An ex-Physical Education (PE) teacher in Singapore went online to share her honest reasons for leaving her job, despite her decent pay, bonuses and other benefits that came with it.

On Aug. 24, 29-year-old Sakinah shared her personal experience in an Instagram post.

In the post, Sakinah shared how she did an untrained teaching stint before going to the National Institute of Education (NIE) for two years of training.

After completing her teaching practicum, she was then posted to a primary school, where she taught for one year as a Beginning Teacher.

Teaching is only 'a fraction of the pie'

The 29-year-old made it clear in the post that she most definitely enjoyed teaching, as it gave her the spark she had lost along the way in her adult years.

"There's something so special and fresh about seeing ideas come to fruition, seeing the kids innovate and get creative once they've received the right type of guidance," she said.

However, it was still not enough for her to stay.

Instead, Sakinah chose to leave, paying off a bond that she told Mothership was a five-figure amount, which "wiped a significant portion of [her] savings".

But why?

Sakinah described teaching itself as "just a fraction of the pie" of the workload teachers handle.

The rest of the pie consisted of a long list of administrative duties such as CCA management, excursion planning and execution, equipment maintenance, and meetings.

Sakinah shared that, over time, the administrative duties left her feeling burnt out.

Red tapes

Sakinah also shared her frustration with the red tapes that came with being a teacher in Singapore, including how she was allegedly forced to stay in school until school dismissal time despite her lessons already ending and her tasks being done.

She added that this was one of the factors that led her to leave.

She said she also hated being unable to pursue any side hustles.

Speaking to Mothership, she shared that she had been conducting Physical Training (PT) for years but faced limitations when she became a civil servant.

Breaking point

Sakinah told Mothership that her breaking point was when she couldn't unsee that she was "being a babysitter" to the kids on a swimming course during an after-school activity.

Sakinah shared in her post how it suddenly hit her that she was not going to spend the rest of her life doing that laborious task.

She added that she felt her brain and soul were meant for something bigger and that she was someone who hated "cruising" and just getting by.

She told Mothership: "My own thought: you can't deny that as a teacher, a bulk of the work you do is being a caretaker of the kids, while the parents go out to work, right?"

After quitting, Sakinah shared that she now does PT as her main gig and trains freelance coaches on a project basis to upskill.

She shared that she plans to continue teaching fitness as that is something she has loved all her life.

"I love movement, education of movement, and coaching coaches on the art of coaching - because it's more than just the physical aspect, but also knowing how to coach a person and meeting them where they're at so they can reach their goals."

Responding to hate comments by alleged teachers

In her caption, Sakinah pointed out that there were teachers commenting hate on her post, saying that the point of her post was to share her own experience.

She told Mothership that the hate she received from teachers over the post was mainly accusations that she wasn't resilient enough to stay in the job.

However, she said that resilience, to her, means admitting that the job wasn't for her, quitting, being in "debt" after wiping out most of her savings to make the bond payment, and starting from scratch.

She went through all these just so she could bet on herself, her growth and her own skill set.

To all teachers

In the post, Sakinah addressed those considering becoming PE teachers, noting definite upsides to the job.

These included having no marking, PE being the lesson most kids look forward to, and having the opportunity to show kids the beauty of play.

She also expressed her admiration for all teachers, clarifying that her sharing her experiences was not intended to devalue teachers or teaching.

"I, from the bottom of my heart, have so much respect and admiration to those who have stuck it through, and tolerated all the different shades from grey from the kids. I seriously don't know how you can do this, on repeat!

Without you, we would not exist, and we would not be who we are today, so thank you."

A full-time national serviceman with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) was cycling negligently when he struck down an elderly pedestrian who later died two days later of a head injury on Apr. 24, 2025.

The 83-year-old woman sustained a 14cm skull fracture and a haemorrhage as a result of the fall.

According to The Straits Times (ST), Haaris Sulaiman was sentenced to a week in jail on Aug. 24, 2026, after pleading guilty to causing the victim's death.

