Yesterday, she made public a series of e-mails on the matter, only to take them down from herFacebook page several hours later.

In the e-mails between her and Straits Times associate editor Ivan Fernandez, who was editing her columns, Dr Lee said she was “at odds” with her brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

“If the power that be wants to establish a dynasty, LKY’s daughter will not allow LKY’s name to be sullied by a dishonorable son.”

Dr Lee’s post prompted PM Lee to respond on hisFacebook page several hours later. He said he was “deeply saddened” by his sister’s charge, and added: “The accusations are completely untrue.”

Last month, individuals and organisations, including grassroots groups, organised over 100 events to commemorate Singapore’s first prime minister and remind themselves of his key values.

Yesterday, PM Lee said the Cabinet had discussed how Lee should be remembered, and he advised it be left to ground-up efforts and that these should be kept in proportion and be forward looking.

But Dr Lee, in an earlier Facebook post, said a picture of an art installation of 4,877 erasers in the likeness of Lee Kuan Yew’s image, that was featured on the front page of ST on March 21, made her wince.

It prompted her to submit an article on the commemoration to ST, and she said that while the installation was well-meaning, she did not see the need for such commemorations so soon after his death.

Two days later, on March 23, Fernandez replied to Dr Lee with an edited version of her article, slated for publication on March 27.

She said it read well, but she wanted to wait until the day unfolded.

On March 25, Dr Lee submitted another version of her column, with substantial additions, and insisted on it being run unedited or she would post it online.

Fernandez rejected this, saying her paragraphs on how China’s Mao Zedong and Britain’s Winston Churchill were honoured after their deaths went off on a tangent.

Later that day, Dr Lee posted the article on her Facebook page.

In subsequent postings, she said ST was suppressing her views and denying her freedom of speech.

The paper responded in an editor’s note last Tuesday saying her accusations that she was suppressed were unfounded. The paper said her column was being edited, as is done by all professional newspapers, and that it was “not an issue of freedom of expression, but a matter of upholding standards”.

This sparked a series of online posts by Dr Lee, who said those who had edited her columns had been “commanded to edit certain issues out, and they are to (sic) timid to disobey, and too embarrassed by their timidness to tell me the truth”.

Last Saturday, Fernandez wrote an article in the ST explaining why the paper declined to publish her column. Among other reasons, he revealed that the parts on Churchill and Mao had been plagiarised.

In her Facebook post releasing the e-mail exchange to show that Fernandez did not point out to her that she had plagiarised, she said she had not intended to do so, adding: “I simply forgot to acknowledge the source for information regarding Mao and Churchill.”

Responding to her allegations, ST editor Warren Fernandez said yesterday: “Dr Lee’s allegations are unfounded. ST had intended to run her commentary and our editors were working with her to get it ready for print. But some concerns arose, including over the plagiarised paragraphs. This was a serious matter, not least as our editors had spoken to her before about the pitfalls of copying material without attribution.

“Dr Lee now says this was unintended, as she ’forgot’ to cite her sources, and besides, her end of exposing the government justified it anyway,” he added.

“In addition to this, we found her ultimatum to print her piece unedited or she would go online, totally unacceptable. But before we could discuss this further, she went online, putting an end to any further engagement on the matter.”Using her brother and the late Lee’s initials, Dr Lee wrote to Fernandez: “HL has no qualms abusing his power to hv a commemoration just one year after LKY died, ’least (sic) we forget’.

“If the power that be wants to establish a dynasty, LKY’s daughter will not allow LKY’s name to be sullied by a dishonorable son.”

Dr Lee’s post prompted PM Lee to respond on hisFacebook page several hours later. He said he was “deeply saddened” by his sister’s charge, and added: “The accusations are completely untrue.”

Last month, individuals and organisations, including grassroots groups, organised over 100 events to commemorate Singapore’s first prime minister and remind themselves of his key values.

Yesterday, PM Lee said the Cabinet had discussed how Lee should be remembered, and he advised it be left to ground-up efforts and that these should be kept in proportion and be forward looking.

But Dr Lee, in an earlier Facebook post, said a picture of an art installation of 4,877 erasers in the likeness of Lee Kuan Yew’s image, that was featured on the front page of ST on March 21, made her wince.

