When a customer gave a well-known cake shop in Phuket, Thailand, a one-star review, the business decided to sue her for defamation, seeking 5 million baht (S$191,544) in damages.

On Jul. 23, a court in Phuket dismissed the case, the lawyer who represented the customer said in a Facebook post.

"The consumer wins," he wrote in the caption along with a photo of him and his client.

The cake shop, believed to be called Sharky Eye, has reportedly since closed down.

The 1-star review

In 2025, the customer visited the shop, then wrote online that the cake was not tasty and cost too much, according to The Thaiger.

The review apparently went viral at the time.

In his Facebook post, the lawyer Arm Suwannaraksa said that the cake shop chose to sue the customer rather than listen to the feedback and reach out for clarification.

Following the verdict, the customer, Bootsakorn Plesamoot, shared screenshots of the conversation she had with the cake shop regarding her review.

In one message, the shop allegedly threatened to cause her trouble if she did not delete the review.

"I don't know how you've reviewed other shops, but if you don't want any trouble and want to get out of this uncomfortable situation, I suggest you delete that review, and everything will be over," they wrote.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1125"] Image from Bootsakorn Plesamoot's Facebook[/caption]

Sharky Eye has also posted about the verdict on its Facebook page, stating simply that the case was dismissed.

A lesson for businesses

Suwannaraksa believes this case should serve as a lesson for businesses in Thailand.

"Suing consumers should never be the first option. It should be the last," he wrote in his post.

He said that honest criticism from customers deserves a fair hearing, and businesses should use it to improve or respond with reasons, not with court papers.

"As a lawyer, if I were advising a business owner, I would always say that good communication and proper problem-solving usually deliver better results than taking the matter to court."

According to The Thaiger, such a case is not uncommon in the country — businesses have repeatedly used Thailand's  defamation laws against customers who give criticism.

Legal experts have termed suits like this "strategic lawsuits against public participation", said to be aimed at silencing critics by draining them financially and emotionally.

A fight broke out between two women at People's Park Complex on Jul. 24, drawing the police to the scene.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at the Chinatown mall at about 4:35pm that day.

A 53-year-old woman was conveyed conscious to the hospital. She is assisting with investigations for voluntarily causing hurt.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Witness accounts

One of the women involved in the fight is believed to be the boss of a massage parlour in the mall, Shin Min Daily News reported.

This was confirmed by an employee in the establishment, who said that the boss was sent to the hospital. They declined to share more details.

Witnesses told Shin Min one of the women looked to be in her thirties, and the other in her fifties.

Someone who worked at People's Park Complex said that the pair had a long-standing dispute with each other.

Third fight in a month

This incident is the third fight that was reported at People's Park Complex this month.

The first happened between two women and a man inside Beijing Royal Massage Parlor on Jul. 2.

About two weeks later on Jul. 15, one of the women from the previous incident allegedly got into another fight with a female masseuse outside the same massage parlour.

A 53-year-old woman was conveyed to the hospital after that, and another 40-year-old woman was arrested for public nuisance.

The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) will introduce three new volunteer roles in the performing arts and entertainment sector under the SG Defence Volunteer Network.

SG Defence is a community in which Singapore residents can volunteer in Mindef and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to help with national defence.

Speaking at an appreciation event for defence volunteers on Jul. 25, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said that the launch comes as part of Mindef's partnership with So Drama! Entertainment.

The three new volunteer pathways are as follows: Volunteer Performers, Live Show Production Support, and Event Support Volunteers.

Performers include dancers, musicians, singers and emcees, who can contribute during Mindef and SAF's productions.

Live show production support volunteers may contribute to sound engineering, live video, multi-camera operations, stage management and live-stream support, while event support volunteers can help support and ensure events run smoothly.

With the new pathways, Singaporeans with creative and technical talents will be able to serve in the area of national defence.

Shared responsibility

The SG Defence Volunteer Network was first announced by Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad on Feb. 27.

It brings all defence volunteers under a central administrative office.

