A Chinese national was charged in court on Jun. 11 for allegedly offering a bribe to an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer to gain entry into Singapore.

Lin Zekun, 34, allegedly offered S$200 to one Inspector Goh on May 18 after he was denied entry into the country at Woodlands Checkpoint, according to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

Goh rejected the bribe and referred the case to CPIB.

For his actions, Lin faces one charge under the Prevention of Corruption Act, which can result in a jail term of up to five years, a fine of up to S$100,000, or both.

"Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption," said the CPIB.

The Bureau looks into all corruption-related complaints and reports, including anonymous ones, that are lodged online.

Curacao is a small island with a population of about 140,000 people, and yet somehow the tiny island nation has managed to work its way into becoming the smallest country to ever qualify for the World Cup.

The country, ranked 82nd in the world, has taken advantage of good planning, but also of changes to the World Cup’s organisation, to put together its first qualifying team in the nation’s short history: it gained formal independence in 2010.

It’s like Ang Mo Kio qualified for the World Cup

Curacao has a population of just under 160,000 people, which is (roughly) the population of Ang Mo Kio, its area is about two-thirds that of Singapore.

But there are just about as many people of Curacao descent in the Netherlands as there are in Curacao itself, just under 150,000.

So technically, this is like if Ang Mo Kio and Sengkang made the World Cup.

Curacao is an independent nation, but is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

This means Curacoans hold Dutch passports, allowing them to move to the Netherlands and settle for work or study.

This Netherlands-based diaspora is something that Curacao has made limited use of until recently.

Gilbert Martina, head of Curacao’s football federation, speaking to Sports Illustrated and CBS, said that prior to 2016, only three or four players with Curacao heritage had played for the national team.

This began to change when they appointed Dutch and Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert first as the national team manager, and then as an advisor.

Football heritage

Kluivert is of Curacao heritage on his mother’s side, but was born in Amsterdam.

He came through the legendary Ajax youth program, with whom he would make a name for himself, scoring the winning goal in the 1995 Champions League.

He was also prolific for the Netherlands national team, scoring 40 times out of 79 caps.

Suffice to say, he was well acquainted with the quality of youth training and professional play available in Europe.

Kluivert knew that players of mixed heritage were an advantage that countries like Curacao could take advantage of: the Netherlands certainly did.

Even now, players with Curacaoan heritage help fill the Netherlands National Team’s ranks, the most famous of which is probably Arsenal’s Jurren Timber and his twin brother Quintin.

It's coming home

He advised the Curacao national team, then 182nd in the world, that they should expand their recruitment beyond the island’s shores, a suggestion that garnered resistance from both local players and officials.

But Kluivert would stage a match between the best of the island’s local players and a selection of diaspora players that saw the diaspora team win 7-1, showing them what was possible.

Even as far back as 2017, articles on Curacao’s team note the “star power” that Kluivert brought to the team that helped encourage diaspora players to put on the Curacao shirt, something that has endured through the years.

But the team has also caught a wave where it has become more common for diaspora players to play for the national teams of their origins.

One example is Wilfred Zaha, formerly of Manchester United and Crystal Palace, who grew up in England and was probably good enough to play at least a peripheral role in the national team, having played for the English under-19 and under-21 teams.

But for whatever reason, Zaha was not called up to England, and in 2016 decided to play for the country of his birth, the Ivory Coast, or Cote d’Ivoire.

Zaha is one of several examples of former potential England international players taking their parents’ countries to the World Cup: Iraq’s Zidane Iqbal grew up in Manchester, England’s Kobbie Mainoo was seriously courted by Ghana, as was Scott McTominay for Scotland (McTominay was born in England).

(At this point, the author acknowledges a serious Manchester United bias.)

In fact, Curacao’s national team only boasts one locally born player: Tahith Chong, who grew up in the capital of Willemstad before being scouted by the Dutch team Feyenoord, and then moving to (sorry) Manchester United’s youth team.

Even their current manager, the 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, is Dutch.

Forty eight

Because of these reinforcements, “The Blue Wave”, as the Curacoa team is known at home, managed to earn direct qualification to the World Cup, beating Jamaica on the final fixture of the group qualification round, to knock out Jamaica, which was led by (sorry sorry) former Manchester United assistant manager Steve McClaren.

But it was helped in its endeavour by changes to the World Cup.

The World Cup has gradually expanded the number of teams represented at the tournament, going from 24 to 32 in 1998, and now from 32 to 48.

This meant that CONCACAF, the federation for North America and the Caribbean, now enjoyed six direct qualification slots, with an additional two possible spots through international playoffs.

