Samster Gathering JB

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from ChannelNewsAsia dated 31 December 2012 :-

Singapore's nightlife booming despite slower growth

SINGAPORE : Singapore may be reporting slower economic growth this year, but the nightlife in the Lion City is booming, and it is showing no signs of abating.

New watering holes have popped up across the island, and they are raking in the dough.

It has been six months since The Vault opened its doors to its first customer.

Situated in what was an OCBC bank outlet in the 1930s, the Chinatown newcomer has steadily built on its stash of cash-rich customers.

Godwin Pereira, co-founder of The Vault, said: "Traffic is growing in percentage...Fridays, we are running at about 150 per cent, so that is great. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, those are normally quieter nights.

"But we have been seeing a 30 to 40 per cent increase during the festive season. So that is healthy."

Rival entertainment group Massive Collective is tapping the boom-times too. It co-owns a network of popular clubs including Filter, Mink, Royal Room, Zirca and Playhouse. And it believes it is time to get bigger.

Phil Poon, director and co-owner of Massive Collective, said: "At the moment, we are trying to capture a good slice of the Singapore nightlife market.

"We have expanded to Malaysia, with a new club opened in 2011 called Vertigo. And we have got plans for a couple more in Malaysia as well in 2013.

"We are also exploring other F&B (food and beverage) options in Singapore, to diversify and branch out - to hit a different market to what we currently have."

The group has grown from one club in 2010 to six in just two years.

Mr Poon said: "At the moment, what we have is we have seen steady growth month-on-month for our venues. I wouldn't be surprised if we see double-digit growth in all our venues across the board."

Michael Ault, principal of the Pangaea Group, has picked Singapore to land his 88th nightclub in a business empire that spans five continents.

"We came to Singapore because the economic growth was there, the MBS opportunity was tremendous. It was something that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And of course, there is so much disposable wealth and so many visitors that it was a no-brainer for us. Singapore was the right choice," he said.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Originally Posted by walabis

I think this is another raid last week . Most prc girls caught work in Music Box .

Report from The New Straits Times dated 2 Jnuary 2013 :-

Ruse fails to stop anti-vice raids

ENTERTAINMENT outlet operators who offer sexual services to their patrons in their premises have come up with a novel way to avoid arrest.

However, it only works when the outlets are located in one area, for instance, in a shopping complex. This was the case when 24 foreign guest relations officers were detained during a raid on the Zon Shopping Complex in Stulang Laut here recently.

These outlets are infamous for their cheap liquor, taking advantage of the complex's duty-free status. There are several entertainment outlets, including discotheques and bars on the ground floor.

Several more clubs and karaoke centres are located on the third and fourth floors of the mall.

Scantily-dressed women allegedly earn handsome commissions when they bring guests into the outlets, as well as from the drinks purchased by the guests.

If the women induce the guests to spend more, they will take home a bigger pay.

This ensures the operators will not be implicated if raids or arrests are made.

When the enforcement officers come knocking on their doors, the operators will claim that these women are guests, and not their employees.

Patrons will tell enforcement officers that they met the foreign women at the lobby.

Johor Immigration Department deputy director II (enforcement unit) Mohd Zariman Mohamed said the women "worked" at the lobby as early as 5pm, and were believed to have ties with several entertainment outlet operators.

The women have a different modus operandi when "working" at the karaoke outlets. There, they will randomly enter rooms with male patrons, and arrange to meet them in the washroom.

In the toilet cubicles, a guest pays from RM10 onwards to touch the women.

Anything more than a "sneak preview" will require the guest to book another room in the centre. Once both parties have agreed on the price, the deal is sealed.

Zariman said the recent raid saw 24 foreign women arrested in the Music Box Karaoke Centre on the fourth floor.

They comprised 20 Chinese nationals and four Vietnamese aged between 20 and 43, who were arrested for misusing their social visit passes.

Zariman said the misuse of a social visit pass is a serious offence.

"It carries a mandatory fine of not more than RM10,000 or a jail sentence not exceeding six months or both," he said, adding that investigations under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, will also be conducted.

During the raid, some of the foreigners attempted to escape by hiding between the sofas in the karaoke rooms.

