Chua Sian Chin
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to speak on this Bill as a person who had been in Government for many years and before that in legal practice for more than eight years and now back in legal practice. While I was in Government, I had cognizance of the shortcomings of the legal profession.”
“It is 62 members out of a total of 1,335 practising lawyers. This has brought about a situation which no responsible government can let it pass in the public interest. The Government has good reasons to deal with this situation firmly. In fact, the present amendments have only made a small inroad in self-regulation.”
“At the same time, a minority group of activists has also chosen to take on the Government by calling an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Law Society to pass fierce resolutions against the Government. This group comprised only 62 members.”
“Though he has only limited Constitutional powers and acts on the advice of the Cabinet, he is the symbol of the unity, loyalty and aspirations of the people of Singapore.”
“- to hold classes for children of his constituents. What right has he got? The PAP MPs equally have no such rights. It is the right of the Government, if they think so, to have such classes. In fact, through the People's Association, they have been holding kindergarten classes in the community centres.”
“It is the Government who says that, and the Government has the right to say it because they are responsible for the Government of Singapore. And it is not what I say or what you say. Let me turn to the Member for Potong Pasir. He also produced some exhibits which are equally bogus.”
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“The Convention makes the act of hijacking an offence punishable by severe penalties to be imposed by Contracting States. It also obliges each Contracting State to take measures necessary for establishing its jurisdiction over the offence committed. It does not bind the State to extradite the offender except to another Contracting State with which it has signed an extradition treaty. The Convention, however, provides that the State which does not extradite the offender shall be obliged to prosecute him in the same manner as in the case of any ordinary offence of a serious nature under its laws. Aerial hijacking is not the only danger which threatens the safety of civil aviation today. Attacks on aircraft on the ground and other acts of sabotage against air navigational facilities are also matters which undermine the confidence of the people of the world in the safety of civil aviation. To deter the commission of such acts, ICAO concluded the Montreal Convention for the Suppression of Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation. This Convention was concluded and signed on 23rd September, 1971, and came into force on 26th January, 1973. Singapore signed this Convention on 21st November, 1972. The Convention deals primarily with acts of sabotage, armed attacks and other forms of violence against international civil aviation and its facilities. Apart from enlarging the scope of offences, this Convention is similar to The Hague Convention. Although Singapore is a party to The Hague and Montreal Conventions it has yet to ratify them. Both Conventions have gained wide acceptance in the world. As at November, 1977, a total of 79 countries were parties to The Hague Convention and 75 countries were parties to the Montreal Convention.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." In recent years, the need for aviation security measures to protect life and property in air commerce has become obvious. The growing number of incidents of aerial hijacking and sabotage of aircraft on the ground and air navigation facilities make it urgent. The early cases of hijacking were usually carried out by persons seeking to reach a destination which would otherwise have been inaccessible to them. However, the nature and character of aerial hijacking and sabotage have developed from those crude and amateurish affairs to sophisticated and well-organised operations in which aircraft, passengers and crew are held as hostages for specific demands. To meet this threat the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) signed and concluded a number of multilateral conventions. The first convention was the Tokyo Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts committed on board aircraft signed in 1963. This Convention was ratified by Singapore on 19th October, 1971, by the enactment of the Tokyo Convention Act, 1971. The main objective of this Convention is to ensure that at least one State would have criminal jurisdiction over offences committed on board a civil aircraft in flight. The Tokyo Convention has been supplemented by a further multilateral convention signed at The Hague on 16th December, 1970. This is The Hague Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft which came into force on 14th October, 1971. Singapore signed this Convention on 8th September, 1971. The purpose of this Convention is to provide a legal framework which will ensure that hijackers do not go unpunished.”
“Sir, it is not within my powers to build dirt tracks for these youths. I certainly do not oppose or try to discourage sporting activities among youths. But if they hell-drive or hell-ride on public roads endangering the safety of other road users and risking their lives and limbs, I do not think that is a sporting activity. It is a criminal activity. 3.30 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, they will obviously be distinguished by their manner of driving or riding along our streets and not "as in hell". But this will clearly be defined in the proposed law which is now being drafted. It may be something like this. When we talk of hell-drivers or hell-riders, we envisage a group of irresponsible people getting together for a race among themselves along public streets for prize money, with total disregard for the safety of other road users. They are not bothered whether their rash acts endanger the life and limb of other road users. They are only interested in competing among themselves for- prize money.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have said that the matter is still under consideration.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, my answer is the same: the matter is still under consideration. These factors will be considered. But, may I say that under the hire-purchase law, even if a vehicle has been seized the hire-purchaser is still liable to continue to pay his instalments to the dealer or the hire-purchase firm. It does not, therefore, seem to be that bad as far as hire purchase firms are concerned.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as I have said in my reply, this matter is still under consideration.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not think so. I have already indicated in my answer that in spite of four operations having been carried out, resulting in a number of hell-drivers being arrested and charged in court - the first case of rash driving was decided in court on 23rd November in which the rider was fined $1,000 and disqualified from driving for three years - yet on 28th November they went on a rampage again and we had to arrest 10 of them. Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not think, therefore, that mandatory imprisonment is too harsh. But may I say that although the proposal is to provide a minimum fine of $1,000 for the first offence and imprisonment up to a period not exceeding six months, the Magistrate has the discretion to impose imprisonment from one day to six months.”
