other companies, which can hire foreigners with work permits to fulfil the jobs.

However, there have been reports of some foreigners illegally performing such jobs without work permits, it said.

“This creates illegal or unfair competition for our delivery workers, and it has a direct impact on their earnings,” it added.

This latest problem comes on top of other challenges that platform workers already face, such as income instability, noted NTUC.

Such instability can be caused by drivers or riders having a lack of clarity on what kind of jobs they will be allocated and how much they will earn, as these are determined by algorithms.

Platform companies also have incentive schemes that encourage longer working hours, which can lead to safety issues, NTUC added.

The labour movement noted that, in the past year, unauthorised ride-hailing services have also sprouted up on messaging apps like Telegram, eating into the ride-hailing pie and reducing the earnings of private-hire drivers.


MOM and MOT said the trilateral group will collectively address these challenges faced by the workers, and “safeguard their well-being in view of the rapidly evolving platform economy”.

The ministries added that the proactive participation of Grab, a key player in Singapore’s platform economy, sends a strong signal on the commitment of platform operators in collaborating with the Government and NTUC to address salient issues.

“We will explore bringing the other platform operators into the discussions subsequently,” said the ministries.

A Grab spokesman said in a statement that the company is committed to working alongside the Government, NTUC and other platform operators to stamp out illegal delivery services and safeguard the livelihoods of platform workers.

The spokesman added that Grab has measures in place to prevent foreigners from registering as platform workers, and will work as part of the group to share and co-develop best practices.

The ministries also said that the new trilateral group will be a regular platform for the Government to support efforts to resolve issues that may require regulatory intervention.

In a Facebook post, Mr Ng said that NTUC and its associations – the National Delivery Champions Association, the National Private Hire Vehicles Association and the National Taxi Association – have successfully championed the rights of platform workers through the passage of the Platform Workers Act, which came into effect in 2025.
Under the Act, platform operators are required to provide work injury compensation insurance for platform workers, and to pay more in Central Provident Fund contributions, among other things.

“But more must be done, and quickly,” Mr Ng added.

This is as challenges such as foreigners doing delivery jobs illegally make it harder for platform workers to earn a stable income to support themselves and their families, he said.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Security is so poor at the immigration checkpoints.
And all ICA can say is: “ICA will not hesitate to take firm action against travellers who attempt to enter Singapore using an impersonated identity or an identity different from their previous trips to Singapore,” said the spokesman.

Low Eng Kheng was sentenced to eight months and 18 weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to five charges under the Immigration Act.

Jul 11, 2025

SINGAPORE – A Singaporean who was trying to avoid his national service (NS) obligations in the 1990s used fake Malaysian passports to enter and exit the Republic to conceal his identity from the authorities.

Over a span of five years from 2006 to 2011, Low Eng Kheng, 60, used the fake passports 876 times at various checkpoints in Singapore.

On July 11, he was sentenced to eight months and 18 weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to five charges under the Immigration Act.


The court heard that in the early 1990s, Low left Singapore for Malaysia as he did not wish to complete his obligations as an operationally ready national serviceman (NSman).

He remained in Malaysia and did not return to Singapore, and his Singapore passport expired in June 2000.

In 2006, he wanted to travel to Singapore to visit his family as his mother’s health was deteriorating, but was afraid of using his actual Singapore identity as he believed that he was wanted by the authorities for not fulfilling his NSman obligations.

Thus, he paid an unknown individual RM45,000 for a Malaysian passport with his photograph but the particulars of one “Chong Poh Yin” and a birthdate that was not his.

In the subsequent years between 2008 and 2010, Low obtained three more Malaysian passports with his photograph but which bore the particulars of “Chong”. He paid the same unknown individual RM10,000 for each passport.

Low used the first passport to enter Singapore on Aug 7, 2006. After that, he frequently travelled between Singapore and Malaysia using the four passports. He last arrived in Singapore using one of the passports on May 2, 2011.


Between March and May 2011, he also gave false statements on his disembarkation forms to immigration officers on 59 occasions. These included his name, his date of birth and country of birth.

In September 2023, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) began investigations into Low as he had been found to be someone with multiple identities. It was not mentioned in court documents how his crimes came to light.

Low was arrested in August 2024.