At the 2022 World Cup, the federation was restricted to three direct slots and one playoff spot, and those three slots were taken by the towering giants (relatively) of Mexico, the United States, and Canada, by far the largest countries in the federation.

These three countries are now the 2026 tournament’s hosts, meaning they automatically qualify and now take up three of CONCACAF’s six direct slots, but it still leaves three open for other nations to take, more than was offered before.

Curacao grabbed the opportunity with both hands, riding its qualification wave to the last day of the group stages.

Another set of islands

Other countries have noticed too.

Like Curacao, Indonesia seeks to find players with Indonesian heritage from the Netherlands and beyond to fill its ranks, although it seems that dual nationality is far more complicated for them than Curacao.

Indonesia even hired Kluivert to helm their national team, although he has since left the coaching setup.

It has taken Curacao over a decade to get to this point, hardly overnight.

It has invested the country’s renewed interest in the sport into facilities, where its state-of-the-art artificial turf football field sits at the heart of a 15,000-seater stadium, a seven-row single-tier stand not quite surrounding the entire pitch.

In Curacao, their national team has been welcomed with enthusiasm, with some even thinking of selling prized personal possessions in order to attend the World Cup.

In fact, you can check the country’s tourism-related social media, understandably nothing not related to the World Cup is planned for June.

A decade ago, such opportunities were unthinkable, who knows if another will present itself?

Train operations at the JB Sentral Station in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, are temporarily suspended on Jun. 11, 2026.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) said in a Jun. 10 Facebook post that the temporary suspension is to facilitate construction works for the Johor Bahru to Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project.

Bus service provided for affected passengers

Affected passengers travelling on the EP9535 and EG9449 train services will continue their journey using the intermediary bus service provided between Kempas Baru Railway Station and JB Sentral.

Designated pick-up and drop-off areas will be provided at both locations.

Staff and ambassadors will also be stationed at the affected areas to assist and guide passengers.

The rail operator advised passengers to follow signage and staff instructions to ensure smooth and safe passenger movement during the temporary suspension period.

Affected passengers may contact the KTMB call centre at 03-9779 1200 for any enquiries or further assistance.

Changi Airport will be screening the World Cup at transit areas across the terminals, as well as ST3PS, the public area at Terminal 3 Basement 2.

Here are the scheduled group matches, the schedule will be updated as the tournament goes on.

There also other fun activities scheduled, including a Football Champions Trail at Terminal 3’s public areas to unlock rewards worth more than S$50 in total.

By taking part in quizzes and challenges, participants will enjoy exclusive shopping and dining deals (minimum spend applies) along the way, culminating in a complimentary ticket to the Bouncing Net at Jewel Canopy Park upon completion.

Find out more info here.

New football video

To mark the start of World Cup season, Changi Airport also launched a new video featuring Singapore’s national football players and special appearances by local football legend Fandi Ahmad and Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow.

You can watch the video here:

]]> 1151557 https://mothership.sg/2026/06/man-charged-email-town-council/ 2026-06-11T10:41:16 https://mothership.sg/2026/06/man-charged-email-town-council/

A 72-year-old man will be charged on Jun. 11 for allegedly using abusive language towards public servants.

According to investigations, he had apparently sent multiple emails to the Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council between Aug. 19 and Oct. 6, 2025, the police said in a Jun. 10 release.

The emails purportedly contained accusations of unlawful conduct and abusive comments directed at a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC and a town council employee.

The man was also previously investigated for similar offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 2014 for abusive conduct directed at the same MP and various town council employees.

He will be charged for using or communicating abusive words or materials towards a public servant.

These offences carry a jail term not exceeding 12 months, a fine not exceeding S$5,000, or both.

The police reminded members of the public who have concerns regarding municipal or public service matters to raise them through appropriate official channels.

The police also said it has zero tolerance for harassment and abusive conduct directed at public officers and town council personnel who carry out their duties in the service of the community.

It will not hesitate to take firm action against those who engage in such conduct in accordance with the law.

When he and his wife have to work on some Saturdays, Daniel Chow would take the MRT train to a station in the morning and hand their toddler to his mother-in-law for babysitting.

The exchange would happen at the side gate of the EZ-Link gantry, which the station staff kindly opened for Chow to push his daughter through in her pram.

It is a practice his family has been doing occasionally since around October 2025.

On Mar. 14, however, the station manager stopped him and told him he was not allowed to open the gate for this, citing security reasons. He requested that Chow tap out instead.

There was a "showdown" when Chow questioned this apparent rule, causing his toddler to start screaming, he told Mothership.

The manager eventually relented and opened the gate, telling Chow it was the "last time".

