A 20-year-old Singaporean man was ordered to undergo reformatory training for at least six months after getting a 12-year-old girl to perform sexual acts on him.

The man pleaded guilty to committing an indecent act with a child in December 2025 and was sentenced on Jun. 30, The Straits Times reported.

The accused cannot be named as a gag order was imposed to protect the victim’s identity.

Religious teacher

In earlier court proceedings, the man was reportedly the girl’s religious teacher in early 2025.

He taught her three classes in a group setting that involved about five to six pupils.

The accused obtained all of the pupils’ contact details and created a chat group to send them lesson notes.

After one of the lessons, the man spent time with the girl and reportedly bought her chocolates and lunch.

Her mother was informed of the situation and complained to the mosque.

He was subsequently removed from his appointment.

However, he and the girl secretly started a romantic relationship.

Sex acts

According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, on the afternoon of May 8, 2025, the man hugged and kissed the girl at a multi-storey carpark in the vicinity of Tampines 1.

Five days later, on the afternoon of May 13, 2025, the pair met at a staircase landing of an HDB block in the vicinity of Bedok Mall.

He reportedly requested the girl to perform oral sex on him, but she refused.

However, she was hugged, groped and kissed by the man.

Break up

The pair eventually broke up after third parties learned about their relationship.

The identities of the said parties were not disclosed.

The girl told her mother about the incident, and a police report was lodged in July 2025.

Sentencing

During sentencing, the judge noted that the offence involved skin-to-skin contact.

The pair’s age gap was also acknowledged.

The man requested probation, citing that he was remorseful and his parents regularly checked his phone to monitor his activities.

Refomative training

Reformative training is a rehabilitative sentencing option.

According to Singapore Prison Services, young offenders may undergo psychology-based correctional programmes, family and education programmes, employability skills training and personal development programmes, based on their rehabilitation needs.

They are also subjected to a strict regime that can include counselling sessions and foot drills.

The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) has launched three new community initiatives — a heritage trail, a roving exhibition and commemorative stamps — to celebrate 200 years since the establishment of Singapore's modern judicial and legal system.

In a press release, MinLaw said that these initiatives will provide "different perspectives on how Singapore's modern legal and judicial systems have underpinned various phases of Singapore's development".

Heritage trail

The heritage trail will showcase 20 locations significant to the Rule of Law in Singapore, such as the former Supreme Court building, Old Parliament House and Hong Lim Park.

"The heritage trail tells the stories behind these landmarks and traces the evolution of Singapore's legal landscape," MinLaw described.

Members of the public can experience the heritage trail either on a guided walking tour or via a virtual tour.

The guided walking tour will be free and covers nine of the 20 locations. They will run from Jul. 11, 2026, to December 2026.

More details on the guided tours and the virtual tour can be found here.

Roving exhibition, commemorative stamps

A roving exhibition bringing the story of the evolution of Singapore's legal system will also be showcased at various locations across Singapore.

It will start at Harbourfront Library in August 2026. MinLaw said it will share more details in due course.

MinLaw has also collaborated with SingPost to launch a set of four commemorative stamps, which will be available for purchase at the Philatelic Counter in the General Post office, the Philatelic Store @ Tampines, or online.

On the initiatives, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Law Eric Chua said, "SGLaw200 is more than just a commemoration. It is our opportunity to pause, appreciate and reflect upon just how much the Rule of Law has shaped our progress as a nation."

"Through these new community initiatives, we hope to bring the story of the Rule of Law in Singapore’s journey to life," Chua also said.

Once booming with 13 outlets across Singapore at its peak, The Original Vadai has scaled down its business to eight outlets today.

More closures are also coming, food critic KF Seetoh wrote in a Facebook post on Jul. 3.

In an accompanying video, Seetoh chats with Stephen Suriyah, the owner of The Original Vadai, about the closures.

"I think I need to downsize, so that... I can control the quality," he explained. "Too many outlets, we cannot control the way our staff works and all this kind of thing."

"I'm not a smart businessman," he admitted. "I learnt, along the way, a lot of painful mistakes, a lot of costly mistakes."