Deputy Superintendent Ganeshvaran, senior prosecution officer from ICA, highlighted to the court that it was a conscious decision on Low’s part to run away from Singapore as he did not want to complete his NSman obligations, and to subsequently conceal his true identity to avoid the authorities.

In mitigation, defence lawyer Thomas Tham said his client did not use the Malaysian passports to enter Singapore to commit offences.

“Instead, he came to Singapore as a driver to send people around to try to make a living for his wife and kids. The sheer number of times he used the passports was because of the nature of his job as a driver,” said Mr Tham.


In a statement on July 11, an ICA spokesman said that since July 2020, multi-modal biometric clearance systems have been in place at the checkpoints to better detect and deny entry to those with multiple identities or impersonated identities.

All automated and manual immigration lanes and manual counters at Singapore’s land, sea and air checkpoints have been equipped with iris and facial scanners, said ICA, adding that the two biometric identifiers, in addition to fingerprints as a secondary biometric identifier, provide a highly accurate way of authenticating travellers’ identities.

“ICA will not hesitate to take firm action against travellers who attempt to enter Singapore using an impersonated identity or an identity different from their previous trips to Singapore,” said the spokesman.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Government looking at enhancing laws around vaping to tackle issue of drug-laced vapes in Singapore​

Under current laws in Singapore, possessing, using and buying e-vaporisers carry a maximum fine of $2,000.

Jul 13, 2025,

SINGAPORE - Current legislation around vaping may be strengthened following the increased detection in Singapore of electronic vaporisers containing substances such as etomidate and other controlled drugs.

Government agencies are considering further steps to better address the vaping issue, including whether current laws for enforcement can be enhanced, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Home Affairs told The Straits Times on July 12.

In response to queries, the ministries said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has already detected 28 cases where e-vaporiser pods were found to contain etomidate within the first half of 2025. This is nearly three times as many as the 10 cases detected in 2024.


Vaping was banned in Singapore in February 2018.

Between January 2024 and March 2025, HSA, which is the enforcement agency for vaping-related offences, seized more than $41 million worth of e-vaporisers and their related components.

“The trend of e-vaporisers containing psychotropic substances such as etomidate and controlled drugs has been observed overseas and now in Singapore,” the ministries said in their statement.

In April, a 13-year-old girl was detained after she was spotted behaving erratically outside the State Courts while puffing on an e-cigarette. A subsequent raid of her home found that she had an etomidate-laced device, also known as a Kpod, in her possession.

HSA later identified and caught the 25-year-old man who sold the e-vaporiser to the girl. One e-vaporiser and three pods seized from him were also found to contain etomidate.

The man, his 26-year-old wife and the teenager are all assisting in the investigation.


In their statement, the ministries described vaping as a serious issue that MOH has been concerned about. “With e-vaporisers now incorporating psychotropic substances such as etomidate, the concerns have been heightened.”

The ministries said various agencies have been conducting rigorous enforcement to tackle the issue.

“For example, the HSA works closely with agencies such as the Singapore Police Force, Central Narcotics Bureau, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), National Parks Board and National Environment Agency (NEA), to enforce against e-vaporisers.

“The Health Promotion Board is also working with the Ministry of Education to raise awareness about the harms of vaping amongst students, and support individuals seeking to stop the habit of vaping through the I Quit Programme,” the ministries added.

As part of surveillance and enforcement efforts, the ministries said that HSA targets three key areas: monitoring activities online and at targeted hot spots, disrupting supply chains, and taking action against those who supply or use e-vaporisers.

“HSA has intensified operations against both physical and online distribution networks, strengthened border controls with ICA, and increased enforcement presence in public spaces, together with NEA, where vaping is prevalent,” the ministries said, adding that HSA also takes action against advertisements targeting Singaporeans.


As a result, more offences have been detected and offenders taken to task, they added.

The ministries noted that etomidate, which is classified as a poison and regulated under the Poisons Act, has clinical use as an anaesthetic agent. It is permitted only in clinical settings and subject to strict conditions.

“The etomidate found in e-vaporisers or supplied in oil capsules or formulations to be inhaled directly into users’ lungs are not medical products and are prohibited,” the ministries said.

They added that cases involving etomidate-laced vapes that agencies come across are referred to HSA for further action, similar to other medication-related substances.

