After setting his childhood friend on fire, a man fled Singapore and was only arrested when he returned five years later.

While out on bail for the offence, he attacked his girlfriend at that time by punching her and stabbing her with a pair of scissors on separate occasions.

Donovan Doran Chung Yi Peng, now 36, pleaded guilty on Aug. 14 to three charges of voluntarily causing hurt.

Four other charges for a similar offence, harassment, and criminal intimidation were taken into consideration for sentencing.

He was sentenced to a year in prison backdated to Aug. 28, 2024, the date of his first arrest.

The fire

On Aug. 24, 2019, Chung caused a fire in a workshop in Eunos where his childhood friend worked as a carpenter, according to The Straits Times.

The two friends reportedly had a disagreement at the time.

Around 1:40am that day, Chung and another friend of his used lighters and cans of sealer spray they found at the workshop to set fire to the place and Chung's childhood friend.

The childhood friend ran out of the workshop and fell to the ground.

Chung scolded the man about their earlier disagreement, then left the place with his other friends while the workshop was still on fire.

The childhood friend was taken to hospital with burns on 11 per cent of his body surface area, requiring skin grafting and at least three operations, though he did not go through with one of them.

Hours after the fire, Chung and his friend, who was also involved, fled Singapore through Woodlands Checkpoint.

Chung managed to avoid capture for five years, until he was detained in Thailand and sent back to Singapore in August 2024, when he got arrested.

He was released on bail the day after his arrest, ST reported.

Assaulting his girlfriend

On two occasions in September and October 2025, Chung attacked his girlfriend at the time while still on bail.

She was a woman he was acquainted with in secondary school, and they got into a relationship in August 2025, according to ST.

On Sept 24, 2025, the woman had just returned from a trip, and the pair was in Chung's house.

Chung asked to see her phone because he suspected she might have been unfaithful to him.

When she refused, he pulled her by the arm and punched her in the face multiple times.

As she lay on the floor in a cradled position, Chung stabbed her thigh using a pair of scissors.

She screamed, alerting Chung's domestic helper, who then informed his mother. She called him to ask what was happening.

The attack caused a laceration over the girlfriend's thigh, and bruising over her eye and nasal bridge.

She sought medical attention after leaving Chung's house, and had the stab wound stitched up.

Despite the incident, the couple continued to see each other.

The second assault

Chung assaulted his girlfriend again less than a month later on Oct. 13, 2025.

While the couple were out eating dim sum at around 12am, they began to argue.

They later got into Chung's car, where he started to punch his girlfriend in the face multiple times, and took out a knife to threaten her.

After arriving at Chung's house around 12:30am, they continued to argue, and he punched her face repeatedly again.

Chung’s father came into the room when she cried for help, but he only told the pair to talk things out and left.

Chung then took out a metal rod about 80cm long and threatened to use it to hit her. He put it down after she pleaded with him.

When the woman sought medical attention later, she was assessed to have several injuries, including bruises, cuts, and abrasions on her head, legs, and fingers.

The court ordered Chung to pay her S$785.35 as compensation, or be jailed for an additional two days.

As of Aug. 15, he has yet to pay this sum.

Now engaged

According to Chung's lawyer, the couple's relationship ended soon, having lasted about a month, ST reported.

The lawyer also told the court Chung is now engaged and in a stable relationship with another woman. They are expecting their first child in October.

As part of the mitigation plea, Chung's lawyer said the impending birth of the child has given Chung a renewed sense of responsibility, making him determined to remain on the straight and narrow.

A Go-Ahead bus captain on duty found a lost purse containing S$1,200 in cash and returned it in accordance with lost-and-found protocols.

According to a Facebook post by Go-Ahead Singapore, Er Soon Beng, who drives bus service 72, discovered the purse on the evening of Aug. 12.

Besides the cash, the red purse also contained the commuter's identification card and bank cards.

Er secured the purse without hesitation and handed it to Go-Ahead's passenger service office.

Owner reunited with purse

An interchange support officer contacted the commuter, and she was reunited with her purse on the same day.

Go-Ahead Singapore's Senior Operations Manager, Hock Chuan and Operations Director, Kastriot, met Er on Aug. 14 to thank him for his service.

