The great hunt: bunker chaos

Here's an alternative explanation for why information about Mas Selamat Kasteri's escape came out in ribs and drabs. Full essay.

Sex is all around, get over it

A Lim Soo Hoon complains that a shop handed her son a condom and sold him a kamasutra chocolate. A Bennie Cheok complains that a TV show had a same-sex couple living with a son. Meanwhile, strippers make it big. Full essay.

The great hunt limps along

It's six days since Mas Selamat Kasturi escaped from Whitley Road Detention Centre. The longer he stays undiscovered, the more likely he is getting help and someone is concealing him. Full essay.

Be meek and be dispossessed

Service quality is rarely good in Singapore. But bad service and bad behaviour persist partly because we ourselves don't speak up. Full essay.

Of airports and demonstrations

In airport surveys, Singapore comes out near the top. In press freedom, near the bottom. Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng says the question of allowing demonstrations at Hong Lim Park is being reviewed. Full essay.

From my mailbox 1

More on the (secret) survey on reasons for emigrating. Mediacorp TV censors gay speech (again). Why censorship matters. Full essay.

Slam the odds

Jonathan Lim and Christian Lee wanted to chase their dream - to make a feature film in China - and found themselves facing obstacle after obstacle. Full essay.

Daydreams of a way station

How is Singapore going to become one of the great capital cities of the world when we keep losing talent? Full essay.

Media silence and the cultivators of hate

An inexplicable, senseless killing hogs the news for days. Another horrific killing is hardly mentioned. Why? Full essay.

Safety on trial

Do Singaporeans care enough about public safety? Why have we not provided paths for bicycles, separate from pedestrians? Full essay.

It's my gay uncle who takes me to school every day

Gays are out to destroy the "traditional family", the religious nuts claim. They can't be too happy then, with the science that is emerging. Full essay.

Inflation has hurt poor more than rich

Everybody in Singapore has seen significant price increases, but poorer households see more of it, according to statistics. In promising to do something about price trends in the upcoming budget, the government should bear this in mind. Full essay.

Berlin's Erotik Museum

Berlin lives up to its liberal reputation with a sex museum. Two floors of precious art pieces from around the world. Photo essay.

Keeping schools safe from religion

A headmaster tried to make his canteen all-halal, violating a fundamental principle of a secular state. Full essay.

January potpourri

My Kissing photos, banned in Singapore, are on show in Melbourne. Plus more news bites. Full essay.

Leaving Singapore for pinker shores

Jason was happy to be posted to Singapore, but after just one year, he quit. Here's one MBA and PhD holder in the biotech line that Singapore couldn't convince to stay. Why? Guest essay.

Are the planned bus and rail improvements enough?

The Transport Minister recently announced new plans and changes to the public transport system. While the direction is sound, don't expect things to improve greatly. Full essay.

A reason to complain

The Complaints Choir was refused a licence to perform in whole. Is this another example of "ceremonial censorship", with all its implications for the rule of law? Full essay.

Inside and outside the human zoo

How do you feel about gawking at hill tribes dressed in their "exotic" costumes? Do people who perform their roles always do so unwillingly? Full essay.

Coming and going and coming back to haunt us again

How many of you remember the novel Peculiar Chris? After 15 years, the author has published another book. Full essay.

The healthcare funding gap

Is there a healthcare safety net or not? We have all these various schemes from Medisave to Medifund, but do they provide comprehensive coverage? Full essay.

Seelan Palay's 5-day fast

He's fasting 5 days to draw attention to the 5 men detained by the Malaysian government without trial. Yet another young Singaporean rekindling the spirit of outdoor protest. Full essay.

Blogging is a criminal hobby, part 1

There are so many laws and regulations, the average blogger must surely be violating one or more of them. And they are vague too, so you can never be sure. Full essay.

Happy to eat apart

Have you noticed that at some food courts, there are no more halal-certified stalls? Full essay.

Supreme Court victory in Nepal

A gay group in Nepal obtained a favourable ruling from the country's Supreme Court, but what effect will it have? Full essay.

DIY self-portraits, part 2

Why it is important to zoom in, and why the camera shouldn't be closer than 2.5 or 3 metres. Full essay.

Tips for the vision-impaired

How to enlarge text and graphics to make it easier for yourself. Full essay.