“All these vehicles had to be returned to the hell-riders and hell-drivers after their cases were dealt with. It may, therefore, be necessary as a further deterrent to make provisions in the law for the confiscation of vehicles used in hell-driving and hell-riding, but this matter requires further consideration. Besides amending the existing legislation to provide for enhanced punishment against hell-drivers, the Traffic Police is also stepping up enforcement against such persons with a view to bringing to book the residual pool of such drivers and to prevent others from joining them.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the recurrence of "hell-driving", despite conviction in court, indicates that punishment provided in existing legislation is insufficient to deter hell-drivers from their dangerous and irresponsible acts. Present legislation provides for a maximum fine of $1,000 or six months' imprisonment or both. However, imprisonment is not mandatory. Upon conviction, the offender is also liable to be disqualified from driving. Between 30th October and 28th November, 1977 the Police conducted five operations against hell-riders. Altogether 20 persons were arrested and charged in court for rash driving and 34 were summoned for dangerous and inconsiderate driving. The first case of rash driving was decided in court on 23rd November, 1977. The rider was fined $1,000 and disqualified from riding for three years. This case, although widely publicised in the press, did not seem to have a deterrent effect on hell-riders because the Police arrested 10 persons for rash, dangerous and inconsiderate driving in their operation on 28th November, 1977. The Ministry of Home Affairs is taking steps to amend the existing legislation to provide for enhanced punishment against hell-drivers. The salient features of the proposed provisions are as follows:- (a) a minimum fine of at least $1,000 for first offenders and imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months; (b) a minimum fine of $2,000 in the case of second or subsequent conviction as well as imprisonment not exceeding one year: and (c) disqualification of driving for a period of at least one year from the date of conviction. Mr Speaker, Sir, in the five operations the Police seized 64 motor-cycles and 12 cars which were used in hell-riding and hell-driving.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are 106 part-time Vigilante Corps national servicemen residing in Pulau Tekong and Pulau Ubin. They are all attached to G District. The problem in question has been overcome by releasing these men from training or duties earlier, at 9.30 p.m. This will enable them to catch the launch from Changi Jetty at 10 p.m. by prior arrangement with the launch operator. It is only on certain occasions that they are required to remain for training or duties for the duration of the normal period of training/duties of 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. One such occasion was the training practice to prepare for the "VC Today" celebration last year. In such cases, they are informed well in advance to make arrangements with their relatives or friends to stay overnight on the mainland. The Vigilante Corps cannot assign these national servicemen patrol duties on the two islands as the low crime rate on these islands does not justify such patrols. Neither can the Vigilante Corps make arrangements for them to be trained on the islands as it is not feasible to establish a training centre with a full complement of supervisors, instructors, equipments and facilities on each island just to cater for 106 out of about 48,000 Vigilante Corps national servicemen. "HELL-DRIVERS" (Measures against) 18. Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education what measures he intends to take against "hell-drivers" who despite convictions in court seem to continue to defy the law with their daredevil speeding acts thereby posing a grave danger to the life and limb of other road-users.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I cannot give the cubic capacity of the space. However, I can give the area of the cold turkey room, but not its cubic capacity. I think its ceiling height is the normal ceiling height. The coiling height of this Chamber is not the normal ceiling height. The area of the cold turkey room is 42 square metros for 20 inmates. As for the area of an average dormitory, it is 322.8 square metros for 140 inmates. PART-TIME NATIONAL SERVICEMEN RESIDING IN PULAU TEKONG (Assignment of patrol duties on Island) 17. Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education if part-time National Servicemen residing in Pulau Tekong can be assigned petrol duties on the island itself instead of being asked to report to the mainland where they have to incur additional expenses by having to remain overnight after duty, as there is no more launch service in operation from Changi Point to take them back to the island.”
“However, if they wish to visit these centres, they should either contact the Director of Prisons or myself for such visits.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are five drug rehabilitation centres in Singapore. Four of these are for male addicts and the other is for female addicts. On the basis of accepted norms of living space and sanitary facilities for institutions of this nature, the planned capacity of these centres is as follows: Selarang Park Centre 2,400 inmates Jalan Awan Centre 1,140 inmates Telok Paku Centre 1,000 inmates Khalsa Crescent Centre 200 inmates Female Drug Rehabilita- tion Centre 230 inmates Apart from the Khalsa Crescent Centre, the others are either expanded or new. Accommodation in the centres was taken up as it became available when more and more addicts were apprehended under Operation Ferret. There is, therefore, no meaningful range that I can quote. However, the maximum number of inmates in those centres at various times were: Selarang Park Centre 1,659 inmates Jalan Awan Centre 1,124 inmates Telok Paku Centre 1,002 inmates Khalsa Crescent Centre 212 inmates Female Drug Rehabilita- tion Centre 218 inmates For cold turkey treatment, addicts are housed in groups of up to 20 inmates in each large cell. The inmates are segregated according to sex, age and past records. The hardcore addicts and those with criminal records are housed at the Khalsa Crescent Centre. The young experimentors, on the other hand, are housed in bungalows at the Selarang Park Centre. Inmates are also segregated according to the stages of treatment and rehabilitation they are in. For example, the Jalan Awan Centre houses inmates who are in the final stage of rehabilitation and treatment, and they are given work Members of Parliament are welcome to visit any other centres, except that male visitors am usually not allowed in the Female Drug Rehabilitation Centre.”
“3 2 _______________________________________________________________ Neighbourhood 1 1.4 New Upper 1 1 Targetted for Changi Road/ completion in 1980. Bedok South Road RADIO AND TV LICENCES, 1975-77 21. Mr Hwang Soo Jin asked the Minister for Finance what was the number of (i) radio licences; and (ii) television licences issued as at 31st December, 1977; and what were the comparative figures as at 31st December, 1976, and 31st December, 1975.”