The ministries said the adverse effects of etomidate when used in vapes can be serious, including causing involuntary movements or spasm of muscles, confusion, seizures and psychosis.

“It can lead to physical dependence,” they added.

Enforcement agencies will be stepping up and coordinating closely to take stern action against those who import, sell, distribute, possess, use or purchase e-vaporisers, particularly those laced with etomidate, under the appropriate legislations, the ministries said.

The spread of drug-laced e-vaporisers has also raised concerns in Malaysia, where police revealed that 65 per cent of the vape liquids seized since 2023 contained banned substances such as synthetic cannabinoids.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had reported in May that there has been an increase in the detection of e-vaporisers laced with synthetic drugs and pharmaceutical products like etomidate in East Asia and South-east Asia.

Under current laws in Singapore, possessing, using and buying e-vaporisers carry a maximum fine of $2,000.

Distributing, importing and selling prohibited tobacco products such as vapes and their components carry a heavier penalty – a fine of up to $10,000, or imprisonment of up to six months, or both.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Commentary

Vaping is a global crisis that is getting more youth hooked on drugs.

PHOTO: ST FILE

Summary

• Vaping is a growing global crisis, with the UNODC warning that vapes now contain cannabinoids and synthetic substances, not just nicotine, hooking more youth on drugs.
• Singapore is experiencing a surge in vaping cases; in the first nine months of 2024, about 9,680 people were caught using vapes, exceeding the 7,838 in 2023.
• ST is launching "Vaping: The Invisible Crisis" campaign to raise awareness, advocating for measures like a vaping reporting app and increased ministry involvement to tackle the issue.

AI generated


Jul 13, 2025

On Father’s Day, my family and I were at a dim sum restaurant in Jalan Besar when a couple in their late 20s next to our table left.

Sitting on the steps outside, on the pavement, they nonchalantly took out devices cupped in their hands and vaped.

Maybe they thought the chances of them getting caught were slim, as Health Sciences Authority (HSA) officers cannot be everywhere, especially on a Sunday. Or perhaps they were of the view that since more people were vaping in Singapore, no one would snitch on them.


But I wondered if they knew that instead of getting a high, they were actually inhaling the breath of death.

Vaping is a global crisis that is getting more youth hooked on drugs, as crime syndicates pack potent and addictive substances into small devices that look like pens or lighters.

The numbers are worrying enough for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to warn in a 2025 report that vapes, or e-vaporisers, now don’t just contain nicotine, but also cannabinoids and other synthetic substances.

By now, you would have seen reports and videos of people in Singapore behaving incoherently, apparently from vaping, and the painful and expensive lung-washing procedures some have undergone due to their addictions.

You probably know of friends and family members whose studies and relationships have been affected by vaping.

That’s why The Straits Times is launching our anti-vaping campaign, Vaping: The Invisible Crisis, today.

It is similar to our Stop Scams campaign, where we publish reports on various types of scams and how they work.

Why are we doing this?

We believe there needs to be more conversations about the vaping scourge that has already crept into our homes, schools and workplaces.

Some parents told ST about how vaping has torn their families apart. Others have reported their children to the authorities. The evidence shows a vaping culture has already established itself here.

On Feb 26, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a written parliamentary reply that there were 2,000 cases of students including those from institutes of higher learning (IHLs) reported for possessing or using e-vaporisers in 2024.

This is up from 800 cases in 2022, and 900 cases in 2023.

In October 2023, then Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman, told Parliament that although schools and IHLs have increased checks, it is likely there is under-detection.

And on March 3, Minister of State for Health Rahayu Mahzam replied to a parliamentary question about the number of parents who reported their children for vaping. One such case was referred to the HSA, and the child was fined $300.

Ms Rahayu advised parents who suspect their child of vaping to call the Health Promotion Board’s (HPB) QuitLine on 1800-438-2000. It is part of HPB’s I Quit programme, which was launched in 2014 to help participants quit smoking and accepts those who want to stop vaping.

They will not be fined or prosecuted, unless they are caught using or in possession of vapes.

In the first nine months of 2024, about 9,680 people were caught using or possessing vapes. This is more than the 7,838 people caught in the whole of 2023.

In 2019, HSA raids and investigations resulted in $95,460 worth of seizures across the year.