My mother's Christmas

Earlier this week, my mother was rushed, again, to hospital. I was prepared for the worst. Full essay.

Futsal on International Migrants Day

A number of non-governmental organisations organised a friendly futsal competition for foreign workers and Singaporeans. Photo essay.

New highs in ministerial salaries, new lows in media credibility

The second phase of salary increases for ministers and top civil servants kicks in next month. What a relief it's finally done, says a letter writer to the Straits Times Forum. Full essay.

After 24 years, passing through, speaking up

A former expatriate who helped grow the Singapore Arts Festival 24 years ago, came back for a visit while the gay debate was in progress. Guest essay.

Christopher de Souza's four rebuttals

Even though the parliamentary debate about Section 377A is over, it is necessary, for the record, to point out how poor are the arguments some MPs made, starting with Christopher de Souza. Full essay.

Hady did Singapore proud, part 2

Interesting political angles from Hady Mirza's Asian Idol victory. Full essay.

Hady did Singapore proud

Hady Mirza represented Singapore at the inaugural Asian Idol contest in Jakarta. With our small population, his chances may well be the slimmest, but he performed admirably. Full essay.

DIY self-portraits

How to take some nice pictures of yourself, entirely by yourself, with an inexpensive camera. Full essay.

What lurks beyond globalisation and capitalism

Driven by higher pay for the already well-off and flatter taxation, the income gap has widened across the world. Will this trend continue without end? Full essay.

A skipped floor

Some years ago, I met this guy at a convention. His room was 2 floors below mine in the same hotel... Full essay.

Who shall watch the Watchmen?

A young man is killed in a hate crime. But how is a hate crime (as distinguished from hate speech) defined? Does Singapore have a law against hate crime? Full essay.

Migrants should be required to take English courses

After 40 years of getting Singaporeans to accept English as a neutral inter-ethnic link language, this achievement is under threat from new migrants from China. Singapore's majority Chinese need to understand how alienating this is to our ethnic-minority fellow citizens. Full essay.

China's trade surpluses: disequilibrium and accommodation

China's trade surpluses are humongous, with both the US and the EU. Yet the solution is quite obvious, only difficult to implement. Full essay.

Asean still toothless after 40 years

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations did its already crumbling reputation no favor by stiffing UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari at the last minute after he was invited to brief the 10-nation group on his mission to Myanmar. Though the 40th anniversary summit did make a big show of unity and ballyhooing its new (ineffective) charter, it was clear that by kowtowing to Myanmar's junta it is likely to remain a paper tiger for many years to come. Asia Times article.

Fees or fines, we make it all the easier

The MDA is a blundering fool in making its rap video, but is also a sinister force in its attempts to massage the news. Full essay.

Enforcing racial and religious harmony

What are the laws in Singapore that can apply to inciteful speech related to race and religion? Do they have clarity? Full essay.

Taxi problem the result of 3 deadly sins

Why is the taxi problem so persistent? Why do passengers complain there aren't enough taxis, and taxi drivers complain there aren't even passengers to make a decent living? Full essay.

It's the principle, stupid

Guest writer John Toh ruminates on marriage and the values we imbue it with. Why adhere to traditional forms of marriage when we have the capacity to think? Guest essay.

Parliamentarians with nothing to say

Singapore boasts about being ahead in information technology. Funny, then, how few members of parliament maintain an active blog. Full essay.

Open call for a bloggers' meeting

A government-linked body is conducting a review of internet regulations. Word from those who have participated suggest that liberalisation doesn't seem to be its aim.

This is an open call for bloggers to come together to discuss this issue and organise a submission representing their views.

There will be a brainstorming meeting on Tues, 4 Dec, and a drafting meeting on Tues, 11 Dec, at the Substation, Armenian Street. Both meetings start at 7 pm.

For more information, see here. Please come. And help pass the word out.

When the wind blows, thank the government

Is there anyone left in Singapore who still feels that free speech is a fundamental right? Three examples of censorship, each fortunately reversed. Full essay.

A Rumsfeldian future

Singapore coasts along with a one party system. Our opposition parties have insignificant roles to play, and going by present efforts, won't be growing anytime soon. What if some unknown hit us in the future, and the government proves incompetent, or the unknown hits the government, paralysing it? Full essay.

Flat jokes and dumb remarks

The Prime Minister says, to his audience's delight, that some opposition party candidates have gone "Awol". Another minister says we shouldn't "dumb down" our political system. Full essay.

