By Khushwant Singh

A lorry driver, who called the police to report that he had been assaulted by two men, was not the victim he portrayed himself to be.

Chen Huanye, 28, was fined $1,000 on Tuesday for fighting with Tan Kee Poa, 51, and Chew Gek Kwak, 55, at the car park at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 at about 5.30pm in September 2011.

A district court heard that Chen had sounded his horn as Tan was reversing his lorry into a parking space. The other lorry stopped and then moved forward to allow Chen to drive ahead. This appeared to anger the younger driver. He alighted and shouted at Tan and his passenger Chew.

Chew alighted and there was a heated argument. They were soon exchanging blows and Tan joined in to help Chew.

Six people were arrested on Tuesday for blackmailing men who were encouraged to strip naked during video chats.

The three men and three women, aged 17 to 47, were arrested in two separate raids at Marsiling Drive and Ang Mo Kio.

The scam is believed to involve a 17-year-old girl who befriended men in an online chatroom.

She would entice them to strip during video chats, and unknown to the men, a video would be taken by her boyfriend, the police said at a press conference.

Mr Ching at Hong Kong University yesterday, where he gave a talk to students on the importance of media freedom. He has given almost 100 talks since his release in 2008. — ST PHOTO: KOR KIAN BENG By Kor Kian Beng

HONG KONG – Over the past year, veteran correspondent Ching Cheong, 62, would get eerie flashbacks of his harrowing time in dark, solitary confinement, not knowing if he would ever see the light of day again.

He also had to overcome bitter memories of being handcuffed and convicted in court. But he pressed on to put on record the time he spent in Chinese detention on charges of espionage – which he disputes to this day – four years after he was freed.

Revisiting the past and overcoming his demons were part of the challenges he faced while writing his new book – My 1,000-day Ordeal: Without Regrets – which will be launched today in Hong Kong.

Background story

A FREE MAN AT LAST

After the train pulled out of the station, the scenes of Guangzhou just flew past me. But it was a long while before I became aware of my surroundings, as if waking from a dream. How I had longed for this day to come! In the past 1,000 days and more, I had dreamt at least three times that I was returning to Hong Kong, each time through a different checkpoint: Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau and Sha Tau Kok. In the dream, I would be queuing to go through immigration only to discover that I did not have my home visit permit (Hong Kong and Macau resident’s pass) with me. I had to turn back in disappointment. At this point, I would usually wake up from the dream.

This time, I took out my home visit permit and examined and felt it with care, afraid that it was yet another dream. Having my home visit permit meant that apart from regaining my freedom and being able to return to Hong Kong, I could also go back to the mainland. For someone like me whose lifelong goal is the well-being of China, it is extremely important to be able to return… So, at this moment on the train, while I could not wait to return to Hong Kong, I also felt a great reluctance to leave this land.

Background story

BITTERSWEET FAMILY REUNION

I looked around and realised that father was not among the family members present.

At first, I thought that perhaps father had stayed at home as he was weak and had problems moving about. I thought that one of my siblings would be bringing him over when dinner was ready to start.

So I asked: ‘Who is going to get father?’

It was only then that mother told me that father had passed away on May 20, 2006!

On hearing this, I knelt before mother and cried: ‘Father, I have let you down! Mother, I have let you down!’

I asked mother: ‘Did father blame me?’

She said: ‘No, of course not. Rather, your father comforted me, telling me not to worry. He said, ‘Don’t we know what our son is like?”

When I heard this, my tears fell uncontrollably. This is the greatest trust that a father can place in a child; this is the most precious legacy that he has left me.

Now, whenever I recall his words, I would still cry uncontrollably.

The 348-page book chronicles what happened to him after April 22, 2005, the day he was detained in southern China. He was subsequently charged, convicted of spying for Taiwan and sentenced to five years in jail. He maintained his innocence and was released on parole on Feb 5, 2008, after spending a total of 1,020 days in detention.

Mr Fazli, 30, declined to comment when asked if Mr Yaw’s sacking was a reason for his resignation. By Andrea Ong

Two weeks after it expelled one of its young leaders, the Workers’ Party (WP) has been hit by the departure of another young member.

Mr Mohamed Fazli Talip, the youngest candidate the WP fielded in last year’s general election, has resigned from the party and its youth wing where he was on the executive committee.

His departure is the third by a WP electoral candidate since the May polls.