Based on previous reports, HSA had seized $41 million worth of vapes from January 2024 to March 2025. That is nearly fivefold the reported value seized from 2019 to end-2023, according to numbers compiled by ST.

This despite vaping being banned in Singapore since 2018.

Peer-reviewed journal Emerald Insight said in 2024 that the number of vape users was around 82 million worldwide in 2021, with 14.3 million in South-east Asia. The global vape market was valued at US$22.8 billion (S$29.2 billion) in 2022.

Like scams, vaping is a lucrative trade for criminal syndicates, and they are targeting our children as customers.

Mature readers will remember the glue-sniffing scourge in the 1980s, when 23 people died during an eight-year period.

Parents had to lock their children up for fear of them going to bicycle shops to get their fix of glue in a can. Some addicts drowned in reservoirs, and more than 1,112 abusers were arrested in 1987.

If not tackled aggressively, vaping will become the glue-sniffing crisis of our current generation.

Instead of a can of glue, the threat now appears as Kpods, a vape juice laced with the powerful anaesthetic drug etomidate.

Etomidate is a medicinal ingredient used in clinical practice as an anaesthetic agent and is classified as a poison under the Poisons Act. This means a licence is required for its importation or sale.

How will ST be highlighting this social threat?

We will be reporting regularly on the impact of vaping, not just in Singapore but also around the world. We will focus on how vaping has impacted your lives and those of your loved ones.

And we hope that by publishing these reports, it will educate the public on how deadly vaping can be to your health and mental well-being.

More needs to be done to tackle this issue because, for now, it seems there is no dedicated 24-hour helpline or app for the public to report vaping offences and the sale of vaping devices to the authorities.

Currently, you can contact only HSA’s Tobacco Regulation Branch on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 5.30pm on weekdays.

To tackle scams, the authorities have the ScamShield helpline on 1799.

The ScamShield app is also equipped with artificial intelligence, and can identify and alert users to potential scam threats on WhatsApp, Telegram and web links.

A similar app to report vaping offences would help the authorities prevent vapes from reaching customers and identify vape users quicker.

The vaping issue is clearly being addressed by schools here. Some schools have even issued vape advisories on Parents Gateway, an app that connects parents and schools on key administrative matters.

But this messaging should also be communicated to the public to show a whole-of-government approach to tackle the issue, as even primary school children have been caught.

Under the law, anyone caught buying, possessing or using vapes can be fined up to $2,000. Those caught importing, selling and distributing vapes face up to six months’ jail, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

All these mean nothing to the addict determined to get his or her vape fix.

They must know there is no favourable outcome when they put a vaping device into their mouth.

And that each time they suck in those toxins, all they are doing is blowing their lives away.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Commentary

Swift action needed to stop vaping’s slide from health risk to drug epidemic​

Enforcement action by the Health Sciences Authority netted a suspect and various vapes on July 10.

Jul 14, 2025

SINGAPORE –The Government on July 12 announced that it was considering enhancing current enforcement laws, following a spike in seizures of drug-laced e-vaporisers.

A number of recent reports have highlighted the Kpod, or e-vaporiser laced with the anaesthetic drug etomidate, and its hold on young people.

The vaping issue today mirrors what was seen in the early 1980s, when Singapore was grappling with glue-sniffing.


There were reports then of young inhalant abusers dying, often the result of a fall from height. Others were stricken with brain damage from substance abuse.

Over the past few weeks, young people have been caught on video shaking uncontrollably, purportedly from the effects of using drug-laced vapes.

And in April, a 13-year-old girl was seen behaving erratically while vaping in public outside the State Courts. A subsequent raid on her residence found a vaporiser laced with etomidate.

In 1984, the Government took steps that prevented glue-sniffing from becoming a widespread problem. An inter-ministry committee made recommendations covering education and preventive measures, as well as new legislation.

The Intoxicating Substances Act enacted three years later prohibited the misuse of certain substances that can cause intoxication when inhaled.

The Government had prior experience fighting such battles. In 1977, the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) – enacted in 1973 – was used to wage a war on drug trafficking and addiction.


Some 900 drug offenders were arrested within four days of the launch of Operation Ferret. In total, 8,000 suspects were arrested, and the street supply of heroin was cut dramatically in the months that followed.