At the inaugural event, Chan emphasised that while National Service remains the foundation of the nation's defence, it must be supported by the rest of society.

“It is with your effort that we have such a strong and credible defence force… The fact that you are not conscripted, and the fact that you do not have to do it but you choose to do it is the most powerful signal that we can have of how Singaporeans, Permanent Residents, and various other people can help to contribute to the defence of Singapore," he said.

Chan added that the ministry is broadening its approach beyond operationally-ready NSmen, including strengthening its "rings of support".

These include former NSmen, families, employers, new citizens and the wider community.

High uptake in volunteer roles

According to Mindef, there has been an encouraging response from the public since the launch of SG Defence in May this year.

The ministry received more than 300 applications within the first two months.

The positive momentum is expected to continue growing, said Chan.

He highlighted some of these roles, such as volunteers who lend their expertise or lead guided tours at the Singapore Discovery Centre, the Air Force Museum and the Navy Museum.

Volunteers at SAFRA, meanwhile, support NSmen and their families through mentoring, community programmes, and engagement activities.

SAFVC volunteers also serve alongside full-time National Servicemen, NSmen and SAF regulars in peacetime operations and training, contributing to the SAF’s operational readiness.

Singaporeans and residents interested in joining the SG Defence Volunteer Network can visit this website for more information.

A man allegedly scammed six Indian nationals out of more than S$14,000 by promising to secure work permits for them in Singapore, only to hand them forged documents instead.

The alleged mastermind, Abdul Raheem Lailathul Sultanil Arebeen, 37, who has since legally changed his name to A. R. Sai, is being investigated by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for possible offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and Employment Agencies Act, according to The Straits Times (ST), which tracked him down together with Tamil Murasu.

He claims to be a Singaporean.

The police have confirmed a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.

From rural Tamil Nadu

The six victims come from rural Tamil Nadu, and were hoping to secure work in Singapore to escape poverty.

They come from a community of livestock herders, rickshaw drivers, and daily wage earners, where the monthly income rarely tops S$134 to S200.

One of the victims' fathers, Indian national Vanjur Maideen Syedabthahir, said an acquaintance had introduced him to Raheem, who presented himself as a “famous film producer".

Raheem also showed Vanjur a copy of his pink Singapore NRIC to establish trust.

Vanjur told ST that Raheem had claimed that he could secure employment for his friends and relatives, including his son Sufi.

“He explicitly told me, ‘Trust me completely, I am a Singaporean. Do not pass me any money by cash as that could look suspicious; instead, deposit all the funds directly into a bank account’."

Vanjur arranged for the purchase of six work passes, for his son and five others, which Raheem said would cost S$4,000 per S Pass and S$3,000 per work permit.

He also charged five of the men S$854 each for a "training course", which he said were part of "MOM rules".

Scammed over S$14,000

Between Mar. 6 and Jun. 9, 2026, the men and their families transferred more than S$14,000 via PayNow and ATM cash deposits into bank accounts that Raheem claimed were his wife's.

The six victims, aged between 21 and 49, believed they had secured five work permits, including jobs at J&T Express Singapore, and one S Pass.

They were promised a monthly salary of S$1,300 for work as warehouse assistants.

To pay the hefty fees, the men sold ancestral livestock, pawned their daughters' wedding jewellery, and borrowed from high-interest moneylenders.

On Jul. 12, Raheem sent Vanjur digital copies of four Training Employment Pass (TEP) in-principle approval documents.

The documents stated that the four applicants should get ready to fly to Singapore by the first of July.

But Vanjur's suspicions were raised when he tried to verify the Foreign Identification Numbers (FIN) on the documents against MOM's online portal, only to find that none of them existed.

Asked for more money

In response, Raheem brushed off the discrepancy as a system error.

He told Vanjur to meet an associate known as "Kumar" in Chennai, who insisted the passes were genuine and demanded Vanjur pay a balance of about S$5,000 before he handed over the original documents.