He was also ordered to pay S$5,000 in compensation or spend an additional 20 days in jail if he fails to pay the amount.

The 22-year-old has since completed his national service with the SPF.

Was on his way home to collect uniform

According to court documents seen by Mothership, on Apr. 22, 2025, at around 5:36pm, Haaris was at Bugis Junction near the bicycle lots.

He needed to go home to collect his police uniform before cycling to Kampong Java Neighbourhood Police Centre to report for duty by 6:30pm.

He rented a bicycle and began cycling on a footpath along Rochor Road.

Court documents noted that the weather was clear, the footpath was dry, and Haaris had adequate sight of pedestrians on the footpath.

The speed limit for cycling on the footpath was 10km per hour, but at certain segments he was cycling at speeds of up to 14km per hour.

Collided into victim

At around 5:39pm, Haaris cycled past three pedestrians as he approached a traffic junction.

Whilst checking for vehicles on his right, he failed to see the victim walking on his left on the footpath.

He collided with the elderly woman with the left handlebar of the bicycle, causing her to fall and sustain head injuries.

Haaris stopped to help the victim and called the ambulance immediately after.

The ambulance arrived at the scene around 5:54pm, and the victim was conveyed to the Emergency Department of Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

A scan showed that the victim sustained extensive head injuries.

She was given palliative care and was pronounced dead at 1:10pm on Apr. 24, 2025.

Offered to pay the victim's family compensation

Court documents noted that Haaris offered to pay the victim's family S$5,000 in compensation.

But the victim's family rejected the offer, stating that it was insufficient and left it up to the court to decide.

The prosecution sought two weeks' imprisonment and said Haaris' culpability was low to moderate as he was riding a non-motorised bicycle.

The prosecution also noted that Haaris was riding at slightly above the speed limit at three of the six route segments that were analysed by the Health Sciences Authority's forensic lab.

There was also no evidence that he was speeding at the time of the collision with the victim.

However, court documents noted that the footpath was moderately crowded and Haaris should have paid more attention to pedestrians.

During sentencing, the prosecution noted that Haaris was remorseful; he pleaded guilty at the first stage, resulting in the maximum 30 per cent sentencing reduction being accorded to him.

According to ST, District Judge Lim Tse Haw noted that accidents involving cyclists hit a four-year high in 2025.

Lim stressed that the duty of keeping a lookout for pedestrians was on cyclists and said: "Any death is one death too many".

Singapore has said Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.

It has called on Israel to stop its expansion plans there, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said in a statement on Aug. 24.

What prompted it

The Israeli government published a tender on Aug. 18 for the construction of over 1,200 housing units. It is part of a project to expand residential settlements in the E1 area, according to The Straits Times.

E1, short for East 1, is the name Israel uses for a stretch of the occupied West Bank sitting just east of occupied East Jerusalem.

About 3,700 Palestinians live there, most of them Bedouin spread across 18 villages, ST reported, citing the Institute for Middle East Understanding.

What MFA said

The spokesperson said the proposed construction "would further fragment the West Bank and severely undermine the prospects for a viable two-State solution."

It said: "Singapore urges the Israeli government to halt these settlement expansion plans."

The ministry added that Singapore was deeply concerned by the rise in settler violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.

"We call on the Israeli government to take firm action to prevent such violence and to hold those responsible accountable,” it added.

MFA also restated Singapore's long-held view that the only workable route to lasting peace is a two-state solution reached through negotiation, in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

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Singapore's Acting Minister for Muslim Affairs, Zaqy Mohamad, also spoke up on the issue.

In an Instagram post, Zaqy said Singapore has made its position clear, and it is "deeply troubling" to see developments that would diminish the hopes of the Palestinians to establish their own homeland.

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A post shared by Zaqy Mohamad (@zaqym)

A Singaporean man in his 30s was allegedly turned away from Sengkang Polyclinic without being triaged.

