Police have stopped opposition politician Chee Soon Juan and his supporters from their planned march to Suntec City this morning (Sep 16), where the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings are being held. Earlier, Dr Chee led a rally in at Speakers' Corner, where Singaporeans are allowed to speak publicly, in defiance of a government ban to protest against curbs on free speech. Dr Chee, secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party, and six other activists wearing white tee-shirts saying 'Freedom Now', demonstrated at the city park. Addressing the crowd in English and Mandarin, he urged Singaporeans not to be afraid and to join in his march through downtown Singapore. He has vowed to stage the demonstrations and said he would brave arrests, despite the government's repeated warnings it would not tolerate any outdoor protests.

This woman in black escaped with minor injuries after being allegedly pushed off a platform and onto the tracks. Shouting as she fell, the woman quickly pulled herself up and managed to reach the far side just as a train pulled into the station. Passengers in the train were stunned to see her on the side of the track. Tan Suan Wee, 17, a student, Lim Boon Wah, 24, a student and Steven Fong separately sent us pictures of this incident which happened at Clementi MRT station last evening (Sep 14) at about 7pm.
The alarm was raised and SMRT staff helped her back onto the platform.
Moments before the incident, a commuter overheard the 26-year-old woman telling a male companion in Mandarin: "Don't push me." As the male suspect started to move away from the scene, several commuters chased and held him down until the police arrived. The suspect was arrested and investigations are under way. Train services were disrupted for about 10 minutes, said an SMRT spokesman. Mazlina Majlam, 35, read this report and sent an SMS to STOMP. She had seen the couple arguing at the bus-stop next to the Clementi MRT station. This is her account:
"The woman was shouting loudly at the man, who tried to sweet-talk her and he put his arms around her to try and pacify her. But she pushed him away and was obviously very unhappy. I didn't think too much about their quarrel until I was at a shop nearby and saw people looking at the MRT track. By then, the lady was already on the train tracks and I recognised her from the bus-stop! It was alleged that the man had pushed her off the platform! But from what I saw at the bus-stop, I don't think he actually pushed her off the platform, even though I wasn't at the platform to witness it." Join the discussion in Talkback »

Lena Chew emailed us this picture as she was taken aback at the boldness of the man who had blatantly ignored the No Smoking poster. Ms Chew also says she had noticed those who hid their cigarettes under the table while smoking in the 'no-smoking' zone. Join the discussion in Talkback »

Chris Chua, 48, spotted this lady at the Food Centre in Bedok Central on 15 September at 2.25 pm. In his email to STOMP, he says: "She went about asking for money donation. Overheard her saying it's for charity. Not many gave though she showed them a publicity leaflet with her. Can like tat one meh?"

This mms was sent to us of a car with the door ajar. It was taken today (15 Sept), 11am at Ayer Rajah Crescent. The person who sent the picture reckons that the driver must have been in a hurry to get out of the pouring rain and simply forgot to shut the door. STOMP wonders if it's also the reason the car is parked in a 'Lorries Only' section.

A STOMPer sent in this mms today (15 Sept). This was the message:" Extreme downpour at 1.10pm along AYE towards Tuas, near Bukit Timah exit. Worker asked to continue fixing street lamp without safety precautions from lightning."

Serene Yap, 23, Property Manager, who manages a condominium in Cuscaden Road, sent STOMP this MMS. She says: "The water level was so high that it reached the tyres of vehicles. A few taxis and a lorry were stuck in the waters. Traffic was slow-moving."
Catherine Ngiam, a homemaker, sent STOMP these MMSes of a flood at Commonwealth MRT station on 15 September at 12:30pm. She was accompanying her daughter to school when she was greeted by the sight of the entire stretch of road being flooded. Catherine tells STOMP: "Having traveled on that road daily the past three years to fetch my daughter thru and fro from kindergarten, this was the first time I encountered such a flood within half an hour of heavy downpour. I almost unable to alight from the bus as the driver said he could not stop at the bus-stop due to the flood and the water came into the bus because it was a new 147 bus which have low platform. The driver kind enough and tried his best to drive the bus very near the curb of the bus-stop so we can alight safely and avoid stepping into the flood of water. My friend who was driving from her Holland road home at 12.20pm to fetch her son was stalled in the flood too and reached the school at 1pm."
Sheela Tan also SMSed STOMP about the Commonwealth flood. Ms Tan, who was in the area, noted that all pedestrians had avoided the area, but cars on the roads had no choice but to drive against the water current.

This sight met Mdm Chua who was also caught in the flood at the Commonwealth Avenue bus-stop.