Frustrated by the encounter, the 33-year-old father took to Instagram on Jun. 9 to pen an open letter addressed to Minister of Transport Jeffrey Siow.

"Is there... really such a rule that parents need to tap out to pass our babies to our parents and then waste S$2 tapping back in?" he wrote. "If yes, can we please remove it?"

'Ridiculous'

On past occasions, every SMRT staff member at the station, which is along the Thomson East Coast Line, had been "helpful and smiley in opening the side gate for the pram to be passed across".

They included the station manager, who informed Chow once that it was not allowed, but let him through the gate anyway, and Chow appreciated this.

He responded differently on Mar. 14, however.

"He started talking about just following the rules, needing to tap out for security reasons — which I found ridiculous," Chow recalled.

"At 8:20am, there was literally no one else but my in-law and [me]," he questioned in his Instagram post. "Why can’t a staff just open the side gate?"

According to him, the manager also claimed someone had complained about his practice of passing his daughter through the side gate, but said it was confidential when Chow asked for proof.

When Chow questioned if the supposed rule was something he truly wanted to enforce, the manager allegedly said he was "just doing his job".

An alternative

Since the incident, Chow has stopped passing his daughter to his mother-in-law at the gantry, but would do so over a glass barrier in the middle of the station.

He shared a video of this manoeuvre in his Instagram post.

Since his post, other parents have reached out to him to share that he could have gotten a free EZ-Link card to tap out for his child.

"I wished the station manager shared this precious information with me," he said.

SMRT offered to chat

On Jun. 10, SMRT sent him a direct message via Instagram.

According to screenshots shared by Chow, SMRT offered to arrange a chat between him and their head of community engagement.

He thanked them, but told Mothership he does not plan to meet with SMRT, as he does not believe it will be helpful.

He explained that he made his post to encourage others "to be more empathetic and think critically about unnecessary rules".

In response to Mothership's queries, an SMRT spokesperson said SMRT understands Chow's concerns.

The spokesperson added that they have spoken with their staff on circumstances when some discretion can be exercised, and that the majority of the station staff did so in this case.

According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) website, commuters can apply for a concession card at SimplyGo ticket offices for free travel for their child between 0.9m and 1.2m tall, as long as they are below seven years old and not studying in a primary school yet.

The body of an 82-year-old man was retrieved from Kallang River on Jun. 10 evening.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic.

Responding to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that it was alerted to a case of suspected drowning at Kallang River at about 8:20pm.

The 82-year-old's body was subsequently retrieved from the river.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.

Police investigations are ongoing.

One Mothership reader who lived nearby shared that they observed significant police and SCDF presence on the evening of Jun. 10 and into the early hours of Jun. 11.

SCDF divers were seen entering the waters.

At about 12:10am on Jun. 11, the reader said they saw a body bag being removed.

A 53-year-old woman in China, who suffered long-term domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, had struggled to cover the cost of her RMB7,000 (S$1,330) medical treatment.

She later discovered her ex-husband had hidden RMB14 million (S$2.6 million) from her.

The woman told Jiupai News that she was "deeply trapped" by the traditional taboo of not airing one's dirty laundry in public and keeping family scandals private.

This fear led her to silently endure the abuse for years.

After more than 10 years of suffering, she finally spoke up about her experience.

Domestic violence

Wang Zuohong first met her husband, surnamed He, through a matchmaker in 1997, Sina reported.

The couple married a year later and had a daughter shortly after.

Wang claimed that her then-husband started beating her in 2014.

Between 2020 to 2023, she suffered more than 10 rounds of beatings from her husband.

She reportedly took 132 photos of her injuries from the abuse, which included three broken ribs and three head injuries, she told Jiupai News.

Wang was also diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety after the abuse.

She also suffered from hearing loss in her ears following the beatings.

Cheating

In addition to the physical torment, her ex-husband cheated on her as well.

Wang discovered this when she found records on his phone of sex toys he had purchased with his mistress, reported Sina.

He apparently showed no remorse for his infidelity, even bringing his mistress to provoke Wang in person.

The mistress had also called and verbally abused Wang, threatening to find a hitman to kill her — all in an attempt to push her towards a divorce.

Wang also believed her ex-husband's repeated domestic abuse was a bid to force her to divorce him.

Finances

Although they were married, the couple never discussed their financial situation.

For over 20 years of marriage, Wang was unaware of his income and expenditure.

After monitoring her husband's bank accounts for several years, she realised that without her knowledge, her husband had transferred out RMB 14 million (S$2.6 million).

Despite his wealth, he had refused to give her a monthly living allowance of RMB2,500 (S$475), she told a Chinese TV show.