He later went to Punggol Polyclinic on the same day where he was referred to a specialist.

He was later diagnosed with a vision-threatening corneal ulcer at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC).

Bob (not his real name) told Mothership that he started experiencing eye pain on Aug. 13, 2026 and went to Sengkang Polyclinic at around 9am but was stopped by staff at the registration counter before taking a queue number.

He said: "No symptom questions were asked, and no clinical staff assessed me."

He filed a written complaint with SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP).

He received an email from the healthcare institution saying, "We tried to establish the details of the interaction that took place at our triage on the day of your visit and were unable to do so."

In response to Mothership's queries, Clinic Director, SHP-Sengkang, Chang Zi Ying, said SHP is "aware of the incident and responded back to the patient via email following his feedback".

"Patients will not be denied care solely because the polyclinic has reached its appointment capacity."

Experienced eye pain and light sensitivity

Bob noted that he called the SingHealth general booking line at 8:58am asking for a same-day appointment at Sengkang.

He said, "It was the closest clinic to me, and I was struggling with severe light sensitivity."

"I was wearing sunglasses indoors."

He was told Sengkang Polyclinic's appointment slots were full, and only Punggol Polyclinic had availability.

"I declined that at the time, as I wanted to be seen somewhere closer given my condition, and decided to walk into Sengkang Polyclinic directly instead."

Treatment within 2 days critical to prevent vision loss

After arriving at Sengkang Polyclinic, Bob was allegedly stopped by a staff member at the registration counter and told that "the clinic had too many patients and to return the next day".

He then called back and accepted the Punggol Polyclinic appointment slot at 12pm.

At 12:30pm, Bob was seen by the doctor, who assessed his condition as urgent and referred him directly to SGH's Emergency Department.

Bob was subsequently diagnosed at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) with a corneal ulcer, and told that treatment within 24 to 48 hours was critical to prevent permanent vision loss.

When asked how he felt about the ordeal, Bob said: "It was frightening. I tried twice to get seen quickly, once by phone, once in person, and was turned away both times."

"I only got treated because I kept pushing for another option."

He said what concerned him was the "gap between being told to just come back the next day and actually being treated", especially noting the critical window of treatment for his condition.

Bob said his experience at Sengkang Polyclinic suggests a gap in the triage process, saying he was a visibly symptomatic patient who was turned away by non-clinical registration staff without any symptom screening.

Emails with SingHealth

In emails to Bob seen by Mothership, SHP said it "carefully reviewed" the details of his visit.

"We also attempted to contact you by telephone to discuss your feedback and share the outcome of our review, and were unable to reach you."

SHP added: "We tried to establish the details of the interaction that took place at our Triage on the day of your visit and were unable to do so."

However, Bob disputed SHP's account and said no call was received and "there was no triage interaction to begin with".

Bob also asked if CCTV footage from the registration area was reviewed in the SHP investigation.

In a subsequent email, SHP requested to speak to Bob directly through a phone call.

However, Bob said he "will not proceed to a phone discussion" and asked for the specific points that were disputed in his email to be answered in writing.

"If a call does proceed following your written response, I require it to be recorded, with a copy of the recording provided to me afterwards."

SingHealth Polyclinics' response

Responding to Mothership's queries, Chang said: "To better understand the circumstances and address his concerns, we attempted to contact him by phone, but we were unable to reach him."

Chang noted: "At SHP, patients are encouraged to make appointments before visiting our clinics."

She noted that SHP's appointment system lets patients choose their preferred consultation slots to reduce wait times and prevent overcrowding.

"Patients who arrive without an appointment will be offered the next available consultation slot, which may be later that day or, if all appointment slots have been filled, on the following day."

Chang added that in such cases, patients may be advised to seek care at a nearby Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) General Practitioner (GP) clinic.

"Patients presenting with urgent symptoms or medical emergencies will be attended to promptly and provided with the appropriate level of care."