Minorities and state protection

How do we decide which group should receive state protection, or minority rights? And in any debate over this, what's wrong with identity politics? Full essay.

Towards a human rights mechanism, part 2

On human rights, the Asean Charter contains motherhood statements and a joke of a monitoring or enforcement body. Full essay.

Nasal straws in the wind

What does the threat letter to Thio Li-Ann really represent? What's the significance of 2 recent articles - in the Straits Times and Zaobao respectively? Full essay.

Too proud of our noose

Prof Michael Hor (NUS Law faculty) recently gave a talk, speaking out against the way Singapore uses the death penalty. Full essay.

Dispelling heat, light and smoke

A guest essay by Kyle the vampire slayer, in response to Thio Li-Ann's parliamentary speech on Section 377A of the Penal Code. Guest essay.

Ake Green and the freedom to monger hate

When preachers and like-minded religionists say gay people are out to muzzle religion, the case of Ake Green is one of the examples they have in mind. Full essay.

Robo Chan's short-lived happiness

Modern news is full of numbers and we are easily lulled into taking them at face value. Full essay.

The limits of civility

Who was the mystery guy who wanted to desecrate Thio Li-Ann's grave? Full essay.

Stockholm and Gothenburg

Oh no, not holiday pictures! Well, not, since I wasn't holidaying there. But just a few photos with tales behind them. Photo essay.

Non-repeal of 377A : Was it all a blunder?

The government hates having to wrestle with contentious issues, especially ones with religious undercurrents, yet it stumbled into a hot debate about Section 377A. Full essay.

The loonies are marching

The anti-gay lobby has set up not one, not two, but 3 different websites calling for action over 377A. The third summons the faithful to a march. Full essay.

Newspapers should beware of being shunned by the intelligent

Just looking at the stuff about 377A in the newspapers and the blogosphere, a trend becomes noticeable, and it's not an auspicious one for the mainstream print media. Full essay.

Wednesday's little things

We make countless observations as we go about our daily business, but because we tend to mind our own business, we don't give much thought to what we see. Yet, little things can point to larger social trends. Full essay.

Singapore squirms as Burmese protest

This is a piece I wrote recently for The Asia Times, on how the expatriate Burmese community in Singapore and their local sympathisers experience the Singapore government's heavy hand. External story.

When warnings go unheeded

It's getting harder for the government to ban public protests. People are increasingly likely to defy or circumvent warnings, and the cost of a crackdown is rising. Full essay.

Straight thoughts on 377A

Sam, a university student, asks his friends to sign the petition to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code. Guest essay.

Is there really a race called 'Malays'?

This guest piece by Michael from Malaysia looks at the inconsistent use of the term 'Malay', and how it is contested by the very people often classified as 'Malay'. Guest essay.

Southeast Asian royal families and West Asian links

A guest piece by Dreamhunter throws light into how, centuries ago, princes and mercenaries from West Asia found their way into the early royal houses of some Southeast Asian states. Guest essay.

Black and blue

The New Zealand rugby team does a Maori haka before each match. What do the words mean? Full essay.

Petition to the prime minister: repeal 377A now

An online petition is open until 19 October to ask the government to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code forthwith. Alas, too many signatories have chosen to use pseudonyms. Full essay.

Burma: don't rule out sanctions

If UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari is to have any influence, he must be backed by the possibility of economic sanctions. Asean must not shirk its responsibility in helping to make this threat meaningful. Full essay.

On Otto, part 2

The mainstream press was a little slow to respond to the Otto Fong story. And when they did, they each took quite different positions. Full essay.

On Otto, part 1

Otto Fong, a science teacher at premier school Raffles Institution, writes an open letter on his blog saying he's gay. At once, the school and the Ministry of Education swing into damage control mode. But what damage? Full essay.

Fun with FOI

Living in this political cocoon that is Singapore, not many people have heard of a concept called a Freedom of Information Act. Here are three examples of citizens in other countries attempting to use it to effect, not that they always succeed. Full essay.

Rock, jazz and songbirds silenced

Singapore's cityscape is one of the most changeable in the world. We demolish and rebuild all the time. Sometimes protests are made when historical buildings are demolished, but more often, small things that don't seem that important, or are part of our everyday lives are lost too. Full essay.