It prompted her to submit an article on the commemoration to ST, and she said that while the installation was well-meaning, she did not see the need for such commemorations so soon after his death.

Two days later, on March 23, Fernandez replied to Dr Lee with an edited version of her article, slated for publication on March 27.

She said it read well, but she wanted to wait until the day unfolded.

On March 25, Dr Lee submitted another version of her column, with substantial additions, and insisted on it being run unedited or she would post it online.

Fernandez rejected this, saying her paragraphs on how China’s Mao Zedong and Britain’s Winston Churchill were honoured after their deaths went off on a tangent.

Later that day, Dr Lee posted the article on her Facebook page.

In subsequent postings, she said ST was suppressing her views and denying her freedom of speech.

The paper responded in an editor’s note last Tuesday saying her accusations that she was suppressed were unfounded. The paper said her column was being edited, as is done by all professional newspapers, and that it was “not an issue of freedom of expression, but a matter of upholding standards”.

This sparked a series of online posts by Dr Lee, who said those who had edited her columns had been “commanded to edit certain issues out, and they are to (sic) timid to disobey, and too embarrassed by their timidness to tell me the truth”.

Last Saturday, Fernandez wrote an article in the ST explaining why the paper declined to publish her column. Among other reasons, he revealed that the parts on Churchill and Mao had been plagiarised.

In her Facebook post releasing the e-mail exchange to show that Fernandez did not point out to her that she had plagiarised, she said she had not intended to do so, adding: “I simply forgot to acknowledge the source for information regarding Mao and Churchill.”

Responding to her allegations, ST editor Warren Fernandez said yesterday: “Dr Lee’s allegations are unfounded. ST had intended to run her commentary and our editors were working with her to get it ready for print. But some concerns arose, including over the plagiarised paragraphs. This was a serious matter, not least as our editors had spoken to her before about the pitfalls of copying material without attribution.

“Dr Lee now says this was unintended, as she ’forgot’ to cite her sources, and besides, her end of exposing the government justified it anyway,” he added.

“In addition to this, we found her ultimatum to print her piece unedited or she would go online, totally unacceptable. But before we could discuss this further, she went online, putting an end to any further engagement on the matter.”

“This could be one of the key factors contributing to the strength of the ringgit lately. China’s purchase of our MGS, which I am under the impression could rise to 50 billion yuan, will be very positive for our currency as it shows China’s confidence in our economy,” Ong said.

Other factors that had contributed to the strength of the ringgit in recent weeks included the recovery of crude oil prices, softer US dollar and the successful debt rationalisation of 1MDB, he added.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s debt markets saw inflows of RM11.5bil, versus RM1.4bil of outflows in February. The March foreign inflow was the largest monthly inflow since May 2014, according to a Nomura research note on April 7.

The inflows pushed foreign holdings of MGS to a historical high of RM171.5bil, the Japanese research house said. As a result, foreign ownership in outstanding MGS has risen to 48.7%.

Ong noted that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had pledged to support the Malaysian economy – which was hit by a slowdown, local political problems, heavy outflow of funds and consequent plunge of the ringgit – when he visited Kuala Lumpur last November.

On Nov 23, the Chinese leader announced at a local forum that China would buy more MGS, issue yuan bonds in Kuala Lumpur and grant local institutional funds a quota of 50 billion yuan under the Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor programme to invest directly in Chinese equities in the mainland.

The following day, the ringgit reacted positively gaining about 1% and the currency stabilised at around 4.25 to a US dollar in early December. MGS also gained.

“I was told China would use its reserves to buy our bonds. Its international reserves are high, at US$3.21 trillion (RM12.5 trillion) in March. With this development, I don’t think our ringgit will fall to 4.46 again,” said Ong.

Last month, Bank Negara said there were now more foreign governments and central banks holding MGS. A total of 29% was held by these two groups and 13% by pension funds.

The presence of these long-term investors is seen as reducing the risk of Malaysia facing sudden and massive outflows of capital in the event of unfavourable conditions, just like what had occurred last September, which saw the ringgit weakening to a multi-year low of 4.46.