He was "most peaceful" running two or three outlets, he said. Running many outlets, however, gave him stress and a financial burden.

Ambition

The Original Vadai's roots began in 1989, according to its Facebook page.

It was a family business that started when Stephen's mother found a way to create a fluffier and lighter version of prawn vadai (dough fritters) to cater to Singaporean taste buds, according to a gov.sg profile story on Stephen.

After Stephen's father passed away, the family's financial struggles prompted him to drop out of school and take over the business at 18.

He told Seetoh he was ambitious in expanding the business to 13 stalls because he wanted everyone in Singapore to know what vadai is.

"When I first joined my mom, when I tell people I sell vadai, nobody knows what it is... they will ask, 'What is that?'" he said.

"I wanted it to reach people. That's the reason why I expanded."

Good responses initially

When Seetoh asked if he was being greedy, Stephen explained that the demand was there at the time, and the business had good responses when they opened many outlets.

The Original Vadai's first brick-and-mortar store opened in Golden Mile Food Centre in April 2020.

In the profile story, Stephen recalled how a Facebook post he made about its soft launch went viral, and the queues were "crazy" by the second day.

Within two years after that, he went on to open 10 outlets.

Lessons learnt

While commending Stephen's desire to promote the heritage of vadai, Seetoh pointed out that he had not thought carefully about the operational and manpower issues in Singapore.

Stephen acknowledged the mistake and shared two lessons he has learned from it.

The first is to keep the business within "whatever you can touch, whatever you can control", as he believes it will be rather difficult if the owner tries to expand the business and delegate control to other people.

He also believes now that sometimes "we just need to stick to what we can do rather than be too ambitious".

Despite the uncertain future of The Original Vadai, Seetoh concluded the video optimistically, saying that Suriyah will be reconsolidating to "come back stronger".

Related stories

Political parties in Singapore are, by nature, portraits of continued renewal.

The Workers’ Party (WP) is no exception. At the recent party conference on Jun. 28, cadres voted on the fate of secretary-general Pritam Singh.

Singh ultimately emerged triumphant, having secured almost 80 per cent of the vote — a feat some analysts suggested could be in part due to the support of his predecessor, Low Thia Khiang.

Singh went on to be re-elected, unopposed, as the WP chief in the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections.

In “Step Up: The Workers’ Party of Singapore 2.0 — The Road to GE2025 and Beyond”, former WP parliamentarian Yee Jenn Jong and biographer Loke Hoe Yeong delve into the party’s evolution over the years.

An abridged excerpt from the book, from chapters 4 and 5 — “The Breakthrough Years under Low Thia Khiang” and “Pritam Singh Takes Over and Prepares for the Future” — has been reproduced here.

The book is available for purchase directly here or via Kinokuniya, Popular, Book Bar, and World Scientific (use promo code WSASOC20 for 20 per cent off).

By Yee Jenn Jong and Loke Hoe Yeong

In GE2011, Low Thia Khiang surprised the PAP by coming out of his Hougang SMC stronghold to lead the party’s “A” team — then comprised of NCMP Sylvia Lim, Pritam Singh, Chen Show Mao and Faisal Manap — against a strong PAP team led by George Yeo.

A key member of the PAP third-generation leadership, Yeo headed ministries ranging from Health, to Trade and Industry, to Foreign Affairs.

Yet, the WP managed to win 54.72% of the votes, up from 43.91% in GE2006.

Low kept close tabs on our performances during the 12th Parliament term. He was understandably cautious, given that the ruling party was ready to tear our proposals apart if there were loopholes or errors.

As a warning for us to be thorough in our facts and calculations, he cited the 1996 case of Chee Soon Juan and three others from the SDP. The group was charged and fined by the Committee of Privileges for falsifying data in a healthcare paper they had published.

As leader of the WP, Low was trying to ensure that the new parliamentarians pass their first term safely. I was not restricted in what I wished to say as long as my arguments were sound. We were responsible for preparing ourselves well.

Parliament is like a modern-day gladiator arena. We do not fight with swords and rods, but with words.