In Parliament in 1988, then Minister for Home Affairs S. Jayakumar said it was fortunate that the country tackled the drug problem at the early stage. “Countries which did not act quickly have found, to their regret, that the problem took hold, overwhelmed them, and no headway could be made to curb drug abuse.”

And to tackle the new glue-sniffing scourge, Singapore had to act decisively. “As we did with drugs, here again, we had to take quick and early action,” he said. “Otherwise, we would have a problem of epidemic proportion.”

Now, quick action, and a whole-of-government approach, is needed to tackle vaping – not just as a health issue but also as a potential drug problem.

South-east Asia and East Asia face a drug crisis, a report published in May by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) showed, and Singapore is not immune.

Synthetic drug manufacturing is hitting record levels, and organised crime groups are increasingly pushing these drugs and pharmaceutical products like etomidate on young people by tapping the popularity of vaporisers.


Synthetic cannabis is commonly found in vapes seized in the region, the UNODC report said.

Manufacturers are also mixing different synthetic substances in unknown concentration, exposing users to the risks of overdose and dependence.

Another troubling recent report revealed the threat at our doorstep – two in three vapes seized since 2023 in Malaysia contained dangerous drugs such as synthetic cannabinoids and methylenedioxymethamphetamine, which is usually processed into Ecstasy pills.

Separately, on June 19, law enforcement agencies in Malaysia cracked down on a criminal syndicate distributing vape pods laced with synthetic cocaine.

Nearly 5,000 vape cartridges containing some 9.42 litres of cocaine were seized. Three Singaporean men were among suspected syndicate members arrested.

In Singapore, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has found tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis, in vape form.

Clearly, vaping is now a narcotics risk. Mandatory drug testing may be necessary – and our laws need to keep up.

Despite assurances from Telegram sellers of drug-laced vapes that the synthetic drugs are “undetectable”, reports in the US and Britain show that drugs, even when consumed in vape form, can be picked up in lab tests.

Our laws allow those suspected of having consumed a controlled drug to be detained and subjected to drug testing under the MDA.

But criminal groups are constantly changing the formula for synthetic drugs to circumvent legal definitions of what constitutes a synthetic drug, or new psychoactive substances (NPS), as well as testing regimes designed to recognise the formulas, UNODC said.

Singapore has had to close enforcement gaps before.

After the glue-sniffing problem, Singapore was hit by a different addiction crisis in the early 2000s. It involved Subutex, a pharmaceutical drug approved as a doctor-prescribed substitute treatment for opiate-dependent drug abusers. Reports emerged of abusers mixing Subutex pills and pharmaceutical products like Dormicum to get what they termed as a “legal high”.

As the drug was licensed under the Medicines Act, the police and the Central Narcotics Bureau could not take action against abusers. That loophole was closed in 2006 when Subutex was reclassified as a controlled drug under the MDA, effectively taking it off the streets.

When it comes to drug-laced vape pods, suspects may fall outside the scope of enforcement under the same Act if the substances involved are not listed as controlled drugs.

To stay ahead of the shifting nature of the drug landscape, Singapore’s laws around synthetic drugs were amended in June 2024 to regulate NPS based on their effects rather than specific chemical structures.

Further amendments came into effect in 2025, to tackle new compounds that continue to be detected each year.

From July 1, seven additional NPS products came under the MDA, and the definition of cannabinol has been widened to incorporate more of its derivatives.

This gives the law real bite, treating drug vaping as a narcotics offence rather than a $2,000 tobacco violation – a penalty that has failed to stop vaping from rising.

Some 9,680 people were caught using or possessing vapes in the first nine months of 2024, compared with 7,838 the previous year.

Meanwhile, HSA seizures have also grown exponentially.

In 2019, raids and investigations resulted in $95,460 worth of seizures across the year. From January 2024 to March 2025, about $41 million worth of vapes were seized.

Under the Tobacco Act, those caught importing, selling and distributing face up to six months’ jail, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

The MDA carries far heavier penalties, and also criminalises possession of any apparatus or article for the consumption of controlled drugs – which would include vaporisers.

Meanwhile, the use of etomidate falls under the Poisons Act. Those found vaping or selling it can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $10,000, or both.