The women are held at the immigration Detention Centre here at Pekan Nenas, Pontian, pending their deportation.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The New Straits Times dated 4 january 2013 :-

Singapore to remain Malaysia's most important source of foreign tourist arrival

SINGAPORE: Tourism Malaysia expects Singapore to remain the most important source of foreign tourist arrivals in Malaysia, registering more than 50 per cent of total arrivals annually.

Its director for Singapore, Zalizam Zakaria, said more Singaporeans were expected to visit Malaysia in the coming years, especially during Visit Malaysia Year 2013-2014.

Malaysia ranks third, after Indonesia and China, for Singapore tourist arrivals.

Zalizam said 7.930 million tourist arrivals from Singapore were recorded between January and August last year, a drop of 7.5 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2011.

He explained that the decrease was due to the change of the "Country of Residence" to "Country of Nationality" in the data registration/entry format by the Malaysian Immigration Department from January last year.

"Since more than 25 per cent of Singapore residents are expatriates or foreigners, their visits to Malaysia has been registered under their own respective countries.

"This new format will no longer require visitors to fill up the embarkation card, thus smoothening the process at the Malaysian CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) complex and make the visit more interesting and enjoyable with less hassle," he said.

Zalizam also said that Malaysia and Singapore had been complementing each other in the tourism sector.

He said the opening of new products/attractions in Malaysia, such as the Johor Premium Outlet, Legoland, KidZania and Hello Kitty Town (Cartoon Character) at Puteri Harbour, offered a variety of choices to Singaporeans to spend their weekends and holidays in Malaysia.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The STAR dated 7 January 2013 :-

10,000 AirAsia free return tickets

PETALING JAYA: A total 10,000 free AirAsia return tickets will be offered under the carrier's 1Malaysia Integration Programme.

An AirAsia spokesperson said the offer would apply to Malaysians flying to-and-from the peninsular and Sabah and Sarawak.

The tickets are only offered to Malaysians and AirAsia is planning to give out more details to the public today.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had announced the programme on Saturday, saying the offer would last for a month.

He, however, did not reveal when the offer period would start.

According to the spokesperson, AirAsia serviced 375 flights from Sabah and Sarawak to the peninsular and vice-versa every week.

These are divided into eight airports in Sabah and Sarawak (Kota Kinabalu, Bintulu, Kuching, Labuan, Miri, Sibu, Sandakan and Tawau) and three airports in the peninsula (Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru and Penang).

Kuala Lumpur's trips amounted for the lion's share of the total, including 84 flights to Kota Kinabalu and 70 flights to Kuching.

AirAsia currently uses the Airbus A320 aircraft for these flights, which can seat around 180 people.

The spokesperson added that AirAsia carried more than 2.5 million passengers, including foreigners, between the peninsular and Sabah and Sarawak last year.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork

************************************************** *******

AirAsia’s 10,000 free seats to Sabah, Sarawak available from Wednesday 9.1.1.13

SEPANG: AirAsia's 10,000 free return tickets to Sabah and Sarawak will be available for booking from Wednesday for travel between Jan 14 and Feb 4.

However, airport taxes will be applicable, even though fares and fuel surcharge are waived.

Baggage allocation, in-flight meals, seat selection and other value-added services are also not included in the free seats.

The free seats are only valid for flights departing from Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Labuan, Sandakan, Miri, Tawau Sibu, Bintulu, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Baru.

In a statement on Monday, AirAsia said that the offer was part of the 1Malaysia Integration Programme with AirAsia' launched last Saturday by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak.

“We have a total of 417 weekly flights between Peninsular and East Malaysia, and 62 daily flights departing from Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru to eight destinations in Sabah and Sarawak.

“This is our way of giving back to the rakyat for their support, and will be the first of many more of such efforts to come from AirAsia,” said Aireen Omar, AirAsia Chief Executive Officer.

The free seats are not offered for domestic flights within the Peninsular or within East Malaysia.