“The current School Building Programme is geared to meet the demands of school places in new towns. Insofar as Neighbourhoods Two and Three of Bedok New Town are concerned, 5 primary and 3 secondary schools would be required to cater for 15,348 housing units or a population of 76,740. For Neighbourhood Two, a new primary school and a new secondary school each with 28 classrooms have been built so far and are already functioning. Construction on 2 more primary schools will begin soon and these are expected to be ready in 1979. Another secondary school is expected to be ready in 1980. The Ministry is also planning to build schools in Neighbourhood Three in its next School Building Programme, details of which are being worked out. Anglican High School is, however, in this Neighbourhood. In addition, 1 primary school and 1 secondary school will be built in Neighbourhood One (which is near Neighbourhoods Two and Three) and they are targetted for completion in 1980. The new schools' and the existing primary and secondary schools which are within 4 km of Bedok New Town would be adequate to cater for the school-going population in these 2 Neighbourhoods. * Note: Location of these schools is given in the table below. TABLE I LOCATION OF NEW SCHOOLS No. of Schools Remarks Location Primary Secondary School School _______________________________________________________________ Neighbourhood 2 1.1 New Upper 1 1 Both the schools Changi Road/ are functioning now Bedok South ie Bedok View Avenue 3 Primary School and Bedok View Secondary School. 1.2 New Upper 1 1 The primary school Changi Road/ is scheduled to Bedok South complete in 1979 Avenue 3 while the secon- dary school in 1980. 1.3 Bedok South 1 - Expected to complete Avenue 3 _____ _____ in 1979.”
“All these objectives were, to a large extent, achieved in this last promotion exercise which was the most thorough and comprehensive of all the promotion exercises held so far in the Education Service. No doubt, the numbers promoted were far less than those not promoted. This is so in any promotion exercise. The considerable time and effort put into this exercise were not counter-productive. Nevertheless, a thorough post mortem on this exercise is now being conducted and the lessons learned from this will be used to make further improvements, in consultation with the Public Service Commission and others, to the next promotion exercise for which initial planning has already begun. NEIGHBOURHOODS TWO AND THREE, BEDOK NEW TOWN (Schools) 20. Haji Sha'ari bin Tadin asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education whether there are plans to build schools in Neighbourhoods Two and Three and, if so, where the schools will be built and when they are expected to be completed.”
“The present promotion exercise was in fact an attempt to rationalise the promotion procedures taking account the experience gained from the first two promotion exercises in 1972 and 1974. In the last two promotion exercises, only about 1,200 officers, or about 7% of those eligible, were shortlisted for a single round of interviews by the Public Service Commission. Many of the 93% of those not shortlisted voiced their disappointment at not being called. This time, after months of discussion and consultation with the Public Service Commission and planning by the Ministry, a total of about 7,000 were originally shortlisted based on their records. The names of these 7,000 were then provided to their Principals who were asked to comment on the list and to suggest further names for inclusion if they felt any deserving officer had been left out. This resulted in another 2,000 or so names being added to the shortlist. Although the number shortlisted was large, totalling more than -9,000, the Public Service Commission and the Ministry felt it would be well worth the time and effort to interview them. Firstly, it would give as many as possible the opportunity to appear for interview and be considered for promotion. Secondly, they would be given the chance to express their views on the education system, the teaching service and their own personal problems, preferences and career expectations to the interview boards comprising Public Service Commission members and senior Ministry officials and Principals. Thirdly, and very importantly, it would allow as many as possible to be identified for future career development leading to appointments as Principals, Vice-Principals, Senior Assistants and in specialist capacities.”
“2,369 officers declined the invitation to appear for interview and be considered for promotion. They included: From 5 - 9 years confirmed service . . . . . . . 836 10 - 14 years confirmed service . . . . . . 834 15 - 19 years confirmed service . . . . . . 459 20+ years confirmed service . . . . . . . . 240 _____ 2,369 _____ Of those who declined 332 were shortlisted in the 1974 exercise and 355 were shortlisted in the 1972 exercise. Among those who declined 24 were promoted in the 1974 exercise and 5 were promoted in the 1972 exercise. No single officer was promoted in both the 1972 and 1974 exercises. TEACHING SERVICE (Promotion System) 19. Dr Lau Teik Soon asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education, in view of the long period of interview, heavy costs in terms of man-hours, manpower and organisation support and the small percentage of officers promoted, whether there is any plan to rationalise the promotion system in order to save time and cost as well as to reduce the frustrations of officers in the teaching profession.”
“473 officers were promoted in the 1977 Promotion Exercise. They included: From 5 - 9 years confirmed service . . . . . . . 71 10-14 years confirmed service . . . . . . . 121 15 - 19 years confirmed service . . . . . . 153 20 years and more confirmed service . . . . 128 ___ 473 ___ Of these 13 were promoted in the 1974 exercise and 47 were promoted in the 1972 exercise. Only one had been promoted in both the 1972 and 1974 exercises. TEACHING SERVICE (Promotion exercise in 1977) 18. Dr Lau Teik Soon asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education, out of the 2,320 officers in the teaching service who had been shortlisted but declined to participate in the promotion exercise in 1977, (i) how many had 5-9 years, 10-14 years, 15-19 years, and over 20 years of confirmed service; (ii) how many had been shortlisted for the promotion exercises in 1972 or 1974 or both; and (iii) how many had been promoted in the 1972 or 1974 or both promotion exercises.”