The next era

In 2001, Low took over under challenging circumstances and reorganised the party to recruit younger professionals and worked on rebranding the party.

From 2011 to 2020, the party strengthened its foundations to get ready for further pushes. To grow, it needed to expand its base.

It also had to find a way to run the town council despite encountering obstacles along the way. The challenges were eventually overcome: reliable staff were cultivated and an alternative information management system developed.

The party was ready to expand, if given the mandate.

In 2017, the highly respected Low made a shocking public announcement at the party’s 60th anniversary dinner that he would be stepping down after 16 years as WP leader. The cadres were to elect the next secretary-general at the Cadres’ Meeting in April 2018.

Prior to that, Low had prepared the ground, appointing Singh in 2016 as assistant secretary-general, a post that had been vacant since 2006. He had also met privately with a few of us in 2016 to broach the idea of his impending retirement.

I respect Low for knowing when to bow out. When he felt that the team from the class of 2011 and 2015 could take the party to another level, he let them take centre stage.

Often, when the party encountered challenges after Low’s retirement, particularly when Singh faced court charges over his handling of former MP Raeesah Khan’s lie in Parliament, people speculated that Low would make a comeback.

I would tell them no. Low had retired and did not believe that he must resurface to save the party. Low would provide advice from behind the scenes when called upon but he knew when it was time to let go.

Even if Singh was forced out of Parliament by a legal conviction, another leader from his generation would fill the position.

Such was Low’s confidence in the team that he had quietly built.

[...]

Success and setbacks

In 2020, with 10 elected seats in Parliament, the leader of the WP, Pritam Singh, was given the newly created title of Leader of the Opposition. It was the first time that the government officially recognised such a role.

Two years earlier, Singh had succeeded Low Thia Khiang as secretary-general, after Low stepped down from that position in 2018 at the age of 62.

After the new high of GE2020, the WP suffered several setbacks. The first was when Sengkang GRC MP Raeesah Khan admitted to lying on three occasions in Parliament over a speech she had first made in August 2021.

Although she resigned in November 2021, the matter was raised to the Committee of Privileges (COP), during which the WP’s senior leaders — Singh, Sylvia Lim, Faisal Manap — were questioned in marathon sessions, alongside Khan and other members of the party.

The remaining three members of the Sengkang GRC team continued to manage the town. In GE2025, the WP was re-elected with an even stronger mandate, 56.31% compared to GE2020’s 52.13%.

The aftermath

Singh has headed the party for only seven years since succeeding Low Thia Khiang but has already achieved much by the standard of Singapore’s opposition politics.

He also had to face relentless challenges by his opponents on his character over how Raeesah Khan’s case was handled. He led the party to win a second GRC in Sengkang and became Singapore’s first officially recognised Leader of the Opposition, a role which he held after GE2020 till January 2026, when the PAP-dominated Parliament voted to find Singh unsuitable for that position after he lost his High Court appeal over the conviction of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee.

Singh appears more willing to embrace the times, drawing volunteers systematically and even seeking professional services to expand the party’s media outreach. He has also demonstrated greater willingness to engage with the media, appearing in podcasts and on a chat show on national television.

At the same time, he is a disciplinarian like his predecessor, having enforced party discipline on several occasions when members crossed the line.

Singh has already announced the party’s medium-term ambition to deny the PAP its two-thirds majority in Parliament. That is a tall order given that it would need another 23 seats on top of the existing 10 elected ones.

But he sees his role as “normalising” the idea that even with a strong opposition, the Singapore government can still function well, like in other democratic systems.

Singh may yet try to use the same approach in the next general election: putting up the strongest possible slate of candidates and configuring them for possible wins in all the races. He has shown his willingness to field new and young candidates if they have the right attitude and can uphold the party’s 3Rs branding.

Hopefully, his boldness in contesting to win will secure positive results and allow Singh to leave a strong legacy of his place in Singapore politics.

As officers from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) attended to a fire on Jul. 3 at Block 381C Yishun Ring Road, a 43-year-old man repeatedly uttered vulgarities and made inappropriate remarks at the officers.