The UNODC report makes it clear that drug vaping is common in East Asia and South-east Asia.

Vaping is a visible health crisis. Quick and early action is required to prevent it from becoming a drug problem of epidemic proportion.

 

[jsctan]

Enforcement on sinkies. Rest can close one eye even get Mercy Judgement. Can anyone be confident this is not abused for selective or their own ones only?

 

[face the facts]

this shithole is overcrowded by 3 million, just get rid of the foreigners and all will be ok

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: Concerned about the state of cleanliness in Chinatown​

Jul 15, 2025

As a long-time resident of Chinatown, I am increasingly concerned about the state of cleanliness in the neighbourhood. Over the past few months, the decline has become hard to ignore.

Rubbish is often seen along the pavements, and it is not uncommon to spot rats rummaging through trash in broad daylight.

Chinatown was never spotless, but it used to be decently clean, pleasant enough for a nice walk or to welcome visiting friends. These days, I find myself avoiding certain alleys and street corners because they have become too unsightly or unhygienic.


It is easy to point fingers at tourists or foreign workers, but I’ve noticed that many of the offenders are locals.

Some older individuals openly spit or discard litter as though someone else is responsible for cleaning up after them. This undermines the values we claim to uphold as a clean and green society.

Before the blame is placed on the hired cleaners, I believe it must be acknowledged that this may not be a matter of efficiency but of resourcing.

In a high-traffic neighbourhood like Chinatown, no cleaning team, no matter how hard-working, can keep up without sufficient manpower and support.

What is urgently needed is both stronger enforcement of anti-littering laws and a cleaning force that matches the scale of activity in the area. Public messaging alone is not enough.

I urge the authorities and all fellow Singaporeans to take this matter seriously.

Cleanliness is not just about civic pride. It is about hygiene, safety and preserving the liveability of the spaces we all share.

Justin Kan Rui Liang

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jul 21, 2025, 12:39pm

1/4
The National Delivery Champions Association says the black market for delivery accounts is thriving. PHOTOS: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

Teo Yan Ting
TNP
July 17, 2025

Foreigners are paying as much as $1,000 to work illegally on delivery or ride-hailing amid a thriving black market for delivery accounts.

Mr Ng Gan Poh, president of the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA), told Shin Min Daily News that account rentals can cost up to 10 per cent of the user's weekly or daily earnings.


Outright purchases range from $100 to $1,000. These transactions are typically done through personal networks or social media posts.

Mr Ng added that cases of foreigners illegally doing delivery work in Singapore have been happening since the Covid-19 pandemic. He said he can usually identify them by their vehicle licence plate, clothing, helmet type and accent.

The NDCA represents those whose main source of income is from food or package delivery. Only Singaporeans and permanent residents are allowed to work as delivery riders for platforms such as Grab and Deliveroo.

National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) assistant secretary-general Yeo Wan Ling told Shin Min on July 15 that a tripartite working group has been formed to tackle the issue.

This follows repeated complaints about unfair competition to the NTUC, along with associations representing private-hire drivers and delivery riders.

Ms Yeo said that tackling the issue requires effort from all sides: Platform workers should not sell or rent their accounts, foreigners should not misuse accounts they do not own, and the platforms themselves need to step up enforcement and supervision.

The Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP added that compliant workers are not only losing income opportunities to illegal riders, but also face other challenges such as undercutting by social media carpool groups and illegal cross-border taxi services.

 

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Grace Fu apologises for Tanjong Katong sinkhole, says road may stay closed for a few more days​

Ms Grace Fu thanking the workers who saved a driver from the sinkhole, Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah (centre) and Mr Ganesan Veerasekar (second from right), on July 29.

Jul 29, 2025

SINGAPORE – The sinkhole that formed in Tanjong Katong Road South should not have happened, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, who apologised for what she described as a serious incident.

“On behalf of the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and PUB, I would like to extend my sincere apology to the injured driver for the injury suffered as well as for going through a harrowing experience,” she told reporters on the evening of July 29.

The sinkhole was located near a PUB construction site for sewer laying works.

Ms Fu, whose ministry oversees PUB, the national water agency, also apologised to members of the public and residents in the vicinity of the sinkhole for the anxiety and unease the incident caused, as well as to motorists and commuters inconvenienced by the road closure and diversion.

