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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Experienced eye pain and light sensitivity

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

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

"I was wearing sunglasses indoors."

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

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

Treatment within 2 days critical to prevent vision loss

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Emails with SingHealth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SingHealth Polyclinics' response

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The officer then closed the case.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He had appeared in court via video link.

Area cordoned off

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

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

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

His hands and legs were in restraints.

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

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

Investigation officers marked out certain areas.

Ng was also taken into the unit.

Residents of the block were seen gawking at one point.

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

Background

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

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

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

Ng was arrested at the scene.

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

The victim was a single father.

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

His case was adjourned to Aug. 26

If convicted of murder, Ng faces the death penalty.

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

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

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

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

Bind-over order

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

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

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

The defendant will also pay an appropriate bond.

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

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

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

The restaurant opened on Aug. 14.

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

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

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

Yellow tape was also pasted on the shutters.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Took photos from adjacent cubicle

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

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

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

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

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

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

Suspect has yet to be caught

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Both items were recovered from her.

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

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

A Malaysian academic who defended her controversial claims that the ancient Romans learnt shipbuilding from Malay seafarers has challenged her dismissal from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

According to an Aug. 23 Free Malaysia Today (FMT) article, Solehah Yaacob was fired in April and is taking IIUM to Malaysia's Industrial Court.

She has a doctorate in Arabic linguistics and was previously a professor at the university.

Solehah told FMT that she refused IIUM's compensation offer, which was equivalent to six months' of her salary.

She said: "I was dismissed within 24 hours and not allowed to appeal."

University statement

In a media release posted to Facebook by IIUM on Aug. 23, Solehah's service as an academic staff member at the university "ended effective from Apr. 27, 2026".

"Therefore, she is no longer a professor nor entitled to claim any association with the university effective from this date."

The university noted that Solehah was not allowed to use titles, positions or any form of official affiliation to IIUM.

IIUM added that it "hopes this clarification will help avoid any misunderstanding and uphold the integrity and academic standing of the university".

Received research award day before sacking

Solehah told FTM that IIUM was unprofessional in dismissing her as she had also been awarded the Malaysia Research (MyRa) Assessment award by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia a day prior.

According to the Consortia Advancing Standards in Research Administration Information (CASRAI), MyRA is used to evaluate the performance of Malaysian universities and was developed in 2006.

Solehah delivered the controversial lecture on Dec. 31, 2022, but it only resurfaced on Oct. 31, 2025.

She responded to the backlash on Nov. 9, 2025 and doubled down on her claims.

Solehah also alleged that iron ore deposits in Malaysia were the result of meteor strikes, and previously made claims that ancient Malays could fly and taught the Chinese "flying kung fu", reported FMT.

Sometime in 2020, Kate Tan found herself on the ground crying, asking herself if she should take her life that day.

It was probably her darkest moment, she said.

Today, the 38-year-old has a new battle: Stage 4 cancer.

But she is happier than she has ever been, and refuses to accept her diagnosis as a "death sentence".

"Every day is a gift," she said. "It's about… life getting 1 per cent better, every day."

How did this happen?

History of depression

Her first major encounter with depression came as a first-year undergraduate business student at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

"I looked like I was doing okay on the outside, but on the inside, [it] was pretty bad," she said.

She described depression as a "dark cloud hanging over [her]", which "just doesn't go away".

She was staying in university hall at the time, and although she did have good friends, she felt a persistent, deep-seated loneliness.

"I had really bad insomnia, so I wouldn't sleep for three to four days in a row...

I tried to OD (overdose) on Panadol once. But luckily I threw everything up."

Rock bottom

After that episode, she sought help and began taking antidepressants.

For a while, she stabilised. But then, during Covid-19, her husband and partner of 11 years suddenly disappeared.

"Nobody knew where he went," she said.

It was only later she learnt that he had borrowed money from loan sharks. They even showed up at her door.

"I didn't tell my parents, I didn't tell my friends because it was really, really shameful for me," she said.

Due to social distancing restrictions, people weren't meeting up. She'd just quit her job, had to deal with the loss of her partner, and felt "isolated" in her grief.

And then one day, she was on the ground crying. "I was like 'Should I just take my life today?'" she recounted.

"Because it was really hard for me... I felt all alone."

Grounded despite pain

Tan gives credit to her faith for grounding her despite her pain.

On the day she contemplated ending her life, she remembers feeling "someone hug [her]" while she was on the ground.

"I was like, okay, this person up there has got my back... [so] I'll just keep going," she said.

As it turns out, that would not be her last brush with death.

A year ago, Tan was diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer.

Blood in her stools

The first warning sign? Blood in her stools.

"I didn’t think it was that serious," the Fashion For Cancer (FFC) ambassador said in a Jul. 31 Instagram post, adding that she also experienced bloating and fatigue.

Despite observing that the bleeding occurred regularly, she chalked it up to stress and a busy schedule, telling herself it was "just haemorrhoids".

But when she finally got it checked six months later, she was told that a tumour had been found in her rectum. She had cancer.

She remembers how her mother, who was with her, was "devastated" at the news.

"She just started crying... and continued crying for the next few days...

I remember she was waiting outside [during a scan], and I peeped out [of the machine] and she was just sitting there crying."

Fighting for her life

Tan never expected that years after not wanting to live, she would end up having to fight for her life with a stage 4 rectal cancer diagnosis.

Apart from being painful, it was a long and expensive battle, costing over S$200,000 in total. 