Foreign inflow into the local stock market might be another factor that has boosted the ringgit. According to a Credit Suisse report, Malaysia saw a record net foreign equity inflow of RM6.1bil in March, which contributed to the ringgit’s 10.3% rise against the dollar in January-March 2016. At late trades on Friday, the ringgit stood at 3.9096.

Due to the recent new inflows, Bank Negara’s foreign exchange reserves had risen to RM412.3bil (US$96.1bil) as at March 15 from RM408.5bil (US$95.1bil) as at Jan 15.

This reserves figure is an important buffer against capital flows and has an impact on the ringgit and the sovereign credit rating of the country. Moody’s recently noted this buffer has improved.

Ong also said China would like to see Malaysia conducting roadshows in the mainland so that there is better understanding of Malaysia’s fundamentals and its bonds.

“The representative of Bank of China also told me the Chinese government is keen to buy more MGS, but they also hope our central bank could go there to market our MGS. I have conveyed this to Bank Negara. It is up to them to act,” says Ong.

Ong, who is also MCA secretary-general, noted that China’s huge direct investments had also boosted the ringgit’s sentiment.

The ringgit rose sharply in March partly due to the conclusion of the sale of 1MDB’s energy assets to China’s state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corp for RM9.83bil, as the absorption of all the debts of Edra Global Energy Bhd has reduced the systemic risk to pubic finance, banking system and economy.

Ong is confident that Kuala Lumpur is able to attract more major Chinese investments into the country this year due to Malaysia’s strong bilateral ties with China as well as the many free trade agreements – including the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement – Malaysia has signed with various countries and groupings.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said that with the Philippine Halal Tourism Project, launched last week at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, the DOT is looking to capture a larger slice of the $200-billion international halal tourism market.

The project, Jimenez said in a statement, was launched in under 100 days with the DOT working with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), the Halal International Chambers of Commerce and Industries of the Philippines (Hiccip) and Singapore-based company Crescent Rating.

“Halal” is any item or action permissible in Islamic Law. It covers all matters of daily life, including food and drink.

Initially, the DOT and the other organizations prepared kitchens and facilities in 43 hotels, resorts, restaurants and other tourist establishments throughout the country to make sure they were “halal certified.”

“The best and most important welcome for visitors is food. And if you are not halal, then there is a very important segment of society worldwide that you are not extending a proper welcome to,” Jimenez said.

Citing a study by Crescent Rating, he said: “The Philippines is one of the countries in Southeast Asia that is determined to partake of 20 to 25 percent of the $200-billion global halal market. The market is already there, with arrivals from Malaysia, for one, growing at double-digit rates. The only thing that is wanting is capacity.”

Crescent Rating is the leading authority on Muslim travel recognized for its independent rating and accreditation standards worldwide.

This follows the surge in the increase in the number of local men marrying women from various parts of Asia in the last decade.

These women find themselves in a quandary, especially those with children, when their spouses abandon them, turn violent, land in jail or fall ill and die.

The Catholic-run Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ACMI) received 240 calls for help from foreign wives, and handled 46 cases involving them last year, compared to 210 calls and 30 cases in 2011.

The Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) got 55 similar calls for help last year, a fivefold increase from just 10 in 2011.

Fei Yue Family Service Centre has also seen an increase of 20 to 30 per cent in the number of such cases compared with five years ago, according to its principal social worker, Joanne Tan. She said: “The rise in transnational marriages here means that more such marriages may be on the rocks.”

Social workers say these women tend to be more vulnerable when their husbands leave because of a change of heart, jail or death, as they do not have residence status in Singapore or any family members here to rely on. Some also endure spousal abuse as they depend on the support of their husbands when it comes to renewing their visit passes so they can stay in Singapore.

Those on a long-term visit pass plus can stay here for three years and up to five years for each subsequent renewal. Long-term visit pass holders can typically stay up to a year.

Said Vivienne Wee, Aware’s research and advocacy director: “Renewals are not guaranteed and there is no clear timeline or criteria for obtaining a more stable basis of residence.”

Said Tan: “When they come to us, most of them already show some form of depressive symptoms.”

Finding a job to support themselves and their children is tough.

