Ex actress convicted
Ex actress convicted
of maid abuse
SINGAPORE: A former Singapore television actress has been
convicted of physically abusing her Indonesian maid with needles
and a high-heeled shoe, The Straits Times reported on Thursday.
Gao Man Hua, 42, who will be sentenced in January, admitted in
court on Wednesday that she poked Yahya Herin Kartikawati, 19,
with needles and hit her with a high-heeled shoe last year, the
paper reported.
The Straits Times said Gao appeared in a program called Star
Search 14 years ago. Court officials could not immediately
confirm Gao's conviction.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report released
earlier this month that maids in Singapore suffered serious
abuses including sexual violence, home lock-ups, and food
deprivation. The government dismissed the report as an
exaggeration.
About 150,000 women work as maids in Singapore, most of them
from impoverished villages in the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri
Lanka. -- AFP
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ASEAN-Singapore-politics-MP
Singapore opposition MP charged with reckless driving
JP/11/ASEAN
Opposition MP charged
with reckless driving
SINGAPORE: One of Singapore's few opposition politicians has
been charged with reckless driving after allegedly running a red
light and hitting a bus in July, court officials said on
Thursday.
Steve Chia faces a maximum fine of S$3,000 (US$1,786) and a
one year jail sentence if convicted, meaning he would be
ineligible to contest the next general election due by June 2007.
Under local electoral rules, anyone who has been fined
S$2,000, jailed one year or both, is barred from contesting the
national polls for five years.
The 34-year-old saw his promising political career damaged
after he took topless photos of his Indonesian maid. He was also
given a warning last year for possessing an obscene film.
Chia is a non-constituency opposition member of Parliament.
There are two other constituency-based opposition members in the
chamber of 84 elected representatives.
Singapore's opposition plays a marginal role in politics. Its
leaders are hounded by lawsuits and their activities curbed by
strict laws against protest rallies and lack of access to the
mainstream media. -- AFP
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ASEAN-Philippines-Cease-fire
Philippine communist guerrillas refuse to declare Christmas
JP/11/ASEAN
RP guerrillas refuse
a Xmas cease-fire
THE PHILIPPINES: Philippine communist guerrillas on Thursday
said they will ignore the military's offer for a cease-fire over
Christmas and New Year, accusing the government of an unrelenting
campaign against left-wing activists.
"The Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's
Army do not see any basis to declare a cease-fire in the coming
Christmas and New Year," CPP spokesman Gregorio Rosal said in a
statement sent to reporters via phone text message.
"This is in response to the relentless attacks being waged by
government forces and other armed elements" against unarmed
civilians, he added.
Rosal said at least 110 left-wing activists have been killed
by government forces since March. He said the decision not to
halt fighting over the holidays was due to calls from the
guerrillas' supporters to step up attacks and hasten the fall of
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's government.
The military, citing an increase in rebel attacks, urged
Arroyo last week to order government troops to stand down only on
Christmas and New Year's day -- the shortest unilateral truce by
the government in nearly 20 years.
Both sides have traditionally declared a truce during
Christmas to provide their troops a respite from fighting and
allow the nation to celebrate the holidays in peace. -- AP