Vanjur then decided to contact the Singapore Consulate in Chennai and emailed MOM directly.

MOM's Work Pass Division confirmed on Jun. 16, 2026 that it had no records of any work pass applications being submitted for the men.

When Vanjur presented Raheem with MOM's reply, Raheem turned aggressive.

He accused Vanjur's family of not trusting him and continued to demand the outstanding balance.

On Jun. 27, Vanjur and his son flew to Singapore and filed a police report at Toa Payoh Police Station, and were called in by MOM for an official inquiry on Jul. 15.

'Justice will be served'

Vanjur, who is almost 60 years old and has worked in Singapore since 2013, told ST he remained confident that justice would be served.

He said had worked in Singapore for many years and trusts the government's strict stance against fraud.

He added that he and the other victims has handed over all bank transaction records and WhatsApp logs to the police.

"I am confident that justice will be served and our community’s dignity will be restored.”

His son said his father used to have a "very good name" in the village and had merely been trying to help the six young men, but his reputation is now in tatters.

He hopes to retrieve not just the money lost, but also his father's lost honour.

As for the victims, their families are now left penniless, with no assets and facing immense pressure from the lenders.

"Everyone in our village works hard just to survive... We believed sending our boys abroad would finally clear our family debts," a relative told ST tearfully.

What J&T Express and MOM said

J&T Express Singapore told ST it was unaware of the case, adding that forged IPAs are sometimes used to lend legitimacy to fraudulent job offers by misusing a real company's name.

It added that all legitimate recruitment is done exclusively through JobStreet, FastJobs, MyCareersFuture, its corporate website and official social media platforms.

MOM reminded prospective workers to use only licensed employment agents and to check the authenticity of their IPA letters through its portal before travelling to Singapore.

Anyone who comes across suspicious documents is encouraged to reach out to MOM directly.

Who is the alleged scammer?

ST managed to reach out to Raheem, who denied involvement in any scam and claimed he was merely a middleman for "Kumar".

Media reports from 2009 and 2019 show that Raheem was previously involved in various criminal offences, including robbing and hitting a taxi driver, and stealing camera equipment.

He is also under investigation for a similar scam involving another group of foreign nationals in 2025.

While Raheem denied that he had changed his name to "A. R. Sai", claiming that the latter has been his name since birth, his wife confirmed via a telephone interview that he had undergone a legal name change.

ST also reported that Raheem’s associate "Kumar" was later identified as Indian national JK Shakti Balaji, who has since been uncontactable.

A 48-year-old man was left unconscious and covered in blood after being attacked by a group of five to six people in an open-air carpark in Yishun, near Block 243 Yishun Ring Road at night on Jul. 24.

The police are currently trying to trace the persons involved.

Injured man conveyed to hospital

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Police Force said they were alerted at around 8pm about a fight at the block.

When officers arrived, they found the injured man in the nearby carpark, and the man was conveyed unconscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

A pool of blood was seen on the ground near the motorcycle parking bays, along with scattered debris, a detached shoe sole, and several cigarette butts nearby, according to Shin Min Daily News.

His attackers had apparently scattered by the time police arrived.  Investigations are ongoing.

Man surrounded and beaten by others, said resident

A 57-year-old resident told Shin Min that he had seen a group of people gathered near the carpark, and suspected that a quarrel or fight had broken out.

Another resident, 18, recounted hearing sounds of fighting from below his unit and went to his window to look, where he saw a man being surrounded and beaten by several others.

The man had apparently fallen to the ground and couldn't get up, while his attackers kept hitting and kicking him.

Shortly after, a man who rushed over from a nearby block tried to wake the injured man, who appeared to have lost consciousness by then.

A female staff member at a nearby convenience store shared that a female police officer had come by asking if she had seen a blond-haired man pass through.

Police cordoned off the scene for about two hours before wrapping up investigations at around 11pm that night.

Top image via Google Maps

Two 14-year-old schoolgirls were found dead near abandoned public housing flats in Ipoh, Malaysia, on Jul. 24.