"It's a matter of time," says Lee Kuan Yew

In the latest interview with the International Herald Tribune, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew brings up the subject of homosexuality once again. Meanwhile a pastor fulminates against gay people. Full essay.

Towards a human rights mechanism

There have been sketchy reports about Asean setting up a human rights commission. Will Singaporeans benefit from it? How can we ensure that? Full essay.

Why would anyone rescue Singapore?

Lee Kuan Yew said our armed forces can withstand an attack for 2 - 3 weeks, but not a siege. Our survival depends on "an international environment which says that borders are sacrosanct and there is the rule of law." Meaning: we hope a powerful country would rescue us. Full essay.

The Good News Times strikes again

The poor suffer more inflation than the rich, but you won't know this if you read a certain newspaper without examining the numbers closely. Full essay.

Religious affiliation of MPs

Here's a table showing the religious affiliation of members of parliament. While it may be interesting, by itself it shouldn't be read as meaning very much. Use with care. Full essay.

Teacher's termination still unaccounted for

Two junior ministers beat around the bush when faced with questions in Parliament regarding the termination of a relief teacher and a ban on an opposition party's cycling event. Full essay.

CPF and its creaky assumptions

As Singapore's economy changes, with structural unemployment and widening wage differentials, is the Central Provident Fund scheme still able to provide all the answers? Full essay.

Cinema: Jesus camp

A documentary taking an inside look into an evangelical Christian summer camp for kids, where they are trained to be soldiers in "God's army". This film was a 2006 Academy Award nominee. Full essay.

Singapore second last in Asia democracy index

The survey was conducted in 2005, but I've only just seen the book. This article fills you in on some of the details. Full essay.

Race, religion and Negarakuku

A controversy in Malaysia over a Youtube music video raises a number of questions which Singaporeans too should think about. Full essay.

2 by 6

A couple was caught for absent-mindedly bringing in pornographic VCDs through the Tuas checkpoint. The VCDs weren't just seized. They had to spend a night in a police lock-up. Guest essay by Mitch Oldman.

Police declare joggers an "illegal assembly"

The Pink Run had to be cancelled because the police turned out in force, declaring it a crime under the law. Full essay.

Time travel via our roads

What's a landmark to one may mean nothing to another. We read our city in different ways. Full essay.

Spirits from our past

For some people, observing the religious customs of the Seventh Month is important. Meanwhile, Royston Tan's new film '881' celebrates the getai culture. Full essay.

Pity the heliconias

We speak of a 'Garden City' yet sacrifice our plants and flowers for a temporary night market. We speak of a 'City of Possibilities' while banning this and that. Full essay.

Death by numbers, part 2

The Straits Times required a letter-writer to eviscerate her letter before they would publish it, showing disrespect to accuracy and research citations. Full essay.

Death by numbers

Alan Chin once more goes on his crusade against the "gay lifestyle" with pseudo-scientific aplomb. Full essay.

Picking on a picnic

A "member of the public" alerted the Botanic Gardens to an 'insurrection' likely to erupt among its orchids, and a gay picnic was banned. Full essay.

Public transport model needs a rethink

The Public Transport Council will require the bus companies to increase frequencies during peak hours. But instead of imposing new demands on existing operators, what about inviting new ones in? Full essay.

Bark and crumble

The government banned the lecture I was organising for Prof Douglas Sanders on the topic of "Sexual orientation in international law: the case of Asia". But the real story is nothing at all like what their press release says. Full essay.

Letter to the people of Singapore

A gay Singaporean explains why he left. He also takes issue with the way the Methodist Church obsesses with homosexuality. Guest essay by John Toh.

My kissing project, part 4

News of the ban went into the International Herald Tribune 2 days in a row and travelled around the world. Full essay.

Lee Low Tar

Another work has been banned by the Media Development Authority. Lee Low Tar is a fictional metatextual romp by young writer Ng Yi-Sheng about an unnamed country's gerontophilia (the love of old men). Read it here.

Where to draw the line on marriage?

William B Kelley critiques the article by Tan Seow Hon in the Straits Times (30 July 2007). If the State permitted same-sex marriage, would it be imposing a certain morality on its citizens, or just being morally neutral? Guest essay.

My kissing project, part 3

48 hours before the photo exhibition is scheduled to start, the Media Development Authority finally responds - by banning it. Come anyway. Full essay.