Ann Chow sent STOMP this email with a call for trees to be planted on a slope in Commonwealth. "Last year, in August, the slope facing Blk 100 and 101 Commonwealth started being demolished.The trees lining the edge of the slope were being chopped down. The 200 metre X 30 metre slope was exposed to the elements with only some grass and NO TREES to hold the soil. I protested to the National park Board and to the town Council and requested planting of trees but to no avail. I even approached the MP but the slopes remain barren.
Now, the construction of the Viz Holland is on the way. The slope is not supported. I am afraid when the rainy season comes the mud on the slope will slide into the units of blk 100 and 101. I want some trees to be planted as soon as possible to hold the soil."

STOMP received several emails from concerned users who received circulations about a factory in Malaysia which was raided. Jasmine Goh and Seah Cheng Wee both received the same email with the following message: " In summary, the High-5 bread sold here is manufactured in Malaysia. The local news reported that the factory was recently raided by some Health Dept officers from the Government sector of Malaysia. They found the entire premises to be dirty, stench odor and unhealthy environment; even the bread-making process to be unacceptable by the Health Dept - no gloves, dirty utensils, etc." Berita Harian ran a story on 11 September on this issue. The factory, in Negri Sembilan, was found to have employed illegal workers on their premises, as well as used non-halal ingredients in the making of the bread.




STOMP also did a check with the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority and Mr Goh Shih Yong, AVA spokesperson, explained the situation. "The High-5 bread available for sale in Singapore is manufactured in Shah Alam and is not from the implicated bakery in Negri Sembilan, which was reported in the Malaysian Press. AVA has in place a survelliance programme to monitor the import of bread. As an added precaution, we have carried out additional testing on the imported High-5 bread and would like to assure you that the bread is safe for consumption."

Alden Tan spotted these two security personnel as he was at Bugis with a friend on 13 September. In his email to STOMP, he wonders if the security personnel are fit enough to respond to emergencies: "I was with my friend at Bugis when we spotted security people walking around Bugis. An interesting sight caught our eyes - 2 very obese guards sluggishly walking towards us. We also noticed that people were turning back to look at them and talking. The thought crossed our mind that they may have difficulty giving chase if need to as they looked like they were already having problem walking. They are unlikely to pose much of a deterrent to a would-be terrorist! We are not discriminating against obese people but this job calls for those who are fit and nimble. We should perhaps give more thoughts to suitability before assigning duties."

Public road turned private playground? This barricade is not part of any roadwork. Several families living along Jalan Nuri have blocked off this road and labelled it as a "private road". Christopher Goh, 50, noticed that one out of two lanes on the road has been sectioned off by some residents in the estate, as a space for their children to play badminton and cycle. Motorists travelling in opposite directions are now left with a single lane to travel on. This has been happening everyday for the past two weeks, according to Mr Goh. He said: "It's very selfish of these people. I usually ignore the signage and drive through the area anyway. The residents and maids of the houses along the road can actually stare at me, as if I was the one doing something wrong." LTA spokesperson Naleeza Ebrahim responded and confirmed that Jalan Nuri is a private road, that LTA "does not interfere with the way private streets are maintained or managed, except only if the road is found to be in a defective condition which compromises the safety of the public and road users." Do you have other bad experiences with neighbours? Tell us in Talkback »

James Liauw sent us this picture of Block 638 in Bedok Reservoir Road Wednesday (Sept 13). He has spotted laundry hung outside the living room balcony of the 8th floor unit since the beginning of the year. According to Mr Liauw, the residents of the unit have put in place a metal rack outside their living room windows, on which they could place bamboo poles to dry clothes. The 48-year-old assistant manager believes the fixture is not approved by HDB and is shocked that the residents flout the regulations so blatantly. He wonders how secure the metal rack is and is concerned about the dangers it poses: "With children playground nearby and heavy human traffic below the block, this a potential fatal accident waiting to happen." STOMP brought Mr Liauw's concerns to the Aljunied Town Council. The Town Council has advised the said unit owner and the clothes hanger has since been removed. The Town Council says it will continue to monitor the situation.

Samuel Lin, 23, saw these two police vehicles on Beach Road at around noon today (Sep 13). These are PETRAs or Patrol Escort, Tactical Response Vans, which are essentially mobile barricades to keep crowds away from protected areas. The PETRAs are deployed as part of the Police's security efforts during the IMF and World Bank meetings.

