Monday, October 15, 2007

Bloggers Unite - Blog Action Day

Bloggers Unite - Blog Action Day
When I was in Tokyo, I was impressed by how super environmental friendly the Japanese are. At least for the saving paper part - they've got "water spray" in their toilet bowls to do the cleaning, they're using handkerchiefs instead of tissue papers to wipe of perspire.

Okay... maybe the toilet bowl with spraying waterjet is abit too much to expect in Singapore. After all, if it is really available here, only the rich people can afford...

But we can try save the tissue papers! Handkerchiefs are cheap and reuseable! And if you sweat like a cow, there is always hand towels! I know it's abit embarrassing to use these when nobody is using, but somebody has to start it right? If everybody see somebody using handkerchiefs, more will try, and finally and hopefully, everybody will use handkerchiefs!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Repeal 377A... stop making Singapore a laughing stock AGAIN after the chewing gum ban



"The Penal Code of Singapore, in Section 377a, provides for a jail sentence for up to two years should a man be found to have committed an act of "gross indecency" with another man."

Hmm... when I told my foreign co-workers about this during one of our lunch in Cupertino, this was their reactions...

French woman: This is crazy! How can the government be allowed to control this? And the people allow it?

Spanish man: What? So gays can't even have sex at their own private homes? But how will they be caught?

Mexican man: Hahaha... this is so sad...

British man: Well... from the government that controls everything, and even banning chewing gums, I'll say this is not surprising!

American man: So... it's illegal to be gay in Singapore? Will they be fined? Or sent to jail?

If you think this is a hilarious law as well, visit www.repeal377a.com to show your support.

Friday, October 5, 2007

List of Singaporean companies invested in Burma

CNA Group Ltd
CNA is as Sesdaq listed company headquartered in Singapore. It was, in 2005, awarded a contract for the expansion of Yangon International Airport. Under the contract C.N.A. will design, supply, install and commission 24 engineering systems for the airport terminals. The project is to be completed by early 2007 but the CEO has commented “we will continue to expand our presence in the region (Myanmar).”

DBS Group Holdings Ltd
DBS Group Holdings Ltd is the holding company of DBS bank and is one of the largest companies in terms of market capitalisation listed on the Singapore Exchange, with total assets amounting to over S$180 billion. Included in its international banking network is a representative office in Burma.

Ginnacle Import-Export Pte Ltd
Ginnacle is a company located in Singapore involved in the sales and marketing of Burmese teak lumber, decking and furniture. The Burmese regime owns all teak plantations in Burma and teak sales earn the regime millions of pounds every year.

Golden Aaron Pte. Ltd
Golden Aaron Pte. Ltd. is a Singaporean oil corporation. The company is part of a consortium which in 2005 signed three production sharing contracts with state run Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, to explore for oil and gas in Burma, both on and offshore. It is a project which will undoubtedly provide the Burmese junta with a large and valuable source of income. The same consortium signed similar deals in 2004.

Interra Resources
Singapore listed Interra Resource’s principal activities are the exploration and operation of oil fields for the production of crude petroleum. It operates in Indonesia and Burma. In Burma its subsidiary Goldwater Oil was the first foreign oil company to extract oil in Burma. It is currently engaged in oil and gas exploration and production through its jointly controlled venture with Geopetrol called Goldpetrol.

Keppel Corporation
Singapore’s Keppel Corporation is a multinational corporation with interests in three key business areas: Offshore and Marine, Property and Infrastructure. Its property wing- Keppel Land has a presence in eight Asian countries including Burma where it owns the Sedona Hotels in Yangon and Mandalay.

OCBC Bank
OCBC Bank is Singapore’s longest established bank, and is today one of Asia’s leading financial services groups with gross assets of S$136 billion. The group has a global network of more than 310 branches and representative offices in 15 countries including Burma.

Shangri-La Hotels
Shangri-La Hotels is a Singaporean hotel company. It operates the Traders hotel in Rangoon.

United Overseas Bank Group
The United Overseas Bank was founded in 1935 and is today a leading bank in Singapore and a dominant player in Asia-Pacific. As of 31 December 2005, the UOB Group had total assets of S$145.1 billion and shareholders' equity of S$14.9 billion. UOB has a global network of branches, offices and subsidiaries, one such office being in Burma. UOB also has diversified interests and through its subsidiary United Overseas Land the group operates the Park Royal Yangon hotel.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Latest news on Burma

MSNBC:

After crushing the democracy uprising with guns, Myanmar’s junta switched to an intimidation campaign Wednesday, sending troops to drag people from their homes in the middle of the night and letting others know they were marked for arrest.

Dozens of Buddhist monks jammed Yangon’s main train station after being ordered to vacate their monasteries — centers of the anti-government demonstrations — and told to go back to their hometowns and villages.

Following the night of widespread detentions, military vehicles patrolled the streets in Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, with loudspeakers blaring a warning: “We have photographs. We are going to make arrests!”

BBC:

Monks were seen at the railway station and bus drivers were reportedly refusing to take them, out of fear they would not be allowed petrol.

Reports from Rangoon said around 25 more monks were arrested by security forces in a raid on a temple overnight.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported about 80 monks and 149 women believed to be nuns had been freed. They had been rounded up as part of the military's violent crackdown on protesters last week.

Hundreds of monks - who led the protests - have been detained and sources have told the BBC they will be sent to prisons in the far north of the country.

CNN:

An international aid worker who witnessed the bloody crackdown on weekend pro-democracy demonstrations in Myanmar told CNN she saw bodies lying in the street in front of a pagoda dedicated to world peace, possibly as a warning from the government's security forces.

She said the bodies were near Yangon's Kaba Aye pagoda, a gold-domed Buddhist shrine. Kaba Aye means world peace in Burmese.

Reuters:

Troops in Myanmar hauled away truckloads of people on Wednesday after the departure of a U.N. envoy trying to end a ruthless crackdown on pro-democracy rallies that has sparked international outrage.

Witnesses said at least eight truckloads of prisoners were taken from central Yangon, the former Burma's biggest city, where crowds of up to 100,000 people had protested against decades of military rule and deepening economic hardship.

A staff member of the U.N. Development Fund and her husband and brother-in-law were among those arrested, U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said in New York. The United Nations was appealing to Myanmar's U.N. mission to secure her release.

解放缅甸!Free Burma!


Free Burma!


Show your support at www.free-burma.org!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The HPCE Xchange "Think... Run...Shoot" event


Now that the event is finally over, its time to share all the photos that we had actually taken for the event!

My fellow Caps Team-mates, nice job for putting the event together... the logistics, the financials... and "what not"! :D

So sad that I couldn't be there to see it though... T_T

Interesting CSI:NY picture

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

While monks are been killed in Yangon, what is Singapore doing?


Picture source: http://ko-htike.blogspot.com

More Buddhist monks continued to be killed in Burma (Myanmar)...

Meanwhile, we said "Singapore is deeply concerned by reports of clashes between protestors and security forces in Yangon. We urge the Myanmar authorities to exercise utmost restraint. We call upon all parties to avoid provocative actions and to work towards reconciliation and a peaceful resolution of the situation."

And business with Burma? As usual.

Oh... and our good customer service from the hospital will remind General Soe Win of his return for the next medical appointment.

After all, there's nothing we can do... right?

So... while our gahmen is already doing its best, this is what we can do as a Singaporean blogger... Sign up for the Free Burma! action