Chang concluded: "Ensuring that patients who require urgent medical attention are assessed and managed in a timely manner remains our top priority."

Jang Mi Ran, a 37-year-old woman from Jeju Island, South Korea, disappeared on May 12.

When her relatives reported her missing, the police officer who handled the case claimed to have contacted Jang.

According to Korean media, it was later discovered that the police officer, Bu, had lied about contacting the woman, and that she was safe. He also claimed the woman said she did not want to be contacted.

The officer then closed the case.

No record of any call between Jang and Bu was found.

The officer was arrested but was released following a court order citing it as unlawful.

After 104 days of being missing, her body has finally been found near her residence.

The officer was allegedly said to have done the same thing to a 60-year-old missing person who was eventually found dead as well.

]]> 1167350 https://mothership.sg/2026/08/lengkok-bahru-murder-scene-visit/ 2026-08-25T10:53:48 https://mothership.sg/2026/08/lengkok-bahru-murder-scene-visit/

The man, who allegedly murdered his neighbour at Block 55 Lengkok Bahru on Jul. 20, was taken back to the crime scene by the police on Aug. 25.

Ng Swee Seng, 59, a Singaporean, was charged with murder on Jul. 22.

He had appeared in court via video link.

Area cordoned off

At about 8:42am, police officers cordoned off the area around the block and unit where the incident allegedly happened.

Ng arrived at the scene in a police van accompanied by investigation officers at about 9:20am.

The accused was dressed in a red polo shirt, dark blue shorts, and transparent slippers.

His hands and legs were in restraints.

He was then taken to the 16th floor of the block, where the incident allegedly happened.

He was seen pointing at the ground at one point and spoke to the investigation officers at the scene.

Investigation officers marked out certain areas.

Ng was also taken into the unit.

Residents of the block were seen gawking at one point.

By 10:13am, Ng and accompanying officers left the premises.

Background

The Singapore Police Force said they were alerted to the incident at about 4:45pm on Jul. 20.

When police officers arrived, they found the victim lying motionless at the 16th-floor lift lobby.

He was purportedly stabbed in the abdomen and died en route to the hospital.

Ng was arrested at the scene.

Preliminary investigations revealed that both men knew each other and apparently had a long-standing dispute.

The victim was a single father.

He is survived by his 20-year-old son.

His case was adjourned to Aug. 26

If convicted of murder, Ng faces the death penalty.

A 40-year-old female nurse from Hong Kong who was accused of stealing two bracelets had all her charges dropped after she signed a good behaviour bond.

According to Sing Tao Daily, Cheuk Wing-fong allegedly stole the bracelets worth HK$1,850 (S$300) from Luah Jewellery in Langham Place, Mong Kok, Hong Kong on Apr. 21, 2026.

On Aug. 24, the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts granted her a good behaviour bond of HK$2,000 (S$324).

Chief Magistrate So Man-lung also ordered Cheuk to pay HK$1,850 (S$300) in damages to the firm.

Bind-over order

Under Hong Kong law, individuals charged with minor offences can get their lawyers to negotiate for a "bind-over on no evidence offered" arrangement.

According to the Community Legal Information Centre of the University of Hong Kong's website, this system is neither a conviction nor a punishment, as a defendant simply enters into a promise before the court.

A defendant who agrees to sign a bind-over in court will commit to good behaviour and refrain from committing further offences for a period not exceeding three years.

The defendant will also pay an appropriate bond.

This means the prosecution does not present evidence at trial and the court dismisses the charges.

Hence, it prevents the client from receiving a criminal record, according to Yan Lawyers' website, a Hong Kong-based law firm.

Hong Kong actor Mat Yeung’s restaurant in Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was ordered to temporarily close 10 days after its grand opening.

The restaurant opened on Aug. 14.

In a Facebook post on Aug. 24, Six Hub Roast House said it would close for two days in compliance with local authorities and would resume operations on Aug. 26.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by our kitchen occupying a public space.” The caption wrote.