Annabelle Fernandez, 23, took it upon herself to seek out the easiest way for shoppers to get to the Suntec City Mall. Here's her report: "I noticed the 'The vanishing customer' picture of a deserted Suntec on STOMP yesterday, and decided to check it out for myself like any hardcore shopper would! From now till when they unblock the roads next week, the easiest way to get to Suntec by foot: instead of walking from City Hall, take the shortcut from Bugis mrt instead! This route via Shaw Tower and the overhead bridge across nicoll highway is a godsend! It takes about 10-15 mins max, so shop away my fellow STOMPers! Don't let a little extra security stop you from having your daily shopping fix! The usual Citilink entrance, has been closed off to the public. The link bridge from Marina Square is also open only to a select few, no prizes for guessing who! The main entrance of Suntec, where Balaclava and Starbucks are, has been blocked off, which means if you attempt to walk to Suntec from City hall, then good luck to you! Most pedestrians are using this route now: from city hall mrt, they walk through Citilink, and exit from the Marina Square underpass, then from there, they cross the road to Milennia Walk before FINALLY arriving at Suntec. No surprise that most people give up on making that walk! But I was shocked to see a relatively normal lunchtime crowd when i entered the main part of the shopping centre! People were still window-shopping and having their lunch as per normal. Maybe they've also found the shortcut! PS. The tightened security, complete with menacing looking guards, ambulances, and barbed wire, perfectly complements the warm and smiley 4 Million Smiles campaign, don't u agree? ;)"

Leroy Lee was tickled pink to see this truck having slid down a slope last week at Ewe Boon Road. This was his email to STOMP: " Saw this on my way to work one morning last week at Ewe Boon Road. Other damages include a steel garden chair that was totally smashed and flattened, steel fence, lamp post. There was no one in the truck. My guess: the apartment is right on top of a hill and i think the guy either forgot to engage the handbrake or it simply didnt work. can image the poor guy running after his truck! hahaha."

Jocelyn Tan read about the recall of Leapfrog Centre in the United States and was very concerned the company has not done likewise here in Singapore. She had bought a set for her one year old daughter, Janelle, from Robinson's a few months ago. In her email to us, she says, "As my child who is one plays with this daily, I'm just concerned that she too would get injured as she likes to put her hand near the ball slide area. I'm wondering if Leapfrog intends to have a recall of this in Singapore as well? Paying for about $100+ for this toy and getting injured in the process is something I and other parents would definitely not like to see happen. From what I recall, this toy was bought by many parents during the sale at Robinsons. It would be good to highlight this potential danger to other parents as well." Jocelyn tried to get in touch with the manufacturers after she did a check on the toy and felt that the corners were sharp. She says that she "visited the Leapfrog's website but there's no mention of the recall and the only way to get in touch with them is via phone." STOMP got in touch with Raymond Ang who works in the Toy Department in Robinsons. When asked about this matter, he explained that the store had stopped selling the toys for some time. Raymond also said they are consolidating the names of all the consumers who are affected, and they would be contacted shortly.

Mike Muk, STOMP's regular contributor, sent us these pictures of a stroller left on the 10th floor parapet at Block 841 Yishun Street 81. "Are we going too far in what we dry on our parapets?" he asked.

Muhammad Haziq Bin Azmi, 13, reports:

"An accident involving a motorcycle and a car occured at the entrance in between Blks 124 and 125 at Tampines Street 11 at about 9.40pm on Sep 11. The front wheel of the motorcycle was lodged in the gap where the front wheel of the car was. There were two men, both roughly 20+ years of age, who were brothers on the bike. When I arrived at the scene, both brothers were on the ground. The younger one was lying with his face on the ground while the older brother was just beside the curb. He was lying on his back. The younger brother was not moving although he was conscious while the older brother complained of back pains. My father tended to the older brother while a security guard from the neighbouring private estate tended to the younger brother together with several others. I learnt that the younger brother received the most severe injuries. The younger brother was not moving when he was being carried onto the stretcher. The older brother groaned and shouted in pain when he was lifted onto the stretcher. Both were brought to the nearest hospital, Changi General Hospital after paramedics talked to the police."

This mailbox in Blk 305C Anchorvale Link was left wide opened for 20 minutes, without the postman in sight, says 26-year old Teddy Jandiono who lives there. Typically, only postal workers can access these mailboxes - which were built to reduce unwanted junk mail - with a key to unlock the panels at the back. In this case, however, the mailboxes were left opened and unattended. Teddy was hopping mad and he made a police report. "The postman left it wide open like that, anyone who comes along can take the mail!" he said.

Chris, an IT administrator, sent STOMP this email taken on 11 September at the Beach Road Camp for personnel to rest and put up their feet when they need to. This gentleman really did.