A special 1Malaysia aircraft livery was launched last Saturday to commemorate the 1Malaysia Integration Programme with AirAsia'.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The New Straits Times dated 11 January 2013 :-


Johor mulling over raising price limit for foreigner-owned homes

JOHOR BAHARU: Johor will review procedures and conditions for foreigners to own houses due to spiraling house prices in the state, especially in Iskandar Malaysia.

Local Government, Housing, Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Ahmad Zahri Jamil said the state Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) was studying ways to tighten the rules on foreign ownership.

This is to control spiraling house prices since locals are finding it difficult to buy houses.

"The price of property is determined by the market force. However, the prices also reflect on demand and supply or just because of extreme speculation. So, we have to conduct a detailed study," he told reporters at Kota Iskandar, Nusajaya today.

Foreigners are currently allowed to purchase houses priced at a minimum of RM500,000, according to specific quota.

For example, for doubles-storey houses, only 30 percent of the units are allocated for foreigners and the move was to attract foreign investment.

Foreigners may only be allowed to purchase houses above RM1 million.

Ahmad Zahri said Singaporeans accounted for 90 percent of foreigners who bought houses here, followed by Britain, United States and China.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[jnyh]

Originally Posted by soblur2

Any gathering?

I would like to plan a trip around end Jan to BOSS at Nusa Bestari.. anyone keen?

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The STAR dated 12 January 2013 :-

DVD sellers make big bucks by mailing pirated consignments to Singaporeans

JOHOR BARU: DVD sellers are raking in thousands each month from Singaporeans who want their pirated DVDs to be delivered across the Causeway.

DVD sellers, especially at major shopping malls and hypermarkets in the city centre, have been providing the delivery service to Singaporeans for the last few years.

They are now using courier service to send the DVDs to avoid getting caught by the Malaysian and Singaporean authorities.

A DVD seller, who wants to be known as Tan, said his customers were mostly Singaporeans and he has been delivering their orders for the last five years.

He pointed out that, previously, he would send the DVDs directly to his customers in Singapore but now had to change his tactics due to stringent checks at the Causeway, as it is much safer and the risks of getting caught were minimum.

“If our Singaporean customers ordered more than 20 DVDs we would charge them about S$3 (RM7.50) per DVD and if they ordered more than 50 DVDs then it is about S$2.50 (RM6.25) per DVD on top of the normal RM5 for movies or RM8 for a television series.

“This is to cover the delivery cost and we would put the DVDs into a box filled up with polystyrene foam before sending it,” he said.

Another DVD seller, who wants to be known as Ramli, said that Singaporeans preferred buying the pirated DVDs here as it was cheap and the quality was good.

He added that the strict anti-piracy laws in the island republic also prompted many Singaporeans to cross the Causeway to buy DVDs in Johor.

“Pirated DVDs are not sold openly in Singapore unlike here which is why many Singaporeans prefer ordering from us,” he said.

Johor Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry (KPDNKK) director Ayub Abd Rahman said that the ministry's hands are tied as the DVD sellers are exporting it to another country.

“The ministry could only take action against sellers who displayed the pirated DVDs on shelves.

“However to tackle this problem, the ministry has set up a taskforce where it conducts surveillance and operations at known hotspots where such DVDs are sold,” he said.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The STAR dated 26 January 2013 :-

Motorists who fail to pay outstanding summonses will be brought to court, says traffic police

JOHOR BARU: Traffic offenders, including motorists from Singapore, who fail to settle their outstanding summonses within a month from the date issued will be hauled to court.

The police issued the stern warning as many of them are taking it too lightly to settle the fines.

Johor Baru (South) traffic chief Deputy Supt Ooi Kok Seong said about 13,000 summonses were issued last year for various traffic offences within the Johor Baru district.

“Over the years the number of summonses have increased gradually but many of the traffic offenders have not settled their dues on time,” he told StarMetro.

He cited a previous case where a motorist was ordered by the court to settle her outstanding summonses for two years amounting to RM48,000.

“If payments are made within a month, motorists would get a discount between 30% and 50% depending on how fast they settle it,” he said adding that the police would not entertain those who wanted to settle their fines after the one month grace period was over.

He said upon the expiry of the one-month grace period, traffic offenders would have to face the court once the arrest warrants were issued, and the police would conduct arrest warrants operation to apprehend them.