Go-Ahead Singapore said they were honoured to have team members like Er "who embody our commitment to service and trust".

A 17-year-old student in Rawang, Selangor died in a suspected hit-and-run while riding home from delivering a knee guard to his mother at her workplace.

Megat Alifamin had gone straight after school without eating lunch, according to Sin Chew Daily.

The errand

His mother, who works at a restaurant in the Mutiara Rawang area, had called to ask him to bring her a knee guard as her knee was hurting.

His brother, Adham Basri, wrote in a Facebook post that after Megat had delivered it, their mother asked whether he had eaten. He said he had not, so she bought food and packed it for him to eat at home.

Photographs from the scene show the food scattered across the road.

The crash

Gombak district police chief Ibrahim Hussin confirmed the fatal accident involving two motorcycles occurred at around 4:40pm on Aug. 10 along Jalan Pintas Rawang.

Megat was riding a red-and-black Yamaha LC135 when the accident occurred.

Ibrahim told Sin Chew: “Preliminary investigations show that the victim is believed to have been struck from behind by another motorcycle, causing him to lose control and fall onto the road.”

He was taken to Selayang Hospital and pronounced dead by the medical staff at about 1:39am on Aug. 11.

"He sobbed and begged to eat"

Adham wrote that his brother's hip was crushed, with damage extending down to his legs, his lung had collapsed, his bladder had ruptured and he was bleeding internally from multiple organs.

He was given four packs of blood but continued bleeding.

Adham also wrote that while hospitalised, his brother was hungry and wanted to eat, but could not because of his injuries. He sobbed and begged for food, but all their mother could do was wet his lips.

He also added that the family intended to seek justice for his brother.

Family appeals for dashcam footage

Adham appealed on Rawang community Facebook page for anyone who drove past the area between about 5pm on Aug. 10 to check their dashcam footage.

He wrote: “My beloved younger brother has passed away. If anyone has information or dashcam footage from Rawang Mutiara heading towards KPJ, near the traffic light before Mydin on Aug. 10 around 5pm, you can PM me.”

These days, it’s easy to overlook how most of our public notices and announcements, such as those at the MRT stations, are done in four languages.

Many of us probably take it for granted, but it's a quiet reminder that everyone, regardless of language, has a place here. It's also a symbol of the choice to belong — one that has been made so consistently, and for so long, that many of us have forgotten it was ever a choice at all.

I was reminded of this during a visit to Our Community Gallery at PA's training campus in Buona Vista, where the recreation of a typical community centre (CC) in the kampung days still bears a simple welcome in all four official languages.

Standing there, it struck me that this was never just about signage — it was about making sure everyone felt that they were part of the community. And it made me think about how we define that belonging today.

For many, the kampung spirit has always been tied to a sense of community that looks out for its own.

But then there's my parents, who are fond of repeating that the kampung spirit has been lost to the rush of Singapore's development. For them, it was encapsulated in something as simple as gathering at the CC to watch television — the one place where neighbours would meet.

But what if, quite simply, we've been missing how the kampung spirit has always been there, and has evolved over time?

If the kampung spirit can persist during a racial riot, why not in times of peace?

It’s easy to forget, but once upon a time in the 50s and 60s, as depicted in Our Community Gallery, Singapore was a pretty rough place.

One might question if Singapore could be said to even have a kampung spirit at all, especially during the racial riots of July 1964.

Yet, what struck me, as the gallery showed, was that throughout the riots, there were still accounts of people from different races coming to help each other, and that in the wake of the riots, there were tangible efforts by different communities to help diffuse tensions.

In fact, I daresay that taking for granted how our MRT signages and announcements are now in four languages is a testament to just how successful these efforts in building social cohesion and strengthening the kampung spirit have been.

Perhaps the real question is: if the kampung spirit can survive in times of crises, how can it continue during peace time?

A case of nostalgia much?

Seeing the gallery's recreation of a CC in the kampung days made me realise that nostalgia plays a part in shaping perceptions.

And for my parents and their generation, it remains a powerful lens through which they see the kampung spirit.

Going to the CC in the past as kids to watch television and socialise with neighbours carried a kind of special excitement that, for better or worse, has since been replaced by the convenience of smartphones.