The crowds in Suntec City Mall were conspicuously missing from these pictures taken by Donald Teo, 36, at about 5.30pm yesterday (Sep 11).

"It's supposed to be peak hour when the people who just got off work will come and shop," highlighted Mr Teo, who is the Assistant Manager of the Precious Time shop in Suntec City.

It appears that the security arrangements for the IMF conference have also kept shoppers away. "The usual entrances have been sealed, it's inconvenient for shoppers now," said Mr Teo. Here are more pictures from him:

Mark Reutens-Wee, 38, sent us this picture of a popular one-month-old chinese restaurant in Raffles City on Sunday (Sep 10). He noticed that the restaurant's usual lunchtime queue is missing and felt that the road closure around Raffles City is affecting the restaurant's and other businesses in the Suntec City area.

Brian Teng sent STOMP the following email about the state of the roof garden at Block 119, Edgefield Plains. "When I first moved into Punggol 2 years back, there was much hype about the roof garden at Blk 119 Edgefield Plains, MSCP being the 1st of its kind in Singapore. However, 2 years down the road, we are looking at a really pathetic sight. Hopefully, the relevant authorities can do something about it." STOMP checked with Ms Tay Bee Choo of HDB's Development and Procurement Unit about this. She informed us that this site is part of HDB's Green Roof Pilot Project, and they had been working on a paper to get funds to upgrade the roof. They were testing the various media for planting a consistent kind of green for the garden. Work will be carried out this September so stay tuned for further developments. Bertram Lee, Senior Executive Public Relations for Director, HDB Corporate Development, emailed STOMP to further explain and describe plans for the rooftop garden. In his email to us, he says:

" The rooftop greenery at Block 118 Edgefield Plains in Punggol is an experimental green roof project. In the past year, HDB used the various plots in this project to test various types of plants and growing mediums, to see if they are suitable for extended periods of dry weather and the minimal maintenance levels.

Now that the tests are complete, HDB will returf the roof garden with flora and a planting system that has been found suitable."

Leong Chong Weng got more than he bargained for after a shopping trip to Gain City at Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2 on August 16. The 38-year old engineer’s car was scratched on either side of the car body, from the back door to the back of the car. Mr Leong had parked his car at the carpark within Gain City’s compound, and left his car to shop for a fridge. He returned an hour later only to see the damage done to his car. He approached the management of Gain City, who had CCTV footage of the goings-on on the carpark. But the footage retrieved did not reveal the culprit, as the camera was too far away from Mr Leong’s grey Toyota Wish. He later lodged a report to the police, who classified the incident as a mischievous action. As the incident had occurred on Gain City’s compounds, the management had offered Mr Leong a 5% discount on all his purchases. However, he feels that it is insufficient to compensate him for the damage done to his 6-month old car. “I can easily get something else similar elsewhere at that discounted price. The savings wouldn’t even be enough for a new paintjob for my car!” he tells STOMP.

Mr Sim Kang Chong sent STOMP this picture of a Singapore flag made entirely out of drink cans. A total of 8470 used drink cans were used in the making of the gigantic Singapore flag. ITE College West's Lifeskills department had come up with the "Sure Can" project to be the highlight of the institute's National Day celebrations on 8 August.

Law, 34, spotted these socks supposedly endorsed by the popular pop star at Japan House budget store in Jurong Point.

Lily Han sent STOMP this picture taken on 11 September. Heavy rains caused this tree outside Boon Keng MRT station, behind Gain City, to be uprooted. Lily, who was at the scene, says "the leaves of the tree covered a car."

Nandini Karthik, 11 years old, was enjoying a walk in Bishan Park with her father when she chanced upon this sight which marred her experience. She says, in her email to STOMP, I had gone for a morning walk with my Daddy to Bishan Park. What I saw was a very painful sight. There were two seats with a lovely view of the beautiful lake in Bishan Park. Near one of the seats , on the grass was a crumpled Marlboro pack thrown . There were dozens of cigarette butts and a couple of additional wrapper lying around it. What is more - wedged in the small gap between the seat and backrest of one of the seats were two cigarette butts. See the other two pictures. Who had so thoughtlessly thrown it around. Why are they making a stroll in a beautiful park an unwelcome experience? Is it not all our responsibility to keep SIngapore clean? Sincerely with the hope of maintaining SIngapore Clean, Nandini

Theresa sent us this mms taken on Sunday (10 Sept) and asked the question, "Will Singapore get any prettier?" She told STOMP that she and her family were out on Orchard Road and charmed by the vibrantly coloured flowers along the road and the polka-dotted trees that are the Arts Biennale. "The rain had just ended, the air was cool and everyone was smiling and enjoying the pretty sight." she added. Her main message: Let's have more of such pretty days in Singapore.