Wang shared that she would wear t-shirts worth less than RMB100 (S$19), while her partner wore branded clothes.

When she went to Beijing for medical treatment, she could only stay in a cheap hotel that cost RMB50 (S$9.50) per night, and could barely afford the RMB7,000 (S$1,330) medical bill.

Meanwhile, Wang claimed that her ex-husband would go for cosmetic procedures regularly.

She also had to raise their daughter, who was pursuing a master's degree in Beijing, on her own.

She said: "I feel sorry for myself because I was wrongly treated by him."

Daughter's pleas

Wang added that she only stayed with her ex-husband for the sake of their daughter.

In one violent episode, her then 13-year-old daughter tried to stop her father and knelt down before her mother, begging them not to divorce, and saying that she "want[ed] a complete family".

At the pleas of her daughter and mother, Wang wrote a letter of forgiveness to her ex-husband, reported Sina.

However, the violence continued and was eventually inflicted on their daughter, who would get beaten if she did not achieve full marks on her mathematics tests.

Wang would also get beaten if she tried to intervene.

In 2025, Wang complained to the Yongchuan District Women's Federation in Chongqing to report her husband's domestic violence.

Her daughter also gave a witness testimony to support her mother in court.

Wang was soon granted a personal protection order by a local court.

In October that year, the court sentenced her husband to jail.

He was also ordered to pay Wang compensation for her injuries.

She has since filed for divorce, and the case is still ongoing.

E-commerce platform Shopee began cutting hundreds of developer jobs globally this week amidst its push towards AI.

The cuts will affect about 8 per cent of its developer workforce, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

More cuts might follow, Bloomberg wrote.

Adjustments made based on operational and business priorities: Shopee

In response to Mothership's queries, a Shopee spokesperson said that the company regularly assesses its staffing needs.

"From time to time, departments may make adjustments based on operational and business priorities," the spokesperson said.

"These decisions are always made after careful consideration. For colleagues affected by any changes, Shopee is committed to providing support during this period of transition," the spokesperson continued.

Shopee's spokesperson did not provide the specific number of employees affected by this round of job reductions.

At least 10 affected in Singapore: CNA

CNA reported that two software engineers at Shopee's Singapore headquarters learned they had been laid off on Monday (Jun. 8).

One of the engineers received the news via the company's instant messaging platform prior to an in-person meeting with the human resources department.

The engineer told CNA that affected employees were told they will receive an "N+2" severance package, or one month of salary for each year of service plus another two months of pay.

Another employee told CNA that they knew of at least 10 affected colleagues, mostly in the product and engineering teams, in Shopee's Singapore office.

This employee added that there was no town hall or company-wide email informing all staff of the layoffs.

Shopee provided advance notification: Union

A spokesperson for the Creative Media and Publishing Union (CMPU) said Sea Limited, Shopee's parent company, had informed the union in advance about the "workforce adjustment affecting certain employees".

Sea Limited is not a unionised company in Singapore, according to CNA.

The advance notification enabled CMPU to "work closely with management to better support affected employees through this challenging period".

"The union is working with the management to ensure that affected members and workers are offered fair compensation packages, and that the adjustment is conducted fairly and responsibly," the spokesperson said.

CMPU's representatives were also on-site during the layoff exercise to provide support and assistance to affected union members and employees, the spokesperson shared.

Bloomberg wrote that it is unclear if this latest round of layoffs at Shopee is tied to Sea's venture into artificial intelligence.

However, Sea's Chief Executive Officer, Forrest Li, previously noted that AI advancements could set Sea on a path to a US$1 trillion market capitalisation.

A 19-year-old Mercedes-Benz driver allegedly involved in a fatal crash in Johor that killed five people, including a 10-year-old girl, has been released on police bail.

This comes after his remand was extended for two days to facilitate investigations for murder, and the remand order expired on Jun. 10.

Now, the deputy public prosecutor has directed that the teen be granted bail until investigations are fully completed, The New Straits Times cited the Kluang district police chief as saying.

The crash

On Jun. 1, the suspect was driving a Mercedes-Benz alongside his 22-year-old brother in a BMW, on the Kluang – Simpang Renggam highway in Johor.

Both drivers are believed to have driven dangerously at the time. The BMW reportedly lost control and entered the opposite lane, colliding with four other vehicles before plunging into a ravine.

The suspect's brother passed away afterwards, and the other four deceased were a family whose ages ranged from 10 to 73.

The public responded in outrage over the incident, with Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke calling such driving "very irresponsible and completely unacceptable".

If convicted, the 19-year-old could face up to five years in jail and a maximum fine of RM15,000 (S$4,800).

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