“9,696 were shortlisted for interview in the 1977 Promotion Exercise. They included: From 5 - 9 years confirmed service . . . . . . . 2,923 10 - 14 years confirmed service . . . . . . 3,537 15 - 19 years confirmed service . . . . . . 2,045 20 years confirmed service and above . . . 1,191 _____ 9,696 _____ Of those shortlisted for the interview in 1977, 820 had been shortlisted for the promotion exercise in 1974 and 354 for the 1972 promotion exercise. Of the 820 shortlisted in 1974, 41 were promoted and of the 354 shortlisted in 1972, 71 were promoted. Only one officer was promoted in both the 1972 and 1974 exercises. TEACHING SERVICE (Promotion exercise in 1977) 17. Dr Lau Teik Soon asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education, out of the 473 officers in the teaching service promoted in the promotion exercise in 1977, (i) how many had 5 - 9 years, 10 - 14 years, 15 - 19 years, and over 20 years of confirmed service; (ii) how many had been shortlisted for the promotion exercises in 1972 or 1974 or both; and (iii) how many had been promoted in the 1972 or 1974 or both promotion exercises.”
“2 119 2.5 90 1.8 Non-English Stream 87 3.5 84 3.8 47 2.0 * Premature Leavers are students who fail to reach the levels which these examinations (PSLE, 'O' and 'A' Level Exams) are set. + Percentage of enrolment for the respective stream. TEACHING SERVICE (Promotion exercise in 1977) 16. Dr Lau Teik Soon asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education, out of the more than 9,000 officers in the teaching service shortlisted for the promotion exercise in 1977, (i) how many had 5 - 9 years, 10 - 14 years, 15 - 19 years, and over 20 years of confirmed service; (ii) how many had been shortlisted for the promotion exercises in 1972 or 1974 or both; and (iii) how many had been promoted in the 1972 or 1974 or both promotion exercises.”
“7 _______________________________________________________________ Pre-University Level (PU 1-2) All Streams 2693 19.3 2147 15.6 2170 15.1 English Stream 1684 19.3 1344 14.8 1534 15.7 Non-English Stream 1009 19.3 803 17.0 636 13.8 _______________________________________________________________ Tertiary Level Universities (Nanyang University and University of Singapore) 112 1.4 177 2.2 288 3.4 Technical Colleges (Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Technical College) 621 10.9 370 6.3 242 3.6 Institute of Education 52 11.5 75 11.0 64 5.4 * Premature Leavers are students who fail to achieve the following qualifications in the respective courses they have enrolled in: 1 a degree/diploma/certificate for students at Tertiary Level; 2 2 'A' and 2 'O' level passes including a pass in GP at PU Level; 3 3 'O' level passes at Secondary Level; 4 pass in PSLE at Primary Level. + Percentage of the enrolment at a relevant date in the year; and is calculated as a percentage of enrolment for the respective stream. TABLE II ESTIMATED COMPARATIVE FIGURES OF PREMATURE LEAVERS FROM GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNMENT-AIDED SCHOOLS - 1974-76 [BASED ON AN ALTERNATIVE DEFINITION OF PREMATURE LEAVERS*] Year 1974 1975 1976 No %+ No %+ No %+ _______________________________________________________________ Primary Level (Pr 1-5) All Streams 2335 0.9 2567 1.0 1535 0.6 English Stream 1277 0.7 877 0.5 665 0.4 Non-English Stream 1058 1.3 1690 2.4 869 1.5 _______________________________________________________________ Secondary Level (Sec 1-3) All Streams 7243 5.9 7883 6.3 7062 5.8 English Stream 3582 4.5 4184 5.1 3528 4.4 Non-English Stream 3661 8.4 3753 8.6 3534 8.2 _______________________________________________________________ Pre-University Level (PU 1) All Streams 178 2.7 203 3.0 137 1.9 English Stream 91 2.”
“The statistics on premature school leavers for 1977 are not yet available except for those at primary level. Pupils at the 'O' and 'A' levels are waiting for the results of their Examinations and in the case of tertiary level, they have not sat for the final examination yet. In the circumstances only figures for 1974, 1975 and 1976 are provided. They are as follows:- Year 1974 1975 1976 Primary level (Pr 1-6) 12,040 12,186 10,992 Secondary level (Sec 1-4) 19,763 19,475 20,142 Pre-University 2,693 2,147 2,170 Tertiary 785 622 594 The breakdown of the figures into the English and non-English streams and expressed as a percentage of the total student population for each category is given at Table I below. The definition of premature school leavers is given at the footnote of Table I. It should be noted that the definition includes students at primary, secondary and pre-university level who sat for PSLE, GCE 'O' and 'A' level examinations but do not pass these examinations. If a premature school leaver within the school system is defined as a student who failed to reach the level at which these examinations are set, the numbers would be very much smaller as given at Table II below. TABLE I ESTIMATED COMPARATIVE FIGURES OF PREMATURE LEAVERS* 1974-76 Year 1974 1975 1976 No %+ No %+ No %+ _______________________________________________________________ Primary Level (Pr 1-6) All Streams 12040 3.6 12186 3.7 10992 3.5 English Stream 6542 2.8 6857 2.9 6203 2.6 Non-English Stream 5498 5.2 5329 5.7 4789 5.9 _______________________________________________________________ Secondary Level (Sec 1-4) All Streams 19763 12.5 19475 12.1 20142 12.5 English Stream 12439 11.8 11606 11.0 12585 11.8 Non-English Stream 7324 13.7 7923 14.4 7557 13.”