In a video circulating online, the 45-year-old’s restaurant roller shutters were down.

Yellow tape was also pasted on the shutters.

According to Oriental Daily, the outlet was ordered to close at about 1pm on Aug. 24 due to violating certain regulations or licensing conditions for food establishments.

Local authorities inspected the area after receiving complaints and apparently found that several restaurants were using back alleys to cook and wash dishes.

Six Hub Roast House was presumably one of the restaurants implicated.

According to Sinchew Daily, a restaurant representative also said the closure was due to equipment placement on the premises, not food hygiene concerns.

“We have a lot of kitchen equipment, so we temporarily put it at the back, which took up some roadside space. Therefore, the authorities asked us to move everything away." They reportedly said.

A 13-year-old boy was allegedly photographed by a stranger while using a toilet at Toa Payoh HDB Hub.

The man later threatened to make the images public if the boy refused to have sex with him.

Took photos from adjacent cubicle

According to a report by 8world, the incident took place at around 5pm on Jun. 30, at a toilet on the fourth floor of the mall.

Speaking to the Chinese-language media outlet, the boy's mother, surnamed Chen (transliteration) said her son was using the toilet near a music school when a man allegedly took photographs of him from above an adjacent cubicle.

The boy did not realise that he had been photographed at the time.

When he walked out of the cubicle, the man allegedly showed him the images on his phone and threatened to upload them to social media if he did not have sex with him.

Shocked and frightened, the boy's mother said her son rejected the man and left the toilet.

The man allegedly continued to follow him as far as Toa Payoh MRT station.

Suspect has yet to be caught

Chen told 8world she called the police after learning about the incident.

She also went back to the area to ask businesses for available CCTV footage and subsequently handed the relevant information over to the police.

She said investigators later told her that they had obtained CCTV footage and were working to identify the man.

However, it has been about two months after the incident and the man has yet to be arrested, said Chen.

"My son is very anxious and keeps asking why he hasn’t been caught after so long," she was quoted as saying.

She added that her son was still traumatised from the incident.

"Even though so much time has passed, he still gets scared sometimes when he thinks about it. He's afraid to go to the toilet alone," she told 8world.

Chen said she had advised her son not to enter a toilet alone if there was no one else inside.

She has also informed his school so that he could receive counselling.

She hopes the man can be identified and apprehended as soon as possible, and urged parents and children to remain vigilant in crowded public places.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police confirmed that a report has been lodged and investigations are ongoing.

The police have arrested a 26-year-old British man and a 50-year-old Polish woman for their suspected involvement in separate shop theft cases at Jewel Changi Airport and in the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 1.

They will be charged in court on Aug. 2, 2026.

On Aug. 14, 2024, at about 6:35pm, the police were alerted to a shop theft at a retail outlet in Jewel Changi Airport.

Preliminary investigations revealed that a retail assistant had noticed a blue denim jacket missing from a display mannequin.

A review of CCTV footage showed that at about 3:55pm, the British man had allegedly removed the jacket, valued at about $350, from the mannequin and left the store without making payment.

While officers from the Airport Police Division (APD) established the identity of the man, he had already departed from Singapore.

On Aug. 15, 2026, the man returned to Changi Airport while in transit and was arrested by the police.

In a separate case, on 11 June 2026 at about 11:40pm, the police were alerted to a case of shop theft at a retail outlet in the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal

A review of CCTV footage showed that at about 8:25pm, the Polish woman had allegedly taken a bottle of perfume valued at about $410 and left the store without making payment.

With the aid of CCTV footage, APD officers swiftly identified and arrested the woman in the transit area before her departure.

Through further investigations, it was established that the woman had also allegedly stolen another bottle of perfume, valued at about $400, from a separate retail outlet at about 10:55pm.

Both items were recovered from her.

The man will be charged with one count of theft in dwelling, while the woman will be charged with two counts of theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871.

The offence of theft in dwelling carries a penalty of up to seven years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.