The girls were believed to have fallen from height from an upper floor of the building, according to The New Straits Times.

According to Sinchew, they were close friends from the same school.

Both had attended classes that same afternoon.

A security guard at the flats told the media passers-by had seen the two girls enter the building, which prompted a search, Guangming Daily reported.

Their bodies were eventually found close to each other in the bushes in front of the building.

No foul play

In a statement on Jul. 25, the Perak police chief said preliminary investigations indicated that the girls had left the school compound voluntarily.

They were later found unconscious at the flats.

There are no signs of foul play at this point, The Star reported.

The police will continue investigating the cause of death after obtaining the post-mortem report and forensics analysis.

No unusual behaviour

The mother of one of the deceased teens told Malaysian media that she had driven her daughter and a friend to Manjung, another district in Perak, at about 1pm on Jul. 24.

A few hours later at around 4:50pm, she received a call informing her that her daughter was found at the Sungai Pari Flats.

She said her daughter had not visited the flat previously, and was not sure why she would that day.

Her daughter was a quiet girl who did not demonstrate any unusual behaviour or complain about problems at school, she said.

"I was always the person who sent my daughter to and from school," the mother said, as quoted by Sinchew. "I never expected something like this to happen to her."

She added that she saw her daughter after she was found, and she was still wearing the sports attire she had left the house in that day.

Singapore needs to be wary of over-servicing and unnecessary treatments proliferating in healthcare, as they will make healthcare increasingly expensive and unaffordable, warned Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

That has been happening around the world, he said.

Speaking at the Business Times Longevity Forum on Jul. 25, Ong shared that Singaporean seniors today are living longer and have more savings and resources to spend on building their health and quality of life.

But many of them will also spend to restore their health or manage sickness, "often in an atmosphere of worry and anxiety", Ong said.

This can lead to over-servicing and unnecessary treatments.

"Anxious patients who are worried about small discomforts may undergo numerous expensive diagnostic scans, which can be unnecessary and do more harm than good," he explained.

He added that this can drive up costs and make healthcare "increasingly expensive and unaffordable".

Ong has previously spoken about over-servicing and over-coverage in healthcare, leading to rising insurance premiums.

https://mothership.sg/2024/03/private-insurance-frustrating/

Avoiding unsustainable healthcare

In healthcare, growth "is not necessarily better", Ong said, pointing out that it is fundamentally a public service.

But in many countries, the healthcare industry is "heading towards unsustainability", with long patient queues and waiting times, and high costs.

In such cases, private sector participation can also inadvertently make things worse, he added.

"Distortions in the healthcare industry exacerbate the risk.

For example, over-generous insurance can create a buffet syndrome and over-consumption of diagnostics, medication and procedures...

If over-servicing and unnecessary treatments proliferate, we have not created health nor wealth. We simply generated cost for everybody."

To prevent this, Ong believes there must be a stronger partnership between the government and the commercial sector in healthcare.

"The government too must lean forward," he said. "We should not just regulate from a distance but work with industry to shape markets in the right direction."

For instance, with over-generous health insurance riders that encourage over-consumption, the insurance sector must "heed the government's call to rein in such products".

This is already happening, Ong said.

The government is also planning to launch a not-for-profit private hospital (like Mount Alvernia) to offer the people a more affordable private healthcare option.

"We hope to have strong private sector participation in this project," he said.

Growing the economy, but not at health's expense

Ong said that there are ways to grow the longevity economy in Singapore while avoiding wastefulness, unnecessary treatment, over-servicing, or "[preying] on anxieties and fears".

The government is working on several such opportunities.

These include encouraging clinical trials to be conducted in Singapore, and building partnerships to anchor global biomedical R&D in Singapore.

To this end, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has developed international trust in the safety and quality of health products regulated in Singapore.

Singapore can also be an R&D and manufacturing base for innovative food products, as food and nutrition become more important, he said.

Good health policies and economic policies

Apart from this, the government is also putting in place "deliberate policy interventions" to minimise spending while delivering good health outcomes.