DSP Ooi said the court then might order them to pay up to three times more than the original amount of the fine under Section 119 of the Road Transport Act 1987 for failure to pay traffic summonses.

He also said that there would not be any leniency or discounts for six traffic offences - illegal parking, accidents, beating red traffic lights, failure to use safety belts and helmets, and using hand phones while driving.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Heavy traffic expected at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints from Feb 4, 2013

AsiaOne | Friday, Feb 1, 2013

SINGAPORE - Traffic volume at the Woodlands and Tuas land checkpoints is expected to be heavy throughout the Lunar New Year holidays, said the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

Traffic build-up is expected to start from Monday (Feb 4) and continue throughout the festive period till Tuesday (February 12). Travellers using the land checkpoints during these periods can expect delays. To avoid a surge of people and vehicles seeking clearance at the land checkpoints, travellers are advised to adjust their travel plans if possible. The ICA added that with enhanced security checks, traffic build-up is inevitable.

How to ease congestion

Drivers are encouraged to maintain lane discipline to ease congestion, and to car-pool or make use of public transport.

Singaporeans issued with the BioPass or registered with the National Registration Office, can use the enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System (eIACS) lanes at the bus halls for immigration clearance.

Travellers are reminded to ensure that they are carrying their own passports before presenting themselves for immigration clearance at the checkpoints. The ICA has detected a number of cases where travellers presented the wrong passports for immigration clearance. This has affected clearance efficiency and caused inconvenience to other checkpoint users.

In addition, travellers should also make sure that they do not bring unlawful or prohibited goods into or out of Singapore. The list of controlled and prohibited items can be found on ICA’s website http://www.ica.gov.sg.

Traffic information available on EMAS

Travellers leaving Singapore by Woodlands or Tuas Checkpoints will be able to know in advance the traffic situation from LTA’s Expressway Monitoring & Advisory System (EMAS) installed along the AYE and BKE respectively.

Drivers may also call the traffic information hotline at 6863-0117, listen to TrafficWatch on the radio or visit LTA’s One Motoring website (http://www.onemotoring.com.sg) to check the latest traffic conditions at the land checkpoints.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The New Straits Times dated 2 February 2013 :-

Boom time ahead for Johor Baru

VALUE FOR MONEY: Singaporeans eyeing residential properties in Iskandar Malaysia

JOHOR BARU: MORE Singaporeans are expected to eye residential properties in Iskandar Malaysia here after the island republic increased its stamp duties to cool its residential housing market.

On Jan 11, the Singapore government announced the revised rates under the additional buyer's stamp duty (ABSD), applicable to purchases or residential property acquisitions. The ABSD had previously applied to Singaporeans buying their third residential property and permanent residents getting their second.

The latest measure will affect its citizens, permanent residents (PR) and foreigners who buy property in the island republic.

A check with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore revealed that foreigners who buy residential property in Singapore will now be subjected to the ABSD of 15 per cent of the purchase price, up from the previous 10 per cent.

Singaporeans buying their second homes will be hit with an ABSD of seven per cent, while those with permanent residency status will pay an additional stamp duty of five per cent on their first home purchase.

Singapore-based technical engineer David Liaw said Singaporeans had always made up the bulk of foreign property owners in Johor.

"With the announcement of the ABSD, many who are currently working in Singapore, including PRs and foreigners, will look to Iskandar Malaysia to buy properties," said Liaw, 36, who commutes to work daily from here.

Liaw, who is also a Singapore PR holder, said Johor Baru had its advantages and was still very much affordable compared to home-ownership in Singapore.

Singaporean Isabella A, 30, said the introduction of the new ABSD rates, although temporary, would spur more Singaporeans and PRs to look for homes in Johor Baru.

"For those of us who earn Singapore dollars, purchasing a premium property within the Iskandar Malaysia growth region is very enticing and the choice is good," said the administrative executive who recently bought a freehold RM400,000 three-storey townhouse in Taman Sutera here.

She said with that amount, there was not much choice for her in Singapore as the prices had escalated in the past few years.