He also spat on an SPF officer when they engaged him.

The man was subsequently arrested by the police.

Man challenged officers

In a Facebook post, SCDF said it was alerted to a fire at the Yishun HDB block at about 5:15pm on Jul. 3.

As officers attended to the scene, a man reportedly caused a ruckus on the ground floor.

In videos that circulated on social media, the man, dressed in a red vest and wearing red shoes, could be seen challenging police officers.

In one video, one of the officers could be heard reasoning with the man, trying to impress on him the gravity of the emergency.

The man could then be seen leaning his body toward the officer, appearing to challenge him by saying, "I cannot hear, I cannot hear".

Later in the video, the man could be seen walking away from the officers and shouting, "Don't talk to me!"

In another video, he could be seen challenging officers to arrest him.

It is unclear what gave rise to the altercation.

Spat on officer

Responding to Mothership's queries, SPF said that the man repeatedly uttered vulgarities and made inappropriate remarks towards SPF and SCDF officers who were attending to the fire.

"When police officers engaged him, the man refused to cease his behaviour and spat on an officer," SPF added.

The 43-year-old man was later arrested for being a public nuisance, using insulting words towards a public servant and using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the man continued cussing at the officers even as they held him down on the ground and detained him.

He continued to be uncooperative when paramedics attempted to check on him.

The man's antics lasted for about two hours, and he was eventually taken away in an ambulance, Shin Min wrote.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Child rescued from fire

Upon arrival, SCDF said they found the living room of a 12th-floor unit on fire.

Firefighters entered the smoke-filled unit and extinguished the fire with a water jet, according to SCDF's post.

SCDF firefighters also found and rescued a child in the bedroom of the unit.

"The child was assessed for smoke inhalation and conveyed to KK Women's and Children's Hospital," SCDF said.

The SBS Transit employee who assisted an elderly distressed woman who lay across two lanes on a road has been commended for his actions with an award.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) recently presented Assistant Interchange Supervisor Wong Chee Chuon with the Community First Responder Award "for his outstanding act of compassion and public-spiritedness", SBS Transit wrote on Facebook on Jul. 3.

What happened

Wong, 44, previously recounted the incident to Zaobao, describing the scene as chaotic.

Around 3pm on Mar. 25, an elderly woman lay across two lanes of the road outside Boon Lay Bus Interchange, causing a traffic congestion.

After Wong learnt the situation from a bus conductor, he went to the middle of the road to assist the woman.

"When I saw her lying in the middle of the road, I didn’t think further— my priority was her safety," he recalled, as quoted in an SBS Transit Facebook post on Mar. 27.

Along with an SMRT staff member, he guided the woman to a grass patch by the roadside, and supported her back in case she fell.

The woman repeatedly yelled at the men to ignore her, but Wong patiently told her they were there to help.

He continued to stay by her side even after the paramedics arrived, according to SBS Transit.

The SCDF later conveyed her to the hospital.

Wong told Zaobao that in his 12 years of service, he has often encountered people in need of help, and that SBS Transit provides yearly training courses to deal with emergencies.

Making a difference

"Helping someone in need felt like the natural thing to do. I’m just glad I could help at that moment," Wong said.

SBS Transit congratulated him on the award.

"Through his actions, Chee Chuon demonstrated how one person’s willingness to step forward can make a meaningful difference," the company said.

Rolina Traditional Hainanese Curry Puffs, a stall at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market and Food Centre, is looking for a female customer who mistakenly paid S$200 instead of S$2 for one curry puff on Jun. 29.

The stall has made a post on Facebook to tap on the power of social media in their search.

The transaction took place at about 1:03 pm.

Jolene, the third-generation owner of the pastry stall, shared with Mothership that the female customer looked to be in her 30s or 40s and was wearing a white dress.

She shared that there was a lunchtime crowd at the time and she was away at the restroom.

Her husband was manning the stall on his own, serving a queue of customers.

Things happened quickly amidst the rush, and neither he nor the customer realised the error.

The stall owners only noticed the overpayment after the busy queue was served.

