8 Monday 20 July 2009 ●
THE NEW PAPER
HOT RIDE: Madam Cynthia Phua, MP for Ajunied GRC, at Shin Min
Daily News Drift Carnival 2009, Singapore’s first neighbourhood
drifting event. It was held at Kovan City in Hougang yesterday.
MORE SEEKING HELP IN DOWNTURN
Central CDC sees biggest
surge in aid requests
T
HE number of central dis-
trict residents queueing for
aid increased by 40 per
cent this year, the biggest surge
among the five community devel-
opment councils (CDCs) in Singa-
pore.
Every month, the Central CDC
handles more than 1,100 new cas-
es, said its mayor, Mr Zainudin
Nordin, yesterday.
Most are residents who lost
their jobs or have family prob-
lems, he said at an appointment
ceremony for the district’s 88
councillors.
Mayor Zainudin Nordin
They were later presented with certificates of dip in the number of cases.
appointment by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,
who is also the CDC’s adviser.
The councillors have their work cut out for them Mr Zainudin.
CALVIN AND HOBBES BILL WATTERSON
Local
TNP PICTURE: KELVIN CHNG
as the district has relatively more
elderly and poor people.
One in three of its 907,000 resi-
dents are older than 50, a demo-
graphic profile which Singapore
is projected to have only in 2030.
Also, the district is dotted with
65 per cent of Singapore’s one
and two-room HDB rental flats.
As a result, about six in 10 of
the job seekers registered at the
CDC tend to be over 40 and less
educated.
However, the situation has im-
proved marginally in the last
three months, with a 9 per cent
“But there is still a long road ahead of us before a
healthy global economic recovery takes place,” said
SINGAPORE
WEATHER
■ Showers
with thunder
■ High 32˚
■ Low 25˚
News
watch
Minister: Keep educating
young on racial harmony
SINGAPORE has to continuously
educate the young on the impor-
tance of maintaining racial harmo-
ny, Community Development,
Youth and Sports Minister Vivian
Balakrishnan said yesterday.
“Peace and harmony is something we cannot
take for granted. It’s something we always have to
work on,” he said.
The minister was speaking at the sixth Inter-Ra-
cial Inter-Religious Night, which celebrates racial
harmony in Singapore.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said that
such activities bring young Singaporeans together
to understand each other’s cultures.
H1N1 flu: Handle dead
with care, says MOH
The Health Ministry has called on
all approved undertakers to handle
with care the bodies of those who
died from the H1N1 virus.
Funeral wakes can only be held
within seven days for embalmed
bodies. Non-embalmed ones have to buried or cre-
mated within three days.
Families have to wear masks when claiming the
bodies and when performing religious rites. Coffins
of embalmed bodies have to be sealed at all times.
Funeral service providers said these measures
are relatively milder compared to those who died
from Sars, when their bodies had to be cremated
almost immediately.
More education aid for
children of union members
THE Singapore Industrial and Serv-
ices Employees’ Union (SISEU) has
stepped up its efforts for its mem-
bers who need help funding their
children’s education in response to
the economic downturn.
The amount of scholarship and bursary awards
given out to SISEU members this year rose to
$100,000 – double the amount given out last year.
The annual scholarship, bursary and progress
awards ceremony was held at Downtown East in
Pasir Ris yesterday.
Since September last year, the union has provid-
ed about $700,000 to help members to tide over the
economic downturn.