Those on social visit passes cannot be employed here. Those on long-term visit pass can work but employers need to get permission from the Ministry of Manpower first. And even if they do get jobs, these are usually daily rated or low paying, as these women typically lack qualifications, said Cindy Ng, an assistant director at Methodist Welfare Services.

Some women also do not turn to their husbands’ extended family since ties often sour when the marriage breaks down. Some may be kicked out of their homes and are faced with another predicament – they are not eligible to rent or buy a public flat.

Chinese national Ning Lei, a 35-year-old who gave birth to triplets last year after her Singaporean husband walked out on the marriage, had to stay at a church friend’s home, for instance.

The three girls, who were stateless previously, were granted citizenship last month.

Singaporean children from foreign spouses can benefit from government subsidies in aspects such as childcare, education and medical care, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).

In 2014, 16.9 per cent of all babies, or 7,146 newborns, had a Singaporean father and a non-citizen mother, up from 15.6 in 2000. Malaysian mums top the list of foreign women who had babies with Singaporean men. There were 2,185 newborns from such unions in 2014.

Social workers say foreign wives who have Singaporean children and go to them for help can be referred to the Social Service Offices (SSOs) for Comcare financial aid.

“In addition to SSOs providing financial assistance to the family, we will also partner social workers from Family Service Centres and other community organisations to provide assistance should the foreign parent face other issues such as employment and caregiving,” said the MSF spokesman.

Said Ng: “If they have Singaporean children, there are schemes to help them but the issue is that some of them are not aware of their rights or do not know where to turn to.”

Tan recalled a case where an Indonesian wife got help to treat her depression only after the school noticed that her child had behavioural issues and referred the family to the authorities. The Singaporean father left the family last year.

Aware does provide information on their rights and the divorce process here. But social workers have called for more to be done, with some suggesting that non-profit groups or government agencies should reach out to every foreign bride. Esther Chia, ACMI’s executive director, suggested getting transnational couples to sign legally binding pre-nuptial contracts that outline the terms each party has to comply with should the marriages break down. Said Chia: “Now, the playing field is not level.”

Pol Colonel Kyaw Win Thein, deputy chief of the FIU and head of the anti-financial crime division, said last week that public cooperation plays a pivotal role in combating money laundering.

Reporting by stakeholders including banks, financial institutions, businessmen, brokers and the public will help FIU arrest “real” criminals.

“We would like to know the findings from their surveys and field research. We can also share some of our information on suspicious activities,” he said.

Myanmar needed strict law enforcement and a strong mechanism in place to prevent the free flow of dirty money into the country, he said.

“In most of the cases, beneficial owners are usually free from punishment due to the lack of law enforcement.

“In case the judge lets the criminals free due to the weakness of the existing legal framework, all our efforts will be in vain,” he said.

The lack of a legal and institutional framework may turn Myanmar into a dumping ground for illicit money, he said. At present, non-profit organisations can freely undertake activities without cross-checking due to the government’s limited human resources.

Given the rise of terrorism groups like the Islamic State, a mechanism is needed to monitor youths, he said.

Thurein Aung, staff officer of the anti-financial crime division, said of 50 cases investigated since 2013, more than 30 were the result of tips from organisations.

He called for toughening of the existing anti-money-laundering law. All citizens should be forced to report transactions worth US$100,000 (Bt3.5 million) and over.

Thailand offered help to the FIU for fear that lagging rules in Myanmar may promote money laundering in the country and that could rock stability in both countries.

It said a Vietnamese on average picks up and looks at their mobile phone 150 times a day, or more than 10 times an hour.

Furthermore, more people under 35 now use smartphones than computers.

This has a tremendous impact on m-commerce since users are seeking specific information and content, the company said.

On the sidelines of a conference on m-commerce held in HCM City on Wednesday, Nitin Gajria, Vietnam country manager for Google, told Vietnam News that he is really optimistic about m-commerce in the country.

“What I am really encouraged by is that the infrastructure is already in place so that it can grow very quickly. Third-generation (3G) coverage is nationwide and phones are getting cheaper.

“Data is already relatively cheap compared to the rest of the markets in the region. So all of these are great conditions for internet penetration to grow quite dramatically very quickly. And that gives me great encouragement for everything that has to do with the internet, including m-commerce.”