She said she has instructed her ministry to form an internal investigation panel to look into what caused the sinkhole. This will take several months.

The panel will comprise very experienced people with various expertise, she added.

She said the panel will also make recommendations on how to prevent similar incidents from happening.

When asked if a reported burst water pipe nearby on July 25 could be linked to the sinkhole occurring the following evening, she said all the available evidence will be studied and the findings reported.

She added that the priority is to reopen the stretch of Tanjong Katong Road South that remains shut, while ensuring public safety.


While many tests have been done to check on the stability of ground conditions, she said motorists and commuters may be inconvenienced “perhaps for a few more days” by the closure of a section of Tanjong Katong Road South between Mountbatten Road and the ECP.

“We are going through a very thorough and rigorous safety assessment, and until we’re satisfied with that, we will not open the road. We will do so when we ascertain that it is safe to do so,” she added.

The authorities are trying to restore that section of road, which caved in on the evening of July 26, swallowing a car and its driver.

The driver escaped with the help of workers on-site and was taken conscious to hospital. It was previously reported that she was experiencing muscular pains.

Ms Fu said on July 29 that she understands the driver is still recovering in hospital.

On July 27, the badly damaged car was hoisted out of the sinkhole with a crane.

The sinkhole was refilled early on July 28 with liquefied stabilised soil, which is made of soil, cement and water.

Works to test the ground are under way – using a ground-penetrating radar to check that the sinkhole has been completely filled, drilling a long metal rod into the ground to test the material, and scanning the area using sound waves.

PUB had said a concrete structure, known as a caisson ring, failed at the adjacent PUB worksite around the same time the sinkhole formed at about 5.50pm on July 26.

A caisson ring is a watertight concrete cylinder that is sunk underground to form a stable foundation for other structures.

The reasons for the failure of the caisson ring are still unclear.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said on July 28 that it will carry out an independent investigation into the sinkhole, which could take a few months to complete.

Ms Fu said PUB will cooperate fully with BCA in its investigation.

She noted that having two teams looking into the incident will help the authorities to determine the causes of the incident in a more thorough and systematic manner.

When asked about complaints from some residents about noise during the recovery works, she said it is a “very fine trade-off” – if work is stopped at night, rectification may not happen as quickly as hoped.

“I hope that the residents will also understand that we want to do this quickly, to stabilise the situation, so that public safety is protected to its maximum,” she added.

Ms Fu later toured the site where the sinkhole occurred and thanked two workers, Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah and Mr Ganesan Veerasekar, who helped to pull the driver to safety.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jul 29, 2025, 04:59pm

Farah Daley
Submitted by Stomper
Manmeet, Coca, Joseph, Rohaizat
A man confronted a young woman outside McDonald's at Tampines West over what he believed to be a case of illegal food delivery.

Stomper Manmeet told Stomp that the incident occurred on July 28 at about 6.18pm.

He shared a video of the woman and her bicycle on TikTok.

Manmeet, who is retired and has been doing food delivery part-time, said he noticed the woman arriving on a rented bicycle and parking it at the designated food delivery pickup point.

"I approached her to ask her to park on the opposite side as she was blocking the area meant for delivery riders," he said. "She looked like a foreign customer, and the area was already crowded with bicycles from other delivery platforms.

According to Manmeet, the woman then entered McDonald's and showed a staff member a food delivery order at the rider pickup counter.


"I asked her if she was a customer, and she said she would just collect the order there. I questioned the staff and they confirmed she had shown a food delivery order."

Manmeet said he then asked the woman if she was a student and from India, to which she replied yes. She also told him she was collecting the order for a friend.

"When her order was ready, she took it and went back to her bike," he said. "Before she could leave, I grabbed her handlebar and told her what she was doing was illegal.

"She panicked, said sorry, and eventually left the scene, abandoning her rented bicycle.

"The McDonald's staff later told me it was a Foodpanda delivery order."

Manmeet said he later lodged a police report at Tampines Neighbourhood Police Centre.

He added that he has seen similar cases involving other foreign men and women, but this was the first time he had approached a foreign student.

In response to a Stomp query, the police confirmed a report was lodged.

His video has since garnered over 48,000 views and mixed reactions online.