Granted, but what about the generations after? The Millennials, Gen Z and Gen A and more to come.

Acts of kindness and coming together, whether there’s a crisis or not

To many of us, CCs are places we can turn to during times of crises.

When I came across the gallery’s feature on the haze periods of 2013-2015 and the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020-2021, it brought back to my mind the sheer number of volunteers coming to help set up the vaccination facilities and mask distribution centres at the CCs and making sure everything ran smoothly, with everyone waiting patiently for their turn, instead of fighting like it’s the end of days.

The gallery is a reminder that these volunteers were pretty much ordinary people — your everyday coffee shop or supermarket regulars — who chose to come together in a crisis, rather than stocking up on masks and toilet paper.

Kampung spirit can sometimes be little acts of kindness that we overlook.

When I scanned the RFID tag that had been provided to me as part of the exhibition and discovered my unique community archetype, I realised that both my parents and I have been displaying the kampung spirit without even knowing it.

Neither of us had been engaging in any grand acts of volunteering – just sending food to friends who were quarantined throughout the pandemic, while my parents offered to help our elderly neighbours buy groceries whenever they headed out.

At the end of the day, perhaps this is what the kampung spirit is really about – offering help whenever we can, regardless when and where.

Free exhibition to spend your weekend with friends and family

Beyond the recreation of old kampung spaces, Our Community Gallery is filled with stories of everyday people who stepped up for their communities. Who knows, it might just inspire you to do the same.

Oh and the best part? Admission is free!

If you're looking for a meaningful way to spend a weekend with your loved ones, whether it's reminiscing about the past with your parents or inspiring the next generation, this gallery is for you.

Will it help my parents see past their nostalgia-tinted glasses about the lost kampung spirit?

Well, I’m optimistic.

In fact, if you and your friends wonder if the kampung spirit in Singapore still exists, hold your judgement and visit this gallery first.

Book your next visit here.

Our Community Gallery by the People’s Association

Location: National Community Leadership Institute (NACLI), 70 South Buona Vista Rd, Singapore 118176

Opening hours: 9am to 4pm, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. (Closed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays*, eve of public holidays and public holidays)

Guided tours: Saturday, 10am and 12pm

*For two months only, Our Community Gallery will be open on Sundays from 9am to 4pm (Last entry at 3pm), exclusively for August and September 2026. Secure your visit before this limited run ends.

This sponsored article made the author a little more optimistic about Singapore’s future.

A Singapore-registered company and three individuals have been charged over an alleged scheme to falsely declare the origin of bedding products and other goods exported from Singapore to the United States.

The scheme appears to have been an attempt to get around U.S. import duties.

Healthy Living Biotech (Singapore) Pte Ltd, along with Singapore permanent resident Yin Yuxi, 28, Chinese national Xue Xin, 37, and Singaporean Bernard Koh Wee Yiap, 54, were charged on Aug. 14, according to a Singapore Customs media release.

What the charges are

All four face one or more charges relating to false declarations, false statements and incorrect trade descriptions.

The company, along with Yin and Koh, has also been charged with fraudulently evading Goods and Services Tax (GST) on its imports.

How it came to light

Singapore Customs began investigating in Feb. 2026 after mattresses exported from Singapore to the U.S. were declared as Singapore-origin goods.

Their actual country of origin turned out to be China.

Singapore Customs found the alleged scheme had run from Aug. 2024 to Sep. 2025, involving goods worth about S$1.9 million in total.

Investigators also found an alleged scheme to understate the declared value of the company's imports and fraudulently evade about S$111,000 in GST.

What the penalties are

According to Singapore Customs, making false declarations or statements, including in cargo clearance permits, carries a fine of up to S$10,000, up to two years' jail, or both.

Causing incorrect trade descriptions to be applied to exported goods carries a heavier penalty.

On a first conviction, that is a fine of up to S$100,000 or three times the value of the goods, whichever is higher, up to two years' jail, or both.

The same penalties apply for making a false statement when applying for a Certificate of Origin.

For fraudulent evasion of duty or GST on imported goods, the penalty is a fine of up to 20 times the amount evaded, plus up to 12 months' jail.