In less than five days, she met with a surgeon, sought a second opinion, and consulted three oncologists and two other cancer specialists.

She then went through five rounds of chemotherapy and 30 days of targeted radiotherapy, before going through surgery to remove the tumour and 10cm of her rectum.

That was not the end of it.

After the surgery, Tan had to live with a temporary stoma bag for six months.

She also had to receive more radiotherapy on her right lung as the cancer had spread there, and another three rounds of chemotherapy.

After each cycle of chemo, Tan would usually be bed-bound for about a week, unable to move her hand because the drugs had damaged her veins.

"I think that's the hardest part... the physical pain," she said.

Zero-day plan

Despite the struggle of physical and mental pain, she considers the past year "the best year of [her] life".

"I used to have a five-year plan, and then now I have a zero-day plan," said Tan.

"Today I wake up and I'm like, what should I do today? …What's the impact I want to make?"

She described herself as "self-focused" in the past, often grappling with feelings that her "life sucks".

But when she started looking around her, she realised she had a roof over her head, even amidst her cancer diagnosis.

Tan said: "My family loves me. I've got friends... Every day I wake up, and I'm like, thank you that I'm still breathing."

It takes about four to five years before she will be fully in remission. In the meantime though, she intends to continue living her life to the fullest.

Today, she is pursuing a two-year Masters in Communications at NUS with her best friend.

She will also be participating in a 10km race for cancer in September 2026, and plans to return to rock climbing (which she did regularly before her diagnosis) soon.

Fashion For Cancer ambassador

It's also why she decided to become a FFC ambassador, after the organisation reached out to her.

The show will see her donning an outfit from The Missing Piece and walking the runway during the FFC Charity Fashion Show 2026 on Aug. 29 at The Westin Singapore hotel.

Walking for FFC, admitted Tan, feels "very scary".

"But it also shows that, hey, you know what? ...Even though my body has gone through this, and even though it's not perfect, I'm still gonna walk and show people that you still can do it."

She also wants to share with people that cancer is not a death diagnosis. Tan, herself, certainly hasn't given up.

The best part? Following a recent scan, Tan updated in an Aug. 20 Instagram post that her cancer markers are low and the nodule in her lung is gone.

She told Mothership on Aug. 22: "I'm really relieved with my clear scans, feeling very hopeful and will do my best to rebuild my physical health from scratch.

"My next PET scan is in November, but I'm going to take it one day at a time, and not waste the time that I've been gifted!"

Helplines

If you or someone you know is in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)

National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

The announcement of the government's intention to possibly merge several of Singapore's Western islands, which could include Pulau Semakau, Sudong and Bukom and "a few other smaller islands", has drawn reactions from the local marine community.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong shared during his 2026 National Day Rally that the larger, merged island could provide space for industry and power infrastructure.

He added that these are long-term plans which the government is studying carefully.

Some of the reef habitats in the waters off these Western islands, such as around Pulau Hantu and Semakau, go back about 8,000 years.

Land reclamation in these marine areas will lead to the loss of ecosystem functions such as climate mitigation and ecological connectivity which these habitats provide, one marine researcher said.

However, this loss can be averted if pockets of these habitats can be conserved.

Some reefs about 8,000 years old

Speaking with Mothership, Huang Danwei, Director at the National University of Singapore's National Institute for Marine and Ocean Sciences, shared that the area of interest for the merge comprises "substantial areas of coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangrove forests, making up significant proportions of the total area of these ecosystems in Singapore".

Pulau Hantu sits among the three islands PM Wong mentioned in his speech, while the smaller Pulau Jong is located just off the coast of Semakau.

"What stands out for some of these habitats in the potential reclamation area is that they have persisted and provided ecosystem services for a very long time, some growing and thriving even before modern Singapore was founded," Huang shared.

The reefs around Hantu and Semakau date back to about 8,000 years, and have been serving ecological functions for the communities in Singapore and the surrounding region "when this was a known fishing village", according to Huang.

Some of these functions include providing a source of food and coastal erosion prevention.

Due to the location of these reefs, they also serve as a "transition habitat" between reefs in Southeast Asia.

"Larvae of various species stopover in the ecosystems here, which thus support biodiversity and fisheries at the regional scale," Huang said.

"No mitigation" for the loss of these reefs

Huang also mentioned that these reefs are the "most well-studied reefs in the world", owing to their persistence through years of coastal development and reclamation.

He also said:

"Unfortunately, directly burying them for land reclamation gives them no chance of survival. Such a loss would be irreversible.

It would take another 8,000 years of suitable environmental conditions — and we're not helped by ongoing climate change — to produce such reefs again. We will also lose future ecosystem services apart from regional food security, such as new medicines and materials."

There is "no mitigation" for the loss of these reefs. Transplanted corals "will not come close" to the ecosystem functions and services of the existing reefs, Huang explained.

The loss of these reefs will also affect existing and future research.

Huang suggested that some pockets of natural coral habitats can be protected from reclamation works, and coral fragments transplanted onto adjacent reefs.

"No technology will be able to recover 8000-year-old coral reefs buried by land reclamation," Huang emphasised.

Mothership understands that Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan is meeting with members of Friends of Marine Park on Monday (Aug. 24).

A form to collect responses and feedback from the community has also been circulating.

Other reactions

Local science content creator Biogirl MJ, who is the host of education platform Just Keep Thinking, also reacted to the news in a Facebook post.

Other marine enthusiasts similarly reacted to the potential loss of the habitats.