The number of Wireless@SG hot spots will also be doubled to 20,000 by 2018 to better complement telcos’ 4G networks in meeting consumers’ rising demand for mobile broadband.

“We must build first class infrastructure for pervasive, seamless and high speed connectivity to benefit citizens and businesses,” said Dr Janil Puthucheary, Minister of State for Communications and Information, announcing the upgrades on Monday (April 11) in Parliament.

Some Members of Parliament had asked if there were plans to improve the surfing speeds of Wireless@SG, with Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang GRC) saying: “Today’s Wireless@SG speeds are slower in performance than what our 4G mobile networks provide.”

Addressing this, Dr Janil said that Wireless@SG’s current speed is already faster than most public Wi-Fi services around the world.

With the upgrade, Wireless@SG speeds will be faster than existing 3G speeds, he said. Singapore will also be the densest hot spot city in the world, calculated by the number of hot spots per inhabitant. Currently, Singapore trails only Tokyo.

“But it is not the connectivity that makes us smart; it is what we do with it,” said Dr Janil.

“Operators can also use Wireless@SG to offer improved services such as cashless payment and location-based analytics. All this benefits consumers, businesses, and productivity.”

Coverage expansion will target congested places such as hospitals, government buildings and community centres so that more people can connect to the network without surfing slowdowns, a common bugbear.

More public places such as hawker centres, train stations and retail malls will also be added to the list of Wireless@SG zones.

About half of the existing 10,000 hot spots at the current 3,000 locations are already allowing users to surf at up to 5Mpbs, from 2Mpbs previously. Speeds at the remaining hot spots will be upgraded by year-end.

As at December last year, there were two million frequent users on the network, clocking 10 million hours a month. Every month, they also consume 1.1 petabytes, or 11 per cent of what mobile users consume monthly on 4G and 3G networks.

This has come after the network was last upgraded in April 2014. Specifically, the log-in process was simplified using identification data already stored on users’ SIM cards.

After a one-time set-up is done, Wireless@SG users can automatically connect to the network in seconds if Wi-Fi is turned on in their devices. Previously, users need to create and key in their username and password to connect to the network.

To date, more than 90 per cent of all Wireless@SG users log in via this simplified method. But because demand is increasing, there is a need to boost current speeds.

According to Myanmar Traffic Police and Transport Ministry’s Road Transport Administration Department (RTAD), the number of casualties is on the rise in line with the increasing number of vehicles in the country.

Myanmar recorded 15,676 road accidents last year, resulting in 4,420 casualties and 25,964 injuries.

In January 2016, there were 1,334 cases with 416 casualties and 2,116 injuries. In February, there were 1,360 cases with 413 casualties and 2,223 injuries.

“We learnt from the traffic rule enforcement supervisory committee that 12 lives are lost per day on the roads here, twice the number of deaths in 2011. So, Myanmar’s roads are among the most dangerous in Southeast Asia. We are running this campaign to help everyone make the small changes that help keep themselves safer on the roads,” said Zita Schellekens, corporate relations director of APB Alliance Brewery, the local distributor of Heineken beer.

The company launched the campaign entitled “Making Myanmar’s roads safer” in cooperation with RTAD and CESVI, an Italian international non-government organisation.

“It is a government priority to make sure people know and respect the rules of the road. Topics like no speeding, wearing seatbelts, no drunk driving, and no mobile phone usage while driving are crucial to saving lives on Myanmar’s roads. That is why we wholeheartedly support this campaign. If we work together, we can bring down the number of accidents and deaths,” said Chit Ko Ko, director general of RTAD.

Schellekens said that road safety was an issue Myanmar needed to address urgently. According to her, most accidents on city streets are caused by speeding, unsafe overtaking, drunk driving and a lack of driving experience. She blamed the lack of awareness for the increasing number of deaths caused by road accidents. She added that drivers needed to respect pedestrians who also needed to follow the rules of the road.

“The lifting of import restrictions has led to an influx of cars. As a result, Myanmar’s traffic has become more congested and dangerous, in part because there are so many inexperienced drivers on the roads. There have been many new cars and new drivers on the streets over the last few years. But many people are not aware of the traffic rules. This campaign is part of changing that,” she said.

Schellekens said APB would invest a significant amount of money in the one-year nationwide campaign, as it is the firm’s biggest corporate social responsibility initiative. But she did not mention the exact number. Last year, the firm brought a group of famous artists and singers from Yangon all the way to Mandalay, raising awareness of the public on every stop on the way. The firm has planned to continue such activities this year.

She said the campaign would be conducted in six ways – awareness raising via Facebook; a series of radio talk shows on road safety; an education programme in schools; advertisements through online media, print and billboards; release of a free game app; seven animated cartoons; and holding a national road safety conference.

The app, which aims at raising awareness on road safety by playing games, will be released in early May. The conference, bringing many players and different views together, will be held in Nay Pyi Taw in July. Policy changes are expected for reducing road accidents across the country.

Schellekens said that the campaign would place more emphasis on the areas where road accidents are the highest. Last year, Yangon region topped the list with 2,724 road accidents, resulting in 597 fatalities and 3,714 injuries.

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.

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.”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.”

In an exclusive interview with The Star, Ong said a senior representative of the Bank of China told him about this development recently when he met with the bank on issues pertaining to the use of yuan and ringgit in Malaysia-China direct trade.

“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.

If China were to buy RM30bil worth of MGS, it would mean supporting 8.5% of Malaysia’s debts in the current MGS market. According to Bank Negara’s website, the value of outstanding MGS stood at RM352.06bil as at April 5, 2016.

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.”

The move is aimed at supporting the new government’s vow to tackle corruption and maintain the country’s growth momentum.

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 cooperate more with INGOs [international non-governmental organisations] and NGOs focusing on AML/CFT [the anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism act].

“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.