Stomper Coca, expressed similar concerns to Manmeet: "I feel that this issue of foreigners doing food delivery illegally is getting out of hand. More should be done to contain the problem."

Others, however, criticised Manmeet's actions.

Stomper Joseph said: "This behaviour is deeply disturbing and may constitute harassment. There is no evidence the girl was violating any rules."

He added: "According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), foreign students holding a valid Student's Pass from approved institutions are allowed to work up to 16 hours per week during school term and full-time during vacation, without a work permit. The student was simply doing her job - legally - and did not deserve to be humiliated or harassed."

However, according to Foodpanda, riders need to be Singaporeans or permanent residents and be at least 18 years old.

In November 2024, four foreigners were charged with working illegally as food delivery riders in Singapore without valid work passes, which carries a fine of up to $20,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both.

MOM said that it had been engaging the major food delivery platforms to enhance their processes and prevent the misuse of accounts by unauthorised parties, as well as disseminating educational messages to advise riders against allowing foreigners to use or share their food delivery accounts.

 

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So many foreigners working illegally as delivery riders and the MoM caught only three!!??

3 foreigners arrested for working illegally as delivery riders in Singapore: Koh Poh Koon​

MOM is also investigating the locals who abetted these foreigners to undertake illegal delivery work.

Aug 18, 2025

SINGAPORE – Three foreigners have been arrested for working illegally in Singapore after enforcement operations conducted by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) checked more than 370 delivery workers.

In a Facebook post on Aug 18, Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Koh Poh Koon said MOM conducted islandwide enforcement operations over the past few weeks.

The operations were conducted based on complaints and feedback on hot spots from the National Delivery Champions Association’s regular engagement with delivery workers, the post said.

“Of the 375 delivery workers checked during our operations, three foreigners were arrested and under investigation for working illegally,” said Dr Koh.

He added that MOM is also investigating the locals who abetted these foreigners to undertake illegal delivery work.

Foreigners who work in Singapore without a valid work pass may be liable to a fine not exceeding $20,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. Local abettors who allow foreigners to use their accounts may face the same penalties, added Dr Koh.

“These operations are essential to deter illegal platform work, even as the Platform Workers Trilateral Group develops its recommendations,” he said.

In July, a trilateral work group was formed following a call by the labour movement to tackle the issue of foreigners doing delivery work here illegally and impacting the earnings of local platform workers.

The work group consists of MOM, the Ministry of Transport and Grab Singapore, as well as the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), along with its affiliated associations.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, a Deliveroo spokesperson said Deliveroo takes a zero-tolerance approach to unauthorised account sharing.


“All riders are required to provide valid documentation during onboarding to verify their right to work as a platform worker in Singapore and pass facial verification checks against their provided identification documents,” said the firm.

After this process, riders are subject to regular, and necessary, supplementary randomised facial recognition checks, the spokesperson said.

A check by ST on online marketplace Carousell on Aug 18 found a Deliveroo account listed for rental. The account was listed for $150.

The online listing states that only Singaporeans and permanent residents can rent the account.

PHOTO: ST READER

ST has contacted Deliveroo for more information on this.

A spokesperson for delivery platform foodpanda said the firm takes swift action against any attempts to bypass security systems, including suspension, blacklisting or regulatory reporting.

“We welcome ongoing efforts by the Government, NTUC, NDCA (National Delivery Champions Association) and fellow platform operators to tackle illegal delivery work, and remain committed to working together to uphold platform integrity and protect the livelihoods of legitimate delivery partners,” the spokesperson added.


Delivery platform Grab said it also conducts random checks through its selfie verification system to deter drivers from sharing their account with others.

“Delivery partners who fail these authentication checks will not be able to receive new delivery jobs from Grab,” it added.

People found sharing their accounts will receive a formal warning for the first offence, followed by a two-week suspension for the second offence and a termination on the third offence, said a spokesperson for Grab.

When asked about protection for foreigners working illegally on the platform, the spokesperson said: “Foreigners who work illegally on the platform are not eligible for any coverage, as they are not recognised participants in the platform economy.”

From January to December 2024, MOM received and investigated around 90 complaints on suspected illegal foreign delivery drivers. Enforcement action was taken against 30 foreigners, while the remaining cases were found to be unsubstantiated.