Court proceedings are ongoing.

Consumer complaints against the beauty industry rose to 1,124 over the first half of 2026, the most reported among Singapore industries to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).

Over S$1.9 million losses from prepayment packages were recorded from these complaints.

This is close to 18 times the S$108,000 in losses recorded from 558 beauty-related complaints in the first half of 2025.

Abrupt beauty business closures

"The increases in complaints and prepayment losses were largely driven by the abrupt closure of several beauty and wellness businesses," CASE explained.

Following such sudden closures, consumers were not able to utilise their prepaid packages. The association highlighted recent examples that made headlines.

The Wan Yang chain of massage and foot reflexology parlours, which abruptly closed all outlets in November 2025, led to over S$137,000 in losses for unutilised prepaid packages.

The February 2026 closure of Royal Secrets Wellness beauty salon and spa resulted in prepayment losses exceeding S$1 million. One person reported a loss of about S$50,000.

Nearly four in 10 complaints CASE received against the beauty industry were related to businesses failing to honour these types of contractual obligations.

About 15.3 per cent of complaints involved alleged unethical sales tactics, while a further 13.8 per cent concerned delayed, refused, or withheld refunds.

Risks of making upfront payments

CASE President Melvin Yong called the sharp rise in beauty-related prepayment losses "deeply concerning".

"Behind the reported losses are consumers who paid in advance for services they may never receive. This underscores the risks of making large upfront payments for beauty packages, especially when businesses close suddenly."

CASE will continue to call for stronger safeguards to better protect consumers' prepayments.

In the meantime, Yong advised consumers to avoid making large advance payments where possible, and consider paying per use or in smaller instalments.

Electrical and electronics

After beauty, the four most complained-about industries for this period are, in descending order, electrical and electronics, motorcars, travel, and renovation contractors.

The number of complaints against the electrical and electronics industry dipped slightly from 571 in the first half of 2025, to 530 in the same period in 2026.

Most of them (about 38.9 per cent) involved products that were defective or did not conform to contract terms.

About 14.7 per cent were related to businesses failing to honour their contractual obligations, and 9.4 per

cent concerned delayed, refused, or withheld refunds.

Motorcars

Motorcars, which received the highest complaints the previous year with 573, fell to third place this time with 488 complaints.

About 45.7 per cent of them were related to purchases and privately owned cars, while another 12.5 per cent involved car-sharing services.

Travel

As for the travel industry, complaints increased by 19.3 per cent from the previous year to 192 in the first half of 2026.

About 36.9 per cent of complaints against the travel industry concerned delays or refusals in processing refunds.

A further 17.3 per cent were about businesses failing to honour confirmed bookings or agreed travel arrangements.

CASE said that the rise in travel and airline-related complaints comes amid recent air travel disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions and changes to flight schedules.

As a result of these conditions, chances of cancellations, itinerary changes, and service disruptions increased.

It is particularly common in cases where consumers make transactions through intermediaries such as online travel agencies.

Renovation contractors

CASE received 402 complaints against the renovation contractor industry in the first half of 2026, a very slight 1.5 per cent decrease from the same period in 2025.

Most consumers reported dissatisfaction with the quality of services rendered such as poor workmanship, and contractors' failure to honour obligations.

Defective or non-conforming goods, and delays in delivery were also key concerns raised.

Some residents at One Pearl Bank in Outram Park were left unhappy after access to their 39th-floor sky garden was restricted to ticket holders during a National Day event.

The space was open from 5pm to 9pm for ticket-holders, according to a resident who spoke to 8days.sg, leaving residents without tickets unable to watch the National Day Parade fireworks from the sky garden.

The restriction to the floor also extended to the gym and social lounge on the same floor, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The event included a live screening of the celebrations and a buffet, with tickets priced at S$5 for children and S$10 for adults.

The management clarified with Mothership that the temporary access arrangements were implemented for safety and crowd-management purposes.

No access

The resident had planned to watch the fireworks from the sky garden, but made other plans after learning that access would be restricted to ticket holders.

He expressed his disappointment at being unable to watch the fireworks comfortably from his own home.

“I was rejected from my own home,” he told 8days.sg.