Today, Singapore is in a "relatively good position", with less than 5 per cent of its GDP spent on healthcare.

But to preserve this requires good health policies, as well as sound economic policies, Ong said.

This includes shifting care to the community, investing in preventive care, and maintaining discipline in public healthcare spending through measures such as means-tested subsidies and co-payment.

The system "keeps the whole healthcare system lean and disciplined, and this minimises wastage".

"Co-payment is a very hard thing to explain for a Health Minister. How do you explain to the population, 'you co-pay a bit, it’s cheaper'? Who will believe you? They will say, 'No, in the United Kingdom (UK), you do not have to pay at all, it is cheaper.'

But no, the healthcare bill, ultimately, is paid by the whole nation."

A 31-year-old woman in Taichung, Taiwan, has been charged with murder after she allegedly gave her two young sons sleep medication and then smothered them to death in their home in January this year.

Drugged and smothered her two sons

According to United Daily News, citing the Taichung District Prosecutors Office's indictment, the woman, surnamed Chen, is the mother of the two boys, aged eight and three.

The boys had different fathers, according to TVBS Channel. They lived together with her and her current boyfriend, who is the father of the three-year-old.

The elder brother was from Chen's previous marriage.

Prosecutors said that between around 10:50pm on Jan. 30 to 1:24am on Jan. 31, Chen fed both boys tablets containing sleep-inducing ingredients, including melatonin, at their home in Taichung's West District.

Once the boys had fallen asleep, she allegedly smothered each of them separately, causing them to suffocate.

Emotionally unstable

While this was happening, Chen was on a phone call with a friend.

According to Focus Taiwan, she had told her friend that she was considering suicide.

This prompted the friend to rush to Chen's home, where she found the two children without signs of life.

She also alerted the police. Both boys were rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.

When Chen was being interrogated, she remained uncooperative and emotionally unstable, refusing to say if she had purposely drugged the children.

She also responded with "I don't know" or "I forgot" multiple times when questioned by investigators.

Based on witness testimonies, autopsy reports, and other evidence, Chen was charged with offences under Taiwan's Child and Youth Welfare and Rights Protection Act, as well as with murder under the Criminal Code.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please know that support is available.

Helplines

• National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)
• National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)
• SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767
• Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Top image via Unsplash, TVBS Channel/YouTube

A 24-year-old man was handed a jail term for forging a police warrant card.

The accused's name is Zhu Shengyuan (transliteration).

How it unfolded

According to Shin Min Daily News, the case came to light on Feb. 12 this year, when police received a call from a hotel security manager at around 12pm.

The hotel security manager said a staff member had found a police warrant card in one of the guest rooms.

As the hotel was aware that the guest had a criminal record, they suspected the card was forged.

Police arrested the guest that evening. He admitted the card was forged and had been provided by Zhu.

At around 11:30pm the same night, police arrested Zhu at Eunos MRT station.

Forged the card for S$100

Zhu told police that in July 2025, the guest had asked him to create a fake police warrant card. He used computer software to design it, printed it out, and handed it over in exchange for at least S$100.

Investigations revealed that the guest had waved the forged police warrant card at other drivers on the road on at least one occasion, according to Shin Min.

Zhu faced a total of 13 charges, forgery, careless driving, and driving a motor vehicle without the owner's consent, according to Shin Min.

He pleaded guilty and was handed a 15-month jail term, fined S$1,200, and had his driving licence revoked for two years.

He did not pay the fine and opted to serve an additional five days in jail instead, according to court records cited by Shin Min.

A woman has been sentenced to 12 years' jail for fatally stabbing her lover after their relationship went south under the weight of money troubles.

According to CNA, Li Ye, a Chinese national who was 37 at the time of the killing, pleaded guilty on Jul. 24 to one count of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

She'd attacked her 56-year-old lover, who was married to another woman, at the City Gate condominium on May 8, 2024.

She was previously charged with murder.