“During these two months, the total number of traffic offences committed was 31,440. **The total figure for the year 1975 includes the number 31,440 for January and February. + The Pedestrian Rules, 1977 came into effect on 1st September, 1977. Thus records were only kept from 1st September, 1977, onwards. PREMATURE SCHOOL LEAVERS, 1974-76 15. Mr Hwang Soo Jin asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education if he will state the number of premature school leavers in 1977 at (i) primary level; (ii) secondary level: (iii) pre-university level; and (iv) tertiary level, according to the different language streams and expressed also as a percentage of the total student population for each category; and if he will give the comparative figures for 1976 and 1975.”
“TABLE I CLASSIFICATION AND NUMBER OF PERSONS KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENTS, 1975-1977 Year 1975 1976 1977 CLASSIFICATION _______________________________________________________________ Motorists 27 27 17 Motor-cyclists 67 55 55 Cyclists 29 26 31 Pedestrians 122 132 124 *Others 41 46 42 _______________________________________________________________ Total 286 286 269 _______________________________________________________________ TABLE II CLASSIFICATION AND NUMBER OF PERSONS INJURED IN ROAD ACCIDENTS, 1975-1977 Year 1975 1976 1977 CLASSIFICATION _______________________________________________________________ Motorists 929 1,044 1,347 Motor-cyclists 2,038 2,314 2,392 Cyclists 772 953 828 Pedestrians 2,600 2,582 2,793 *Others 2,660 2,507 2,851 _______________________________________________________________ Total 8,999 9,400 10,211 _______________________________________________________________ *Others include: Cyclist pillion passengers Trishaw passengers Motor car passengers Motor cycle/scooter pillion passengers Bus passengers Lorry passengers Pickup/van passengers TABLE III NUMBER OF TRAFFIC OFFENCES COMMITTED BY TYPE OF OFFENDERS, 1975-1977 YEAR 1975 1976 1977 CLASSIFICATION _______________________________________________________________ Motorists 98,230* 203,463 174,235 Motor-cyclists 9,250* 19,410 21,051 Cyclists 3,393* 1,305 1,261 +Pedestrians - - 23,223 _______________________________________________________________ Total 142,313** 224,178 219,770 _______________________________________________________________ * These figures exclude those recorded in the months of January and February of 1975 as records were then not kept to reveal a breakdown of the offenders according to the categories requested for.”
“In 1977 there were 31,127 road accidents compared to 29,950 in 1976 and 29,583 in 1975. The number of persons killed in road accidents in 1977 was 269 which was slightly lower than the number of 286 persons killed in 1976 and the same as that in 1975. The number of pedestrians killed made up an average of 45% of the total for the 3 years. The number of persons injured in road accidents has increased from 8,999 in 1975 to 9,400 in 1976 and to 10,211 in 1977. The number of traffic offences committed in 1977 was 219,770 representing a reduction of 4,408 compared to 1976 and an increase of 77,457 compared to 1975. The breakdown of these figures according to whether the persons involved were motorists, motor cyclists, cyclists or pedestrians is given in the Tables below.”
“TABLE I SUICIDE BY SEX AND AGE-GROUP, 1975-1977 Age- 1975 1976 1977 Group Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total _______________________________________________________________ 19 & below 7 4 11 6 3 9 4 6 10 20-30 28 17 45 20 15 35 16 14 30 31-40 11 15 26 10 11 21 10 11 21 41-50 11 7 18 5 3 8 4 4 8 51-60 10 6 16 11 8 19 5 4 9 61 & above 39 14 53 31 15 46 24 15 39 _______________________________________________________________ Total 106 63 169 83 55 138 63 54 117 _______________________________________________________________ TABLE II ATTEMPTED SUICIDE BY SEX AND AGE-GROUP, 1975-1977 Age- 1975 1976 1977 Group Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total _______________________________________________________________ 19 & below 2 9 11 4 6 10 3 1 4 20-30 4 6 10 17 16 33 5 9 14 31-40 1 2 3 3 6 9 2 2 4 41-50 2 2 4 2 - 2 3 - 3 51-60 - - - 1 1 2 2 - 2 61 & above 2 - 2 7 6 13 7 2 9 _______________________________________________________________ Total 11 19 30 34 35 69 22 14 36 _______________________________________________________________ TABLE III NUMBER OF MISSING PERSONS BY SEX AND AGE-GROUP, 1975-1977 Age- 1975 1976 1977 Group Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total _______________________________________________________________ 19 & below 96 206 302 106 226 332 90 215 305 20-30 23 78 101 35 66 101 32 72 104 31-40 15 27 42 19 23 42 13 15 28 41-50 6 13 19 12 11 23 5 8 13 51-60 4 6 10 5 6 11 4 2 6 61 & above 21 6 27 20 8 28 15 5 20 _______________________________________________________________ Total 165 336 501 197 340 537 159 317 476 _______________________________________________________________ ROAD ACCIDENTS AND TRAFFIC OFFENCES, 1975-77 14.”
“In 1977 there were 117 suicides in Singapore compared to 169 in 1975 and 138 in 1976. A total of 36 attempted suicides were reported to the Police in 1977 compared to 69 in 1976 and 30 in 1975. The number of missing persons reported in 1977 was 476 compared to 537 in 1976 and 501 in 1975. The sex and age distribution for all the cases is presented in the statistical tables below.”