The resident, who owns a two-bedroom unit worth about S$2 million and pays more than S$300 a month in maintenance fees, said the issue was not the ticket price.

Rather, he felt residents should have priority when it came to common areas.

Safety and crowd-management purposes

In response to Mothership's queries, the Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST) Council and Savills Property Management, the managing agent of One Pearl Bank, clarified that the temporary access arrangements were implemented for safety and crowd-management purposes.

Level 39 is subject to a statutory SCDF occupant load limit of 157 persons, which applies to the level as a whole, the statement said.

To manage attendance within this limit, management said access to level 39 was temporarily restricted to registered event participants and essential event personnel from 5pm to 9pm.

Taking into account management, security and cleaning personnel needed for the event, 120 tickets were made available to residents, 8days.sg reported.

"Residents were informed of the arrangements in advance, and normal access resumed after the event," they added.

"The celebration was organised as a community event for residents, with registration required to facilitate attendance planning and crowd management."

They added that the nominal contribution of SS$5 for children and S$10 for adults was collected to cover catering costs.

Others felt the same way

Others felt the same.

In residents' chat messages seen by 8days.sg, one resident said that while paying to attend a booked function seemed reasonable, blocking off the entire level made them “feel uneasy”.

Another said the “main gripe” was residents' “freedom of passage and usage of common facilities”.

Residents also questioned whether similar restrictions could be imposed during future celebrations, such as New Year's Eve.

A 41-year-old male Chinese national was sentenced to three years and eight months’ jail after breaking into homes and stealing about S$105,750 worth of valuables in Singapore.

Huang Xiaozong pleaded guilty to two charges of housebreaking and was sentenced on Aug. 14.

Another trespassing charge was taken into consideration during sentencing.

Visit

In court documents seen by Mothership, Huang visited Singapore on Dec. 5, 2025, and stayed at a hotel in Little India.

This was his first visit to the country.

He “had thoughts of stealing things” as he wanted to earn some money.

Huang also “noticed that Singapore is very nice and rich”.

He decided to look for homes in wealthier parts of Singapore.

When no one appeared to be home, he would enter them and steal items.

Capella Suite

On Dec. 6, 2025, Huang went to Sentosa and walked around the island.

He then chanced upon the Capella Suite.

Huang noticed the lights were off, and it appeared that no one was inside.

He managed to gain entry to the suite by using the rear balcony door, a sliding door he forced open.

After entering, he searched the suite and found jewellery in the glass display cabinet in the living room and some other valuables in the master bedroom’s wardrobe.

Huang managed to steal items that had an estimated total value of S$58,000.

The items comprised one “Chanel” watch valued at about S$30,000, five rings valued at about S$25,000 and a gold necklace valued at S$3,000.

He then returned to his hotel in Little India.

On Dec. 8, 2025, at about 9:10am, the housekeeper of the suite noticed the theft when she discovered footprints on the floor, shifts in the sofa, and an empty glass cabinet.

She informed her supervisor of the situation, who in turn alerted the hotel’s management, which called the police.

Serangoon

On Dec. 7, 2025, Huang went to the Serangoon area after doing some research online.

Between 7pm and 8pm, he arrived at a home and noticed it was in total darkness, and it appeared as if no one was inside.

Huang climbed over a metal gate to enter the home.

After entering, he searched the home and found jewellery from the makeup table of one of the bedrooms.

Huang managed to steal items that had an estimated total value of S$47,750.

The items comprised two “Tiffany & Co” couple wedding rings valued at about S$25,000, one “Tiffany & Co” heart-shaped key pendant with diamonds, valued at about S$10,000, one pair of “Tiffany & Co” diamond earrings, valued at about S$5,000, one white gold necklace with diamonds, valued at about S$5,000, two silver bracelets of unknown value, three gold necklaces, valued at about S$800, one bracelet, yellow in colour, valued at about S$50, three pairs of earrings, yellow in colour, valued at about S$400, four rings, yellow in colour, valued at about S$1,500.

Huang then decided to go to another house in the Serangoon area and arrived at about 8pm.

He climbed over a metal gate to gain entry.

However, Huang was spotted by a domestic helper who was in the house, who asked him what he was doing there.