According to MasterCard’s latest mobile shopping survey, more than 51 per cent of Vietnamese participating in the survey made purchases using their smartphones last year, up from 45.2 per cent in 2014.

The survey is based on interviews that took place between October and December last year with 8,500 participants aged 18-64 across 14 markets in Asia Pacific, including 500 respondents from Vietnam.

The markets include Thailand, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, India and the Philippines.

Clothes and fashion accessories, gifts and toys and mobile apps are the most mobile shopping purchases in the country.

The survey also revealed that India topped the region in growth rates, with the number of people shopping on smartphones rising by 29.3 per cent from two years ago, followed by Singapore (17.1 per cent) and Vietnam (16.8 per cent).

Le Xuan Long, marketing director of online marketplace Lazada Vietnam, said, “Every day more and more customers use the internet through mobile phones.”

Technologies are developing and so websites browsed on mobile phones will match mobile applications, he added.

“For Lazada, 60 per cent of trading value is through mobile phones. The figure is set to increase to 80 per cent by 2020.”

Are you ready?

For many companies, m-commerce is a new concept though Vietnamese consumers have indulged in it for long, using their phones every day to access shopping sites, watching advertising videos on YouTube and Facebook and buying products and services.

Demand has shot up but companies do not seem ready with many remaining focused on the desktop.

Only a few companies are developing mobile applications.

Lazada said it has developed an App 2.0 version to meet the increasing demand through mobile devices.

Long said the money required to develop the application was not small and thought that was the reason why many companies are reluctant to invest in m-commerce.

But he was optimistic that with pioneers like Lazada coming to the market, others would follow suit and the market would boom.

Gajria told Vietnamese companies: “Keep an eye out for what their users want. I think, one, is obviously to look out around the world for best practices, look to reapply best practices from around the world. But don’t just blindly reapply best practices; customise it for your users in Vietnam.

“Just picking up what western markets are doing may not work in our markets, in developing markets.

“So it is important to understand what your users want. And deliver a great, fantastic experience.”

From the date, employers will be obliged to offer re-employment to eligible workers up to the age of 67. This is two years older than what is legally required today.

And those who want to be re-employed can also work with a different company if they agree to it.

Separately, a legal provision allowing companies to cut the wage of employees who turn 60 will be removed.

Minister of State for Manpower Sam Tan announced these changes yesterday during the debate on the Manpower Ministry’s budget.

He said that until the law is changed, the Government will continue to support companies which voluntarily re-employ workers older than 65. These companies get a subsidy equivalent to 3 per cent of the employee’s wages.

Since 2012, employers have been required to offer re-employment to eligible workers when they retire at 62, or give them one-off payments if they cannot be re-hired.

Tan said that in future, older workers can be re-employed by a different company, provided the worker agrees to the transfer and the new employer fully embraces the re-employment obligations.

“We have received feedback that, sometimes, employers are unable to find suitable jobs in their own companies, but can help the worker secure re-employment in a related or subsidiary company,” he added.

On the removal of the legal provision to cut employees’ wages by up to 10 per cent when they turn 60, Tan said it was “no longer relevant” as more than 98 per cent of companies here do not make such cuts.

The provision was needed in the early days when wages were more closely tied to seniority, to make older workers more attractive to companies, he added.

In recent years, more than 98 per cent of local employees who wanted to keep working beyond the age of 62 got their wish.

Said Tan: “Going forward, pay should be reflective of workers’ job scope and value, regardless of age.”

During the debate, Jessica Tan (East Coast GRC) noting how “MOM is committed to letting workers work longer and as long as they can and they’re willing to”, suggested raising or removing the retirement age.

But Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say said that doing so could result in less protection for workers as companies are then free to terminate their employment even earlier.

Labour MP Heng Chee How (Jalan Besar GRC) pointed out that some companies, such as ComfortDelGro, have set retirement ages that are higher than what is legally required.

Heng, who is also Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, asked if MOM could work with the labour movement to encourage more firms to follow suit.

Lim praised the “progressive” behaviour of such companies and suggested that the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (Tafep) should spearhead these efforts.