The 30-year-old, who contested in East Coast GRC, cited ‘personal reasons and work commitments’ as reasons for leaving, in his letter to WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang.

The Marsiling Drive flat (above) where police arrested four suspects in a raid yesterday. Two others were nabbed separately. — PHOTOS: NG SOR LUAN, LIANHE ZAOBAO By Tham Yuen-C & Amelia Tan Hui Fang

The young man thought he had found a friend.

The 17-year-old girl he met on an online chatroom called Alamak.com was friendly. Very friendly, in fact.

Within a month, their online chats had moved on to video chats, which then turned risque. She started stripping for him.

He did the same, but that one session of cyber titillation ended up with him being terrorised for nine months and $97,000 poorer.

The hottest boybands of the noughties come together for one night only. Blue, Jeff Timmon of 98 Degrees and A1 (pictured) will perform their individual hits such as One Love (Blue), True To Your Heart (98 Degrees) and Like A Rose (A1). — PHOTO: ONE PRODUCTION

Tuesday’s top pick

THE GREATEST HITS TOUR

The hottest boybands of the noughties come together for one night only. Blue, Jeff Timmon of 98 Degrees and A1 will perform their individual hits such as One Love (Blue), True To Your Heart (98 Degrees) and Like A Rose (A1). Presented by One Production.

Where: Singapore Indoor Stadium MRT: Stadium When: Tue , 8pm Admission: $91 – $171 Tel: 6348-5555
Full listings can be seen by ST subscribers

Deliveryman Chen Siang Joon, who works for Ong Quoe Hai Gas Enterprise, packing a gas cylinder into his lorry yesterday. Vendors who buy and resell LPG cylinders from suppliers are feeling the strain of juggling higher prices and keeping customers happy. — ST PHOTO: TED CHEN By Daryl Chin & Felicia Choo

Households and hawkers who depend on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking are facing yet another price hike.

The cost of the gas, which has been rising in recent years, has shot up by as much as 17 per cent in the past year alone, from $36 per 12.7kg cylinder for homes at the start of last year to $42 now. Those who have the gas piped into their homes or stalls are also affected.

LPG is made from refining petroleum. Its high price over the years has hurt many industries, from airlines to food manufacturers.

Background story

Rising prices for cylinder gas

Beginning of last year: $36

Now: $42

Prices for 12.7kg cylinder

ExxonMobil, one of several major suppliers of LPG here, said the recommended retail price depends on several factors, including global demand and supply, and the costs of storage, distribution and marketing plus taxes.

Commuters at Bishan MRT station were crowding to get onto northbound trains headed towards Jurong East MRT at around 8.40pm. Services northbound were intermitten and caused a heavy build up at Bishan MRT station. A power rail problem on 15 Dec 2011 at the rush hour just before 7pm caused the trains on the North-South Line to lose power and ground to a halt. 11 stations from Marina Bay to Bishan were affected. — ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN

More than 40 officers from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and public transport operator SMRT on Monday scrutinised the procedures to follow should there be another prolonged disruption to train services.

They discussed managing commuters, communicating with them and the public, setting up bus bridging services as well as coordination among the various agencies likely to be involved.

Monday’s exercise thus also included representatives from public transport operator SBS Transit, the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the Traffic Police, the Public Transport Security Command and the Singapore Police Force.

Among the areas identified for improvement – following the major train disruptions last December – were how to disseminate information more quickly and pinpointing when the related agencies should be activated.

By Elena Chong

A man was fined $3,000 on Tuesday after he was found guilty of molesting a gym fitness trainer.

Sim Yong Seng, 50, who had no lawyer, was convicted of squeezing the right thigh of a 23-year-old woman twice at a fitness centre on April 28, 2010, after a 1-1/2-day trial.

The victim had testified that she met Sim for the first time when he was referred to her for an in-body analysis test.

The victim, who was wearing a jacket and a pair of shorts, was explaining the results of the test to him when he kept moving closer to her.

By K.C. Vijayan

Their marriage may not have lasted forever but divorcee Chiam Heng Chow still owed his former wife a lifetime of maintenance.

At 72 years old, however, there was no telling how long his lifetime might be.

So when a court decided that Madam Foo Ah Yam should receive the money all at once, instead of in regular payments, it used an unusual method to work out the size of the lump sum.

It assumed that Mr Chiam will be around until the age of 79 – the average life expectancy of Singaporean men. This effectively gave him another seven years to live.