"In Johor Baru, I can own a freehold property with full condominium amenities and security. There is also the cheaper maintenance and affordable utility tariffs compared to Singapore."

Her ultimate goal is to own a piece of property in Singapore as the issue of good transportation and her children education would be taken care of.

"But all that may change once Johor Baru is transformed into a world-class metropolis," she said, adding that for now, she was contented with her new home.

Johor-based KGV International Property Consultants executive director Samuel Tan said the move would draw more investors to Iskandar Malaysia which was already under the investment radar of Singaporeans as it was the best choice for them, given its location.

He said Singaporeans had probably already foreseen the potential in Nusajaya, like the Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park, for instance, which would one day become a big tourist attraction like Sentosa Island in the republic.

"There is also this growing trend where expatriates working in Singapore are opting to stay in Johor so their children can attend the international schools there. Instead of letting the children travel, the father travels to Singapore daily."

However, he felt the proposal to raise the RM500,000 ceiling to RM1 million for foreigners to own homes in Iskandar Malaysia may have repercussions for local house buyers.

Recently, state local government, housing, arts, culture and heritage committee chairman Datuk Ahmad Zahri Jamil was reported as saying that the state Economic Planning Unit was looking into this so that they could control foreign ownership and check the spiraling price of houses.

Tan, who is also a chartered valuation surveyor and High Court auctioneer, felt that such a move may prompt developers to re-adjust their property prices.

Instead of a new price threshold, he suggested having a new taxation policy on foreign owners and PRs.[
COLOR="Blue"]----- KatoeyNewsNetwork[/COLOR]

[KatoeyLover69]

New joint crime prevention effort by Johor and Singapore police

POLICE on both sides of the Causeway today jointly launched a series of five pamphlets in their first cross-border crime prevention initiative.

Targeting travellers from Singapore and Malaysia, the brochures contain police contact numbers, and safety tips to ward off theft, violent property crime, outrage of modesty and cheating scams. The fifth is a guide on prohibited items in Singapore. The initiative is spearheaded by the Jurong Police Division and the Johor Police Contingent.

"Now with the rise of Iskandar, we see an extra need to intensify our efforts, especially from the commercial standpoint. This is in anticipation of investors," said Datuk Ismail bin Yatim, Johor's deputy chief police officer, in a speech delivered at Aeon Bukit Indah Shopping Centre, Johor Baru.

From today, the pamphlets - in English and Malay - will be distributed at the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints. There are also plans to roll them out to tourist hotspots around Johor.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Singapore has been ranked the third most expensive city to live in Asia and the sixth in the world.

This is according to the Worldwide Cost of Living 2013 survey conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit.

The survey compares the cost of living among 131 cities worldwide using New York as a base city.

Its findings show that the relative cost of living in Asian hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong has moved higher.

This is largely due to rising wages and growth in the region, as well as the persistent weakness in Europe.

Tokyo tops the list again this year as the most expensive city to live in, thanks to Japanese deflation, a weaker yen and rising prices across the world.

Among the 27 Asian cities surveyed, Chinese cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen have seen the cost of living continue to rise.

This was fuelled by wage inflation, increasing demand for consumer goods and strict currency controls.

The Worldwide Cost of Living survey is carried out twice yearly.

It compares more than 400 individual prices across 160 products and services.

These include food, drinks, clothing, household supplies and personal care items, home rents, transport, utility bills, private schools, domestic help and recreational costs.

Meanwhile, economic growth has supported inflation and currency swings in Australian cities - placing Sydney and Melbourne at the third and fifth place in the top ten most costliest cities.

Editor of the report, Jon Copestake, said: "The cost of living in Europe has seen relative declines, thanks to economic austerity and currency fears. But Asian cities have also been rising on the back of wage growth and economic optimism. This means that over half of the 20 most expensive cities now hail from Asia and Australasia."

However, Asia also remains host to six of the world's ten cheapest cities - with Tehran clinching the top spot, followed by Jeddah.
----- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[d1spec]

Anyone arranging to JB?

1. D1spec

[LUCKY4261]

count me in if there is gathering!

[Edzai]

hmm.. how old r u guys actually?