"[My husband] went around looking for the lady in the market, but she was nowhere to be found," Jolene said.

So far, no one has reached out to them.

The customer may reach out to Rolina Traditional Hainanese Curry Puffs via their business number at 92358093, or send them a direct message on Instagram or Facebook.

"Or even come down and look for us," Jolene said.

The stall owner is also hoping that the customer might return in the coming weeks, so that they can refund the excess amount to her.

A nurse in Thailand has earned praise for stepping in to help monks injured in a car accident despite a Buddhist taboo that women cannot touch monks.

Wiwat Laonoi came across the accident while driving to run errands, reported Thairath Online.

As no other responders had arrived yet, she called for an ambulance, then identified herself as a nurse and moved to help.

"People told me, 'Wait, that’s a monk!', but I said it doesn’t matter, right now, this is a patient," she recounted to AFP, as quoted by The Straits Times.

The accident happened on Jul. 2, when a pickup truck crashed into 35 monks during a religious procession in Thailand's Mukdahan province.

As of Jul. 3, 10 monks have died from the accident, and about 10 were still hospitalised, two of them in critical condition.

'Never seen anything like it'

Laonoi, who has been a nurse for nearly four decades, described the accident as "massive".

She had "never seen anything like it", she told AFP.

She went forward to assess the monks' injuries and performed CPR on those without a pulse.

"Everyone struggled to decide whom to help first because all were severely injured," she said, as quoted by Thairath Online.

"I chose to help quickly, turning one monk on his side after reviving him, then moved on to another."

Hospital and rescue teams began arriving at the scene within five minutes after.

The nurse expressed pride in her ability and knowledge to assist others at the time.

"I'm glad I was able to help because this was the biggest accident I have ever encountered in my career."

In a Facebook post on Jul. 3, the Nurses' Association of Thailand commended Laonoi's selflessness, composure, and spirit of a professional nurse.

A lorry driver has been sentenced to a year and nine months in prison after he ran a red light and collided into a motorcyclist.

The 45-year-old motorcyclist was sent flying about 10 metres onto the grass, and later died of his injuries in the hospital, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The lorry driver, Vellaisamy Manikandan, was 25 at the time of the incident.

Now 27, he was convicted of driving without due care and attention causing death. Besides jail, he was also disqualified from holding a driving licence for 10 years on Jul. 2, 2026.

The collision

The incident happened at the traffic junction of Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim and Tuas West Road, at about 7:30am on Mar. 25, 2024.

According to a video shown in court, the light for Manikandan's lane was still red when he drove ahead.

The lorry then continued through the junction, and drove into a motorcycle that was travelling through it at the time.

The motorcyclist was flung into the air due to the impact.

The police said he was conveyed unconscious to the hospital. He passed away the same day due to multiple injuries.

Claimed he could not see the traffic light

During investigations, Manikandan told the police that he could not see the traffic light clearly due to the sun's glare at the time, Shin Min reported.

He drove ahead at the junction because he thought the light had turned green, he claimed.

Pleading for leniency, Manikandan's lawyer told the court that there were two traffic light signals during the incident — one was shorter, and the other was taller.

As he drove a relatively short lorry, and was also affected by the sun's glare, Manikandan was not able to see the taller traffic light clearly, according to the lawyer.

He claimed to have only seen the shorter traffic light, which did turn green, and thought he could start driving.

However, the prosecutor pointed out that not only was the light red at the time, the other cars beside Manikandan had also stopped before the junction because of the red light, yet he appeared not to have noticed it.

Residents and family remember Uncle Thien, the 83-year-old who went viral for his spontaneous twig art in Pek Kio estate, as a man who quietly devoted time to his passion.

One resident said that his absence will be felt in the estate.

Uncle Thien passed on Jul. 2.

Someone we are proud of: Resident

One resident, Mike, recounted to Mothership the times he had encountered Uncle Thien.

He showed a few photos of Thien's work, which he had taken over the years.

One of Uncle Thien’s usual spots was the corner of cement pavement, perched atop a grass verge behind the food court at 44 Owen Road.

The trees nearby supplied Thien with his medium of choice.