“Mr Hwang Soo Jin asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education if he will state the number of cases in 1977 of (i) suicides; (ii) attempted suicides; and (iii) reports of missing persons, giving the figures by sex and by the age groups 19 years and below; 20 to 30 years; 31 to 40 years; 41 to 50 years; 51 to 60 years and 61 years and above; and if he will give the comparative figures for 1976 and 1975.”
“In 1977 there were 493 robberies. This was slightly higher than the 461 robberies in 1976 but much lower than the 690 robberies in 1975. For the three years 1975 to 1977 about 16% of the cases were solved. Thefts rose from 9,519 and 9,483 in 1975 and 1976 respectively to 11,780 in 1977. Although the number of cases solved increased from 1,115 in 1975 to 1,297 in 1977 the percentage dropped from 12% to 11%. There has been a slight decline in rape cases reported to the Police over the last 3 years from 59 in 1975 to 54 in 1976 to 48 in 1977. The number of cases solved showed a marked increase from 40% in 1975 to 75% in 1977. Murder cases were also on the decline, failing from 49 in 1975 to 37 in 1976 to 36 in 1977. The percentage of cases solved rose from 54% in 1976 to 72% in 1977. Commercial crimes rose by about 10%. There were 938 cases in 1975, 949 cases in 1976 and 1,045 cases in 1977. In 1977, 38% of the cases were solved and this was the highest for the 3 years, 1975 to 1977. Statistics on the various crimes reported and solved during 1975, 1976 and 1977 are in the Table below. TABLE NUMBER OF CASES REPORTED AND SOLVED BY TYPE OF OFFENCE COMMITTED 1975-1977 Year 1975 1976 1977 ______________________________________________________________ Type No. No. No. of of No. of No. of No. Offence cases Solved cases Solved cases Solved ______________________________________________________________ (i) Armed Robberies 690 126 461 70 493 82 (ii) Thefts 9,519 1,115 9,483 1,234 11,780 1,297 (iii) Rapes 59 24 54 20 48 36 (iv) Murders 49 31 37 20 36 26 (v) Commercial Crimes 938 329 949 224 1,045 398 SUICIDES, ATTEMPTED SUICIDES AND MISSING PERSONS, 1975-77 13.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Section 10(a) of the Arms Offences Act, 1973, exempts the following categories of persons from section 3 of the Act which provides for punishment for unlawful possession of arms or ammunition: (a) members of any visiting force lawfully present in Singapore; (b) members of the Police Force; and (c) members of a volunteer force or local force constituted under any written law for the time being in force in Singapore. Because of this exemption provision, police officers and military personnel cannot be charged for unlawful possession of arms or ammunition under the Arms Offences Act. They can only be charged under another Act, the Arms and Explosives Act, which imposes much lighter penalties than the Arms Offences Act. In principle, there is no reason why uniformed personnel should not be treated like other citizens when they are not acting in the performance of their duty. They should not be allowed to escape the more severe punishment which they may deserve as provided by section 3 of the Arms Offences Act. The Bill therefore seeks to redress this anomaly without causing disruption or inconvenience to uniformed personnel who need to carry arms in the performance of duty by restricting the exemption. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to, Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Chua Sian Chin]. Bill considered in Committee. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Clause 1 -”
“So we owe a duty not only to the drug addict, of treating and rehabilitating him, but also to the community of preventing the drug addict from infecting other unsuspecting youths. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr E.W. Barker]. Bill considered in Committee. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 4.14 p.m. Clause 1 -”
“Sir, may I clarify the point made by the Member for Jalan Kayu? But before doing so, I would like to thank my colleague, the Minister for Law, for his reply to the queries raised. As to the point of clarification, let me put it this way. The implication of the statement made by the Member for Jalan Kayu is that this constitutional amendment was an after-thought after the Misuse of Drugs Act was introduced and passed in this Parliament. May I assure the Member that this was not the case. It was not an after-thought. We knew that this Bill which was introduced earlier would require an amendment to the Constitution of Singapore. If hon. Members will remember, before the Second Reading of the Misuse of Drugs Act, this Constitution (Amendment) Bill was introduced for First Reading in this Parliament. So it was not an after-thought. It was not a case, as was vividly put by the Member for Jalan Kayu, of closing the stable gate after the horse had fled. In fact, the horse is still in the stable when we try to close it. It is not a case of the horse having bolted. It is still in the stable. The other point of clarification is that this is not a straightforward case of detention without trial of secret society gangsters. This is a case where a drug addict is being detained not for purposes of imprisonment but for purposes of treatment and rehabilitation. As my colleague, the Minister for Law, has aptly illustrated his point, we are not only fighting an epidemic, an epidemic which is called the "heroin" epidemic where the addicts not only require treatment and rehabilitation as quickly as possible, but we also have to prevent them from infecting other people, just like small pox or cholera cases.”
“Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. SINGAPORE SPORTS COUNCIL (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read.”
“However, when Exit Control is implemented, the Immigration Department will be empowered to check those liable for national service leaving the country. It is an offence under the Enlistment Act for persons liable for national service to leave Singapore without an exit permit from the Central Manpower Base. However, due to the absence of departure checking at the moment, such people could leave Singapore undetected temporarily or permanently. When Exit Control is implemented, the Immigration Department will have the manpower to provide departure checking for foreign visitors as well as Singapore citizens liable for national service. It is proposed in clause 17 of the Bill to confer upon an immigration officer the power to prevent those liable for national service from leaving Singapore if he does not have an exit permit. This will assist in the cutting down of the number of deserters and other cases of absence without leave. The Immigration Department will incur a one-time capital expenditure of $824,000 in implementing the Exit Control Scheme. The annually recurrent expenditure on manpower and other operating expenditure may amount to $2,000,000 and $850,000 respectively. But this expenditure is necessary to prevent the accumulation of foreigners who overstay, including undesirable elements, that can be a factor to affect the security and social stability of Singapore. The new Woodlands Checkpoint is ready and the Exit Control Scheme can be implemented as soon as the legislation is passed and necessary regulations enacted. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Chua Sian Chin].”