He responded in Mandarin, which the domestic helper did not understand.

Huang then climbed out of the house and fled the premises.

When the second victim returned home at around 8:40pm, she was alarmed to find her dressing table in a mess, and her wedding rings missing.

Her husband alerted the police to the situation at about 8:41pm.

She later discovered more items missing after performing a thorough check.

Arrest

After the theft, Huang returned to his hotel in Little India before changing hotels to one along Kampong Bahru Road on Dec. 8, 2025.

Huang was eventually traced to the hotel he had moved to and arrested on the same evening.

The stolen items were found in his possession and seized.

Huang has been in remand since.

Transnational

The prosecution sought three years and nine months’ jail to four years and one month’s jail.

They argued that Huang “specifically scouted residential houses which he believed

were empty for him to enter and steal items”.

They also noted that the offences were “transnational in nature” because Huang committed them one day after arriving in Singapore.

According to CNA, Huang’s lawyers said Huang’s offences were “amateurish”.

He pointed out that the losses were minimal as the stolen items were eventually recovered.

For house-breaking, Huang could have been jailed up to 10 years and fined.

An 18-year-old Australian golfer has died in Thailand after suffering a brain haemorrhage on Aug. 13.

According to a GoFundMe page set up by her cousins, Jessica Bang collapsed on Aug. 1 while preparing for a golf tournament in Bangkok.

She was due to compete in the International Qualifying Tournament for the Korean women's professional tour, ABC News reported.

Bang had recently won her first professional event at just her fifth start in February 2026.

Her cousins said she had shown a promising future in golf and earned the nickname "Rookie Bang".

Funds raised will go to her parents to help with her medical expenses, they added.

At the time of writing, AUD$48,423 (S$43,803) had been raised.

Promising golfer

The Women's Professional Golfers' Association (WPGA) Tour of Australasia announced Bang's death in a Facebook statement on Aug. 13.

"The WPGA Tour of Australasia and the broader Australian golf community is deeply saddened by the passing of young Tour member Jessica Bang in Thailand," it said.

The tour described Bang as an "outstanding young talent" who made a significant impression during her short time on the Tour.

"She had earned her place on the WPGA Tour through Qualifying School at the end of 2025, following an outstanding amateur career," it said.

"The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the WPGA Tour of Australasia and the broader Australian golf community are with Jessica’s family, friends and all those who knew and loved her at this incredibly difficult time."

A 22-year-old man in Singapore decided to pursue a career as a waste collector in Singapore.

Muhamad Danial Aiman Abdul Muttalib has documented his work as a waste collector on TikTok.

@dannyarmani_ A day in the life of a recycle waste attendant 🧤 inspiration from @AshKT #fyp #kerja ♬ BREAKBEAT DANZA KUDURO X AMERICAN DREAM V2 - ᴡᴇs. ᴢᴀɴ

Danial has reportedly been working at the waste management company 800 Super for about five months.

For the better

Danial, the oldest of three siblings, told Berita Harian he entered this line of work to prove he could change his life for the better after feeling he had let his family down.

“I entered this industry by accident after being invited by a friend to attend an interview. At that time, I wasn't really picky about the job offered, as long as it was an honest source of income," he said.

Danial also admitted to having difficulty finding employment.

He previously worked as a food delivery rider.

"I had dropped out of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), and my performance during National Service was also not very good," he said.

Challenges

One of the challenges he faces is the weather, as he works regardless of rain or shine.

He also noted the stigma surrounding waste collectors.

“This job is often associated with a shameful or low-paid job, and some even think that this industry is mostly for the Malay community. That perception is not accurate because this industry also involves workers from various backgrounds and races,” he clarified.

Danial also admitted that the job offers a “fairly good income”.

He also explained that he would clean himself up after his shift.

“I handle more recyclable materials, so the smell is more of a box and sweat than a really bad waste,” he said.

“Why should I care”

Despite receiving negative comments on social media about his job, Danial claims he does not take them seriously.

To Danial, earning an honest living mattered more than opinions of others.

He said: “People can say anything. I know what I’m doing is not wrong. Why should I care what people think when I’m earning a living in an honest way?”