“When I come by to buy dinner for my family, about [7pm], I always see him in this spot, doing his art,” Mike, who has lived in the estate for about 10 to 12 years, said.

“He's a person that doesn't talk much, very quiet person, and he will just do his art, and then residents will just stand around and appreciate what he's doing,” Mike continued.

Thien’s artistic inclination is well known by residents in the area, Mike said. When residents from beyond visit the estate, Thien’s artworks have similarly impressed them.

Mike described the 83-year-old as someone “we are proud of”.

When asked if he had any parting words for Uncle Thien, he said, “I’d like to thank him for his artwork that he has shared with all the residents here.”

Quiet, good man

Uncle Thien was unmarried. He lived alone with a roommate, 69-year-old Uncle Choo.

While Choo has shared the house with Thien for about five years, he said they have both lived in the Owen Road estate for decades and have known each other for just as long.

Speaking to the media in an interview in their home, Choo described Thien as a “good man”.

He recalled with a laugh the times when he would cheekily tease Thien while he worked on his twig art.

But he said Thien would never anger, and would simply get back to it.

Thien also worked with more conventional mediums and tools, such as pencil on paper.

Choo showed off a collection of such work by Thien, flipping through a booklet of A3-sized pages that featured various portraits of opera characters.

Uncle Thien struggled with asthma

According to Choo, the 83-year-old struggled with asthma.

Thien had experienced trouble breathing, and on Jun. 20 at about 2am, Choo pushed an emergency help button at home that called for an ambulance.

He also shared that before Thien’s passing on Jul. 1, Thien was hospitalised for 11 days.

When asked how he felt about Thien’s passing, Choo took it in his stride.

“This is life,” he commented.

What’s more important is to pass without pain or suffering, the 69-year-old opined.

When asked about his parting words, Choo continued to appear unfazed and said he would tell Thien himself if he were there.

He quipped that he had gone up to Thien’s casket, teased him one last time by knocking on the glass, and said, “Hey, go well.”

Lifelong passion for Chinese opera

When Mothership visited Uncle Thien’s wake on Jul. 3, some residents were seen visiting and paying their final respects.

Thien’s wake was organised by his nieces and nephews, who were present at the wake.

One of them, Thien's niece, told Mothership that Thien remained passionate about Chinese opera over the years.

This passion is reflected in his artworks, which often feature opera characters.

On how this passion came to be, she said, “I don’t know because I was very young… I know he just loves it.”

“I don’t know who the characters he drew were, I just know they’re from opera,” she added.

She also shared that Uncle Thien didn’t start out making artworks, but rather with singing Chinese opera songs.

As he got older, drawing and making art became more accessible to him.

She similarly remembered her uncle as a man who enjoyed his peace.

"Thank you, it's nothing"

In fact, Uncle Thien himself had expressed his shyness about being in the spotlight.

"I've never thought that I'll become so popular here. A lot of people are looking for me. It's embarrassing," Thien told Mothership in a 2020 interview.

Thien was full of laughter then as he spoke about his passion and his experiences with his newfound fame.

Regarding the compliments paid to him about his art, Thien said they were great encouragement to him.

"Thank you, it's nothing," Thien shrugged.

At the end of the interview, Thien reflected on the fleeting nature of his artwork, sharing about how the wind would take it away sometimes, prompting him to restart the creative process.

He shared his nugget of wisdom on life, saying in a mix dialect and Mandarin:

"When you're happy, you don't get old. Happy ah. Life is just a few decades. It passes you in the blink of an eye. Don't worry too much. If it's meant to happen, it will. If it's not meant to happen, it won't. Life is short, we should be contented with what we have."

Final goodbye

Thien’s niece revealed that the night before his passing at the hospital, Thien was still jovial, with the family sharing laughs alongside the 83-year-old.

Uncle Thien was the youngest of five siblings, Thien’s niece said.

Her late dad, who was the eldest among them, doted on Uncle Thien the most.

The niece assured, “My dad will be there for him. No need to worry.”

Uncle Thien’s cortege departs on Jul. 4.