“This compared unfavourably with the figures of those who overstayed as disclosed during the two-day survey conducted in October 1976. Although quite a number of foreigners have overstayed in Singapore unintentionally, there are many others who have deliberately overstayed for one reason or another. If this is left unchecked, there is a danger that the number of overstayers may increase to critical proportions with all its attendant security and social implications. There is, therefore, an urgent need to institute measures to ward off this danger. The amendment Bill before the House will empower the Immigration Department to require foreign visitors to leave Singapore only through designated anchorages, airports or points or places of departure. It will also be empowered to require such persons to hand in Embarkation Forms at the time they leave Singapore. By matching, through the use of computer, the information contained in these Embarkation Forms with the arrival information of visitors obtained from the Disembarkation Forms submitted by them on arrival in Singapore, the Department will be able to identify the visitors who have overstayed. Follow-up action will then be taken against them. Although overstaying is an offence, some allowance will be made for tourists and other categories of visitors who may have unwittingly overstayed in Singapore for a few days. For such cases, the authorised Immigration Officers will have the discretion to either issue a warning or compound the offence for a sum of up to $100 (under clause 21 of the amendment Bill). There is no intention at this stage to apply the Exit Control Scheme to Singapore citizens.”
“To ensure that foreigners will submit to examination by Immigration Officers on arrival in Singapore, they are only allowed to enter Singapore at entry points such as immigration anchorages, immigration control posts, authorised airports, or authorised landing places which are designated under the provisions of the Immigration Act. The major defect in the present system is that although the Immigration Department has the power to restrict the stay of foreigners in Singapore, the mechanism is not there for it to ensure that they leave Singapore on or before the expiry of their temporary passes. There is no scheme to require all foreign visitors to submit to immigration check when leaving Singapore. There are also no specially designated exit points through which they are required to leave Singapore. As a result, foreigners can walk out from Singapore undetected even though they may have long overstayed the validity of their passes. A special survey conducted by the Immigration Department at various checkpoints revealed that during a two-day period in October 1976, a total of 2,447 visitors had overstayed in Singapore for periods ranging from a few days to over a year. These survey figures indicate only those who after having overstayed here subsequently, for some reasons, found it necessary to leave Singapore. The figures do not, however, disclose the number of visitors who have been overstaying here for very long periods and have no intention of leaving Singapore. At the moment, the Immigration Department takes action to track down those who overstay when information is received about their presence in Singapore. For the who4e of 1976, only 2,695 persons who overstayed were arrested by Immigration Officers in this way.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The enactment of the Immigration (Amendment) Bill, 1977, will mark the opening of a new dimension in immigration control in Singapore, namely, Exit Control. However, it does not constitute a change in the basic principles of immigration control. This point needs to be emphasised in order to allay the apprehension in some quarters about the significance and effect of an Exit Control Scheme in Singapore. The present immigration law in Singapore had its origin in the Immigration Ordinance of 1952. This was amended by the Immigration (Amendment) Ordinance, 1959, with effect from 1st May 1959 to take account of the creation of the status of a citizen of Singapore under the Singapore Citizenship Ordinance, 1957. Thereafter the substance of immigration law has remained substantially unchanged although there have been some modifications of the form of the law to reflect the various constitutional changes. The only major change during this period was the introduction of immigration control at the Causeway with effect from 1st July 1967. Throughout the years, the Immigration Department has regulated the entry into and stay in Singapore of visitors through the issue of various types of temporary passes, such as Social Visit Pass, Student's Pass or Employment Pass. It is an offence for a visitor to remain in Singapore after the expiry of his pass and he is liable - on conviction to imprisonment for a term of up to six months or to a fine of up to $2,000 or to both such imprisonment and fine.”
“Sir, this word "may" gives the Magistrate discretion. Discretion ought to be given to the Magistrate. I do not think we need to include the word "immediately" because the Magistrate knows his job. In the interest of justice he will inquire into it immediately. I do not think it is necessary to make such a stipulation. Question put, and agreed to. Amendment accordingly agreed to. The Chairman: Consequent upon the addition of new section 33D, the marginal title to clause 9 will be amended to read "New sections 33A to 33D.". Clause 9, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 10 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Bill reported with amendments; read a Third time and passed. IMMIGRATION (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 5.15 p.m.”