Was working as a nightclub manager

Li, now 40, was working as a performance artiste manager at a nightclub that the man frequented when they met in September 2019.

He told her he was in the midst of divorcing his wife, and the two began a romantic relationship in mid-2020.

Li and her son soon moved in with him and he covered the rent for their apartment.

The couple later moved into the unit along Beach Road where the stabbing would eventually take place, with the man paying S$3,200 in rent.

Continued supporting her

In late 2021, the man quit his job but told Li he could keep supporting her and her son through income from forex trading.

A few months later, Li's daughter from a previous marriage joined them from China. She had her children call the man "daddy" and treat him like a godfather figure.

Later that year, the man invested S$30,000 to help Li start a fashion boutique at Parklane Mall.

He also paid a separate S$2,000 monthly rent for the space.

Money troubles

But the man's forex trades later started going south, and he began borrowing money and falling behind on household expenses.

As their relationship became more strained, the man began showing up at the nightclub where Li worked to make a scene, costing her at least two jobs.

The arguments would sometimes turn physical. Li also accused him of using S$3,500 that was meant for her daughter's school fees for forex trading instead.

Li ended up taking over half the rent, then the full monthly rent by December 2023.

In early 2024, Li tried to end the relationship.

Didn't leave apartment

But the man refused to leave the apartment, insisting he was the legal tenant.

Three days before the stabbing took place, the man sent Li a string of emails demanding to be let back into the unit. He turned up at 3:40am and was only let in after Li's son woke to open the door.

Upset, Li left to take a walk. When she returned at around 5am, she cut up his clothes and hit him with a cardboard roll demanding for him to leave.

She also tried to stab him in the chest with a pair of scissors, but he blocked the attack with his hand, suffering only minor injuries.

He continued to remain in the apartment.

The stabbing

On May 8, 2024, Li came home from work at around 1:20am to find the man lying on their shared bed, using his phone.

She demanded for him to leave, but he refused.

Li then followed him into the kitchen and picked up a knife with a 15cm blade, continuing to insist that he leave. As he tried to calm her down and held onto her arm, she stabbed him once in the upper left chest.

Li immediately tried to help him and got her daughter to call for an ambulance.

He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:30am. Li was arrested later that day.

DPP pushed for 12-13 years' jail

Deputy Public Prosecutors (DPP) Grace Chua and Nicole Teo asked the court for 12 to 13 years' jail, arguing this was a case of domestic violence.

They described Li as the aggressor against a partner who lived with her and had largely supported her and her children financially before his own finances fell apart, reported CNA.

"No partner is entitled to resort to violence," Chua told the court.

The prosecution disputed the defence's suggestion that Li had seen the man as trespassing that night, as he was the legal tenant, and had a financial history with Li that went well beyond "living there rent-free".

On the night itself, prosecutors said, he had been quietly on his phone in bed and did not fight back when Li confronted him.

Defence instructed by Li not to contest prosecution's sentencing position

Li's lawyer, Rayner Gooi of Panzer Law Corporation, said his client had been pushed to her limit and felt she had no other way out, and that she deeply regretted the outcome.

He noted she'd tried to help the man immediately after the stabbing, hadn't attempted to flee, and stayed at the scene until police arrived.

He said he'd been instructed not to contest the prosecution's sentencing position, as Li did not want to be seen as unrepentant.

Justice Kwek Mean Luck agreed this was domestic violence committed in the couple's home, and that Li was the aggressor despite the history of conflict between them.

He sentenced Li to 12 years' jail, backdated to her arrest in May 2024, well above the four-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half years the defence had originally sought.

In CNA's report, Li wiped away tears as her sentence was read out.

Responding to a letter she had written in mitigation, the judge acknowledged her remorse and the fact that she would not be present to watch her children grow up, but said her actions carried consequences that had to be reflected in her sentence.

“I hope that in serving your sentence in the days ahead, you will continue to grow, so that when the day comes when you can be with your children again, you will be who you want to be for them,” he said.