D Y sent STOMP these pictures of an accident which took place at the junction of Toh Guan Road and Boon Lay Way on 10 September. A private bus and a Nissan March were involved in the accident. Thankfully no one was injured in the process.

Kuan sent in this heartwrenching photo to 75557@stomp.com.sg. It shows a kitten whose left eye was cruelly punctured by its abuser who is still on the loose. There were more pictures sent in of the pitiful animal's wounds but they are too gruesome to be featured.

Francis Chong took these pictures of cleaners going about their jobs on the morning of Saturday 9 September at Republic Plaza. The contractors were doing so without wearing any safety gear. He is worried and says, "can you imagine what will happen if a step is missed?" He says that at the time of the incident, he was in his office and just saw that there were two staff on the higher floor while there was a couple of staff on the ground floor.

Freddie Chong sent STOMP this email of foreign workers playing cricket on 10 September at an empty field near the IMM building. The almost bare field shows how popular the sport is amongst them. He wonders if this can be a new way of spotting new sporting talent.

Joe sent STOMP these pictures of children playing at a playground in Pasir Ris Drive 4 on 5 September. In his email to us, Joe says: The playground is next to blk 458 pasir ris drive 4 outside the RC office. The picture was taken on 5th September. I don't see any warning signs at the play ground. No parents were around at that time. It is not a common occurrence. Only a few particular kids does its and they do it when there are no adults. I have seen two kids climbing up both the roofs, one sitting on each of the roof. The children did it for fun.

Abdul Islam sent STOMP these pictures of red ants at a playground in Pasir Ris Drive 3. He says that his youngest son and other children who use the facility have been bitten by these ants. He had emailed the Town Council about the matter, and the reply was that the pest control company is looking into it. Below is his email to STOMP: Attached are photos of red ants that bite that has made this playground their home ground for the past few months till today 08 Sept 2006 in between Blk 628 / 629 Pasir Ris Drive 3. E-Mails to the Pasir Ris Town Council seems to be useless, as everytime their reply would be that the 'pest control would be monitoring the situation'. My younger son & other children alike also were bitten by this ants as to say stay away from "us". At certain times in the morning & night,large groups of such red ants would gather at the 'joints' of the structure bars of the playground. Abdul Islam

Edwin, 40, Manager Director, sent STOMP two MMSes of an airconditioning unit which had fallen on his sleeping son, Eugene. He said the incident took place on 10 September. His youngest child had been running a fever, so Eugene (the child in the picture) had moved to the room in the picture to sleep on a mattress placed on the ground. He was sleeping under the window airconditioning unit when it fell on him at 2.45 am. Eugene was sent to NUH. His back was bruised and his arm, bandaged. He has since been placed on medical leave. The airconditioning unit was less than a year old. The contractor had been called in and he explained that the bracket was broken, hence resulting in the accident. Edwin wanted STOMPers to be aware of the dangers of sleeping under such units after this incident took place.

Simon Thong, 50, a Project Manager, sent STOMP this picture of minature fowl which he had seen in Pasir Ris Park. This was his email to us: This is the second time I sighted a family of miniature jungle cockerels in Pasir Ris Park. They are actually about less than half the size of normal cocks and they can fly short distance too. They resemble very closely to those commercially bred miniature domestic versons and like them these are a beauty to behold. It was quite a pleasant surprise to see such beautiful birds on the mainland. Although they can fly from tree to tree they are not exactly great flyers by any measure. As such they can be very prone to poaching. It is for this reason I rather keep the location a secret.

Jeanette Lim sent STOMP this picture taken at her brother's Passing Out Parade on 5 September. She says:" During the parade, when the inspection was going on... A white Dog Ran across the parade square, right in front of the audience and the soldiers. It made everybody laugh as nobody stop the dog!"

D Y sent STOMP this collage of pictures taken on board an MRT Train. To D Y, "a sweet, water in a bottle is ok... but fruits, bubble tea, burgers, and once I saw candy floss.." An observation DY made? No one seems to pay attention or be bothered about the reminders and annoucements made over the public address system. The lady, who was eating her pear, was stared at by D Y and company, but she just ignored them and turned away from them. Chris also sent STOMP a video of ugly behaviour on board a bus he was taking. The 'sleeping beauty' had sprawled her legs across the two seats on 4 September and was totally oblivious to the world as she snoozed. The video can be viewed in STOMPcast . What do you think of such behaviour? Tell us »