“The reason for this amendment is already explained in my speech on the Second Reading of the Bill. Question proposed. "That the new section 33D proposed to be inserted, be there inserted."”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 7, after line 5, to insert - "Power of 33D.-(1) Where a complaint is made Magis- on oath to a Magistrate that any person is trate to improperly detained in an approved inquire institution by reason of any misconduct into com- or breach of duty on the part of any plaints officer in the discharge of his functions of mis- pursuant to this Act or any regulations conduct made thereunder, the Magistrate may or breach either inquire into the complaint himself of duty. or direct a police officer to make an inquiry for the purpose of ascertaining the truth or falsehood of the complaint and report to him the result of the inquiry. (2) Every inquiry under subsection (1) of this section shall be conducted in private but, save as aforesaid, the procedure for conducting any inquiry shall be such as the magistrate considers appropriate in the circumstances of the case. (3) A Magistrate or a police officer conducting any inquiry under subsection (1) of this section shall have all the Cap. 113. powers conferred on him by the Criminal Procedure Code in relation to the attendance and examination of witnesses, the taking of evidence and the production of documents. (4) If after considering the result of any such inquiry the Magistrate is satisfied that any person who is detained in an approved institution ought not to be so detained he may make an order for the discharge of that person from the approved institution and that person shall be discharged accordingly. (5) Any order or decision of the Magistrate made under this section shall be final. (6) No evidence taken for the purpose of any such inquiry shall be admissible in any civil or criminal proceedings except where the person who gave such evidence is charged with giving or fabricating false evidence.".”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 7, to leave out lines 1 to 5 inclusive and insert - "(3) The Superintendent of an approved institution may enter into an arrangement with the Superintendent of another approved institution for the transfer of any inmate to that other institution and, subject to any directions given by the Director or the Review Committee, may carry out any transfer in accordance with such arrangement.". The reason for this amendment is to give more flexibility to the transfer of addicts from one drug rehabilitation centre to another. Amendment agreed to.”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 3, after line 29, to insert - '(b) by inserting immediately after subsection (3) thereof the following subsections: - "(4) Any person who has been required to provide a specimen of his urine for a urine test under subsection (1) of this section may, within such time and in such manner as may be prescribed, apply for a second test of the specimen of his urine which is kept for that purpose in accordance with any regulations made under this Act; but except as provided by subsection (5) of this section no such application shall affect any order made by the Director or the Deputy Director of the Central Narcotics Bureau under Section 33 of this Act. (5) If as a result of any second test which has been conducted on the application of any person under subsection (4) of this section it is found that there is no controlled drug in the specimen of his urine, he shall be immediately discharged from any approved institution in which he is detained." '. The reasons for this amendment have already been given in my speech on the Second Reading of the Bill. Amendment agreed to.”
“No. he is not detained in prison. He is being detained for treatment at a rehabilitation centre. If he is genuinely aggrieved, there is a Magistrate before whom he can go to, and the Magistrate can inquire into it speedily and arrive at the truth. The essence of the whole measure is speed, which is very important to both, from the point of view of the drug addict himself and the community at large. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Chua Sian Chin]. Bill considered in Committee. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 5.05 p.m. Clauses 1 to 5 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 6 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the reason why we adopted this practice is, if we allow the drug addicts to go free, there is a possibility that they may go deeper into drug addiction and infect others. As you know, any person being charged for any offence, can be bailed out. As a result he is free. And he can ask for an adjournment. In the meantime he can infect other people. On the other hand, as far as this procedure is concerned, a person is detained for rehabilitation on the basis of a urine test. I cannot see any other possibility of a wrongful detention unless there has been an abuse on the part of the enforcement officer or there has been a mix-up in the handling of the urine specimens.”
“Sir, the complaint will be speedily dealt with. It is not a board. It is just a Magistrate who will decide what course of action to take when he receives a complaint, and it can be dealt with quite speedily. As regards time, it may take two weeks, three weeks or a month. It should not be more than that. Of course, it depends on the particular case in question.”
“Dr Ong Leong Boon (Kim Seng): Mr Speaker, Sir, I just like to seek clarification in respect of the Minister's reply in regard to the appeals board. I would like to know what is the interval between filing an appeal and for the board to meet? If the board takes six months to convene, then the aggrieved person would have already been in detention for six months.”
“Sir, maybe in Potong Pasir the ballot boxes are not marked! But the boxes for the urine samples will be marked. One box will be marked "For Storage". The other will be marked "To be delivered to the Department of Scientific Services." Sir, to explain to the Member for Kallang, these tests are not done by medical officers. They are done by scientists. We have scientists in the Department of Scientific Services to do these tests. The Department is the proper authority for doing these tests. Members can be assured that these tests are carried out properly and they can depend on the tests to be accurate. Sir, I think there is a "mix-up" on the part of the Member for Potong Pasir about the recourse to a Magistrate if a person is aggrieved vis-a-vis that there has been some abuse of power or there have been some mix-up. The person can swear a complaint either by himself or through his relatives and the Magistrate, when faced with a sworn complaint, will have to conduct an inquiry. If the aggrieved person wants to have any number of lawyers to act on his behalf, he can do so. But as I said, it is not necessary because the inquiry will be conducted by the Magistrate himself who is an independent person. He is a member of the Judiciary and he will see that the truth of the matter will be arrived at through fair means. With regard to the question that proceedings of such an inquiry should not be used as evidence in any court of law, that is the normal practice with regard to any court of law, not necessarily this inquiry presided by a Magistrate. Otherwise people will not want to give evidence freely if, as a result of what he or she says in evidence, there can be a suit against him or her. Sir, I think I have answered the questions.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I just clarify the points raised by the Member for Kallang? I shall also reply to the Member for Potong Pasir as regards the second urine test. The Member says that because we realise that there is a possibility of a mix-up, that is why we are taking two urine specimens. The two specimens will be taken at the same time. We have already worked out the full procedure but it cannot be incorporated in this Bill. It will be incorporated in regulations which will be promulgated after the Bill has been passed. I will give Members an idea of what we are proposing to do. When a urine specimen of a suspect is going to be taken, he will be given two containers. He himself will put his urine in the two containers. The two containers will be sealed by him and they will be put into two boxes which will be locked. The suspect will put one urine sample in a plastic bottle in one box and the other sample in another box. An hon. Member: The boxes are not marked!”