A Temasek investment

Neo Chai Chin

chaichin@mediacorp.com.sg

SINGAPORE

future leaders to guide the finance sector.

It is an investment of a different kind by Temasek Holdings, which will commit $165 million to the new philanthropic ventures, it announced ahead of National Day.

The foundations will oversee five endowments named after Singapore pioneers, including Mr Eddie Barker and Mr S Rajaratnam, to groom the next generation of leaders in the various fields.

The Temasek International Foundation will oversee the S Rajaratnam and Hon Sui Sen endowments.

The latter, worth $35 million and named after former Finance Minister and the Economic Development Board’s first chairman Mr Hon, aims to develop talent in Asia’s financial industry.

The $25-million S Rajaratnam Endowment — named after the Sri Lanka-born first Foreign Affairs Minister of Singapore — will facilitate exchange and fellowship programmes to deepen international friendship.

Overseeing the other three endowments worth $35 million each is the Temasek Education Foundation.

The E W Barker Endowment — aptly named after former minister and avid sportsman Edmund William Barker — will nurture future athletes, coaches, sports therapists and specialists.

The Tay Eng Soon and David Marshall endowments will groom those gifted in science, maths and the arts.

The new foundations give Temasek the opportunity to honour these pioneer leaders’ “contribution to nation-building as Singapore celebrates her 45th year of independence”, said head of strategic relations Goh Yong Siang.

Temasek, which announced last month the growth of its portfolio assets to a record high of $186 billion as at end-March, has gifted over $800 million since 2007 to independent trustee Temasek Trust, which oversees its philanthropic endowments.— Two foundations are being set up to develop talents in sports and arts, whizzes in science and mathematics and even

The PLEDGE has been a matter of some debate in non-profit circles, with some experts dismissing it as a publicity stunt after the billionaires have fallen out of favour with the public following the 2008 financial collapse.

Forbes magazine’s list of 400 billionaires, who have an estimated net worth of US$1.2 trillion.Forbes list. It was a very soft sell but 40 signed up,” said the chief executive of investment firm Berkshire Hathaway. “We’ve made a terrific start.”Agencies

1-800- 924-5664

S RAMESH

rameshs@mediacorp.com.sg

SINGAPORE

Project “X Ah Long” promises anonymity as no details of the caller will be taken unless he volunteers the information. Information from the hotline callers, which will be kept confidential, will be channelled to the police to assist them in their work.

Efforts by the police against loansharks have shown positive results.

Between January and June, 789 people were arrested for unlicensed moneylending and harassment, up from 419 during that period last year.

This despite the fact that the number of unlicensed moneylending and harassment cases has decreased from 9,424 cases in the first half of 2009 to 8,654 cases in the same period this year, the police said.

And the community is playing a pivotal role in tackling these crimes, especially in the heartlands, said the chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (Law and Home Affairs), Mr Alvin Yeo.

The formation of Neighbourhood Watch Groups was useful because the police cannot be everywhere, 24 hours a day, he said.

The other aspect is public education. “The public needs to know that, if they have financial difficulties, they should approach the right people, the credit counselling service and not borrow from loansharks,” said Mr Yeo.

The hotline number 1-800- 924-5664 will be publicised on new media platforms like NCPC’s website, Facebook page and forums.

It will be on trial for a year.— The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) will launch a hotline project called “X Ah Long” today in an effort to complement the police’s battle against loanshark activities. The hotline offers an option for people who may not want to approach the police directly, said the NCPC.

smOkIng  is  crImInal

tO

nOn-smOker

SMOKE still gets in our EYES

STRICTER LAWS are NEEDED

Letter from Yee Ming Fai

I REFER to the letter from Tang Li (“It’s time to relook our anti-smoking strategy”, Aug 2).

Mr Tang is absolutely right in drawing attention to the problem of the growing number of smokers. However, the CRUX remains that smoking harms “innocent bystanders” and therefore it cannot be regarded simply as an activity of personal choice.

I do not find the new rules prohibiting on smoking in certain public areas effective.

The young children who breathe in the second-hand smoke of their caregivers or parents, whether at home or outdoors, are not protected. In sheltered hawker centres, designated smoking areas are located adjacent to non-smoking tables or tables designated for the mobility-impaired, so there is no protection for the public occupying such seats. At bus-stops and MRT stations, we are still assailed by cigarette smoke generated just outside the no-smoking zones.

More can be done to protect the PUBLiC from Second-Hand SMOKE.

We have put into place drastic measures on chewing gum successfully; I wonder WHY the smoking problem is not dealt with more aggressively.

When in Japan, I observed no one smokes while on the move. They make it a point to stop at a isolated corner or smoking room before lighting up. If a change of the collective smoker mindset toward civic consciousness cannot be engendered, harsher laws will have to suffice instead.

Out of sight, out of mind?

Letter from Karsten Cramer

WHILE I agree with Mr Tang that different approaches are needed to supplement Singapore’s anti-smoking efforts, I DISagree with the letter’s contention that “short of banning cigarettes, we have done everything possible to stop people from smoking”.

One of the more obvious strategies that has not yet been implemented is to prohibit shops from openly displaying cigarettes and other tobacco products for sale.

This is unlikely to stop a diehard smoker from asking for a pack from the shop attendant, but it might help to cut down on those who are just adopting the habit and making a purchase on impulse.

This approach has proven effective in other jurisdictions, such as some Canadian provinces. Over time, perhaps “out of sight, out of mind” could help to cut down on smoking in Singapore, too.

The peak-hour smokeout

LIKE Mr Tang, I, too, believe more can be done about the problem of smoking.

It’s not uncommon to see smokers lighting up and puffing away along pathways leading to MRT stations during morning peak hours, while non-smokers behind them hold their breath and try to overtake them to minimise the amount of smoke they inhale.

Why should smokers get to enjoy themselves at the expense of non-smokers’ health?

Perhaps it is time to designate all pathways as non-smoking zones — at least during peak hours, when so many people are on the pavements rushing to or from work.

Letter from Chan Lai Ying

Can aspirin prevent recurrence of colorectal cancer?

NCCS to lead regional clinical trial to find out

SINGAPORE

That will be the subject of a regional clinical trial which the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) will be leading.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide and the NCCS says that new therapies are urgently needed to tackle this disease.

In the past year, several articles have been published that seem to suggest that patients with colorectal or even breast cancer who were started on aspirin had a significant reduction in the risk of recurrence and death.

Dr Toh Han Chong, head of the Medical Oncology Department at the NCCS, said the impact would be huge if the results prove positive, given that aspirin costs only 3 cents a tablet.

The NCCS has set up a network of 19 centres across Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, China and India, and more centres are scheduled to join the study.

After completion of standard surgery and chemotherapy, patients with high risk Stage 2 or Stage 3 colorectal cancer will be given either aspirin or a placebo for three years and be closely monitored for recurrence over a period of five years.

However, cancer specialists added a word of caution: Because aspirin thins the blood and increases one’s risk of bleeding, patients who wish to take it for colorectal cancer need to do so under strict supervision and monitoring.— Can aspirin, a drug used by heart patients to thin the blood, be effective in reducing the risk of recurrence of colorectal cancer following surgery and chemotherapy?

bogus students

iN  SiNGAPORE

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